Hey, It's That Time Again... The Formula 1 2022 Season Kicks off in Bahrain (Viewing Post) 🏎
https://instagram.com/p/CbStN9gv_oE
- Also apologies as I am still recovering from jet lag (and sheer laziness and life in general), so this post will be not as detailed as others. So I’ll try to do a rundown of personnel updates and some technical updates in this post.
- BREAKING: OP had the times mixed up and with only four hours of sleep, she thought was getting ready for qualifying notes when it was just Practice 3
- ALSO BREAKING! Sebastian Vettel will not be in the points as he tested positive for COVID-19 😔 but it also may mean Nico Hulkenberg may get his first podium as he’s Aston Martin’s reserve driver (Update: After qualifying, yeah that podium eludes him)
What happened in qualifying?
- New qualifying rule! The top ten drivers no longer have to start the race with the tyres they scored their top ten positions, everyone has free tyre choice. And qualifying interval times have been adjusted.
- Bro, those Ferrari powered cars! Honestly, I think Ferrari will do very strongly this year after 2021 was a vast improvement from 2020. And I think Carlos Sainz may pull off a top three finish in the WDC.
- And the Mercedes powered cars are um… looking like struggle buses.
- Zhou Guanyu pulled off 14th fastest in Q1 - very impressive especially in an F1 debut!
- McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had another disappointing qualifying performance coming in 18th.
- Kevin Magnussen hitting that top five but honestly, Kevin has always been bullshit fast even in his brief stint in IndyCar, he just needs a good car.
- And Red Bull, well, they’re just Red Bull, so they did great
- In Q2, Magnussen had a hydraulic problem so had to return the car, so hopefully it gets going by the time Q3 starts.
- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc - gets pole, subsequently apologizes. Mercedes on the third row is a disappointing showing.
- Bottas out qualified George Russell and I want to think he did it just to be petty.
https://instagram.com/p/CbSplA7oH0g
F1 has its own Great Resignation, well kinda
- Michael Masi was fired as race director after the FIA investigated his direction of the Abu Dhabi GP. The full report can be read here. Essentially the FIA ruled that Masi judgement was just human error as he was also dealing with radio traffic from Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley and Christian Horner and Mercedes's TP Toto Wolff. However, Masi still works for the FIA.
- Otmar Szafnauer is no longer the TP at Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin and even though OP is a recent fan, this feels like such a loss for the team since he's been there through the teams ups and downs, even when they went into administration. He is now the team principal at Alpine after Davide Brivio's departure and the termination of Marcin Budkowski (which the latter's termination seems messy). Szafnauer revealed that the working relationship with team owner Lawrence Stroll was not the best and that Stroll was too hands on and some earlier insight showed their working relationship wouldn't bode well as it was revealed that Otmar did not agree with firing Sergio Perez.
- In a little bright spot, Naomi Schiff, W Series driver is now part of the Sky Sports F1 presenting team! Yay Naomi!
Why are these grown men looking like they're in a bounce house?
Here's a great video explaining why! But in my elementary terms, the new cars have resulted in ground effect returning to F1, the car becomes almost more "stuck" to the track creating more downforce which results in greater speed. However on a long straight, the speed of the car increases, the ride height decreases, so there's less airflow under the car and the car lifts in result.
Sources
Their Eyes Were Watching Porpoising
FIA Masi Report
It's The Bottas on the Third Row For Me
Sharl Eclair Takes Pole Position
Chair Bear Takes Us to College
- Also apologies as I am still recovering from jet lag (and sheer laziness and life in general), so this post will be not as detailed as others. So I’ll try to do a rundown of personnel updates and some technical updates in this post.
- BREAKING: OP had the times mixed up and with only four hours of sleep, she thought was getting ready for qualifying notes when it was just Practice 3
- ALSO BREAKING! Sebastian Vettel will not be in the points as he tested positive for COVID-19 😔 but it also may mean Nico Hulkenberg may get his first podium as he’s Aston Martin’s reserve driver (Update: After qualifying, yeah that podium eludes him)
What happened in qualifying?
- New qualifying rule! The top ten drivers no longer have to start the race with the tyres they scored their top ten positions, everyone has free tyre choice. And qualifying interval times have been adjusted.
- Bro, those Ferrari powered cars! Honestly, I think Ferrari will do very strongly this year after 2021 was a vast improvement from 2020. And I think Carlos Sainz may pull off a top three finish in the WDC.
- And the Mercedes powered cars are um… looking like struggle buses.
- Zhou Guanyu pulled off 14th fastest in Q1 - very impressive especially in an F1 debut!
- McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo had another disappointing qualifying performance coming in 18th.
- Kevin Magnussen hitting that top five but honestly, Kevin has always been bullshit fast even in his brief stint in IndyCar, he just needs a good car.
- And Red Bull, well, they’re just Red Bull, so they did great
- In Q2, Magnussen had a hydraulic problem so had to return the car, so hopefully it gets going by the time Q3 starts.
- Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc - gets pole, subsequently apologizes. Mercedes on the third row is a disappointing showing.
- Bottas out qualified George Russell and I want to think he did it just to be petty.
https://instagram.com/p/CbSplA7oH0g
F1 has its own Great Resignation, well kinda
- Michael Masi was fired as race director after the FIA investigated his direction of the Abu Dhabi GP. The full report can be read here. Essentially the FIA ruled that Masi judgement was just human error as he was also dealing with radio traffic from Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley and Christian Horner and Mercedes's TP Toto Wolff. However, Masi still works for the FIA.
- Otmar Szafnauer is no longer the TP at Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin and even though OP is a recent fan, this feels like such a loss for the team since he's been there through the teams ups and downs, even when they went into administration. He is now the team principal at Alpine after Davide Brivio's departure and the termination of Marcin Budkowski (which the latter's termination seems messy). Szafnauer revealed that the working relationship with team owner Lawrence Stroll was not the best and that Stroll was too hands on and some earlier insight showed their working relationship wouldn't bode well as it was revealed that Otmar did not agree with firing Sergio Perez.
- In a little bright spot, Naomi Schiff, W Series driver is now part of the Sky Sports F1 presenting team! Yay Naomi!
Why are these grown men looking like they're in a bounce house?
Click to viewHere's a great video explaining why! But in my elementary terms, the new cars have resulted in ground effect returning to F1, the car becomes almost more "stuck" to the track creating more downforce which results in greater speed. However on a long straight, the speed of the car increases, the ride height decreases, so there's less airflow under the car and the car lifts in result.
Sources
Their Eyes Were Watching Porpoising
FIA Masi Report
It's The Bottas on the Third Row For Me
Sharl Eclair Takes Pole Position
Chair Bear Takes Us to College