Formula 1

EDDIE IRVINE ON F1

Posted on June 6, 2015



I’ve spent a lot of time giving out about Formula 1 this season. Watching Formula 1 in 2015 has had a conflicted feel to it. While Endurance racing has continued to boom into what is fast becoming a Golden Era, Formula 1 is a car heading for a cliff, while its occupants fight over what music they’re listening to.

Ever get that helpless feeling when you watch someone you care about make decisions you know aren’t going to end well?  Well, that’s pretty much the sinking feeling I got when the Strategy Group emerged with their proposals.

Aggressive Aero – Great!
Wider, Faster Cars – Fantastic!
Pitstops – Hold on….
Customer/Franchise Cars – WTF?!

Yes, we all want faster & better looking cars. As decision making goes, you’d imagine that would have been pretty straightforward. Let’s pretend that refuelling wasn’t banned on safety grounds and the fact that it resulted in racing being won “in the pits”. However if you wanted  to showcase why Independent teams needed full representation it was served out with a big “F*ck you” by Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren & Williams. Presumably Force India were told to put the phone away as they tried to get the news out to Lotus, Sauber & Manor.

Meanwhile Lotus, Sauber & Manor were sat outside cursing the “splitters”

http://youtu.be/gb_qHP7VaZE

Factory backed teams and two teams powered by the best power supply on the grid were never going to deliver the large scale changes needed, but in this case they delivered a proposal that would make doing nothing actually seem like the better option.

Customer/Franchise cars.
Instead of an alternative that makes racing in Formula 1 a viable concern for Independent teams (The very lifeblood of the sport, and something that was suggested by Bernie Ecclestone) we’ve been given a proposal that will wipe out Independent teams as we know them to exist. Fan of Jordan-Hart? Forget that ever happening again. Fond memories of Brawn GP running rampant early in 09 thanks to some clever rule interpretation? Good luck ever seeing that again. Although if you’re a fan of Vettel winning in a Toro Rosso that was actually designed by Adrian Newey you’re in luck.

The Strategy Group’s solution for Formula 1 – Generate more money for the big teams by selling their product to what would effectively be GP1. Wipe out Independent Formula 1 teams as we know them. As the shining beacon of Independent Formula 1 teams I’m stunned that Williams was involved in a meeting that delivered such a solution. A team that has lived Formula 1 as long as I’ve been around to witness it. That have at some point been powered by Honda, Renault & Mercedes must surely know of the need to ensure that Formula 1 does not become a sport only manufacturers can afford. For when they leave it is the Independent teams that carry the sport.

Today I listened to a podcast that reaffirmed what I thought about Formula One. That while it continues to ignore its fans and turn its back on its glorious history, in the pursuit of vast sums of money, it may reach the point when it’s too late to save it. The fans are already turning. Balking at the high cost of a sport that only seems to want them to wring the last ounce of money out of them. Young fans that have been told the sport doesn’t want them because they haven’t enough money. So while the fans turn away so do the sponsors that were attracted to the large global audience that Formula 1 waved in front of them.

Eddie Irvine was never afraid to speak his mind. Thank Christ for that.
For if ever the sport needed to listen to a cold hard truth it is there to be listened to in a fascinating BeanBagSports Podcast.

If you’ve been disillusioned with the direction Formula 1 has taken.
If you’re frustrated with its unwillingness to make the sport cheaper for fans and teams.
If you thought maybe it was just you, because the likes of Sky Sports F1 tell you things are great.

Then listen to this and know that there are others out there as passionate about what’s going on in the sport right now and we all hope that this type of opinion is listened to before it’s too late and the sport we grew up loving is indeed destroyed. Think I’m ranting too much? Compared to Irvine I’m not ranting enough. I hope Eddie is wrong. I hope it’s not too late for Formula 1.

Eddie Irvine: ‘They Are Destroying The History Of F1′
Formula One history is being wiped out very quickly because F1 bosses are more interested in making money rather than promoting the sport.

In a tough talking interview on the BeanBagSports Podcast, the Northern Irishman, who came so close to winning a title at Ferrari was scathing of modern F1. For him it’s already too late “All that history is being completely wiped out when they get rid of races like San Marino to go to some crappy Arab country that doesn’t give a damn about Formula One”, he said.

“They’ve just messed with it so much. I don’t even know the rules anymore and I rarely watch it to be honest. I don’t know what the rules are and I’m not interested in finding out anymore. They’ve just bastardised the whole of Formula One for the sake of chasing viewers that never arrived. They didn’t care about the fans who knew the history and the circuits and those who really worshiped the way it was. Instead they went off chasing the latest fad”, he said.

“They’ve made overtaking easier. What’s the point in making it easier because now it’s not as valuable. In the past, when someone made an overtaking manoeuvre people would think to themselves ‘wow, that was amazing’.

I remember when Lewis Hamilton first came into F1, some of the manoeuvres he pulled off were quite incredible but that’s all gone now as everyone is overtaking.”

“They are trying to make it easier and more entertaining but that actually makes it less worth watching. People don’t want to watch the best drivers in the world have it easy. They want to see them get punished for making mistakes.”

“They’ve been messing with something that was great.”

“Maybe F1 has had its day”

You can listen to the entire Irvine interview here

EDDIE IRVINE ON F1

Posted on June 6, 2015



I’ve spent a lot of time giving out about Formula 1 this season. Watching Formula 1 in 2015 has had a conflicted feel to it. While Endurance racing has continued to boom into what is fast becoming a Golden Era, Formula 1 is a car heading for a cliff, while its occupants fight over what music they’re listening to.

Ever get that helpless feeling when you watch someone you care about make decisions you know aren’t going to end well?  Well, that’s pretty much the sinking feeling I got when the Strategy Group emerged with their proposals.

Aggressive Aero – Great!
Wider, Faster Cars – Fantastic!
Pitstops – Hold on….
Customer/Franchise Cars – WTF?!

Yes, we all want faster & better looking cars. As decision making goes, you’d imagine that would have been pretty straightforward. Let’s pretend that refuelling wasn’t banned on safety grounds and the fact that it resulted in racing being won “in the pits”. However if you wanted  to showcase why Independent teams needed full representation it was served out with a big “F*ck you” by Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren & Williams. Presumably Force India were told to put the phone away as they tried to get the news out to Lotus, Sauber & Manor.

Meanwhile Lotus, Sauber & Manor were sat outside cursing the “splitters”

http://youtu.be/gb_qHP7VaZE

Factory backed teams and two teams powered by the best power supply on the grid were never going to deliver the large scale changes needed, but in this case they delivered a proposal that would make doing nothing actually seem like the better option.

Customer/Franchise cars.
Instead of an alternative that makes racing in Formula 1 a viable concern for Independent teams (The very lifeblood of the sport, and something that was suggested by Bernie Ecclestone) we’ve been given a proposal that will wipe out Independent teams as we know them to exist. Fan of Jordan-Hart? Forget that ever happening again. Fond memories of Brawn GP running rampant early in 09 thanks to some clever rule interpretation? Good luck ever seeing that again. Although if you’re a fan of Vettel winning in a Toro Rosso that was actually designed by Adrian Newey you’re in luck.

The Strategy Group’s solution for Formula 1 – Generate more money for the big teams by selling their product to what would effectively be GP1. Wipe out Independent Formula 1 teams as we know them. As the shining beacon of Independent Formula 1 teams I’m stunned that Williams was involved in a meeting that delivered such a solution. A team that has lived Formula 1 as long as I’ve been around to witness it. That have at some point been powered by Honda, Renault & Mercedes must surely know of the need to ensure that Formula 1 does not become a sport only manufacturers can afford. For when they leave it is the Independent teams that carry the sport.

Today I listened to a podcast that reaffirmed what I thought about Formula One. That while it continues to ignore its fans and turn its back on its glorious history, in the pursuit of vast sums of money, it may reach the point when it’s too late to save it. The fans are already turning. Balking at the high cost of a sport that only seems to want them to wring the last ounce of money out of them. Young fans that have been told the sport doesn’t want them because they haven’t enough money. So while the fans turn away so do the sponsors that were attracted to the large global audience that Formula 1 waved in front of them.

Eddie Irvine was never afraid to speak his mind. Thank Christ for that.
For if ever the sport needed to listen to a cold hard truth it is there to be listened to in a fascinating BeanBagSports Podcast.

If you’ve been disillusioned with the direction Formula 1 has taken.
If you’re frustrated with its unwillingness to make the sport cheaper for fans and teams.
If you thought maybe it was just you, because the likes of Sky Sports F1 tell you things are great.

Then listen to this and know that there are others out there as passionate about what’s going on in the sport right now and we all hope that this type of opinion is listened to before it’s too late and the sport we grew up loving is indeed destroyed. Think I’m ranting too much? Compared to Irvine I’m not ranting enough. I hope Eddie is wrong. I hope it’s not too late for Formula 1.

Eddie Irvine: ‘They Are Destroying The History Of F1′
Formula One history is being wiped out very quickly because F1 bosses are more interested in making money rather than promoting the sport.

In a tough talking interview on the BeanBagSports Podcast, the Northern Irishman, who came so close to winning a title at Ferrari was scathing of modern F1. For him it’s already too late “All that history is being completely wiped out when they get rid of races like San Marino to go to some crappy Arab country that doesn’t give a damn about Formula One”, he said.

“They’ve just messed with it so much. I don’t even know the rules anymore and I rarely watch it to be honest. I don’t know what the rules are and I’m not interested in finding out anymore. They’ve just bastardised the whole of Formula One for the sake of chasing viewers that never arrived. They didn’t care about the fans who knew the history and the circuits and those who really worshiped the way it was. Instead they went off chasing the latest fad”, he said.

“They’ve made overtaking easier. What’s the point in making it easier because now it’s not as valuable. In the past, when someone made an overtaking manoeuvre people would think to themselves ‘wow, that was amazing’.

I remember when Lewis Hamilton first came into F1, some of the manoeuvres he pulled off were quite incredible but that’s all gone now as everyone is overtaking.”

“They are trying to make it easier and more entertaining but that actually makes it less worth watching. People don’t want to watch the best drivers in the world have it easy. They want to see them get punished for making mistakes.”

“They’ve been messing with something that was great.”

“Maybe F1 has had its day”

You can listen to the entire Irvine interview here

It's hard to disagree with him. I watch it religiously still but I can't help feeling that these last few years there's something just not right with it. In an era when we've got such fine talent on the grid it's just not on.

I know the vast rule changes in 2009 brought about a Button and Brawn world championship but I can't help feeling that it all started to go a bit pear shaped then. We'd come off the back of 3 superb seasons, 4 if you were a fan of the Alonso v Kimi battle in 2005. For me I'll never remember a season so controversial, so political yet so fulfilling as 2007 was. That was superb. We had some great racing in that season and 2008 was just the same - the most sensational championship battle in recent times culminating in Hamilton's last gasp clinch. But then big things happened in 2009 with aero and then the massive engine changes that happened at the start of last year...well it's all become derailed. Breaking up the Ferrari/McLaren consensus was one of the worst things they could ever have done.

It's hard to disagree with him. I watch it religiously still but I can't help feeling that these last few years there's something just not right with it. In an era when we've got such fine talent on the grid it's just not on.

I know the vast rule changes in 2009 brought about a Button and Brawn world championship but I can't help feeling that it all started to go a bit pear shaped then. We'd come off the back of 3 superb seasons, 4 if you were a fan of the Alonso v Kimi battle in 2005. For me I'll never remember a season so controversial, so political yet so fulfilling as 2007 was. That was superb. We had some great racing in that season and 2008 was just the same - the most sensational championship battle in recent times culminating in Hamilton's last gasp clinch. But then big things happened in 2009 with aero and then the massive engine changes that happened at the start of last year...well it's all become derailed. Breaking up the Ferrari/McLaren consensus was one of the worst things they could ever have done.

They fu**ed about with it too much.
Turned it into something else.

Saving tyres and fuel.
Bloody WEC drivers push harder than F1 drivers nowadays.

Let F1 get back to being drivers attacking in low flying jets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M2lcReHz8A

Let F1 get back to being drivers attacking in low flying jets.

Indeed.

Such an awesome achievement. Still one of the finest sporting events in the world. Well done Nico!

In other news Alonso could be hit with a 20 grid place penalty for Sunday's race in Austria. At this rate he'll be starting the race from McLaren's own base in Woking.

Such an awesome achievement. Still one of the finest sporting events in the world. Well done Nico!

In other news Alonso could be hit with a 20 grid place penalty for Sunday's race in Austria. At this rate he'll be starting the race from McLaren's own base in Woking.

As a McLaren fan, F1 is boring the living day lights out of me these days. Every race the drivers seem to have some sort of penalty, there's barely any pace in the car and reliability is diabolical.

As a McLaren fan, F1 is boring the living day lights out of me these days. Every race the drivers seem to have some sort of penalty, there's barely any pace in the car and reliability is diabolical.

Why must drivers bear the brunt of a fault that is completely out of their control?

Active F1 driver wins in Le Mans.
Tenious link activated.

RELENTLESS ROOKIES. BAMBER, TANDY & HULKENBERG STAR IN DEBUT LMP1 DRIVES AT LA SARTHE AS PORSCHE WIN RECORD 17TH LE MANS

Posted on June 18, 2015



Earl Bamber, Nick Tandy, Nico Hulkenberg.
Three names etched in history as the chequered flag fell on the 83rd running of Le Mans.
At 24, 30 & 27 they became the youngest (average age 27) winning team.
Nico Hulkenberg (Who stole all the headlines as he took the chequered flag) became the first current F1 driver to win at Le Mans since Herbert & Gachot in 1991. (Lotus and Jordan drivers respectively)
Bamber and Hulkenberg also became members of an illustrious group to win on their debut. Joining a list that includes Tom Kristensen (Mr Le Mans) and Alex Wurz (The youngest driver to ever win Le Mans)

They were many other records set this year:

Neel Jani in the #18 Porsche 919 set the fastest lap (Since 1989) to take pole – 3:16:89
Andre Lotterer in the #7 Audi R18 set the fastest race lap (Lap Record) – 3:17:475
Porsche became the first Hybrid/Petrol to win Le Mans.
And maybe more significantly when looking at motorsport in general:

2015 saw a record attendance of 263,500
Le Mans is a genuine festival of speed, a weekend celebration where music is replaced with the roar of engines, and it very much feels like a sport experiencing a golden age. That is not an attempt to dismiss it as temporary but to say that it feels like WEC is the sport that has genuinely embraced a new age of how motorsport is run and experienced.

This race had everything- A titanic battle between the Porsche and Audi LMP1s. The 919s set a relentless pace and as they battled it out it looked like a fight that would punish any error made by the top crews. It was six phenomenal machines flat out trading blows for 24 hours, and it took its toll.

Webber, in the #17 Porsche, had a stop go penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
Dumas, in the pole sitting #18 Porsche, seemed to have brake problems leading to a crash at Mulsanne corner.
The #7 Audi suffered a puncture and then received a drive through for not respecting the slow zone.
Duval, in the #8 Audi, suffered a heavy shunt in the barriers when he got caught out by suddenly slowing cars at a slow zone.
While others made mistakes the rookies seemed flawless.

Yet if you weren’t satisfied with that there were battles everywhere else.

murphylemans04Irish fans had two reasons to pay attention to the LMP2 class. KCMG with John O’Hara, and Murphy Prototypes. KCMG took the spoils for LMP2 with a commanding victory, becoming the first ever Hong Kong team to do so. Yet a team that were fastest in testing for Le Mans showed the other side of the race. Murphy Prototypes looked to be the team to beat after testing, but as is often the case nothing is ever simple at La Sarthe. A crash at the Porsche Curves when qualifying was at its quickest frustrated the team and left them in 8th on the grid. Given the inherent pace in the car the target was still a podium in LMP2.

The team worked hard to get into contention for a podium, but two impacts in the closing stages would highlight something else, something special. Live on Periscope we got to witness what a racing team is all about. They hadn’t got that far to give up and they fought like hell to get the car fixed and out on track to make the finish. Here was something you wouldn’t see in many other top level motorsports, as we saw live streaming change the way we could view the sport. Warts and all access to a team as it refused to be beaten, and as many watched the Porsche 1-2 cross the line it was Murphy Prototypes that followed them to the finish to take a hard earned 5th in class.

Need more?
How about the GT classes.

DH9Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette battled as if they were in a sprint race never mind a 24 hour race at Le Mans. Aston Martin looked to have the ultimate pace and started as fastest GT with the #99. Le Mans was to have no happy ending for Aston Martin though. Battling with the sole Corvette #64 (The sister car had a massive crash in qualifying after the throttle stuck open) the #99 (Pro) and the #98 (Am) would both crash. The #98 crashing out of the race completely on its out-lap with 45 minutes to go. Devastating for Aston Martin Racing and leaving them with only the hope that next year will be better. The #55 AF Corse Ferrari was one of the fastest GTAm cars on the track with Matt Griffin behind the wheel, but coming up to the 18hr mark disaster struck and the #55 ran out of fuel.

Corvette Racing claimed the GTPro win, while SMP Racing, the Russian team run with AF Corse, took the GTAm win from Dempsey Proton Porsche. 2nd place moving actor and massive racing nut Patrick Dempsey to tears.

This race gave us many things. It was refreshing to see such honesty and respect at the top level of Endurance racing.

Honesty from NISMO’s Darren Cox as he saw two cars fail to finish in the LMP1 class and the surviving #22 car not classified for failing to complete 70% of the winner’s race distance. It seems cruel but he was adamant that they would learn from this and come back stronger with an 8MJ hybrid in 2015. In effect they were building the plane while flying it this year. They should also be commended for live streaming all their cars on-board footage on NISMO.TV. Where else would you see top level motorsport like this for free? NISMO also made sure they brought fun to the paddock with a Live Music Stage and a large slide in their HQ.
Respect from Audi’s Dr Wolfgang Ullrich as, with 8 minutes left on the clock, he walked in to DH3congratulate and embrace members of the Porsche team. Where else would you see a team that has dominated the sport in such a way be the first to congratulate the team that has taken the title away from them.

The headlines will say Nico Hulkenberg, current F1 driver, rocked up and took the glory at Le Mans. The cynics will claim irony of 2nd place man Mark Webber who left F1 to get away from Germans taking victory away from him. Those that experienced Le Mans 2015 will have seen something else. A sport that has embraced technology both on and off the track. That has allowed diversity and engineering to shine, while giving unprecedented fan access to the action and it has become all the richer for it.

link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTn-mtFvwwE

Why must drivers bear the brunt of a fault that is completely out of their control?

I'm not sure what punishments could be given to just a constructor for certain things like using too many engines, too many gear box changes etc. By punishing the driver it means that another driver isn't punished by fighting against a car that has had all new parts added while they're having to manage theirs properly.

It's a bit like punishing a club for what the crowd says or does at a football match. It does happen but doesn't mean its either right or wrong.

I'm just hoping that McLaren & Honda manage to get their act together for next season. It has seemed absolutely pointless paying massive money to Alonso just for him to chill at the back in quality and then not finish races. Magnussen could have done that for a lot less!

I'm not sure what punishments could be given to just a constructor for certain things like using too many engines, too many gear box changes etc. By punishing the driver it means that another driver isn't punished by fighting against a car that has had all new parts added while they're having to manage theirs properly.

It's a bit like punishing a club for what the crowd says or does at a football match. It does happen but doesn't mean its either right or wrong.

I'm just hoping that McLaren & Honda manage to get their act together for next season. It has seemed absolutely pointless paying massive money to Alonso just for him to chill at the back in quality and then not finish races. Magnussen could have done that for a lot less!

20 place penalty for Alonso and 25 for Button. That said, watching the qualifying at the moment I must emphasise how much I love the colour scheme of those cars...that's all I love about them at the moment!

I love Austria though. Favourite memory of this track will always be 2003 when Schumacher stormed to victory after losing 15 or so seconds after a pit lane fire. If I recall correctly I remember him doing a middle stint that was utterly sublime as he made up for lost time and grabbed victory from his title rival that year Kimi Raikonnen (who had some problems of his own). Fantastic!

Lewis is on pole again and somewhat surprisingly! Rosberg looked like he had a considerable measure over Hamilton all weekend even at the start of Q3 but then Lewis just pulled out a stunner from nowhere it seems! And then on their last attempts both Lewis and Nico botch their laps. Lewis makes an almost identical to his mistake last year at Austria (hit the breaks and it snapped out of line!) and Nico runs off on the last corner of a hotlap that threatened Hamilton's time. An entertaining quali session!

I missed Q2 & Q3 but glad Nico isn't on pole. He seems so sly and sneaky on track.

I love Austria though. Favourite memory of this track will always be 2003 when Schumacher stormed to victory after losing 15 or so seconds after a pit lane fire. If I recall correctly I remember him doing a middle stint that was utterly sublime as he made up for lost time and grabbed victory from his title rival that year Kimi Raikonnen (who had some problems of his own). Fantastic!

Austria is another favourite of mine mate.

Spa is my all time favourite circuit though.

Great qualifying.

Nasr doing the world of good for my Fantasy F1 team.

It's getting incredibly boring seeing the McLaren's retire pretty much every race.

Fully deserved victory there for Nico Rosberg. Hamilton was never really on it this weekend apart from that one lap in qualifying yesterday. Race settled down after the first and only round of pit stops but there was some good battles today especially from Valtteri Bottas. Delighted that Massa takes 3rd for Williams.

On to Silverstone then.

Before watching this race today, if you didn't think McLaren could get any lower than previous then you'd be wrong. To see this happening to one of the sport's greatest teams and to two of the very best drivers the sport has seen is becoming deeply deeply damaging to F1. For the sake of the sport and the millions of fans who support that team, Button and Alonso something has to be done because their struggles (as well as those of other teams) is wrecking this sport. It's hard to argue that the current hybrid era has been a success. It's bordering on farcical.

Honda “want joy in F1″ as McLaren partnership hits a new low in Austria

By James Allen

Honda’s F1 chief has reiterated the company’s faith in the partnership with McLaren, after the company’s new president witnessed a new low in Austria with heavy power unit change penalties and a double retirement in the early stages of the Grand Prix.

To be competitive, but unreliable is one thing. To be reliable, but uncompetitive is another. But to be both uncompetitive and unreliable – especially after eight rounds – is rock bottom in F1 terms.

And although there is continued optimism that this is the right route for both partners, there is no point any of the key members denying that this is now a full blown crisis.

Fernando Alonso crashed the updated short nose chassis on the opening lap while Jenson Button was asked to retire his old spec car a few laps later.

But motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai says that the Honda board is firmly behind the project and everyone believes that they will challenge the pace setters in the sport. He also said that the reliability problems are “almost fixed”.

McLaren have just four points after eight rounds, by some margin their worst ever start to an F1 season while double world champion Fernando Alonso is still pointless.

It was expected that the new partnership would start with a deficit, as Honda only committed to F1 in spring 2013, while Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari committed when the V6 hybrid turbo rules were drawn up in 2011.

But the return after eight races is far worse than expected; it’s clear that there is a huge push to develop, with McLaren pressing ahead with the short nose car this weekend, but Honda has clearly taken a direction in the last few months to try to chase power, which has led to greater unreliability.

Button admitted after his retirement from the race that it was hard to keep coming up with positive media messages even though the team believes improvement will come and they remain motivated.

“You’ve just got to stay positive,” said Button. “Everybody back at the factory listens to our post-race interviews, and both Fernando and I want to keep everyone motivated.”

“Honda want Formula One, we want joy in Formula One,” Arai said in Austria. “They believe, the chief executive and the board members, they think we need time to win and it is a long-term vision. They don’t doubt our success in the future.

“In races something has happened every day but the major troubles are already fixed and over the second half of the season I expect we will have more progress.

“I think that we will catch up most of the top teams because we already have a plan to increase the horsepower, drivability and control system. We have already planned to apply that in the second half of the season.”

In Canada Alonso complained of being made to look like an ‘amateur’ because Honda’s higher fuel consumption meant that he had to lift from early in the race and while he was battling to keep cars behind him.

In Austria both world champion drivers were hit with 25 place penalties before the race, which not only meant starting at the back, but also taking time penalties in the race.

“These are difficult days for all at McLaren-Honda, in Woking as well as in Sakura, but we won’t let our heads drop,” said McLaren racing director Eri Boullier. “Okay, I admit it, the going is getting tough; but.. when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Alonso’s race was ended when Raikkonen lost control of the Ferrari ahead of him on the exit of Turn 2 on the opening lap, slewing left and collecting Alonso behind, Alonso ended up on top of the scarlet car in the barriers.

“I started well today and made a lot of places,” said Alonso. “Kimi had the prime tyre and he exited T1 with wheelspin and he lost the car on the left and I was on the left so we went both on the wall and I was lucky not to hit him on the head. It was very strange, he lost the car in fifth gear, obviously low grip.”

As for team morale he said, “It’s just team work, we need now. the expectations of McLaren and Honda combination is higher than what we are achieving now but we are moving in the right direction and inside the team we know the plans for the near future and we are optimistic that things will change quickly. We don’t know if it will take two races or six race, but definitely not longer than that.”

The accident triggered a Safety Car and Button was asked to stop the car a few laps afterwards with an intake sensor failure.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/06/honda-want-joy-in-f1-as-mclaren-partnership-hits-a-new-low-in-austria/

Before watching this race today, if you didn't think McLaren could get any lower than previous then you'd be wrong. To see this happening to one of the sport's greatest teams and to two of the very best drivers the sport has seen is becoming deeply deeply damaging to F1. For the sake of the sport and the millions of fans who support that team, Button and Alonso something has to be done because their struggles (as well as those of other teams) is wrecking this sport. It's hard to argue that the current hybrid era has been a success. It's bordering on farcical.

Honda “want joy in F1″ as McLaren partnership hits a new low in Austria

By James Allen

Honda’s F1 chief has reiterated the company’s faith in the partnership with McLaren, after the company’s new president witnessed a new low in Austria with heavy power unit change penalties and a double retirement in the early stages of the Grand Prix.

To be competitive, but unreliable is one thing. To be reliable, but uncompetitive is another. But to be both uncompetitive and unreliable – especially after eight rounds – is rock bottom in F1 terms.

And although there is continued optimism that this is the right route for both partners, there is no point any of the key members denying that this is now a full blown crisis.

Fernando Alonso crashed the updated short nose chassis on the opening lap while Jenson Button was asked to retire his old spec car a few laps later.

But motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai says that the Honda board is firmly behind the project and everyone believes that they will challenge the pace setters in the sport. He also said that the reliability problems are “almost fixed”.

McLaren have just four points after eight rounds, by some margin their worst ever start to an F1 season while double world champion Fernando Alonso is still pointless.

It was expected that the new partnership would start with a deficit, as Honda only committed to F1 in spring 2013, while Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari committed when the V6 hybrid turbo rules were drawn up in 2011.

But the return after eight races is far worse than expected; it’s clear that there is a huge push to develop, with McLaren pressing ahead with the short nose car this weekend, but Honda has clearly taken a direction in the last few months to try to chase power, which has led to greater unreliability.

Button admitted after his retirement from the race that it was hard to keep coming up with positive media messages even though the team believes improvement will come and they remain motivated.

“You’ve just got to stay positive,” said Button. “Everybody back at the factory listens to our post-race interviews, and both Fernando and I want to keep everyone motivated.”

“Honda want Formula One, we want joy in Formula One,” Arai said in Austria. “They believe, the chief executive and the board members, they think we need time to win and it is a long-term vision. They don’t doubt our success in the future.

“In races something has happened every day but the major troubles are already fixed and over the second half of the season I expect we will have more progress.

“I think that we will catch up most of the top teams because we already have a plan to increase the horsepower, drivability and control system. We have already planned to apply that in the second half of the season.”

In Canada Alonso complained of being made to look like an ‘amateur’ because Honda’s higher fuel consumption meant that he had to lift from early in the race and while he was battling to keep cars behind him.

In Austria both world champion drivers were hit with 25 place penalties before the race, which not only meant starting at the back, but also taking time penalties in the race.

“These are difficult days for all at McLaren-Honda, in Woking as well as in Sakura, but we won’t let our heads drop,” said McLaren racing director Eri Boullier. “Okay, I admit it, the going is getting tough; but.. when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Alonso’s race was ended when Raikkonen lost control of the Ferrari ahead of him on the exit of Turn 2 on the opening lap, slewing left and collecting Alonso behind, Alonso ended up on top of the scarlet car in the barriers.

“I started well today and made a lot of places,” said Alonso. “Kimi had the prime tyre and he exited T1 with wheelspin and he lost the car on the left and I was on the left so we went both on the wall and I was lucky not to hit him on the head. It was very strange, he lost the car in fifth gear, obviously low grip.”

As for team morale he said, “It’s just team work, we need now. the expectations of McLaren and Honda combination is higher than what we are achieving now but we are moving in the right direction and inside the team we know the plans for the near future and we are optimistic that things will change quickly. We don’t know if it will take two races or six race, but definitely not longer than that.”

The accident triggered a Safety Car and Button was asked to stop the car a few laps afterwards with an intake sensor failure.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/06/honda-want-joy-in-f1-as-mclaren-partnership-hits-a-new-low-in-austria/

You'd have to ask how they've gotten it so wrong.
Lack of testing opportunities and token restricted development maybe,
but these guys are supposed to be the best of the best.

They can't finish a F***ing race never mind compete with Mercedes.
Meanwhile in the WEC Porsche, Audi (With a WILLIAMS flywheel) and Toyota all did 24 hours FLAT OUT.
Embarrassing for some of the F1 manufacturers, but they demanded this.

You'd have to ask how they've gotten it so wrong.
Lack of testing opportunities and token restricted development maybe,
but these guys are supposed to be the best of the best.

They can't finish a F***ing race never mind compete with Mercedes.
Meanwhile in the WEC Porsche, Audi (With a WILLIAMS flywheel) and Toyota all did 24 hours FLAT OUT.
Embarrassing for some of the F1 manufacturers, but they demanded this.

Great points mate.

The goings on at McLaren have mystified me this season and as you say you could expect a few teething problems with the new Honda engine and the partnership but for them to find it virtually impossible to finish a race is very strange.

Great points mate.

The goings on at McLaren have mystified me this season and as you say you could expect a few teething problems with the new Honda engine and the partnership but for them to find it virtually impossible to finish a race is very strange.

It's staggering.
Seems to win in Formula 1 you need a Mercedes engine.

How have the rest gotten it so wrong?