p.s. @Tikay10 McLaren changed to Renault engines last year which showed up the fact that all their problems weren't down to the lack of power in the Honda engine.
Keep up the good work.
Insiders in the paddock tell me that McLaren's woes are purely down to a lack of funding. The McLaren group are in serious financial difficulty at the moment and I've been told that they intend to withdraw from F1 at the end of the 2020 season.
p.s. @Tikay10 McLaren changed to Renault engines last year which showed up the fact that all their problems weren't down to the lack of power in the Honda engine.
Keep up the good work.
Insiders in the paddock tell me that McLaren's woes are purely down to a lack of funding. The McLaren group are in serious financial difficulty at the moment and I've been told that they intend to withdraw from F1 at the end of the 2020 season.
If anyone else had posted this, I would have said it was rubbish. But not you.
I hope you are wrong.
Is it the lack of prize money from finishing so far down? Was there a large penalty for breaking the Honda contract? Or just a combination of many things.
p.s. @Tikay10 McLaren changed to Renault engines last year which showed up the fact that all their problems weren't down to the lack of power in the Honda engine.
Keep up the good work.
Insiders in the paddock tell me that McLaren's woes are purely down to a lack of funding. The McLaren group are in serious financial difficulty at the moment and I've been told that they intend to withdraw from F1 at the end of the 2020 season.
p.s. @Tikay10 McLaren changed to Renault engines last year which showed up the fact that all their problems weren't down to the lack of power in the Honda engine.
Keep up the good work.
Insiders in the paddock tell me that McLaren's woes are purely down to a lack of funding. The McLaren group are in serious financial difficulty at the moment and I've been told that they intend to withdraw from F1 at the end of the 2020 season.
Wonder what Ron Dennis thinks of that? In fact, does he hold some responsibility for their demise?
How the mighty fall, for the best part of the last 30 (?) years, McLaren have been pe-eminent in F1.
I would imagine that Williams must be struggling financially too.
20 or 30 years ago, the thought of both McLaren & Williams falling so far from grace was unimaginable.
Good question regarding Ron Dennis. He's certainly at least partially culpable, but there are obviously a number of factors at play.
McLaren have always harped on about their heritage far too much in my opinion. It's extremely important of course, but I can't help and feel they have rested on their laurels far too much. Perhaps if they put less effort into celebrating their past successes, and more effort on developing their recent cars, they would have been much better off.
Saw this photo from today's resumed testing in Barcelona, my favourite photo of the season so far, as we see Lewis in the Mercedes equipped with an Aero Rake;
Looks like Paddy Lowe has paid the bill for Williams continued under-performance, & more latterly, failure to show for the start of Barca testing. @Peter27 might be better-placed to explain the why & what.
Pretty bad timing too, with the Australian GP, & the season proper, starting a week today.
The problem for us here at home with the Aussie GP is that it usually starts at some dreadful time in the morning here in the UK, 0600 or whatever. Worth getting up for though.
One of the great moments in modern (?) F1 history was Mansell's dramatic puncture. I was a bit shocked to realise that was in 1986 - 32 years ago. Wow.
Pretty bad timing too, with the Australian GP, & the season proper, starting a week today.
The problem for us here at home with the Aussie GP is that it usually starts at some dreadful time in the morning here in the UK, 0600 or whatever. Worth getting up for though.
One of the great moments in modern (?) F1 history was Mansell's dramatic puncture. I was a bit shocked to realise that was in 1986 - 32 years ago. Wow.
I remember seeing Mansell in an interview a few years after this incident.
The race director told him If he hadn’t tried to control the car and just let it go into the wall he would have been forced to red flag the race and he would have been world champion due to the 1 lap countback rule.
Absolutely loved the racing back in the 80’s and 90’s.
Pretty bad timing too, with the Australian GP, & the season proper, starting a week today.
The problem for us here at home with the Aussie GP is that it usually starts at some dreadful time in the morning here in the UK, 0600 or whatever. Worth getting up for though.
One of the great moments in modern (?) F1 history was Mansell's dramatic puncture. I was a bit shocked to realise that was in 1986 - 32 years ago. Wow.
I remember seeing Mansell in an interview a few years after this incident.
The race director told him If he hadn’t tried to control the car and just let it go into the wall he would have been forced to red flag the race and he would have been world champion due to the 1 lap countback rule.
Absolutely loved the racing back in the 80’s and 90’s.
I never knew that. For younger readers, Mansell was on course to win the World Championship at the time, & the Aussie GP in those days was the last race of the season. No puncture & he is World Champion.
And yes, me too, I loved it in those days, with the famous marques such as Tyrrell, Brabham, Lola, Arrows, Ligier & so on.
I still enjoy it though, I just wish it were more competitive, it's a bit like the Premier League in Football, only a few teams can win really, everyone else are also-rans.
Looks like Paddy Lowe has paid the bill for Williams continued under-performance, & more latterly, failure to show for the start of Barca testing. @Peter27 might be better-placed to explain the why & what.
Williams have had a fairly catastrophic pre-season. I refuse to believe Claire (who was previously my direct line manager) would allow the car to just "not be ready" for the start of testing. Something more must have happened such as the team spotting a safety-critical design flaw. However, even if that's true, I am baffled as to why a 2018-spec car wasn't able to run to at least carry out some tyre evaluations and provide George and Robert some much needed track time.
As far as I can tell, the Paddy Lowe situation is purely co-incidental and he's taking leave for personal reasons. I don't know this for certain, but that would be my guess. Claire's not the type of person to assign culpability to just one person - F1 doesn't work like that.
It's no surprise to see Williams at the back of the grid though. They do have the smallest budget by some margin. The same was true last season too. I should note here that the majority of what you read regarding budget and finance in the F1 media is utter nonsense. It's incredibly secretive and you only really get a guide by talking to people within the paddock.
I still enjoy it though, I just wish it were more competitive, it's a bit like the Premier League in Football, only a few teams can win really, everyone else are also-rans.
This has pretty much always been the case in F1 also.
I still enjoy it though, I just wish it were more competitive, it's a bit like the Premier League in Football, only a few teams can win really, everyone else are also-rans.
This has pretty much always been the case in F1 also.
Yes, on reflection I agree, that was the case for long periods.
I did lose interest a little in F1 during the Schumacher dominated years - not because I disliked him far from it, but he was just so dominant.
Senna was dominant too, but there was always an aura about him.
Keke Rosberg, meanwhile, was just wonderful to watch, as were the likes of Brundle, Derek Walker, Gilles Villeneuve.
And there are no modern equivalents - perhaps just as well - of Andrea de Cesaris.
We see far less crashes now, & that's fine, and my awe now is about the technical aspects of the cars, they are nothing short of extraordinary. The front wings alone are so complex. When I started watching F1 cars never had wings, front or back.
And the most amazing thing of all about modern F1? The safety, especially considering the speeds they brake & corner at, & the ultra thin margins at all times. Since that dreadful weekend, 24 years ago in the San Marino GP, there has been just ONE fatality in F1 as far as I am aware, & even that was over 4 years ago. How is that even possible?
Based on my pre-season analysis, these are my season long bet suggestions, along with some associated notes. I'm not going to suggest stakes, but I will give an indication into what the price should be. I'm also very much focussing on quality over quantity this season.
Drivers' Champion - Charles Leclerc @ 4/1+. From what I have seen, I believe Ferrari to have the quickest car be 0.3s per lap. I do expect Mercedes to out-develop them as the season progresses, but the damage will be done by then. I'm so excited to see Leclerc vs Vettel. IMO this is the driver with the most raw talent of all time (Leclerc) against the best of all time (Vettel). Vettel should have the upper hand at the start of the season, and they'll push each other to improve as the season progresses too. Charles has a higher talent ceiling though and could well be the quicker driver come the end of the year. 4/1 is a cracking price, I believe this should be more like 7/2. Note: I also believe Vettel to be value at 2/1.
Constructors' Champion - Ferrari @ 11/8. As mentioned above, the general consensus is that Ferrari are quicker. However, even if we assume Mercedes are equal on pace, or even a little bit faster, who wins the constructors title? IMO that's still Ferrari. Leclerc and Vettel against Bottas and Hamilton. There's one driver in that list who is clearly the weakest. Bottas had a poor season last year, and it looks to me like he's already mentally beaten this season too - which will effectively gift Ferrari the title. This really is a phenomenal spot, they should be less than EVS. This is a max bet. Let me put it this way; I have never been this keen to put a bet on.
Championship W/O Big Six - Alex Albon @ 33/1. Occasionally, some drivers perform considerably better in F1 than they ever demonstrated in lower categories, and I believe Albon will be an example of this. He looked extremely comfortable in testing with impressive long run pace that appears to have gone unnoticed. I believe the Toro Rosso to be fast too, the car looks well balanced with a stable rear end. I don't expect this one to happen, but it's certainly much more likely than the 33/1 price suggests. I would suggest this should be more like 20/1.
- Season match bets Gasly to beat Verstappen @ 6/1 (William Hill best price), should be more like 3/1. Albon to beat Kvyat @ 7/4 (William Hill best price), should be EVS. Curiously, WH are offering 7/4 on Albon for Albon vs Kvyat, and 13/8 for Albon on Kvyat vs Albon. Stroll to beat Perez @ 3/1 (William Hill best price), should be 2/1. Giovinazzi to beat Raikkonen @ 9/2 (Ladbrokes best price), should be 3/1.
Australian GP specific bets will now come tomorrow.
For those interested, here is my pre-season analysis, and pecking order, that I have complied for an F1 community I run. Note: unlike other people's analysis, I try to factor in development rate to determine the final championship standings which are not necessarily the same as what we'll see at the first race.
1) Ferrari. Will start the season around 0.3s per lap clear of Mercedes, and ultimately win both championships. Driver's title is basically a 50-50, depending on who has the better reliability.
2) Mercedes. Will out develop Ferrari over the season, and may even be faster in the later races - but the damage will be done by then. Well clear of Red Bull. Hamilton to beat Bottas considerably; Bottas seems mentally defeated already.
3) Red Bull. All on their own really. Although, they will shine in occasional races, expect them to have one or two wins during the season. Verstappen will be the quicker driver, but Gasly will come out on top in the championship.
4) Renault. The experience of their drivers will be what steals them 4th in the championship. Expecting a very close battle with the 5th & 6th placed teams (below). Ricciardo to consistently be quicker than Hulkenberg, but that doesn't mean Hulkenberg will be slow, Ricciardo is just super talented.
5) Toro Rosso. They'll have their best start to an F1 season ever, and results will tail off in the middle of the season. However, a late flurry of results will be seen in the last 5/6 races. Occasionally, some drivers perform considerably better in F1 than they ever demonstrated in lower categories, and I believe Albon will be an example of this. He will consistently beat Kvyat by an increasing margin as the season progresses.
6) Haas. At the back of the upper midfield, but without being challenged by those behind on a consistent basis. The car will be good but operational errors and driver mistakes will mean they lose out to Toro Rosso. Grosjean to beat Magnussen over the season in my prediction, but in reality it will come down to who makes the fewest errors.
7) Alfa Romeo. The experience of Raikkonen will help develop that car a lot over the season and Alfa Romeo will lead the lower midfield all year. Giovinazzi vs Raikkonen will be very close all season. I predict Giovinazzi to come out on top - but it'll be close.
8) Racing Point. Strong development will see them as the 5th fastest car at the end of the season. A big deficit in the early part of the year will be difficult to overcome though. Stroll will shock everyone by coming out on top over the season, but maybe not at the start of the year. He will take some time to settle in the car.
9) McLaren. Strong progress and much more competitive than in 2018 - despite the low position. Sainz is a "safe paid of hands" and will take opportunities for points when they come along. Norris will really struggle to be on the pace all year.
10) Williams. Will struggle all season, and be some way off the pace of anyone. Russell to start the season on top, and both drivers will develop as the season progresses. I don't believe Russell to be as talented as people believe though; I expect Robert to be on top come the end of the year.
Not much too choose from, although I am exercising caution as part of my "quality, not quantity" strategy. Australia is also an unusual circuit which often throws up unusual results. Points Finish - Antonio Giovinazzi @ 7/2+ (William Hill best price). A promising youngster in a seemingly bullet proof car (if pre-season testing is anything to go by) with an unique and innovative front wing concept. Price is slightly out of line given that his team mate is 9/10. I would have thought he should be 5/2. https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/australian-grand-prix/points-finish
Double Points Finish - Toro Rosso @ 16/1 (365/Sporting Bet best price). As touched upon before, the car looked extremely strong in pre-season testing. There are an array of prices on this with the lowest being 4/1! Clearly 16/1 is value. I would have priced it at around the 8/1 mark. https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/australian-grand-prix/double-points-finish
In second practice for the Australian GP, Lewis in the Mercedes is fastest, but the very strong suspicion lurks that Ferrari are playing cat & mouse.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the grid, Williams (19th & 20th) were even worse than many feared, a whopping 2 seconds slower than 18th placed Norris in the McLaren. A 2 second gap in F1 is............. well, a lot.
Big surprise this morning in final qualifying for tomorrow's Australian F2 GP as Hamilton takes pole, beating Ferrari's Vettel into 3rd place by a whopping three quarters of a second. In F1 terms, that's a country mile, & was totally unexpected.
Bottas was 2nd, Verstappen 4th, Leclerc on his Scuderia debut 5th, with 6th & 7th going to the impressive Haas.
No surprises at the back of the grid, as George Russell was 19th & Kubica 2 seconds - 2 seconds - slower in 20th. Kubica was so slow there were fears at one point that he may not break the 107% threshold, which would mean he was ineligible, but Williams dignity, or what remains of it, was spared.
Comments
That picture of Moss is incredible.
If anyone else had posted this, I would have said it was rubbish.
But not you.
I hope you are wrong.
Is it the lack of prize money from finishing so far down?
Was there a large penalty for breaking the Honda contract?
Or just a combination of many things.
@peter27
Wowzer, I was not aware it was that serious.
Wonder what Ron Dennis thinks of that? In fact, does he hold some responsibility for their demise?
How the mighty fall, for the best part of the last 30 (?) years, McLaren have been pe-eminent in F1.
I would imagine that Williams must be struggling financially too.
20 or 30 years ago, the thought of both McLaren & Williams falling so far from grace was unimaginable.
McLaren have always harped on about their heritage far too much in my opinion. It's extremely important of course, but I can't help and feel they have rested on their laurels far too much. Perhaps if they put less effort into celebrating their past successes, and more effort on developing their recent cars, they would have been much better off.
Saw this photo from today's resumed testing in Barcelona, my favourite photo of the season so far, as we see Lewis in the Mercedes equipped with an Aero Rake;
Looks like Paddy Lowe has paid the bill for Williams continued under-performance, & more latterly, failure to show for the start of Barca testing. @Peter27 might be better-placed to explain the why & what.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47476566
Pretty bad timing too, with the Australian GP, & the season proper, starting a week today.
The problem for us here at home with the Aussie GP is that it usually starts at some dreadful time in the morning here in the UK, 0600 or whatever. Worth getting up for though.
One of the great moments in modern (?) F1 history was Mansell's dramatic puncture. I was a bit shocked to realise that was in 1986 - 32 years ago. Wow.
The race director told him If he hadn’t tried to control the car and just let it go into the wall he would have been forced to red flag the race and he would have been world champion due to the 1 lap countback rule.
Absolutely loved the racing back in the 80’s and 90’s.
And yes, me too, I loved it in those days, with the famous marques such as Tyrrell, Brabham, Lola, Arrows, Ligier & so on.
I still enjoy it though, I just wish it were more competitive, it's a bit like the Premier League in Football, only a few teams can win really, everyone else are also-rans.
As far as I can tell, the Paddy Lowe situation is purely co-incidental and he's taking leave for personal reasons. I don't know this for certain, but that would be my guess. Claire's not the type of person to assign culpability to just one person - F1 doesn't work like that.
It's no surprise to see Williams at the back of the grid though. They do have the smallest budget by some margin. The same was true last season too. I should note here that the majority of what you read regarding budget and finance in the F1 media is utter nonsense. It's incredibly secretive and you only really get a guide by talking to people within the paddock.
Yes, on reflection I agree, that was the case for long periods.
I did lose interest a little in F1 during the Schumacher dominated years - not because I disliked him far from it, but he was just so dominant.
Senna was dominant too, but there was always an aura about him.
Keke Rosberg, meanwhile, was just wonderful to watch, as were the likes of Brundle, Derek Walker, Gilles Villeneuve.
And there are no modern equivalents - perhaps just as well - of Andrea de Cesaris.
We see far less crashes now, & that's fine, and my awe now is about the technical aspects of the cars, they are nothing short of extraordinary. The front wings alone are so complex. When I started watching F1 cars never had wings, front or back.
And the most amazing thing of all about modern F1? The safety, especially considering the speeds they brake & corner at, & the ultra thin margins at all times. Since that dreadful weekend, 24 years ago in the San Marino GP, there has been just ONE fatality in F1 as far as I am aware, & even that was over 4 years ago. How is that even possible?
Based on my pre-season analysis, these are my season long bet suggestions, along with some associated notes. I'm not going to suggest stakes, but I will give an indication into what the price should be. I'm also very much focussing on quality over quantity this season.
Drivers' Champion - Charles Leclerc @ 4/1+. From what I have seen, I believe Ferrari to have the quickest car be 0.3s per lap. I do expect Mercedes to out-develop them as the season progresses, but the damage will be done by then. I'm so excited to see Leclerc vs Vettel. IMO this is the driver with the most raw talent of all time (Leclerc) against the best of all time (Vettel). Vettel should have the upper hand at the start of the season, and they'll push each other to improve as the season progresses too. Charles has a higher talent ceiling though and could well be the quicker driver come the end of the year. 4/1 is a cracking price, I believe this should be more like 7/2. Note: I also believe Vettel to be value at 2/1.
https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/f1-2019-drivers-world-championship
Constructors' Champion - Ferrari @ 11/8. As mentioned above, the general consensus is that Ferrari are quicker. However, even if we assume Mercedes are equal on pace, or even a little bit faster, who wins the constructors title? IMO that's still Ferrari. Leclerc and Vettel against Bottas and Hamilton. There's one driver in that list who is clearly the weakest. Bottas had a poor season last year, and it looks to me like he's already mentally beaten this season too - which will effectively gift Ferrari the title. This really is a phenomenal spot, they should be less than EVS. This is a max bet. Let me put it this way; I have never been this keen to put a bet on.
https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/constructors-championship/winner
Championship W/O Big Six - Alex Albon @ 33/1. Occasionally, some drivers perform considerably better in F1 than they ever demonstrated in lower categories, and I believe Albon will be an example of this. He looked extremely comfortable in testing with impressive long run pace that appears to have gone unnoticed. I believe the Toro Rosso to be fast too, the car looks well balanced with a stable rear end. I don't expect this one to happen, but it's certainly much more likely than the 33/1 price suggests. I would suggest this should be more like 20/1.
https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/championship-without-the-big-6
Here are some other solid pre-season spots I have found.
- Gasly to finish exactly 6th in the drivers' and Red Bull to finish exactly 3rd in the constructors' championships @ 9/4. Should be more like 6/4.
https://m.skybet.com/formula-1/formula-1-2019-season/event/22597676
- Season match bets
Gasly to beat Verstappen @ 6/1 (William Hill best price), should be more like 3/1.
Albon to beat Kvyat @ 7/4 (William Hill best price), should be EVS. Curiously, WH are offering 7/4 on Albon for Albon vs Kvyat, and 13/8 for Albon on Kvyat vs Albon.
Stroll to beat Perez @ 3/1 (William Hill best price), should be 2/1.
Giovinazzi to beat Raikkonen @ 9/2 (Ladbrokes best price), should be 3/1.
https://sports.williamhill.com/betting/en-gb/motor-racing
https://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/betting/formula-1/formula-1/world-championship/2019-season-points-match-bet/227893892/
Australian GP specific bets will now come tomorrow.
For those interested, here is my pre-season analysis, and pecking order, that I have complied for an F1 community I run. Note: unlike other people's analysis, I try to factor in development rate to determine the final championship standings which are not necessarily the same as what we'll see at the first race.
1) Ferrari. Will start the season around 0.3s per lap clear of Mercedes, and ultimately win both championships. Driver's title is basically a 50-50, depending on who has the better reliability.
2) Mercedes. Will out develop Ferrari over the season, and may even be faster in the later races - but the damage will be done by then. Well clear of Red Bull. Hamilton to beat Bottas considerably; Bottas seems mentally defeated already.
3) Red Bull. All on their own really. Although, they will shine in occasional races, expect them to have one or two wins during the season. Verstappen will be the quicker driver, but Gasly will come out on top in the championship.
4) Renault. The experience of their drivers will be what steals them 4th in the championship. Expecting a very close battle with the 5th & 6th placed teams (below). Ricciardo to consistently be quicker than Hulkenberg, but that doesn't mean Hulkenberg will be slow, Ricciardo is just super talented.
5) Toro Rosso. They'll have their best start to an F1 season ever, and results will tail off in the middle of the season. However, a late flurry of results will be seen in the last 5/6 races. Occasionally, some drivers perform considerably better in F1 than they ever demonstrated in lower categories, and I believe Albon will be an example of this. He will consistently beat Kvyat by an increasing margin as the season progresses.
6) Haas. At the back of the upper midfield, but without being challenged by those behind on a consistent basis. The car will be good but operational errors and driver mistakes will mean they lose out to Toro Rosso. Grosjean to beat Magnussen over the season in my prediction, but in reality it will come down to who makes the fewest errors.
7) Alfa Romeo. The experience of Raikkonen will help develop that car a lot over the season and Alfa Romeo will lead the lower midfield all year. Giovinazzi vs Raikkonen will be very close all season. I predict Giovinazzi to come out on top - but it'll be close.
8) Racing Point. Strong development will see them as the 5th fastest car at the end of the season. A big deficit in the early part of the year will be difficult to overcome though. Stroll will shock everyone by coming out on top over the season, but maybe not at the start of the year. He will take some time to settle in the car.
9) McLaren. Strong progress and much more competitive than in 2018 - despite the low position. Sainz is a "safe paid of hands" and will take opportunities for points when they come along. Norris will really struggle to be on the pace all year.
10) Williams. Will struggle all season, and be some way off the pace of anyone. Russell to start the season on top, and both drivers will develop as the season progresses. I don't believe Russell to be as talented as people believe though; I expect Robert to be on top come the end of the year.
At least highlights will be on FTA.
Sad news this morning, Charlie Whiting passed away earlier today.
I liked him very much, he was always very hands-on, & I fancy it will take at least 2 people to replace him.
RIP Charlie.
Not much too choose from, although I am exercising caution as part of my "quality, not quantity" strategy. Australia is also an unusual circuit which often throws up unusual results.
Points Finish - Antonio Giovinazzi @ 7/2+ (William Hill best price). A promising youngster in a seemingly bullet proof car (if pre-season testing is anything to go by) with an unique and innovative front wing concept. Price is slightly out of line given that his team mate is 9/10. I would have thought he should be 5/2.
https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/australian-grand-prix/points-finish
Double Points Finish - Toro Rosso @ 16/1 (365/Sporting Bet best price). As touched upon before, the car looked extremely strong in pre-season testing. There are an array of prices on this with the lowest being 4/1! Clearly 16/1 is value. I would have priced it at around the 8/1 mark.
https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/australian-grand-prix/double-points-finish
In second practice for the Australian GP, Lewis in the Mercedes is fastest, but the very strong suspicion lurks that Ferrari are playing cat & mouse.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the grid, Williams (19th & 20th) were even worse than many feared, a whopping 2 seconds slower than 18th placed Norris in the McLaren. A 2 second gap in F1 is............. well, a lot.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47579031
Big surprise this morning in final qualifying for tomorrow's Australian F2 GP as Hamilton takes pole, beating Ferrari's Vettel into 3rd place by a whopping three quarters of a second. In F1 terms, that's a country mile, & was totally unexpected.
Bottas was 2nd, Verstappen 4th, Leclerc on his Scuderia debut 5th, with 6th & 7th going to the impressive Haas.
No surprises at the back of the grid, as George Russell was 19th & Kubica 2 seconds - 2 seconds - slower in 20th. Kubica was so slow there were fears at one point that he may not break the 107% threshold, which would mean he was ineligible, but Williams dignity, or what remains of it, was spared.