Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[rijaljun]

Lewis Hamilton has deleted all his followers on twitter, I read. It also appears that he is considering quitting F1 and making a career switch. Perhaps that man no longer has a challenge. If Hamilton steps, who is going to stop Verstappen from becoming a wealthy champion? There is absolutely no one who can come close to those 2, on any track.

[1714509923]

1714509923

[1714509923]

1714509923

[1714509923]

1714509923

[1714509923]

1714509923

[Pulsar77]

Yeah, it is really interesting to see that Hamilton has 0 following on his Instagram now. I saw even a video that some guy caught the moment while he was doing it. And we already know that he is having a big disappointment after FIA's huge mistake in the last race. In the end, FIA literally prevented Hamilton from winning his deserved title. And I've heard that Bernie Ecclestone said that Hamilton might not return to F1. But I really hope that he doesn't quit F1 before winning his 8th title.

[LTU_btc]

Well you know, I must have read a clickbait.
You're right he said that "according to himself/he thinks" that Hamilton will not be coming back in F1, we will see but I doubt he will give up to 30m€ of his salary so easily.

I think it's not just about money. Lewist still have not finished things to do - beating Shumacher record by winning 8th title. But seems that loss hit him hard. He didn't attend FIA award ceremony, he remain silent on social media where he was very active.

The circuit of Spa is doing his restyle.

I hope they will not ruin the track...

https://talkimg.com/images/2023/09/10/meOc3.png

https://twitter.com/24hSpaMotos/status/1469761597950283785

They are doing to get the license for endurance races.

I read they're not going to change track layout. They will build new stands and will ad gravel in some dangerous run-off zones instead of asphalt, Eau Rouge for example.
BTW, they didn't gave refund to people for ''race'' in 2021, but have millions to spend for track rebuild. People are angry now.

[tokeweed]

There were some talks swirling around that Ferrari was pressuring Vettel too, hence the mistakes during 2018 was it?

That was the year that I realised Vettel isn't actually a very good driver. Ferrari had the best car and should have won the championship fairly easily... yet somehow it went to Mercedes. Vettel made mistake after mistake in race after race, throwing away a huge number of points. I think it puts his 4 titles into perspective a bit.

It’s relative.  Vettel isn’t good, tho still competitive, if compared against Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso but compared to Ricciardo or Leclerc?  Yeah he was out performed by both the lest year at RBR and Ferrari but I think there’s more going on behind the scenes than just flat out out performance.

And in Vettel’s defense, I think Ferrari’s development hit a snag at the middle of the season which allowed Mercedes to catch up. Ferrari may have had the advantage in the first races but Mercedes still had the best engine.  It just showed that Merc had the best team behind their driver, Vettel apparently didn’t

[Cnut237]

Are Ferrari suggesting that they don't expect to start with a strong car in 2022?

This article begins with the F1 CEO talking about how he expects at the start of the season, some cars will be a lot better than others, due to how they've each interpreted the new rules. I think anyone would agree that this would be as expected, similar to what we saw at the start of the current era, when no-one could touch Mercedes. But then it goes on to a quote from Binotto at Ferrari, who I think sounds quite negative and effectively says that Ferrari's biggest strength is that they can catch up with whoever starts the season ahead.

“It may be that at the start to the season there will be difference in competitiveness between the cars, because of the ways in which each team may have interpreted the rules and the solutions they may bring.
Here what I think will be important as Ferrari is being capable of understanding weaknesses and addressing them very quickly. So it's the team reaction that will be key.
We cannot be confident of having a competitive car from the start, because you never know what may happen when you’ve got such a big rule change. But it is about being capable of addressing it as soon as possible.”

[justdimin]

Are Ferrari suggesting that they don't expect to start with a strong car in 2022?

This article begins with the F1 CEO talking about how he expects at the start of the season, some cars will be a lot better than others, due to how they've each interpreted the new rules. I think anyone would agree that this would be as expected, similar to what we saw at the start of the current era, when no-one could touch Mercedes. But then it goes on to a quote from Binotto at Ferrari, who I think sounds quite negative and effectively says that Ferrari's biggest strength is that they can catch up with whoever starts the season ahead.

I am guessing that it is expected of Ferrari to not be at the top right away, he knows this and we know it and everyone else know it as well. Some stuff changed, specially the style of the car but engine is basically similar as far as I know, and they didn't have a great engine to be fair. Plus, Mercedes and Red Bull are known to push the limits of what is legal and what is not, we have seen teams end up doing something that was in the gray area, and then end up getting that thing banned but not retrospectively punished and then the team had to change it, red bull most famously had the wing situation for example, wasn't illegal, made illegal because of the gray area situation.

Binotto basically means exactly those situations, some teams will follow the rules to a dot, and some will try to push it and see if they can get away with it or not.

[Jackl87]

Lewis Hamilton has deleted all his followers on twitter, I read. It also appears that he is considering quitting F1 and making a career switch. Perhaps that man no longer has a challenge. If Hamilton steps, who is going to stop Verstappen from becoming a wealthy champion? There is absolutely no one who can come close to those 2, on any track.

I wouldn't say that. Just because Hamilton had by far the best car in the last 5 or 6 years and therefore won 6 out of 7 possible championships in a row does not mean that he is also the most talented driver out there. The car is just the most important factor. I think that Verstappen has at least as much talent as Hamilton in terms of speed, maybe Hamilton is a little bit more consistent. Also i don't think that we can say that Hamilton and Verstappen have more talent than for example Vettel, Leclerc, Russel, Norris, Ocon, Gasly or Mick Schumacher. We wold need to see them all in the same car for a season then we would know, but that won't happen.

[coinlocket$]

Are Ferrari suggesting that they don't expect to start with a strong car in 2022?

“It may be that at the start to the season there will be difference in competitiveness between the cars, because of the ways in which each team may have interpreted the rules and the solutions they may bring.
Here what I think will be important as Ferrari is being capable of understanding weaknesses and addressing them very quickly. So it's the team reaction that will be key.
We cannot be confident of having a competitive car from the start, because you never know what may happen when you’ve got such a big rule change. But it is about being capable of addressing it as soon as possible.”

Who knows, it is a strategic game until the 1st race, even tests are a "covered up" thing.

This is a great way to remove the pressure, or the truth.

[bestcoins1]

Carlo Pernat: "Quartararo is a leading name, but not the only one. For sure HRC and the manager have spoken, but I understand that Joan Mir is also very interested in Honda. In one of the two they will definitely get there and this will trigger a chain reaction

"If they (Yamaha) manage to keep Quartararo, fine, if not, who will they rely on? There is Morbidelli, but he is recovering from injury. If Fabio leaves Yamaha, riders like Martin or Bastianini could be valuable items in the market"

"Fabio wants a competitive bike, but it's also been said that his salary demands are very high. Maybe it's just a game, but with Honda lurking, I won't be calm"

Source : Tuttomotoriweb
Source : https://www.instagram.com/p/CX8gzN6JhFT/

[tokeweed]

Are Ferrari suggesting that they don't expect to start with a strong car in 2022?

This article begins with the F1 CEO talking about how he expects at the start of the season, some cars will be a lot better than others, due to how they've each interpreted the new rules. I think anyone would agree that this would be as expected, similar to what we saw at the start of the current era, when no-one could touch Mercedes. But then it goes on to a quote from Binotto at Ferrari, who I think sounds quite negative and effectively says that Ferrari's biggest strength is that they can catch up with whoever starts the season ahead.

“It may be that at the start to the season there will be difference in competitiveness between the cars, because of the ways in which each team may have interpreted the rules and the solutions they may bring.
Here what I think will be important as Ferrari is being capable of understanding weaknesses and addressing them very quickly. So it's the team reaction that will be key.
We cannot be confident of having a competitive car from the start, because you never know what may happen when you’ve got such a big rule change. But it is about being capable of addressing it as soon as possible.”

Same old same old...  They’re pretty much saying ‘don’t expect any huge changes from us, we’ll be getting the same result in the constructor’s championship this year as last year.’.  But they gave their fans a little bit of hope by saying it’s about ‘being capable to addressing inadequacies as soon as possible.’ which is true.  But then again he didn’t say if they were such a team.  Lol.  

Until the engine specs change, it’s still gonna be Mercedes then Red Bull.  Open season for the 3rd to 5th spots.  I’m hoping to see huge improvements for Aston Martin and Williams.

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

[PawGo]

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

Yes, it is. 2nd weekend of August.
Not my favourite track, but let’s see….

[Luzin]

It seems not many are discussing here liking Moto GP. Since the season ended not much new news I got from this topic regarding it. Even though the race will start sometime in March I already miss the race. I'm also curious about the performance of Ducati last year, their riders had a good performance. They were in second, fourth and fifth positions at the end of the season.
That indicates that their bike has an almost even development. It's very different with Yamaha, Suzuki and KTM. I think if the development of their bike is good then Ducati might be able to dominate the race next season. Maybe they can also win MotoGP.

[LTU_btc]

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

Yes, it is. 2nd weekend of August.
Not my favourite track, but let’s see….

I wouldn't be so sure about it. Seems that covid won't go away next year and considering how Australia is dealing with it, I wouldn't be surprised if they will cancel GP again.

[jakdanyel]

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

Yes, it is. 2nd weekend of August.
Not my favourite track, but let’s see….

I wouldn't be so sure about it. Seems that covid won't go away next year and considering how Australia is dealing with it, I wouldn't be surprised if they will cancel GP again.

I agree with you. Because coronavirus has started increasing its bad affect over the sports again. And this would cause F1 to be in a big trouble also. On the other hand, there are still a few months for the new season to start. Hopefully, this will be enough time for F1 to get rid of it quickly. It was not very nice to see some races being cancelled in the season we've left behind. I don't want to see the same thing happening again. I hope to see the full schedule staying the same.

[FanEagle]

Same old same old...  They’re pretty much saying ‘don’t expect any huge changes from us, we’ll be getting the same result in the constructor’s championship this year as last year.’.  But they gave their fans a little bit of hope by saying it’s about ‘being capable to addressing inadequacies as soon as possible.’ which is true.  But then again he didn’t say if they were such a team.  Lol.  

Until the engine specs change, it’s still gonna be Mercedes then Red Bull.  Open season for the 3rd to 5th spots.  I’m hoping to see huge improvements for Aston Martin and Williams.

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

I agree with this. There is no scenario where Ferrari could be better than Mercedes or Red Bull during this era, eventually there will be engine changes as well and with these new car setups I am pretty sure that cars will be closer to each other so mistakes from any mercedes or red bull driver may end up causing ferrari drivers to get some more points. However, even with more points, I am pretty sure it will be at max 5th for drivers and third for constructors with these engine differences.

Ferraris only opponent at this moment is Mclaren, and that's going to be the case this year as well. I may see Vettel and Aston Martin to be a bit more decent, that's expected but I doubt Williams could ever be better, they are just not good enough to be any decent, not in the 3-5 range at least, maybe they will be better than what they have been so far, but not too much position change.

[alegotardo]

Same old same old...  They’re pretty much saying ‘don’t expect any huge changes from us, we’ll be getting the same result in the constructor’s championship this year as last year.’.  But they gave their fans a little bit of hope by saying it’s about ‘being capable to addressing inadequacies as soon as possible.’ which is true.  But then again he didn’t say if they were such a team.  Lol.  

Until the engine specs change, it’s still gonna be Mercedes then Red Bull.  Open season for the 3rd to 5th spots.  I’m hoping to see huge improvements for Aston Martin and Williams.

Well, I believe that in such a competitive scenario, for those in the lead, it is always more complicated to seek innovation and try to improve something that is already close to 100% performance without making mistakes, but much easier for those who still have a slower car. and it has room to grow thenologically.
I hope that just as in 2021 we had a change in the classification of drivers, that in 2022 the same happens with manufacturers, because then Mercedes will not start to settle down and stop innovating while it believes that no one will surpass them.

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

Yeap!
After 2 years, the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne will host one of the F1 stages again.

[tokeweed]

Same old same old...  They’re pretty much saying ‘don’t expect any huge changes from us, we’ll be getting the same result in the constructor’s championship this year as last year.’.  But they gave their fans a little bit of hope by saying it’s about ‘being capable to addressing inadequacies as soon as possible.’ which is true.  But then again he didn’t say if they were such a team.  Lol.  

Until the engine specs change, it’s still gonna be Mercedes then Red Bull.  Open season for the 3rd to 5th spots.  I’m hoping to see huge improvements for Aston Martin and Williams.

Btw...  Is Australia back in the GP roster?

I agree with this. There is no scenario where Ferrari could be better than Mercedes or Red Bull during this era, eventually there will be engine changes as well and with these new car setups I am pretty sure that cars will be closer to each other so mistakes from any mercedes or red bull driver may end up causing ferrari drivers to get some more points. However, even with more points, I am pretty sure it will be at max 5th for drivers and third for constructors with these engine differences.

Ferraris only opponent at this moment is Mclaren, and that's going to be the case this year as well. I may see Vettel and Aston Martin to be a bit more decent, that's expected but I doubt Williams could ever be better, they are just not good enough to be any decent, not in the 3-5 range at least, maybe they will be better than what they have been so far, but not too much position change.

Yup.  And with the new specs, it could be that it could make it easier for McLaren and Alpine to chase the third spot in the constructor’s and take it away from Ferrari than for Ferrari to take first or second away from Mercedes or Red Bull...

But yeah I’ve read some stuff saying that with the new specs the air behind the cars are ‘cleaner’ and thus making it easier for the cars behind to over take the cars at front.  So we’ll see...  Ferrari could make it at least close vs Red Bull.  We have just three months to go!  And less than that to see the new cars. 

[bestcoins1]

Marc Marquez progresses adequately with diplopia diagnosis

The Repsol Honda Team rider, who last October was diagnosed with an episode of diplopia after suffering a fall while training for the Portuguese GP, has continued periodic visits to his trusted ophthalmologist to assess the evolution of his vision over the past two months. During these reviews the progress made has been deemed favorable and as a result Marquez will continue with a conservative treatment plan for the next few weeks.

Marc Marquez will continue to undergo periodic reviews with Dr. Sánchez Dalmau during the coming weeks alongside the conservative treatment plan. The situation does not prevent the rider from Cervera from continuing his physical training plan to prepare himself physically for a new season.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXx8DbVptmh/

[Cnut237]

I’ve read some stuff saying that with the new specs the air behind the cars are ‘cleaner’ and thus making it easier for the cars behind to over take the cars at front.  So we’ll see...  Ferrari could make it at least close vs Red Bull.  We have just three months to go!  And less than that to see the new cars. 

The plan I think is that the new cars generate a lot more downforce from ground-effect, through carefully shaped channels on the base. This means that when they get close behind another car, they still keep most of the downforce, whereas a current car relying on barge boards etc loses a lot when right behind another car.

So in theory, yes, cars should be able to follow more closely without losing downforce... which should lead to better, closer racing, and more overtaking.

But yes, you'd still expect to see Mercedes first, followed by Red Bull. I think a lot of the Mercedes problems this year were due to how the changes affected high-rake and low-rake cars differently, which caught them out... so 2021 gave other teams a chance. Next year they could well be ahead again.

[Luzin]

Marc Marquez will continue to undergo periodic reviews with Dr. Sánchez Dalmau during the coming weeks alongside the conservative treatment plan. The situation does not prevent the rider from Cervera from continuing his physical training plan to prepare himself physically for a new season.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CXx8DbVptmh/

Hopefully his health progress will improve. There is a lot of news that he had to retire due to his injury. The 2022 season is still quite long of course Fans hope he can join the start of the race at the beginning of the season.
Of course until now I have not heard the news of Marquez's change so the conclusion is Honda is still waiting for Marquez to recover. Because Hoda knows Marquez still has the potential to win the world championship again.