Selection box - Each will have their own expectations - A bumper round up for the return of Formula One
Published by Christine
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve gathered together some of the best motorsport links that the web has to offer, so here we go with a bumper edition to fill the gap between Belgium and Italy. We’ll cover the racing action that brought us back from the summer break, some more thoughts on Formula E now the season is finished, and the launch of the F1 2017 game.
Let’s begin with thoughts, reactions, feedback and reviews of the Belgian Grand Prix, starting with two posts about the mess that Force India have on their hands.
First of all, it’s clear that Ocon is fast. He’s also aggressive like a lot of the younger generation coming into F1 are. I put part of that down to the fact that there is more pressure to make an impression these days. To show everyone ‘this is what I can do’ because rotation of drivers happens more and more. Too many drivers, not enough seats etc. In qualifying, he is often within a couple of tenths of Perez which, more often than not, results in them starting very close together. Which has proven an issue.
Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon once again came together during the Belgian Grand Prix, while they were fighting for position on lap twenty-nine of the race. This is their second collision on track in three months, and it’s beginning to from the team’s point of view get a bit out of hand.
It was a really tense contest between Mercedes and Ferrari at Spa and I think it ended up a lot closer than a lot of people expected, including me. This really should have been a Lewis Hamilton/Mercedes slam-dunk, but actually Ferrari seemed to be in much better form than anybody really expected. All of a sudden, especially when we got to Q3, it became quite apparent that it was game on.
Experience one of F1's most legendary circuits as you've never seen it before, onboard and in 360 with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas.
Next up a handful of podcasts covering a variety of subjects including Formula E, the Belgian race, and where drivers get their support from.
So Belgium then, a dominant win for Lewis Hamilton and proof from Ferrari that even on an out and out power circuit, they’re keeping pace with the Silver Arrows, but there was more than what was going on at the front of the race though. We had accusations of attempted murder between the Force India drivers more grid penalties than you can shake a stick at (and probably get a 5 place drop for shaking it in the wrong way) and then we had Fernando Alonso.
In this episode, Sarah and Aleks chat with Hazel Southwell (@adjaruli on twitter) about the recent Formula E season finale, what we liked and didn't like about Formula E's third season, some Indycar at Mid-Ohio, F1 in Hungary, and more!
We’re back! After a couple of week’s break, we’re back with this week’s episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast. Red Bull Racing has publicly supported Sebastian Vettel in his title battle against Lewis Hamilton. Will Mclaren come out in support of Lewis Hamilton too?
A weekend that sees Lewis Hamilton equal Micheal Shumacher's pole position record also sees the Force India drivers come together again, not once, but TWICE! We also look ahead to Monza this weekend, and talk about what we think of the new F1 2017 game from codemasters.
That last episode takes a look at the new F1 game from Codemasters, and there are a few more links on that subject as well.
You can make history as you hone your skills and develop your car over multiple seasons in your Career. Create your driver by selecting from a range of avatars, including female drivers for the first time, helmet design (including community created versions, which are all here for you to check out), race number and then the team you want to begin your career with. You can start in whichever team you like, and each will have their own expectations of you.
As soon as you load up the game for the first time you’re straight into creating your own driver, with lots of pre-set options of appearance, with a good mix of gender and race. Currently I have only run a few time trial laps, a one shot qualifying session and some short races, but what I have done has been so much better than in previous games.
The new F1 2017 game encouraged me further to invest in a wheel and pedals to match the realism of the new game, but there was still something missing – sitting at a table, even if you’re down low at a coffee table just does not work. It’s not right so it was time to look into so-called gaming chairs.
Now, a couple of articles covering other motorsports, as well as recent broadcasting news to keep you informed about what to watch alongside Formula One.
The documentary, billed as Guy Martin’s Pit Stop, will cover the entirety of Martin’s weekend with Williams from preparation at the UK factory beforehand, all the way through to the post-race debrief and the transportation to the next race.
Formula E is good. Great, even - I'm so disgustingly excited for Season 4 testing I literally woke up in the middle of the night to have a think about it, which as a freelance journalist is a rare treat from the usual sweaty panic nocturnal intrusions. So, this goes out to all the haters because I cannot be bothered to keep writing this out in individual tweets. Pin it, everyone.
So recently I started to think about what my favourite motorsport category is. For years it has been F1 but I realised it has changed to BTCC for many reasons. So I asked on twitter for people to message me with their favourite motorsport category and why. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people willing to help a small blogger like myself so thank you everyone who took the time to help me.
There will be much talk about Mercedes’ decision to introduce their final engine specification of the year, just as the FIA tighten the rules regarding oil burning in the combustion chamber, but that is a discussion for a different time. All that can be said is that the silver-and-turquoise team have played a canny hand, which may deliver the crown.
Some drivers have had their contracts renewed already this season but plenty are still waiting in the wings. The next few links take a look at drivers, their performance, and what might be expected of them in future.
Space for drivers in the real top teams of Formula 1 is limited. Always has been, always will be. Sometimes you need just a bit of luck (see Valtteri Bottas) to make it into one of the race winning teams. Unfortunately this means that some top quality drivers never quite make it to the race winning car they are looking for. This has become quite apparent during the course of this season.
He’s 65 points behind his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who by comparison has had only two of his races brought to a premature end through mechanical failures. 2017, it seems, is a bit of a write-off for Max Verstappen. He would have never have thought that in his second year at the Red Bull senior team he would’ve only achieved one podium at the end of the European leg of the season.
Finishing on the podium for the first time is a big milestone for any Formula 1 driver, but occasionally, it takes several years for them to return to the top three. Chances are, if an F1 driver scores their first podium, a second isn’t too far away. But, that’s not the case for everyone, as this list proves…
And finally, a mix of technology and strategy links to round out our collection for this week.
Sauber's senior strategy engineer Ruth Buscombe discusses her role on an F1 race weekend...
For several years teams have been pouring millions of pounds into developing ever more sophisticated rigs and analytic software which allow their drivers to `feel’ as accurately as possible how the car will handle at the next race and for the engineers to get the best settings for the suspension, aerodynamics, engine and gearbox.
Sam Collins joins Jennie Gow to explain how Mercedes may be pushing F1's oil-burning regulations to the limit.
