Formula One 2016

[MJB]

From what I've read, Lewis will take a second engine but nothing about starting from the pit lane. He should make the top six fairly quickly but he will really struggle to make it onto the podium.

[Lineker]

That was a fucking exciting race! 

[Meacon Keaton]

I'm sitting down to watch it now.

[MDK]

13 minutes ago, Meacon said:

I'm sitting down to watch it now.

And accidentally watching Le Mans 

[Meacon Keaton]

You go to Hell!

[Meacon Keaton]

Alright Nico, you can stop now.

[hugobomb]

If our options for world champion are Nico or Lewis, then Nico can feel free to continue winning.

[Meacon Keaton]

Ok, good point.

[MDK]

I want Fisichella to win :<

[Lineker]

Kimi is about to break Fisi's record for time between race wins. He only needs to go for three more winless races. 

[Adam]

You mean if he ever actually wins again?

[Rich]

Quote

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says female drivers "wouldn't be taken seriously" in the sport.

Speaking to businessman Sir Martin Sorrell at an Advertising Week Europe conference, the 85-year-old said he was unsure if "a woman would physically be able to drive an F1 car quickly".

However, he does think an increasing number of women will take F1 chief executive positions in the future.

"Women are more competent, and they don't have massive egos," he added.

The quicker Bernie is ousted the better

[Adam]

He was also bigging up Putin again.

[JasonM]

Yeah right now it's like once every five months where he says something disparaging about women in racing, he's just a raging trolling tit that loves to be hated.

[hugobomb]

I know it take balls to drive a F1 car but I didn't realise they were needed for weight distribution 

[Meacon Keaton]

They don't even have rear-view mirrors for them to do their make-up during pit stops!

[Lineker]

Former Manor team principal John Booth has joined the Toro Rosso Formula 1 team on a "consultancy basis", in the role of director of racing.

Booth left Manor at the end of last season having resigned along with sporting director Graeme Lowdon because of what is understood to be a difference of opinion with owner Stephen Fitzpatrick.

The Englishman has since started the new Manor Endurance Racing squad with Lowdon, fielding two ORECA-Nissan 05s in the LMP2 class throughout this year's World Endurance Championship.

He will dovetail those duties with his Toro Rosso role, which he will begin at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

[Lineker]

Quote

GP2 frontrunner Sergey Sirotkin will drive for Renault in first practice at this weekend's Russian Grand Prix after signing a long-term development deal with the Formula 1 team. The 20-year-old, who was formerly involved with Sauber and drove in Russian GP practice for the Swiss team in 2014, will replace Kevin Magnussen for FP1 at Sochi on Friday. Sirotkin's deal also marks the start of a collaboration between Renault and the Russian SMP Racing entity, which supports drivers and teams at several levels of motorsport.

 

 

 

 

Quote

Pirelli has announced its Formula 1 tyre compound choices for June's Austrian Grand Prix, with the ultra-soft to be used for the third time this season.

The Italian supplier will bring the ultra-soft, super-soft and soft to the Red Bull Ring - matching the choices made for Monaco and Canada.

Pirelli said one set of the soft and super-soft must be used at some point during the race.

It added one set of the ultra-soft has been assigned for mandatory use in Q3.

The teams are free to choose the compound for the remaining 10 sets of tyres, with these choices to be revealed in due course.

 

 

Quote

Red Bull will run its Formula 1 cockpit protection device in first practice for the Russian Grand Prix.

The team has developed a 'canopy' system that it believes is a more elegant solution than the halo device run by Ferrari in pre-season testing.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner hinted in China that it may run the design in Russia and the team has confirmed it will do so.

It has yet to be decided which driver will run it or how many laps will be completed with the device.

Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz has said any device has to prioritise safety over looks.

Speaking earlier this month, Horner said he felt Red Bull's system ticks both boxes.

"I think the canopy offers a bit more protection because it does have a windscreen," he said.

"We believe there's better visibility and it's a more elegant solution to the brief, rather than the boomerang thing that is the halo."

The FIA has made it a priority a cockpit protection solution is found and on all cars for 2017.

[Katsuya]

Sirotkin was nearly eight tenths quicker than Palmer in FP1 on his debut in the car.

Me thinks Jolyon's days are already numbered.

EDIT: Also, Nasr was nearly a second quicker than Ericsson in both sessions...which doesn't make Sauber's "the chassis wasn't damaged" claim look all that good.

[Lineker]

Quote

Red Bull ran its aeroscreen Formula 1 cockpit protection concept for the first time on Daniel Ricciardo's car during first practice for the Russian Grand Prix.

The Australian completed one installation lap with the device on the car before returning to the pits and having it removed.

On Thursday, Ricciardo said the team only planned to run it for one lap because it was keen to get on with the rest of its usual Friday programme.

"Because it's quite a structure, it's going to affect aero," he said.

"It's really just to see if it works and then we'll get on with our programme.

"We've got a few things to try on the car and obviously running that would affect it."

Following the lap, Red Bull released two videos of static tests it had carried out.

One showed an F1 wheel fired at the aeroscreen at a speed of 225km/h. The second was a one kilo ballistic test at a speed of 230km/h.

The aeroscreen is one of two cockpit protection design solutions - the other being the halo that Ferrari ran in pre-season testing.

Sebastian Vettel has been handed a five-place grid penalty for Formula 1's Russian Grand Prix after Ferrari elected to change his gearbox.

Quote

The World Motor Sport Council has ratified the engine proposal put forward by the Formula 1 Commission, paving the way for its enforcement next year.

Autosport revealed earlier on Friday that F1 bosses had come to an agreement on cost, availability of supply, performance convergence and noise of engines.

The FIA has now confirmed the proposal will be included in the technical and sporting regulations for the 2017 and 2018 world championships.

"The FIA is pleased to announce that, following extensive work done in conjunction with the four power unit manufacturers involved in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and with the support of the commercial rights holder, a global agreement on power units has been reached for the 2017-2020 period," said an FIA statement.

"The agreement has been approved by all levels of the F1 governance structure, including the World Motor Sport Council.

"It will now be included as technical and sporting regulations for the 2017 and 2018 FIA Formula 1 world championship.

"The global agreement on power units covers four key areas relating to the cost and supply price, obligation to supply, performance convergence and the sound of the power units."

The move is seen as a success for the FIA, which has been pushing extensively for cost reductions.