We recently invited members of the community section of our YouTube channel to supply questions for our Formula 1 team to answer in our F1 podcast.
The response was so huge there was no way we could fit all the answers we wanted to give into a sensible-length podcast episode, so we’ve decided to answer a few more of your questions in this bonus article.
And if you want to listen to the original podcast episode, here it is:
Now on with the next batch of questions:
Did you think Aston Martin will be as fast as everyone seems to think it is going to be?
– Thustine
Edd Straw: I’m not sure how fast people are expecting, but Racing Point (as it is currently) is a properly upwardly-mobile F1 team with the third-fastest car on average this year.
Provided the developments on the Mercedes clone continue to work as the tranche introduced at Mugello did, there’s no reason for that to change in 2021.
The big question is what’s possible in 2022 and beyond. It might take a little longer for the infrastructure changes to really have a big impact, but this is a team that has all the ingredients to emerge as a race-winning force down the line – most importantly with some very good people.
The only thing that could undermine it is impatient or over-interventionist leadership.
If Renault were to have a similar performing car for next season, do you expect to see Fernando Alonso challenging the top teams with his ability to outperform his machinery or do you think the gap is too big to bridge just with driver skill?
– James Coyle-King
Mark Hughes: I don’t think there is any significant difference in ability between the driver Renault has now (Daniel Ricciardo) and the one it gets next year. They are both extraordinary and what either of them deliver will be the limit of the car.
Scott Mitchell: I think Ricciardo’s squeezing everything possible out of that car, as evidenced by his advantage over the very highly-rated Esteban Ocon.
I’m not sure that Alonso will achieve anything Ricciardo hasn’t – maybe he’d have found a way to grab an opportunistic podium but that’s being hypercritical of Daniel. And the fundamental performance level of the team will not change because Alonso replaces Ricciardo.
Why have Haas continued to underperform and is there a quick way back for them?
– Noony38 Gaming
Edd Straw: The big problem here is the Ferrari customer engine. Actually, Haas does appear to have solved the problem that ruined its 2019 season but it’s stuck with an underpowered engine that leaves it struggling to get out of Q1.
Add to that the fact that the team continues to be a little inconsistent and you have the ingredients for a tough season. The first priority is for the engine package to take a step.
Is the love affair with the new circuits a fleeting one or could they potentially become more permanent?
– JimmyRacer31
Edd Straw: The appearance of Mugello, Imola, Istanbul Park and Algarve on the calendar was forced by necessity given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If and when we get back to relative normality, the driving force behind races will be who can afford to stage them given how important the grands prix themselves are to F1’s income.
What will be interesting is whether some of these venues can use a temporary appearance to find the cash to keep going.
Why have Racing Point not delivered more than a single podium finish so far? Do you consider the Pink Merc a failure given its potential?
– Matthew Sinclair
Mark Hughes: I think it’s definitely under-delivering a little, yes.
Scott Mitchell: Neither driver has properly hooked up both qualifying and the race when the car’s been at its most competitive. The team’s been guilty of that too. A weekend performance like Spain would have earned a podium at other races. Lance Stroll might have grabbed third at Mugello, too.
Why hasn’t a spending cap been put in place before now?
– Richard Lincoln
Edd Straw: Attempts have been made, notably with the Resource Restriction Agreement at the turn of the last decade that ultimately failed. But there was just never quite the unity and the vision to make it happen. Under Liberty Media, finally some progress has been made and the need to ensure teams are sustainable finally did make it happen.
There have also always been concerns about enforcing it and, while the Financial Regulations include a comprehensive mechanism for monitoring teams and punishing infringements, it remains to seen how well that work in practices.
Scott Mitchell: F1 didn’t have the right people in charge and the right circumstances forcing teams to accept that reality. That the budget cap has been reduced before it’s even implemented, because of the coronavirus pandemic, shows how much of an impact external factors have.
How similar do you imagine 2021 will be to 2020?
– Nick Cattelan
Edd Straw: It’s likely to be pretty similar given the cars are being carried over. But there are some aero rule changes made to ensure the downforce levels don’t continue to rise given the tyres will remain largely unchanged for another year. Despite those overall downforce restrictions to the car, aerodynamic development remains free.
Even so, it’s likely to be a ‘2020 part two’ rather than a fresh start and even this far out, another Mercedes triumph seems likely.
What do you think has been the finest drive of the year so far?
– Josh Wright
Mark Hughes: Probably Hamilton in Spain.
Scott Mitchell: Agreed, Spain. Hamilton’s guilty of the occasional over-excitement about his performance but he was properly fired up post-race, as he felt he’d been in a trance-like state, ‘in the zone’, for much of the grand prix. It was crushing.
Who was responsible for the crash at the Tuscan Grand Prix?
– PadmaNaidu Payavula
Mark Hughes: No one person. It was a confluence of many factors. The big distance between the two lines, the lateness of the safety car putting its lights out. You cannot expect racing drivers to act as a shoal and the further down the pack they were, the more they were affected by the energy spring of the decelerating/accelerating and the more unsighted they were.
Scott Mitchell: I spent a lot of time post-race producing the conclusive answer that there was no conclusive answer! Have a read here to see how the butterfly effect played out.
Should DRS be usable anywhere?
– David Addley
Mark Hughes: No, we should be trying to limit where it is needed, not use it more. When it facilitates passes that aren’t even overtakes but just passing, like cars on a motorway, it’s meaningless.
Scott Mitchell: No, I think it needs to be reduced if anything – mainly by shortening the length of DRS zones in places where drive-by passes are a known problem. The purpose of the system is meant to be allowing drivers to contest braking zones, not be well clear by the time they get there.
