F1 2023 Season

reading stuff about Las Vegas, track layout and expected cold weather, this race could be an utter shit show.
Temp is forecast to be 4 degress, it's looking like it's going to be the coldest race in the history of F1, cold weather and lengthy stretches without turns could see Formula 1 cars resemble Bambi on ice if precautions aren't taken.
The pit lane exit is raising some concerns

Track layout
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Onboard lap from F1 2023 game. Overtaking could be tough.

Apparently Verstappen's been playing the game and crashing into the walls.

https://www.skysports.com/watch/vid...-max-verstappen-on-las-vegas-track-in-f1-game

 
Interested to see if overtaking can be done on those two long arching straights, could be an unexpected exciting track.
 
Alonso could potentially beat Max over a season. Likewise Max beating Alonso. Its almost impossible to know without them being in the same car. Max maybe in his prime, but Alonso is wily as the wily-est of foxes. Regardless it would a incredible watch.

Alonso along with Hamilton is the greatest driver of his generation. He should have more WDC's but joins the wrong team at the wrong time. I want alonso to win another title.
I think Fernando is almost a complete racer on his own. He has amazing spacecraft, speed, great defensive skills, and experience. No doubt that Fernando can challenge Max for sure even in a full season( not only in some situations), but I also think Fernando is past his best time, and although he hasn’t shown some serious decline like Vettel has before, I still think he lost some of his raw speed that we’ve seen this from him in his prime(2006-2014).

Regardless it would be incredible to watch for sure. However, I think Fernando at this stage will be beaten by Max in the qualifying sessions in a lot of grand prix. Max's raw pace is superior to Fernando's, and Fernando’s raw pace despite I won’t count as his weakness isn’t his strongest strength since he has been here( his stint in Mclaren vs Lewis in 2007 had already shown it).
 
This has all the makings of a really bad weekend.
Weather is looking, lets say less than good.
Saturday, Nov 18: Expect temperatures from 12°C (54°F) at night to 17°C (63°F) during the day, with light winds. High chance of rain, especially in the evening.
Sunday, Nov 19: Cooler at night around 11°C (52°F), warming to 19°C (66°F). Similar light winds, with a continued possibility of rain.
This forecast indicates a cooler and potentially wet weekend.
 
This has all the makings of a really bad weekend.
Weather is looking, lets say less than good.
Saturday, Nov 18: Expect temperatures from 12°C (54°F) at night to 17°C (63°F) during the day, with light winds. High chance of rain, especially in the evening.
Sunday, Nov 19: Cooler at night around 11°C (52°F), warming to 19°C (66°F). Similar light winds, with a continued possibility of rain.
This forecast indicates a cooler and potentially wet weekend.
Less grip can lead to better racing in my opinion. It might lead to unexpected results, and I'd welcome that.
 
Yes correct, just thinking wet and cold, could be a recipe for disaster.
If the air temp is going to be as low as they say, condition will be challenging.
Hang on, thats what we want challenging conditions, BRING IT ON
Ssssooo more desert races in even more challenging conditions? ;)

But yeah, I feel conflicted. Changing conditions in particular though showed what it can do when you look at Zandvoort of all places setting an overtaking record this year.
 
Yes correct, just thinking wet and cold, could be a recipe for disaster.
If the air temp is going to be as low as they say, condition will be challenging.
Hang on, thats what we want challenging conditions, BRING IT ON
It could mean more close up racing as well as the heat coming off the car in front would be welcomed to keep tires at temperature for this race
 
Alonso's burning desire: why age isn't slowing the 42-year-old F1 champion.

Great read

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/...=emailCampaign&dm_i=4DIP,1KSGS,75DNUM,7DVUF,1

It's commonly accepted that F1 drivers get slower as age withers their reactions. But Fernando Alonso is proving that wrong. Mark Hughes explains how the Aston Martin driver's competitive fire dwarfs the effect of his 42 years

As Fernando Alonso answered questions in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix press conference, having staged that remarkable defence of third place against Sergio Perez’s much faster Red Bull, he was asked how this compared to his defensive drive against Michael Schumacher to win at Imola in 2005. “That was easier,” he replied, “because it was non-DRS. Now with the DRS, it seems a little bit different and you have to play things a little bit differently. And tyre management is also very different than back then, where you could maybe push the tyre all the way.”

Before providing his answer, he turned to the winner of the race, Max Verstappen, and asked how old he had been that day. Max replied five (he was actually seven). Which just underlines the remarkable durability of Alonso as a performer from the very top drawer. It isn’t physical deterioration which slows a driver, not at the relatively young age of 42 anyway. Being quick is not about reactions, but feel. Quick reactions are great, and certainly no hindrance, but they don’t buy you lap time. Michael Schumacher, one of the greatest there’s ever been, had his reactions measured when at his peak at Ferrari. They were pretty awful, “About the same as mine,” as his boss Ross Brawn said. In any start-line measurements in testing, Schumacher’s reactions were always slower than those of Rubens Barrichello. Yet back in 1991 British F3, when Barrichello was losing races to poor starts from pole, his team boss Dick Bennetts took him and his other driver Jordi Gene to Santa Pod drag strip to practice starts – and Barrichello’s reactions were consistently slower than Gene’s. Slower than Gene’s but faster than Michael’s which were about the same as Brawn’s… Being quick in the car isn’t about reacting to what it does, it’s about feeling what it’s about to do. If you only reacted to what it did, you’d crash.

...

Otherwise, what slows a driver is not usually age, but simply the desire, the wish to keep putting it on the line, to go wheel-to-wheel with fearless and ambitious young chargers, amid the constant grind, the years of flight-hotel-track-flight-hotel-track, media work, sponsor greeting etc. All the while trying to find ways of improving yourself, of helping the team progress.

That desire in Alonso has always marked him out. Yes, he’s super-fast, very smart and has a sixth sense of how to place his car in battle. But he’s never been the absolute fastest over a single lap, never the absolute best wet weather driver. His peaks are quite rounded ones, but are wider than anyone else’s – and he has so many of them. Desire is the outstanding quality, and it’s been there from the start.

...
 
Wonder what the odds are that any of the teams tune their engine to run hotter with the colder temps and also wanting to probably give a good showing for a GP with this much expectation associated with it. Not to mention the extremely long straight and it's not like they have to save their PUs for many more races. Can imagine a team like Merc just turning it up to the max.
 
I didn't know there will be 0 support races the entire weekend. On fresh tarmac. This will be even more slippery than expected :D . I expect Max, Fernando and Lewis to take advantage of that and am looking forward to see what other drivers can shine in difficult conditions (and I pray Merc have found some way to regain some straight line speed although I don't think it very likely).
 
Wonder what the odds are that any of the teams tune their engine to run hotter with the colder temps and also wanting to probably give a good showing for a GP with this much expectation associated with it. Not to mention the extremely long straight and it's not like they have to save their PUs for many more races. Can imagine a team like Merc just turning it up to the max.
The cold temps are better for the engines. Plus you cant engine maps during a race, only have thd ERS deployment to play with.
 
I've rolled my eyes at pretty much every single mention of this Vegas spectacle but those temps and a completely green track could potentially create some upsets, so that's something to hope for at least.
 
I didn't know there will be 0 support races the entire weekend. On fresh tarmac. This will be even more slippery than expected :D . I expect Max, Fernando and Lewis to take advantage of that and am looking forward to see what other drivers can shine in difficult conditions (and I pray Merc have found some way to regain some straight line speed although I don't think it very likely).
leclerc or norris will probably beat max to pole. Only reason i think that is;

1) RB takes longer to get its front tyres up to temp due to its anti dive characteristics. Wonder if some teams will do 2 warmup laps.

2) RB might have to raise the floor height and scarifice some performance with it being a street track.

I think Mercedes might be screwed again, but to a lesser degree as its a normal race weekend to dial in the car. They need a bigger rear wing to generate more downforce for the rear of the car, to protect the rear tyres and get some grip from the rears. But it means they look like they are dragging a parachute behind them.

Going for a Norris win (obviously it will max, but someone else would be nice).
 
Cloud coverage should keep the ambient temperature closer to 10 degree mark. The concern isn’t the cold now but it’s rain. If it gets wet, it will stay wet. Track won’t dry out
There's a NASCAR track in Vegas isn't there, they do tend to have a fleet of track dryers could come in handy for this
 
Translated from Auto Hebdo

The cold in Las Vegas, this slight detail forgotten by F1 which could have serious consequences

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is expected to be held in winter temperatures not exceeding 10 degrees. Faced with this unprecedented challenge, and unforeseen by F1, the engineers are preparing as best as possible, like Pierre Waché (Red Bull).

“The only thing we didn't envisage at the start (…) is that it's very, very cold at night ,” Ross Brawn said in the TalkSport podcast . So, when the race takes place, that is to say on Saturday evening (in the United States, Sunday morning in France. Editor's note), we know that the temperature can drop to three or four degrees.
So it can get very cold and of course operating cars at these temperatures can become a challenge. »
We're definitely facing new challenges that we've never had before, but I think it's going to be a spectacular race.

The opinion of Pierre Waché, Red Bull Racing Technical Director

“The biggest challenge, in terms of temperatures, will be the tires. The temperatures will be cool, on a track where we don't put any energy into the tires, so that's a big challenge. »

Indeed, the Las Vegas circuit, 6.12 km long, is made up of 17 turns, but practically no sequence of curves. These usually allow single-seaters, in a lateral support situation, to heat up their tires more quickly.
This is what we call in technicians’ language “putting energy” into the tires.

“We do more simulation on this track than we have ever done on others. We try to put temperature in the tire without destroying the balance of the vehicle or degrading the tires, but it is very complicated, because we are a bit blind. We have little data, other than those related to the simulation. Because if we try to fully optimize the car, it will also slip and the driver will not be able to drive the way he wants. »
 
seeing at least one of the drivers seriously maimed or killed will at least be something to do other than watch a max procession. good on formula one for releasing there is a huge, untapped market for the return of gladiatorial style sports.
 
Pit exit, 180 degrees turn, cold tyres.. what could possibly go wrong?


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I hate this line of thinking.

Drive to the conditions. Race to the conditions. If you lose your car on the pit exit it's on the driver 100%. Being fast despite that is what racing is about.
 
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