F1 - Austrailian Grand Prix

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So F1 is back this weekend with coverage starting today. I can't even fathom a guess of who the favorite is other than to say they probably have a Mercedes engine behind them. Most interesting to me is how many cars will retire early. Discuss!

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Fri 14 March 2014
Practice 1 (Thu) 21:30 - 23:00
Practice 2 (Fri) 01:30 - 03:00

Sat 15 March 2014
Practice 3 (Fri) 23:00 - (Sat) 00:00
Qualifying 02:00

Sun 16 March 2014
Race 02:00

US TV COVERAGE

Countdown to F1 – Thursday, March 13, 9 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Practice 1 – Thursday, March 13, 9:30 p.m. ET (Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra)
Road to Ferrari – Thursday, March 13, 11 p.m. ET (NBCSN)
Practice 2 – Friday, March 14, 1:30 a.m. ET (Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra)
Qualifying – Saturday, March 15, 2 a.m. ET (Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra)
Qualifying Encore – Saturday, March 15, 6 a.m. ET (NBCSN)
Grand Prix – Sunday, March 16, 1:30 a.m. ET (Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra)
F1 Extra – Sunday, March 16, 4 a.m. ET (Live on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra)
Grand Prix Encore – Sunday, March 16, 6:30 a.m. ET (NBCSN)


CIRCUIT INFO:

Lap data
Lap length 5.303km (3.295 miles)
Race laps 58
Race distance 307.574km (191.118 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’24.125 (226.934 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2004
Fastest lap 1’23.529 (228.553 kph) by Sebastian Vettel, 2011
Maximum speed 312kph (193.868 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) First and second straight
Distance from grid to turn one 380m

Car performance
Full throttle 71%
Longest flat-out section 843m
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 54
Fuel use per lap 2.5kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.1s

Strategy
Quickest complete pit stop in 2012 21.91s by Ferrari (see full list)
2013 prime tyre**: Medium (2012: Medium)
2013 option tyre**: Super Soft (2012: Soft)

*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
**Pirelli’s compounds are softer than those used in 2012

Data sources: FIA, Williams, Mercedes
Hat tip to A2 on S2Ki for the course data.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: NMBurb02
One of the few reasons I regret not having cable TV.
..


I don't have cable/satellite but I still watch it.
 
I'm OK with any of the Mercedes-powered teams (Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, Force India) to run at the front. I've had enough of Vettel winning everything. It seems like once the Championship got out of reach last year, McLaren and Mercedes stopped developing their cars, maybe choosing to develop the 2014 car earlier. Red Bull and Ferrari kept developing their 2013 cars to contest the Championship, and sacrificed time to develop their new cars.

This is the most interesting F1 season since 1989 because of the sweeping technical changes. None of the cars are perfected, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more than half the field retire due to technical failures.

I've got my DVR programmed to record everything.
 
I'm hoping to see good things from McLaren and I'm also hoping young Kevin Magnussen does well both for himself and for the team.
 
Button is going to be a strong contender this year. The new engine tech matches his driving style very well.
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
...None of the cars are perfected, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more than half the field retire due to technical failures...

Wouldn't that be something?!?!?!
 
One of the few times I'll actually watch practice. The sound of the new cars is quite different. With only 100kg of fuel allowed now (compared to 160kg last year), the race may well devolve into a fuel mileage strategy game. I also expect a few safety cars because of multiple retirements due to failures( and coasting to a stop in a dangerous place) & crashes due to lack of downforce, tricky hybrid throttle application and rear brakes by wire problems. These cars will be quite the handful for a while. Of course I could be wrong. Anybody but Vettel would make me happy.
 
I also anticipate a lot of early retirements for the first 1/4 of the season. I hope someone, anyone can take the fight to Vettel this year. Pulling for Fernando and Kimi.
 
It's not going to be an RBR year. Year-after-year dominance is why rules are changed, even if Vettel was the FIA's favorite.
 
Renault and RBR will get their act together and Vettel will again be world champion. Don't forget the double points in last race.

Alonso and Räikkönen will get along fine until one of them gets the call from the pitwall: "Your teammate is faster than you. Do you understand?"
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
I've had enough of Vettel winning everything.


+1 to that. Are they going to double the points on the final race of the season to 50 points for the winner in hopes of keeping the fans watching the full season? To me this is more boring now then when Schumacher was driving in the last few years at Ferrari.

I'm happy that Nascar has changed the chase so the top 4 drivers have a winner takes all in the final race of the year.

I will still watch the race, but I'm hoping Vettel gets a DNF!

Regards, JC.
 
I'll lay it out there, Alonso will persevere over the Iceman with better quali and points 8 months from now. I dont know if they can run at the very front tho but Alonso will have his best year ever in terms of showing the skillz
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
What a boring FP1! I fell asleep because nothing was going on!


A lot of sliding off course was happening though. The one thing I noticed from watching FP1 is not only how quiet the cars are, but the onboard video really allows you to hear drivetrain noise, which is something not heard in years past because the engines were so loud. Although I'm still undecided on the new sound of the engines, I will say that the turbo whistle and bypass valve on liftoff is quite nice
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: gofast182
At first I didn't like the tone but last night, hearing them for a longer period of time, I just wanted them to be louder.


I have a feeling they may be a bit louder in qualifying and when really pushing it. If you noticed yesterday, I rarely if ever saw a car rev above 12,000 rpm, even though they have a 15,000 rpm limit. I think that they were doing this intentionally to simulate saving fuel, which they'll have to focus on in the race.
 
I like the sound, they sound like the Turbo V6 Indy cars. I do think the whole idea of fuel conservation in F1 is rubbish. I say bring back mid race refueling and Q engines. They have already said these engines are the most expensive ever, so the floodgates have already been blown open.
 
I don't think that's the case (as much as I want it to be). Turbo engines don't tend to continue to build power all the way up to red line like a naturally aspirated engine does. I think we're going to see the engines running in the 10k-12k range more than not because they'll be at their peak power without dumping unnecessary fuel into the engine.
 
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