[deetjohn]

Q3 was brilliant and very edgy before Ricciardo crashed. And I am not sure how it will pan out today and for the rest of the season.

As we know, Ferrari is stronger on Sunday compared to Saturday. And traditionally Ferrari is weak around Albert park, so this is good showing and the qualifying pace is not bad at all from that point of view. Besides, Ferrari starts better.

But then Mercedes has been improving on their very strong base from 2014 on wards. And the tyres are no longer a limiting factor for Lewis to engage in hammer time for longer. And we have no idea how Merc has set up their car yesterday. So, let's wait and see how it goes!

And kudos to Grosjean and Giovinazzi! They both did a wonderful job yesterday. Does that point to a much stronger Ferrari power unit?? And of course the Spaniard.

Has nothing changed at the sharp end of the field?


Get moving!! Nothing to spot here.


Giovinazzi almost made it to Q2 but for a tyre lockup. Will be keeping a close watch on him today.

[Hatari]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Q3 was brilliant and very edgy before Ricciardo crashed. And I am not sure how it will pan out today and for the rest of the season.


But then Mercedes has been improving on their very strong base from 2014 on wards. And the tyres are no longer a limiting factor for Lewis to engage in hammer time for longer. And we have no idea how Merc has set up their car yesterday. So, let's wait and see how it goes!

And kudos to Grosjean and Giovinazzi! They both did a wonderful job yesterday. Does that point to a much stronger Ferrari power unit?? And of course the Spaniard.

Indeed. Should be a good race and Ricciardo starting 15th will give us an idea on what effect the rules have had on overtaking right away.

Seems Mercedes will need to get everything right to beat Ferrari, last year it would not matter what strategy they used as the were so much quicker.

Haas have been impressive again, Giovinazzi too.
Though Sauber are using last year's PUs.

[ecenandu]

Lance Stroll, have you guys noticed how jerky his steering inputs are. Man, he needs to calm down and get some lessons from Jenson Button. I know, different drivers have different driving style but come on, everyone know he is on the grid because of the financial backing. I personally think he graduated too soon, may be one year in GP2, ahh, F2 would have been logical in my opinion.

I would love to be proved wrong, though. But seeing his lap times and the way he drove doesn't inspire much confidence to me. Well, how bad can he be, I hope he will be better than Pastor .

He seems to be following Pastor's foot steps this , lets pray that the similarity ends there. I am keen to see how well he perform in Monaco and Singapore.

Lets review this post at the end of this season, will be interesting.

[Fullrevs]

After putting up quite a show on his debut Giovinazzi will continue to drive for Sauber at the Chinese GP this weekend.

Antonio Giovinazzi will continue to race for Sauber at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix, with the unfit Pascal Wehrlein targeting a return in either Bahrain or Russia later this month, the team has confirmed.

Wehrlein sustained a back injury after crashing at the Race of Champions and was forced to adjust his training schedule, though returned to action during the second pre-season test in Spain.

Wehrlein conducted practice duties as planned in Australia but withdrew from the remainder of the weekend, believing he was not fit enough to complete the 58-lap race at the peak of his abilities.

Giovinazzi, who stepped into the C36-Ferrari and finished the race in 12th position, will remain in the car for the second round of the campaign in China.

Wehrlein is optimistic that he will be fit enough to return to action for next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, but is prepared to wait until Russia, at the end of the month, if he cannot compete at Sakhir.

"For me the most important is that I can train intensively to ensure a 100 per cent performance from my side as soon as possible," said Wehrlein.

"I will then be well prepared for my first complete Grand Prix weekend for Sauber.

"Hopefully this can be in Bahrain but, if not, then we will take the time it needs until Russia to make sure I am completely ready."

Giovinazzi made his single-seater debut at the Shanghai circuit in 2012, in the Formula Pilota China series.

Sakhir, venue for next weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, will also host two days of post-race testing, potentially providing Wehrlein with the opportunity to get up to speed.

Source: GPupdate.net

[ecenandu]

"As a matter of fact we were thinking [it was] too easy, and it was too difficult to achieve the new technology - that was my mistake," Hasegawa told Autosport.

"We did some good progress in the mono-cylinder on the dyno, but as soon as we complete the V6 engine we had many issues.

"What we achieved in mono-cylinder is at a very good level, but when we transfer exactly the same specification to the V6 engine it doesn't work.

"We are very disappointed. But it was too late that we noticed that - at Christmas.

"After we understand the issues this was the time we need to confirm the final specification - we needed to have some compromise."

Source

Wow, no wonder Mclaren getting fed up with the way Honda is operating, not fast enough. It looks like a classic industry-academia tie up for me.

Industry - Faster result
University - Research value

[Fullrevs]

More sad news as the Sepang circuit has been dropped from the 2018 calendar. I absolutely adore this circuit but in other news, the French GP is about to return.I hope it is Magny-Cours, although the circuit always have empty stands. It is a layout I absolutely adore.

Following a 19-year spell on the Formula 1 calendar, it has been announced that this year's Malaysian Grand Prix will be the last in the country.

A statement posted on the official Formula 1 website explained that the decision was made "jointly by Formula 1 and Sepang International Circuit (SIC)".

Sepang's F1 contract was set to run until 2018.

"It's always sad to say goodbye to a member of the Formula 1 family," commented Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations, Formula 1.

"Over nearly two decades, the Malaysian Formula 1 fans have proven themselves to be some of the sport's most passionate supporters.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Sepang International Circuit for their hospitality and professionalism over the years, and their ongoing commitment to motorsport."

2018 is nonetheless set to feature 21 races, matching Formula 1's record-breaking season in 2016, with Germany and France returning.

"As we said in Melbourne, we have big plans for bringing our global fan base closer to the sport than ever before, providing an enhanced digital experience and creating new events," he said.

"We're looking forward to talking more about these plans as the season progresses.

"We will have 21 exciting events to look forward to in the 2018 calendar, with the additions of the French and German races."

Sepang has a deal to host MotoGP through 2021.

Source: GPupdate.net

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by Fullrevs

More sad news as the Sepang circuit has been dropped from the 2018 calendar. I absolutely adore this circuit but in other news, the French GP is about to return.I hope it is Magny-Cours, although the circuit always have empty stands. It is a layout I absolutely adore.

French GP will be at Paul Ricard which last hosted a race in 1990. This was confirmed late last year.
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...lendar-in-2018

Magny-Cours will probably never host a race in near future at least.

[jfxavier]

Fernando Alonso will contest this year's Indianapolis 500 in a McLaren-entered car, missing Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix.

Following weeks of secret talks involving Honda, McLaren and Alonso, agreement has been reached for the two-time F1 champion to race in America while the F1 paddock is in Monaco.

Alonso will race a McLaren entry run by the Honda-affiliated Andretti Autosport IndyCar team, headed by former McLaren F1 racer Michael Andretti.

"I'm immensely excited that I'll be racing in this year's Indy 500, with McLaren, Honda and Andretti Autosport," said Alonso.

"The Indy 500 is one of the most famous races on the global motorsport calendar, rivalled only by the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Monaco Grand Prix, and it's of course a regret of mine that I won't be able to race at Monaco this year.

"But Monaco will be the only 2017 Grand Prix I'll be missing, and I'll be back in the cockpit of the McLaren-Honda MCL32 for the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal in early June."

It will be Alonso's first attempt on IndyCar's most famous race and his first experience of oval racing.
McLaren has twice won the Indy 500 as a team, in 1974 and '76 with Johnny Rutherford, while a Penske-run McLaren chassis won in '72 with Mark Donohue.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/128926

Here is McLaren's statement:

After an absence of 38 years, McLaren is to return to the Indianapolis 500 next month, using Honda engines.

On May 28th 2017 McLaren will enter a single car in the 101st Indianapolis 500, powered by Honda. The car will be run by the Andretti Autosport team, headed by founder, owner and Chief Executive Officer Michael Andretti, a former IndyCar champion who raced in Formula 1 for McLaren alongside the legendary Ayrton Senna for a single season (1993) and is the son of three-time IndyCar champion and one-time Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti.

The McLaren-Honda-Andretti entry, a Dallara DW12 chassis as used by all IndyCar teams, will be driven by current McLaren-Honda Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, who has started 275 Grands Prix, has won 32 of those races, has become Formula 1 world champion twice, and has been Formula 1 runner-up three times.

Its engine will be a Honda 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6, limited by IndyCar regulations to 12,000rpm.

Since the Indianapolis 500 will take place on May 28th, the same day as the Monaco Grand Prix, Fernando will not race at Monaco this year. The Indianapolis 500 will be the only 2017 IndyCar race in which Fernando will compete, however, and the Monaco Grand Prix will therefore be the only 2017 Formula 1 race in which he will not compete.

In due course McLaren-Honda will announce the identity of the driver who will race Fernando’s car at Monaco.

Also, the indications are there that McLaren might enter further races in America as well as the LeMans in the future.

[Hatari]

The only good thing to come out of McLaren in the recent past is Zak Brown.
Nice to have a marketing man head the traditionally dull McLaren.

This must have been a big call as Monaco is McLaren's best chance of points. Especially with no proper alternative to fill the seat.
Jenson is yet to drive this year.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by jfxavier

Fernando Alonso will contest this year's Indianapolis 500 in a McLaren-entered car, missing Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix.

Now, that's a pleasant surprise. I have taken a ride on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on a circuit bus and have also walked the brickyard, and it looks simple enough for Alonso to win.

Jokes aside, the race was won by the same Andretti team last year. And guess who the driver was? Alexander Rossi, who raced for Manor F1 in 2015. Alonso got a big chance to claim it! Better than languishing in the middle of the grid at Monaco for sure.

And there is also a full week of practice, 6 hours a day for 5 days, before the qualifying weekend on 20-21 May, and 2 more days of practice before the race on 28 May.

Alonso got plenty of time to master the car and track.

Now, the serious part.

Originally Posted by BBC

This is a bold and exciting move by Alonso but one with plenty of risks.

The Spaniard remains in the very highest echelon of Formula 1 drivers and has more than enough talent to succeed in any car, but the type of racing he will encounter at Indianapolis is unlike anything he has yet experienced.

If he was racing on a road course - what Americans call F1-type tracks - he would be expected to be absolutely competitive straight away.

But Indianapolis is a so-called 'super-speedway' - an ultra-fast oval track where average lap speeds can exceed 230mph.

Not only does Alonso have to get used to the intricacies of racing on a banked oval, including all the technical challenges involved, he will also have to learn the art of the 'draft' - using the slipstream of another car to gain speed - which is critical to oval racing.

And because of the high speeds involved and the proximity of the cars, IndyCar racing has a reputation for being notably more dangerous than F1, and any accident can have serious consequences.

But what Alonso is doing is not without precedent. Graham Hill, Jim Clark and Emerson Fittipaldi all won the F1 world title and the Indy 500. Even Montoya has won it. So, its hard to bet against F1 drivers here. Exciting!

source

[jfxavier]

Amidst all the doom and gloom talks about the McLaren-Honda relationship, this to me looks to be a deepening relationship.

Andretti cars have won 2 of the last 3 Indy 500s. Honda’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, V6 HPD unit in the Indy car is greatly improved this year in power and FE. It is beating the Chevy PU this year.

I hope he competes at the front with Montoya this year for the Indy500 !
Looking at the state of Honda PU in F1 right now, probably Alonso has come to realize that he will not challenge the number of championships of Vettel and Hamilton and is instead going for a more legendary title, the triple crown of motorsport that hasn't been done since 1961, and would ensure his place as one of the greats. Alonso might just re-sign with McLaren after this F1 season as they have given him the Indy chance he wanted, it is only a matter of time before they give him a shot at the Le Man’s 24hr. The potential to be a triple McLaren world champion across 3 major motoring events is surely too enticing to pass up. If Honda get their act together soon in F1, I think his future would be far brighter if he stays at McLaren.

[Night_Fury]

Looks like Jenson Button will replace Alonso in the Monaco GP (according to BBC). link:- http://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/39589767

What do you guys think? Any other contenders?

[tharian]

Has the Star Sports telecast of F1 stopped?
The Bahrain GP doesn't seem to be listed and I don't remember the first race being telecasted either.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by tharian

Has the Star Sports telecast of F1 stopped?
The Bahrain GP doesn't seem to be listed and I don't remember the first race being telecasted either.

I can only see a listing on SS select HD I'm wondering how to watch because I have no intention of upgrading to HD

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by tharian

Has the Star Sports telecast of F1 stopped?
The Bahrain GP doesn't seem to be listed and I don't remember the first race being telecasted either.

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

I can only see a listing on SS select HD I'm wondering how to watch because I have no intention of upgrading to HD

F1 is now only on HD.

You'll need to upgrade to HD or stream it online.

HotStar is a good option for the money. For each credit card you have, you get one month free (on a new account). Just remember to cancel your subscription after starting your free trial.