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[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Hehe, znaci ja jedan ko vozac ipo!

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Liberty paying off more F1 debts
January 22, 2018 by Joe Saward


Liberty Media is continuing its financial re-engineering of the Formula 1 group, with a new programme to rid the business of debt. Liberty says it will “launch a process to refinance the $3,302 million” that is owed by various subsidiaries of Delta Topco Limited, the Liberty subsidiary which is the F1 holding company. In addition to this the company says that the subsidiaries will repay up to $400 million, using a combination of excess cash and other less burdensome loans. This must all be seen as being in the best interest of the sport, as this will reduce the debt repayments that will eat into future profits.

The previous owners of the sport used to debt to take out money, leaving the sport to carry the burden.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Sean Bratches has defended Liberty Media's plans to ramp up internet coverage of F1 while moving the sport away from free-to-air television.

Fans have noticed recently that the trend is for new television deals with pay-TV networks, with only a limited number of races shown free-to-air.

Bratches, the new F1 commercial chief, said Liberty is also focused on the digital future.

"The relaunch of our digital platform is planned," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Today it only costs us money. Fans cannot download exclusive content.

"That's going to change," Bratches explained. "We will introduce a direct streaming offer to the fans for both live content and non-live content. The fans will then get access to data directly from the cars.

"One will be freely available, while the other for serious fans is behind a payment barrier."

Previously, ousted F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone did not develop the sport's internet presence, arguing that television rights must remain exclusive.

But Bratches claims: "The market has proven that both can be done simultaneously. Other sports are already much further ahead.

"It's not like we're leaving our TV partners behind. This year, we will be offering a new TV graphics platform that presents content in a much more consumer friendly way," he said.

As for the highly controversial move away from free-to-air TV coverage, he explained: "Free TV means reach, but the money is on pay TV.

"Ideally, 25 to 30 per cent of the races should be on free TV and the rest behind a pay wall. It works in France and other countries, but there are countries where we should not move to this model yet," Bratches said.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Force India and Sauber have withdrawn their complaint to the European Union about anti-competitive practices in Formula One.

The teams brought the complaint in September alleging they had been locked out of Formula One’s rule-making body and that other teams were given preferential financial terms. They cited the change in ownership of the sport as one of the reasons behind their decision to drop the protest.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

T-wing loophole creates new tech battleground for 2018 F1 season
By Jonathan Noble, Giorgio Piola
Published on Thursday January 25th 2018



 
Formula 1 teams are set to engage in a new design battleground over low T-wings in 2018, as part of a push to regain downforce lost at the rear of cars.

A loophole in last year's technical regulations opened the door for teams to run high T-wings on the sharkfin engine covers in a bid to improve performance.

But their addition caused an outcry among fans and teams because of their appearance, and an outright ban was introduced for the 2018 season.

But with F1 teams aware of the benefits that the small wings delivered in terms of managing airflow and increasing downforce, it is almost certain that this concept will not have been ignored when teams come to finalising their 2018 challengers.

As teams claw to recover the loss of downforce caused by the high T-wing ban, plus the outlawing of monkey seats, it appears likely that T-wing development will open up in a new area of the car instead.

That is because the wording of the 2018 regulations that outlawed shark fins and high T-wings still leaves room for another area to be exploited.



Article 3.5.1 of F1's technical regulations outlawed high T-wings by making it clear that no bodywork could appear in a specified triangular area above the defined engine cover.

It states: "When viewed from the side, no bodywork forward of the rear wheel centre line may lie above a line parallel to the diagonal boundary defined in a) [a rule that defines the dimension of the engine cover] and intersecting the rear wheel centre line 650mm above the reference plane."

But there remains a small area below this triangle that is still available for teams to exploit - an area in which Williams ran elaborate T-wing concepts last year.



As well as developing a high T-wing like other teams, the FW40 featured a second element lower down to help manage airflow in this area.

As well as channelling air to the lower element of the rear wing, this airflow can also prove important in helping maximise the efficiency of the diffuser.

F1 teams are expecting big gains in downforce this year thanks to a much better understanding of the performance aspects of the new aero rules that were introduced last year.

McLaren technical director Tim Goss told Autosport: "You would expect there to be a step, and given the cars are relatively immature, you would expect it to be a bigger step than in previous seasons."

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Newgarden, Dixon ready for F1 now - Brown
Thursday, 25 January 2018
By Chris Medland / Image by Scott LePage/LAT




Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon are two drivers who would be ready to make the switch from IndyCar to Formula 1 today, according to Zak Brown.

The debate about IndyCar drivers crossing over to F1 was reignited by recent quotes attributed to Guenther Steiner suggesting no Americans are currently ready, which drew a backlash on social media from a number of drivers. Speaking at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Brown says he disagrees with Steiner's comments and sees a specific pair that he would be willing to put in an F1 car.

"Well the biggest challenge you have is the lack of testing," Brown replied when asked by RACER who he would pick from IndyCar to run at McLaren. "So until this rules change... We only get eight pre-season days of testing and even that is only with one car so you rotate drivers, so to take away a day from Fernando [Alonso]'s four or Stoffel [Vandoorne]'s four just doesn't make sense.

"So I think until that rule changes it will be difficult for a driver outside f the Formula 1 arena or Formula 2 to break into Formula 1 because they just have such a disadvantage. So the system does't really allow you to bring someone in. I think it's great that Toro Rosso took someone like Brendon Hartley because there's risk with that decision, but he knows all of those tracks as well.

"Specifically I think Josef Newgarden is an outstanding talent, and I think Scott Dixon is an outstanding talent. I also don't subscribe that you're old at a [certain age] – I mean, eventually you get old – but I think what happens with drivers is they ultimately lose motivation. That's what catches up with them.

"If you look at someone like Michael Schumacher, he was very competitive into his forties. I think had he not taken those few years off, those last couple of tenths that he was off, I don't think he would have been, and he was in his forties. Fernando has that same type of dedication. I think Fernando is driving as well as he's ever driven and just because he's going to turn 37 later this year I don't think the stopwatch is going to get any slower.

"On the flip side, you've someone like Nico Rosberg who just for whatever reason said 'I'm done.' So someone like Scott Dixon reminds me of Fernando where he's extremely fit, very dedicated and is as fast as ever. I think Scott Dixon would be competitive in a Formula 1 car today."

With Brown also running McLaren reserve driver Lando Norris in the No. 23 United Autosports entry at Daytona, the McLaren executive director says he wants to see more drivers running in different categories.

"Most of the other Formula 1 drivers probably don't have a race car this weekend, so I'm of the view that this is great for Fernando and Lando. I think experience helps you in all forms of motor racing. How can being in a race car be anything other than good for staying fit and staying focused?

"Fernando in particular, I think he literally wants to live in a race car. It puts him in a really good place. Race car drivers, like all athletes, it's half physical and half mental. So these things are what he wants to do. He's very happy in the environment. I just remember the days of the Dan Gurneys and the Mario Andrettis and multiple disciplines. I don't see why we can't do that today."

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

Olav Mol, holandski komentator ▼

 

 

F1 races in 2018 are going to start later. the start times for races in Europe goes to 15.10 hours. GP France to 16.00 about World Cup football even. FOM will next week announce the final schedule.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Ovo znaci da ce gledaoci u Kaliforniji (obojica) umesto u 5 ujutro ustajati u 6. Meni se start pomera sa 8 na 9 ujutro.

[romantik]

Ovo znaci da ce gledaoci u Kaliforniji (obojica) umesto u 5 ujutro ustajati u 6. Meni se start pomera sa 8 na 9 ujutro.

 

[Doorn]

Bas se navalilo na GP Holandije. CW iz FIA posjetio TT Assen i dao pozitivnu ocjenu. Jako malo promjena bi trebalo da se uradi dok bi layout ostao isti. Uskoro stizu jos neke menadzment guzonje, ali GP je korak blize i prica se vec o 2019 ili 2020. http://www.dvhn.nl/s...o-22855131.html Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G930F met Tapatalk

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

Rat oko vešanja se nastavlja, FIA je banovala RB i Ferarijevo rešenje. Mečka želi aktivno vešanje.

 

 

First, the hydraulic suspensions of Mercedes and Red Bull were banned. In the winter break, the FIA ​​also banned the new front suspension, which lowers the car when turning. Here we explain the clever trick.

Most of the lap time is in the aerodynamics. Since one year you could also say it's in the suspension. In 2016, Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull developed systems based on their hydraulic suspensions that came very close to an active suspension.

The aim was to make the aerodynamic platform as stable as possible, so that airflow is disturbed as little as possible. Ideally, you lower the car on the straights to reduce drag and increase top speed. Red Bull brought the principle close to perfection in late 2016.

But then Ferrari, in the winter of last year, thwarted their plans. At the instigation of the technical department of Maranello, the FIA ​​reinterpreted the theme of suspensions. Therefore, suspensions were allowed to serve only their primary purpose, namely the attachment of the wheels to the car in a manner which isolates the sprung part from road disturbances.

Any reaction that did not happen naturally and had the purpose of optimising the aerodynamics was banned - even storing energy in the hydraulic elements to manipulate the vehicle's motion. This meant that Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren had to expand their intelligent chassis. That hit Red Bull harder than Mercedes.

The calm lasted only briefly. At the 2017 Austrian GP, the teams whose cars were equipped with hydraulic suspensions again, received mail from the FIA. The control guards heard that these teams were able to change the chassis characteristics through targeted heat transfer between qualifying and the race by preheating the hydraulic elements or skillfully placing the actuators near oil lines. Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and Red Bull had to adjust.

Ferrari comes up with a new front suspension

The arms race on the front suspension went on, however. This time Ferrari started. In the tests after the Hungarian GP, ​​an extreme geometry was tested on the front axle and premiered four weeks later at the Belgian GP.

Photo of the new front suspension on the Ferrari (should show up as the thumbnail of this post). The arrow points at the pushrod, which is positioned higher up on the upright, towards the top wishbone. This is why it's called extreme pushrod-on-upright.

It had become natural in the last two years that the pushrod was no longer connected to the lower wishbone but directly to the wheel carriers. When steering, the connection moves with the strut. Depending on how the connection is designed, you can set it so that the height of the car changes or not. Crucial, however, is that the car at the corner exit as soon as possible returns to the initial height.

This led to extreme excesses in 2017. The angle of the pushrod remained nearly the same, but the connection point on the strut continued to move upwards. The upper and lower wishbones were spread differently and offset each other differently. The new geometry made the front of the car move much more down while steering. Especially in slow corners, where you need a lot of grip on the front axle, the front ride height reduced significantly.

When driving straight ahead, the car came up again. The trick has greatly influenced the vehicle height in the front area. Of course intended. The closer the front wing is to the road, the better the downforce. Red Bull and Renault had paid close attention and tried to copy Ferrari's idea.

The trick also has its downsides. It does not work equally well everywhere. And the drivers have to relearn driving. Force India technical director Andy Green explains why: "The new geometry changes the steering characteristics. When turning it sometimes comes to a point where the car steers by itself. So the driver has to resist when the front of the car drops down. After turning in, the drivers have to pull the car up again with the steering."

"The drivers complained about the strange feeling in the steering. Some did not like it and could not drive with it. Because it goes against everything that you are used to as a driver, when the steering is not linear but changes suddenly during the steering. But once the drivers get used to it, it's faster. You just get more grip on the front axle, "Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo hated the new technology. Raikkonen went back to the old front axle already at the Malaysian GP. Sebastian Vettel only one race later in Japan.

FIA controls the suspension with strict limits

Although this type of suspension is relatively cheap, the FIA ​​wants to put a stop to the excesses. Because they clearly violate the new interpretation of the suspension. In Technical Directive TD/044-17 of 12 December, FIA race director Charlie Whiting warned the teams that they would not tolerate any extreme change in ground clearance when steering in.

To be precise: "Although a certain change in vehicle height from steering stop to steering stop is normal, we suspect that some systems were far from accidental changes. We consider these forced changes as an intervention in aerodynamics. They also violate Article 3.8 of the Technical Regulations." At the end of January, this directive was updated again.

The FIA ​​spurred on all teams to provide them with accurate documentation of the steering effect on ground clearance of the front axle. The teams have to prove that this effect is natural and not reinforced. To be tolerated is a lowering of the ground clearance of 5 millimeters with a steering input of 12 degrees.

The FIA ​​commissioners will control the suspensions this season on their measuring platform using a new procedure. For this purpose, a gallows is mounted in the area of ​​the front axle, which measures the ground clearance of straight-standing wheels on the center line of the vehicle. The wheels are then turned 12 degrees to the left and to the right for a comparative measurement.

Back to the Stone Age or active suspension?

Because it is unsatisfactory for the FIA ​​and the teams to fill new loopholes, a heated debate arose at the end of the season about how to tackle the problem of the interaction between suspension and aerodynamics. Two approaches were discussed in the Technical Working Group. Either return to conventional suspensions with conventional dampers, springs and inerters, or use active suspension.

Mercedes calls for the return to active systems that have been banned since 1994. For three reasons, as one engineer explains. "It's cheaper because you can develop the system once and then freeze the development. That saves a million euros a year. You need four actuators that perform linear movements. These are controlled by a standard software which is the same for all cars. There are no gray areas anymore. It would be much easier for the FIA ​​to control. And it would make overtaking easier by allowing the system to be programmed to minimize the negative impact of dirty air."

Sounds logical, but only shared by Renault, Toro Rosso and Force India. Ferrari wants to go back to the Stone Age with classic suspension elements. Since the suggestion of active suspension comes from Mercedes, the team from Maranello has the suspicion that the championship opponent hopes of an advantage. Williams, Haas and Sauber also share Ferrari's vision. Red Bull and McLaren block everything. They would like to have the status quo. With an active suspension all teams would be on the same level. Note: Who believes to have a competitive advantage, will not give up.

Edit: link to original article in German

[/13/Ален Шмит/]

My boner just die. RIP

 

 

Formula 1 to stop using grid girls

31 Jan 2018

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Formula 1 will end the long-standing practice of using walk-on grid girls, commencing with the start of the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season. These changes also apply to our other motorsports series that take place during the Grands Prix weekends.

Formula 1 considers the time spent by teams and drivers on the grid before a race as one of celebration, where guests and various performers can add to the glamour and spectacle of the Grand Prix, enabling promoters and partners to showcase their countries and products.

“Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport," said Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1.

"While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms. We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

The new F1 season begins on March 25 with the 2018 Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

[Rad-oh-yeah?]

Evo jos o aktivnom ogibljenju:
 

Mercedes has reportedly suggested that active suspension should be reintroduced in F1.

The suggestion follows news that some teams including Red Bull will no longer be able to use a 'trick' involving clever systems to lower ride height in corners.

The controversy has been the subject of discussions within the F1 technical working group, with two proposals on each end of the suspension spectrum proposed as a result.

The first is a return to simple suspension layouts with dampers and springs, while the other is the re-introduction of radical 'active suspension' which was last seen in 1993.

It is believed Mercedes is championing the cause of the latter.

An engineer told Auto Motor und Sport: "It's cheaper because you can develop the system once and then freeze it. It will save a million euros a year and there would be no more grey areas.

"It would be much easier for the FIA to control, and it would help overtaking because you can programme the system to minimise the impact of the turbulence behind the car," the engineer added.

It is believed Ferrari is opposed to the active suspension proposal.

[4_Webber]

Zvanicno: Promenili sve termine, trke vise nece pocinjati nigde u punom satu nego u XX:10.Sve evropske trke ce od sada pocinjati u 3:10 po nasem, osim Britanije koja ostaje u 2:10. Opet popravljaju nesto sto nije pokvareno...

[alberto.ascari]

Uopšte ne shvatam histeriju po raznim forumima, fb included, o pomeranju starta.

 

Nama u Evropi je svejedno nedelja prepolovljena, do 14h i posle 16h, pomeriće se za sat, jaka mooda...

 

Naprotiv, to mi više odgovara ako krenem negde gde to mogu za dan da dobacim, Spielberg, Hockenheim, Hungaroring, imam sat rezervu za putovanje.