If Lewis is right that the MB won't be competitive for the first races (and it isn't just the usual sand bagging) then it matters all the more that Max wins every race from the start. Or Charles for that matter. Beat them while they're (allegedly) weak. You know the Dark Empire will strike back eventually. Still hoping on a split of MB points between Sir Lewis and his Sancho Panso (aka Russell).
A team's fortune can fluctuate over a 23-race championship, as we have seen in the past. But the first 5 GPs should indicate which team has best done his homework. In the past, Red Bull and Mercedes have demonstrated they can do what it takes to catch up, Ferrari less so. But we have yet to see the cars in racing mode to judge how easy - or not- they are to drive over the distance.
Will mirror mounts be the new x-wing? Or did everyone forget already? Image Unavailable, Please Login
This is going to be fun to watch. Seb tests positive for COVID. Hulk will replace Seb. Let's see how the Stroller does against Hulk....a driver who's been out of F1 for quite awhile. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Freight just arrived Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Race Stewards - Dr. Gerd Ennser - Richard Norbury - Derek Warwick - DRIVERS REPRESENTATIVE - Mazen Al-Hilli Image Unavailable, Please Login
Motorsport Ferrari wants further clarity from the FIA over #F1 mirror designs amid intrigue over Mercedes' new concept in Bahrain.
Don't blame them. 2018 Ferrari mirrors get banned because they where deemed an aerodynamic device. 2022 Mercedes' mirrors have actual WINGS (it's like an entire centre wing, with deflectors even!!) and FIA goes "yeah, all good this".
I say copy Mercedes....heck, the whole grid should copy Mercedes mirrors with wings and deflectors. Ferrari should put them back on the HALO for 2022.
I haven't seen the photos of these mirrors but I would like to understand whether they would be that useful... These mirrors are part of a complete aerodynamic flow envelope, ie, they divert the air in a way to hit or avoid another part of the car. If you have a different car design, then they would be probably useless.
BTW: Mclaren holds the record at Bahrain with a lap of 1:31.447 (by Pedro dela Rosa, 2005 season) V10 era baby.
17 year old record. Grooved tyres (around 30% less tyre to work with compared to current fat slicks), narrower cars, no DRS, no insta-torque electric assistance...amazing really!
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/hulkenberg-replaces-vettel-in-bahrain-after-positive-covid-19-test/9070571/ Just 24 hours before practice begins for the F1 season opener, Aston Martin announced that Vettel would not be able to take part. It means that Hulkenberg will be making his fourth appearance for the Aston Martin team having been drafted in previously when its drivers were taken ill. Sergio Perez had to miss both Silverstone races in 2020, while Lance Stroll was forced out of that year’s Eifel Grand Prix at the Nurbugring. Vettel is the ninth F1 driver to test positive and his absence comes just one week after McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had to miss last week’s pre-season test with COVID. Prior to being taken unwell, the Australian had mixed with drivers ahead of the event for a Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) photoshoot on the Bahrain grid to show their solidarity with Ukraine following the Russian invasion. F1 has relaxed its COVID protocols for this year, with its previously strict regime of regular mandatory PCR testing having been wound back. Now, PCR tests are only recommended, and F1 has moved away from the strict bubble system that was in place throughout much of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.
https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ferrari-seeks-further-clarity-over-mercedes-f1-mirror-concept/9069688/ For the final pre-season test in Bahrain, Mercedes completely overhauled its mirror set-up as part of the sidepod revamp of the W13. Rivals questioned what Mercedes had done, as they suggested that some elements of the mirrors were being used for aerodynamic benefit – something which they are not supposed to under F1’s technical regulations. The matter was discussed at a meeting of F1’s Technical Advisory Committee this week, and it is understood that there was wide agreement the Mercedes design did comply with the wording of the current rules. However, Ferrari thinks the FIA should look into the matter in more detail and potentially issue a technical directive to further advise teams about what is and is not allowed. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said the situation is similar to what happened to his team in 2018 when it ran mirrors on its halo for aero benefit, but they had to be removed after a few races following an FIA intervention. “No one is questioning the legality of Mercedes solutions,” said Binotto. “But in 2018, we mounted mirrors connected to the halo, a solution that was legal as it was written in the regulations. However, two races after, a new technical directive from the FIA forced us to remove them because they would have had a non-accidental aerodynamic influence. “This is the principle that I emphasise. The FIA has the authority to clarify, and I am curious to see how the situation will evolve on this occasion. More than appeals, I expect clarification."
