2024 F1 News and Prediction League

[PeteC]

Thai time. https://f1calendar.com/timezone/Asia-Bangkok

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[pharvey]

Well, it was Monaco - years of history with F1 and racing, "The" event for the rich and famous to show off and these days generally a boring race with pretty much zero chance of overtaking due to the tight circuit and size of the modern day F1 car.... HOWEVER, wasn't it just lovely to see Crashappen and Red BS suffering

From the start of the weekend, it was Ferrari and Leclerc who were the ones to beat. Mercedes were looking good (slower track, certainly no high speed corners) and of course McLaren - though in FP they were disappointing and Norris certainly wasn't happy in Qualifying. Red BS and Crashappen well down in FP1 to 3, but I was just waiting for the Dire Dutchman to pull something out of the bag in Qualifying..... Wonderfully (for me and not being biased ) it wasn't to be!!

The most exciting part of the race was the start - 4 cars out before "Sector 1" Ferrari and Sainz were incredibly lucky - off with a puncture just prior to the huge prang involving the two Hass cars and Red BS' Sergio Perez which caused a Red Flag and a nigh on 60 minute delay. As the first sector had not been completed, the race restarted with the existing grid - minus the 3 cars of Perez, Hulkenberg & Magnussen.

LH will be a tad pi$$ed off he didn't finish ahead of Crashappen due to a bit of a cock-up with Mercedes tactics, but...

At the end of the day, I'm truly pleased for Leclerc - thoroughly deserved and great to see him winning his "Home GP" - he should have done so on 2 previous occasions, but has been outdone by bad luck and idiotic decisions by the Ferrari Crew previously.

RACE RESULTS: -
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SUPERBRU/HHF PREDICTION LEAGUE: -

It was a difficult one - must admit I was really looking at waiting for Qualifying before making my picks - especially what happened last weekend with Crashappen!! Mercedes were looking good, McLaren were mixed... And Ferrari were again looking to be the ones to beat!!

Anywho, I managed to fluke the Yellow Cap, "Dai_L" had a bad weekend and swaps places with "Parahandy" again, the dreaded Wooden Spoon goes to "Vital Spark" this week who swaps places with "PeteC" again... And unfortunately returns to bottom spot. Still a long way to go, and things could start to get very interesting not only in the Prediction League, but also in the Driver's and Constructor's Championship.....
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TABLE AFTER ROUND 8 of 24: -
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Next up is the Canadian GP over the weekend of 7th-9th June

[pharvey]

In the past few years, the Driver's Championship and Constructor's Championship have only gone one way - this year however, things are looking somewhat closer despite the dominance of Crashappen and Red BS early on... 2026 will bring in a host of new rules and regulations which could end the dominance of the obnoxious ones, but are we looking at things going downhill a little earlier than expected for Homer and Co?

Drivers Championship (Round 8/24): -
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Constructor's Championship (Round 8/24): -
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[pharvey]

Not the cheapest of write off's..... It does go to show however the safety and strength of the F1 cars' "cage" though as Perez walked away without scratch.
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"Sergio Perez's shocking crash on the first lap at the Monaco Grand Prix cost Red Bull between $2-3million (£1.6-2.4million).

The Mexican, starting in 16th, was tagged by Haas' Kevin Magnussen heading uphill after the first corner. The Dane's front left caught Perez's rear right, sending the latter into the barriers in a huge 160mph crash.

Perez rebounded off the wall and into the other Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, as his Red Bull became a pinball before it finally came to rest on the circuit.

And, speaking after what was a difficult day for Red Bull - with Max Verstappen only coming sixth - Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko hit out at Magnussen and opened up on the cost of the crash.

'Am I surprised Magnussen wasn’t penalised?,' he told Sky Germany. 'I’m actually surprised by how quickly the stewards managed to put the incident behind them.

'But first of all, it was very dangerous. And second of all, the damage to the RB20 is two or three million. This is a big handicap for us with the budget cap.'

'I think that was some dangerous driving. We need to ask for a reason why it’s not been investigated because without an investigation we don’t get a reason why it wasn’t a penalty. I’m really surprised.'

Magnussen, who is currently on 10 penalty points, two short of a race ban, felt Perez should have left him space."



Comments Taken From: - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formu ... crash.html

[pharvey]

Lesson 1: - TYRES

[pharvey]

Well, Alpine boss Famin had threatened 'consequences' in the wake of Ocon's dramatic crash with countryman and team-mate Pierre Gasly on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, but hell.... Admittedly his performances of late haven't helped, though Gasly hasn't faired any better - both with a single point this season (10th place finish). Alpine have made big changes this season with little to show for it.

"Famin was Fumin'" shall we say and the crash has earned Ocon a 5 Place Grid Penalty for the Canadian GP this weekend.

Alpine Announce They Will Part Ways With Ocon at End of 2024 Season

"Esteban Ocon and Alpine will part ways at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, ending a five-year relationship.

Ocon, 27, joined the Enstone-based team in 2020 and went on to achieve his and Alpine’s first Grand Prix win when he triumphed in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

He picked up two further podiums – at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and 2023 Monaco Grand Prix – and achieved a best year-end finish of eighth in 2022.

However, Alpine boss Bruno Famin has been considering the options for his 2025 driver line-up in recent months and the French manufacturer has decided not to renew Ocon’s contract."

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... fklwU9TEqH

As for the Canadian GP, it's an evening race for us in the UK, so silly o'clock for you guys in HH/Thailand: -
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[PeteC]

https://f1calendar.com/timezone/Asia-Bangkok

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[PeteC]

Plans for smaller and greener F1 cars unveiled

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/arti ... eeqr817xxo. (Photo)

Formula 1 cars will be smaller, nimbler and more environmentally friendly from 2026, the sport's governing body the FIA has said.

Cars will be 30kg lighter, 10cm narrower and have engines with a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power - and use fully sustainable fuels.

The FIA described the concept at the heart of the 2026 rules as a "nimble car".

Active aerodynamics will be used to optimise the use of the new engines.

Cars will have front and rear wings that open on the straights to reduce drag and increase speed, but then close to increase downforce for cornering performance.

And overtaking will be facilitated by a power-boost system for a car following another, to be known as manual override mode.

This is instead of the current DRS (drag-reduction system) overtaking aid.

The new hybrid engines, which triple the amount of electrical power used, have attracted two new manufacturers into F1 in the shape of Audi and Ford, and persuaded Honda to reverse its decision to quit the sport.

Along with Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, and the new Red Bull Powertrains company with which Ford is joining forces, there will be a total of six engine manufacturers in F1 in 2026.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "The key features of the 2026 regulations are advanced, sustainable technology and safety.

"Our aim, together with F1, was to produce a car that was right for the future of the sport's elite category. We believe we have achieved that goal."

The rules are a part of F1's pledge to go net-zero carbon by 2030.

[pharvey]

^ And long overdue. Making the cars larger was a huge mistake and stuffed racing quite frankly. Monaco has been a procession for quite some time, and even these changes might not save it. All in all though - very good for the sport IMHO!

On to the Canadian GP and if P1 is anything to go by, the weather forecasters know cock all! If it's wet for Qualifying or during the race, things could get interesting. The track has been resurfaced and it's painfully obvious that this is causing issues - especially when wet. This also has an issue with tyres used (or not used) - teams using Intermediates so far. Aside from getting relevant data, all teams are restricted by the number of tyres used and the compounds that the must use.....

Let the chaos continue!!

[pharvey]

All over the place pre-Qualifying, and I think my picks could just drop me well down the pecking order!! I was honestly tempted to miss out on the "Early Bru Points" and wait until Qualifying to see what happened.... Damn my greed for those 2 extra points!!

Never-the-less, it it what it is - and the weather could play a huge factor....

[PeteC]

That track is playing hell with some drivers. I think we'll see several wall hits and over the curb/grass incidents. Especially if it rains! Hamilton seems to love the place though.

[pharvey]

That track is playing hell with some drivers. I think we'll see several wall hits and over the curb/grass incidents. Especially if it rains! Hamilton seems to love the place though.

Hamilton's first F1 win came there some 17 years ago - and yes, he loves the track. He's also one of the best in the wet.....

[pharvey]

Well, not a bad weekend so far!! Both Free Practice and Qualifying sessions threw up a few surprises - the first time I remember a "Dead Heat" with George Russell taking Pole over Verstappen by virtue of setting his time first!! McLaren in P3 and P4 with the Ferrari's way back in P11 and P12!! After just renewing his contract with Red BS, Perez repays the team's confidence with P16...

Hamilton had set the pace during Free Practice and had significantly quicker times than the rest of the field, but this pace seemed to desert him in Qualifying, only managing P7 - disappointing after showing so much promise. That said, Mercedes are looking far better which has been a while in coming.

Starting Grid for Today's Race: -
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[pharvey]

The Canadian GP turned out to be a cracker and the best of the season so far, by quite a margin IMHO! The downside being The Obnoxious One took the win and that man "Parahandy" took the Yellow Cap and the lead in the HHF/Superbru Prediction League!!

The weather certainly played its part, with the track alternating between wet and dry conditions. This could well have been Norris' race, but a couple of errors, the timing of the Safety Car(s) certainly didn't help him, neither did McLaren's Pit Stops. Russell shot himself in the foot with a couple of costly mistakes and was fortunate not to take himself and Piastri out on one occasion and himself and teammate Hamilton out late on... Fair play to aggressive driving, but things could well have gone tits up... Hamilton could well have been on the Podium himself, but only having the choice of fresh Hard Tyres or used Soft Tyres on his final Pit Stop proved decisive as he lost out to Russell. Unlikely as it must seem, I think Mercedes will honestly feel a little disappointed despite their P3 and P4 finishes - unthinkable at the start of the season quite frankly.

An absolute nightmare of a weekend for the Scuderia who ended up with both drivers way off the pace in Qualification and both retiring from the Main Race - Crashappen and Red BS benefiting significantly in both the Driver's and Constructor's Championship. That said, Red BS's Perez who also retired was given a 3 place Grid Penalty for the Spanish GP in 2 weeks time just to add insult to injury.

Canadian GP - Race Results: -
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HHF/Superbru Prediction League: -
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Very much mixed this Round which makes things a little more exciting! Congrats to "Parahandy" on the Yellow Cap and who moves up to Top Spot
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Next up in the Spanish GP over the weekend of 21-23.06 - More of the same please!