2017 Australian GP

by The_Wall_91 Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:54 pm

Formula 1 fans, it is that time of year again. We are officially 1 month away from the start of the 2017 season. Massive voids, new drivers, and new cars defined the offseason. Let's get to the guide to the new year.

"I'll be Missing You"

2017 will see some downgrades not only in schedule length, but in car number. 2017 lost the German GP after a struggling situation at Hockenheim forced the race to leave the schedule. While we all want to see the German GP return to the F1 schedule, it is not the only thing that is noticeably gone.

Also this offseason, we lost the Manor F1 team. Manor came in to F1 alongside HRT and Caterham in 2010. While Manor did not have the speed as their competitors, they got serious in 2016 and tried to put a competitive car on the grid. The addition of Pascal Wehrlein gave the team some instant credibility. Wehrlein gave Manor a point in Austria after a 12th place qualifying effort and a 10th place finish. It seemed as though Manor had finally broken through to become a competitive team, then Brazil happened. Manor officials said that Sauber driver Felipe Nasr's 9th place performance killed the team. During the offseason, Manor F1 closed after not having a new owner buy the team.

Old Face, New Place

There were several driver changes over the offseason and it all started with a heart stopping retirement. 2016 champion Nico Rosberg shocked the world announcing his retirement after claiming the world title. Felipe Massa was thought to retire but changed his mind. The other retirement was 2009 champion Jenson Button. Manor's closing also shook up the lineups. Here were the changes that happened below.

Valterri Bottas to Mercedes
Nico Hulkenburg to Renault
Kevin Magnusson to Haas
Esteban Ocon to Force India
Pascal Wehrlein to Sauber

The New Kids on the Block

2017 has 2 rookies in the field, Lance Stroll and Stoffel Vandoorne. Lance Stroll comes into F1 taking over Valterri Bottas' seat at Williams. Stroll is known for having a crap ton of money. Stoffel Vandoorne takes over for the now retired Jenson Button at McLaren. Stoffel made an appearance at Bahrain last year finishing 10th scoring McLaren's first point of 2017. I wish Lance and Stoffel the best of luck in 2017.

How is the New Ride?

The offseason also brought in changes to car regulations. The cars are wider, have a slanted rear wing, and wider tires. Most cars that have been revealed so far have a striking resemblance to the 2008 shark fin cars. The only car that does not have the noticeable shark fin but instead going with a T-wing design is Mercedes.

Outside of the obvious design changes, some cars have a new paint scheme, some better than others. The Toro Rosso looks like a Red Bull can, the Haas has gotten noticeably darker and has some resemblances to the Audi LMP1 car (don't yell at me, I don't know sports car racing that well), Renault's car has gone black and yellow, McLaren took the saying "orange is the new black" literally, and Sauber added gold to their car to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

by navycook75 Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:49 pm

I'm expecting MERCEDESWINSLOL unless someone stepped up their game.

Also isn't this the third straight year where nobody has the #1?

by The_Wall_91 Mon Feb 27, 2017 7:31 am

I believe it is Leckliter

by Rovenami Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:36 pm

navycook75 wrote:I'm expecting MERCEDESWINSLOL unless someone stepped up their game.

Also isn't this the third straight year where nobody has the #1?

If pre season testing is any indication, then Mercedes may come under threat by Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull (at least more so than last year.)

by pennst24 Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:38 pm

Rovenami wrote:
navycook75 wrote:I'm expecting MERCEDESWINSLOL unless someone stepped up their game.

Also isn't this the third straight year where nobody has the #1?

If pre season testing is any indication, then Mercedes may come under threat by Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull (at least more so than last year.)

That's not entirely true.

by zfitzwater599 Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:57 pm

I predict RICCIARDO wins in his home race. #AUSSIEPRIDE

by RetrogradeRenegade Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:17 pm

Rovenami wrote:
navycook75 wrote:I'm expecting MERCEDESWINSLOL unless someone stepped up their game.

Also isn't this the third straight year where nobody has the #1?

If pre season testing is any indication, then Mercedes may come under threat by Ferrari, Williams and Red Bull (at least more so than last year.)

Williams, no, but Ferrari and Red Bull have shown glimpses of Mercedes-threatening pace. It says something to me that Hamilton said that Ferrari should be considered the favourites and not merely "close" to Mercedes.

by SpeedDemon37 Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:54 pm

RetrogradeRenegade wrote:Ferrari and Red Bull have shown glimpses of Mercedes-threatening pace. It says something to me that Hamilton said that Ferrari should be considered the favourites and not merely "close" to Mercedes.

I personally hope that testing was an indication of what's to come. I consider Ricciardo to be my favorite driver and Ferrari to be my favorite team, so I would be very pleased to see more success from them.

by Alta Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:48 pm

Speaking of the test how bout McLaren losing 6 motors after only completing a combined total of 400 laps

by The_Wall_91 Tue Mar 14, 2017 7:11 pm

So, umm... Sahara Force India decided to take the saying "breast cancer awareness month" and turned it into "breast cancer awareness year" as their livery has gone pink. Why, I don't know. I will just go with it.

by pennst24 Tue Mar 14, 2017 11:46 pm

Apparently Red Bull's car will look totally different on arrival in Melbourne.

by zfitzwater599 Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:53 am

Can't wait to see

by RetrogradeRenegade Wed Mar 15, 2017 2:27 pm

The_Wall_91 wrote:So, umm... Sahara Force India decided to take the saying "breast cancer awareness month" and turned it into "breast cancer awareness year" as their livery has gone pink. Why, I don't know. I will just go with it.

Uhhhhh, literally every article I've seen about it mentions it's because of their new sponsor, BWT, who also sponsor Lucas Auer in DTM.

2017 Australian GP _D1O3915%20(2)

by zfitzwater599 Mon Mar 20, 2017 11:41 am

Getting closer to the 2017 Formula 1 Season to begin at Albert Park for the Australian Grand Prix YAYYYYYYYYYYY

by AntmanB Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:50 pm

Time for Mercedeswinslol

by The_Wall_91 Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:11 pm

To do something different, I will post below a series of 3-5 questions about the race and see who knows there race history. So, here we go.

1. Between Kimi Raikkonnen, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenburg, and Sergio Perez, which driver DID NOT make their debut in Australia.

2. Haas' Romain Grosjean scored the first point in that teams history in Australia, but can you recall what position he finished?

3. The start of the 2002 race saw the big one strike in turn 1 on lap 1. How many cars were involved in the crash?

4. In 1996, Jacques Villeneuve made his debut in Formula 1 in Australia. In his first race, what position did he finish and who won the race?

5. In the past 2 years, 1 driver has failed to make the start of the Australian GP. Who is that driver?

by pennst24 Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:46 pm

The_Wall_91 wrote:To do something different, I will post below a series of 3-5 questions about the race and see who knows there race history. So, here we go.

1. Between Kimi Raikkonnen, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenburg, and Sergio Perez, which driver DID NOT make their debut in Australia.

2. Haas' Romain Grosjean scored the first point in that teams history in Australia, but can you recall what position he finished?

3. The start of the 2002 race saw the big one strike in turn 1 on lap 1. How many cars were involved in the crash?

4. In 1996, Jacques Villeneuve made his debut in Formula 1 in Australia. In his first race, what position did he finish and who won the race?

5. In the past 2 years, 1 driver has failed to make the start of the Australian GP. Who is that driver?

1. Hulkenberg
2. 6th
3. 8?
4. Finished 2nd to Damon Hill
5. Daniil Kvyat

by zfitzwater599 Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:08 pm

AntmanB wrote:Time for Mercedeswinslol

Mercedes will NOT Win

by Rovenami Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:37 pm

zfitzwater599 wrote:
AntmanB wrote:Time for Mercedeswinslol
Mercedes will NOT Win

What makes you say that? Considering their track record since 2014?

by The_Wall_91 Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:33 pm

pennst24 wrote:
The_Wall_91 wrote:To do something different, I will post below a series of 3-5 questions about the race and see who knows there race history. So, here we go.

1. Between Kimi Raikkonnen, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenburg, and Sergio Perez, which driver DID NOT make their debut in Australia.

2. Haas' Romain Grosjean scored the first point in that teams history in Australia, but can you recall what position he finished?

3. The start of the 2002 race saw the big one strike in turn 1 on lap 1. How many cars were involved in the crash?

4. In 1996, Jacques Villeneuve made his debut in Formula 1 in Australia. In his first race, what position did he finish and who won the race?

5. In the past 2 years, 1 driver has failed to make the start of the Australian GP. Who is that driver?

1. Hulkenberg
2. 6th
3. 8?
4. Finished 2nd to Damon Hill
5. Daniil Kvyat

Good job, you got them all correct.

by zfitzwater599 Wed Mar 22, 2017 4:57 pm

Rovenami wrote:
zfitzwater599 wrote:
AntmanB wrote:Time for Mercedeswinslol
Mercedes will NOT Win
What makes you say that? Considering their track record since 2014?

Red Bull will Win

by mtrimmer365 Fri Mar 24, 2017 3:18 pm

Jolyon Palmer crashed in practice while Max Verstappen and Marcus Ericsson had offs.

by Rovenami Sat Mar 25, 2017 1:27 am

Pascal Wehrlein will step out of the car for the rest of the race weekend as a precaution from his neck injury. Antonio Giovinazzi will take his place in the Sauber C36.

by mtrimmer365 Sat Mar 25, 2017 3:15 am

2017 Australian GP Starting Lineup:

by Milan655 Sat Mar 25, 2017 8:10 am

Rovenami wrote:Pascal Wehrlein will step out of the car for the rest of the race weekend as a precaution from his neck injury. Antonio Giovinazzi will take his place in the Sauber C36.

And what a performance too! Missing FP1&2 yet only 0.2 from Ericsson in Q1 who has significantly more experience, I hope he finds his way into a Ferrari when Kimi and Vettel retire and properly challenge at the sharp end

by zfitzwater599 Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:19 am

Ricciardo will Start 10th

by SpeedDemon37 Sat Mar 25, 2017 9:41 pm

Milan655 wrote:
Rovenami wrote:Pascal Wehrlein will step out of the car for the rest of the race weekend as a precaution from his neck injury. Antonio Giovinazzi will take his place in the Sauber C36.

And what a performance too! Missing FP1&2 yet only 0.2 from Ericsson in Q1 who has significantly more experience, I hope he finds his way into a Ferrari when Kimi and Vettel retire and properly challenge at the sharp end

I was impressed by what I saw from him in GP2 last season, so this is great to hear!

by mtrimmer365 Sun Mar 26, 2017 12:31 am

Daniel Ricciardo will have a 5-spot grid penalty after his crash during Q3 in qaulifying.

UPDATE: Per NBC Sports, Ricciardo will not start the Australian Grand Prix due to his car stalling before the race.

by PRAWBLEMS Sun Mar 26, 2017 2:30 am

Ferrari tonight:

by Alta Sun Mar 26, 2017 3:15 am

Alright race. Beginning was hype, fell off in the second half.

Vettel back on the top step is great to see, Ferrari played it right after a year of getting it so...so..wrong all last year.

by navycook75 Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:18 am

I hope Ferrari has more of that this season.

It'll be nice to see another team possibly fight Mercedes in the WDC and WCC for once.

by gone-sovereign Sun Mar 26, 2017 5:27 am

AntmanB wrote:Time for Mercedeswinslol

You were saying...?

(Okay I didn't actually watch but I heard Seb won so GW Seb. I'll watch the race highlights when they come out, I guess.)

by NASCARLOVER427 Sun Mar 26, 2017 8:58 am

HELL HAS FUCKING FROZEN OVER MERCEDES HASN'T WON BY 7 MILLION YEARS THIS IS MORE FUCKING UNLIKELY THAN THE CUBS WINNING THE WORLD SERIES AT LEAST THE CUBS WERE ACTUALLY GOOD COMPARED TO THE INDIANS THE END IS NIGH GET INTO A FUCKING FALLOUT SHELTER!

by bigdc48 Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:15 am

Heard Vettel win. Congrats to him and Ferrari on the W. Will probably check race highlights at some point.

by The_Wall_91 Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:33 am

Winners of the Australian GP:

Losers of the Australian GP:

by Alpineopossum Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:53 am

NASCARLOVER427 wrote:HELL HAS FUCKING FROZEN OVER MERCEDES HASN'T WON BY 7 MILLION YEARS THIS IS MORE FUCKING UNLIKELY THAN THE CUBS WINNING THE WORLD SERIES AT LEAST THE CUBS WERE ACTUALLY GOOD COMPARED TO THE INDIANS THE END IS NIGH GET INTO A FUCKING FALLOUT SHELTER!

Hey!

In all seriousness its great to see Ferrari back on top. It's been far too long.

by gone-sovereign Sun Mar 26, 2017 3:00 pm

NASCARLOVER427 wrote:HELL HAS FUCKING FROZEN OVER MERCEDES HASN'T WON BY 7 MILLION YEARS THIS IS MORE FUCKING UNLIKELY THAN THE CUBS WINNING THE WORLD SERIES AT LEAST THE CUBS WERE ACTUALLY GOOD COMPARED TO THE INDIANS THE END IS NIGH GET INTO A FUCKING FALLOUT SHELTER!

Don't act so surprised. The Mercedes, the Ferraris, and the Red Bulls are all on par with each other this season, as RetrogradeRenegade alluded to earlier in this thread.

by mtrimmer365 Sun Mar 26, 2017 3:25 pm

I think we may have a big title fight between Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes. This may have the possibility of being a pretty exciting season between those three teams.

Throw in Toro Rosso as a wild card for some race wins too.

by RetrogradeRenegade Sun Mar 26, 2017 7:02 pm

kensethfan wrote:
NASCARLOVER427 wrote:HELL HAS FUCKING FROZEN OVER MERCEDES HASN'T WON BY 7 MILLION YEARS THIS IS MORE FUCKING UNLIKELY THAN THE CUBS WINNING THE WORLD SERIES AT LEAST THE CUBS WERE ACTUALLY GOOD COMPARED TO THE INDIANS THE END IS NIGH GET INTO A FUCKING FALLOUT SHELTER!

Don't act so surprised. The Mercedes, the Ferraris, and the Red Bulls are all on par with each other this season, as RetrogradeRenegade alluded to earlier in this thread.

The Red Bulls... not so much. Verstappen could keep up with Raikkonen just about, but they need to be up fighting with Vettel and Hamilton, and I don't see them making that much progress relative to the other teams. But Ferrari definitely has a shot of toppling Mercedes if they can keep this up.

by AntmanB Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:18 am

mercedesdosentwinlol

by zfitzwater599 Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:46 am

I called it that Mercedes will not Win the Australian Grand Prix I called it

by Milan655 Mon Mar 27, 2017 4:58 pm

Was there any answer given to Hamilton's "floor damage"? I was wondering if perhaps this caused Hamilton's struggle with his tyres.

Great to see red on the top step again, this could be a very interesting battle between Vettel and Hamilton this year..

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