2016 Car Launch and Pre-season Testing

neonfox65 said:I’m just not really a fan of Sebastian Vettel or Ferrari—so I'm mostly rooting for pure dominance here. 😁

We’re all just counting down the days until you decide you aren't a fan of McLaren-Honda either, though—but hey, that’s a conversation for another time! 👍

Ever since I started following Formula 1, there have been really only two things I’ve truly loved—Fernando Alonso and Renault. Everyone else... I just sort of cheered for them...

Ferrari might as well take some massive risks right now; there’s honestly nothing left to lose this season. What else do they have to gain? If I were in their shoes, I’d be using this year to run endless tests and just quietly gear up for 2017...
I don't get how anyone can actually wish for another season of this anti-Formula 1 nonsense. Personally, I’d be thrilled if Fernando Alonso—who happens to be my least favorite driver on the entire grid—managed to snatch the championship, even if the odds were astronomical.

Kyle Edwards5 said:Ferrari could just go all out and take some risks—honestly, there isn't much left to lose this season anyway. What else do they have to gain? If I were in their shoes, I’d spend this year testing everything and laying the groundwork for 2017...
I honestly don't get how anyone could wish for even one more season of this anti-Formula 1 nonsense. Personally, I’d be absolutely thrilled if Fernando Alonso—who, let's be honest, is my least favorite driver on the grid—managed to snag a championship, even if the odds were astronomical.

👍

The rules are definitely changing for 2017—specifically with those restrictions on Power Unit development being lifted—so there really is no reason not to take a gamble now and build a solid foundation for the future.

Kyle Edwards5 said:I don't care if someone wants to wish for one more season of this anti-Formula 1 nonsense.

Anti-Formula 1?

Formula 1 is a competition for constructors.
And in that competition, Mercedes is the best.

Convincingly, and entirely deservedly.

Kyle Edwards5 said:Ferrari could easily afford to take some big risks right now; honestly, there isn't much left to lose this season. What else are they supposed to gain? If I were in their shoes, I’d spend this year running more tests and just focusing on building momentum for 2017...
I really don't understand how anyone could possibly want to drag out another season of this anti-Formula 1 nonsense. Personally, I would be absolutely thrilled if even Fernando Alonso—who happens to be my least favorite driver on the entire grid—managed to snatch the championship, even if the odds were astronomical.

There truly is no limit to fanboyism.😵

Jason Campbell70 said:Anti-Formula?

Formula 1 is a constructors' championship. Period.
And in that specific battle, Mercedes is the best.

It’s convincing, and it’s entirely earned.

Look, I'm not questioning Mercedes at all with this "anti-formula" nonsense—props to them. They earned it. Absolutely. 👍

I just don't see how even the most hardcore Lewis Hamilton fan would find any interest in this. This isn't racing news; it's just fuel for forum arguments. 😁

mellowtiger83 said:Yeah, I mean, sure—but he beat Alonso, Button, Rosberg, and even Vettel back in Formula 3, all while driving the same kind of cars.

I think you're getting things a bit mixed up here. You're saying Hamilton beat Alonso and Button in Formula 3 🙄 , but those two were already deep into their Formula 1 careers by the time Hamilton was even competing in Formula 3.
Plus, it's not quite as simple as just "beating" Rosberg or Vettel... I guess if you look at 2004, Rosberg actually finished 4th while Hamilton was sitting in 5th.

Jeremy Reyes4 said:That is nonsense. Lewis Hamilton beat Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button back in Formula 3 🙄 , yet those two had been driving in Formula 1 for quite some time while Hamilton was still stuck in Formula 3.
Furthermore, his wins over Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel weren't exactly effortless. In 2004, Rosberg finished 4th, whereas Hamilton took 5th.

A comma Vettel in Formula 3, for heaven's sake. A COMMA!!!

MP4-31 🙂

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/02/2...ures-revealed/

I honestly don't know where some people get this nonsense from. For starters, I think this current Ferrari lineup might actually be the first one in the last decade that isn't constantly feeding the media these grand stories about success; instead, they're staying quiet and barely saying anything at all, which just leaves the newspapers trying to manufacture drama out of thin air. They finally seemed to settle the team down last year and really sorted out their internal relationships and priorities.

All this talk about things looking ugly or nothing being spectacular... I don't buy it. They’ve just started following the path everyone else is on (finally), narrowing the nose like most of the field, and they've minimized the rear end as much as possible—though honestly, everyone else has basically done the same regarding dimensions lately. There are just some minor tweaks left, and we probably won't see the final refinements until we get to Australia. As for reliability and overheating concerns, I wouldn't worry too much because, from what I understand, they were actually more reliable than Mercedes and didn't struggle with overheating issues. If this organized crew can't make this final small push toward perfection, then they never will.

And like I've said plenty of times before, Mercedes is strong right up until someone puts them under pressure, and once they feel that heat, they just lose their way. In every race where they lost over the past two years, they essentially buckled under the pressure and fell apart. So, if anyone—and this year, Ferrari is the only one with a real shot—starts applying constant pressure, they won't look nearly as dominant so quickly.

Besides, Mercedes hasn't really brought anything groundbreaking to me; they just narrowed the rear a bit and enlarged the upper intake, and that's pretty much it.

Honda doesn't look any more compact than Mercedes or Ferrari anymore; if anything, I’d say they look a bit wider around the radiator area. Those front wheels look kind of strange to me, too, and I'm wondering what those tiny little "fins" are actually meant to do.

Check out McLaren-Honda here. Once again, absolutely zero movement from the sponsors.

It seems to me that Ferrari is adopting perhaps the most aggressive posture of anyone on the grid right now. Of course, when you commit to such a high-stakes strategy, one must wonder if it will result in a complete disaster or a total triumph? Personally, I am inclined to believe it will be the latter, and I find myself anticipating a significant challenge to Mercedes' current era of dominance.

shadowtrucker said:The MP4-31 🙂

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/02/2...ures-revealed/

I dig it👍 As long as it's fast... 🙂

neonfox65 said:I like it👍 As long as it's fast 🙂

I just hope Fernando Alonso doesn't deal with a total electrical failure like last year in Barcelona🙂, because the sheer incompetence shown by McLaren-Honda is fatal.

Ultimately, drivers can only do so much if they have a car that is even remotely competitive and somewhat reliable; beyond that, I’m not counting on anything.

I’ve already stated my position: Alonso will tolerate them until about mid-season at most, and then he’ll show them the door.

graniteharbor502 said:Ferrari seems to be taking the most aggressive approach. Naturally—with a strategy like that—they’ll either crash and burn or hit the jackpot. I’m betting on the latter, and I expect them to seriously threaten Mercedes' dominance.

My take? Mercedes will bump their performance from 70% to 80% this year, maintaining a comfortable half-second cushion over Ferrari. 👍

They'll just have to deal with the whining when Ferrari grabs three or four wins they'll claim were "earned."

Too bad.

WO7

Christian Harris11 said:I honestly don't know where some people get this nonsense from. First off, this current Ford lineup is probably the first one in the last decade that isn't constantly shouting about their success in the media—they’ve actually stayed quiet and kept things low-key. Second, the press is just trying to manufacture drama to write headlines. They finally stabilized the crew last year and got their priorities straight.

All this talk about how "ugly" it is or whatever... it's nothing spectacular. They just followed the path everyone else did (finally)—narrowed the nose to match the field, trimmed the rear end as much as possible (most teams are basically in the same boat regarding dimensions anyway), and made a few minor tweaks. We won't see the final version until we get to Australia. As for reliability and overheating, I wouldn't worry—from what I know, they were actually more reliable than Mercedes and didn't have those cooling issues. If this settled-down crew can't make this small final push, then they never will.

And look, I've said this plenty of times: Mercedes is strong right until someone puts pressure on them—then they lose their cool. In every race where they lost over the last two years, they crumbled under the heat. So, if anyone starts pressing them regularly—and this year, Ford is the only one with a real shot—they won't look so dominant for long.

Besides, Mercedes hasn't really brought anything groundbreaking to me—just narrowed the rear, enlarged the upper intake, and that's about it.

Honda doesn't look any more compact than Mercedes or Ford anymore; I'd even say they look a bit wider around the radiator area. Those front wheels look a little odd, too—not sure what those tiny "fins" are actually for.

Where on earth did you crawl out from?
Has your therapy session been canceled?

Anyone can share an opinion on this forum. You have people who express themselves without attacking others (like me and the rest of the group), and then you have the majority (you and your crowd) who resort to insults, lash out from some hole, and *then* try to offer an "opinion" by quoting someone else.
Next time, try being a bit more polite instead of dismissing everyone else's statements as stupid. It's a bad look...

In my view, Ford radically changed their car for this year, and I think they'll struggle.
In your view, Ford radically changed their car and they might absolutely crush it this year.
If you had just stated your position, my conclusion would be that none of us are stupid, because everyone perceives this new Ford differently. But since you felt the need to call someone stupid just because they don't agree with you, I have to return the favor, even though my username isn't even mentioned here...

It's a shame that such an intellect wastes time on a forum where "fools" hang out because they have nowhere else to go...

So, either stay out of it or be respectful toward others.

Matijaš aka Gooofffy.

Haas just pulled the covers off their new car

🙏 Honestly, I think it looks absolutely stunning

I'm not really a fan; it reminds me of that Midland team back in 2006.