The Official 2012 F1 Thread. Spoilers possible!

I get bored when they stack up like that. With Webber's tires going off, he's just a road block but it often equals a win in Monaco.

It's hard to appreciate how fast cars are going, when you watch them on TV.

This may be 205 for some of you, for it's new to me. Sports cars vs F1 at Spa. Stunning difference.


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Wow! Those cars on the left AREN"T SLOW! :huh

what a shit race...
anyway.. Montreal soon.

Red Bull's controversial floor slot:



similar slot on Sauber:



Ferrari

Why not go for the "you X amount of energy. Use it any way you see fit."

Electric, diesel, gas, turbine, hovercraft full of eels, etc...

You'll see some interesting things pop up. But of course Ferrari will never go for it.

What are the bumps ahead of the slots on the Ferrari and the Red Bull?

Sauber has it too.... not sure. They look like they vent into the low pressure area...

Along similar lines

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The video illustrations of F1 speed are very cool, thanks.

Yep, snoozer of a race, star factor is the only reason this race is still on the calendar.

As far as engines go, we have to remember that these guys need years to develop an engine. You can't design, build, test a fast & reliable motor in a few months time. So if they believe they are moving to a different platform in 2013, they've likely been designing/testing that platform for over a year now. If the FIA keep pushing back the engine change, than all those hours are wasted and next thing you know 50M euro goes down the drain.

What happened the the 4 cylinder plans? Last thing I want is for F1 to sound as exciting as IRL with turbo V6's. They sound like muffled farts.

Yes, I've seen a few of those on youtube. Usually they time it so the F1 car pips them at the line. Your video nicely shows the difference in braking zones for the three cars. The saloon was braking forever, the F1 car scarcely any time at all.

I know we've all seen this one before. But it came up in a Reddit discussion yesterday. It shows that for an F1 car to operate at all, it has to be above certain minimum thresholds of speed, especially in corners. If you're going too slow, the aero doesn't grab and neither do the brakes or tires.

The guy doing the driving has a bit of experience. The fact that he's embarrassed -- frightened, actually -- by the car says a lot. There go my fantasies! (Sorry about the :30-second ad.)


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I think Ferrari threatened to quit if F1 adopted a 4 cylinder engine. They said it would hurt their brand, as it would have absolutely no relevance to the cars they sell.

This sounds like "muffled farts?"

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- Mark

To be fair, Clem has really, really bad gas. He sets a high bar on muffled farts.

I'm wondering if it is there to create better laminar characteristics when the airflow gets to the slots. The bump draws down air pressure behind it. Airflow therefore tends to hug the surface with more "conviction." When you introduce a scoop such as the slot, the bump ensures that the airflow is eager to go down the scoop, and not around it.

that was easily ever bit as boring as Monaco...notwithstanding the last lap crash

Ummm... wow.

This year's Indy 500 was a fantastic race. One of the very best I've ever seen.

I watched exactly as much of it as that clip contained. I am sure it has its moments, but watching cars go in circles isn't my idea of an exciting sport. Horses for courses I guess.

PS did they constantly mention that Dario was DiResta's cousin? probably not....

Ah, OK. Coming here from Europe, I was skeptical about oval racing. No longer. I think it's great. And the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is just a fantastic track and venue. Tastes differ, I know.

You should meet my vegan best friend.