The 2011 Season

[sportsman]

Mr Newey also designed this.The Williams FW 14b.
That was also nigh on unbeatable.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Just think, if Rahal had managed to steal Newey from McLaren for the 2002 and beyond seasons we could be discussing whether or not it would be a good thing that Jaguar were running away with everything.

I suspect that some views might be slightly different in that scenario.

 

[sportsman]

Even if there's a drastic change in fortunes from Silverstone due to the EBD changes (unlikely), it's still 2009 all over again.
Vettel's lead is virtually unassailable in my opinion.

Speaking of the EBD changes, I have a feeling that Red Bull will actually come out of it better than the other top teams.
On the strength of this weekend, that would seem to be a safe bet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/06/sebasitan_vettel_dashes_hopes.html
But Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said over the course of the weekend in Spain that they had tried 'hot blowing' and abandoned it because it was burning the bodywork - so had stuck with the less influential 'cold-blowing', where the throttles are kept open but fuel is not burnt. This produces significantly less energy and so is less effective than hot blowing.
That means that far from the Silverstone ruling hurting Red Bull, it could actually help them - as their closest rivals, Ferrari and McLaren, are both using hot-blowing.
It was already difficult to imagine Red Bull being beaten at Silverstone - a track that abounds with the sort of long-duration corners of varying speeds that bring out the car's strengths. With these latest revelations, their advantage in Northamptonshire could be even bigger.

It certainly looks that way.

 

[Slyboogy]

Reading that, seems like the FIA shot themselves in the foot (if they were trying to hamper Red Bull, not saying they did)

 

[Brogan]

An interesting article on steering ratios and wheel sizes.

http://www.theracedriver.com/2011/06/european-gp-alonsos-steering-inputs/

I didn't really think it warranted a thread of its own so I'll just put it here as it's specific to the 2011 season and the new tyres.

 

[Jos the Boss]

We need Roary Byrne in Mercedes that would be a good tussle, Part 3 is it?

 

[teabagyokel]

I've stuck it as my avatar but this:

is the 499 laps of the season thus far [the bottom right white being the unit square] in order split into who's lead them. The bright red are Alonso, the dull red Massa. The lightest grey is Rosberg, the mid-grey Hamilton and the dark grey Button. You have already worked out who is represented by deep blue.

 

[FB]

the dull red Massa.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

The bright red are Alonso, the dull red Massa. The lightest grey is Rosberg, the mid-grey Hamilton and the dark grey Button. You have already worked out who is represented by deep blue.

Maldonado?

 

[Sarinaide]

Looks like a disk defrag

All this graph does is adds to the thought that maybe RB / Vettel are dominating.

 

[teabagyokel]

Here's the same thing for 2010's first 499 laps!

 

[MCLS]

Take it Webber is the lighter blue?

 

[RasputinLives]

Who's the purple?

 

[teabagyokel]

Take it Webber is the lighter blue?

Yes.

Who's the purple?

Buemi

 

[Boyle]

Interesting that Mark hasn't led a single lap this year - in the same machinery as Seb!

 

[Sarinaide]

Well Mark led for a little while, to the first corner in Spain (Catalunya) sort of.

 

[teabagyokel]

Only one driver has led a lap in every race of a single season:

Jackie Stewart in 1969

He led a lap in every race from the 1968 USGP to the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix, 16 races.

 

[teabagyokel]

Here's 2009 out of interest. With a key:

 

[RasputinLives]

so that proves without a doubt that 2009 was the most competitve season of F1

 

[Albies Dog]

Once again I'll say ban DRS in Quali. Time and again we are told that the superior design of the RB means that they can get the DRS open significantly earlier in the corners than anyone else and consequently give them (well Vettle in particular) a decent advantage.

But my reasoning is not to specifically hinder RB, DRS was developed to help overtaking so why is its indiscriminate use allowed in Quali. Just ban it, the drivers have one less thing to do and if it means the RB is slightly slower on a quali lap, even better!