There is a reason why Nelson Piquet likened it to "riding a bike around your living room". If the Monaco GP didn't already exist, but was suggested now, it'd be laughed off as an absurd idea.
They should make Monaco a showcase event where the F1 drivers and teams attack the course with the most sophisticated go-karts that they can develop over a fortnight.
I’m a little too excited by this idea as I wrote it out.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited April 2019
The hairpin is the part that gets me. The cars barely have enough steering lock to even make the corner. You have to hit the entry PERFECT, and have the right diff settings for the rear end to rotate, otherwise you're just understeering in to the wall.
Fastest lap I've done so far is a 1:25, which is about 15 seconds off "real" pace. To give you an idea, I am normally about 2-3 seconds off "real" pace at most tracks. That's how technical Monaco is.
The hairpin is the part that gets me. The cars barely have enough steering lock to even make the corner. You have to hit the entry PERFECT, and have the right diff settings for the rear end to rotate, otherwise you're just understeering in to the wall.
Fastest lap I've done so far is a 1:25, which is about 15 seconds off "real" pace. To give you an idea, I am normally about 2-3 seconds off "real" pace at most tracks. That's how technical Monaco is.
I don't know if they still do, but they certainly did once have to fit specific steering racks on the cars just for Monaco just so they could turn tight enough to get around the hairpin.
GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited April 2019
Unfortunately the Formula Hybrid doesn't have a steering rack adjustment, that I've seen, but I've been able to get it to rotate with changing the diff a bit. It still requires a near perfect entry. It's an incredibly technical corner.
e: If I can put a lap together that's not a yoke, I'll try and get some video of a VR lap around Monaco in the car.
The hairpin is the part that gets me. The cars barely have enough steering lock to even make the corner. You have to hit the entry PERFECT, and have the right diff settings for the rear end to rotate, otherwise you're just understeering in to the wall.
Fastest lap I've done so far is a 1:25, which is about 15 seconds off "real" pace. To give you an idea, I am normally about 2-3 seconds off "real" pace at most tracks. That's how technical Monaco is.
I don't know if they still do, but they certainly did once have to fit specific steering racks on the cars just for Monaco just so they could turn tight enough to get around the hairpin.
Yes, I believe they do change the steering lock for Monaco so they can make that turn.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
I'm actually asking RSS right now if they can add steering rack adjustment to the car, specifically for Monaco :biggrin:
We'll be moving back to Austin in June, and I have already broached the subject of going to the Austin race with the wife... she seems amenable. We went during the second year of the race, and it was a good time (hellish getting to the track though).
If there is a group of folks in town for the race, wouldn't mind grabbing a drink with y'all.
I really need to get a wheel. And a VR setup. Using an xbox controller in f12018, and when monaco comes up I can't do anything but sim it. I run AI at 100% normally and keep up like I should in an Alfa, but on monaco I'm like 5 seconds too slow with the AI at 75%.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
Heh, I did a search for my posts about Monaco. I still remember this from last September very vividly:
I got to my nemesis track, Monaco, in F12018. At max downforce and sticky tires, the feedback in my steering wheel around the track in practice is giving me a full blown upper body workout. My pecs are screaming at me to stop, but I'm only a few laps in on FP1.
Game is good.
Update on my Monaco race. So I qualified 4th, and as per usual I lost a couple places at the start. Lost a front wing on lap 2 so came in for a new one and fresh tires to get off those horrid hyper softs. Seriously, they take like five laps to get up to temp and then only last for two more laps before you need to shed them.
So I was off schedule on pit stops but after the first shuffle I was like P12, made a couple passes, then a caution and another round of pit stops and I’m up to like P8. Then I start having transmission faults as it is reaching end of life just in time for Monaco, great! But being Monaco, I’m able to block any passing from the train of cars behind me since I still had about 70% pace. Things are working out well enough and before final pit stop time it starts raining! So push as best I can before popping on inters for the rest of the race.
Oh shit, I wasn’t watching fuel, it’s about 10 laps remaining and I’m P7 but almost a lap low on fuel. Good ol’ full course safety car caution saves the day. Fuel saving now but I had to go do adulting stuff so saved mid session under caution with 8 laps remaining. Assuming my car doesn’t blow up I should have P7 locked down. Will be my best finish at Monaco ever in these games.
A reasonable response:
Passing at Monaco, completely unrealistic.
My retort:
If Verstappen can do it by the pool then so can I.
Finished Monaco. My transmission shit the bed with 2 laps to go and I lost a couple positions to finish 9th. Still the best I've ever done. Without mechanical issues, I suspect I would have achieved top 5. Ricciardo won, but for some reason they haven't added him taking a footie during the trophy presentation.
There is a reason why Nelson Piquet likened it to "riding a bike around your living room". If the Monaco GP didn't already exist, but was suggested now, it'd be laughed off as an absurd idea.
Didn't he actually liken it to "flying a helicopter in your living room"?
Anyways - I have finally finished the F1 doc on Netflix over the weekend. Damn, that was good. And in hindsight it was good, that Ferrari and Mercedes refused to participate. I loved the insight into the smaller teams and Guenther Steiners constant swearing was magnificient.
2018 was already a great fight throughout the field, but it seems 2019 is shaping up to be just as good.
I want to see this car full time on the Indy circuit. Yesterdays Barber Motorsports park race was great, and next weeks race at long beach will be amazing.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
I continue to believe that Alonso could win the IndyCar title going away if he raced a full season at a top team. That's not a shot at IndyCar drives, who I think are excellent...that's just how talented I think Alonso is. He gets up to speed with new cars and equipment faster than anyone I've ever seen.
GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited April 2019
So I did a thing with Assetto Corsa and the FH 2019 and put it on YouTube. Some of you might find it entertaining. It's hard to tell from the outside but I'm rocking my boy Hamilton's 2019 livery. Disclaimer: Not the best lap. I can do a low 1:37 here, which is mid-back pack race pace from last year. This was a sloppy lap. I wanted to test my recording levels and my ability to even drive the lap while I was talking. I can tighten it up, but out of the gate talking cost me over a second of pace :biggrin:
I was thinking of maybe doing a series out of it, where I do one for whatever track is coming up next. Probably with a bit more production on the lead in and lead out, talking about the track in terms of how it's driven, with some nice graphics maybe? Obviously with a huge disclaimer that I'm a weekend warrior, not a pro driver or engineer, and this is all for fun.
It does remind me I really need to get off my butt and start a general sim racing/driving thread at PA.
Strong performance by Bottas again, but Hamilton seemed a bit off throughout. Surprised to see Ferrari not quite up to speed. They have an advantage on straights (partly due to engine) but don't seem to be running much downforce so lose it in the corners. Some closely matched teammates in the top 10, expect for Gasly. Disappointing for McLaren after their strong performance in Bahrain but midfield quali seems to be very mixed - Haas were fast in quali last time as well, but had no race pace. I suspect positions will shift about quit a bit in the race.
Strong performance by Bottas again, but Hamilton seemed a bit off throughout. Surprised to see Ferrari not quite up to speed. They have an advantage on straights (partly due to engine) but don't seem to be running much downforce so lose it in the corners. Some closely matched teammates in the top 10, expect for Gasly. Disappointing for McLaren after their strong performance in Bahrain but midfield quali seems to be very mixed - Haas were fast in quali last time as well, but had no race pace. I suspect positions will shift about quit a bit in the race.
Strong showing from the Renaults too, and very close between them.
Ferrari, damn it. Leclerc being annoyed on the radio, after having to let Vettel past, that Vettel isn't fast enough and is slowing him down.
Vettel battling with verstappen again.
I'm obviously quite happy, but let's start from the back.
Kyvat showing why he was dropped out of F1again. Terribly clumsy move that took the McLarens entirely out of the race. Well done to Sainz for recovering to real positions but anything else was impossible. On the other hand a really good drive from Albon from the back to finish in the points. Nice that he got driver of the day for it as well. I really want to see more of the McLaren after Bahrain but they really need to sort their quali pace out.
Other notables - Kimi had a good race with some nice overtakes, Danny Ric best of the rest, Haas went backwards again, Williams remain dire.
Red Bull still slightly behind but comfortably ahead of the rest. Verstappen can at least disrupt the front runners but as for Gasly… Well the sky commentary team are already talking about the possibility of having him dropped back to Toro Rosso. Very premature on that front but he does really need to up his game and fast.
As for Ferrari, they managed to show how to cock up strategy I guess? First off the switch call should have been made sooner. If you think one of your drivers is faster don't make them waste tyres behind their teammate when they could be getting on with it. Likewise Vettel could probably have just went for the straight up pass although granted that might have been hard with the way the Ferrari was set up. After that Leclerc got shafted on strategy. Kept him out way too long to disrupt Bottas on the second round. Vettel was faster all weekend though. I actually really like Vettel when he's out of the car. Despite a disappointing result he was really upbeat and enthusiastic in his post race interview and you could tell he really enjoyed going wheel to wheel with Verstappen (and not spinning for a change).
Merc, well they had the clear edge on pace. An interesting analysis on the sky commentary was that Ferrari are much better in a straight line - so did well at Bahrain because it's a "point and squirt" track, whereas Merc are much better in high speed corners which Bahrain lacks but China has plenty of. Nice to see Hmilton get a good start for a change and it pretty much won him the race.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited April 2019
More about the winning driver than the race...
I hope everyone appreciates how special it is to watch Lewis Hamilton drive now. He's arguably the second best F1 driver of all time, right now, if he did nothing else...but he's well on his way to the victory total and if Mercedes stays in form will have 7 titles (which could be 9 if you look at 2007 and 2016). As with most F1 drivers he won't get his due until he retires, but hes certainly the best driver of this era and in my opinion will retire as the greatest F1 driver of all time.
Unrelated side note: I got down in to the 1:35's at China in the FH 2019, which is mid pack times basically. So I could totes be an F1 driver, right?!
I can actually watch this now. Slumming it with my C4 homefries is definitely more tolerable when the race is on so early in the UK morning, as they then get to put it on at a reasonable hour on the Sunday afternoon.
I hear the C4 coverage is heavily restricted? Like they aren't allowed to do gridwalks, have a "minimum non-race coverage" clause and have to plug sky at every opportunity. On the other side of things, sky have been doing an awful lot of "also being shown on Sky One" races. I wonder if the contract they have stipulates a minimum viewership? Because last I heard the ratings were decidedly "not good" since moving primarily to sky.
C4 has lost grid walks, it seems, but have made up for it by getting punditry from the likes of Billy Monger and Esteban Ocon, and are still getting the interviews with the big names. Other things have changed too; no more Fleetwood Mac theme is a sad one ("The Chain" is just so iconic for F1 on TV). And Steve Jones is still there, unfortunately.
Sky plugs are in the form of Sky showing up in ad breaks and a mention at the end for "you can catch it live on Sky at x o'clock" when they're also plugging their own coverage, but that's all.
Ben Edwards and David Coulthard are still my preferred (current) commentary team, though. Overall C4 are doing a fine job with what they've got.
I kind of hope viewership has tanked since Sky is the only place for live coverage. Hammer it home that that was a big, big fucking mistake.
I feel the margin between Mercedes and Ferrari is not as big as some make it out to be (or as big as in previous seasons), but it is clear Mercedes is just way better at determining successful strategy. Ferrari really screwed LeClerc, just really abandoned him. The stacked pit from Mercedes was just... wow!
Grosjean showing how inept he is again, by not closing down Albon to grab some points. But more importantly, hot damn what a drive from Albon! I think it's early days to be talking about moving Gasly down to TR, but if they do, you have to give Albon a shot in the big seat, or at least consider it.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
As Aridhol said, the double stack was a statement. It was "this is our level of precision, can you keep up?" put out in the pit lane for everyone to see.
The gap is even bigger than this race shows. I think Merc didn't crank things up to 11 like they can. Bahrain was an anomaly, there aren't many more tracks like that (I would watch for Canada as the next track where Ferrari could dominate)
The Mercedes is beyond godlike in medium speed corners. Check out some of the Merc onboard on this race. On the big arcing medium speed corners, when the Mercedes gets back on throttle, the car looks like it's driving itself. It's hella neutral and seemingly not skittish at all.
Meanwhile, the Ferrari, while well planted overall, is still loaded with understeer compared to the Merc.
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
edited April 2019
I think Ferrari has missed the front end concept of the car this year. Everyone thought it was Mercedes that was the odd marker out, but it looks like Mercedes front end concept this year is absolutely the better concept. That's where they are getting all the speed in slow and medium corners, their incredibly compliant front end that points where the driver wants it to point.
My sim race team and I talk all the time about wanting the car to be "pointy" when we do setups. I know I especially appreciate a car with a front end that goes where I want it to, especially since I'm a big progressive trail braker. Obviously I've never driven a real F1 car, but all my sim time has taught me how valuable good front grip is. Rear grip you can partially manage with your right foot, but front grip is much less in your control. The setup has to be right and you need to manage the front tires, trying not to slide them around the track. Of course there is a feedback loop, because the more understeer you have, the more you slide the fronts, the worse it gets.
Posts
Steam | XBL
I’m a little too excited by this idea as I wrote it out.
Fastest lap I've done so far is a 1:25, which is about 15 seconds off "real" pace. To give you an idea, I am normally about 2-3 seconds off "real" pace at most tracks. That's how technical Monaco is.
These drivers are superhuman to be able to pull of what they do on a track like that.
I don't know if they still do, but they certainly did once have to fit specific steering racks on the cars just for Monaco just so they could turn tight enough to get around the hairpin.
Steam | XBL
e: If I can put a lap together that's not a yoke, I'll try and get some video of a VR lap around Monaco in the car.
Yes, I believe they do change the steering lock for Monaco so they can make that turn.
[edit]
I'm literate, I swear
[/edit]
If there is a group of folks in town for the race, wouldn't mind grabbing a drink with y'all.
A reasonable response:
My retort:
Steam | XBL
Didn't he actually liken it to "flying a helicopter in your living room"?
Anyways - I have finally finished the F1 doc on Netflix over the weekend. Damn, that was good. And in hindsight it was good, that Ferrari and Mercedes refused to participate. I loved the insight into the smaller teams and Guenther Steiners constant swearing was magnificient.
2018 was already a great fight throughout the field, but it seems 2019 is shaping up to be just as good.
I want to see this car full time on the Indy circuit. Yesterdays Barber Motorsports park race was great, and next weeks race at long beach will be amazing.
I was thinking of maybe doing a series out of it, where I do one for whatever track is coming up next. Probably with a bit more production on the lead in and lead out, talking about the track in terms of how it's driven, with some nice graphics maybe? Obviously with a huge disclaimer that I'm a weekend warrior, not a pro driver or engineer, and this is all for fun.
It does remind me I really need to get off my butt and start a general sim racing/driving thread at PA.
Qualifying
Hopefully the race start mixes them up a bit.
Steam | XBL
The one good thing about 2019: The F1 race won't start until you wake up and can get to your favorite streaming device.
I was disappointed in how few GTLM cars there were, but the racing was still very strong. The indy race tomorrow should be amazing.
But now, let's see if Ferrari can keep up
Vettel battling with verstappen again.
Meanwhile Hamilton doing lonely rounds in front
That double pit stop was a statement and no one had an answer.
Kyvat showing why he was dropped out of F1again. Terribly clumsy move that took the McLarens entirely out of the race. Well done to Sainz for recovering to real positions but anything else was impossible. On the other hand a really good drive from Albon from the back to finish in the points. Nice that he got driver of the day for it as well. I really want to see more of the McLaren after Bahrain but they really need to sort their quali pace out.
Other notables - Kimi had a good race with some nice overtakes, Danny Ric best of the rest, Haas went backwards again, Williams remain dire.
Red Bull still slightly behind but comfortably ahead of the rest. Verstappen can at least disrupt the front runners but as for Gasly… Well the sky commentary team are already talking about the possibility of having him dropped back to Toro Rosso. Very premature on that front but he does really need to up his game and fast.
As for Ferrari, they managed to show how to cock up strategy I guess? First off the switch call should have been made sooner. If you think one of your drivers is faster don't make them waste tyres behind their teammate when they could be getting on with it. Likewise Vettel could probably have just went for the straight up pass although granted that might have been hard with the way the Ferrari was set up. After that Leclerc got shafted on strategy. Kept him out way too long to disrupt Bottas on the second round. Vettel was faster all weekend though. I actually really like Vettel when he's out of the car. Despite a disappointing result he was really upbeat and enthusiastic in his post race interview and you could tell he really enjoyed going wheel to wheel with Verstappen (and not spinning for a change).
Merc, well they had the clear edge on pace. An interesting analysis on the sky commentary was that Ferrari are much better in a straight line - so did well at Bahrain because it's a "point and squirt" track, whereas Merc are much better in high speed corners which Bahrain lacks but China has plenty of. Nice to see Hmilton get a good start for a change and it pretty much won him the race.
Unrelated side note: I got down in to the 1:35's at China in the FH 2019, which is mid pack times basically. So I could totes be an F1 driver, right?!
Steam | XBL
Sky plugs are in the form of Sky showing up in ad breaks and a mention at the end for "you can catch it live on Sky at x o'clock" when they're also plugging their own coverage, but that's all.
Ben Edwards and David Coulthard are still my preferred (current) commentary team, though. Overall C4 are doing a fine job with what they've got.
I kind of hope viewership has tanked since Sky is the only place for live coverage. Hammer it home that that was a big, big fucking mistake.
Steam | XBL
I feel the margin between Mercedes and Ferrari is not as big as some make it out to be (or as big as in previous seasons), but it is clear Mercedes is just way better at determining successful strategy. Ferrari really screwed LeClerc, just really abandoned him. The stacked pit from Mercedes was just... wow!
Grosjean showing how inept he is again, by not closing down Albon to grab some points. But more importantly, hot damn what a drive from Albon! I think it's early days to be talking about moving Gasly down to TR, but if they do, you have to give Albon a shot in the big seat, or at least consider it.
The Mercedes is beyond godlike in medium speed corners. Check out some of the Merc onboard on this race. On the big arcing medium speed corners, when the Mercedes gets back on throttle, the car looks like it's driving itself. It's hella neutral and seemingly not skittish at all.
Meanwhile, the Ferrari, while well planted overall, is still loaded with understeer compared to the Merc.
My sim race team and I talk all the time about wanting the car to be "pointy" when we do setups. I know I especially appreciate a car with a front end that goes where I want it to, especially since I'm a big progressive trail braker. Obviously I've never driven a real F1 car, but all my sim time has taught me how valuable good front grip is. Rear grip you can partially manage with your right foot, but front grip is much less in your control. The setup has to be right and you need to manage the front tires, trying not to slide them around the track. Of course there is a feedback loop, because the more understeer you have, the more you slide the fronts, the worse it gets.