2020-21 Formula 1 Off-season threadFormula 1 

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Jimlaad43

Jimlaad43

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With the last race of 2020 finally over, we now have a 3-month break before we're back racing in Australia (COVID pending of course). Use this thread to post anything relevant to the new season, or discuss any happenings, rumours or new stories that don't fit in the other relevant Formula 1 threads. This thread is intended to replace the race threads for discussion which doesn't really apply to the last race.
Please use this thread to discuss the new (kinda) car launches and pre-season testing too, just to not fill the Motorsport sub-forum with a million unnecessary threads.

Please direct any relevant points and discussions to these threads if they fit.
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Im happy that McLaren is switching back to Mercedes engines. It should them get more regular podiums i hope.

I hope that the new 2021 Ferrari engine is a big step up. Its been a pretty rough year.
 
SlowGrayAudi
Im happy that McLaren is switching back to Mercedes engines. It should them get more regular podiums i hope.
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That extra pile of cash for scoring third place in the constructor's championship won't hurt either. Nor will the infusion from their new 'Murican shareholders. With the budget McLaren has for 2021, they really have no excuse for doing poorly next year.
 
EngieDiesel
That extra pile of cash for scoring third place in the constructor's championship won't hurt either. Nor will the infusion from their new 'Murican shareholders. With the budget McLaren has for 2021, they really have no excuse for doing poorly next year.
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Very true!

They might actually be able to spend enough to hit their cap lol. We just need them back at the front again. Ric will be a great set of hands, i really like Norris, if the car is quick enough i think he can be a champion in the future.

But they have two great drivers that im sure will be all smiles all season long.
 
EngieDiesel
With the budget McLaren has for 2021, they really have no excuse for doing poorly next year.
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Aside from the fact they have to shoehorn a Mercedes engine in a hole that was made for a Renault engine and all the other various problems that will come with it.
 
McLaren were very consistent this year but it should be acknowledged that they were helped to being the 3rd or 4th most competitive team by Ferrari really dropping the ball. If Ferrari are back up near the sharp end of the grid next year, it'll really show true McLaren's progress.

In general, the 2021 season is such a holding pattern. Everybody's got one eye on 2022, I'm not expecting any great leaps next year.
 
-Fred-
Aside from the fact they have to shoehorn a Mercedes engine in a hole that was made for a Renault engine and all the other various problems that will come with it.
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I would imagine they started working on that problem once the decision to switch engine suppliers was made. It's not like they just announced the switch last Tuesday.
 
EngieDiesel
It's not like they just announced the switch last Tuesday.
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But they are using the same car in 2021 as in 2020. It's a bit of a different situation than the normal new engine supplier drama. I'm sure the MCL35M will be fine if they can get the engine slotted in well enough but 1F is a big word in F1. /MurrayWalker
 
Mclaren were given special dispensation to modify the car outside of the regulations to accommodate for the Mercedes engine as the deal was done prior to the world stopping. There are enough changes elsewhere as well to the cars that I dont really see this being an issue for Mclaren.

They've also already had Mercedes engines in the hybrid era so they aren't going in totally blind.
 
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Hun200kmh
1m36.333, that's faster than Ocon (1.36,359) and Ricciardo (1.36,406) qualifying times ... :eek:
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An extra few days of rubber on the circuit does that. Post-season testing at Abu Dhabi has always been faster than the qualifying times for the GP.
 
Jimlaad43
An extra few days of rubber on the circuit does that. Post-season testing at Abu Dhabi has always been faster than the qualifying times for the GP.
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Not to mention different times of day, evening qualifying versus optimal time of day in testing.
 
Ok, I guess the full results confirm what you guys are saying, the cars were indeed faster this day then they were in quali ...

1st - Alonso Renault - 1:36.333 (best quali time --- 1:36.359)
2nd - de Vries Mercedes - 1:36.595 (best quali time --- 1:35.271)
3rd - Vandorne Mercedes - 1:36.840 (best quali time --- 1:35.271)
4th - Kubica Alfa Romeo - 1:37.446 (best quali time - 1:37.075)
5th - Tsunoda AlphaTauri -1:37.557 (best quali time - 1:35.963)
6th - Vips Red Bull -1:37.770 (best quali time --- 1:35.246)
7th - Fuoco Ferrari 1:37.817 (best quali time --- 1:35.881)
8th - Ilott Alfa Romeo -1:37.826 (best quali time - 1:37.075)
9th - Zhou Renault - 1:37.902 (best quali time - 1:36.359)
10th - Aitken Williams - 1:38.153 (best quali time - 1:38.045)
11th - Schwarzman Ferrari - 1:38.157 (best quali time --- 1:35.881)
12th - Buemi Red Bull - 1:38.284 (best quali time --- 1:35.246)
13th - Sato AlphaTauri - 1:38.495 (best quali time - 1:35.963)
14th - Nissany Williams - 1:39.800 (best quali time - 1:38.045)
15th - Schumacher Haas - 1:39.947 (best quali time - 1:37.863)


This little post allowed me to understand that Aitken is fast ... Aitken was the only guy (apart from Alonso) that managed to do a lap very close to the top qualifier of the car he was using. That top qualifier being Russell
 
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https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-tweaks-tyre-rule-russell-sakhir-disqualification/4928694/

There has been a bunch of changes to the Sporting Regulations next season. The most significant one there, which is hidden quite low, is that maximum race length including Red Flags has been reduced from 4 hours to 3 hours. Seeing as only one red-flagged race has ever stretched far enough over the 3 hour mark to change the result (Canada 2011) this seems to be a simple move to make. Brazil 2016 and Bahrain 2020 were 1 lap over and behind 3 hours respectively.
 
I already can't wait for the car launches, pre season testing and DTS 3 :D

I expect Merc to be dominant again. Abu Dhabi is just an outlier because they have shifted resources to next year's car. Also the new floor changes next year are aimed at reducing downforce at the rear, and we know how tail happy the Red Bull is :scared:

If Ferrari can get their engines back to a respectable level, I think we'll see one of the most competitive grid in years.

-Fred-
Aside from the fact they have to shoehorn a Mercedes engine in a hole that was made for a Renault engine and all the other various problems that will come with it.
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I think this won't be a big of a problem as most people think. The Merc engine is known to be more compact than the Renault unit, so packaging won't be an issue. The mounting points would be different but I imagine it's not too hard to change. Also the last time a team had to switch engines at the last minute, they won both titles on first try (Brawn). Ok, they had the double diffuser, but you get my point.
 
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It's also far from last minute this time, they've known about this change since August 2019. Surely sufficient enough time to plan it out to a decent degree.
 
LeGeNd-1
I already can't wait for the car launches, pre season testing and DTS 3 :D

I expect Merc to be dominant again. Abu Dhabi is just an outlier because they have shifted resources to next year's car. Also the new floor changes next year are aimed at reducing downforce at the rear, and we know how tail happy the Red Bull is :scared:

If Ferrari can get their engines back to a respectable level, I think we'll see one of the most competitive grid in years.



I think this won't be a big of a problem as most people think. The Merc engine is known to be more compact than the Renault unit, so packaging won't be an issue. The mounting points would be different but I imagine it's not too hard to change. Also the last time a team had to switch engines at the last minute, they won both titles on first try (Brawn). Ok, they had the double diffuser, but you get my point.
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They've had time and special dispensation from the FIA/F1 to modify the car accordingly. Definitely won't be any issues here.
 
The revised entry list for the 2021 season has been released, including Perez on the Red Bull entry, but interestingly, Aston Martin F1 dropping BWT from the title sponsor name.

No watermelon car?
 
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MagpieRacer
The revised entry list for the 2021 season has been released, including Perez on the Red Bull entry, but interestingly, Aston Martin F1 dropping BWT from the title sponsor name.

No watermelon car?
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Thanks goodness! I hope they just do a really classy BRG and dont **** it up with pink everywhere.
 
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