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Other Hondas & General Topics => Honda & Other Honda Models => Topic started by: RichardA on March 13, 2016, 07:20:15 PM
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It can't be any worse than last year, surely? ;D
Alonso and Button still at Mclaren-Honda, full coverage on Sky F1 with highlights and some races in full now on Channel 4...
...reports that Channel 4 have enlisted a team comprising of Phil Spencer, Kirstie Allsop and Kevin McCloud to present its F1 coverage as yet unconfirmed. ;) :P
* Channel 4 will show this race live in full. Other races will be highlights only.
Race Schedule
20 March: Melbourne, Australia
3 April: Bahrain, Bahrain*
17 April: Shanghai, China
1 May: Sochi, Russia
15 May: Barcelona, Spain*
29 May: Monte Carlo, Monaco
12 June: Montreal, Canada
19 June: Baku, Azerbaijan*
3 July: Spielberg, Austria
10 July: Silverstone, United Kingdom*
24 July: Budapest, Hungary*
31 July: Hockenheim, Germany
28 August: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium*
4 September: Monza, Italy*
18 September: Singapore
2 October: Sepang, Malaysia*
9 October: Suzuka, Japan
23 October: Austin, USA
30 October: Mexico City, Mexico*
13 November: Sao Paulo, Brazil
27 November: Abu Dhabi, UAE*
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/)
Fernando Alonso Twitter (@alo_oficial): https://twitter.com/alo_oficial (https://twitter.com/alo_oficial)
Jenson Button Twitter (@JensonButton): https://twitter.com/JensonButton (https://twitter.com/JensonButton)
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I expect it WILL be worse than last year. The trend is there... When you had a system and rules that actively prevented modifications during the season, you cannot be surprised if the best cars keep staying best.
I refuse to watch more than the start - after that it makes a traffic jam look exciting.
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So the new season has started with various changes including the qualifying procedure whereby part way through each phase of qualifying the slowest cars are eliminated in turn.
This means that as soon as a car looks like it's going to be eliminated they give up trying whereas before they would keep trying to the end of that session.
It reached extremes in Q3 when, with four minutes to go, the order for the top four was Hamilton, Vettel, Raikonnen and Rosberg. Vettel and Raikonnen didn't bother to go out any more and so gifted the second slot to Rosberg.
This procedure denies the fans of seeing cars on the track.
Interviewed after qualifying Hamilton said that the teams had told the FIA that the new procedure wouldn't work, let's hope the new system is scrubbed.
Vic.
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Alonso walked away from a spectacular crash and Button finished in 14th at the Australian GP.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/australian-grand-prix/2016-australian-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/australian-grand-prix/2016-australian-grand-prix-race-report/)
Podium:
1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35854894 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/35854894)
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The new qualifying system has been scrubbed already as it didn't work as it was believed it would.
Not a bad start for McLaren Honda and a miraculous escape for Alonso.
Vic.
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Alonso sat the Bahrain GP out following his accident in Melbourne two weeks' ago, reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne took his place and finished in 10th to give Mclaren-Honda their first points of the season.
Button failed to finish due a power failure.
http://www.skysports.com/f1/grandprix/bahrain (http://www.skysports.com/f1/grandprix/bahrain)
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Great drive by Vandoorne who deserved the point on merit with a committed but sensible drive, one to watch for the future. A replacement for Button next year maybe?
Still need some more horses from the Honda engine but certainly a big improvement on last year but then again it would be difficult to be any worse.
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McLaren boss Eric Boullier believes Button would have finished in seventh had he been able to complete the race.
Still issues with power harvesting it seems, but it's reported that the Esso / Mobil fuel and lubrication package has made a double digit HP improvement since last season. As with many of the ancillaries that went into the new engine, they did not have the opportunity to adequately tailor the offering so many (inaccurate) guesses were made.
Mobil 1 global motorsport technology manager Bruce Crawley: We’d expect to make at least two or three more fuel upgrades and we’re expecting to make a Mobil 1 oil upgrade this season as well. We’ve already identified the performance improvement. Right now we’re working on the next fuel upgrade, we’ve already identified the next one for oil as well. That will come in as we progress through the season. So it never stops.
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TG
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Amended original topic to highlight the races Channel 4 will be showing live in full.
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Alonso finished in 12th and Button in 13th in the Chinese GP.
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It was good, to see a distinct improvement, this weekend!
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Both drivers in the points zone in the Russian GP - Alonso in 6th and Button in 10th.
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Hamilton's and Rosberg's toddler tantrums helped Button finish within the points zone in 9th place. Alonso bailed out due to technical problems.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/spanish-grand-prix/2016-spanish-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/spanish-grand-prix/2016-spanish-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Alonso finished in 5th and Button in 9th at the Monaco GP.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/monaco-grand-prix/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/monaco-grand-prix/)
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Alonso in 11th and Button did not finish in the Canadian GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/canadian-grand-prix/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/canadian-grand-prix/)
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Button finished in 11th and Alonso DNF at the European GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/european-grand-prix/2016-european-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/european-grand-prix/2016-european-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Button started in third and finished in sixth and Alonso did not finish in the Austrian GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/austrian-grand-prix/2016-austrian-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/austrian-grand-prix/2016-austrian-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Another, better day at the office!
Well done, Jens.
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Button finished in 12th and Alonso in 12th in the British GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/british-grand-prix/2016-british-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/british-grand-prix/2016-british-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Alonso in 7th and Button out due to mechanical problems in the Hungarian GP.
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Alonso in 12th and Button in 8th in the German GP.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/german-grand-prix/2016-german-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/german-grand-prix/2016-german-grand-prix-race-report/)
The F1 summer break is now upon us with the championship standings as follows:
Alonso in 13th (24 points) and Button in 15th (17 points) in the Drivers' Standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/results/2016-driver-standings.html (https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/results/2016-driver-standings.html)
Honda Mclaren in 7th (42 points) in the Constructors' Standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/results/2016-constructor-standings.html (https://www.formula1.com/en/championship/results/2016-constructor-standings.html)
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Alonso finished in 7th in the Belgium GP after starting way back in 22nd. Button DNF after a collision early in the race.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/belgian-grand-prix/2016-belgian-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/belgian-grand-prix/2016-belgian-grand-prix-race-report/)
And no question this was an eventful race!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/37209244 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/37209244)
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There's no doubt that the Mclaren-Honda is improving, they did say at the start of last year they were looking at three years to become really competitive.
Button would probably have finished in the points had he not been punted from behind which caused his retirement.
I recently read an article about the efficiency of modern F1 engines with their energy recovery systems and it appears that the Mercedes engines are about 50% efficient compared to the average road car engine's 29% figure.
Will this technology eventually appear on road cars, currently of course it's extremely expensive.
Vic.
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Button in 12th and Alonso in 14th in the Italian GP.
Button out for 2017 but maybe back in 2018:
http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/24180/10564197/jenson-button-out-but-back-for-2018-understanding-mclarens-driver-line-up-arrangement (http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/24180/10564197/jenson-button-out-but-back-for-2018-understanding-mclarens-driver-line-up-arrangement)
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Alonso in 7th and Button did not finish in the Singapore GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/singapore-grand-prix/2016-singapore-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/singapore-grand-prix/2016-singapore-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Fernando Alonso, Sepang GP first lap onboard footage. 22nd to 12th place in 40 seconds before finding a wide Torro Rosso and then a virtual safety car.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2016/10/f1-alonso-video-onboard-first-lap-sepang.html (https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/features/2016/10/f1-alonso-video-onboard-first-lap-sepang.html)
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TG
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Alonso in 7th and Button in 9th in the Malaysia Grand Prix.
Roseberg pushed to the back after a first turn collision but worked his way up to third. Hamilton out after a fire sees Roseberg extend his lead in the drivers' championship, but these two misfortunes denied Mercedes sealing the constructors' championship....for the moment at least.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/malaysian-grand-prix/2016-malaysia-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/malaysian-grand-prix/2016-malaysia-grand-prix-race-report/)
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A disappointing result in the Japanese GP with Alonso in 16th and Button in 18th:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/japanese-grand-prix/2016-japanese-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/japanese-grand-prix/2016-japanese-grand-prix-race-report/)
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An impressive result from McLaren Honda with Alonso finishing in 5th and Button in 9th in the United States GP.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/united-states-grand-prix/2016-united-states-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/united-states-grand-prix/2016-united-states-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Button finished in 12th and Alonso finished in 13th in the Mexican GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/mexican-grand-prix/2016-mexico-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/mexican-grand-prix/2016-mexico-grand-prix-race-report/)
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Alonso finished in 10th and Button in 16th in the Brazilian GP:
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/brazilian-grand-prix/2016-Brazilian-grand-prix-race-report/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/brazilian-grand-prix/2016-Brazilian-grand-prix-race-report/)
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In other news Ron Dennis is forced out as head of McLaren Technology Group:
https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/11/ron-dennis-steps-down-as-mclaren-boss-hits-out-at-entirely-spurious-reasons-for-boardroom-suspension/ (https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2016/11/ron-dennis-steps-down-as-mclaren-boss-hits-out-at-entirely-spurious-reasons-for-boardroom-suspension/)
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If I was Ron I would sell my shares while they are still worth something. F1 is on a downward spiral because it is the most boring thing to watch on TV at the moment and don't even have the aural pleasure of nice sounding engines anymore.......
http://www.speedhunters.com/2016/05/whats-wrong-formula-1/ (http://www.speedhunters.com/2016/05/whats-wrong-formula-1/)
I know McLaren are a technology company, but most of it is based in F1.
Financing an F1 team is next step up from throwing bundles of pound notes into a sinkhole.
If you want to watch racing and never know what the final result is going to be (unpredictable) and watch people with real skill I suggest you watch British Superbike (BSB) - world superbike (WSB) and MotoGP racing at any opportunity - those riders are real superheroes (even the ones towards the back) and the racing is surprisingly close every time, and not just down to pit-stop strategy (they don't make pit stops), it is just flat out racing from when the red light go out until the last guy crosses the finish line.
A big plus is that Honda still do very well in Motorbike racing :D
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F1 is a big money pit and a couple of teams I believe have gone to the wall over the years. Newcomers Haas appear to be coping well, financially at least, but Gene Haas is well financed through his machine tool business and has experience in the NASCAR series.
The final race in the season in Abu Dhabi kicks off tomorrow and marks Jenson Button's final race in his f1 [driving] career before retiring to an ambassador role for Mclaren, although a seat maybe available in 2018 depending on what Alonso does next.
I understand Lewis Hamilton has to win and Nico Rosberg has to finish outside the top three in order for Hamilton to win the drivers' championship.
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Jenson Buttons' future seems a little vague in that he says Abu Dhabi is his last F1 race yet he is contracted to McClaren for 2017 as their reserve driver and must remain race fit as well as his other duties as 'ambassador' and simulator driving.
I am sure that, although the team drivers use the simulators extensively, no one has had a driver of Buttons' recent experience to test new ideas on the simulator.
With a greatly modified engine for next year McClaren/Honda are looking for a considerable improvement. They will be hard pushed to match Mercedes and particularly Red Bull who are probably the best chassis designers of the lot. Next years cars will be noticeably different to this years cars but I don't think you will see the spectacle improve much.
Vic.
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Alonso finished in 10th and Button did not finish in the Abu Dhabi GP - a sad end to a wonderful driving career in F1, but he received a hero's welcome on return to the pits. I'm sure we all here wish him well in the future and would like to extend a big thank you for his contribution to Mclaren-Honda and F1 in general. :)
Hamilton won the Abu Dhabi GP but Rosberg followed in his father's footsteps to become world champion, while Mercedes Petronas once again clinched the constructors' title a few races back. Overall Alonso is ranked 10th in the championship on 54 points and Button in 15th on 21 points. Mclaren-Honda is ranked 6th in the constructors' championship on 76 points, some way behind Williams on 138 points.
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/ (http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/2016/abu-dhabi-grand-prix/)
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So Nico Rosberg retires, it's hard to argue with the pull of a young family and a hefty bank balance - plus he never had the killer instinct of Lewis. Cue the driver line-up speculation.
But I think the unsung heroes are Force India in 4th overall. Three world champion teams ahead (Mercedes / Ferrari / Red Bull) and three more behind them. On a performance/£ ratio they won by a mile.
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TG
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After his championship achievement, this year. I don't blame him!
Good luck to him.......
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But I think the unsung heroes are Force India in 4th overall. Three world champion teams ahead (Mercedes / Ferrari / Red Bull) and three more behind them. On a performance/£ ratio they won by a mile.
Force India appear to be getting same level of Mercedes engines as other teams, Mercedes engines made in Northampton LOL
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122882 (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/122882)
http://www.mercedes-amg-hpp.com/v/about_us/who_we_are/ (http://www.mercedes-amg-hpp.com/v/about_us/who_we_are/)