Change the cars, not qualifying – Button

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Jenson Button says F1’s qualifying system doesn’t need changing but the cars need to become more demanding and spectacular.

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Snapshot

Bugatti Chiron, Geneva Motor Show, 2016

The new Bugatti Chiron, revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, is intended to be the fastest road car in the world. Its quad-turbocharged 8.0-litre W16 engine produces 1,479bhp and will propel the car to a projected top speed of 420kph (261mph). The Chiron’s price tag is €2.4 million (£1.9m).

It is named after former Formula One driver Louis Chiron, one of two Monagesque drivers to race in the world championship and the only one to score a podium finish. Chiron finished third at his home race in 1950 driving a Maserati. He also won several pre-war grands prix for Bugatti.

Comment of the day

What’s behind Bernie Ecclestone’s recent moves? @Mazdachris tries to work it out:

I’m trying to follow Ecclestone’s reasoning for acting the way he has over the past couple of years. There has always been this perception (perhaps flatteringly so) that Ecclestone is this sort of Machiavellian puppet master, whose every word is calculated to elicit a carefully controlled response. I can understand it when he talks about, for instance, Monza not necessarily being that important. Because clearly he wants them to cough up, and the best way to do that is by making it clear that their position isn’t guaranteed. I understand that.

But this constant badmouthing of the sport, what’s the story there? He’s the commercial rights holder; logically he should be championing the sport and trying to drum up interest. So why would he go around saying things which any person with half a brain would see as hugely damaging to the perception of the sport? The only thing I can think, and this is a real leap of tinfoil-hattery, is that he wants CVC to pull out so that he can broker a deal with a new owner. In that case, it makes sense that he describes it as a bad product, because it’ll make CVC more likely to want to cut and run, and could potentially drive the sale price down for the new owners, who have already said they would want to keep him on.

So is that it, is the whole thing an elaborate ploy to retain control under new owners while netting a nice little packet in the process?
@Mazdachris

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40 comments on “Change the cars, not qualifying – Button”

  1. “We promised Alonso it won’t be easy, and boy did we deliver on that one!”

  2. I think button has nailed it there with his comments. There seems to be a lack of communication between the FIA and the drivers of late, if they’re hearing from journalists about the changes.. Quite embarrassing really :/

    Also anyone else a little underwhelmed with the Chiron. Very ‘basic’ looking.. Although it could be the horrid choice of colour?

    1. I disagree about the basic look! I think it’s one of the best looking cars ever made! It’s so modern, smooth, and technical, while remaining clean enough to be aesthetically pleasing.

      1. I’ve just seen it in all carbon black. I retract my previous statement.
        I’d still prefer a P1 mind ;)

        1. @nemo87, it depends what you meant by ‘basic’ looking – a number of components in the Chiron are just updated components from the Veyron, so there will be a certain familiarity to much of the Chiron.

      2. I think Veyrons (Veyri?) look terrible. The front is rather like a cave and I half-expect an animal skin to be draped over it, and this particular one, and forgive me, since I can find no more pleasant way of putting it, looks like it is wearing a ‘French-tickler’!

        1. Bill Niehoff
          3rd March 2016, 17:46

          +1000

      3. And really harks back to those flamboyant pre WW2 designs from Figoni-Falaschi etc. @strontium.

    2. I thought McLaren was a very demanding car…

    3. The colour is a given, for a car called “Chiron”, pre-war Bugattis were painted light blue. It’s a pity it is not all blue, the back rear seems too forced. But I won’t be buying it anyway :-).

      1. I was very much a fan of the EB110 when I was younger. Even had a model of it in the same light blue. Just not keen on it on this model at all!

      2. Google the Type 57 tank. The colours have heritage at least.

        1. So they do.. If only some F1 teams kept true to their heritage colours like that ;)

    4. Apex Assassin
      3rd March 2016, 15:41

      Button needs to take his halo and just go away. He’s scared and irrelevant and blocking younger talent by clinging on to his career. Same goes for other drivers, but I don’t see them backing the halo and green technology in F1.

      1. What ? How on earth can you bash Button on this one , oh I remember you bash him for just being Jenson Button, no real reasoning you just don’t like him. If Magnussen / Van Dorne/ Perez had all been good enough they would have replaced him, they aren’t ( yet anyway) so he keeps his place.

      2. hahaha ok he’s scared because he wants the cars to be harder to drive & more challenging? Righto. Might have iced one too many apexes there bud. ;-)

  3. On COTD,

    It’s my belief that Bernie’s negativity towards F1 is simply to try & make that the narrative among the general public so that everyone believes that F1 is in the worst condition ever in order to make it easier to push through the changes he wants pushed through.

    Look at whats happened the past year, Bernie has gotten everyone spun into a ball willing to throw all sorts of crazy ideas at F1 to try & improve ‘the show’ & the more negative he goes the more willing the teams seem to be to try to appease him by throwing out more changes.

    1. Sadly, it’s my belief that Bernie is just an idiot and needs to go.

    2. #BernieMustGo

  4. Jimi (@hendrix666)
    3rd March 2016, 1:15

    Apparently musical chairs for Q1 and Q2 is a go for Aussie GP.

    So, how is it that the software could not be ready until Spanish GP, but now it can be for two of the sessions?? If the 3rd session remains as previous years…HUH??????????????

    The way I look at F1 now is when the season starts, great, good times for sure!

    But the off-season, its a load of laughs! I guess that’s better than nothing when they aren’t on the track, but to be laughed at when you are deemed to be the top of the heat in world motorsport, well that’s kind of dumb.

    1. Jimi (@hendrix666)
      3rd March 2016, 1:16

      “…top of the heap…”

  5. Doesn’t the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport have a top speed of 267 mph (correct me if I’m wrong)? If so, the new Bugatti won’t be the fastest with 261 mph would it?

    1. You are correct. However given how the veyron was released then a super sport version, I’d imagine they will release a special edition of this too later down the line with a higher top speed than the veyron SS.

    2. @mashiat Projection was for 280mph before the limiter was put at 261!

      1. so now Bugatti is playing ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’ too? Did it do 280 without limiter? No. So its top speed is 261 :-) Isn’t 261 impressive enough or something?

  6. re:COTD… Elaborate tin-foil hattery? More like unfortunate common knowledge :( He’s been taken to court (and settled for a pittance of fines) for exactly these practices.

    re:mcLaren store… that $9(au) Alonso beany is pretty swish though! I’m not of Alonso or McLaren but it’s got a pretty awesome style for only $9. Seems to me they just desperately want to clear out old stock.

    1. All of the old Button kit is on the Clearance page, why would they choose to put Alonso’s clearance stock on the main Alonso page and have no new kit. Seems strange – but could be a simple case of Alonso kit being out of stock already??

  7. Re: Lewis’ “We’ve already raced together in the same car and got a result so it’s not like anything else needs proving.”

    Pretty pathetic comment, I have to say. Yes, you raced in the same team for one season. You also got the exact same number of points with the exact same number of retirements and the exact same number of wins, although it took you longer than Alonso to manage that many.

    The rulebook and the records say you won the rivalry between yourself and Alonso, yes, but it was the hollowest possible victory. You won only because you had more second-placed finishes, but all that really says is that you were the less-consistent driver, and balanced out your higher number of second-places with a worse result somewhere else.

    And all of that in a team which was caught cheating multiple times during that very year, and in a major way with the involvement of both the drivers. Really, the record books *should* show that neither of you scored a point because you were excluded. Results earned through rampant cheating should not have been allowed to stand, and neither of you were whistleblowers so you hardly deserved protection.

    A real racer would not see that as a moral or any other kind of victory, and would want a rematch. The fact you don’t, Lewis, tells me that you’re scared to death of racing against Alonso in equal machinery again.

    1. Sorry mate, I dont understand what you’re on about.

      Unfortunately, stats dont lie. Lewis and Fernando tied on points, but Lewis finished ahead, so as far as records go, Lewis “beat” Fernando. Ok, the atmosphere in the team was questionable that year, Lewis may have received preferential treatment, but the fact his, he was a rookie who took a double world champion and almost won. Thats how history will look back at their battle.

      Im a huge fan of Fernando, but the only person to blame for 07 is Fernando himself. F1 drivers are quite emotional and egotistical characters, and he let those get the better of him. He should have stuck to his guns, played it professionally and let his driving do the talking…but then again, if you were a 25 years old double world champion, driving for the team of your dreams..what would you do?

      Lewis isnt scared to death. He has nothing to prove, just as Vettel has nothing to prove.

      1. The thing is Lewis has never driven as consistently as he did in his first season. His performances in his McLaren days were never anywhere near that season.

        Yes he improved in his merc years but even them all had mistakes that he never made in first 12 or grand prix.

        Alonso on the other hand has performances year in year out that were better than 07. But end of the day they finished equal on points. Alonso naturally will be on the wane now due to his age, Lewis should be at his peak so shouldn’t have anything to fear but I suspect if they shared a car again it would be Fernando that would finish on top

    2. ColdFly F1 (@)
      3rd March 2016, 6:10

      @gweilo8888, I would’ve liked Hamilton to say something like: “I’d love to race with FA in the same team again”, or “if it happens we can settle who’s the best racer once and for all” rather than such an aloof statement.
      It seems you are of a similar opinion, but I don’t understand the bit where you try to proof Hamilton wrong by saying it took him longer or he was less consistent. It almost stopped me reading the more interesting part of your comment.

    3. @gweilo8888, If you take the attitude that results due to rampant cheating shouldn’t stand, how far back does that attitude apply? Questions have been raised about the legality of the launch control systems on the R25 – would you retrospectively disqualify Alonso from the 2005 championship if it were proven that the R25 was racing in an illegal configuration?

    4. @gweilo8888

      although it took you longer than Alonso to manage that many.

      Which can be taken to mean Fernando regressed more through the season than Lewis – consistent my ^r5e, then?

      You won only because you had more second-placed finishes, but all that really says is that you were the less-consistent driver, and balanced out your higher number of second-places with a worse result somewhere else.

      No it means Fernando had better bad days than Lewis, but Lewis had more good days than Fernando. Fernando’s not more consistent than Lewis (though neither is Lewis than Fernando) through that logic.

      And all of that in a team which was caught cheating multiple times during that very year, and in a major way with the involvement of both the drivers. Really, the record books *should* show that neither of you scored a point because you were excluded. Results earned through rampant cheating should not have been allowed to stand, and neither of you were whistleblowers so you hardly deserved protection.

      I don’t really disagree with this one, though at least neither became WDC.

      A real racer would not see that as a moral or any other kind of victory, and would want a rematch. The fact you don’t, Lewis, tells me that you’re scared to death of racing against Alonso in equal machinery again.

      Aaaahhhhh the armchair psychologist (or philosophist?)! Anyway do note that Fernando thinks Singapore 2008 was a valid victory – doesn’t make him deserving of the kind of bashing you gave Lewis, methinks.

      but it was the hollowest possible victory

      More hollow than Rosberg being WDC at the expense of a Ferrari driver who died in free practice and another that had a medical condition end his career (Ferrari won the WCC that year)? OK then…….

    5. Also, the result in Hungaroring was decissive at the end. Even if ALO did not deserve the pole, it’s clear that his performance was at least deserving a 2nd, which he didn’t get because of the penaly.

      IMO, with so slim differences in a sport where the luck also plays an important role, no one can brag about being better than the other.

    6. Pretty crazy rant :)

      Lewis specifically said he’s happy to drive against anyone including Fernando.

      The only drivers involved in spygate were Alonso and De la Rosa, and it was just taking advantage of a leaker as probably any of them would have done at the time. The outcome of 2007 was perfectly valid, and was a rookie versus an experienced star.

      Lewis didn’t really take in the question anyway, which was a bit rambling. His mind was on his setup, and how he’s going to deal with Rosberg, not Alonso.

      Though Ted was saying there’s a rumour about Merc pairing Nando and Lewis again, I guess to appease everyone while the team stays dominant. Let it be true!

    7. Wow we are back in 2007 and all 9 years younger, I have hair………..yeah.

    8. @gweilo8888,
      Did you see the 2007 season?
      Do you realise fernando was a 2 times WDC going into that year?
      Do you realise Lewis was in his rookie year?
      Whilst we’re at it, Fernando threatened Ron with revealing to FIA the docs taken from Ferrari forcing Rons hand and facilitating the breaking of FA’s contract.
      Saying the 2007 season didn’t count as a demonstration of which of the 2 is best is simply petulant.
      In my mind, a rookie driver going up against a 2 times WDC and beating him is a pretty spectacular feat, it’s even more spectacular when your up against someone as tenacious as FA. Clearly Lewis won that first battle, and has gone on to win 3 WDC’s to FA’s 0.
      Whilst it would be great to see a rematch, I don’t think FA deserves the opportunity, given his past behaviour (crash gate for one).
      Lastly Lewis’s language makes it clear Merc hiring FA is a step too far and Merc would be best to leave that kind of talk alone.

      1. Ummm lewis had many thousands of KM of testing (25000km) on the car and tyres in the buildup to that season, whereas Fernando was switching from a Michelin shod car to Bridgestones and couldn’t test the car until after the new year due to leaving Renault team. Lewis effectively had an extra 25000km of testing of the new car and tyres over Alonso. A stupendous amount (yes back when testing was a bigger part of F1 than now, and not restricted by teams). Yes he was a rookie in F1, but a very well prepared (the best prepared ever?) rookie, thanks to McLaren. It puts the relative performances a bit more in perspective rather than ‘Lewis came in with no experience and whopped Alonso’ etc etc.

  8. “The numbers we have at the track now are the numbers we had in the computer this winter. So Fernando knows what we are doing, as does Jenson.”

    Perhaps they need to increase the bhp/kw numbers so that they can be competitive and retain their world class drivers for 2016 and even beyond

    1. Wow what insight, and there I was thinking they were happy finishing at the back etc etc, thanks for clearing up what needs to be done! Someone call McLaren ASAP! :p

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