The Red Bull provided interview with @aussiegrit makes for a nice bridge between last week end's Le Mans and the upcoming Austrian GP.
Keep in mind Webber is a Red Bull driver and it's very much Red Bull's party line that everything in F1 is broken now and has to chance radically, much like the Pirelli rubber compound in the second part of the 2013 season...
What can we look forward to at the Red Bull Ring? The most likely scenario is a repeat of Canada. The tracks are in some ways similar, slow corners and big accelerations, and F1 has not changed significantly since last year, so the same issues can be expected. Hopefully F1 will get the balance right for 2017.
If we are lucky, Ferrari will be able to do what it could not in Canada because of Vettel's issues in qualifying, that is, put enough pressure on the two Mercedes in front to cause a brake or tire wear issue.
To counter any possible threat from Ferrari, Mercedes will make sure all its client team engines are running as well as possible so look for Williams and Lotus to do well as in Canada.
Some highlights from the inaugural Austrian GP at the refurbished Red Bull Ring. The event was a huge success in part because Red Bull know, better than most how, to organize a great event and partly because they subsidized tickets.
Yeah, there is some RB party line in there but Web has never been shy of telling it how it is, even to those who sign his paycheck. I think his comments are spot on. He definitely seems to be a happier driver in the WEC (as do all the drivers in the WEC compared to their F1 brothers). Happy drivers are fast drivers, and in the biz of motorsport; more entertaining drivers to watch and more engaged with the fans. "Not bad for a No.2 Driver, cheers."
ReplyDeleteAll around I being a WEC driver has to be so much less stressful than F1. for one thing they only have 8 races.
ReplyDeleteThe only question Webber should be answering theses days is - "Hey Mark, how did it feel when Seb ate your freakin' lunch every freakin' Sunday pal?!!!"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Webber ever calls Alonso and asks him for a ride? And I wonder if when Alonso gives him a ride, does Webber ride shotgun with one leg in one leg out Dukes of Hazard style like he did in where was it, Singapore that one year?
Webber - go put some Just For Men on that beard buddy. You need all the help you can get.
I love Spielberg, T1 is a great commitment up the hill and T3 is a right blind down the hill that the rear try to step all the time due the braking and the inertia... t5 and t6 are great full on and looking for the limit all the time.
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that WEC gives moderately successful F1 drivers a chance to go out with dignity. Nice name btw.
ReplyDeleteSo once again someone makes mention of laps times. And once again it's a blatant push of misinformation. I don't have the time to dig up the info, but lap times are currently right up there with the fastest from past seasons.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I recall, the whole reason for constant formula changes is to keep the damn speeds down. Less aero and fewer revs in past years, as well as regular changes to engine specs over the years, all for safety and such. I guess we're just totally ignoring all of that in favor of faster lap times.
Hamstring the performance under the guise of limiting speeds and safety, and then blame those considerations for a lack of interest when nothing else more substantial comes to mind. RBR ftw!
Apples and pears but WEC pole at Silverstone this yea was 1:39, pole last year on a damp track for F1 was 1:35.
ReplyDelete*Nine* races, eight of which are more than twice as long as any F1 race, and then of course Le Mans, which is about as long as eight F1 races. Obviously one driver doesn't do the whole race, but I'm still not sure number of races makes the driving "less stressful" or why that even matters. In terms of stress, do F1 drivers have to contend with cars that have a 400hp deficit? I know there are some backmarker teams, but the closing speeds of a P1 on a GT car are ridiculous. End of the day, WEC and F1 are just different, neither is categorically worse or better. Whatever you think of the "stress" on the drivers I do think it's inarguable that F1 drivers have more pure "skill," but at the moment, F1 is mind-numbingly dull with one team running away from the pack in every race. The only interesting part is to see who might snag the odd pole or an even-rarer victory. As fan of *racing* WEC is where it's at right now. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteclearly you have not been following McLaren Honda :)
ReplyDeleteNot sure that is entirely accurate. Seems a lot of these guys also ply their trade in multiple series around the world (TUSC, Blancpain, etc.). Interesting to note that the LM24 winning crew in the #19 919 all have day jobs in other series. Appears one can still manage a stressful F1 schedule and still have enough left in the tank to put in a masterclass performance in one of the most demanding races on the planet (on his first try). Eventhough it is completely out of fashion it is my dream to someday see more driver crossover it the top series/races around the world (ala Dan, Mario, AJ, Jackie, Nigel. Emmo). Prost Nico!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see that too. What I meant was that the media pressure is much greater on these guys, For better or worse, only the hardcore know the names of more than a few WEC/sports car stars while top Fq drivers are scrutinized in the world's tabloids.
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