[Official] Rate the Grand Prix: Chinese Grand Prix 2016

[dsg]

Originally Posted by wnut

If I may Jeremy:

It is soulless

So, would it be better if it was built somewhere in Europe on a disused airfield? I think it has a good mix of corners and I like the long straight. The layout provides several good overtaking areas without the use of DRS and generally produces good races.

As with most of the fans I generally watch the races on TV so hardly ever see or notice the grandstands and crowds (or lack of them).

I would agree it is somewhat sterile, but so is Silverstone now in my opinion. It just has more history. Everyone has different views and just because mine is different doesn't make it right (or wrong), just different and seeing other people's views is the main reason I am in this forum.

Ultimately my focus is on the drivers and cars so I would prefer to see decent racing at a sterile circuit rather than sterile (soulless?) racing at a "popular" circuit. Maybe at Shanghai they need to knock a few of those empty grandstands down and plant a heap of trees instead. Make us imagine that long back straight could be in a Bavarian forest.

[JeremySmith]

Originally Posted by dsg

What's wrong with the track?

It's one of worst examples of a modern track, straights that go on for ever followed by hairpins..
whatever happened to sweeping turns that flow ..

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Oldtony

I"ve Been following F1 since the 1950's'.
If that was "only average" what period are you calculating the average over?
Let's be honest the organisation, governance and administration of F1 might be a disaster at present but the general standard of the racing is as good as it has ever been.
Gave it an 8

That's certainly a long time but is it as good as ever, when drivers have to rely on DRS in order to overtake?

[chillibowl]

in fairness though there were many passes made outside of the DRS zones in China (and in OZ and Bahrain as well) and multiple times we saw cars going 2 or 3 wide with attempts at passing two cars at once.

i am also not a huge fan of DRS but surely the drivers are not just relying on DRS zones to pass.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

in fairness though there were many passes made outside of the DRS zones in China (and in OZ and Bahrain as well) and multiple times we saw cars going 2 or 3 wide with attempts at passing two cars at once.

i am also not a huge fan of DRS but surely the drivers are not just relying on DRS zones to pass.

That's not quite how I remember it. There were some passes without the use of DRS but on the whole passing is reliant on DRS.

[Beryl]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

That's not quite how I remember it. There were some passes without the use of DRS but on the whole passing is reliant on DRS.

I'd say you're misrepresenting what transpired. I seem to remember just as many passes occurring into turn 6 as in the DRS zones. Perez and Hamilton, if I'm remembering correctly, also made moves stick on the outside of turn 7 and Hamilton passed Bottas into turn 9. The plethora of overtaking was derived from the tires, not any semblance of overpowered DRS.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Beryl

I'd say you're misrepresenting what transpired. I seem to remember just as many passes occurring into turn 6 as in the DRS zones. Perez and Hamilton, if I'm remembering correctly, also made moves stick on the outside of turn 7 and Hamilton passed Bottas into turn 9. The plethora of overtaking was derived from the tires, not any semblance of overpowered DRS.

Nothing to do with misrepresentation, it's how I remember it and it's not just confined to one race but all three races so far this season and I've watched them all live, no highlights.

[mikuni]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Nothing to do with misrepresentation, it's how I remember it and it's not just confined to one race but all three races so far this season and I've watched them all live, no highlights.

What is the opposite of rose tinted glasses? Sh*t tinted glasses? When you are so jaded by F1, that even when you witness a great race, with a huge amount of action and fantastic passing manoeuvres (many without DRS assistance), you still see something poor, and comment negatively.

[Tja]

Originally Posted by mikuni

What is the opposite of rose tinted glasses? Sh*t tinted glasses? When you are so jaded by F1, that even when you witness a great race, with a huge amount of action and fantastic passing manoeuvres (many without DRS assistance), you still see something poor, and comment negatively.

There's often a lot of passing in DRS zones during the first few laps when it isn't enabled and as you pointed out some circuits even allow non-DRS passes later on. To me, the DRS zones take away a lot of excitement as often they destroy what could've been a good battle. Besides the moves into T6 (and a nice move round the outside by Hamilton through 7 or 8 IIRC) there were also lots of moves where drivers were already alongside each other at the beginning of the DRS zone and DRS took away any chance of a fight-back and many times when drivers moved back to the ideal racing line before braking.

It's just unnecessary and makes the racing more dull than it could be. I don't care about the number of passes, I'd rather have a battle for 6th that goes on for a few laps with the two drivers working at the limit than the following driver just sit back and wait for the next opportunity to push the nice little go-fast button and fly past the other. That's why I often find myself checking the phone or heading to the fridge in recent years...

[JoestForEver]

Originally Posted by Tja

There's often a lot of passing in DRS zones during the first few laps when it isn't enabled and as you pointed out some circuits even allow non-DRS passes later on. To me, the DRS zones take away a lot of excitement as often they destroy what could've been a good battle. Besides the moves into T6 (and a nice move round the outside by Hamilton through 7 or 8 IIRC) there were also lots of moves where drivers were already alongside each other at the beginning of the DRS zone and DRS took away any chance of a fight-back and many times when drivers moved back to the ideal racing line before braking.

It's just unnecessary and makes the racing more dull than it could be. I don't care about the number of passes, I'd rather have a battle for 6th that goes on for a few laps with the two drivers working at the limit than the following driver just sit back and wait for the next opportunity to push the nice little go-fast button and fly past the other. That's why I often find myself checking the phone or heading to the fridge in recent years...

Well, with the amount of aero effect, I'm afraid that the “battle” you want might be nothing more than procession. Everyone running in line, waiting for the pitstop jump.

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[Tja]

Originally Posted by JoestForEver

Well, with the amount of aero effect, I'm afraid that the “battle” you want might be nothing more than procession. Everyone running in line, waiting for the pitstop jump.

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Why does slipstreaming seam to work during the first few laps without DRS then? The way these new Tilke circuits have been designed, DRS makes passing look easy and uninteresting to me, that's all I wanted to say with my post to explain why I and some others didn't give the race a higher score despite lots of passing that we got to see.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by mikuni

What is the opposite of rose tinted glasses? Sh*t tinted glasses? When you are so jaded by F1, that even when you witness a great race, with a huge amount of action and fantastic passing manoeuvres (many without DRS assistance), you still see something poor, and comment negatively.

Did you watch the race live, or edited highlights?

If you thought last weekends Chinese GP was a great race, I wonder what you would have made of Bahrain 2014 because that was a great race?

I refer you to my initial post, having watched the race live. #9

[JoestForEver]

Originally Posted by Tja

Why does slipstreaming seam to work during the first few laps without DRS then? The way these new Tilke circuits have been designed, DRS makes passing look easy and uninteresting to me, that's all I wanted to say with my post to explain why I and some others didn't give the race a higher score despite lots of passing that we got to see.

Because of new tyres and bunched up field. Both simply won't work if you are playing catch up game.

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[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Nothing to do with misrepresentation, it's how I remember it and it's not just confined to one race but all three races so far this season and I've watched them all live, no highlights.

one of the problems (or benefits depending on your point of view) is that DRS does enable closer racing....rather even passes that dont happen at the end of a DRS zone are in part also aided by the DRS sections.

its a tough nut. i resent that a 'gimmick' aid is needed in the first place but i see the benefits of it.

but on the whole, imo, there is a lot more passing and action throughout the length of the track now then prior to the DRS era when passing seemed to only be relegated to passes made at the end of long straights (which was the premise of the Tilke designs).

not sure if that made sense or not.

[S griffin]

7

Enough going on throughout to keep everyone interested from start to finish. Not a bad race

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

one of the problems (or benefits depending on your point of view) is that DRS does enable closer racing....rather even passes that dont happen at the end of a DRS zone are in part also aided by the DRS sections.

its a tough nut. i resent that a 'gimmick' aid is needed in the first place but i see the benefits of it.

but on the whole, imo, there is a lot more passing and action throughout the length of the track now then prior to the DRS era when passing seemed to only be relegated to passes made at the end of long straights (which was the premise of the Tilke designs).

not sure if that made sense or not.

I don't know if DRS necessarily enables closer racing but it does enable overtaking as we all know, given the current aero configuration of the cars.

I can't say I've noticed a marked increase in overtaking without DRS but with 18 races left on the calendar, I will be watching with great interest.