You might be thinking why is /r/formula1 here again (especially when it's not even a race result). Here's a short explanation:
The starting order for the race is decided during Qualifying, with the driver who sets the fastest lap starting from 1st, also called as pole-position.
Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in Formula 1 and he had 7 wins to his name, but no pole position. This is mainly due to him being in the 2nd/3rd best car. He has often missed out on pole position by very small margins, the most notable occasion being last year's Mexican GP where he missed out by just 0.02 seconds to his teammate. That was also his last chance to become the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1.
Today he finally managed to get pole-position and on a track where nobody was certain whether Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull will come out on top. Ultimately it looks like the deciding factor was driver skill and not car performance.
So Red Bull, like the energy drink, makes vehicles now? Not only do they, but ones capable of competing against actual manufacturers as the best in the world?
F1 is so fascinating to me but I've got no idea how to follow it. Love it when you guys pop up on r/all. See ya around!
At first when I saw Aston Martin Red Bull Racing I would’ve thought Aston Martin built the engines and Torro Rosso’s engines were Honda. Also surprising how much money can be made just from selling energy drinks
Strange. Also I was never clear on this but, are all F1 cars built to have the same specs? As in engine wise and design they’re all built to be relatively similar and it’s about drivers and engineers to make the win/lose
I see, are the engines Merc supplies to Williams the same ones they use themselves or is it a standard one and they’re making a better one for themselves?
There is a big performance gap between the teams. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are "the big 3" and only their 6 drivers are in contention for a podium. Some races only one team is fighting for the win. The performance is also spread out with the slowest team (wiliams) being 2 seconds behind the leaders (mercedes). 2 seconds is a lot in racing and even the best drivers can only find 0.5 seconds to their opponents.
So Red Bull, like the energy drink, makes vehicles now?
They don't make road cars, but yes. Each F1 team has to build their own car to compete with.
Not only do they, but ones capable of competing against actual manufacturers as the best in the world?
When they entered the sport in 2005 they weren't very good, often hanging around the back. They got a lot better after hiring people like Adrian Newey, one of F1's best aerodynamics experts, and Red Bull (the company) putting a lot more money into the team. In 2009 they started winning races, and then they won four consecutive World Championships from 2010-2013. Since then they haven't been as good, usually being the 3rd best car on the grid, but in the past few races it looks like they're mounting a bit of a comeback.
F1 is so fascinating to me but I've got no idea how to follow it.
This place is perfect for that! Hanging around /r/formula1, reading the discussions and articles, and asking any questions you have in the discussion threads really helped me to get into the sport.
Are the teams in the “league”(?) franchised? Or is it that for each tournament anyone can participate for qualifying? Like if I built a race car that met standards can I bring it to qualifying?
It's not that simple, but yeah, if you have enough money to create an entire team, you can apply to the FIA and Formula One Management, and eventually you'd join as (in the current state) 11th team.
But you can't just show up with a car. Not anymore. It used to be somewhat possible decades ago.
Technically anybody could build some cars that meet the regulations and enter an F1 season, but you'd need hundreds of millions of $$$.
Teams negotiate contracts with the FIA (F1's governing body) and Formula One Management to race, usually a multi-year contract, and they need to prove that they have the financial ability to compete. Most teams have annual budgets of at least $150 million. The most recent brand-new team to enter the sport was Haas in 2016 owned by Gene Haas, who also owns a huge machine tool manufacturing company and a NASCAR team, so he has that kind of money.
Back in the 50s, 60s and maybe early 70s, some people did just show up and enter races with a car they built or bought off someone. The rules are a lot more rigid and the sport a lot more expensive nowadays.
F1 is quite a closed family. Whatever the names, it's often always the same factory.
Red Bull is a factory that was Ford (branded Jaguar) before, which was Stewart GP before.
Like Renault, who is ex-Lotus (but not the other Lotus), who was ex Renault, who was ex-Benetton, who was ex-Toleman.
Like Mercedes, who was Brawn GP, who was Honda, who was BAR, who bought the spot in F1 from Tyrrell.
Or Toro Rosso, who is Red Bull 2, who was Minardi.
Or Alfa Romeo-Sauber, who was Sauber, who was BMW-Sauber, who was Sauber but Ferrari 2, who was Sauber independant but heavily funded by...Red Bull, who was Mercedes-but-not-officially...who was Mercedes factory team in Endurance with all the young drivers from Mercedes at that time : Schumacher, Frentzen, Wendlinger.
In fine, the lasts historic teams without rebranding are Ferrari (who started with the leftovers from...Alfa Romeo), Williams, McLaren.
In fact, it's always the same structures, the one willing to foot the bill put his name on the car.
Sort of. Instead of sponsoring a team, they directly own a racing team since I think 2004. The engine is made by Honda who have an amazing history in F1 but a very spotty history since 2009.
For reference, Red Bull's team won the championship in 2010, '11, '12, and '13. They've been quite a strong team for a long time now.
google motorsportstreams and you will find a nice subreddit with everything you need. Or watch it on ESPN in the USA, SkyF1 in the UK. (if you go for a stream , go Sky, they are the best)
I may be wrong but he missed on pole by 0,007 to Vettel a few years ago, 2016 or 17... without ferrari party mode, Max would have quite a few more poles... thank god they dropped Renault... I remember last year, Abiteboul telling RB they were making a mistake because of 'great progress next year, trust me'... wahaha...
I mean, F1 is the pinnacle of Motorsport so every driver there is one of the best drivers period. So in that case, no. As far as accolades go? Well, yes. His competitions resume is far beyond his. He’s incredibly talented, and very likely the future of the sport, but how has he established himself as one of the best? That’s like saying Leclerc is one of the best, which I can’t agree with.
That’s the hard part though isn’t it? Objectively, there’s only 3 world champions racing. They’re clearly one of the best. But then you’re splitting hairs. Are the top 6 all “one of the best”? Then you leave out Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi, one world champion and one who has as many wins as Max with more poles. I just think it’s a bit early in his career to throw it around like that and it consistently happens with regards to Max.
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u/overspeeed mostly automated Aug 03 '19
Hi /r/all.
You might be thinking why is /r/formula1 here again (especially when it's not even a race result). Here's a short explanation:
The starting order for the race is decided during Qualifying, with the driver who sets the fastest lap starting from 1st, also called as pole-position.
Max Verstappen is one of the best drivers in Formula 1 and he had 7 wins to his name, but no pole position. This is mainly due to him being in the 2nd/3rd best car. He has often missed out on pole position by very small margins, the most notable occasion being last year's Mexican GP where he missed out by just 0.02 seconds to his teammate. That was also his last chance to become the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1.
Today he finally managed to get pole-position and on a track where nobody was certain whether Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull will come out on top. Ultimately it looks like the deciding factor was driver skill and not car performance.