2017 Chinese GP @ Shanghai

[xxxxxxx]

I wasn't the only one who heard the Merc pit wall give instruction to "Nico," right?

That's what I heard... Sucks for Bottas. Hope he comes back angry in Bahrain.

[RRocket]

What an exciting race. I've subscribed to the fact that F1 is like soccer. A whole lot of boring ball movement and then 3-4 moments of huge excitement and then its over. I am ok with that, because the passes yesterday were insane. Max, besides being a crybaby on the last few laps had a masterful drive AGAIN. That Vettel on Riccardo pass was nuts.

[Blanchimont]

I loved the race - good to see that in spite of DRS the drivers have to ACTUALLY earn their overtakes and not just press a button and vanish away! you could literally see drivers sizing up lap by lap the car ahead and planning the dive right at the very end - in previous years it would be press button + eat bacon!

[Stuttgart951]

That Vettel on Riccardo pass was nuts.

Aye. Vettel killed it.

Two questions afterward:

1. Why didn't they ask Kimi to yield five laps earlier? Vettel was clearly quicker.

2. Why did they leave him out there for so long on tires that were shot?

[RidgeBack]

Really enjoyed the race. Especially the fact that DRS isn't insta-overtake anymore (But I'm sure they'll fix that (I hope not)). I like that DRS allows them to use more of a slip stream but that they still have to battle for a pass. Having said that it's going to be a nightmare for 2 leaders if their tires are gone and they need to lap a mid-fielder who's on fresh tires. They are going to get stuck behind them perhaps allowing 2nd to gain on 1st position etc. because the guy just cannot pass.

On the same topic: the FIA shot the pooch with the new regulations. The low rear wing (in conjunction with the highly complex front wings) are making it really difficult to drive behind another car. The weather was great because it showed the vortices coming off the rear of the cars (especially the RBR).

The Ferrari strategy team need to run more simulations. Their calls leave them looking like numpties and give a lot of points to other teams.

Another thing I loved from this race: the tires don't last especially long - they do degrade - but you can run 2 sets of SS from start to end of GP It's a bit much but it's good.

Also, Track Position is more important than ever - with all of the above.

[auaq]

That Vettel-Ricciardo move reminded me of Mansell-Senna wheel to wheel action back in the early 90's at the Spanish GP.

[BoldUlysses]

^Or Villeneuve-Arnoux at the French GP '79:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeLK9UftveA

[auaq]

^

- - - Updated - - -

Yep, that too.

[auaq]

Don't think anybody has brought this up yet, but I just realized that the fastest lap time of 2017 is 1:35.423 to 2016's 1:39.824. That's about 4.401 seconds faster than last year.

[MagneZium]

I think the biggest positive is that they can push with the tires, they aren't extremely fragile anymore. That's a great thing: it allows them to attack and really drive, challenge and battle. Could be even better (we saw how much Vettel and especially Räikkönen suffered from being behind the Red Bulls for so long), but this is already a huge improvement.

[MagneZium]

I can't believe Giovinazzi kept banging in gears after he had lost rear grip!!?? Surely they don't have any kind of automatic upshift, it was him clicking them in, right? That's insane, how can any racer not know what a bad idea that is? It makes no sense that when you've already broken traction, with a torque monster turbo engine, that you keep putting in higher gears meaning even more revolutions in the tires (even in a straight line)??!!! 8-year old kids that have done one single ice race know that it'll kick the rear out like no tomorrow, and multiple times more violently than in a low gear.

[auaq]

He actually lost gears before the crash? So, he was having gearbox issues?

[badmonkey]

I think Magnezium is saying Giovinazzi was up shifting after losing traction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[auaq]

[MagneZium]

Yup, no gearbox issues but driver issues. Though I was a bit wrong: he did shift from 3rd to 4th in that situation, but apparently during an instant when the rear wheels were not spinning. But he did still stomp on the gas right after he shifted to 4th and then while the rears are spinning shifted into 5th...

Try that in a road car (on ice, not in traffic, with nothing to hit): drive at a pace where your revs are pretty high in 2nd and stomp on the gas so the rear wheels break traction, then try the same after shifting into 3rd and 4th... If you don't see any effect then let your wheels spin for a while in 3rd or 4th, the rear will step out eventually -you'll notice!! In 2nd gear the rear's stepping out will be much more benign. Then try the same in an immensely powerful turbocharged car, stomping on the gas from low revs...

Being in a higher gear, using torque, will give you better acceleration (or will spin your tires less easily), but then if you do break traction it's much worse.

- - - Updated - - -

Lol at Bottas (@5:30 in that youtube video) derping twice!!! Not looking good...

And Verstappen at 5:48!!! WOW!! (Though he was fortunate enough that the conditions allowed recovery at maximum lock, still good for him and his quick reactions!!)

As for Perez at 6:08... I understand that it was a brilliant an entertaining turn of events, him capitalising on the line he ended up on. But if we're really sticklers for details (IMO we shouldn't be in this case) then isn't that an illegal overtake as he used going outside of the track to his advantage?

[auaq]

[BoldUlysses]

^That's awesome. SO much faster through the corners....

[auaq]

I wanted to see the speed traps from 2016 and how much difference there is now. I figure about 10-15 km/h only.

[sk8rat6587]

I wanted to see the speed traps from 2016 and how much difference there is now. I figure about 10-15 km/h only.

I thought top end straight line speed these cars are actually a little slower, but much faster around the track.

[ELVA164]

The sound of two of these V6s overlaid is painful, haha. Double dullness. It's amazing how much better the car looks as it's driven. You can see the constant hunting for front-end grip in 2016.