2019 season predictions

You would think Williams would be grateful for less complicated aero. None of it's gonna matter anyway since 90 percent of theses wider wings will be damaged by turn 3

 

The Mercedes usually are at front, so he crashes with whatever is closer. He even crashed his own team mate a few times.

If the Honda is crap next year, he may well end fighting with Magnussen, something that could cause the collapse of the known Universe.

 

If the Honda is crap next year, we can expect a few tantrums from Max, and it will be interesting to listen to the radio communications during races!!!

 

I have no idea.

 

There will be races, there will be winners and penalties and we will complain

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/139349/fia-approves-f1-calendar-and-rules-tweaks

Formula 1's 2019 calendar and a host of technical and sporting rule changes were formally approved by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council on Friday.

Following the WMSC meeting in Paris, no changes have been made to the 21-round 2019 schedule from the draft version that was released by F1's owner Liberty Media back in August.

The season will start in Australia on March 17, and finish with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 1.

Following approval by F1's Strategy Group and the F1 Commission, the new rules, revealed previously by Autosport, include a new position for rear-view mirrors and rear wings to help with rearward visibility.

The location of onboard cameras will be changed to compensate for problems caused by the introduction of the halo this year. Lights will also be added to rear-wing endplates, while minor modifications will be made to the halo fairing to help with driver extraction.

Among other sporting rules changes, drivers will now only be allowed to overtake after a safety-car period once they have crossed "a consistent point", according to an FIA statement.

Previously they had been allowed to do so at a safety car line.

Teams will also be made responsible for the initial scrutineering of their cars and must declare their cars comply with all safety related matters.

The use of a chequered light panel at the end of the race, alongside the traditional flag, has been approved, while for 2020, the team personnel curfew will increase from eight to nine hours.

The WMSC also noted a report on security procedures to be put in place for next year's Brazilian Grand Prix "was presented to the Council, following meetings between the FIA, Formula 1 and the local authorities".

The race promoter was issued with a series of security recommendations in December last year, after a series of problems surrounding the 2017 grand prix.

2019 F1 calendar
March 17 Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne)
March 31 Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir)
April 14 Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)
April 28 Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku)
May 12 Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona)
May 26 Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)
June 9 Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal)
June 23 French Grand Prix (Paul Ricard)
June 30 Austrian Grand Prix (Red Bull Ring)
July 14 British Grand Prix (Silverstone)
July 28 German Grand Prix (Hockenheim)
August 4 Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest)
September 1 Belgian Grand Prix (Spa)
September 8 Italian Grand Prix (Monza)
September 22 Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay)
September 29 Russian Grand Prix (Sochi)
October 13 Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka)
October 27 Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City)
November 3 United States Grand Prix (Austin)
November 17 Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos)
December 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina)

 

Same old same old....... boring. Then again, when scalectrix want you to buy more cars for your track, it’s amazing the effect it has on your wallet when the packaging declares ‘working lights’, so maybe lights in the wings will go down well, until someone uses the batteries running them for extra Kers boost!

 

http://scuderiafans.com/amus-internal-fight-ferrari-fatal-2019/

 

Ferrari, once again, is in the mist of a palace revolt fired by personality clash among the management.
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The success of Mercedes in these last 5 years is the result of a better organisation, IMO.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature/8553/the-email-that-led-to-a-mercedes-fightback

---The trail of the Mercedes charge can be traced back to the Monday after its shock defeat at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Vettel and Ferrari had returned from the summer with a car and engine package that built on a pace advantage noticeable before the break.

On that morning after Spa, as Mercedes licked its wounds, Wolff wrote to his key design staff and laid out a simple message. He demanded that Mercedes prove to itself that it was not going to roll over and accept defeat. It had worked hard up until that point in the face of a rival that had gathered momentum, but that was no reason to think it was out of answers.

"In this email, I said 'We are not giving up'," explained Wolff. "This is not a championship we are going to lose. We need to understand why we have been outperformed. So it was development, research, analysis, mindset, work ethic, and fun."

Ferrari's descent into the kind of recriminations that appeared after the Suzuka qualifying blunder is exactly the kind of thing that upsets staff and rips organisations apart
It would have been easy to start the blame game after Belgium and waste energy looking for culprits as to how Ferrari had maintained a pace advantage. Instead, this email from Wolff was about inspiring the staff to come together and realise the challenge they faced and to come up with answers.

Wolff has often talked of bad times actually being a benefit, as it forces reflection and introspection to find the answers to improve.

"Each day we fail is a day for our rivals to regret, because these are the days when we become even stronger to beat them again," is a view Wolff has long held. This time was no different and the reaction was immediate.

It was not about fast-tracking updates. Instead, it was about maximising its own package, and ensuring that weekends like Spa - when it lost a race it thought it would win - did not happen again.

Ferrari's descent into the kind of recriminations that appeared after the Suzuka qualifying blunder is exactly the kind of thing that upsets staff and rips organisations apart---

 

Great find. That is exactly the difference in the two teams at present.... one calmly rechecking itself, reviewing itself and improving even upon perfection, and the other, panicking at the slightly fault, sticking with tried and tested plans even if they don’t work, and resorting to the blame game rather than identifying issues and correcting them..... eventually desperation ensues as people (seb, for example) attempt to not only affect the things they are directly responsible for, but also the things they are not (and are incapable of having a positive effect on either by knowledge or skills)

Ferrari’s greatest challenge this winter is not building a great car, they know they can do that, but in encouraging confidence in the team from the ground up, and maximising the strengths of each individual instilling a sense of ownership of the overall problem, not introspective negativity at individual failure

 

Plus MB spent $30 million in rear suspension and rim upgrades after Spa.

 

I think its 'pay to play'. LOL. They are making the effort for sure.

 

Yep, Mercedes not only has huge resources, but spend them wisely.

I cannot see Ferrari able to compete against the formidable industrial might which Mercedes is

 

They have the resources, they haven’t got the team gelling like it should to make them work for them

 

Honestly, I don't think Ferrari will be too far off again next season. All that is needed are a few calm heads and the season should be pretty close.

 

I have everything crossed!

 

Let's hope so in the interest of the sport.

The aero rules for next year (larger and deeper simplified front wing) could bring some changes, with a team perhaps using them better than all the others. Remember 2009, when Ross Brawn interpreted the diffuser rules to his advantage, allowing his cars to win the championship.

F1 isn't only about engines.

 

Probably Elton again, but I won't be watching F1 if that becomes a foregone conclusion like this year and several before that.

 

Even if Honda improve on power and drivability I don’t think reliability would sustain a championship challenge. They are suffering too many issues even 4 years in. The Mercedes/Hamilton combo will be very very hard to dethrone. But hey, who knows. We thought the same thing about the Ferrari/Schumacher juggernaut.

 

I love Hamilton and I'm happy for him but it does take away the joy of watching the races if it is a foregone conclusion.

For the first time in about 20 years I'm seriously contemplating whether NOT to go to a F1 race next year.

Hopefully winter testing changes things a bit. Would be nice if somebody could pull a rabbit out of a hat.