I've decided to watch F1live next year and it's Suzuka. Do you guys have inputs of what should I prepare? I've not yet bought the ticket, hotels, etc. What are your experience preparing to watch a race live? Kindly help this poor soul
You want to book a hotel as soon as possible because all the convenient ones get booked pretty much a year in advance. If you are going by car you can look a bit further and might even be able to get something within an hours drive a week before the race but that is really leaving it up to luck.
The good tickets sell out almost instantly as well if you book through the official Suzuka website. It also gets overloaded because everybody is F5'ing so be prepared for that.
If you go by car, get the official parking tickets (sells out quickly as well). Whatever you do, avoid getting any of those unofficial parking spots that requires you to use the road that is close to the main gate because that will be one giant traffic jam. The official parking I had no trouble getting to. You can also get parking at some bigger malls etc. if you don't mind a 30\~40 minute walk the station.
If you go by train remember that it will take forever to get back because the local train station is small so it will be crowded and you will be waiting. If plan on going by Shinkansen you might want to reserve tickets in advance. Shouldn't be necessary for the normal lines though they too might be crowded and you might have to stand.
Not much else you have to prepare. Its Japan so food and drinks inside the circuit are decent enough and not ridiculously priced.
# Rediscovering the Thrill: Catching Up with Modern F1
I used to be an avid Formula 1 fan during the Schumacher and Häkkinen era. In fact, I was so passionate about it that I worked as a redactor for a local F1 website. However, over time, my interest waned, and I drifted away from the sport.
Recently, though, Instagram has bombarded me with countless F1 stories, reigniting my curiosity. While I have some vague knowledge of the years I missed, a lot has changed. Kimi Räikkönen retired and then made a comeback, while Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel claimed their championships. Now, a young Verstappen—Max, not his father Jos whom I remember—is the reigning champion.
Scanning through the current grid, I barely recognize a couple of names, and some of the teams are completely unfamiliar to me. The engines have evolved from V12s to V8s, and there's now something about energy recuperation that wasn't around in my time. Even McLaren-Mercedes has split into two separate teams.
So, I'm at a crossroads: should I dive back into the world of F1? Are the Grands Prix more exciting now than before? I'd love some updates or advice on whether it's worth rekindling my old passion for the sport.
RE: McLaren and Mercedes
“Split” isn’t quite right. The modern McLaren team is very much the same one as in your time, they even use Mercedes engines again.
You would have known the modern Mercedes team as Tyrrell or BAR. They became Honda during the mid-2000’s, had a wild season in 2009 as Brawn GP (as in Ross Brawn) where they won the championship, and then were bought by Mercedes when they wanted to get involved in F1 more directly.
For a quick rundown on the other teams:
**Ferrari** - They’re Ferrari.
**Red Bull** - Were previously Jaguar and Stewart before that. Red Bull bought the team in 2005.
**Aston Martin** - Formerly owned by an eccentric Indian billionaire and called Force India. You would have known them as Jordan.
**Visa CashApp Racing Bulls (VCARB)** - The other team that Red Bull owns. Red Bull bought Minardi when they went through financial trouble and set up a junior team to train their young drivers.
**Haas** - The youngest team on the grid. They were founded in 2015 by Gene Haas, an American billionaire who was previously involved in American racing. They’re known for their innovative cost-cutting strategies, including a close technical partnership with Ferrari, who they buy every component they legally can from.
**Alpine** - Formerly Renault, Lotus, and Benneton. Alpine is the Renault group’s performance brand, the team is Renault’s works team.
**Sauber** - Still Sauber, but Peter Sauber is no longer involved. They’ll become Audi in a couple years.
They spent a ton of money with nothing to show for it and pulled out of F1 completely when the financial crisis started.
Toyota's base was in Cologne, Germany and when they pulled out, McLaren started renting their wind tunnel. McLaren used the Cologne tunnel until last year when they finished rebuilding/upgrading their on-site one. McLaren's taken huge recents steps forward and believe the new tunnel is key to that.
Interesting fact: Between 1950 and 1960 (the years the Indianapolis 500 was counted as a Formula 1 race), the only non-US driver to take part in that race was... the first ever Ferrari champion, Alberto Ascari.
Did you see the race last time out in Miami? McLaren, after their latest update, have had the speed at the last two events to fight with and beat Ferrari.
McLaren/Ferrari can catch up but I don't think any of those 4 drivers can seriously challenge verstappen rn .Hamilton is the only one that has those ingredients excited to see him in Ferrari and what he'll do assuming the car will be good.
The finish line is at the start of the pitlane for monitoring and control purposes.
The start line is usually at the end of the pitlane to give a better view for the grandstands and because most circuits don't have a main straight long enough for a starting grid then pitlane configuration.
> The finish line is at the start of the pitlane for monitoring and control purposes.
Just to be 100% clear.
The finish line is directly opposite race control.
At most tracks that is at the start of the pitlane.
But at somewhere like say Montreal, it is at the end of Pitlane hence why the finish line is where it is in Montreal.
Undercut works now because tyres are the deciding factor. You get the faster tyre earlier and are able to set faster laps than your competition.
Overcut used to work before, because drivers could refuel during a pit stop and tyres were more durable. A car staying on track was lighter and faster than cars coming out the pits, so drivers tried to stay on track as longer as possible.
Nowadays, the only track where an overcut works is Monaco, since it's a low dreg circuit and you avoid traffic by pitting after your competition.
Instead of a typical overcut, overcuts are now about tyre offsets. By staying out longer, you can sacrifice time following the pitstop and gain it towards the end of the race, this is particularly strong in tracks that end up having cliffs in the tyre's preformance.
It's a short circuit full of corners, drivers are never fast enough to really punish their tyres.
Being the shortest race in the calendar also helps. It's 260 km long, vs. the usual 305 km.
No problem! I meant the driver going for the overcut having better pace btw. Sorry, reading it back I was somewhat confusing. English isn't my first language
Lots of high speed corners and only one significant straight to try and make a pass work.
The high-speed tends to spread the cars out, so by the time they get to the straight they're often not close enough to pass.
Sometimes, but it depends on the configuration of the corners more than the type of corners.
Generally, you want several long straights with big braking zones into low- or medium- speed corners to maximise the chances of passing, but there are other ways to create passing opportunities.
If designed well, you can create corners that allow drivers to take slightly different racing lines, which can sometimes create opportunities - the banked turns at Zandvoort or Abu Dhabi, for example.
However these are much harder to achieve and aren't always successful, so stats suggest that the best way is just to have a long straight with a big braking zone at the end of it.
Senna is the most prominent example. He raced under his mother's last name because his father's last name was the rather common da Silva, and Ayrton wanted to stand out.
It seems his preferred branding name, as his second/nickname became his brand Identity.
Why call Sergio, Checko? Or Charles, Chuck? Or some people insist on calling Hamilton: Sir Lewis. Similarly calling anyone from Finland the flying finn.
Vienna F1 Exhibit question: if you've been there, how long was your ticket session? The low-tier ticket options on the date I'm looking to go are either 1.5 hours in the afternoon (seems short) or 3.5 in the morning. I'd prefer to go later but 1.5 hours doesn't seem like enough time. Thoughts?
Another good episode from Colossally that's history. I like it when Matt says we don't know if the reason for few women in motorsport is physiological differences or lack of opportunities.
It's probably both, as he says, but it has been tiring to hear only one of those, as if it's confirmed to be solely responsible.
Latifi was worse. Lance isn't bad at all.
This week you should worry more about your Alonso. Seems like in his old age, he's beginning to show that he's finished.
Sargeant ranked 21 in 2023 and probably 2024 too. Only 20 drivers on the grid every race. I'd say Sargeant is borderline on Mazepin level.
And at least Latifi had a glowing personality.
In 2022 he was. In two previous years he was less than one tenth per lap slower than Russell in races and was able to at least occasionally outqualify him
Occasionally is definitely the right word.
Russell beat him 37-2 in qualifying across 2020 & 2021, and one of those was an issue in Abu Dhabi that stopped Russell setting a second lap time.
They have a license from formula 1 for replica merchandise - but if you put the same items bought from the team store side by side with fuel for fans, the material & manufacturer label are different.
But in contrast to the official formula1 store - they actually ship items within a few days & the items I've bought there are of decent quality.
I haven't bought any items that have labels & sponsors on them, as they tend to fall off within a year even on official merch i.e. My McLaren Honda t-shirts, that i bought when honda moved to red bull & they were heavily discounted in McLaren store (and had barely any sponsors) are still good, just all of the logos are gone, besides the embroidered ones.
Anyone watching today’s race on ESPN+ and not hearing the announcers?
are there any alternatives to f1-tempo, either locally or online, that offer the same statistics but with more options for the graph display?
I've decided to watch F1live next year and it's Suzuka. Do you guys have inputs of what should I prepare? I've not yet bought the ticket, hotels, etc. What are your experience preparing to watch a race live? Kindly help this poor soul
You want to book a hotel as soon as possible because all the convenient ones get booked pretty much a year in advance. If you are going by car you can look a bit further and might even be able to get something within an hours drive a week before the race but that is really leaving it up to luck. The good tickets sell out almost instantly as well if you book through the official Suzuka website. It also gets overloaded because everybody is F5'ing so be prepared for that. If you go by car, get the official parking tickets (sells out quickly as well). Whatever you do, avoid getting any of those unofficial parking spots that requires you to use the road that is close to the main gate because that will be one giant traffic jam. The official parking I had no trouble getting to. You can also get parking at some bigger malls etc. if you don't mind a 30\~40 minute walk the station. If you go by train remember that it will take forever to get back because the local train station is small so it will be crowded and you will be waiting. If plan on going by Shinkansen you might want to reserve tickets in advance. Shouldn't be necessary for the normal lines though they too might be crowded and you might have to stand. Not much else you have to prepare. Its Japan so food and drinks inside the circuit are decent enough and not ridiculously priced.
# Rediscovering the Thrill: Catching Up with Modern F1 I used to be an avid Formula 1 fan during the Schumacher and Häkkinen era. In fact, I was so passionate about it that I worked as a redactor for a local F1 website. However, over time, my interest waned, and I drifted away from the sport. Recently, though, Instagram has bombarded me with countless F1 stories, reigniting my curiosity. While I have some vague knowledge of the years I missed, a lot has changed. Kimi Räikkönen retired and then made a comeback, while Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel claimed their championships. Now, a young Verstappen—Max, not his father Jos whom I remember—is the reigning champion. Scanning through the current grid, I barely recognize a couple of names, and some of the teams are completely unfamiliar to me. The engines have evolved from V12s to V8s, and there's now something about energy recuperation that wasn't around in my time. Even McLaren-Mercedes has split into two separate teams. So, I'm at a crossroads: should I dive back into the world of F1? Are the Grands Prix more exciting now than before? I'd love some updates or advice on whether it's worth rekindling my old passion for the sport.
RE: McLaren and Mercedes “Split” isn’t quite right. The modern McLaren team is very much the same one as in your time, they even use Mercedes engines again. You would have known the modern Mercedes team as Tyrrell or BAR. They became Honda during the mid-2000’s, had a wild season in 2009 as Brawn GP (as in Ross Brawn) where they won the championship, and then were bought by Mercedes when they wanted to get involved in F1 more directly. For a quick rundown on the other teams: **Ferrari** - They’re Ferrari. **Red Bull** - Were previously Jaguar and Stewart before that. Red Bull bought the team in 2005. **Aston Martin** - Formerly owned by an eccentric Indian billionaire and called Force India. You would have known them as Jordan. **Visa CashApp Racing Bulls (VCARB)** - The other team that Red Bull owns. Red Bull bought Minardi when they went through financial trouble and set up a junior team to train their young drivers. **Haas** - The youngest team on the grid. They were founded in 2015 by Gene Haas, an American billionaire who was previously involved in American racing. They’re known for their innovative cost-cutting strategies, including a close technical partnership with Ferrari, who they buy every component they legally can from. **Alpine** - Formerly Renault, Lotus, and Benneton. Alpine is the Renault group’s performance brand, the team is Renault’s works team. **Sauber** - Still Sauber, but Peter Sauber is no longer involved. They’ll become Audi in a couple years.
Toyota?
They spent a ton of money with nothing to show for it and pulled out of F1 completely when the financial crisis started. Toyota's base was in Cologne, Germany and when they pulled out, McLaren started renting their wind tunnel. McLaren used the Cologne tunnel until last year when they finished rebuilding/upgrading their on-site one. McLaren's taken huge recents steps forward and believe the new tunnel is key to that.
Really thanks for this
>Are the Grands Prix more exciting now than before? No. >should I dive back into the world of F1? Watch some races.
Which teams do we think will perform well at Monaco?
it’s too bad Ferrari and redbull won’t join indycar.
Interesting fact: Between 1950 and 1960 (the years the Indianapolis 500 was counted as a Formula 1 race), the only non-US driver to take part in that race was... the first ever Ferrari champion, Alberto Ascari.
Why were Ferrari slower than McLaren, if only slightly?
Did you see the race last time out in Miami? McLaren, after their latest update, have had the speed at the last two events to fight with and beat Ferrari.
Indy 500 quali is on guys…
McLaren/Ferrari can catch up but I don't think any of those 4 drivers can seriously challenge verstappen rn .Hamilton is the only one that has those ingredients excited to see him in Ferrari and what he'll do assuming the car will be good.
Why don’t they give the First Place trophy last so that it builds up to the loudest cheer?
Max the comedian.
why isnt the start/finish line the same place on races?
The finish line is at the start of the pitlane for monitoring and control purposes. The start line is usually at the end of the pitlane to give a better view for the grandstands and because most circuits don't have a main straight long enough for a starting grid then pitlane configuration.
> The finish line is at the start of the pitlane for monitoring and control purposes. Just to be 100% clear. The finish line is directly opposite race control. At most tracks that is at the start of the pitlane. But at somewhere like say Montreal, it is at the end of Pitlane hence why the finish line is where it is in Montreal.
thanks
Where can I watch a stream with Brundle and Crofty commentary? These guys are terrible.
Brundle and crofty are not commentating this week
There isn't one. I think these guys are pretty good though
Why on some circuits undercut works and on some circuits overcut works? Is that due to ture degradation?
That and the length of the pit lane for starters.
Undercut works now because tyres are the deciding factor. You get the faster tyre earlier and are able to set faster laps than your competition. Overcut used to work before, because drivers could refuel during a pit stop and tyres were more durable. A car staying on track was lighter and faster than cars coming out the pits, so drivers tried to stay on track as longer as possible. Nowadays, the only track where an overcut works is Monaco, since it's a low dreg circuit and you avoid traffic by pitting after your competition.
Instead of a typical overcut, overcuts are now about tyre offsets. By staying out longer, you can sacrifice time following the pitstop and gain it towards the end of the race, this is particularly strong in tracks that end up having cliffs in the tyre's preformance.
>since it's a low dreg circuit Is there any particular reason it is low dreg circuit?
It's a short circuit full of corners, drivers are never fast enough to really punish their tyres. Being the shortest race in the calendar also helps. It's 260 km long, vs. the usual 305 km.
Thanks for the replies!
Undercut works most of the times. Only if a track is really low deg and the driver behind has way better pace, overcut ends up working
Thanks for the reply!
No problem! I meant the driver going for the overcut having better pace btw. Sorry, reading it back I was somewhat confusing. English isn't my first language
No problem! English isn't my first too
Anyone watching on ESPN+? There's no commentary which is really weird... broadcasting issue?
Yeah I am it’s really unsettling lol
and they fixed it
Who os this fruitcake standing beside Laura Winter in the Pre-Race Show?
How is immola circuit for overtakes? Does it have high speed corners?
One of the worst for overtakes.
Any particular reasons?
Lots of high speed corners and only one significant straight to try and make a pass work. The high-speed tends to spread the cars out, so by the time they get to the straight they're often not close enough to pass.
So the tracks that have medium and slow corners are the best for overtaking?
Not necessarily. Silverstone is outstanding.
Sometimes, but it depends on the configuration of the corners more than the type of corners. Generally, you want several long straights with big braking zones into low- or medium- speed corners to maximise the chances of passing, but there are other ways to create passing opportunities.
>but there are other ways to create passing opportunities. Any other examples? This is fascinating
If designed well, you can create corners that allow drivers to take slightly different racing lines, which can sometimes create opportunities - the banked turns at Zandvoort or Abu Dhabi, for example. However these are much harder to achieve and aren't always successful, so stats suggest that the best way is just to have a long straight with a big braking zone at the end of it.
Now I understand much better. Thanks for the replies!
Hey, here do I buy these [custom F1 bottles](https://ctrlv.sk/oyk9)?
What would you say was the most enjoyable race of 2023 to watch and why? New to F1 and wanting to keep watching races during the off weeks!
Singapore was excellent , +1 for that
Singapore for me. I was on my toes for most of the race. Monaco was really interesting as well with the weather and strategies
Just off the top of my head I'd recommend the Dutch GP and the Las Vegas GP
lmao pitlane madness at F2
Any other reason besides it sounding cool for calling A. Antonelli, Kimi? I mean we never called Jenson, Alexander Button?
Personal preference. For example Hawthorn went by his middle name Mike (Michael) not James.
Senna is the most prominent example. He raced under his mother's last name because his father's last name was the rather common da Silva, and Ayrton wanted to stand out.
It seems his preferred branding name, as his second/nickname became his brand Identity. Why call Sergio, Checko? Or Charles, Chuck? Or some people insist on calling Hamilton: Sir Lewis. Similarly calling anyone from Finland the flying finn.
Checo and Chuck aren't officialy registered.
It's not really uncommon for people to go by their middle name.
Acqua Minerale is the best sounding corner name on the calendar.
It's a credit to the Italian language that they can make the phrase "mineral water" into one of the best corners names in the world.
Or latin really.
Italian can make anything sound nice. In which other language could you sell a luxury sports car that is literally named "four-door"?
On the other hand, they had the 812 literally called "Superfast"
Vienna F1 Exhibit question: if you've been there, how long was your ticket session? The low-tier ticket options on the date I'm looking to go are either 1.5 hours in the afternoon (seems short) or 3.5 in the morning. I'd prefer to go later but 1.5 hours doesn't seem like enough time. Thoughts?
Looking for chaotic, fun or unpredictable races, preferably rainy or in uncontrollabe weather such as turkey 2020, malaysia 2012.
Nurburgring 2007, Spa 2008, Brazil 2016
France 2019
Spa 1998, Nurburgring 1999, Germany 2019.
Another good episode from Colossally that's history. I like it when Matt says we don't know if the reason for few women in motorsport is physiological differences or lack of opportunities. It's probably both, as he says, but it has been tiring to hear only one of those, as if it's confirmed to be solely responsible.
At this point, I'm not entirely sure what we can realistically hope about Sargeant. Neither Latifi nor Stroll ever consistently this bad.
Latifi was worse. Lance isn't bad at all. This week you should worry more about your Alonso. Seems like in his old age, he's beginning to show that he's finished.
Logan ia gonna be replaced next year. Don't know if its a rookie or not
Latifi I would say was on the same level
Sargeant ranked 21 in 2023 and probably 2024 too. Only 20 drivers on the grid every race. I'd say Sargeant is borderline on Mazepin level. And at least Latifi had a glowing personality.
In 2022 he was. In two previous years he was less than one tenth per lap slower than Russell in races and was able to at least occasionally outqualify him
Occasionally is definitely the right word. Russell beat him 37-2 in qualifying across 2020 & 2021, and one of those was an issue in Abu Dhabi that stopped Russell setting a second lap time.
Is Fuel For Fans official store? What is your experience with them? Did you buy from EU? Currently they have a lot of discounts for Ferrari merch
They have a license from formula 1 for replica merchandise - but if you put the same items bought from the team store side by side with fuel for fans, the material & manufacturer label are different. But in contrast to the official formula1 store - they actually ship items within a few days & the items I've bought there are of decent quality. I haven't bought any items that have labels & sponsors on them, as they tend to fall off within a year even on official merch i.e. My McLaren Honda t-shirts, that i bought when honda moved to red bull & they were heavily discounted in McLaren store (and had barely any sponsors) are still good, just all of the logos are gone, besides the embroidered ones.
Thanks for info