AustrianGP 2020 Pre-Race thread

I hope i'm wrong too , believe me i was a die hard Tifosi from the moment i bought a Ferrari jacket in Spa and sewed a Tag Heuer badge on my race suit...in 1977,plus a Marlboro sticker on my visor! talk about free advertising.

 

https://www.planetf1.com/news/martin-brundle-intra-team-politics/

Will be interesting to see who ‘plays nice’ early on lol

 

Jack and I have discussed this privately, all sorted.

Hoping for a thriller, be it dry or wet.

What we really need is to have grid girls back, the good old days that is why earlier in this thread I posted the 1973 Zeltweg GP in full, no commentary: great to find that.

 

I'd like to see Seb walk over everyone in this race. However, when I wake up, I'll be back in reality.

 

Did those two put on a few kilos in the off season?

That does not bode well.

 

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I wish I could be there, this would be a dream come true for me: No spectators, no lines, no waiting, no hassle.

I *LOVE* those empty gates and seats. <sigh>

No wonder Friday is my preferred day at the tracks. Ideally in the early morning.

 

Ah, I see Roger Benoit, the older gentleman with jeans and his iconic sweater over his shoulders.

 

How come Leclerc is not using a Bianchi/Ferrari?

 

Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner is expecting the pre-season controversies - including Mercedes' DAS system and Racing Point's Mercedes-inspired design - to reignite at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The two topics were set to be significant flashpoints at the original season-opener in Australia - along with the controversy over Ferrari's 2019 engine settlement with the FIA - before the unfurling coronavirus pandemic led to the last-minute cancellation of the Melbourne race.

Any protest over the legality of Mercedes' pioneering steering system or Racing Point's Mercedes-W10-inspired RP20 car can only be submitted once they have been run at a race event and this would then be adjudicated by the grand prix stewards.

This meant the topics largely took a back seat as F1, the FIA and the teams discussed the urgent rule changes made in recent months to help the championship endure the coronavirus crisis.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/150265/questions-over-das-and-racing-point-set-to-reignite

 

The yellow kerbs at the final two corners of the Red Bull Ring have been removed to ease Formula 1 teams' concerns about damaging cars when running low on spares.

Following the forced shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and with three consecutive race weekends to start the 2020 season, some teams have aired concerns about part shortages ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

Given the lack of spares for the triple-header and the added financial pressures most currently face, it was proposed that some of the aggressive kerbing at the Red Bull Ring would be removed to try and limit bodywork damage.

Lewis Hamilton damaged his front wing while running over the kerb at the final corner in Austria last year, which has been a deterrent for going too wide through the sweeping right-hander.

PLUS: Ask Tim: The three keys to success in Austria

FIA race director Michael Masi has now confirmed the additional yellow exit kerbs at both Turn 9 and Turn 10 have been removed for this weekend, with timing loops replacing them to police track limits.

Drivers will be deemed to have left the track if all four wheels pass beyond the red and white exit kerb at both Turn 9 and Turn 10.

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Any time achieved in practice by doing so will be invalidated, while drivers will have three strikes in the race before being shown the black-and-white warning flag for exceeding track limits.

Any further infringements will then be referred to the stewards.

Drivers are required to ensure they only rejoin the track "when it is safe to do so and without gaining a lasting advantage".

Haas F1 team boss Gunther Steiner said last month that teams were "really afraid" of running low on spare parts in Austria, "especially having all the back to back races, and the financial aspect of

Renault F1 chief Cyril Abiteboul added that the track "can be harsh for the cars, even if there has been some kerbs being removed", but was confident the team had enough parts ready for the weekend.

The only other track change for this weekend is the addition of an extension to the concrete behind the Turn 8 apex kerb and to the exit kerb.

As in previous years, three DRS zones will be used this weekend: one on the main straight, one between Turn 1 and Turn 3, and one between Turns 3 and 4.

https://www.autosport.com/motorsport/live/2933260/2020-austrian-gp-thursday

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/150271/mercedes-upgrades-engine-with-reliability-fixes

The Mercedes Formula 1 team and customers Racing Point and Williams are to run a new spec power unit in Austria having made reliability fixes.

Following the cancellation of March's Australian Grand Prix due to the coronavirus pandemic, F1 will finally get underway in 2020 with back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring starting this weekend.

Mercedes High Performance Powertrains factory in Brixworth had already made some changes between the Barcelona test and the original first race, and more have followed, despite the obvious restrictions on the available time created by the shutdown.

Power unit departments were subject to an official shutdown for the first time in March-May, following a decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

Engine reliability was an achilles heel for Mercedes in Barcelona in February, with both the works team and Williams requiring unscheduled change

There were cooling issues with the MGU-H at the first test, which were fixed for the second session, where there were two bearing failures, a problem that was addressed before Australia.

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Ok, now it should be clear for those who normally mix up Austria with Australia: Since Australia is upside down on the planet, the writings are mirrored.

 

I find it puzzling and somewhat hilarious that yellow kerbs are being removed to avoid damaging the cars.

What about telling the multimillion salaried drivers to avoid the kerbs to protect car parts? Thats the F1 comedy circus at its best

 

Plus they'll be allowed to excced track limits 3 times, and only after the 4th will the issue b forwarded to the stewards. Just use strategic planning on when to exceed the limits.