I’m pretty sure the Spanish GP (when this comes in) is round 9. Still not quite the middle of a 24 round calendar, granted, but it’s almost 40% through and that’s a big chunk. Becomes a two part season in many respects.
I wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. We really have no idea how it'll end up. I 100% thought 2024 would be a boring season, but I was thankfully wrong.
It turned into an entertainment show a long time ago, and lost any integrity it had. No surprise with this latest development.Chuckjr wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:27 amThey are forcing the wing change like this to ensure if there is a dominant team, the directive could, and likely would, end their dominance. It's to create drama, storylines, more competition, and the like. It's forced spectical takes away from F1's integrity.
If the season started in Miami, Verstappen would still have won. The margin would have been into single digits, but it shows that consistency is key.ScuderiaLeo wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 3:08 pmI wouldn't get my hopes up just yet. We really have no idea how it'll end up. I 100% thought 2024 would be a boring season, but I was thankfully wrong.
That being said...... it is a silly decision and I'm still annoyed by it.
Last season, a significant factor in why Red Bull comfortably won the WDC is because of the lead they built up in the first few races. (The other factor was, of course, Verstappen himself.) I can only pray that if the TD hits Ferrari hard, the SF-25 is able to be extremely competitive before it comes into effect.
That's assuming dominance was sourced within that wing performance, which we don't know to be true. Further, that the steps would control the "correct" teamChuckjr wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 9:27 amThey are forcing the wing change like this to ensure if there is a dominant team, the directive could, and likely would, end their dominance. It's to create drama, storylines, more competition, and the like. It's forced spectical takes away from F1's integrity.
I didn't say it's the reason Red Bull won, I said it's why they comfortably won.Waz wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 8:33 pmIf the season started in Miami, Verstappen would still have won. The margin would have been into single digits, but it shows that consistency is key.
Unfortunately that consistency also requires the car to do it. We already saw data about Charles being the most consistent driver last year once you remove the outliers when Ferrari developed themselves into a blind alley.
Positively, under Vasseur, the team seems to learn and recover quickly from mistakes, and we generally don't see them repeated endlessly as before.
I can understand frustration. When some major car affects performance and setup, it can actually remove expectations for the season. Hopefully, the teams will quickly accommodate and bring back the enthusiasm. It is always difficult to change the balance, but it can also give rise to some unexpected challenges and surprises!
Because you are not considering how it affects the teams who spent their resources during this winter break to catch up to McLaren/Mercedes in that regard. Just to be told the same month of testing, they would need to change it again in 5 months time.DJ Downforce wrote: ↑Tue Feb 04, 2025 5:38 pmUhhh why the panic? Surely McLaren will be screwed with this rule and Ferrari only introduced a flexi wing later on. Red bull are likely the beneficiaries here.
I can understand the anger rather than panic though, the FIA constantly makes stupid decisions and rash changes. Nikolas T is awful, the 2026 cars will be terrible!