Mansell slams ‘disgraceful’ 2014 weight limits

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In the round-up: Nigel Mansell believes the car weight limits to be imposed on cars from next season are ‘disgraceful’.

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Nigel Mansell: F1 weight limits for 2014 ‘disgraceful’ (BBC)

"In years gone by, we didn’t have traction control or power steering – you had to be a strong driver and there were a lot of strong drivers. If you had this weight limit, they wouldn’t have been able to drive cars many years ago – or they would have driven with great difficulty."

McLaren defends Sergio Perez’s performance (Autosport)

Martin Whitmarsh: "I think Checo was racing well too. Where we were, he should have able to get seventh or eighth. Considering where we are at the moment, I think the last two or three races he has raced very well indeed."

Grosjean’s Confidence High For Indian GP (SPEED)

Grosjean: "I’m feeling really good with the car, my confidence is getting higher with every race and I’m very happy with the team. So, I’ll keep working hard to improve the areas that need improving, and we’ll keep pushing for top results right to the end of the season."

Lotus: Second in the championship ‘very attainable’ (F1.com)

Eric Boullier: "Of course, we all know that anything can happen in this sport, but second place would be an amazing result so we’ll push as hard as we can and you never know what might happen."

Maldonado exit opens Williams door for Massa (GrandPrix.com)

"Pastor Maldonado’s exit at Williams could pave the way for Felipe Massa, the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo is reporting. Correspondent Livio Oricchio claims talks between Venezuelan Maldonado’s management and sponsors, and bosses of the Grove based team, are taking place now."

The future of Formula 1’s strategy (Autosport+)

"On Monday, most of Formula 1’s great and good will congregate at Sapphire House, situated in Churchill Way, just off the A233 on the perimeter of Biggin Hill Airport."

Photos show there is progress being made on New Jersey Formula One circuit (Autoweek)

"Check out these pictures, uploaded to the image sharing site Imgur today. The poster said they are from two to three weeks ago."

Indian Grand Prix: The story behind the trophy (NDTV)

"The trophy comprises aspects of sports, technology, glamour, entertainment and youth all rolled into one masterpiece. It displays elements of both modern and traditional India."

Tweets

https://twitter.com/ollyFOTA/status/391298565160861696

Comment of the day

Honda have given F1 fans a sample of how their 2015 V6 turbo engine will sound. But reader bebilou is more interested in how the new engines will sound up close.

Not too bad, wait and s?óÔé¼?ª hear :-)

Anyway, it’s impossible to listen a sample on the internet and compare it with the real sound: and when I say ‘real’, I mean on the track, with the car 10m from you.

Anyone who went on location to a F1 Grand Prix knows what I mean: it’s like comparing the sound of thunder on your TV and when the thunder strikes the ground 100m from you. There is no comparison.

I’m quite confident the turbo engines will be impressive to listen ‘live’, like the V8 are today. Different, but still impressive.
bebilou

From the forum

Reviewing the entrants for this year’s Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix.

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Happy birthday to Daykind and Estesark!

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On this day in F1

Lewis Hamilton dominated the Chinese Grand Prix five years ago today, putting him on course for the world championship.

The only driver who could keep him from the crown was Ferrari’s Felipe Massa, who was elevated into second place when team mate Kimi Raikkonen let him past. Raikkonen will return to Ferrari next year alongside Fernando Alonso.

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90 comments on “Mansell slams ‘disgraceful’ 2014 weight limits”

  1. But, Nigel, it isn’t many years ago, nor has it been many years ago for a while now. It’s like a lot of older F1 drivers can’t seem to accept change.

    1. Just because the current crop of drivers are all jockey size, probably also an advantage in Karting, does not mean it’s a good thing. Something should be done to level the playing field to allow talented drivers of average size the chance to compete in F1.

      1. It should be fairly easy to do, I imagine. A minimum size and weight for the driver cell with the driver in it, so as to accomodate the vast majority of potential drivers. Say, 1.90 m and 100 kg, or something like that. Controls would be positioned accordingly for different driver heights and preferences, and missing weight would be added using ballast in the right places so that no one has an advantage on balance.

      2. tough. that’s the nature of the sport. just like any other sport. basketball for example, there are people who are good at it but are not tall enough. if they are too tall for f1 then tough.

        1. Not exactly a fair comparison. Shortest player in recent NBA history was listed at 1.6m. Small even by other sports’ standards, but he did play because he had the talent. On the other hand, if a driver standing 2m tall has the talent, he is unable to prove it because of the inconvenience of fitting him into the car.

    2. Indeed. It could just say that adding 8-10 kilos to the limit would solve many problems. Nigel’s argument even make the wight limit acceptable. The world must move on and 2020 cars are suppose to be more advanced than 2010, it’s like Mansel would rather be racing in 1960’s cars.

      1. Not everything new is better.Show some respect.

  2. Hmm, and didn’t Mansell race the ’92 Williams FW14..?
    Semi-auto, active suspension, traction control, and for a while anti-lock brakes? ;)
    I don’t like the weight restrictions either though.

    1. Yes he did. The Newey designed FW14B was certainly by far the most technologically advanced car of its day and well ahead of the competition. Given today’s restrictions, the RB9 is nowhere as dominant by comparison.

      But Mansell is entirely correct in protesting about weight restrictions. Those rules are blatantly unfair to larger drivers like The Hulk.

    2. Mansell didn’t like the active suspension and raced without it. Piquet used it throughout.

      1. hahahahahahaha you got that one very much wrong m8

      2. You’re not from England by any chance? :D

  3. I like Maldonado, but he doesn’t deserve a Lotus seat over Hülkenberg. Not a chance.

    That just begs the question though: if he’s going to leave Williams, where will he go next? Red Bull, Mercedes, Ferrari and Lotus under these circumstances are full, so would McLaren perhaps be a viable option? I would think they will retain Perez, but it is a possibility.

    Or perhaps more of a sideways step, such as Sauber (if Sirotkin is deemed not ready) or Force India (if one of their drivers goes, although I would say Calado is the one most poised to take a seat there)?

    1. Eh, this story seems like a bit of a stretch. I suspect the Brazilian media has done what the Brazilian media does best, and assumed that a Brazilian driver will instantly get massive sponsorship from Brazilian companies to cement his place on the grid. But they need to find a place for that driver to go, and so comb other publications, looking for something they can use. They find the reports of Maldonado and Williams disagreeing, and use that as evidence that Massa will go to Williams.

      However, bear in mind that team principals of smaller teams rarely have the luxury of picking drivers based on who deserves it the most. Finance is known to be an issue at Lotus, and Maldonado has significant sponsorship whilst Hulkenberg doesn’t. So even if Hulkenberg deserves the seat more, if the team need the money, they’ll take Maldonado because they probably don’t want to risk their future as a team. It constantly blows my mind that people don’t understand this and get up in arms when a talented driver has to make way for a well-monied one. The money they provide doesn’t go towards private yachts for team principals and solid gold chandeliers in the team motorhomes. It goes towards the research and development of the car, paying the salaries of team members, covering the costs of transport, maintaining the windtunnels and dozens of other costs associated with running a Formula 1 team. Without that money, there is often a real risk that development if the car will stall, the team will slide down the grid, have trouble finding sponsors and investors and ultimately be forced to close.

      So look at it from a team principal’s point of view, @vettel1 – which is better: risking the entire future of the team for the sake of satisfying the short-term career of a popular driver, or taking a lesser driver to secure the team’s long-term stability? (And these are your only two options – taking Hulkenberg will not guarantee Lotus’ future the way Maldonado and the PDVSA funding will.)

      1. Eh, this story seems like a bit of a stretch. I suspect the Brazilian media has done what the Brazilian media does best, and assumed that a Brazilian driver will instantly get massive sponsorship from Brazilian companies to cement his place on the grid.

        Did you read the article? It states:

        The Brazilian, who has reportedly put together a sponsor package worth about EUR 6 million, including Petrobras, is looking for a drive for 2014 after losing his seat at Ferrari.

        That’s what I like about Massa (and Todt, by extension): tireless fighter who doesn’t give up and wants to keep driving, even if it means having to make an extra effort off the grid to increase his potential value by finding corporate backing. He’s not too proud to put together $-package if that’s what it takes to keep driving – and who can blame him? Why in God’s name would you want to stop racing F1 if you enjoyed it and could continue earning a living from it? Trust me, only once you are absolutely sucking – and Massa is not absolutely sucking – does that shame kick in (but even then there have been sportsmen who could shrug it off and keep cashing the checks).

        Contrast this w/ Kovalainen, an entertaining guy (for a Finn), but totally not willing to do the extra work to bring $$ to the table, hence why he’s no longer racing in F1 and was reduced to skulking around the paddock and taking a few practice laps. Maldonado is also a 1-race winner, but you won’t see him reduced to virtual sports-penury. Nope. Whereas by winning 1 GP, Kovalainen did absolutely nothing spectacular to set himself apart from countless internationally-successful Finnish racing drivers, Maldonado’s single GP win elevated him to status of national hero in Venezuela, a status he maintains post-Chavez, b/c the Venezuelan people are more than capable of considering their sporting heroes in an apolitical-context – just like Brazilians.

        So yes, good for Felipe for doing whatever it takes to continue in F1. I hope he continues to occupy a seat on the grid that might otherwise go to a less-talented, less-successful, less-worthy, but equally-backed pay-driver who wasn’t ever DWC (even if for only a few sec.)…

        1. You gloss over one tiny detail.

          Finland has only 5 million inhabitants and Brazil has 200 million. It’s way waaaaaay easier to get some sponsoring together in such a big country as it is in Finland.

    2. With drivers seemingly lined up for every team on the grid, I think it would be extremely foolish to abandon Williams. Pastor has speed yes – but that speed comes with a lot of asterisks. I don’t know if any team higher up the grid would take the risk with Maldonado, especially if there are apparently better options such as Hulkenberg and arguably Massa floating around too.

      1. Maybe, Williams might not be so sorry if he did go.

        from the GrandPrix.com article:

        One unnamed team member, however, said 2012 Spanish grand prix winner Maldonado has also been part of the problem.

        “He still makes too many mistakes,” the team member is quoted as saying.

        “In Korea, we told him repeatedly in the last stint to take care of the right front and, if possible, stay out of the battles.

        “But what did he do? Drives like a madman and ruins his tyres within three laps.”

        Maldonado also reportedly infuriated team bosses when he forced past teammate Valtteri Bottas in the final corner of the last lap in Japan, for a mere 16th place.

        Not a big fan of unnamed sources, but I would not doubt the validity that at least some on the Williams team are not too happy with Maldonado. His sponsor is his biggest attraction as a driver now.

        1. On the other hand though that seems like Maldonado was doing exactly what he is supposed to do. He is a racecar driver and he was trying to actually race.

          1. Agreed, to a point. But, the intelligent racer knows when to race hard and when to maintain. Racing hard and plowing into cars while trying to take the pit lane at the same time, nearly bulldozing your team mate off the course for a 16th place on the last lap endangering both cars and possibly not finishing the race race at all… hardly seems like the description of smart racing.

        2. Jack (@jackisthestig)
          19th October 2013, 19:26

          All of these incidents have happened when both cars are running well off the points, why does it matter if he decides he wants to enjoy himself and get stuck into a bit of fighting and throwing the car around a little, he isn’t going to score points either way.

          1. why does it matter if he decides he wants to enjoy himself and get stuck into a bit of fighting and throwing the car around a little

            I agree! Engineers too often get confused and start thinking their drivers are just as mechanical as the cars – robots even. This mindset isn’t helped (to be dispelled) by drivers like Button, for example, who overwhelm in their earnestness not to display passion or individual feeling. Contrast that with the qualities of Maldonado, who with his fiery Latin temperament may splinter a fair share of carbon fibre, but never fails to entertain, especially when he got stuck in to Hamilton in Valencia and rightfully put him into the barriers.

            Maldonado deserves a car worthy of his 35 million, and Williams has failed to provide it. Disgraceful.

          2. @joepa

            Maldonado deserves a car worthy of his 35 million, and Williams has failed to provide it. Disgraceful.

            They both failed.

      2. Marussia is what he deserves, they could use his cash.

    3. Over Hulk, no. Over Grosjean, I believe so. No matter how you look at it, comparing Grosjean to his team-mate, he is a liability for a second season in a row. I don’t want to be Mr Boulier, explaining why there is a such deficit in points to partners and sponsors, considering the top scoring driver is leaving.

      Personaly, for some reason I still hopeful that Hulk will join McLaren and Perez will chill at Lotus.

      1. Would you want to be Christian Horner, Stefano Domenicale, Martin Withmarsh or Monisha Kaltenborn?

        1. What, manage an F1 team instead of my good, steady but uninspiring 9-5 job?

          Err, where are the interviews taking place?

      2. Yup, finishing on the podium two races in a row (and probably another if his car hadn’t broken in Singapore) in the second best car sure is a ‘liability’. Sure he’s had some poor races this year, but he’s definitely on an upward trajectory.

  4. Was seriously as early as this that JB won the title!? We still have 4 races to go as opposed to just 1 (Abu Dhabi) in 2009!

    1. @calum both India and Austin are new events though, so it’s not really surprising ;)

    2. OmarR-Pepper (@)
      19th October 2013, 3:13

      @calum that tweets, instead of “first WDC” should say “only” or “maiden” WDC. Sorry Jenson… :P

      1. He has unfinished business with Honda planned for 2015 though ;) @omarr-pepper

      2. Don’t forget who was the only one still mounting a challenge late in the season and came 2nd to VET in 2011 (BUT). Put Seb in a FI with DiResta and it would probably be close between them. It is more about the car than the driver…

        1. So, we have Max Chilton voting for himself in Driver of the Weekend, and now Paul ‘I beat Vettel in F3’ di Resta posting here too!

        2. @abbinator – Vettel has done more with lesser cars than the FI than either Sutil or Di Resta have, and that was when SV was a 21 year old rookie. It would be close… in your dreams.

        3. @abbinator

          no one was mounting a challenge to Vet in 2011. The writing was on the wall by Monaco/Canada. It’s one of the reasons folks thought team orders to keep Webber behind Vettel at Silverstone were unnecessary – any points lost by swapping places would make as much difference as a fly hitting a windshield in terms of the championship.

          Vet would crush DiResta at FI. And if he was driving the FI at Brazil last year, he would have won the race rather than crash into Hamilton. You may not like Vettel, but he’s a top class driver easily on par with Alonso, Hamilton, and Kimi. PdR isn’t (Hulkenberg may be).

          Btw, I was a huge fan of DiResta when he came in to F1 and have rooted for him to do well. I was disappointed that he didn’t get the McLaren seat last year. But he lacks consistency at getting the most out of his car week in and week out and tends to blame the team for the problems. Worse, he doesn’t bounce back after one bad performance, which you see a lot of good drivers do.

          1. My take on driver comparisons is this:
            Alonso and Hamilton can get 110% out of a car
            Vettel, Raikkonen and Grosjean can get 100% out of a car
            Weber, Button can get 100% out of a car if everything is going right for them.
            The rest trail behind

          2. @ceevee – I fail to see how Alonso and Hamilton have ever got 10% more out of a car than Vettel or Raikkonen. Also, Grosjean despite his recent performances still trails far behind Raikkonen overall.

      3. Don’t forget who was the only one still mounting a challenge late in the season and came 2nd to VET in 2011 (BUT). Put Seb in a FI with DiResta and it would probably be close between them. It is more about the car than the driver…

        1. @abbinator – Vettel has done more with lesser cars than the FI than either Sutil or Di Resta have, and that was when SV was a 21 year old rookie. It would be close… in your dreams.

          1. Well DiResta did beat him when they were team mates, not yo mention the torro Rossi win was when it wa a defacto Red Bull just before they started dominating. What I was saying is that the relative strength or weakness of the driver is less relevant than the luck factor, however it would play out over a season, I.e. Why Webber has not won a c’ship and only came close once.

          2. @abbinator
            Mark Webber managed to score just 21 points that year in his Red Bull. So what difference does it make? The Red Bull / Torro Rosso was just not a very good car.

          3. @abbinator – Seven years ago! That’s about as relevant as your ability to talk at birth compared to now. And why won’t people just stop blindly bigging up the Toro Rosso? The real Red Bull finished 7th in the constructor’s. It was rubbish, just like your post. And the fact that Webber has only came close to the title once while his teammate is about to be a 4x champion is a perfect illustration of how driver ability still matters in F1.

        2. That would make Sutil as good as Vettel then. Hmmm…

      4. What’s really shocking is that 2009 was last time someone not called Vettel won the championship.

  5. I’m not a fan of Maldonado, seems to me he’s gotten too big for his boots. Yes, he won in Spain last year, which was a momentous achievement given the car he had, but it was a complete flash in the pan. He’s been in F1 almost three full seasons now, and that win is one of only seven points finishes in over 50 races.

    He’s done no better than Bottas this year despite having more experience, OK he’s scored the team’s only point but he was gifted that point by late-race attrition.

    To be honest I can’t see him being in F1 next year. He’s said he’d rather be at home than in an uncompetitive car, but I doubt any team with a competitive car has even viewed him as an option. There’s the door Pastor, don’t crash into it on the way out.

    1. I disagree that it was a flash in the pan. Look at Valencia, Abu Dhabi or Singapore that same year.

      And although he is awfully inconsistent at times, he has made genuine progress in that area this season, being involved in nowhere near as many collisions as last year. So assuming he continues on that trajectory, and ends up with a much better car than this years, I think he could still be a great driver yet – the inate speed is there.

      1. He’s had two dreadful cars to contend with as well. He’s shown that with a good car, he can qualify and fight at the sharp end of the grid.
        If he leaves Williams, he should have no trouble finding another midfield team. His backing and speed would be a good deal for Sauber or Force India.

        1. He’s had two dreadful cars to contend with as well. He’s shown that with a good car, he can qualify and fight at the sharp end of the grid.

          Exactly! Laughable how people criticize Maldonado as if his consistent non-points scoring is totally divorced from the fact that Williams’ cars have been utter, utter poopie poop for … what, a decade (save for brief periods when they go things close to right)?

          1. @joepa – Last year’s was the best in a while, and yet he scored only 5 times, throwing away many more points.

      2. To be fair, the fact that the williams is in no mans land this year in terms of pace has likely helped his lower levels of collisions. In recent races when he has been fighting for positions however I can remember the Force India pitstop collision at Spa and forcing Bottas off the road in Japan and there may be more I’ve forgotten.
        I think I’ve had enough of Maldonado, he definitely has speed but his attitude and actions are at times so disgusting that I just can’t see any team taking him if they have any other options.

      3. @vettel1

        Look at Valencia that same year

        I can never forgive him for that especially . It was a “revenge” move . I will forget my birthday perhaps but not Valencia 2012 ;-)

        On Maldonado :

        He has the speed and raw Quali pace but again it is his authoritative attitude that is in question . When the pit crew tell you to conserve tyres , you do it . He has raced cleverer than last year though , it has to be said . But , he has to stop his kamikaze moves and learn better race craft like Romain . Anyhow , If Williams go for Massa ( Assuming he does not get anything else )or Magnussen I am okay for it . But if they want to choose another pay driver , I’d rather have Maldonado.

      4. I agree, and we yet to find out, how his inconsistency affected by the difficult car.

    2. To be honest I can’t see him being in F1 next year. He’s said he’d rather be at home than in an uncompetitive car, but I doubt any team with a competitive car has even viewed him as an option.

      @celicadion23 I can guarantee you that every team with an open seat will view him as an option,
      what is worrying though, is that he seems to be willing to leave Williams without being 100% sure he’ll find another seat, there also seems to be a complete fallout between him and the team and that’s not a good sign for his next employer.

      1. he seems to be willing to leave Williams without being 100% sure he’ll find another seat,

        no way! he won’t leave w/o said seat but can’t obtain it w/o opening exit-negotiations w/ Williams. F1 will be blessed w/ Maldonado’s presence for at least 2 more seasons, gracias a Díos!

  6. Zantkiller (@)
    19th October 2013, 1:19

    Mansell is complete correct.

    The weight limit needs to be increased and then seat ballast needs to be introduced so all drivers are effectively the same weight so we can reduce the advantage between the drivers when it comes to their weight.

    It is ridiculous that these obvious rule changes cannot go through because certain teams are just going to veto it.

  7. Another problem for Maldonado and all of the other Venezuelans drivers is that the government is launching an investigation about a fraud on the sponsorship. Some people aparently faked the signature of the Minister of Finances and used the money for other purposes like making profits on the exchange market.

    1. is there any source to this?

        1. I found this very funny:

          “There was just one racer who, in a year and half, was approved for $66 million.”
          She said she did not want to name the individuals involved because she wanted to respect them as fellow sportspeople.

          I think we all know who that would be, anyway Williams should have never committed with the Venezuelan government for that much money and for that long, it was always going to end badly.

          1. Williams should have never committed with the Venezuelan government for that much money and for that long, it was always going to end badly.

            Oh please. Turn down free money? And how is getting paid even more on top to terminate the deal “ending badly” for Willams? It’s not PDVSA’s fault that Williams couldn’t design its way out of a paper bag!

  8. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    19th October 2013, 3:10

    Indian Trophy Inspired By Ashok Chakra a set of butter knives

    1. lol – at least it’s not a Santander logo!

    2. +10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

  9. sounds like Nige’ is still miffed about not being able to fit in the 1995 McLaren…

    1. Ha! It’s true. We’ve all been assuming that he’s talking about tall, fit guys like Hülkenberg, but someone’s got stick up for chaps like 1995 vintage Mansell and late Montoya. Who better than Mansell himself?

  10. I really hope that rumour about the Williams-Massa link is true although considering it’s from a Brazilian paper I fear it’s more wishful thinking than anything else. Now, I’m aware of all the criticism and backlash Massa has received over the years for his sheer lack of performance up against Alonso and while most of it is justified I genuinely believe that a new team with a new environment could really revitalise his career and bring back his speed. Everyone knows Massa is a confidence driver and I think Williams is the perfect scenario in that he won’t have to worry about a super-talented world champion teammate or have the pressure of racing for Ferrari on him any more.

    He has already proven this year that his qualifying speed on occasion in comparison to Alonso is still there.

  11. Really interesting article from Dieter Rencken in the future of F1. Sounds like we’re going into the wall.
    .

  12. How about this idea for the weight.

    Car must weight ‘X’ all season long without driver, fuel or any other liquids.
    Car must weight ‘Y’ all season long with driver but without any other liquids.

    ‘Y’ would be figured out by taking ‘X’ and then adding the average weight of all the drivers at the first race (as well as recalculating it at the midway point of the season).

    For example (and I’m just using random not-unit numbers here) the car must weigh 500 without driver, but it must weight atleast 700 with driver. If your driver only weighs 195 then you have 5 weight that you must use on the car to make weight but you can use it wherever you want to aid your setup, however if your driver weights 205 then you’ll have 5 less weight that you can use on the car if you want to keep it right at that 700 minimum limit (you can go over the min limit if you want so in theory you could still add that 5 but then you would weigh 705).

    I hope as I type this after 3am that what I just described makes sense to people other then myself haha.

    1. Not to nitpick but if a driver was 200kg that is over 31 stone! i dont think even montoya was that big. Although i kinda want to see a 31 stone f1 driver :)

      1. Like I said they were just random non-unit numbers, not kg, not stone, not lbs, etc.

        1. I can’t be expected to read all the words :P

  13. I wonder if the GPDA can do something about this? They did successfully protest about risky tyres after Silverstone. I know that this is not a safety issue but surely there must be room for some sort of action on grounds of discrimination? Button, one of the larger/heavier drivers, is a director of the association.

  14. the weight issue should be simple to fix – or is there a reason they can’t increase the min weight another 10-20 kg ?

    1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
      19th October 2013, 9:48

      It makes too much sense. No bureaucracy has ever made a “sensible” decision ever.

    2. @tmf42: I believe that the only reason the weight limit can’t be increased is that all the teams would need to agree to the rule change, and the teams with smaller drivers are too selfish to do that.

      It seems particularly unfair if the rumours are true and it’s the unexpectedly heavy power units which are the immediate problem.

      This is a systemic problem with the teams helping to make the rules.

  15. Pretty rich coming from a driver who won his championship in a car that drove itself.

    1. @ajokay
      Tell that to his team mate.

  16. Glad that the Indian GP is going to be out next year. It’s the second most useless circuit after Bahrain. Bring out the Sochi and Red Bull Ring, 2014 will be superb.

    1. You just picked 2 of the most interesting layouts that Tilke has made lately, that said I would trade both for some more trees.

  17. Nicholas Todt,

    with a car that does not allow the drivers to score points

    In the very next sentence

    Next year it (Williams) would be an excellent option for Felipe.

    Wow!

    1. That’s money talking.
      Maldonaldo brings with him more money, and therefore gets the preferred car. Mass bring less cash and therefore…..

      Hulk will probably stay at Sauber or move to Force India.

  18. I somewhat agree with Mansell. But I don’t think that increasing the minimum weight is the answer, because it will always be an advantage to put the weight low in the car. I think the solution is to impose a minimum weight on the driver and seat of, say 100kg, and force them to use FIA approved ballast (to ensure the weight of each block) placed on the back of the seat in a predefined pattern.
    In order to stop them from sticking all the ballast under the bottom of the seat.

    1. @mads

      I think the solution is to impose a minimum weight on the driver and seat

      Handy solution!

    2. @mads,you could even argue for the ballast to be higher up to provide “positive discrimination” as smaller drivers are advantageous in the packaging and therefore aero departments as well as gross weight and CG.

  19. Didn’t Mansell drive in time when the weight limit was for car only? 540kg? Then 580/590kg for car+driver? 690kg is disgraceful, indeed.

    1. It was like bikes are today. Riders like Marquez or Pedrosa have 20 kg on Rossi, in F1 terms that means what? usually 2 or 3 tenths of course that depends from track to track? Fortunately in F1 the rule has the driver weight included and lifting the minimum is the only way to lessen the handicap.

  20. As of now I think Perez is in front of Button, if it weren’t for some events Perez would have amounted many more points but I think what must be said here is that neither is a special driver and one of them possibly both could have to look somewhere else for a job, Mclaren isn’t the type of team that would allow a constant poor output from their line-up. About the engine sound what I really liked about the sound of the machines from the late 90’s early 00’s is what bebilou describes, fortunately I was lucky enough to listen to those machines live and plugless…for 2 seconds.

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