The 2019 Formula One Thread

[harrybarracuda]

While we wait for the new cars to roll out, here's a look at next year's calendar and rule changes:

Next year’s 21-race Formula 1 calendar, along with a handful of 2019 rule changes, have been signed off by F1’s governing body, the FIA, following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) on Friday.


For the third time in history, the world championship will be contested over a record 21 Grands Prix, equalling the total held in 2016 and 2018. Eleven of the 21 will take place in Europe, five in Asia, four in the Americas and one in Australia.

The 2019 season will begin on March 17th in Australia and finish on December 1 in Abu Dhabi. In between those – in China on April 14th – Formula 1 will celebrate the 1000th Grand Prix since its inception in 1950.

Date	Grand Prix	Venue
17th March	Australia	Melbourne
31st March	Bahrain	Sakhir
14th April	China	Shanghai
28th April	Azerbaijan	Baku
12th May	Spain	Barcelona
26th May	Monaco	Monaco
9th June	Canada	Montreal
23rd June	France	Le Castellet
30th June	Austria	Spielberg
14th July	Great Britain	Silverstone
28th July	Germany	Hockenheim
4th August	Hungary	Budapest
1st September	Belgium	Spa
8th September	Italy	Monza
22nd September	Singapore	Singapore
29th September	Russia	Sochi
13th October	Japan	Suzuka
27th October	Mexico	Mexico City
3rd November	USA	Austin*
17th November	Brazil	Sao Paulo
1st December	Abu Dhabi	Yas Marina

* Subject to ASN approval
New rules for ’19 and beyond

The WMSC also approved a number of changes to the 2019 F1 Sporting Regulations including:

• Changes to the Safety Car regulations to ensure there is a consistent point at which drivers may overtake when the Safety Car returns to the pits. This will now be the same in all three types of restart.
  
  
  
• The teams will now be responsible for initial scrutineering of their cars. Before the cars go on track for the first time, teams must declare conformity with all safety related matters.
  
  
  
• The official end-of-race signal will now be a chequered light panel, although the chequered flag will still be shown.
  
  

For 2020, the team personnel curfew – the amount of time for which all team personnel must be away from the track overnight – will increase from eight to nine hours.


And Formula 1 Strategy Group and Commission proposals concerning the 2019 Technical Regulations were agreed, including:

• Changes to the mirror regulations and also associated rear wing changes (height) for rear view visibility and safety.
  
  
  
• The on-board camera regulations will be modified to improve the TV spectacle.
  
  
  
• Rear endplate lights are to be added for safety.
  
  
  
• Minor modifications to the halo fairing are to be made for safety reasons during a potential driver extraction.
  
  

Full details will be made available on FIA.com

Finally, a report on the security procedures to be put in place for the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix was presented to the Council, following meetings between the FIA, Formula 1 and the local authorities.

[harrybarracuda]

F1 entrance fees for 2019 revealed

Today, 10:58 , by Matthew Scott


Formula 1 teams are required to pay a sum of money before the start of the season, based on their performance the previous year. The entrance fee for Mercedes has increased this year, even though they had fewer points than in 2017. How is that possible?

On top of a base fee of $546,133, the Silver Arrows will pay $6,553 per point, taking their total to $4,838,348 for 2019, having amassed 655 points in 2018.

Mercedes scored more points in 2017 (668), but paid just $4.6m to enter F1 in 2018. The increase in the amount comes from the fact that the contribution is linked to the US consumer price index.


The remaining nine teams pay $5,450 per point.

Racing Point enjoy a slight advantage as a result of last year's takeover. Since, the points obtained by the previous Force India entity were cancelled, the entrance fee for Racing Point is a lot lower compared to last year.

Formula 1 entrance fees - 2019 vs. 2018 figures in millions of dollars.

Mercedes: 4.84 / 4.65
Ferrari: 3.66 / 3.21
Red Bull: 2.83 / 2.42
Renault: 1.21 / 0.81
Hare: 1.05 / 0.76
McLaren: 0, 88 / 0.67
Racing Point: 0.83 / 1.48
Sauber: 0.81 / 0.54
Toro Rosso: 0.73 / 0.79
Williams: 0.58 / 0.94

https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/3...2019-revealed/

[harrybarracuda]

2019 F1 rule changes: What’s new and why?

Lewis Larkam
21 Jan 2019


Crash.net looks into the changes being introduced for the upcoming 2019 F1 season and explains why they have been implemented.


F1: 2019 F1 rule changes: What’s new and why?


The 2019 Formula 1 season will welcome a series of new regulation tweaks, creating a revised look to the cars as part of a wider push to improve the show.


Aerodynamic regulations aimed at encouraging closer racing and providing more overtaking opportunities for drivers have been introduced for the upcoming campaign.


The aimed result is for short-term gains prior to greater changes planned for the next major cycle which is scheduled for 2021 - when F1’s rule makers and teams aim to force through more radical overhauls.


Why are the changes happening now?


It is hoped that the introduction of simplified aerodynamic components will benefit the show by reducing turbulent air currently left behind cars.


Cutting the amount of ‘dirty air’ produced by cars should enable drivers to follow the car ahead easier and subsequently help open up more overtaking opportunities.


The move follows concerns from drivers over the negative effects turbulence is having on the aerodynamic performance of their cars when running behind a rival, including damaging their tyres, which results in a lack of grip, and overheating brakes.


Often F1 drivers have been forced to drop further behind rivals to cool brakes or conserve tyres which has magnified the impact on racing.


F1 sporting chief Ross Brawn has a positive forecast for the changes following data simulations carried out over the winter, while former Williams technical boss Pat Symonds, who is working as part of Brawn’s team, has warned against “transformational” changes but is certain that without the changes the quality of wheel-to-wheel racing would have suffered further decline.


What exactly will be different?


Front wings will be 200mm wider, 20mm higher, and appear more simplistic in their design compared to 2018, doing away with complicated endplates that have been littered by a plethora of various aerodynamic appendages seen in recent years in the constant search for added performance and speed.


There are changes towards the back too, with deeper rear wings becoming 20mm higher and 100mm wider to help create a bigger hole in the air and theoretically, at least, result in a more powerful slipstream. In an added boost to increase passing opportunities, a wider DRS flap opening will feature on the rear wing, increasing its power by around 25 percent.


Two rear lights will also be added to the rear wing endplates of every car in a bid to increase visibility in wet weather conditions. It will be a mandatory requirement for these LED lights to be on at all times when a driver is running on either intermediate or full wets.


F1 cars of 2019 will have smaller and less complex bargeboards to make them less disruptive to the airflow, which should allow the car behind to get closer without losing as much downforce and performance as in previous years. The bargeboards will be reduced in height by 150mm and brought forward by 100mm. New brake duct designs will also be restricted and made simpler.


Has anything else has changed?


New tyre coding system: Pirelli has introduced a new coding system for its tyres in 2019 in a bid to make its compound choices easier to understand, with Hard, Medium and Soft tyres being defined at each race by a lettering system ranging from C1 to C5, with the latter representing the softest option. Just three colours - white (Hard), yellow (Medium) and red (Soft) - will be used throughout the 2019 F1 season.


Increased fuel: Cars will be allowed to carry 110kg of fuel onboard, representing a 5kg increase compared to last year. The aim of this rule change is to allow drivers to push their engines harder for longer, negating the need for excessive fuel saving over the course of a grand prix distance - something which proved to be concern highlighted by many drivers on the grid last season.


Furthermore, driver weights will now be classified separately from their car, rather than as a combined figure, which was 734kg in 2018. For 2019, the new minimum weight figure will be set at 80kg. If a driver’s weight is less than 80kg, teams will need to use additional ballast in order to bring them up to the required weight. Such a move is expected to help taller and heavier drivers like Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, and remove any previous disadvantage.


Stronger helmets: The FIA has introduced new helmet requirements for 2019 following a period of study and research to improve safety standards. All helmets, which will be supplied by either Stilo, Bell Racing, Schuberth or Arai, must meet the new FIA 8860-2018 standard. The top of the visor opening has been lowered by 10mm to create advanced ballistic protection that achieves “unprecedented” levels of safety in the case of debris strikes, while the helmet shell construction will use advanced composite materials to ensure it is tough enough to resist crushing and penetration.


https://www.crash.net/f1/feature/912130/1/2019-f1-rule-changes-what-s-new-and-why

[VocalNeal]

I will be interested to see how Ricardo does at Renault and how the new lad at Williams gets on.

[harrybarracuda]

I will be interested to see how Ricardo does at Renault and how the new lad at Williams gets on.

Not interested in the new guy at Ferrari then?

[VocalNeal]

Well he's not new really. As he raced last year. He and Russel have a similar background.

I'm torn. I'm a Fiat, Alfa, Abarth guy which would mean me rooting for Ferrari but for F1 I'm a Renault guy so ....

[harrybarracuda]

Sauber will be rebranded as Alfa Romeo Racing from the start of the 2019 season.


Alfa Romeo was last on the Formula 1 grid as a constructor in 1985 but returned to the sport last season as Sauber's title sponsor.

The Swiss team say the ownership and management structure remains unchanged but the Sauber name will disappear.

Sauber has been a fixture in F1 since in 1993, when team boss Peter Sauber made the switch from sports car racing.

Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 world champion, and Antonio Giovinazzi will race for the rebranded outfit, which finished eighth in the constructors' championship last season and will again be powered by Ferrari engines in 2019.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said: "After initiating the collaboration with our title sponsor Alfa Romeo in 2018, our team made fantastic progress on the technical, commercial and sporting side. This has given a boost of motivation to each team member.

"We aim to continue developing every sector of our team while allowing our passion for racing, technology and design to drive us forward."

The Italian car manufacturer dominated the early years of F1, with Giuseppe Farina winning the inaugural world title driving an Alfa in 1950, before Juan Manuel Fangio claimed the first of his five titles racing for the team a year later.

Alfa will roll out their 2019 car on the first morning of pre-season testing, which gets under way in Barcelona on 18 February.
Analysis

Chief F1 writer - Andrew Benson

The renaming of the Sauber team as Alfa Romeo may on the one hand be a rebranding exercise for marketing purposes, but it is also a seminal moment in Formula 1 history.

It marks the first time an F1 team will be solely named after the iconic Italian manufacturer since 1985 - and the first time the Sauber name will not be on the grid since 1993.

Both entities have carved a unique place in motorsport history.

Alfa Romeo were a major force in grand prix racing between the wars, spawned Ferrari and won the very first F1 world championship in 1950, even if their history in the sport has been somewhat less illustrious after they faded away in the mid-1950s.

Sauber, for their part, first entered F1 as a proxy for Mercedes, with whom they had previously had a successful period in endurance racing.
After Mercedes joined McLaren in 1995, Sauber went it alone, before joining forces with BMW from 2006-9, and then becoming independent again. They had just weathered a difficult financial period before heading back up the grid in 2018 after the Fiat Group made investment in the team following the decision for the cars to carry the name of its Alfa Romeo brand.

Those links have just become stronger still, and they suggest the now-renamed Alfa Romeo team could continue the upward progress seen last year most obviously in the starring performances of Charles Leclerc, who is now at Ferrari.

Politically, it is also an important move. It further enhances the team's status as a Ferrari B team - already evidenced by Leclerc's promotion and the presence of Italian Antonio Giovinazzi in the car this year alongside ex-Ferrari veteran Kimi Raikkonen.

In addition to Ferrari's strong relationship with Haas, that increases the company's strength as negotiations over the sport's future beyond 2020 enter a critical phase this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47089294

[harrybarracuda]

The new Williams was announced last week:



And McLaren launch theirs today:

https://www.mclaren.com/formula1/

[harrybarracuda]

The McLaren MCL34....

[harrybarracuda]

The Ferrari SF90....



And the car it's going to finish behind, the Mercedes W10.



And I'm hoping to fuck this is a joke by Red Bull....

[VocalNeal]

[harrybarracuda]

That'll look nice parked in the gravel.

[harrybarracuda]

So it's so close you can smell the rubber.

Melbourne Qualifying on Saturday at 13:00 Thailand.

Race on Sunday at 12:10 Thailand.

Just in case I fucked that up, check your local listings.

[Switch]

So it's so close you can smell the rubber.

Melbourne Qualifying on Saturday at 13:00 Thailand.

Race on Sunday at 12:10 Thailand.

Just in case I fucked that up, check your local listings.

Melbourne is 4 hours ahead of Bangkok, so that’s a 5.10pm kick off watching in Thailand.

[harrybarracuda]

Melbourne is 4 hours ahead of Bangkok, so that’s a 5.10pm kick off watching in Thailand.

Those are Thailand times. Which is why I said "13:00 Thailand" and "12:10 Thailand".

What did you think I meant FFS?

[harrybarracuda]

Sad news from Melbourne.

Charlie Whiting dies, aged 66




Long-time serving Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting has died, on the eve of the start of the 2019 F1 season.


The FIA confirmed that Whiting suffered a pulmonary embolism while in Melbourne, which hosts the opening round of the season.

Whiting has acted as F1's race director since 1997, having joined the FIA in 1988. Prior to his role within the governing organisation, Whiting worked at the Brabham and Hesketh Formula 1 teams.

“It is with immense sadness that I learned of Charlie’s sudden passing," said FIA president Jean Todt.

“I have known Charlie Whiting for many years and he has been a great race director, a central and inimitable figure in Formula One who embodied the ethics and spirit of this fantastic sport.

“Formula 1 has lost a faithful friend and a charismatic ambassador in Charlie. All my thoughts, those of the FIA and entire motor sport community go out to his family, friends, and all Formula One lovers.”

F1's managing director Ross Brawn added: “I have known Charlie for all of my racing life. We worked as mechanics together, became friends and spent so much time together at race tracks across the world.

“I was filled with immense sadness when I heard the tragic news. I’m devastated. It is a great loss not only for me personally but also the entire Formula 1 family, the FIA and motorsport as a whole. All our thoughts go out to his family.”

https://www.gptoday.net/en/news/f1/2...g-dies-aged-66

[harrybarracuda]

I hope for Ferrari's sake that there are games being played, because they're two seconds behind the Mercedes and we know Mercedes don't show their cards until Q3.

[harrybarracuda]

Mercedes still doing the business.

Gasly is outperforming the Ferraris, and Vettel is outperforming his teammate.

[harrybarracuda]

The failed Indian F1 driver thinks both Red Bull and Ferrari are keeping something in the tank. Obviously never heard of "party mode".

Meanwhile LeClerc spins his my little pony on the kerb.

[bsnub]

Qualifying in 1 and a half hours. Looks like Merc is fastest again this year. So much for practice in Spain. It could well be a short viewing season for me.

[harrybarracuda]

Quali in five minutes.

[harrybarracuda]

By the way, anyone looking for streams should note that BeIn have apparently not got the rights this year.

Look for MBC Action but don't expect English commentary.

Thankfully my Sky feed is working perfectly.

[harrybarracuda]

I keep hearing Brundle with his "The Ferrari is planted and the Mercedes looks lively". Does he think Vettel is trying to race or not spill his camomile tea?

[knowsitlike]

The Merc looks like a beast!

[harrybarracuda]

Wow @ LeClerc's lap. But is that party mode coming out early?