F1 - 2015 Australian Grand Prix

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The 2015 Formula 1 season is set to kick off next week in Melbourne. The moment Honda fans (and many McLaren fans) have been awaiting for years is finally here but, with a series of troubled preseason tests, doubts remain over how well the Honda-powered MP4-30 will perform or if it will even finish the race. What's more is the team's star driver, Fernando Alonso, is out as he recovers from a concussion suffered during a testing accident. 2014 McLaren driver, Kevin Magnussen, who finished 2nd in Melbourne in his rookie debut, is set to take his place.

Teams such as Ferrari and Sauber indicated some additional speed found during the off-season with positive test results in Spain, however, just because they could find some additional time doesn't mean Mercedes didn't do the same.

Mercedes laid low for most of the preseason testing quietly logging hundreds of laps. But during the final test in Barcelona Nico Rosberg fired a warning shot by setting a fast lap in the W-06 on the soft tire which other teams couldn't even match on the super soft.

One thing is certain: 2015 will be an exciting season for Formula 1 fans. Please check in with us here on TOV Motorsports for the latest information from McLaren Honda and, as always, be sure to let us know what you think!

WEEKEND TV SCHEDULE (US):
Friday March 13th, Practice, 12:30AM ET, NBCSN
Saturday March 14th, Qualifying, 2:00AM ET, NBCSN
Sunday March 15th, Australian Grand Prix, 1:00AM 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: 2012 21.91s by Ferrari (see full list)
2013 prime tyre**: Medium (2012: Medium)
2013 option tyre**: Super Soft (2012: Soft)

2014 V6 TURBO ERA RESULTS:
Race laps: 57
Pole sitter: Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 1:44.231
Fast race lap: Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 1:32.478
Podium
1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
2. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren
3. Jenson Button - McLaren

*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
**Pirelli’s compounds are softer than those used in 2012
Data sources: FIA, Williams, Mercedes

albertpark_melbourne_2012.jpg



Hat tip to A2 on S2Ki for content.
 
I'm really torn. I'm a Honda fan, but I don't like Alonso. I think Mercedes and the other Merc powered teams will be the leaders. Red bull will be in the mix. It will be interesting to see How Honda and Ferrari do. I wish they still raced Adelaide.
 
This year will be interesting. I like that Honda is back, but I doubt they will be a contender this year.

I want to see how Vettel performs with Ferrari, since they have been struggling for the past few years.

Lewis and Nico at Mercedes will probably repeat last years performance. Lets not forget Williams with Massa. Red Bull could also improve.
 
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I agree. That one lap by Rosberg that I mentioned above was all I needed to see.

As for McLaren Honda, what I'm hearing is their ICE is better than Mercedes and the McLaren chassis has outstanding aerodynamic properties. The Honda-designed ERS, however, is turning out to be a huge problem both on the hardware and software side. What I expect from them is a tough start and by the European season to be up with Williams and fighting for podiums by the end. I also expect they will exceed the number of power units allotted this year and be penalized. In 2016 I think we'll see them take a legitimate run at Mercedes.

From what we see out of Ferrari, Sauber, and Red Bull I expect we'll see some great racing for P3-P10 this year (in addition to the "default" P1-P2 battle).

Here's a link to my original post on TOV Motorsports if any Honda fans want to check it out:
F1 - 2015 Australian Grand Prix - TOV Motorsports
 
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Originally Posted By: JC1
This year will be interesting. I like that Honda is back, but I doubt they will be a contender this year.

I want to see how Vettel performs with Ferrari, since they have been struggling for the past few years.

Lewis and Nico at Mercedes will probably repeat last years performance. Lets not forget Williams with Massa. Red Bull could also improve.


You've tagged the main story lines I've been thinking of.

Most of all, I'm curious to see if Vettel, who sunk fast at Red Bull after the rules change eliminated the blown diffuser, can make a comeback with Ferrari, who sunk fast because their engine was embarassingly down on power. I never thought Vettel was a good enough driver to win 4 straight championships, but thought he got more than his share of bad luck in 2014.

The soap opera story line of the year will be the intra-team battle for the championship, to be played out by Hamilton and Rosberg. I'll be democratic and say that this year it's Rosberg's turn. As long as they both behave like professionals, and keep the battle on the track without resorting to head games off the track, I'm OK with either winning.
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
This year will be interesting. I like that Honda is back, but I doubt they will be a contender this year.

I want to see how Vettel performs with Ferrari, since they have been struggling for the past few years.

Lewis and Nico at Mercedes will probably repeat last years performance. Lets not forget Williams with Massa. Red Bull could also improve.


I'm a longtime McLaren fan (actually saw in person the one-two finish at Long Beach in 1983!) but reliability will hurt them early and engine penalties will hurt them late. Best I can hope for is finishing ahead of the small teams this year with 2016 being target for wins.

I think Ferrari will show the most improvement from last year, the car was simply a total turd in 2014 and this car looks better. Plus you have a very motivated driver in Vettel.

Mercedes will still dominate, but I don't know if it will be at the same level as last year.

I think Williams with Bottas is a bigger threat than Massa to the Mercedes duo.

I don't see Red Bull improving as long as they have the Renault engine. Doubt they'll be so lucky as to get those wins like last year when the Mercedes cars failed...I think Williams and Ferrari will be fighting for those.
 
I still see Mercedes on top. Nico will be just as motivated as Vettel and in turn, so will the champ, Hamilton. I hope Alonso can continue driving out of his skull for McLaren but as stated earlier, reliability will be key with Honda throwing their hat back in the ring. Watch out for Daniel Ricciardo and Red Bull. They got better as 2014 unfolded.

I'm pulling for McLaren/Honda/Alonso
I think either Hamilton or Rosberg will win though.
 
Quali in Australia has proven it will be a boring repeat of last year's Mercedes 1-2 parades. Honda's completely uncompetitive engine shows just how far off the beaten path F1 engine specs have wandered. Will we ever get the trademark high-revving NA F1 scream back?
 
I just watched qualifying and I was pleased to see Hamilton quickest but I was equally pleased to see the performance of the Ferraris. I know that it's early to say but maybe it's not going to be a Mercedes show again this year.
 
It looks like the fear of the young rookies was baseless. I think they all looked pretty good. It was great to see Ferrari do so well despite downgrading the drivers. Hopefully, Ferrari, Williams and maybe Red Bull can fight Mercedes.

I think it's incredibly stupid that the FIA thought double points would make the race more exciting, but they won't allow a substitute driver for the sake of the show. Let Williams run the back up driver so the fans can see a fuller grid.
 
Nasr and Sainz were excellent. I can't wait to see a full grid as there are a lot of excellent new drivers. Sauber as a team really impressed as well. But man, those Silver Arrows are way ahead of the game so far.
 
I agree about the rookies for the most part but this was just one race with a pecking order that was pretty well set from the beginning. There are a lot more racing situations they have to be tested in before I say they're great.

The thing about double points that was stupid was that double were awarded for all positions so everything remained proportional and there wasn't actually an advantage (any more than normal) to performing well despite the big deal made about it.

I agree re: Williams. I would have let them use their reserve driver, have them forfeit Bottas' qualifying position, and start from the back. I think that would've been a fair solution that would've been better for the event.
 
What did you think of the race? Another Mercedes show but the Ferraris now look promising. I was also impressed with the performance of Verstappen and Sainz.
 
Although it would have been nice to allow a reserve driver in for Williams, I understand why it was not allowed. Maybe in the future in such a situation they can allow some laps in the car for a reserve driver.

I was not surprised that Mercedes ran away with it, but I was pleased at Vettel and Ferrari's performance.

I was troubled by multiple cars having issues with changing the left rear tire. It would be interesting to know if Ferrari and Torro Rosso use the same vendor for their wheel hubs and wheel nuts. They both had issues with changing, and it would be interesting to know what thread direction they use. I have read that some of the teams are using left hand thread on the left side wheels.

Also unless Renault can use their tokens to make some huge engine upgrades, Red Bull needs to look for a new engine manufacturer.
 
Originally Posted By: Whitewolf
What did you think of the race? Another Mercedes show but the Ferraris now look promising. I was also impressed with the performance of Verstappen and Sainz.


Fairly consistent with what my pre-race prediction was...

-Mercedes dominated
-Ferrari and Williams were the best of the rest
-Red Bull was lucky to finish 6th (due to Bottas DNS and Kimi DNF, Lotus double DNF) because the Renault engine unit is a total turd.

Sauber was a HUGE surprise, especially Nasr. Ericsson and the FI guys only scored due to attrition. But Nasr was the real deal. Button running the whole race was also a huge surprise, and as a McLaren fan I hope it provides valuable information that they lacked getting in testing.
 
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Originally Posted By: A_Harman


The soap opera story line of the year will be the intra-team battle for the championship, to be played out by Hamilton and Rosberg. I'll be democratic and say that this year it's Rosberg's turn. As long as they both behave like professionals, and keep the battle on the track without resorting to head games off the track, I'm OK with either winning.



Obviously I'm biased since Lewis Hamilton is my wife's cousin (Lewis's mom is married to my wife's uncle) but I truly believe Lewis to be the much better driver, and I honestly don't see Nico beating him under equal circumstances. Even though both of their cars are equal, Lewis always ends up about 1 or 2 seconds ahead of Nico by the end of every race, unless Lewis has some sort of mechanical issue or Nico crashes into him. Lewis is simply the more mature driver and I believe he has more raw talent, and I honestly think that he's got "more left in the tank" in a lot of races. In other words he could probably beat Nico by 3 or 4 seconds if he pushed it to 100% but he is able to drive at 98% and still win.
 
Originally Posted By: Whitewolf
What did you think of the race? Another Mercedes show but the Ferraris now look promising. I was also impressed with the performance of Verstappen and Sainz.

Kind of boring as far as racing goes but interesting to see the new found pace of Ferrari; they sure seem to have done an awful lot with a homologated engine. Red Bull will improve somewhat, so will Williams, Sauber seems to be reaping the benefits of Ferrari's PU updates, and with Mercedes power Lotus should come up nicely as well (provided Maldonado can ever stay out of a crash). So once the early season issues are straightened out and the grid fills back up I think we're going to see some outstanding racing for P3-P10. McLaren Honda is a bit of a different story, at least for the first part of the season. For more on that, please check out my blog post on TOV-Motorsports: Perspective is Key When Assessing McLaren Honda
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: A_Harman


The soap opera story line of the year will be the intra-team battle for the championship, to be played out by Hamilton and Rosberg. I'll be democratic and say that this year it's Rosberg's turn. As long as they both behave like professionals, and keep the battle on the track without resorting to head games off the track, I'm OK with either winning.



Obviously I'm biased since Lewis Hamilton is my wife's cousin (Lewis's mom is married to my wife's uncle) but I truly believe Lewis to be the much better driver, and I honestly don't see Nico beating him under equal circumstances. Even though both of their cars are equal, Lewis always ends up about 1 or 2 seconds ahead of Nico by the end of every race, unless Lewis has some sort of mechanical issue or Nico crashes into him. Lewis is simply the more mature driver and I believe he has more raw talent, and I honestly think that he's got "more left in the tank" in a lot of races. In other words he could probably beat Nico by 3 or 4 seconds if he pushed it to 100% but he is able to drive at 98% and still win.


Lewis looked like he had a definite advantage in qualifying and the race, although Rosberg pulled fairly close at the end. I think that was Hamilton just managing the gap, though. But it's a long season.

Vettel and Ferrari ran a lot better than I thought they would. I thought Vettel should have stayed at Red Bull last year. I thought that he was giving up on a team that brought him 4 championships too soon. But what do I know? Red Bull looks worse than ever, and Ferrari is now competitive. (It's amazing what an extra 80HP will do for the performance of your race car.) Vettel really seems to have made the right decision.
 
Reading some of the news stories, it seems like Red Bull is as frustrated right now as Ferrari was last season. Marko gave a blustering interview about how they'd consider pulling out of F1 if the engine rules aren't improved, hinting that the owner of Red Bull might lose interest in F1, and noting that he owns two teams. Then they were grumbling about the Renault power plant having taken a step backwards.
 
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