Formula One ( F1 )

So, there's heavy speculation that Alonso might be at Red Bull next year, but in the BBC after-race interview, Vettel actually says that he would prefer Kimi. Interesting. I think Alonso is the best racer in Formula 1 right now, and maybe Vettel has concerns. Also, maybe Vettel thinks that he would be faster than Kimi and so doesn't feel threatened......and I agree this might be true. But Alonso also wishes teams to make him their number one driver, so again, this would be a huge tension if Vettel isn't scoring as many points as Alonso.

Success may come down to the engines. McLaren are getting Honda in 2015 but will still be with Mercedes for 2014, Mercedes will have their own, Ferrari will be one to watch, as I predict massive disappointment for them. Red Bull will have Renault engines, so if Alonso or Kimi go there, I'll bet the power figures are looking good.

My prediction is - if Kimi goes to Red Bull, he won't be as fast as Vettel, but he may score more points. It would be close. If Alonso goes to Red Bull, I think he would definitely outscore Vettel. Over one lap, Vettel would be faster, but over a whole season, I think Alonso would beat him.

Agreed.

And that pathetic backhanded compliment has sailed into the lead and has taken pole position!

Aww bless... I wasn't far wrong though: http://sports.ndtv.com/formula-1/news/211544-heartbroken-lewis-hamilton-dedicates-hungary-win-to-nicole-scherzinger What were you saying about pathetic?

Alonso to Red Bull? Don't make me laugh. Never going to happen.

I also think Kimi might just stay where he is. Ricciardo has a better chance at getting the Bull seat next year.

Also talk of Michelin making an announcement this week!

Never going to happen?

Are you Michael Fish and are you still reliving 1987's event?

Why on earth would Alonso go to Red Bull? He does not need to money, he is at a team that is so focused on him they keep on an inconsistent (but potentially fast) number two to the detriment of their constructors title hopes and the tifosi worship the ground he drives on. Yes, Ferrari have struggled* since he joined but James Allison will be joining them next year so they will more than likely have a MUCH more competitive car given the step up in resources available to him.

Also don't forget that next year is a rules refresh, the cars will be significantly different and therefore the form guide that has been built up over the last few seasons is out of the window.

I think that Alonso is playing a game with the press to remind Ferrari that it is him that has brought any success to the team over the last few seasons and to make sure that they deliver on the promises they have no-doubt made to give him a championship winning car.

*By their own high standards.

I think somebody like Alonso would want to leave a legacy. His talent is the best I've seen since Schumey in his pomp. No-one ultimately cares if he was loyal to Ferrari or well paid; he will be judged on the amount of World Championships he's won.

On a separate note, can the 1.6 engines of next year be of any style except rotary? Or do they have to be straight fours? I only ask because Ferrari do not have a background in this, so I think they might struggle.

Um. The 1.6 turbos next year will be V6s. And no other configuration. It's in the regs.

I think somebody like Alonso would want to leave a legacy. His talent is the best I've seen since Schumey in his pomp. No-one ultimately cares if he was loyal to Ferrari or well paid; he will be judged on the amount of World Championships he's won.

On a separate note, can the 1.6 engines of next year be of any style except rotary? Or do they have to be straight fours? I only ask because Ferrari do not have a background in this, so I think they might struggle.

So being a two time world champion is not a legacy? Beating the most successful driver in the history of the sport two seasons running, that is not a legacy? How about inspiring an entire country to start watching and enjoying (albeit in a mildly racist manner) F1?

While he is not yet ready to retire the number of seasons he has left in the sport (at the top flight at least) are limited.

If he went to Red Bull the development of next years car would be advanced enough by the time he arrived that it would favour Vettel due to the amount of input he would have. Why would he waste a season when Ferrari will by all accounts have a much better dev team in place than they have had for some time and he would be racing a car that will suit him as he would have had input from conception.

The Spanish think Alonso's a cunt though. The Italians love him, obviously. Mind you, they did like Schumacher. And Hitler...

The Spanish think Alonso's a cunt though.

Really, why is this?

Because of an interview he gave years ago.

He was asked if he had anything to say to his fans back home and he said "I have nothing to say to people in Spain".

It's why the Spanish always go mental when anyone else wins.

Because of an interview he gave years ago.

He was asked if he had anything to say to his fans back home and he said "I have nothing to say to people in Spain".

Oops, PR blunder.

So being a two time world champion is not a legacy? Beating the most successful driver in the history of the sport two seasons running, that is not a legacy? How about inspiring an entire country to start watching and enjoying (albeit in a mildly racist manner) F1?

While he is not yet ready to retire the number of seasons he has left in the sport (at the top flight at least) are limited.

If he went to Red Bull the development of next years car would be advanced enough by the time he arrived that it would favour Vettel due to the amount of input he would have. Why would he waste a season when Ferrari will by all accounts have a much better dev team in place than they have had for some time and he would be racing a car that will suit him as he would have had input from conception.

All very easy to answer. He would not consider being twice world champion to be legacy enough. He had the talent for 5 world championships, much less two. He would rightfully be feeling quite shortchanged by now.

He would certainly leave Ferrari if he felt another team brought him much closer to a world championship.....and had the chance of having a much faster car.

The comment about development time suiting a driver made me smile, because quite a few people couldn't see that Nico had a huge advantage over Lewis for this very reason. I'm glad you pointed it out.

Um. The 1.6 turbos next year will be V6s. And no other configuration ion. It's in the regs.

That's a bit boring. I hadn't read the regs, clearly. I only knew of the engine size. I suppose it's not a dead loss for Ferrari, because though they will not be able to offer a 1.6 litre engine to their adoring public, a 3.2 litre V12 sounds very saleable.

The capacity and the engine layout are the least interesting bit- the exciting part is the turbine - no wastegate, excess boost pressure avoided by a kinetic recovery system (aka a Dynamo) on the shaft, boost threshold/onset changed by spooling the turbo via the same mechanism before exhaust pressure has built up etc etc.

If any of this stuff could be transferred to the road cars it'd be awesome.

That's a bit boring. I hadn't read the regs, clearly. I only knew of the engine size. I suppose it's not a dead loss for Ferrari, because though they will not be able to offer a 1.6 litre engine to their adoring public, a 3.2 litre V12 sounds very saleable.

You cannot take an engine out of a F1 car and put it in a road car, the engineering tolerances are too fine. Who would want to spend a fortune on a road car that needed to have the engine warmed for hours before starting it?

While some of the technology will be adapted to road car use it is a lot more complex than welding two F1 engines together and selling it as a 3.2 litre V12.

Ok, it's fascinating from an engineering perspective, but I don't find any of that to be exciting. I'd be excited if the engines could have been of any configuration, but the same size. We'd have had V6, straight 6, flat 6, boxer, desmodromic, opposed twin. Straight 5, straight 4, V4, etc etc etc. Now, that would be exciting to me.

All of that (engine layout) stuff has been done before though- you can find examples in all sorts of vehicles.

The turbo stuff is truly groundbreaking - that's the exciting bit.

If, for example, you could create a power unit with the driveability of a 7 litre V12 but the packaging requirements of a V-twin then that, transferred to a road car, gives you a huge advantage- layout, weight, etc etc.

Advances in technology is great, but it's boring to me in this guise. Some old school stuff is more exciting to me, like the sound that different engines make, and the way they look. Formula 1 is an entertainment sport and technological advances like this are useful, but I find drying paint to be an equal spectacle. Hearing different engines go past, now that is an orchestra for the ears. Sorry for not being as enthused as you are.

You'll largely be hearing turbine noise with the new engines- layout won't affect that.

About the Alonso / Red Bull natter.

As usual, Joe Saward talks a lot of sense: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/smoke-and-mirrors-in-f1/

Kimi not going to Red Bull.

Good.

What about 'rarri?

He already has that t-shirt.