F1 2023 Season

DRS has become a major crutch for car designers as well as the drivers, believe it or not before DRS drivers passed in the corners as well as the straight, maybe not as much during the v8 era. It’s time to get rid of the engine boosts and DRS and go back to straight up racing.
 
But Ocon didn't have DRS. How can a car that had 50 lap old hard tyres and no DRS manage to defend lap in lap out on the circuit with the longest straight in the calendar.

Totally agreed on engine saving modes.

I can't rember who it was behind Ocon, but I am sure that someone used DRS to defend against quicker driver behind as he didn't have pace/didn't want to risk and attack Ocon, as it always happen in DRS trains, when the driver behind the slowest one is not that quick.
 
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I can't rember who it was behind Ocon, but I am sure that someone used DRS to defend against quicker driver behind as he didn't have pace/dodn't want to risk and attack Ocon, as it always happen in DRS trains, when the driver behind the slowest one is not that quick.
Hulk maybe? He was also on 50 laps old tyres.
 
Max had some nice things to say about Checo yesterday:

Really Checo this year, he's really been on it. He's really been performing well, that's really great to see. He's feeling more and more confident in the car. For the team as well, we are really enjoying it. Checo and I, we're having a good time. That is also what is very important. You need to acknowledge and appreciate when someone has done a great job. That's exactly what happened today, and we'll continue fighting for the rest of the season but that's normal. We've done that our whole lives.

Nice to see Perez doing well. He's a little bit disrespected, IMO. Just because he's not as good as Max I think people give him a hard time, but he's a great driver in his own right.
 
He had a good start last season too. Let's hope he can continue this time.
 
Can only hope he wins another title this year, gets bored so fecks off to another racing series.
Doubt that will happen. It's not much of a chore to turn up and drive the best car by a mile, get paid a fortune and take all the plaudits.
 
Prediction League Standings after Round 4
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As much as I like Perez, I just don't think he has it in him to be consistent throughout the season. Max is also the far superior driver, and while Perez is good on some tracks, he's not going to better Verstappen overall. I would like to have a championship fight (even though I would be rooting for Max) but I just don't see it.
 
looking like a wet weekend i in store, hopefully not too wet, we actually want a race.
2023 Miami Grand Prix weekend weather forecast
FRIDAY, MAY 5 – FP1 AND FP2 WEATHER
Conditions
: Expected to be cloudy to start the day, and it will remain dry for most of the day although rain is expected in the evening. FP1: 30°C // FP2: 29°C
Maximum temperature expected: 30 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 20 Celsius
Chance of rain: <20%

SATURDAY, MAY 6 – FP3 AND QUALIFYING WEATHER
Conditions
: A gentle breeze throughout the day but there is a slight chance of rain and a thunderstorms around the circuit. FP3: 30°C // Q: 30°C.
Maximum temperature expected: 31 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 24 Celsius
Chance of rain: 40%

SUNDAY, MAY 7 – RACE WEATHER
Conditions
: High chance of rain and thunderstorms in the Miami area in the afternoon. Race air temp: 30°C
Maximum temperature expected: 30 Celsius
Minimum temperature expected: 24 Celsius
Chance of rain: 60%
 
The FIA has introduced major DRS changes for this weekend's Miami Grand Prix just a week after criticism from drivers including Lewis Hamilton. Two out of the three DRS zones have been shortened ahead of the weekend despite opposition to similar updates in Azerbaijan.

The first activation zone on the run out of turn 11 has been cut by 75 metres ahead of this weekend's race. Meanwhile, the second zone on the back straight has also been cut from 525m last year to just 450m in 2023.

Last weekend, DRS reductions were blamed by many as the reason behind a lack of overtaking. Lando Norris claimed it was "impossible to overtake" while Lewis Hamilton stressed the updates had a sizeable impact on the racing.

The 38-year-old explained: "They shortened the DRS this year down the straight, I don't know why they did that, we have always had great racing the way the DRS was. By the time we turn DRS on, it was too late."

Team-mate George Russell also raised concerns over the move and called out the FIA for making changes without consulting those behind the wheel.

Speaking in Baku, he remarked: "The drivers have had zero input. I've been a little bit disappointed again that we weren't in that loop - I'm not even sure the FIA are aware that we feel that overtaking is harder, yet they're basing the DRS off historic information. It's going to make it challenging to overtake."

Tweaks to DRS zones are being made on a circuit-by-circuit basis although the move could backfire after race promoters demanded more action earlier this year. There were just 45 overtakes in last year's Miami Grand Prix with promoters calling for more action in 2023.


In a bid to improve the show, organisers have repaved the entire circuit as they sought out "side by side racing".

Miami GP managing director Tom Garfinkel said: "The goal we set out was to have great racing, a lot of overtaking, side-by-side racing, and the track we had last year, I don't remember the exact number of overtakes ... but there were parts of the racetrack where there was one line where there should have been the possibility to overtake, and so we weren't happy with that.

"We're going to go through with the investment and expense to go ahead and repave it in an effort to get it where it races better."
 
That's got to be a joke. However with the way F1 is going you can't rule it out entirely...
 
Here are some perspectives from fans who went to Miami last year :

https://jalopnik.com/f1s-us-race-strategy-not-convincing-fans-stick-around-1850374011

Basically, Miami sucked

Another car park this weekend, but they’ve added some real water to the marina, so everything is great. Expecting full on Americanisation, celebs & music. F1 being the sideshow. Probably a ridiculous SC intervention at some point, if the tik tokers get bored.
 
Friends here releasing special liveries and helmets milking the synthwave aesthetics to race on a rainy Walmart parking lot in broad daylight.
 
There is an element of helplessness here. A bit like watching United over the last decade. This sport is changing, definitely for the worse, and there's nothing we can do. Simply because the new casual fanbase likes this pish. It is a hijacked motorsport.
 
Mercedes 1.25s off RB in FP2. Despite DRS distances being reduced.

That’s bonkers.
 
Mercedes 1.25s off RB in FP2. Despite DRS distances being reduced.

That’s bonkers.
New front suspension, new front wing, new floor and new sidepods coming to next race in imola for mercedes. If it wasnt for cost cap a new chassis would have been introduced as well. Hopefully that might bring them closer to RB.

Lets hope ferraris new floor helps as long as leclerc doesnt destroy it by crashing into barriers.
 
Bit annoying how Channel 4 are showing the highlights at 1:30am-2:45am Monday morning. After waiting a month due to no China race, this weekend might as well not exist as quali is on Sunday morning. This happens with all the US races now but before we used to have them on at around 11pm but seems they have decided to start them at later local times which pushes it to the next day in Europe. 15:30 in Miami, if it was 13:00 we could have highlights shown in the evening. Maybe they should forgo this certain amount of time after Sky have shown the race on these occasions. Last year some concert was blamed for the late start.

They seem to be worried about the next generation not watching and ruining the sport with changes yet are not even showing the highlights at a reasonable time on the day it takes place. You're kind of forced into watching 2 mins clips on youtube or just check the results and not bother. I've got used to avoiding the news and spoilers in the highlight era and still sometimes click on a football page and my eye catches who's got pole posted annoyingly down the page. I'm not doing that until the next day, the event and weekend has gone.

With sprint race weekends Channel 4 don't even show quali.
 
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Bit annoying how Channel 4 are showing the highlights at 1:30am-2:45am Monday morning. After waiting a month due to no China race, this weekend might as well not exist as quali is on Sunday morning. This happens with all the US races now but before we used to have them on at around 11pm but seems they have decided to start them at later local times which pushes it to the next day in Europe. 15:30 in Miami, if it was 13:00 we could have highlights shown in the evening. Maybe they should forgo this certain amount of time after Sky have shown the race on these occasions. Last year some concert was blamed for the late start.

They seem to be worried about the next generation not watching and ruining the sport with changes yet are not even showing the highlights at a reasonable time on the day it takes place. You're kind of forced into watching 2 mins clips on youtube or just check the results and not bother. I've got used to avoiding the news and spoilers in the highlight era and still sometimes click on a football page and my eye catches who's got pole posted annoyingly down the page. I'm not doing that until the next day, the event and weekend has gone.

With sprint race weekends Channel 4 don't even show quali.
I only have a sky subscription for F1. If sky lost F1 id dump sky like a hot potato.

Outside of UK you can watch the entire weekend of f1 racing on the F1 channel via official f1 app for £20 a year. Thats all the races plus qually plus free prcrise. You'd have to use VPN to watch it in UK.

https://www.formula1.com/en-gb/subscribe-to-f1-tv

UK link is delayed highlights. But if you use VPN and pretend your in USA you get different options.