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Ferrari masterclass already this weekend 🤦♂️
https://streamain.com/en/iQuosFoNPwhPi9p/watch
edit- actually i take that back, i think the mech was telling LEC to hold!
edit- actually i take that back, i think the mech was telling LEC to hold!
No, he was showing him which way to go. The guy letting Hamilton out made exactly the same gesture and Hamilton went past him.
Opposite way down the pit lane to 'normal' hence being reminded.
Simple Ferrari cock up. Again.
Simple Ferrari cock up. Again.
Ah, ****, i was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt! Adami wasn't being the most helpful in his radio messages to Lewis either.
Great pole lap, not much left on the table there! Shame Ferrari seemed to cock up the timing of their final laps because it looked like the car had a bit more pace in it.
https://twitter.com/pitstop13213/status/1974480062121423281
Well my prediction of Norris heading to 7th in the first lap was wrong. Didn’t have “bounce off 2 cars” on my bingo card
Having in the past been slightly critical of Norris and his inability to make a move when he needed to, fair play for making the most of the start and now leaving Piastri sounding like a whiney loser. Now the Championship is done it might get a bit more tasty between the two of them.
It says it all that the most newsworthy thing in F1 right now is two teammates having a minor dispute over a fairly minor first-lap incident. Norris was a bit clumsy, of course Piastri's going to be upset, but it was a racing incident and they'll get over it.
Don't think he's a loser....but he does seem to getting increasingly whiney
They all moan a lot when things don't go their way. Hamilton moans, Verstappen moans, Alonso moans, why is it a surprise that Piastri has a moan after his teammate hits him?
It says it all that the most newsworthy thing in F1 right now is two teammates having a minor dispute over a fairly minor first-lap incident. Norris was a bit clumsy, of course Piastri's going to be upset, but it was a racing incident and they'll get over it.
In isolation, yes it's a nothingburger, but the big picture is they're fighting for a championship, they've both been biting their tongues and playing the team game, and everybody is waiting for it kick off big style between them.
That was a boring race though. I thought Russell might bottle it when Verstappen found some pace towards the end but he did a good job maintaining a gap through the traffic.
Shame about the brake failure*, Lewis was brilliant doing quick laps to get back on them after the pitstop, I'm not sure if he could have got Antonelli but he was right on him when the failure occurred.
*I think this was a ferrari cock up again btw, both cars were being told to li-co almost the whole race
They all moan a lot when things don't go their way. Hamilton moans, Verstappen moans, Alonso moans, why is it a surprise that Piastri has a moan after his teammate hits him?
Piastri let it affect him all race though. It seemed to fester in his head and he never really pressured Lando.
he never really pressured Lando.
I think the plan was to stay back out of Norris's dirty air to save his tyres, run a long first stint, then attack near the end when he had much fresher tyres.
After this snooze fest at least we can look forward to Austin which has a good history of feisty racing and overtaking.
After this snooze fest at least we can look forward to Austin which has a good history of feisty racing and overtaking.
I won't hold my breath.
I thought Baku might be a good one because of all the qualifying drama, the fact that Verstappen got on pole and there seemed quite a lot of cars out of their 'normal' position. It was a snooze-fest.
I thought Singapore would be quite enjoyable because the front of the grid was a bit mixed up, Norris would be trying to recover his poor qualifying and there are quite often safety cars. I was hoping for a first corner smash-up to be honest. Nope. Another snooze-fest.
As for unfair.......boo hoo. They need to stop that guff. All through the season people have been saying they are going to tie themselves in a knot with these 'fairness' calls and end up with every little race scenario being questioned for fairness. And that's where we are with McLaren. Norris would have been through there anyway, even if they hadn't made contact. He left a gaping hole for Norris to drive through.
It's a good thing that F1 on the telly still means I can dictate what I watch for a tiny portion of the week & sit down with a beer while not being disturbed. Otherwise, I'd probably give up with it.
I hope the regulations shake things up next year, but again....I won't hold my breath.
He left a gaping hole for Norris to drive through.
He was stuck on the outside of Verstappen rather than just leaving a gap
He left a gaping hole for Norris to drive through.
Absolutely. I doubt a racing driver exists that wouldn't have gladly accepted that invitation.
"A lawsuit involving a former Red Bull Racing employee and the team has been dismissed following a settlement. The case, which was set for a hearing next year, has been resolved out of court, reportedly for several million pounds.The lawsuit was based on allegations of inappropriate behavior by former team principal Christian Horner."
Blimey...what a shocker. Not.
^ link not working but I'm guessing that's the Alonso clip with the audio changed to Victor Meldrew 😆
Yes it was - link was working - must have been taken down.
https://racingnews365.com/lewis-hamilton-shares-hilarious-response-to-fernando-alonso-radio-fury
Now this is interesting!...
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/wrc-star-rovanpera-makes-shock-single-seater-career-switch/
Regarding the Piastri/Norris thing, one thing I had heard about the Papaya Rules is that if there is contact then whoever was deemed to be at fault has to yield the place. I think that was what Piastri was grumbling about, he clearly wasn't at fault but did not get the place as a result. Whether Norris was at fault or it was just a racing incident is open to debate
So everyone is keeping their options open then for 2017 (teams and drivers)!!!... 🤣
Oops. Too late to edit that daft typo...🙃
So everyone is keeping their options open then for 2017 2027 (teams and drivers)!!!...
I'm a printer - I have 40+ years of experience in creating the finest typos! 🤣
Well that was crazy! Cool man Piastri seems to be losing his cool. You can’t make that kind of switchback move into turn 1 of a race.
And Stroll!!!!! 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
My thoughts exactly.
I really enjoyed the sky presenters efforts to not have a British bias when talking about Oscar’s poor judgement right up to the point when Danica Patrick pointed out that it was Oscar who caused the crash.
I know it was the first corner of the first lap, but I do wonder if the stewards didn’t penalize Oscar because of how close the championship is.
You can’t make that kind of switchback move into turn 1 of a race.
+1
Also, poor form from McLaren for blaming the Hulk. He had every right to be fighting for that position. Oscar definitely over-optimistic trying that move. Will there be "consequences" for Piastri? 🤷
I do wonder if the stewards didn’t penalize Oscar because of how close the championship is.
I think they just have a policy of accepting that first lap stuff will happen and ignoring it if it's not deliberate.
That seems reasonable
Also, poor form from McLaren for blaming the Hulk. He had every right to be fighting for that position. Oscar definitely over-optimistic trying that move. Will there be "consequences" for Piastri? 🤷
Was retracted by ZB during main race quali after he said he'd watched the replays
I wouldn't be surprised if Verstappen wins the WDC, as ZB says he's relentless in his approach. Red Bull seems to have upped their game since Horney Spice was sacked, I know that he didn't design the car, but there was plenty of friction within the team visible to the outside world.
Does anyone else think of "Jaws" when they see Verstappen clocking up another victory...?
It is looking ominous, however Norris is still there or thereabouts compared to earlier in the season when Pasty was romping off down the road.
I'm not a Verstappen fan, but think it's great that he's back in contention for the title, a three way fight at the end of the season makes things a bit more interesting! Hope it all comes down to the last race, rather than all be sewn up before then.
I'm not a Verstappen fan, but think it's great that he's back in contention for the title, a three way fight at the end of the season makes things a bit more interesting! Hope it all comes down to the last race, rather than all be sewn up before then.
Same, never thought I'd say this but as the underdog I'm kinda rooting for him this year. I do think his the Red Bull is probably the fastest car at the moment since their Monza update but he's really delivered as well.
Norris and Piastry haven't really impressed me of late. Norris especially needs to work on his overtaking, he was by my reckoning 1-1.5s faster than Leclerc but it took him 40 odd laps to get past?
The BBC are reporting that Red Bull were fined for attempting to remove Norris’s grid marker.
What other cheating are they doing?
Verstappen no longer has a whiney boss and seems to have been less of knob since he became a father.
Same, never thought I'd say this but as the underdog I'm kinda rooting for him this year. I do think his the Red Bull is probably the fastest car at the moment since their Monza update but he's really delivered as well.
I think the whole ongoing, cringe-inducing, "papaya rules" fiasco has made a lot of people surprise Max fans in the second half of the season
Norris especially needs to work on his overtaking, he was by my reckoning 1-1.5s faster than Leclerc but it took him 40 odd laps to get past?
He certainly isn't cut from the same racer cloth as Max or Piastri. Was it Miami where Norris was having all kinds of trouble getting past Max when Piastri then proceeded to give him a lesson in how to do it?
US GP word of the week: switcharoo (or switchback). Lost track how many times I heard that during the Sky commentary and that was just the highlights! Please just stop.
Similar to other drivers who at some point in their earlier careers came over as nobheads, I'm warming more to Max. Putting aside that he's always had one of the more dominant cars, he's always had the skills no question. Now seems to be maturing.
I think Papaya Rules should be re-named Beige Racing.
The BBC are reporting that Red Bull were fined for attempting to remove Norris’s grid marker.
What other cheating are they doing?
They were fined (well, it was a suspended fine) for being on the grid at a time when they were instructed by a marshal not to be there.
They weren’t fined for trying to remove the tape, and it isn’t cheating (assuming you take the definition of cheating to be contravening the rules).
I remember reading about Hamilton and Norris using tape and thinking Norris’s approach was flawed compared to Hamilton’s (he has a bit of tape positioned on the car).
Yes, when I read about McLaren putting tape on the wall, I was wondering how long it would be before other teams started messing with it.
Why don't they just set up a laser pointer or something for each car so that they are all lined up perfectly without messing around with tape and stuff?
Disappointed that Carlos got it wrong, but Williams should end up with both drivers in the top 10 this season. Good drive from Lewis too.
They were fined (well, it was a suspended fine) for being on the grid at a time when they were instructed by a marshal not to be there.
They weren’t fined for trying to remove the tape, and it isn’t cheating (assuming you take the definition of cheating to be contravening the rules).
I remember reading about Hamilton and Norris using tape and thinking Norris’s approach was flawed compared to Hamilton’s (he has a bit of tape positioned on the car).
Only half of it was suspended. Sounds like the guy had forgotten to do it and went back out as the marshals were in the middle of closing the gates.
Still hoping Norris can get the job done, it’s too close to call really and could go either way. Funny how lots of people are talking like Max has already won it. Contrary to the above, I’m liking Max less and this season shows just how petulant he is when his car isn’t the fastest. And he drove into Russell as he couldn’t accept letting him past. That’s not maturing……
Rumours circulating today that a team is over the cost cap (for '24).
Aston have already admitted a minor breach - the other team is yet to be named...
I wouldn't be massively surprised if Williams went over the cap, given how many cars they smashed up that year.
Just saw this snippet about Norris' tape marker on The Race:
McLaren’s tactics included using two layers of tape and writing a message on the second that read “better luck next time”.
The attempted tape removal has happened on multiple occasions and became an established little battleground on the grid between the two teams’ mechanics.
It is understood that some of the tactics McLaren employed to make it harder for Red Bull to remove the tape included cutting it into long vertical strips so it could not be removed in one go and leaving a mechanic on the grid in front of the tape until very late - with Red Bull doing the same to try to remove it anyway.
At one stage McLaren also put two layers of tape on the wall, in case the top one did get quickly removed, with the second layer reading ‘better luck next time’.
—The Race
I guess no-one at McLaren thought to say “shall we just do what Hamilton does and stick it on the car?”.
The producers of Drive To Survive will probably dedicated a whole episode to this type of shenanigans (and another episode or 2 to "Papaya Rules")... 🤣
Verstappen quickest in Mexico, Norris fourth, Piastri further back.
Verstappen quickest in Mexico, Norris fourth, Piastri further back.
Major question is long-run pace.
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/we-were-nowhere-verstappens-bleak-mexico-outlook/
Great job by Lando
About time Lando had some luck and had a good performance while others aren’t at their best. Long overdue unlike the other championship contenders.
The start could crucial with the two Ferraris able to have some sort of coordinated plan to jump Lando on the drag to the first corner. Max and Oscar will have front row seats to watch that as long as they don't get punted off by an over ambitious mid fielder sending it into Turn 1....
Lewis and George are in the best positions for the start of this race with that huge drag to the first corner.
Pretty good race this! Loads happening- can’t believe max wasn’t penalised for lap 1 though, some very odd stewarding!
What a crock of shit - stewards screw the race once again.
Baffling decisions all race and an unecessary VSC at the end.
Why is everyone booing Lando?
Dunno - he’s just not liked. My daughter can’t be doing with him (but she is an Oscar fan! 😀).
What a crock of shit - stewards screw the race once again.
Baffling decisions all race and an unecessary VSC at the end.
Always very easy to criticise, but not many people are aware of the exact situation which triggered the VSC. I assume that Sainz stopped near an escape point (ie at the side of the track, not behind a barrier) and that there is a certain distance away or something that triggers a VSC or a SC.
Not many people watching and shouting at their tellies will have any responsibility if it goes wrong. So I don’t judge them to be best placed to have anything to moan about. While I’d say the risk there was low, it wasn’t zero.
But safety isn’t often an issue for fans wanting an exciting close finish, is it…
It’s another example of when Slow Zones would have been far better than a full course VSC
“Dunno - he’s just not liked. My daughter can’t be doing with him (but she is an Oscar fan! 😀).”
the fickle world of F1! It wasn’t that long ago that he was one of the most popular drivers
They need to do something about this turn 1 stuff, that was just straight up cheating. I don't blame the drivers, they're just playing to the rules as enforced. But that was a really obvious example of how unfair it is.
Well, certainly an eventful weekend. Qualifying was great. Plenty going on in the race but in some ways it was a bit of an exhibition of the things that aren’t quite right in F1 these days: questionable stewarding, with half the drivers trying to lean hard on the rules and hoping the decisions go their way, a frankly bizarre VSC, and then booing at the end (apparently fuelled by Mexican journalists stirring the pot in response to Monza—but as I recall it’s hardly the first time the Mexican crowd has come across as a bit of a dick). Was surprised that Leclerc was allowed to stay in front of Hamilton on the first lap, and that Verstappen didn’t get a penalty for turn 1. The first sector of that circuit always seems to invite absolute chaos from the drivers, but it seems the stewards often end up chaotic there as well.
It’s another example of when Slow Zones would have been far better than a full course VSC
I’m not sure why the yellow flag at that corner wasn’t considered sufficient.
They thought the car might've been on fire, plus F1 drivers cant be trusted to slow properly even under double-waved yellows. Slow zones cuts through that (in the same way as VSC) and is proven to work on very busy tracks, mid-battle, in the rain, at night and so on. Would likely have been genuinely fun to watch the two battles race to the line, behave briefly, then gun it again for a couple of laps
Dunno why people are bemused Max didn’t get a penalty at the first corner. He gave back the place he gained. Russell’s moaning on the radio was ludicrous, Max had clearly passed him before the corner, how many places is he supposed to relinquish?
Sorry, if that’s referring to my comment (which I now see is massively unclear) then I meant his collision with Hamilton, not the lap 1 escape. Verstappen was fine on lap 1; Leclerc was debatable. Agree, not sure what Russell was expecting there.
Well, here’s the explanation for the no-penalty for the Verstappen-Hamilton contact.
As Max alluded to after the race, he’s just exploiting the rules (the mirror/front wheel positioning in this case) which let you come flying up the inside with no possibility of both cars making it round the corner without a collision, and the driver on the outside ending up being investigated for not leaving room. A problematic loophole if you ask me: it seems that the thick end of the wedge is that on a street circuit with no run-off that could be used as a legitimate way to do a Schumacher* and take a rival out to maintain a points advantage.
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-max-verstappen-wasnt-penalised-for-hamilton-clash/
(* ok, Schumacher was on the outside in both 96 and 97, but the aim was the same)
I’m not sure why the yellow flag at that corner wasn’t considered sufficient.
There was an early incident when marshalls ran onto a live track to collect debris, and nearly got collected by Lawson. Not sure if Sainz's car actually needed to be moved by the marshalls but these days it's normal to set VSC if marshalls are on track, so the race director probably decided that there was a chance the marshalls would do something daft again and acted to protect them while the situation was resolved. Yes it ruined Max's chances but the race director should be more worried about the safety of all personnel involved than who might finish where. I expect that if the marshalls hadn't been reckless earlier in the race they might have covered it with double waved yellows.
Now wondering whether it's worth booking a last minute trip to AD. IiRC the last time I went there the biggest thing to be decided was 4th in the constructors but it's looking like it might be a bit more significant this year.
I confess I haven’t seen the detail of what was going on around Sainz’s car; it sounded from the highlights that it was just parked behind a barrier and safe being left until the race finished, but if that wasn’t the case then fair enough.
I've got no problem with the Lewis/Max elbows out stuff, its just hard racing - Lewis and Nico used to do it all the time. It can't always be 'after you - no after you I insist' politeness!
Lewis's penalty was deserved but 10 sec was harsh and far too much for any advantage gained. 5 seconds has been the norm for non serious incidents.
First corner clashes, well they happen. But not penalising those who go grass-cutting and get a big advantage sends out the wrong message. And I don't think Ferrari were fair to Lewis at the start either and should have asked Charles to give back the place.
Not sure if Sainz's car actually needed to be moved by the marshalls but these days it's normal to set VSC if marshalls are on track, so the race director probably decided that there was a chance the marshalls would do something daft again and acted to protect them while the situation was resolved.
as mentioned above, the VSC was thrown as the car wasn't fully behind the wall and the thought it might have been on fire, meaning that marshalls having had to jump into action for that: FIA can't fully explain Mexico F1 marshal near-miss - The Race
“he’s just exploiting the rules (the mirror/front wheel positioning in this case) which let you come flying up the inside with no possibility of both cars making it round the corner without a collision, and the driver on the outside ending up being investigated for not leaving room.”
Sounds like that’s how Sainz got a penalty for being shoved off the track by Verstappen, I can’t remember which race that was
“and then booing at the end (apparently fuelled by Mexican journalists stirring the pot in response to Monza—but as I recall it’s hardly the first time the Mexican crowd has come across as a bit of a dick).”
I thought it might something like this, I’m guessing there’s been a fair bit of social media rage bait engagement farming going on as well
I've got no problem with the Lewis/Max elbows out stuff, its just hard racing
I agree (so did Hamilton). It’s just hard to keep up with the small print in the sporting regs: I’d thought it would have fallen into “causing a collision” but it seems not.
Lewis's penalty was deserved but 10 sec was harsh and far too much for any advantage gained.
Agree again. It seemed a fairly straightforward call and really the stewards ought to have the ability to buzz straight through to the team and say “give back the place, take a 5 second penalty, or if you do neither we’ll deal with it after the race and if the decision stands it’ll be a 10 second penalty”.
I thought the 10 second penalty was deliberately harsh to dissuade the drivers from even thinking about trying it on. It means that anyone gets over-punished. I think the 5 seconds for lesser incidents are when they classify it as a different type of incident.