In the round-up: Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey say he is pleased with the standard of competition so far this season after three teams have each won two of the first six races.
What they say
The Liberty Media boss says F1 still needs to become more competitive than it has been so far this year.
It’s been a good season to start [with]. We’ve had a mix of drivers and teams competing, we’d like to make that mix even broader.
Jean [Todt] touched on it when he talked about the initiatives we have under way looking to 2021 with the teams. We want to continue to try to make sure the sport delivers the action, the unpredictable, the underdog winning.
I think the competition’s been good, we’ve had some unexpected results. But I still think we can make it bigger, we can make it more exciting, we can make it more unpredictable. That’s what makes sports great for fans.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Have had very positive conversations with @fia_f2 after being upset in Monaco straight out of the car, they are working hard to find solutions, thank you guys! 🤓
— Jack Aitken – 한세용 (@JaitkenRacer) June 6, 2018
With new particle effects, spinning out never looked so good. #iracing pic.twitter.com/JHujp7ycJe
— iRacing.com (@iRacing) June 6, 2018
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
FIA reveals ultra-protective helmet for F1 (FIA)
"These new helmets will offer a number of safety benefits, including advanced ballistic protection, increased energy absorption and an extended area of protection for drivers."
Renault could cut power deficit in Canada (Motorsport magazine)
"The team is quite bullish about the extra performance that will be available – there’s talk of a 20bhp boost which, if true, would bring it quite close to Mercedes/Ferrari in race trim, albeit still around 20bhp adrift in Q3. But that would still equate to an approximate halving of the qualifying deficit for Red Bull."
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve (Honda)
"We are introducing an updated PU for this event, fitting it to both cars. The updates are mainly to the ICE, focusing on improving performance."
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Comment of the day
Red Bull should look beyond Lando Norris if they really need a replacement for Brendon Hartley, says Adam:
If Toro Rosso-Honda can’t bag Norris and the Red Bull driver programme isn’t delivering, who else can they grab instead? Why not nab Kubica from Williams? Ask Button if he wants to pop back in for a while as he’s always close with Honda?
I wouldn’t mind seeing Rosenqvist from Formula E in there too. What about Rossi over in IndyCar? Then again isn’t Kvyat a tester now for Ferrari, they could always just get him back?
I guess it’s tough luck for Hartley. He’s been unlucky in the races but he’s been shaded by Gasly pretty much throughout the whole year so far in both qualifying and the race so I guess it was to be expected.
Adam (@Rocketpanda)
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On this day in F1
- 20 years ago today Michael Schumacher won the Canadian Grand Prix but Williams fumed over a clash with Heinz-Harald Frentzen which put their driver out of the race
Vettel fan 17 (@)
7th June 2018, 0:04
That reminds me, @keithcollantine will there be any gp flashbacks this yer like 1997 last year?
KaIIe (@kaiie)
7th June 2018, 14:49
I’m guessing we might get a few random races, but definitely not the whole season. Previous season-long flashbacks have been 1982 (2012), 1994 (2014), 1997 (2017) (unless I’m very much mistaken), and I think they require quite a bit of work to be of as high quality as they are. Maybe next year we’ll get to relive 1989? :)
OllieJ (@olliej)
8th June 2018, 11:21
@kaiie I forgot about the 1982 one. I was assuming they were just for the 20-year anniversaries of particularly classic seasons.
If they stick to the 20-year rule then I predict we’ll have 1999 in 2019, then not another one until 2003 in 2023. But then probably 2007/2027 and 2008/2028 will be back-to-back :)
Strontium (@strontium)
7th June 2018, 0:13
In response to comment of the day: Vergne
AndyK
7th June 2018, 1:26
Agree. Vergne kept Ricciardo very honest when they were team mates at Torro Rosso.
Aldoid
7th June 2018, 2:59
I think Vergne may have been a bit too critical about Red Bull for them (ie. Markko) to allow him back. I agree he’d be a great choice, though. Matter of fact, none of the RBR/STR drivers have looked rubbish since Scott Speed, tbh… Bourdais wasn’t quite rubbish @ F1, but Vettel sure made him look inept.
That’s one thing you have to give Red Bull credit for. They’re really the only outfit consistently bringing new talent to the sport & giving them a fair crack.
Jere (@jerejj)
7th June 2018, 3:16
@strontium His time at STR came to an end for good already as he was in his 3rd season in the team at the time, and the tendency has been that a driver doesn’t stay at STR for more than three seasons max.
RB14
7th June 2018, 11:04
I mentioned this in another thread but although he’s a fantastic driver, I genuinely don’t think he would come back to the Red Bull fold after the way they treated him. He could well return to F1 with a different constructor some day I think / hope.
@HoHum (@hohum)
7th June 2018, 0:31
I’m a little confused, if Renault are bringing new engines for Canada why are RBR/DanR taking a penalty by repairing the old engine ?
panzik
7th June 2018, 0:52
MGUH was damaged during Monaco GP
@HoHum (@hohum)
7th June 2018, 1:42
So what, if they are not going to use it in Can.?
BasCB (@bascb)
7th June 2018, 11:17
I think the part that will be new is the Combustion engine part @hohum, since the MGU-H and MGU-K have their own, seperate limits (for the K it is a maximum of 2 and Daniel is now taking his third already)
Jere (@jerejj)
7th June 2018, 3:13
@panzik MGU-K, not MGU-H.
ZUKMaN
7th June 2018, 5:31
Renault never said they have full allocation of SPEC-B PUs for every driver in Canada, they will choose who will get them.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 5:32
@hohum – teams are limited to only 2 MGU-K, Energy Store and Control Electronics (see here). Dan started the season on the first set, then moved to his second set when the team installed a new PU after his turbo failure in China. So, with his -K failure at Monaco, he could either go back to the first -K (assuming it was salvaged at China, I don’t recall), or get the upgraded -K in Canada, with a penalty. Seeing Horner’s statements that the -K is expected to bring the biggest benefit due to its lighter weight, that is another reason to take it.
@HoHum (@hohum)
7th June 2018, 7:23
Thanks @phylyp, I should pay more attention to the details, I assumed the MGU-k (motor generator unit-kinetic) would be regarded as part of the motor and have the same numerical limit. I’m not proposing going back to the bad old days teams having a different engine + a couple of spares for every session of the weekend, but 2 units only for the whole year, ouch.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 11:06
@hohum – it is quite a natural error, since the headline text was often “3 PUs for 2018” and only the detail explained which components were actually limited to two. I’ve been guilty of this mistake earlier this season, and only came to know this well after the season was underway!
BasCB (@bascb)
7th June 2018, 11:19
I think that the idea was that the MGU-K is more or less developed by now so there really shouldn’t be any reason to use more than one or 2 per year at the time @phylyp, @hohum.
But yeah, it does make it a tad more complicated to keep track of that the numbers are different for various parts of the power unit
Jere (@jerejj)
7th June 2018, 3:19
Regarding the COTD: Kvyat isn’t really an option anymore has his time at STR was more or less about to come to an end anyway as he had been in the team for almost three full seasons already, and the tendency has been that a driver doesn’t stay at STR for more than three seasons max.
Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
7th June 2018, 3:27
A nice surprise to see iRacing in the round-up.
They are relentless with their quarterly updates, the sim just gets better and better every year and the racing you can enjoy there is as realistic as it gets.
I just wish it got more exposure and was a little more accessible to new-comers. It’s has been the pinnacle of sim-racing pretty much since the day it started and (IMO) deserves more recognition as one of the premier e-sports competitions.
Biggsy
7th June 2018, 4:17
I quite enjoy watching iRacing on Youtube, unlike F1 races, which I really don’t bother to watch if I miss them live.
The sense of speed from the cockpit cam and amazing tracks you can race on, it’s just great.
My main gripe is probably with really weak crash physics, or more likely crash models, as physics are part of the game’s engine, and that one is quite good. Cars tend to go flying a bit too much, and in most cases should end up much more obliterated than they do.
Oh, and probably the worst, and easiest to fix: crash sounds. It literally sounds like someone crashed two shopping carts into each other. I’m not kidding you. It’s that bad.
sumedh
7th June 2018, 4:35
Saw the new helmet. Did not like it much. Fan’s view of the driver is even more obstructed. And dangerously, it looks like the driver’s view of the track is also more obstructed. I hope there will be opposition from the teams and drivers for this.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 5:25
Mostly, it’s 1 cm off the top – maybe they won’t see the halo now! :-)
I agree re. visibility – it’ll be good to see what drivers have to say, and maybe they could use it for the first half of FP1 this year, to give their views on visibility, cooling, etc. Although, the article points out that it has been developed in conjunction with the big names in the helmet business, so I’m pretty sure they’ve covered things like driver’s vision and peripheral vision.
I disagree about fans’ view of the driver being obstructed, as I – for one – was never captivated by a driver’s eyes or nose (and often, they are reflective enough to prevent seeing inside clearly anyway). Besides, this is one area where the ability of fans to see the driver is among the lowest priorities.
sumedh
7th June 2018, 6:37
Really? I vividly remember the first time I could actually see a driver’s eyes, it was the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix qualifying video of Lewis Hamilton with the camera looking towards Lewis. As it was dark, there was no glare or reflection and I could see his eyes clearly. It is scary how calm and composed he looked even while scything through the walls at high speed. If anything, it made me appreciate the drivers’ skill and strength even more.
In fact, I would argue that if Liberty wants that the drivers be regarded as super-heroes and fans to have a larger connect with drivers, we should be moving towards transparent helmets or other means so that we see more of the driver when he is driving at speed. Won’t we love to see how exactly Vettel ‘looked’ when he rammed into Hamilton and how Hamilton ‘reacted’ rather than just seeing their hands out of their cars and hearing a delayed radio broadcast?
ColdFly (@)
7th June 2018, 8:59
Fan’s view of the driver is even more obstructed
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 11:07
@coldfly – that is a very good point, and something I’d not considered in my original comment – this is definitely a time when the cameras focus on the driver extensively.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
7th June 2018, 12:12
@coldfly they’ll obstruct it completely and put screens inside it, then cameras outside and they’ll look like C-3PO.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 12:44
@spoutnik – Or like this
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
8th June 2018, 10:40
@phylyp Excellent pick! I had forgotten that Daft Punk came once at Lotus…
Shimks (@shimks)
7th June 2018, 6:40
I was also surprised how much smaller the visor space looks. But I imagine the added strength gained from this change alone. And I’m sure it has been fully tested and the drivers will see just fine. But you’re right, we will see less of their faces. I already struggle to recognise faces on close-up!
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 5:53
Quoting Chase Carey:
A statement like this always worries me. Unpredictable outcomes happen. They just do so on their own. You can’t make them happen.
Liberty needs to focus on just levelling the playing field as far as possible, if they want to continue calling F1 a sport. Then let the chips fall where they may. They need to use #EngineeredUnpredictability only if they want F1 to become entertainment, à la WWE wrestling.
@HoHum (@hohum)
7th June 2018, 7:29
@phylyp, 100% agree, Bernie’s sprinklers come to mind, appropriate I guess with it being CanGP this weekend.
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
7th June 2018, 10:31
@phylyp: Indeed. And sprinklers! And reverse grids! And inverted pyramids!
To make it properly unpredictable though, they need to keep the schedule secret. Only announce it the day before FP1. And could make an unpredictably popular crap reality TV spinoff series: F1 Race to the Races!
Just booting the cash cow down the road to spec-series sprint races and crash spectacles isn’t worth the paywall fees.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
7th June 2018, 11:24
@phylyp By unpredictable, he means that we cannot predict with full confidence who is going to be on pole, or who is going to be competitive going into a weekend. Not that you should always expect the unexpected during a race.
spoutnik (@spoutnik)
7th June 2018, 12:16
@phylyp what worries me is that ‘underdog winning’ that keeps coming over and over. Underdog winning yes why not but it has to be deserved or rare freak result, not a total lottery at each race like on Indycar ovals.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th June 2018, 12:42
@mashiat – Yes, I see what you mean. I think this season has already given us a tantalizing glimpse of how engine convergence has made pole that much more of an uncertainty, which is why I ask them to focus on levelling the playing field, to give more teams a sporting chance.
@spoutnik – yeah, I agree with that, I’m afraid they’re conflating cause and effect. People love an underdog’s victory/success simply because it was unexpected, and either the team or driver did something exceptional (or got lucky). It doesn’t mean that every underdog victory will be celebrated, especially not when the outcome of races end up being much more random (there wouldn’t be underdogs anymore).
I don’t want an F1 season to be the outcome of who brings together the best strokes of luck across 20 races, I’d like the championship winners to be deserved. Even in the last two eras of Red Bull and Mercedes dominance, there were clear trends that could be drawn across the season, with 2010/2012 being unpredictable (in a nice way since it occurred naturally), 2013 showing RBR’s focus on their current car resulting in a streak of wins, and more recently, Mercedes ‘undivaing’* their car, with 2017 showing how Hamilton and Mercedes reasserted themselves.
Gemma
7th June 2018, 8:11
I hope Carey and his novelty mustache don’t turn F1 into a boring spec series like Nascar and Indycar
Robbie (@robbie)
7th June 2018, 15:11
Since they haven’t ever indicated anything like that, and indeed have spoken about keeping the DNA of F1 intact, and him knowing that a sure way to see an exodus of teams would be to make F1 spec, I feel there is nothing to worry about in this regard whatsoever.
Gary
7th June 2018, 11:56
Chase Carey’s corporate marketing mumbo-jumbo applied to Formula One is becoming quite a bore.
Robbie (@robbie)
7th June 2018, 16:29
I’m pretty sure Carey is a smart man who has been discussing F1 with very smart people like Ross Brawn for at least a few years now, and fully gets that the best kind of unpredictability does not depend on rain, or the timing of a safety car, or attrition, nor on a fully spec series, and rather means that on a Sunday when none of that happens there is still let’s say 4 to 8 drivers that could get pole and/or win on any given weekend. And anyway even as spec as Indycar is for example, there are still drivers and teams that shine through and it is not like it is so unpredictable that regularly the drivers in the bottom of the stats are just as likely to win the next race as the driver leading the title chase. Sure that can happen but generally the cream (6 or 8 Indycar drivers) still rises to the top on average.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
7th June 2018, 19:01
Comment of the day! :-D I thought about it more. I’d love to see Rosenqvist in the Toro Rosso. He seems pretty quick in FE and he’s pretty cute.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
7th June 2018, 22:41
I don’t know how many of you caught this, but the marketing team at Ferrari sure put their foot in it earlier this week… It’s funny in an upper Canada vs lower Canada kind of way! Salut Gilles!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ferrari-mixes-up-toronto-and-montreal-twitter-has-a-field-day-1.4693051
Richard (@)
8th June 2018, 0:26
If Chase is please with the competition on the track I guess he missed both Australia and Monaco ,no wait, I know what happened . Like me he just fell asleep .