In the round-up: Haas owner Gene Haas believes his team could do even better in their second season.
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"It’ll be just as challenging as it was last year, but I think with the knowledge we have, we should actually perform a little bit better this year."
1000bhp hybrid F1 engine ‘too optimistic’ - Renault (F1i)
"Teams counting on 1000hp may be a bit too optimistic. I think not even Mercedes will achieve it."
"I stopped cycling in the summer to lose one kilo. The next race I was on pole in Suzuka by one hundredth of a second. One kilo is worth three hundredths per lap."
What’s happening in F1? (Joe Blogs F1)
"I know 'fake news' is all the rage these days, but F1 really doesn’t need more than it already has."
See it First: F1 Pit Stop with 2017 Tyres (Mercedes via YouTube)
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Comment of the day
Jay reckons Honda might be about to find the fairway after two years of driving balls into the bunker:
With respect to Honda, I feel two things will aid them significantly.
The fact that they’ve realised their flawed turbo concept is a very goods sign. What we’ve heard so far is that they will adapting a more conventional split turbo.
Secondly, the removal of the token system will be a big help. You can be assured that they will be all hands on deck at Sakura for the foreseeable future. I think only Ferrari will be a match to Honda with regards to the amount of resource they’d be able to expend.
Jay Menon (@Jaymenon10)
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Jabosha (@jabosha)
11th February 2017, 0:15
Man, I love your site Keith. Always reportint some interesting happenings in the world of F1.
Jabosha (@jabosha)
11th February 2017, 0:15
reporting
GR (@gr)
11th February 2017, 18:24
Hear hear
Alex Brown (@splittimes)
11th February 2017, 0:21
Don’t hybrid WEC cars making 1200bhp+? They have to limit them to ‘only’ 1000bhp for Le Mans because it isn’t a grade 1 circuit, IIRC.
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
11th February 2017, 1:07
@splittimes The LMP1-HY cars in WEC are producing over 1,000bhp. About half of the total power output comes from the engine, The other half comes from the hybrid system.
One of the main reasons there able to get so much more hybrid power compared to F1 is that WEC cars have more room (I believe that the battery & other bits of the hybrid system is placed in the cockpit alongside the driver, No room to do that in F1 obviously as its a single seater) & have a higher minimum weight limit they are able to run larger battery’s among other things which allows them to generate & store a lot more energy than what there able to in F1.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
11th February 2017, 1:26
The fact their engines have much more capacity and their fuel limitations are not as stringent as f1’s has something to do it besides the MJ capacity difference.
anon
11th February 2017, 10:40
@gt-racer, the other aspect is that, in the WEC, the regulations for the hybrid systems are written in such a way that it is more optimal for the teams to design the hybrid systems to produce short bursts of high power during the initial acceleration phase to accelerate the car to its maximum speed as quickly as possible, rather than having a lower peak power output that is sustained for a longer period of time around the lap.
Alex Brown (@splittimes)
11th February 2017, 12:29
All of the power comes from the fuel and ICE, as the regen only scavenges what’s wasted. WEC is written to a fuel efficiency formula, so manufacturers can build almost what they like within the constraints of fuel equivalency rules. So fuel efficiency is key, with laptime generated mostly from high top speed a close second. Still, none went for an F1 configuration, and all make more power. But like you say, manufacturers are still resisting the push to put all power train stuff behind the firewall, and four wheel drive helps too.
Man United_Vettel (@siegfreyco)
11th February 2017, 12:09
WEC cars, however, are heavier than F1 cars so their speed should be relatively the same
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
11th February 2017, 0:44
Thanks for COTD @keithcollantine
. Few typos but I guess the message is clear :)
Guybrush Threepwood (@guybrushthreepwood)
11th February 2017, 0:53
Abit-of-bull is a cancer that infects everything he touches. I would not trust anything he says, either for a lack of honesty or competence. Renault will not succeed for as long as he is there.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
11th February 2017, 1:28
@guybrushthreepwood +1
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
11th February 2017, 1:22
As I understand it the new Mercedes power unit that they introduced towards the end of last season is already capable of 1,000bhp for upto 50 seconds when in the full power qualifying mode.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
11th February 2017, 1:33
@gt-racer When manufacturers choose not to discuss numbers so they don’t give out anything on what they are up to and then a sneaky character can’t stop yapping. That Cyril is in f1 to ruin teams, he must only be in f1 for nepotism or anything similar. He ruined Caterham, he almost severed RB’s Renault relationship and still didn’t get the boot and now he manages to stay even though he’s the reason Vasseur left.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
11th February 2017, 6:58
This.. Wasn’t Mercedes already at 1000hp level for brief periods?
I’d bet this year they crack 1000. If anything Mercedes is only improving and improving.
Renault might come up to 900, but does not mean what other teams will do for quali modes.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
11th February 2017, 7:32
I see the limiting factor in power unit power is the energy inside the 95 Octane fuel. This generation of power units is by far the most efficient of any of the F1 engines at getting the most power for the least amount of fuel used, and I’m expecting this efficiency to improve. 1000 hp seems to much a nice neat number.
anon
11th February 2017, 10:47
@gt-racer, it has apparently been claimed that Mercedes have reached that power output in qualifying trim, though that would imply that the engine alone would have to be producing at least 840bhp (assuming that the peak power of the hybrid system was available at the same time as the peak in engine power) in order to achieve that sort of power figure. To be honest, I’ve seen some individuals questioning whether those power figures really are achievable, of if there have been a few people overinflating the figures, just as happened in the 1980’s with the turbo engines in that era, to make it sound more impressive than is the case.
Muniix
12th February 2017, 13:11
The Mercedes power unit with TJI and its ultra lean, means that during combustion it never uses all of the oxygen, so it can in theory, inject further fuel to maintain combustion say around MHR at 10-14 atdc and then cylinder pressures will maintain a higher IMEP without increasing peak pressure, they just need to optimise CR and likely fix the fuel equivelance ratio at TDC to maintain high thermodynamic efficiency.
Just a thought
Muniix
12th February 2017, 13:15
My previous comment forgot to add ;
“As long as they can blow down the cylinder presure before bdc, the increased heat will also provide additional enthalpy to the MGU-h, I would think that they are already doing something like this.”
Being an Australian and it was our Dr Bill Attard who developed TJI!!, just impressed with TJI.
Zad (@)
11th February 2017, 1:23
I think there should be a fixed weight of driver + seat. I always thought it´s rather unfair advantage for smaller drivers. Considering the “one should loose muscle” argument it could even be considered dangerous…
Not to mention the lower weight distribution on the seat whould still be an advantage.
A cheap rule change, but whould make the competition fairer and safer.
Very nice site btw.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
11th February 2017, 18:04
@zad2 You do realize that all cars basically weigh the same?
Zad (@)
12th February 2017, 0:19
Yes of course, around 750 kilos WITHOUT the driver.
So 7,5 kilos are a little below 1 percent performance.
The world champion said 1 kilo is 0,03 sec per lap.
So 5 kilos are 0,15 sec/lap, so its the cheapest way of increasing performance. i think driver weight above 72 kilos isnt accapteble. i really deem it unfair considering the points mentioned in my comment.
Todfod (@todfod)
11th February 2017, 8:19
I can just imagine Horner sitting at home with his palms on his face after Atibeouls statements. Mercedes were incredibly close to hitting the 1000bhp mark last season, and I would be surprised if they don’t cross it in 2017. Heck, I would be surprised if Ferrari don’t cross it as well really soon in to the season.
It’s safe to say though that Renault won’t be crossing the 950hp mark, and Honda will finally be switching to the Mercedes 2014 pu design, which should put them around the 900hp mark.
Micheal (@shakengandulf)
11th February 2017, 9:57
I reckon Renault will hit 950 no problems.. reliable?? Haha who knows.
Joe (@)
11th February 2017, 9:38
Bottas is looking leaner than ive seen before
Strontium (@strontium)
11th February 2017, 9:56
I still don’t understand what’s stopping F1 from having a very simple rule regarding driver weight. Have a fixed minimum weight for the driver (one that is above the weight of all the drivers), and the weight difference should be made up for by putting more weight in the seat.
So say the minimum weight is 80kg, and Rosberg weighs 67kg (according to a 2015 source), he would require a seat weight of 13kg
Source: https://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/f1-height-and-weight-of-the-current-formula-1-drivers?artid=176733
Henrik
11th February 2017, 10:39
Good point but why the bias against males of normal constitution? Why not set the minimum weight of driver + helmet + HANS to 100 kg with a specified minimum metacentric height to insure against a tiny driver with a hefty ballast at the bottom of the seat? (If you include the seat, drivers will perforce have to remove it from the car and take it to the post-race weighing.)
sam3110 (@sam3110)
11th February 2017, 10:05
That Twitter post all but confirms that McLaren are going back to orange then, right?
Tayyib Abu
11th February 2017, 11:07
That was a really fascinating interview with Rosberg. It just shows how much work he put in, all the small details and how much he pushed himself. I can see why he retired. It must have been draining. Chuck in 21 races and the pressure of a championship. I’d love to see an Americas game type show of Rosbergs last season
Josh (@canadianjosh)
11th February 2017, 19:44
I gained a lot of respect for him last year. In regards to your game show thing, no country does it better than the US. HBO could have us on the edge of our seats just seeing the drivers walking into the paddock.
Tayyib Abu
11th February 2017, 20:12
Its not a game show thing. That show is where the Super Bowl winners talk through their Championship winning season. They look at key moments, season changing moments, access all areas. Could you imagine cameras in Mercs HQ after the Spanish GP. It’d be great TV. As fans we dont know a lot about what it takes. Thats why I found the interview so fascinating as to how far Rosberg went.
Josh (@canadianjosh)
12th February 2017, 16:30
I knew what you were talking about, for a whole month before the Winter Classic, cameras have all access into the lives of the two NHL teams. You see stuff you never knew went on. I would LOVE to see an F1 team do this for a few weeks.
Nunu
12th February 2017, 6:41
Please let Haas have a fast car this season- could be so fun if Mclaren and RBR/ Renault got left behind….
Eddie
13th February 2017, 16:23
Haas probably is thinking something like “the car can be worse than the last one, but we got two drivers now”.