Renault R25 demo runs show what modern F1 cars are missing - Alonso Image Unavailable, Please Login Fernando Alonso says the buzz his demonstrations lap in the Renault R25 in Abu Dhabi have produced this weekend shows exactly what Formula 1 cars are missing right now. As part of a celebration of Renault's spell in F1, with the Enstone-based team being rebranded as Alpine in 2021, Alonso is showing off his 2005 title-winning R25 in Abu Dhabi. With his high-speed laps grabbing attention on social media, and the whole pit lane turning out en masse to see him complete a run on Saturday, Alonso suggests the agile, screaming V10-powered machine delivers a sound and emotion that current machinery cannot match. "It is something that we are missing honestly," said Alonso, after his latest run. "I think not only the fans, everyone in the paddock, we miss the sound. We miss the Formula 1 that we got in love with when we were kids and we were watching television. "So now, to witness this car at this circuit, I think it was pretty special for everyone in the paddock. "It was nice to say hi to everyone. And it was not only the Renault mechanics, everyone was out in the pit lane. "I think it's a nice spirit when you see this kind of technology and that kind of era you know. It united all of us in one way." Alonso switched to a soft compound of tyre during his latest run on Saturday, and Renault data suggests that he lapped in the 1m39s region. Image Unavailable, Please Login That performance was just two seconds slower than back row starter Kevin Magnussen managed in qualifying on Saturday, and is a match for Lewis Hamilton's fastest lap of last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of 1m39.2s. Alonso added: "We are in the same time of the [current] cars in race conditions, which is quite amazing. So you know, it feels very fast. The sound is fantastic, and it sounds fast. "Behind the wheel, you feel the vibrations, you feel everything. It is a very light car, so you feel all the motions. "It's an amazing feeling. I'm still smiling. I have the mask on but I will be smiling until probably 2021." While some people have been surprised at the way Alonso has attacked so hard doing the demonstration runs, the two-time world champion says there is no way he could take it easy. "Honestly I cannot go slow with this car," he said. "Every time I'm in this cockpit and I'm in this car, with all the memories, it becomes natural to drive fast. "To feel the speed is amazing. I know it's an old car, but it's a perfect machine for me." https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/renault-r25-demo-runs-show-165244212.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIGeq2LQ037OOO-0OM7bf8R_-Ltt7oWwLYTY3ROcI2jAHoZdQT_Nxp8rpnc_alkxdMhq-OsldRlVzvXyq3CB5JXtwpskZC9MN3x0NaxVUGOny1RIdWZ9dbxlyewp4zAvzr2T2hizUgUpikE0sJFw-zC7AjOofbO0isQvKYqwxx4t
That cut off the actual clip a bit. Lewis says after that "I hate that they got rid of it." The V10 philharmonic!
So is he saying that lap time tomorrow with fuel will be in the 1.39 and that was the configuration he had? Meaning he had a lot of fuel etc? I wonder if with low fuel he could have qualified tomorrow ? Surely with a drs should be close Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I don't know his fuel configuration, but he makes it sound like the cars of 2005 are as fast of those from 2019 if not faster. Lap records are based on in-race lap times and not qualifying times. For the Bahrain GP regular circuit layout (2 weeks ago, not last week), the lap record is still held by the 2005 McLaren driven by Pedro de la Rosa at 1:31.447. Alonso had a 1:29.848 pole position time that race. 2020 Bahrain GP fastest lap was Max at 1:32.014 . Pole position was Lewis at 1:27.264. Obviously different days/temps. With modern slicks the 2005 car would be even faster at that circuit. Yep! Even he doesn't like this hybrid turbo V6 crap! Full clip:
How would all the fancy people in the Paddock Club be able to socialize if the engines were that loud?! It’s so refreshing to be able to attend a motorsport where you don’t even need earplugs!
It´s somehow expected that lap times are similar, as FIA is always meddling with the rules to control the speed of the cars. For me it´s not about if they´re fast, but about if they look fast, and about how good the racing is. Modern cars could be a lot faster, we all know it, but the racing should be a lot better. Better looks and sound would help too.
Ricciardo: R25 demo runs reminder F1 cars need to bring back "wow factor" Image Unavailable, Please Login Daniel Ricciardo says Fernando Alonso's eye-opening run in the Renault R25 this weekend should serve as a reminder that Formula 1 cars need to bring back the "wow factor". Alonso has caused a buzz over the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend after running some demonstration laps in his 2005 title-winning Renault. The screaming sound of the V10 engine, allied to the nimbleness of the chassis, has drawn admiration from everyone in F1 - and reopened debate about whether or not the current cars deliver such thrills. Ricciardo concurs that the R25 is an 'intimidating' car, as he suggests there are elements of it that just cannot be matched by the current turbo hybrid V6s. "I watched the onboard and it was pretty cool," said Ricciardo. "I guess anyone thinking Fernando is a little too old, that isn't the case. I think he only knows one speed that guy and it's fast! Even the kerbs and that, he wasn't shy, he wasn't shy to hustle the equipment. "I didn't have a stopwatch, but I know for a fact, he was going much slower than us. But it looked faster because it sounded more impressive - and that's the V10 "It screams. It's got the wow factor. It's got the fear factor as well. I think any rookie jumping into a V10 is much more intimidated than jumping into a V6." The lack of sound of the current turbo hybrid engines has been an ongoing issue since 2014, with the power units being much quieter compared to older V8 and V10s. Image Unavailable, Please Login With F1 moving to a new engine formula from 2026 at the latest, there could be an opportunity to change that and make them louder - either through allowing them to rev higher, or by removing the MGU-H. Asked if he felt that was a must for F1, Ricciardo said: "I think so. Certainly for engagement with fans, and again it's the wow factor. "I remember I've still got photographic memory of me arriving in Melbourne, Albert Park, as a kid with my dad. "I remember we got out of the taxi to get our suitcase when we arrived at the hotel, and I could hear the F1 cars from the track. "The echo came into the city, and I remember I looked at dad, we looked at each other, and we had goosebumps. So there was that wow factor. "Don't get me wrong, visually the cars we have now are a bigger wow factor than ever, because they are so fast. But they don't have that intimidation behind the sound: that roar and that scream. "It's like a fighter plane, an F18. If they were electric, they wouldn't look that cool would they? "The sound creates atmosphere. If you go to a live concert or festival, it's the big speakers, it's the atmosphere and that is a lot of the time, volume. People pay for that. They get excited for that. "And speaking first hand, my first time [in an F1 car], it was only a V8, but when the mechanic starts it up at the back, and you hear this roar...it's scary. "So, I think for the young kids coming in it probably lacks that kind of wow, that scare, initially." https://in.news.yahoo.com/ricciardo-r25-demo-runs-reminder-102848400.html
Maybe Daniel needs his eyes checked. Daniel set today's fastest lap, which was over 1:40 (almost 1:41!). Meanwhile in 15 year old equipment not setup for that track Alonso was sub-1:40 the same weekend.
Actually current fans do need earplugs because the current noise is just so poor, it used to be a symphony of shock and awe, now it is just a leaf blower and vacuum convention. Loved Hamilton’s reaction to Alonso going around the track when he was being interviewed, definitely a mic drop moment of epic proportion!