[Biscione]

Rule changes for 2019:

https://twitter.com/F1/status/1078245359422300161

 

[mhemsley]

Biscione - thanks for sending that. Interesting, simpler wings are a good thing, but I wonder if they're simpler enough to allow better overtaking. Guess we'll see when the cars hit the tarmac in Australia.

Mike

 

[Dave De Rosier]

Welp, signing up for this now! Hopefully we will see more excitement this year.

 

[Biscione]

Maranello (Italy), 7 January, 2019

After four years of untiring commitment and dedication, Maurizio Arrivabene is leaving the team. The decision was taken together with the company’s top management after lengthy discussions related to Maurizio’s long term personal interests as well as those of the team itself.

 

[Del]

Interesting comment from Franz Tost, saying that reducing F1 downforce levels would make it easier for cars to follow, harder to drive through the corners and increase braking distances to promote overtaking.

For me, this would make watching F1 much more fun, and I suspect it would take more driver skill to control the car when it is more likely to slide/drift. Plus, the significantly reduced wake would also make it easier for cars to pass.

Increasing aero downforce is a dead end practice. F1 is slowly beginning to realize that. Far too many aero devices hung on the cars now, including worrying about ground clearance height, etc. The cars have become pretty weird, with wings, fins, boards underneath, what the hell. I say strip all that cr*p off but keep the very safe body.

 

[mhemsley]

Del - I completely agree! All the aero crap attached is spoiling the racing. Speeds and cornering are more spectacular, but close racing is what enthusiasts want.

Mike

 

[Del]

I don't even think the present day cornering is as spectacular, no technique really visible for the most part, as when I see old films of F1 racing, it was fun to watch the cars do more obvious drifting (oh, for sure not the stupid car drifting smoke contests you see today in some circles) side by side in sweeper turns, the drivers visibly working to show their skills, and much passing back and forth without the problems of today.

 

[alfa-sport]

Alfa Romeo Racing

Alfa Romeo Racing.
The Italian car manufacturer returned to F1 last season after an absence of more than 30 years, signing a multi-year technical and commercial partnership with Sauber.
And this year, as the team embark on the 2019 season with an all-new driver line-up of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, …..

“It is a pleasure to announce that we will enter the 2019 Formula One World Championship with the Team name Alfa Romeo Racing," said Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal at Alfa Romeo Racing.



https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.sauber-become-alfa-romeo-racing-for-2019-f1-season.qitME3QrTxzCaiUXEBDNx.html

 

[mhemsley]

Badge engineering, but I hope they continue to improve. I do smile when I see the badge in a race again.

Mike

 

[iachella]

I want a tshirt with both F1 and Alfa Romeo on it. Now I can have it.

You just have to think if they get podiums, that is essentially a win. Or if both Ferraris have technical difficulties or incidents and AR finds themselves near the front, they have something to push for. I don't pay much attention to the midfield teams, but now I might. Haas hasn't done a lot lately. Maybe that one should be renamed Maserati.

Oh, and there are Alfa Romeo engineers on the team. That was one of the original agreements.

I wonder if the cloverleaf will be removed from the Ferrari coveralls.

 

[mhemsley]

"I want a tshirt with both F1 and Alfa Romeo on it. Now I can have it."

Let us all know when you find that shirt. The stuff Sauber has on their website is quite pricey.

A podium would be wonderful - getting points on a regular basis would be great. It's not going to be easy though, depending on how well the Honda engine does in the Toro Rosso and Red Bull cars, not to mention Renault and whatever Force India is going to be called. And Haas also has the Ferrari engine. At least our team should do better than Williams and McLaren for sure.

Mike

 

[Vivace]

Oh, and there are Alfa Romeo engineers on the team. That was one of the original agreements.

Agreed on the podiums. And the T shirt!

Where did you see information about AR engineers? I've only seen info that said "ownership and management of Sauber will remain unchanged." That this is just a further financial step as title sponsor for AR.

 

[iachella]

The Alfa Romeo engineers were announced a year ago when the sponsorship of Sauber by Alfa first started. Not this year with the full name change. The engineers were supposed to be on the team to help out with the engine tuning and other things. I don't have a reference as this was a year ago. I don't have any more info than that, but I am completely sure I read that as it made me feel Sauber had a more legitimate connection to Alfa, and not just a name sponsorship.

If this is not the case anymore, or was never actually the case, and a reporter got it wrong, I don't know. But again, this was not this years announcement. "ownership and management of Sauber will remain unchanged." would not change that if it was the case a year ago.

 

[mhemsley]

Stafano:

I remember that announcement about Alfa engineers too. It was early last year when we were just learning about Sauber Alfa Romeo.

Mike

 

[Vivace]

Well that makes me feel better about it!

- Also Mike

 

[sloboy89]

Alfa’s involvement last year seemed to have some benefit. The team was pretty bad at the beginning of the season and continued to improve relative to the other (non-Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull) teams.

 

[Vivace]

BBC preview of 2019 -

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/46911169

 

[Del]

Today Sauber is considering full Fiat/Chrysler ownership.

 

[Vivace]

That'll be nice - a big Dodge truck ad across the side of the cars......

 

[Vivace]

HAAS is the first to unveil their 2019 design and revised bodywork. They've signed with an energy drink sponsor to share the cost, and the sponsor gets naming rights. It's a little bit JPS.

What is the fin behind the airbox for? They've varied in shape and length for years. Is it a functional vertical stabilizer, like Le Mans prototypes? Advertising space? These cars would look so much better if the rear profile sloped down along the airbox. Also, what is all the space between the engine and the rear axle centerline for? A mid-rear engine with transaxle doesn't need that much length. Is that part of the packaging of the "power units" with electrical components? The wheelbase is SO long - that's part of the awkwardness of these.