2019 British GP pre-race thread

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/144659/f1-teams-not-equipped-for-a-tyre-war-revival
Formula 1 teams are not equipped for the championship to revive a tyre war and believe it would be worse for racing than having a single supplier.

F1 has had one tyre supplier since 2007, with Pirelli taking over the responsibility from Bridgestone from 2011.

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Pirelli's F1 era has been dominated by a demand for, and subsequent of, high-degradation tyres but last year Italian company secured a new deal that will run to the end of 2023.

F1 is preparing a major overhaul for 2021, including a switch to 18-inch wheels, with the emphasis on reducing costs and improving the quality of racing.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/144650/honda-targets-boosted-quali-mode-after-first-win

Honda is planning an extra Formula 1 engine upgrade this season and has targeted an improved qualifying mode following its first victory of the V6 turbo-hybrid era.

The new-for-2019 partnership with Red Bull ended Honda's podium drought at the first attempt in Australia, and Max Verstappen scored the Japanese manufacturer's first win in 13 years last weekend in Austria.

Verstappen qualified in third and charged from eighth after a bad start to win the race as the Red Bull-Honda package outlasted the cooling-limited Mercedes and proved good enough to best Ferrari in a straight fight.

Honda F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe said a better qualifying mode was "of course" the next step but believes progress must be made in race trim as well.

"We try to use our engine as hard as we can," said Tanabe.

"It's not easy to make it higher immediately. But we keep developing, maybe in the next spec or update.

"But not the next race!"

Honda introduced its Spec 3 engine two races ago, in France, and the revised combustion engine and turbocharger yielded a small power increase as well as improved reliability.

Asked if Honda's deficit is bigger in qualifying that the race, where it looks to be quite close to the level of Mercedes and Ferrari, Tanabe said: "Yes, we see a bigger gap in qualifying compared to the others.

 

Weather for weekend 22C sunny - Saturday and Sunday

 

https://www.planetf1.com/news/f1-and-brdc-agree-new-silverstone-deal-report/

Silverstone’s future on the Formula 1 calendar is now reportedly safe with a new deal in place that will take effect from 2020 onwards.

As it stands, this weekend’s race is set to be the last with extremely lengthy talks between Liberty and the British Racing Drivers’ Club leading to talk ramping up over a potential street race in London to become the new home of the British Grand Prix.

But, according to the Daily Mail, a ‘a new multi-year contract has been struck between Silverstone and Liberty Media’ and an announcement is due before Sunday’s race.

“I’m very positive there will be a successful conclusion before the Grand Prix,” Motor Sports Association chairman David Richards told Sportsmail on Sunday.

 

let me try and bring the heat....lol

 

Multiple tyre manufacturers without free testing could be a disaster. No way! Better the lesser evil.

 

I’m so confident the GP will be worth watching I’m helping the Mrs launch her new beauty parlour on Sunday afternoon....... I have no desire to watch Mercedes romp home again unchallenged. My Honda Pioneer side by side arrives Thursday, which means I can finally get around the property again without having my leg go into maximum pain mode, and I can spend the afternoon picking up pretty girls and driving them across property to the salon. I’m wondering how long I will get away with it when the Mrs realises short skirts and the Honda are very much favouring my pervo side! Hehe. Much more fun

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/144670/hulkenberg-overtaking-as-hard-as-it-ever-been

Renault's Nico Hulkenberg says following another Formula 1 car is as hard as it has ever been, despite the championship's efforts to improve overtaking.

Simpler front wings, bargeboards and brake ducts, plus a simpler and wider rear wing, were all introduced in the 2019 package so cars could follow more easily, and the changes were also designed to increase the effect of F1's drag reduction system.

The FIA's head of single-seater technical matters Nikolas Tombazis had claimed early in 2019 that simulations had suggested overtaking could be improved by as much as 50% at certain circuits, with gains of 10% at others.

But after encouraging responses from some driversearly in the season, Hulkenberg says following is the worst it has ever been.

"I feel it's as bad as it's ever been, to be honest," said Hulkenberg, when asked by Autosport about the difficulties of getting close to other cars.

"Especially if you get really close, maybe five tenths [behind]. If the guy in front of you has a wobble and makes a mistake, the sudden loss of grip you experience is sometimes drastic, and you're just forced to get off the throttle or you're going to go off.

"It's really like hitting the Chinese wall or taking the ground from below your feet."

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/144684/controversial-silverstone-drs-zone-dropped

The controversial Formula 1 DRS zone that included the first two sweeps of the Silverstone circuit has been dropped for this year's British Grand Prix.

Silverstone will return to having just two areas where drivers can activate the drag reduction system, after an experimental addition of a third zone last year from the exit of the final corner until braking for Turn 3.

It was part of a push to tweak the DRS use of several circuits' layouts in order to boost overtaking.

Many of the cars did not have enough downforce to be able to go through the fast Abbey right-hander with the DRS open.

Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson both crashed at the corner after failing to disengage DRS in time, while Lewis Hamilton described the new zone as "kind of a pointless exercise, and kind of just dangerous".

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That was the first time such an option has been available since DRS was implemented at the start of 2011.

 

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/11398223/the-formula-1-gossip-column
Ferrari pessimistic about British GP
Ferrari don't expect the famous Silverstone circuit to suit their car at this weekend's British GP but will be bringing a "further small aerodynamic modification" in a bid to boost performance, says team boss Mattia Binotto.

The Italian team have yet to claim a victory this season amid a lack of downforce on certain tracks, and the demanding British GP which features several high-speed corners could present another problem.


"We do not expect Silverstone to suit our car particularly well, but at every race, we have seen that the balance of power can change, often unexpectedly," said Binotto.

Ferrari brought small aero parts to the last races in France and Austria, and Binotto added: "For the British Grand Prix we are bringing a further small aerodynamic modification as we continue to push hard on the development of our car.

"The weekend will also be an opportunity to increase our understanding of the recent work we did, which has seen us close the gap to our competitors on specific types of track."

 

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Seb and Charles doing a nice video for Shell at Ferrari -

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Another record bites the dust?

 

Possibly yes........

 

Ferrari adopting the same PR methods as Mercedes.

 

At least SF are honest about it....LH/MB will have it easy this weekend.

 

I always read that Ferrari is losing a lot of time in slow corners. There aren't that much slow corners around Silverstone, so I don't see why they shouldn't be competitive during the weekend...

 

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Yeah...or the other view you could take is they are following Mercs example and sandbagging!!!!

We will see.

 

They lack downforce, so the sweeping corners are as much of a problem potentially with the direction changes as slow ones, hence their concerns.... give us the old tyre spec, sorted, but hey, we wouldn’t want it to be a level playing field now would we

 

Anybody know what the score is with parking at Silverstone?

Says its sold out, but then says if you don't have a pre-booked ticket you will get a parking fine (same price as the pre paid ticket!)

Was thinking of going; but not sure now. (Not obvious at all on their website)

 

It’s a bloody nitemare getting in after 730am, and getting out, even if you leave before the end, takes an age. My 599 almost overheated we were sat in traffic so long a couple years ago! Was forced to open her up properly all the way home once I cleared the traffic queues!

 

London still in mix - https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/27161478/f1-looking-add-london-race-alongside-silverstone