2015 Formula 1 Season Paddock

If you remember last year, no one was fully up to speed by the 3rd race. IMHO Honda is doing as well or better than the others were at this point last year. I bet the new upgrade will be closer to the rest, maybe better than Renault.

 

The preview show is usually up Friday and the post race show is up Monday

 

Red Bull anticipating penalties as power unit problems mount

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/04/red-bull-anticipating-penalties-as-power-unit-problems-mount/

 

It's not the broadcast from FP2

 

I think at least some of the issues has to be coming from the Red Bull packaging , I mean if Renault said they could run the power units no problem on the dyno it has to be something else creating the failures

 

INSIGHT: WHY VETTEL AND FERRARI WERE A MENACE TO ROSBERG IN CHINA, BUT NOT FOR THE REASON HE THOUGHT

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/...g-in-china-but-not-for-the-reason-he-thought/

 

McLaren-Honda can now start ramping up performance ~ Boullier

http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118511

 

Force India to struggle for points till Austria

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/f1-force-india-set-to-struggle-for-points-until-austria-041515

 

One of the Renault people went on somewhat vaguely a few weeks back, about Red Bull insisting on some radical change or another that didn't work out, and how it set the engine program back. I can't find a quote at the moment, may have heard it in one of the TV bits.

 

Renault have made driveability improvements but doubts remain on reliability heading into Bahrain

http://m.bbc.com/sport/formula1/32337455

 

Eccelstone calls for a return to 1000bhp V8's

I think Autosport's comment at the end of the article sums it up pretty well

http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118530

 

He changes his mind every week

 

He puts too much blame for financial problems of teams and sliding veiwing numbers on the hybrid powerplants , the financial problems are from the inequality of how the prize money / series profits are distributed amongst the teams and viewership has been sharply declining for years before the introduction of the hybrid V6's

They could easily tweak existing specs to get the current engine formula to 1000bhp

 

Why not still use a hybrid tech car with a v-12 or whatever for the internal combustion engine. Have all the sounds and HP, and still have to create new technology's to run the hybrid system, leading to trickle down to the public, and save the world.

 

This is Autosport's comment ;

"Ecclestone has long campaigned against the turbo V6 engines - but to suggest a return to V8s last used in 2013 would save costs is a pretty big leap of faith.


It is not simply a case of brushing off some old V8 engines sat at the back of factories and going off racing again.

Manufacturers would have to recalibrate facilities and retune their manufacturing processes to get V8 engine production going again.

Furthermore, it will be just as expensive as the current rules to work to a set of regulations that will deliver 1000bhp V8s.

With any major engine change unlikely to happen before 2017, engine makers would also be forced to run hugely expensive parallel development programmes for 18 months - pushing on with the V6s while also getting the V8s sorted.

Teams would also be forced to design all-new cars for the return of V8s. The current 100kg fuel limit means tanks are smaller nowadays, and no longer big enough to hold the petrol needed for the old engines to last a whole race.

Ecclestone is clearly facing a tough juggling act relating to the new engine rules.

The power units are causing trouble at the back of the grid for the small teams that have been hurt by the huge increase in supply costs.

At the front there are woes too - because the limited development scope of the complex technology has left Red Bull and Renault contemplating F1 exits.

Ripping up the engine rulebook may appear to be an easy way out of those troubles, but it is not a realistic solution to F1's problems because they run far deeper than simply what is in the back of the cars."

 

The current 1.6L V6 hybrid is already breaking track records , going to a V12 has no relevance to any road car

 

Yes, but the excitement and spectacle that seems to have been missing might get recaptured and bring back viewership.

 

Why wouldn't you just go back to the KERS V8's then ?

and even V8's are largely irrelevant in road car technology , that was the whole point of the switch , add to that , the actually racing has been good in the last couple years

Bring on 1000bhp V6 turbos and you will stay relevant and create more spectacle

 

You mean without the ERS ?

 

Myself, I'll always watch the fastest drivers in the fastest cars, doesn't matter what kind of set up they run. It IS exciting to me. I think a lot of the viewing public watched because of the noise and speed of it all. Still faster than ever, just lacks the punch in the gut a lot of people are looking for. Was watching an interview with someone one the grid, and they said it was weird watching without having to use ear plugs. I don't know, haven't been lucky enough to get to watch a Grand Prix in person.