Ocon to make Virtual Grand Prix debut this weekend

27 comments on “Ocon to make Virtual Grand Prix debut this weekend”

1. 

   @HoHum (@hohum)
   21st May 2020, 0:32

   Dieters excellent analysis of possible future reduction in team numbers travelling internationally meshes well with the Telegraph article on the problem of holding the BGP, asking the govt. for a quarantine exemption for 500+ personnel must have a lower chance of success than a request for 60/90 persons. I for one would welcome a reduction, or better still, a lack of pit stops, I want to see drivers advancing by passing the car ahead rather than driving in clean air for a couple of computer predicted laps between the cars successive pit stops. Changing 4 tyres in 2 seconds may be very impressive but it’s huge cost and detrimental effect on the racing are a huge negative that should be addressed before further design restrictions are adopted in the name of cost reduction.
   1. 

      Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
      21st May 2020, 3:11

      You raise a good point: Why does F1 demand a car do at least one pit stop and mandatory tyre change? Maybe it is time to revoke this old fashioned rule and go without the mandatory pit stop and change of tyre specification. If a team wants to run the race on hard tyres let them, or if they want to use two sets of mediums let them. Pirelli are bringing two types of tyre to a GP … I guess they’ll be called “hard” and “medium”, so if you want to run with the mediums then you get the performance but also the wear, whereas if you run with the hard then you get durability but slightly less performance. So if you’re prepared to have a 10 to 20 second pit stop then maybe the medium tyres are what you’d run with, whereas if you don’t want waste that amount of time you might prefer the slightly reduced performance of the hard tyres.
      1. 

         Jere (@jerejj)
         21st May 2020, 5:23

         @drycrust Who said they’d be bringing two? It’s three. The talk has been about limiting the choices teams can make regarding the number of sets for each three compound for a given race weekend.
         1. 

            Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
            21st May 2020, 8:51

            @jerejj Thanks for correcting me. I’m not sure what the difference is between what they did and what they want to do. Maybe they mean they are cutting the range of “dry” tyres available through the season from a total of 5 tyre types to 3.
            1. 

               ColdFly (@)
               21st May 2020, 8:59

               @drycrust, the difference is that they won’t give the teams the option to choose from the available tyres, but they will mandate all teams how many of each compound they’ll get.
               We wouldn’t notice he difference.
      2. 

         ColdFly (@)
         21st May 2020, 7:24

         Pirelli should bring a single tyre type which is constructed like a multilayered M&M’s. Every couple of laps the compound changes without the need for pit stops.
      3. 

         RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
         21st May 2020, 8:49

         I agree with you both @hohum and @drycrust. I strongly oppose the mandatory tyre rules and think it would lead to a much more exciting race which could be presented to the audience much clearer through the recent amazon graphics.

         That said, I think in the sport’s current format it’s implausible. The simulation data is so accurate that the team’s know the perfect strategy on paper weeks before arriving at the event, which puts the onus on Pirelli to restrict the data flow to the teams and leaves them open to criticism if Indy 05 2.0 or British GP 2013 should happen. Secondly, DRS has become intrinsically linked to overall car design and race planning and consequently the delta between 2 strategies is more pronounced as defensive driving is much less effective in determining the result. Finally, I think the uprising of junior or support teams has had a small but definite impact on the decision – the sport don’t want to see drivers deliberately held up by rival team’s entourage. We’ll never get away from that but without a required tyre stop a back-marker running a deliberately long and slow strategy could influence the race. There weren’t as many of these second teams pre 2010s for example.

         In other words, the only way I can see the tyre rules applied in the way we’d like to see would be if the telemetry and simulation data presented to the teams was restricted to a level which guarantees safety but still leaves 3 possible strategies open and 2 likely strategies available. I think DRS zone length should be reduced everywhere and abolished on some circuits with the 2022 reg change a fitting time to redesign the cars.
         1. 

            ColdFly (@)
            21st May 2020, 9:04

            amazon graphics.

            ?? @rbalonso

            I suggest to bring only 1 compound (hard) to the first race and another (medium) to the second race at the same circuit.
            No required pitstops (less staff) and variation between both races.
            1. 

               RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
               21st May 2020, 10:16

               @coldfly – I refer to the AWS data analysis which was implemented, in rather rudimentary fashion, last year. They’ve tried to show the impact of tyre wear and strategy on outcome of the race but I think a lot of the time it was a case of choosing the wrong data or presenting it at the wrong time. For most fans, the information is obvious but it’s clearly being brought in to encourage the casual fan to think of the strategic play when their interest may be dwindling during a lull in the race.

               As for pit stops, these are currently performed by the mechanics anyway. They will still be present in the garages working closely together on the cars. I can’t see any team reducing the number of mechanics below the 22 used in pit stops anyway. Engineers can work remotely, but mechanics will still be present to fix damage anyway. Perhaps, an Indycar style one mechanic per corner would work, but I don’t think pit stops are going to have a bearing on whether races go ahead. If it’s not safe enough to have the mechanics there then we shouldn’t be starting at all.
   2. 

      anon
      21st May 2020, 13:02

      @hohum do you think that a figure of 60 people is achievable in reality? After all, series such as MotoGP have been talking about needing to have several hundred people present.

      Before you cite NASCAR, bear in mind that the figures you claimed before (around 5-6 if I recall well) didn’t include the staff working behind the scenes (the actual limit was 16 people per team). Between the teams and the additional staff required to run the circuit, provide medical facilities and so forth, it’s estimated that the actual number of people at the most recent race in Charlotte was more like 800.

      By that figure of 60, you’re suggesting six people per team – now, if that includes the two drivers, that means you’re expecting just four people to be able to do everything that the team requires, from transporting equipment to undertaking repairs on the car. If you’re forcing a small number of people to have to do everything, does that not then raise the risk that those individuals could potentially be overworked, thereby exposing them to a risk of an accident because of factors such as fatigue?

      Your proposals for forcing the teams to have to take the cars to and from an external factory does also raise the question whether, rather than “solving” the problem, you’ve merely displaced the problem of virus controls from the track to the factory. Even the recent NASCAR event, where they tried something similar, suggests you’re about a factor of 10 out in the number of people who would need to be involved.

      As for the claimed “cost benefits”, most of the supposed benefits from not having pit stops seem to be illusory due to the mistake that people seem to forget that those people doing the pit stops have other jobs as well (not just mechanics either – even some of the other labourers, such as the truck drivers, are sometimes employed to carry out work on the cars during the pit stops as well).
      1. 

         @HoHum (@hohum)
         21st May 2020, 13:27

         @ANON, I was specifically referring to the BritishGP, without the AustrianGP only 3 teams would need to enter Britain, hence my estimate of 20-30 people per pared down team, I should have made myself clearer. But just how do 22 mechanics work on 1 car at the same time ?
2. 

   kenji
   21st May 2020, 1:18

   Perhaps the FIA and Liberty get together and announce a ‘new’ set of virus inspired ’emergency’ rules, to be implemented in cases of ‘viral force majeure’ or other such designated crises. Those rules would emphasise that no team can operate with more than 50 people. The designated duties of those people can be allocated by whatever the team chooses. Teams can choose whatever tyres they want and make whatever changes they feel necessary whenever they want. Too much emphasis is made of tyre changes and that needs to be reduced thus enhancing on track performances by way of tyre management. Having 16 people on tyre change duty is overkill. The backroom seems to be overcrowded as well. Simply state within the amended rules that a maximum of four personnel only for the duration of the ’emergency’ rules period may see some further sophistication of the race team. ‘Needs must’ i think the adage goes. Surely there must be some radical changes made if we are to resurrect the series during these trying times?
3. 

   ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
   21st May 2020, 1:26

   I have a strange feeling that Horner is going to regret pushing Max too early in his career and that Max will head off to greener pastures just like their last top drivers. I predict Max and Dan will meet again at other team down the road. The silly season is ON. When was the silly season so long? Ever?
   1. 

      Broke84 (@broke84)
      21st May 2020, 9:50

      @ferrox-glideh But when you think of it, he is not so early in his career, this is his 6th season and by the end of it he should have competed in 124 races at this level. In terms of age, yes it’s early but after already 5 seasons he is ready to be pushed.
4. 

   MB (@muralibhats)
   21st May 2020, 4:08

   If something can be worked out with Perez contract, would love to see vettel and stroll in AM, Bottas and Ocon in Renault, Hamilton and Perez in Mercedes.
   1. 

      luigismen (@luigismen)
      21st May 2020, 14:07

      Hamilton and Russell*

      I fell sorry for Perez, he had a chance with mclaren in 2013 and that didn’t go so well… apparently he is not top team material.

      He would end up probably in Haas or any other mid-team.
5. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   21st May 2020, 5:29

   More likely entirely unlikely. Once again, the last occasion a driver joined Red Bull Racing from a team other than the B-team happened ahead of the 2007 season when Mark Webber joined from Williams. It’d also be unfair towards Albon and the current AlphaTauri-drivers.

   As for the F1 Insider-post: I’ve posted this before, but will do it again: It’d be fairer to take George Russell over Seb to give him a chance in a top-level car.
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      21st May 2020, 6:26

      I meant to type ‘more like’ instead.
6. 

   Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
   21st May 2020, 8:30

   Another “On This Day” – it is 12 months ago today that we lost Nikki Lauda. I posted the following on that article:

   I was born in 1966 so I started following F1 in the early 70’s. Being a Brit, the hero at the time was of course James Hunt, and I remember expressing a dislike for Niki Lauda to my father – he told me that I may dislike him, but he was still a great racer. I am in my 50’s now and over the years I came to appreciate my father’s sentiment more and more and freely admitted a number of years back to admiring Niki Lauda and all that he had achieved. The naivety from a child with time turned into the admiration of an adult, and now unfortunately the sadness of a man who has lost someone who had become a hero.

   RIP Niki Lauda.
   1. 

      bob (@riptide)
      21st May 2020, 8:50

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoFV3Ajz4n4
      1. 

         Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
         21st May 2020, 8:57

         @riptide – beautiful tribute that – thanks for sharing the link
7. 

   ColdFly (@)
   21st May 2020, 9:08

   Thanks for the reminder and the story @ahxshades. It took me back to times when I watched F1 with my father.
   1. 

      Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
      21st May 2020, 9:34

      my pleasure @coldfly
8. 

   Dieter Rencken (@dieterrencken)
   21st May 2020, 12:53

   Mmmm rather strange story on the F1-Insider page about Bernie, a ‘missing’ Rolex and Susie Wolff if you read down from the ‘Ecclestone suggests Vettel’ story. Stranger that Bernie was challenged on it, and that Mercedes declines to comment…
   1. 

      @HoHum (@hohum)
      21st May 2020, 13:43

      @dieterrencken, Hmm, yes. Is Toto no longer managing VB ? No one mentions it, but surely Toto would need a good reason to let Valteri go ( along with his managerial %).
      1. 

         Dieter Rencken (@dieterrencken)
         21st May 2020, 15:25

         He maintains there it is now a Chinese Wall-type relationship. Who knows outside of those two…
         1. 

            @HoHum (@hohum)
            21st May 2020, 23:46

            @dieterrencken, thanks Dieter, I’m sure the potential loss of income never enters his mind.

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