Enthusiast's Guide To The 2014 Formula 1 Season

"Hooniverse K" (hooniversek)
03/13/2014 at 10:48 • Filed to: None

The 2014 Formula 1 season is upon us, with the opening round this weekend in Australia. With it, we present the Enthusiast's Guide To The 2014 Formula 1 Season !

Formula1 has always been the absolute pinnacle of motorsport; it absorbs the best of drivers, the best of teams, and the most money. Huge budgets do not always equal great racing, and the last couple of years have been dominated by Red Bull . Leading into this season, indications are that the new regulations will throw a wrench in the works, and it just might be anybody's game.

See the brief history, this season's changes, car details, race schedule, drivers, and find out how to watch on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

History:

Without Formula 1, there would be a much less interesting history to international motorsport. F1 is the original professional motorsport which exists only for the enjoyment of the fan. The cars are constructed and shipped all around the world simply for the fact that people enjoy it. Outside of soccer, more people in the world watch Formula One than any other sport that exists; there are hundreds of soccer matches in a year, and only 19 F1 Grands Prix.

Currently ran under the Federacion Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) banner of intercontinental racing championships, Formula 1 has existed as a championship since the 1950s. The rules change almost every year, and over the years several manufacturers have come to the forefront, be they road car manufacturers like Ferrari, Renault, Mercedes, Peugeot, Honda, and Toyota, or privateer constructors like McLaren, Williams, and Sauber.

In recent years Formula 1 has been ruled by a few very brilliant people. Bernie Ecclestone went from an average car salesman to a very wealthy man by selling something which did not expressly belong to him, the television rights to broadcast Formula 1. He is the current CEO of Formula One Management, making him the single most influential man in the sport. The current head of the FIA, Jean Todt, also has a say in how F1 is run, as the president of it's sanctioning body.

Current Season:

There are so many changes this year, it is difficult to know where to start. The FIA has completely torn up the rulebook

Engines:

After almost a decade of the stalwart 2.4 liter naturally aspirated V8 engines, artificially limited to 18,000 RPM, they are being replaced by a new-design 1.6 liter V6 turbo which are now limited to 15,000 RPM. The new engines are in response to the FIA requiring a more efficient racing series, now limiting each car to 100Kg of fuel per race, where the old V8 would consume around 150Kg of fuel in a race. Where the 2013 engines produced around 750 horsepower, the 2014 spec turbo engine will only make about 600 horsepower. The new engines are not as piercing as the old high-rev V8s, but they do have a certain sound that isn't necessarily unpleasant, just different.

Hybrid Systems:

Some of the power lost in the engine regulation change has been won back with the increased power of the new spec Energy Recovery System. In addition to a system similar to last year's KERS, the new system also introduces "electric turbocharger technology" that captures waste exhaust pressure to help charge the batteries. Interestingly, the turbochargers can also be actuated electrically to reduce the boost threshold (commonly referred to as "turbo lag") coming out of slow corners and between gear changes.

The KERS system takes wasted kinetic energy produced during deceleration and stores it in a battery pack, which is then used to power rear-axle electric motors again under acceleration. In past years, KERS was allowed to be deployed for up to 6.7 seconds per lap, and could only produce 60kw worth of forward motion force. For 2014, the power output has been increased to 150kw, and it can be used for up to 30 seconds per lap. Recent years have seen the drivers "deploy" their KERS via a "push to pass" style button, but this year, the extra energy boost will be built into the engine mapping, backfilling the gaps in power at lower revs and aiding with acceleration automatically. This means less work for the drivers, and it will be much less gimmicky than it used to be.

Read the rest on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

DISCUSSION (65)

reciprocating > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:02

REDBULL is sandbagging. One of them will be on the podium... albeit in third,, but still.... Riccardo was passing people on the outside in several big fast corners during pre-season testing. In a race where fuel is so tightly limited, slowing down less, and therefore needing to speed up less before and after a corner, respectively, will make an overall faster lap. It is almost as if they made their car a "momentum" car (if you are familiar with the term.....) compared to the competition..

(i.e. Miatas and spec E30s, not terribly fast in a straight line, but still damn quick around a track as the maintain high corner speeds..)

kArno > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:05

Well, it is almost like a F1 had pressed a reset button for this season due to the rule changes. Some team got it right and some haven't got it right just yet. Also, all of the pre-season testing are not by any mean of true indicators of the current state of affair. So, lets see what will happen this weekend in Melbourne :)

Wild Weasel > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:06

Wait... that's it? That's all she wrote? So all the enthusiast needs to know is that F1 has been around for quite some time and that there's new engines and a new hybrid system this year. There you have it. Go enjoy the races.

I'd think an enthusiasts guide would include some tidbits about the troubles in testing and the expectations about what we should look for as they hit the track. Hey folks... you're enthusiasts so you know that RBR and Vettel have dominated this sport for the past few years. You should be aware that their new cars keep breaking and may not even finish the race in Australia! What should we expect from the back markers? Who is the favourite now? Where did Kimi go?

I'm disappointed in this. :(

asimsaeed > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:08

Very Nice and Informative Article. Thanks Kamil Kaluski.

Masterify > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:08

Call me a cynic, but everybody today involved in Motorsport, the teams in particular, are there for the money. Each car is there on the grid to make a profit, through prize money, TV-licenses or , mostly, sponsorship. They may claim they do it for the love of the sport, but that is besides the point.

And that's a good thing. It stops everybody from being such a hypocrite like you could find in other sports like football (European and American).

Kate's Dirty Sister > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:09

They definitely are.

Horner said that Merc could finish 2 laps ahead ..

Watch the shit hit the fan if Vettel wins in Australia, which is totally possible. Pre-season tests are to be taken with a grain of salt.

LTIROCKS > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:10

KERS equipped cars could still remain fairly competitive after suffering a partial/total loss of the KERS system, due to KERS' relatively small power contribution.

That won't be the case with the new Energy Recovery System, which will likely be less reliable than KERs due to greater electrical energy storage capacity, output levels, etc.

Hence, Energy Recovery System reliability will be of major importance in obtaining points, winning races, and the two championships.

Kate's Dirty Sister > kArno
03/13/2014 at 11:11

For now it looks more like Mercedes engines having an advantage on the others, not sure about the cars yet. We'll see very soon, like ... tomorrow.

Gary Yogurt > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/13/2014 at 11:13

Fire Practice 1 & 2!

MatthewHokie03 > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:14

So many things I am excited for this year...

Who will be initially fastest....and reliable?

Rooting for Force India to be fast so Hulky can get back at Lotus for their Maldo money grab.

Rooting for Williams to remain fast from testing so Massa can be up there throughout the season.

Hammy might complain less if he's winning...

How will it work out between Alonso and Kimi at Ferrari this time?

How will RB develop the car and become competitive?

Can Ricciardo be fast enough where we don't have this multi 21 nonsense.

I'm sure I missed something...what did I miss?

Thestiggschicagocousin > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:14

I definitley disagree.

MatthewHokie03 > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/13/2014 at 11:16

I hope my friend who is a huge Hammy fan is reading this thread...I can feel his stomach getting squeamish just reading this.. I am sure he hated Horner's and Ecclestone's comments too. I think he would literally smash his TV if Vettel one in Melbourne.

Kerberos824 > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:17

If they are sandbagging, it is seriously risky. With untested engines, new tires, totally different aero components and rules, you want as much testing as possible. I can't see a reason to sandbag in lieu of getting as much data as possible since testing during the season is so limited. Who knows, could be the upset of the season, but I think they are starting off on the back foot. And I'm not writing them off either. They have hugely dedicated, smart people, and spend an insane amount of money. But I don't expect much of a presence from them in the first few races. Also, I could be completely wrong!

reciprocating > Kerberos824
03/13/2014 at 11:23

A Mercedes car in first, Räikkönen in 2nd, Vettel in 3rd.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:27

I'm happy that KERS is no longer push-to-pass, I was getting very sick of that, it made racing so predictable with drivers thinking: "Ooh, I have 5 seconds of KERS left, I'll easily pass on the next straight, I'll just wait".

GTRB26 > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:31

I'm hoping for the Mclarens to do well! they're like an underdog now with no major sponsors. Because of the fuel limit, they say smooth driving drivers will be effective in the long run, which is Button! with smaller rear wings, and increased KERS cars are gonna have harder time putting down the power and those with trigger happy foot will pay. This season will be interesting with few engine blow outs expected.

gometz > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:34

As much as I wish they were, it would be crazy. They could sandbag in that they wouldn't do great in testing, but they barely even got to test!

gometz > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 11:36

Where did Kimi go?

He was having a shit.

nickhater2 > Kerberos824
03/13/2014 at 11:37

Yeah, and they got ALL the Renault teams to agree to completely throw away their testing so they could sandbag. Not remotely a possibility this year.

Prediction: 14 cars finish, podium is all Mercedes powered, Red Bull gets 4 points and one DNF

Hooniverse K > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 11:37

Did you, uhmm, clink the Hooniverse link to see the rest?

getchapopcorn > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:38

Mercedes car may not be in front anymore — http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/das-verhei-t-n…

Hooniverse K > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 11:38

And we have a second post on predictions coming later today.

Prediction means opinions, and these were just the facts.

thebullfrog > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 11:39

You clearly missed the big blue link at the bottom that clearly says "READ MORE ON HOONIVERSE" which takes you to the rest of the 15 paragraph article.

RelentlessSlacker > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:39

They're not sandbagging, they're struggling to make their car run. I'm imagining they'll work out the kinks and start expressing what is a rather fast chassis/aero package (still remains to be seen what the ultimate performance potential of the Renault engine will be...could be the difference between a Red Bull car being competitive and being dominant). I'm sure we'll see them make strides session by session, race by race, but I wouldn't expect them to be the Red Bull we've gotten used to before Spain or so, and it could be even later than that.

Wild Weasel > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 11:45

Nope. :) Reading it now. I thought THIS was the guide. In that case, this was an awfully wordy way of providing a link. My apologies for the attack though. :)

FastAndBoxy > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:47

I don't think they are sandbagging. There's no doubt they will be quick, but this is ain't street racing. Sand bagging at this level of motorsport is INSANELY risky. With the amount of money on the line and the potential for wasted effort, they wouldn't risk it.

dataPOG > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 11:59

So do you think lines will be wider then what we've seen in the past? And I don't mean they'll be using the wet line, but not cutting as close to the apex to keep from pinching speed off.

dataPOG > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 12:01

Kinja'd!!!

Is that better?

keviiinn! > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 12:03

don't sleep on Williams either, I expect a good year from Massa

Hooniverse K > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 12:03

No problem.

And yea, some predictions are coming later today.

Hooniverse K > asimsaeed
03/13/2014 at 12:06

Thanks, but it was written by Bradley Brownell, I just posted here.

reciprocating > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:06

Is Redbull breaking things because they are that unreliable, or are they pushing the limits well before other teams? That is the question that shall be answered in Melbourne...

72Riv > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:08

Merc 1, Massa 2, Vettel 3rd. Williams is looking extremely strong.

Lotus should be having all the same drivetrain issues that RedBull has, but with a fraction of the budget to deal with it. I expect RedBull to have the most together Renault powertrain. Ferrari could be sandbagging with their engineer "leak" of being down on power. If they are not sandbagging, Mercs will dominate, at least the first round or two. If Ferrari is sandbagging, who knows! Maybe Sauber could pull one out of the bag.

reciprocating > nickhater2
03/13/2014 at 12:08

Ferrari will be on the podium, along side Mercedes...... I think the teams that do both Chassis and Engine, obviously have a huge advantage, but don't count out Vettel yet.

72Riv > getchapopcorn
03/13/2014 at 12:10

I have no idea who will be faster in the Ferrari... Alonso or Kimi. I don't know who's driving style will benefit the most from the all-mapped-to-the-pedal torque demand.

reciprocating > 72Riv
03/13/2014 at 12:11

Renault must made made some progress.... http://www.f1times.co.uk/news/display/0…

FormerInstants > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 12:17

I'm excited to see Kobayashi on the grid, even if it is in a Caterham. Maybe he'll do something with it! I'm also pretty excited about Kimi in a Ferrari that might not be crap. Plus I'm rather excited to see if Lotus' nose design turns out to be brilliant. And I'm excited that Williams might be good this year. I'm further excited about the technical developments that will ensue. And I'm excited to see if Ricciardo is any good in a Red Bull, or if the Red Bull is any good on the track. Plus I'm excited that they fixed Qualifying regulations to make Q3 properly exciting. Etc.

I guess you could say I'm just excited about F1.

I am however also *not* excited about some things. Like double points for Abu Dhabi which is stupid and dumb. And that they're still using Pirelli's stupid paper-mache tires. Also how DRS is still a ridiculous video-game power-up. Plus the fact that they stupidly reduced the number of engines allowed per season at the same time as they had the most massive engine revision of the last twenty years. And the cars are almost universally ugly due to "safety" changes that aren't actually making anything safer (arguably).

So a bit of a mixed bag I guess.

dapper_otter > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:20

If it was just Red Bull having problems then I might believe that they're sandbagging but the reality is that all 4 teams running Renault powertrains are having big reliability problems. I believe their problems are legitimate.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 12:33

I made a Power Ranking for all cars, based on what I read during and after testing. Maybe it is of some interest:

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/f1-2014-the-po…

thechosenwonton > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:34

Redbull will have a fast car this year, but they are most certainly not sandbagging. There is no advantage or reason whatsoever for them to do this. Every single lap they are able to run during pre-season testing is an advantage, and additional data collected. They would be fools to even think about attempting this as a strategy, and no one on Redbull I would classify as foolish. I will be surprised if they finish at all in Australia, the reliability of their car is what is in question, not the speed. As it has been said, "to finish first, first you must finish", and I suspect at least the first 3 races Redbull will be having major issues trying to just get to the end.

Also keep in mind, its 5 engines all year. If they melt 3 in the first 3 races, they'll either have to appeal to allow for more engines (which none of the other teams will allow), finish the season on just two engines, or accept a grid penalty (I believe it's 10 spots, but I am not certain) every time they need to use more than the allocated 5.

Yes, Redbull is in a spot, and no, they have not been sandbagging.

reciprocating > dapper_otter
03/13/2014 at 12:37

Seems like, perhaps those issues have been fixed. Based on ttheir corner speeds, the chassis and aero works well... if Renault has fixed the engines, I still say Podium for Vettel!

http://www.f1times.co.uk/news/display/0…

reciprocating > thechosenwonton
03/13/2014 at 12:39

CHassis and aero seems to be spot on..Riccardo was passing people on the outside of some big fast corners during pre-season tesing. Only the Powertrain was an issue.. if Renault fixes the engines, they will be a top competitor again.

ANd this:

http://www.f1times.co.uk/news/display/0…

thisusernameforsale > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 12:41

You forgot Bernie's time as average F1 team owner.

LIGHTONFUEL > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:45

I highly doubt that that is the case. I can't recall them ever sandbagging during testing before or running such few laps for that matter. Word on the street is that Renault's powerplant combined with Newey's too tight for comfort package are seriously hurting the squad.

chromecarz00 > Wild Weasel
03/13/2014 at 12:49

There are other updates floating around

thechosenwonton > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 12:54

Powertrain issues are to be expected for all teams this year but Renault has had the most issues by far. You also have no idea the fuel loads they other team was running, what they were testing, what strategy they were using. There are far to many variables to assume. I do agree the car will be and is fast, Adrian didn't somehow forget how to design a car that is fast, but powertrain issues I must suspect will be their biggest enemy this year.

Pdexter > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 13:00

This season came out of nowhere. Helps being so busy in work I guess.

Hoping for Red Bull focking it up like on testing and Ferrari (Kimi), Williams and Merc fighting for the top spot on the firtst race.

Wild Weasel > dataPOG
03/13/2014 at 13:01

LOL! That should definitely have been included. :)

sac02 > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 13:16

If you honestly think Redbull is sandbagging - not using the meager handful of test days they have available, despite sweeping fundemental rules changes to the chassis and drivetrain - you know nothing about developing a racecar. Testing time is priceless, even moreso when you have new systems on the car, and the rules limit you to a dozen or so test days PER YEAR.

Chris > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 13:17

Isn't sandbagging just completed slower laps then you are capable of? I wouldnt call not completing an entire race distance during pre-season testing sandbagging.

Are they fast, yes? Will they finish the race...at least one of them probably wont.

Huell Howitzer > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 13:32

Everyone says Williams is strong, but no one seems to want say they'll have a podium at the first race. I don't think Massa is much good, nor Bottas, but I'd love to see that gorgeous livery win.

brandondrums > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 13:39

I might just be me but I feel the series could be neutered by going to such tiny engines for the sake of fuel economy. What would have made more sense - and much more of a difference for fuel economy is allowing for more active aero bits, perhaps even wheel shrouds and lowering the minimum weight.

On top of that, simply limit fuel usage per race. Let them keep the V-8's or at least let them keep the same displacement and allow for experimentation between v-10, v-8 and v6 layouts.

Taking on more of a le-mans style regulatory system would both make the series more interesting and more cost-effective. I really feel that more money will be spent trying to maximize this tiny new engine than would be spent if they had a bit more aero systems to play with.

For comparison, even a NASCAR Sprint Cup racer gets better fuel economy than formula 1 (at least up until 2010) around a road course and that's with a 7L pushrod V-8 hauling around nearly 2x the weight of a formula one car.

How? Far fewer revs per mile.

reciprocating > sac02
03/13/2014 at 13:50

They used all the test days, as best they could, and for sure the renault power train issues were real. What I'm saying is they were careful to let show the complete potential of the car. Several of the front wings they tested were not even legal per the new rules, some elements were missing, like the mandatory onboard cameras in the nose... They will be much faster than what everyone thinks. Just because an engine over heats or the circuit for KERS malfuncitons, doesn't mean the rest of the car is junk. Chassis and aero will be on par with everyone else.. if not better (as evidenced by Riccardo's superior corner speeds during the pre-season testing..)

Legibby > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 14:04

Is everyone forgetting Williams and McLaren? Both will have cars inside the top 5! Young Magnussen looks the real deal guys....and we will finally see the REAL Valteri Bottas this year!!

dapper_otter > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 14:19

Agreed, was just reading that. If Renault has fixed everything then I guess the big hope is that RBR didn't get enough testing in to have everything dialed. Hopefully that leaves at least 1 race that Vettel can't win.

72Riv > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 14:36

That is encouraging!

I also heard that Merc isn't allowed to use their newest front wing due to it not passing crash test standards. So it could be a lot more level of a playing field that people are expecting. I'm so stoked!

reciprocating > 72Riv
03/13/2014 at 14:54

Me Too! More excited for this season of F1, than I have been in a real long time. New engines Hooray! Less Aero Hooray!

DCrants > Kate's Dirty Sister
03/13/2014 at 15:29

Pre-season tests are to be taken with a grain of salt.

Pre-season test times are to be taken with a grain of salt. The tests themselves, particularly this year with completely new regs, are critical. RBR are weeks behind just based on track time alone. In these days of restricted testing and track use, they will never be able to make up that track time, no matter how many hours they spend on the car.

vrptstyly > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 15:35

OMG I'm so excited for this season, I can't keep my pants up!!!

noodlesrcn > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 15:49

What options are there to watch the race legally in the US, if you don't pay for cable?

Weapon10 > reciprocating
03/13/2014 at 15:55

I don't think so. Like another commentor said, it's seriously risky to sandbag when you need the data. What is the advantage to sandbagging?

regularconsuelo > Hooniverse K
03/13/2014 at 17:27

GO MASSA

McMike > Hooniverse K
03/14/2014 at 05:50

Speaking of KERS (now called ERS) backfilling some gaps..... The cars have no lag because the turbo is spun by the electric motor to make boost.

The motor on the back of the turbo also acts as a generator to charge the batteries. I still don't know how the brake-by-wire system works, but a lot of the drivers in practice were caught out by it. Regenitive braking turning on and off and the software/drivers not being able to make a smooth transition, or something.*

Know what this means?? Lots of DNFs this year.

http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/unde…

*Must read more about the braking systems today.

reciprocating > reciprocating
03/17/2014 at 12:11

I would just like to point out, that until they got caught cheating, a redbull was on the podium!!!

kArno > Kate's Dirty Sister
04/20/2014 at 00:56

Mercedes has this Turbo layout that got the entire F1 establishment caught off guard! So, I think by the time all these teams are returning to EU they should be having some major upgrade at the engine department to match Mercedes; especially, Red Bulls with its own engine! Can't wait!!!!!