I did not know about the spoiler, handy feature!
When I watch on poverty TV I usually blank all media for the day, no radio, TV news or websites like Yahoo where news are shown on the first page until I watch the highlights or the recording of it at the time 

Big Breasted Woman ???

 

I think he was always rather fine in this department - new girlfriend every few races and I do admire his tastes

 

BBW - Brake By Wire - system he could not et his head around or engs were not able to provide him with accurately enough artificial feedback from the pedal. If you remember he was locking brakes like nobody's business at the beginning of the season.

I am with Martyn, bit boring with no battle of any significance for first place . It was actually quite sad to see how easily Lewis drove around RedBulls - there was simply no competition really. 

Vergne was brilliant at the end

 

 

And then pull out a sizeable gap, of what nearly 13 secs by the end.

 

Vergne was ace and let's be honest if he'd have done that all season they wouldn't be replacing his seat with a highchair!

I don't know Ken, I was there, standing at the last corner (Vale?) before the pits straight and I could not hear cars approaching the corner, there was no noise whatsoever! As for the energy I think what you means is thermal energy being extracted by the turbo, not the sonic energy, that stays as is, no change to it really. It is dependant on the speed of exhaust gases (top fuels get over 1g downforce from exhaust gases at full chat alone!) and shock wave characteristics. What I am missing is not the decibels alone but the note of a high revving engine. Coasting to corners screws up downshift noises as well unfortunately as internal combustion part of the power unit runs on shut injectors, just inertia i.e. no noise bar mechanical noise. 

I know what you are saying about 9krpm cars being loud enough I love 125cc 28k revving kart engines noise despite it comes off a small coffee cup of a cylinder

 

Top Fuel dragsters get power form 90-100% nitromethane fuel and massive, over 4.5bar boost maxing out at 5.0bar (it takes up to 800bhp to drive the suprcharger alone!)- cylinder compression ratios are really low, 6.5:1 - as for noise this is out of this earth, 150 dB and will render you deaf instantly and can cause brain damage if no protection worn. Some people compared top fuel pass to drag strip being bombed

 

@ExpatHotspur - "eargasm" - loving that and yes, I miss it too...

You're sort of correct, well except that a turbo-compressor slows the velocity of exhaust gas directly, using that velocity to spin the turbines and hence compress the intake air. The turbo-compounding systems used by F1 also remove some of the thermal energy of the exhaust directly, which cooling reduces the temperature (well d'oh but I'm getting there) and hence the volume of the exhaust gas. Having reduced the volume of the exhaust gas, you increase its specific mass, and hence reduce the velocity needed for a given mass flow rate. That is where the reduction in exhaust NOISE comes from.

 

I mis-spoke about Top Fuel - I didn't mean nominal mechanical CR, but effective CR given the effect of the supercharger.

Thermal energy is directly proportional to pressure and "speed" of gas so by "slowing it down" at the turbine that thermal energy is being extracted by the turbine wheel spinning it. So the same amount of gas will be expelled but at lower temps and the same speed more or less since diameter of the final, single exhaust pipe from the turbo is smaller than the headers. They design it to take into account the lower energy, cooler and denser gases but to achieve required back pressure and gas flow velocity to make the whole exhaust work - it is a balancing act between back pressure and required gas velocity or you will "choke" the turbo. Common mistake made by "tuners" installing drain pipe size turbo back exhausts . So agreed, turbo cars are quieter by nature from N/A cars for those very reasons as a rule. 

Still, lower RPM's do not help, it would be much better if they could rev up to 15k rpm without any problems instead of normal 11krpm, max 13k rpm and constant coasting into corners. Fuel flow limits are to blame imho.

 

We seem to be talking about the same thing but using different phraseology

 

Dragsters- CR (Compression Ratio) is very low for two reasons. Nitro burns really slowly so they can advance ignition to 60degs so with low compression there is not too much variation in pressure. Secondly with massive CP (Charge Pressures) of up to 5 bar (72PSI) they cannot run any higher CR due to detonation and inability to control the ignition - they have pre-set ignition systems, like old style mechanical points ones lol. Confusion between CR and CP. Even with very high CP the CR stays always the same since CR describes hardware geometry - capacity at BDC divided by capacity at TDC of a single combustion chamber - but I am preaching to the converted here . 

So Vettel is leaving Red Bull.  About time really.

 

george

First season of struggle, Newey decides to retire from F1 (as he has every right to), Ricciardo regularly stuffs him and Vettel moves on to probably Ferrari. Alonso will probably be off to McLaren again and Button will retire.

Perhaps Vettel believes he can turn Ferrari round like Schumacher did. I think he is in for a few years in the wilderness, because he can't get the best out of a bad car. Alonso in the Maclaren Honda could be interesting.

Just realised if Alonso replaces Button, it's the second time he's done so. He did it at Renault in 2003 and look how that went. Alonso went on to win his two WDC's

Think it was Alonso that said of Vettel " put him in a normal car and see how he performs". Well that's what has happened this season.

Alonso has always been a class driver, managing to get that dog of a Ferrari round in reasonable times/positions.

Good luck to him if he joins McLaren. Will they also keep Button? He has a good relationship with the manufacturer and wouldn't be the first time McLaren have ditched a decent driver ( KMag for Perez)

First season of struggle, Newey decides to retire from F1 (as he has every right to), Ricciardo regularly stuffs him and Vettel moves on to probably Ferrari. Alonso will probably be off to McLaren again and Button will retire.

newey has been on about retiring for the last 2 seasons, but like Horner has been financially incetivised to stay.

Isn't Horners contract also up this year?

newey has been on about retiring for the last 2 seasons, but like Horner has been financially incetivised to stay.

Isn't Horners contract also up this year?

Not sure on Horner but think with the two Daniel's for 2015, Red Bull have a great prospect.

Listening to Jenson this morning, I believe he already knows his time at McLaren is over. "I wouldn't feel sorry for me" were his words. Is it a given that KMag and Alonso will be partnered ?

Think I'll start a 2015 driver thread.

Time for quite a few of them like Jenson Button to move on and maybe even get out of F1 altogether, 

there are so many younger and better drivers from the 'Computer Game Speeds Reaction Generation' that are ready to take their places.

 

& Young talented drivers prepared to take the money & sponsors into teams to buy a seat rather than those being paid millions to 'Bed Block' the limited number of cars there are.

Edited 4 October, 201411 yr by goneoffSKi

Loving Suzi's school teacher look today

I wonder if the delay in confirming Alonso to McLaren is down to Ron Dennis not going easily. I have a hunch he'll be replaced by Ross Brawn as he's worked with Honda before and took over the team in 2008.

 

I only hope that if he does go there, the team can hit the ground running so that he gets a least a stab at one more drivers championship before he gets to old.

 

I don't agree that there's loads of young F1 drivers that are good enough to step up to a top team or even into F1 full stop. There's plenty of pay drivers on the grid that are only there because of the money and sponsorship they bring and most are characterless, spotty-faced youths, so I don't think they should jettison Jenson just yet.

Remember Alonso has also been spotted at Williams at least twice over the last 2 months

Remember Alonso has also been spotted at Williams at least twice over the last 2 months

Would say are more than happy with what Bottas and Massa give them, the balance between youth and experience.

Eddie Jordan's driver predictions for 2015 (he does have form on these!): -

Red Bull - Daniel Ricciardo, Daniil Kyvat

Ferrari - Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikonnen

McLaren - Fernando Alonso, Kevin Magnussen

Williams - as 2014

Toro Rosso - Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr (continuation of Red Bull young driver programme)

As for qualifying, Hamilton disappointed for me, seemed Rosberg was stronger in the middle sector. Just hoping that there isn't a copy of Senna/Prost 1990 "IT'S HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY!"

Not looking good for Jules... That was a very serious off :/

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Never a good sign when you see no footage of the seen of the crash. I hope Jules is ok.

Taken to hospital still unconscious is never a good sign, hope he's OK.

The pictures on the BBC and Sky feeds show Sutil's car in the foreground and the tractor, and you can just see the medics beyond the tractor

Rosberg "It is very, very serious"

Hamilton 'Bianchi is 'severely inured'.

Fingers crossed for him.

Not sure what to feel after that race.

 

Really happy for Lewis obviously, but am checking the BBC website constantly for updates on Jules...  not a nice crash and keeping everything crossed for him.

The race result is unfortunately overshadowed by the concerns for the condition of Jules Bianchi.

I was surprised when it was reported that Bianchi was taken to hospital by road because the poor weather prevented the helicopter from flying. I remember at Brands Hatch in 1986 that the race could not restart after a first corner crash until the helicopter that took Jaques Laffite to hospital was back at the circuit and ready to fly if required.

 

For the race, a brilliant overtake by Hamilton in those conditions. For Vettel, I hope he's got RAC or AA membership next season.