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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    The 2017 Formula One Thread

    Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2017 season

    By Andrew Benson
    Chief F1 writer




    The move, expected since December, also sees Brazilian Felipe Massa come out of retirement to replace the 27-year-old Finn at Williams.

    Bottas has signed a one-year deal with the option for more, while Rosberg moves into an ambassadorial role.

    Mercedes' young driver Pascal Wehrlein, passed over in favour of Bottas, joins the Swiss Sauber team.

    Rosberg's shock retirement, announced just five days after he wrapped up his maiden world title, was a "challenging situation for the team to handle", according to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

    "Sometimes in life, unexpected circumstances provide interesting opportunities," he added. "Nico's decision in December was a big surprise.

    "But weathering the storm makes you more resilient and we see this as another opportunity for the team to grow.

    "I think Valtteri fits very well in our team, as a driver he's very fast, and he has also the heart in the right place.

    "He shares our values and passion, and he's modest and humble and he's hard working."

    For Bottas, the move is the opportunity of a lifetime. He has been in F1 for four seasons and has shown well at Williams alongside first Pastor Maldonado and then Massa.

    Bottas becomes just the fourth driver to compete for Mercedes in F1 since their return to the sport in 2010, following Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher

    "It's very exciting times for me," said Bottas, whose best F1 results so far are two second places, at the British and German grands prix in 2014.

    "I think it's going to take a while to understand that this is really happening.

    "It's definitely another dream come true, to race in another team with such great history - especially in the recent years, which have been so impressive.

    "I think with Lewis we are going to be a strong pair together. I really respect him as a driver and a person.

    "I'm sure we are going to be close, and we're going to be both pushing each forward. I'm sure we can work as a team."

    Wolff has said he will end his ties with the personal management of Bottas' career now the driver is under his employment.

    Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2017 season - BBC Sport

  2. #2
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    the vapid pizza will be pissed off that you started this thread before he could

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    I'm still a Renault man. Must be something about feeling not thinking.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by baldrick View Post
    the vapid pizza will be pissed off that you started this thread before he could
    Fuck him.

  5. #5
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    Felipe Massa come out of retirement
    2 month retirement.

  6. #6
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone might be about to step down. London's Sky News is reporting that an announcement could come "within days" as new owners Liberty Media look to make their mark on the series.

    The FIA and Liberty Media shareholders approved the sale of F1 to Liberty Media this week. As part of the sale that was confirmed on Wednesday, it was originally believed that Liberty Media wanted to keep Ecclestone on as the chief executive of Formula 1, allowing the new owners to use the 86 year-old’s intense knowledge of the sport.

    According to reports, the short-term plan appears to have changed with Ecclestone receiving an offer to take a more hands-off role as a "life president," meaning he would end his reign as series boss.

    The move to remove Ecclestone is just one part of the Liberty Media Group’s plan to re-energize Formula 1. Among other things, the new owners want to allow teams to purchase shares in the sport, to increase the number of Grands Prix in a season -- currently 21 -- and to turn each Grand Prix into a Super Bowl-style event to attract new sponsors.

    By Sam Hall



    Read more: Report: F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone ready to step down

  7. #7
    Days Work Done! Norton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    turn each Grand Prix into a Super Bowl-style event to attract new sponsors.
    Must recoup investment but sure as hell won't improve F1. 3 things that would are:

    Redistribution of prize money so poorer teams can compete with the rich ones.
    Dump the stupid practice of designing tires to quickly wear out.
    Dump the 100kg fuel limit.

    Probably more but those 3 will get more teams competetive and increase overtaking.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Norton View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    turn each Grand Prix into a Super Bowl-style event to attract new sponsors.
    Must recoup investment but sure as hell won't improve F1. 3 things that would are:

    Redistribution of prize money so poorer teams can compete with the rich ones.
    Dump the stupid practice of designing tires to quickly wear out.
    Dump the 100kg fuel limit.

    Probably more but those 3 will get more teams competetive and increase overtaking.
    Putting on tyres that last the whole race will basically hand the whole fucking thing to Mercedes every race at the moment.

    The fuel limit is their attempt at being "green".

  9. #9
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Formula One Chief Executive Officer Bernie Ecclestone is stepping aside, marking an end to his decades-long reign over the international auto racing series.

    Ecclestone, 86, will become chairman emeritus and will be replaced as CEO by former 21st Century Fox Inc. executive Chase Carey. The leadership change was announced Monday as John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp. completed the $4.4 billion acquisition of Formula One from private equity firm CVC Capital Partners Ltd.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...an-chase-carey

  10. #10
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    Sad Bernie's daughter Tamara didn't get the F1 gig. She has definitely got a classy chassis for a young Mom.

    Take a look at Ecclestone's net worth...and Tamara's towering Mum was paying Bernie alimony. Wow!

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    yeah because having fake tits definitely qualifies you for running a multibillion dollar company.

    Fuck it, I suppose it Trump can be POTUS....

  12. #12
    Thailand Expat VocalNeal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    Putting on tyres that last the whole race will basically hand the whole fucking thing to Mercedes every race at the moment.
    Assuming that the other teams haven't "caught up' now the stupid token system is gone and they can , if they want to, have five new engines per year. Instead of being hobbled like they were before.

  13. #13
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VocalNeal View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
    Putting on tyres that last the whole race will basically hand the whole fucking thing to Mercedes every race at the moment.
    Assuming that the other teams haven't "caught up' now the stupid token system is gone and they can , if they want to, have five new engines per year. Instead of being hobbled like they were before.
    Well it was Hamilton that suffered more than most, and it was brought in to keep the costs down for smaller teams.

  14. #14
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    F1 season starts this week in Melbourne . The changes that have been made will make things more exciting than previous years . Lap times will be smashed . Weather is unsettled this week and if it rains on race day it could make things interesting as standing re starts are back .

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    What’s new in F1 for the 2017 season
    Adam Cooper @adamcooperF1
    Mar 20, 2017 at 9:57a ET

    So what’s new in F1 in 2017? First, the entry list. Unfortunately, we are down to 20 cars once more, following the demise of Manor Racing team, which means we no longer have that extra battle at the back of the field to avoid the dreaded 11th place and resulting lack of income.

    Rookie drivers

    There are only two new drivers in this year’s field, Lance Stroll at Williams and Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren, although the latter made his debut in Bahrain last year. In addition, five drivers have changed teams, namely Valtteri Bottas (Williams to Mercedes), Nico Hulkenberg (Force India to Renault), Kevin Magnussen (Renault to Haas), Esteban Ocon (Manor to Force India) and Pascal Wehrlein (Manor to Sauber). Drivers who were on last year’s entry list and are no longer present are Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, Esteban Gutierrez, and Felipe Nasr.

    Changes in team management

    There have been many changes of key personnel, with the biggest being Paddy Lowe’s move from Mercedes to Williams, and James Allison’s arrival at Mercedes following a spell on gardening leave after he left Ferrari last year. Top aerodynamicists on the move include Allison’s former colleague Dirk de Beer (Ferrari to Williams) and Pete Machin (Red Bull to Renault, starting in July). Renault has also hired former RBR/McLaren man Ciaron Pilbeam as chief race engineer.

    Frederic Vasseur, who served as Renault team principal last year, has left the team, and Renault Sport boss Cyril Abiteboul will in effect fill the role. Pat Symonds, who was the technical boss at Williams, is now working for the UK’s Sky TV.

    The calendar

    The only change to the calendar compared to 2016 is that we have dropped from 21 to 20 races as there is no German GP.

    The cars

    So what about the cars? In preparing for the 2017 season F1 teams faced the challenge of dealing with one of the biggest packages of chassis rule changes seen for several years.

    The general idea was to make the cars faster and physically more challenging for the drivers, with a significant improvement in lap time, while at the same time make them look more aggressive and exciting.

    The most obvious change is in the size of the tires, and hence the overall width of the cars. Almost two decades after the sport switched to narrow track cars it has returned to a familiar look from the past with front tires that are 70mm wider than last year’s, and rears that have increased by 80mm.

    The tyres

    After an extensive test program with modified 2015 cars last year Pirelli developed new compounds and constructions to cope with the higher speeds and higher loads which will be seen in 2017, and which will only increase over the season due to the pace of aero development.

    The tyre usage rules have remained unchanged, although for the first five races the FIA has mandated that all drivers have the same selection at each event, namely two sets of the hardest tyre, four of the medium, and seven of the softest. For the sixth race in Monaco and beyond the teams will make their own choices, as last year.

    Technical changes

    Downforce levels have increased substantially, helped by longer and higher rear diffusers. Front and rear wings have a swept back look, intended to make the cars look more aggressive, while the rear is lower and wider. Teams have also been given more freedom for developing aerodynamic parts in the bargeboard area, while the floor is also wider.

    Some cars appeared in Barcelona testing with extra “T-wings” located between the airbox and the rear wing, in an area that is free for aerodynamic development, while vertical shark fins on top of the engine cover have also become standard as part of the overall package – despite many observers agreeing that they spoil the overall look of the new cars.

    No more token system

    In a major change to the power unit regulations the token system, used to regulate development, has been dropped. Instead the manufacturers have the freedom to develop their power units throughout the season – although they can only introduce new parts within the normal schedule of changes of the six elements that comprise the power unit. This year only four examples of each of the elements can be used before penalties are applied, rather than five, as was the case last year.

    In the past we have seen drivers stockpiling power unit elements by making multiple changes in one weekend, while knowing that the most severe penalty would be to start last. That has now been stopped, with the regulations stating: “During any single Event, if a driver introduces more than one of the same power unit element which is subject to penalties, only the last element fitted may be used at subsequent Events without further penalty.”

    Wet-weather race starts

    Races that start behind safety cars due to wet conditions will now be very different, because from this year when the track is deemed to be safe for racing the field will stop on the grid and conduct a normal standing start, instead of just being released when the safety car comes in. The formation laps run behind the safety car won’t count as racing laps – apart from one, they will be deducted from the race distance. Thus if the race is supposed to be 70 laps and five are run behind the safety car before the standing start, the race distance subsequently run will be 70 minus five plus one, i.e. 66.

    Racing incidents

    The stewards have been given more discretion when dealing with incidents this year, with the Sporting Regulations stating that “unless it is clear to the stewards that a driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for an Incident no penalty will be imposed.”

    If a driver receives a penalty during a race, but cannot take it because before he retires from the race, it can be carried over to the next race in the form of a grid penalty. This applies to time penalties, drive through penalties, and stop-and-go penalties

    Management

    Finally, there has of course been a major change in the way the sport is run after Liberty Media purchased the F1 Group. Chase Carey has replaced Bernie Ecclestone as CEO, with the latter getting the vague Chairman Emeritus title, although he insists that he will still come to races. Former team principal Ross Brawn has returned to F1 as Managing Director Motorsports, working alongside Carey, and his focus will be on changes for the longer term.

    What's new in F1 for the 2017 season | FOX Sports

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Race time at this link, change the time zone for where you are.

    *** LJs LiveOnSat Football / Soccer Schedules on TV

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Qualification starts in about minutes.

    Hammy half a second faster than anyone else in practice, so he'll be expecting pole I would imagine.

    Bottas in there with the Ferraris and Red Bulls, so it will be interesting to see how he does.

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Well Well after Q2 Bottas has his nose in front of Hammy with the rest a couple of tenths behind.

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Bit of a rush to get laps in before the rain arrives.

    P1 Hammy
    P2 Vettel
    P3 Bottas

    Red flags galore because Ricciardo parked his car in the barriers.

    There is time for more laps but if it rains that would be pointless.

  20. #20
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    Very pleased to see Romain Grosjean in P6 for Team Haas! Excellent results for the sophomore team.

  21. #21
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    Almost race time. I hope Vettel gets the jump on Hamilton.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    About ten minutes to go.

    First corner should be interesting with these wider front wings and unpredictable downforce.

  23. #23
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Well that's a good start isn't it?

    Looks like the Hulk buggered up.


  24. #24
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Good start. Now I have to go to work.

    Meh.

  25. #25
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    Nice drive by Vettel. Ferrari is back!

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