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Formula One
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Rob
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Interesting yet slightly strange race I felt. Not as much on track action outside of safety car/restart periods as I expected but the last couple of laps after the restart with everyone on soft tyres was great!
The two tyre blowouts were concerning to say the least, assuming that they did both just fail and there were no punctures from debris on the track. The tyres were nowhere near the end of their life so some very big questions for Pirelli.
Ironically it was better for Lewis that both he and Max scored no points than them finishing in the order they would have done without Max crashing out. But for a split second I thought Lewis had grabbed the victory, a pity he accidently flicked the switch that effecitvely stopped his brakes from working.
I'm hoping Mercedes don't have too many more off weekends like the previous two. And you can't help but feel this really is now the beginning of the end of Bottas.
The two tyre blowouts were concerning to say the least, assuming that they did both just fail and there were no punctures from debris on the track. The tyres were nowhere near the end of their life so some very big questions for Pirelli.
Ironically it was better for Lewis that both he and Max scored no points than them finishing in the order they would have done without Max crashing out. But for a split second I thought Lewis had grabbed the victory, a pity he accidently flicked the switch that effecitvely stopped his brakes from working.
I'm hoping Mercedes don't have too many more off weekends like the previous two. And you can't help but feel this really is now the beginning of the end of Bottas.
John
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What a finish at Baku and what a podium! Can we make sprint qualifying even shorter? Those last 2 laps were great
Perez has now surely justified Red Bull's decision to bring him in - a second driver being in position to protect against a Merc strategy gamble and then to pick up the win when Max was eliminated is what the team has desperately needed for years and could give them a real shot at breaking Merc's dominance of the constructors title. As an aside, the last time someone other than Max won for RB was apparently Ricciardo at Monaco 2018.
Bottas meanwhile has had a terrible start to the season, a result in Monaco might have helped him turn things around but in Baku he was just nowhere. The voices calling for a promotion for Russell are only going to get louder unless Bottas can rediscover some form but a mid season swap seems premature, if for no other reason than he literally doesn't fit into the Merc.
Perez has now surely justified Red Bull's decision to bring him in - a second driver being in position to protect against a Merc strategy gamble and then to pick up the win when Max was eliminated is what the team has desperately needed for years and could give them a real shot at breaking Merc's dominance of the constructors title. As an aside, the last time someone other than Max won for RB was apparently Ricciardo at Monaco 2018.
Bottas meanwhile has had a terrible start to the season, a result in Monaco might have helped him turn things around but in Baku he was just nowhere. The voices calling for a promotion for Russell are only going to get louder unless Bottas can rediscover some form but a mid season swap seems premature, if for no other reason than he literally doesn't fit into the Merc.
IanB
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I would love for someone to do a full comparison of the gaps between Max and his team mate over the last few seasons (Qual and race pace), but I wonder if Mercedes being off the pace and Redbull having a much better car this year is helping Perez, I think Baku was the first race where he actually made a difference, and hopefully this will continue.
I am not saying Perez is doing a bad job, I just don't think its as easy to justify Perez having the seat over Albon or Gasly based on the results alone. So many variables to compare.
I would love to see Albon get to drive in the first practice session at the 2nd Austrian race, just to see how he compares to Perez, and this would give us a good idea of how much quicker or slower Perez is compared to Albon.
Below is Qual Gap this season between Max and Perez.
Baku - 0.4 Seconds
Monaco - 1.0 Seconds
Spain - 1.0 Seconds
Portugal - 0.1 Seconds
Imola - 0.05 Seconds faster
Bahrain - Missed Q3
I missed the race live, but I got a tip that I should avoid spoilers and get it watched as soon as poss, so I endured David Croft and watched the first highlights Sky F1 put out. Then I watched the C4 coverage because it was so good and I had a feeling I'd missed all sorts through the awful editing and awful commentary.
The difference between the two commentaries was like night and day.
I'm not sure who is the bigger sitting duck, Bottas or Croft.
But yeah, great race and a good result for keeping the championship interesting in to the first triple header.
The difference between the two commentaries was like night and day.
I'm not sure who is the bigger sitting duck, Bottas or Croft.
But yeah, great race and a good result for keeping the championship interesting in to the first triple header.
I mean he's within an elite group of (by some accounts) the best drivers in the world, with all the indications being that he'll get the seat at the team that has won every championship in the current era of F1.
And in all likelihood I very much doubt he would have finished in a scoring position - Red Bull Ring is one of the easiest tracks to overtake and he'd have had nothing when the likes of Leclerc, Alonso and Tsunoda came knocking.
And in all likelihood I very much doubt he would have finished in a scoring position - Red Bull Ring is one of the easiest tracks to overtake and he'd have had nothing when the likes of Leclerc, Alonso and Tsunoda came knocking.
Rob
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Very unfortunate for Russell yesterday, it would have been interesting to see if he could have hung on to a points finish as his early race pace looked good.
Can't help but feel that the rest of this season is going to turn in to a bit of a Red Bull (i.e. Verstappen) procession, which is a pity as Mercedes and Red Bull looked so closely matched at the start of the season. But with Red Bull bringing updates to every race at the moment and Mercedes bringing none it is hard to see a shift in the momentum.
As a Mercedes/Hamilton fan I just hope this gamble of putting all the eggs in the 2022 basket pays off.
EDIT:
I also meant to add that I really don't like that we have another race next weekend on exactly the same track. I didn't mind so much when it happened last year as they just needed to get races in, but just going one grade softer on the tyres is unlikely to create a dramatically different race. Praying for rain to spice things up this weekend! Maybe Bernie wasn't totally mad when he suggested trackside sprinklers...!
Can't help but feel that the rest of this season is going to turn in to a bit of a Red Bull (i.e. Verstappen) procession, which is a pity as Mercedes and Red Bull looked so closely matched at the start of the season. But with Red Bull bringing updates to every race at the moment and Mercedes bringing none it is hard to see a shift in the momentum.
As a Mercedes/Hamilton fan I just hope this gamble of putting all the eggs in the 2022 basket pays off.
EDIT:
I also meant to add that I really don't like that we have another race next weekend on exactly the same track. I didn't mind so much when it happened last year as they just needed to get races in, but just going one grade softer on the tyres is unlikely to create a dramatically different race. Praying for rain to spice things up this weekend! Maybe Bernie wasn't totally mad when he suggested trackside sprinklers...!
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IanB
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Wish I was at Silverstone this weekend, need to go back next year.
Ignore my previous posts, the Sprint Races are the best thing since sliced bread since it helped Max claim pole
Joking aside, I still dont get it. If your hosting the event and looking to sell more tickets on Friday and Saturday, or a broadcaster looking to sell additional ads, I can see the benefit, but for the fan at home its just something else you have to work your life around to watch, or record and watch later.
Leave the spring races for the lower levels of the sport where the drivers need the race experience, and stick with a single race for the top level of racing.
Perez is still not doing enough to me to justify the seat, and I am convinced that with the performance of the Red Bull this season, Albon or Gasly would of performed just as strongly if not better. I would be very surprised if Mercedes don't do something tactical to give them an advantage over Max but thats what makes the races so exciting and was lacking from the sprint race.
Ignore my previous posts, the Sprint Races are the best thing since sliced bread since it helped Max claim pole
Joking aside, I still dont get it. If your hosting the event and looking to sell more tickets on Friday and Saturday, or a broadcaster looking to sell additional ads, I can see the benefit, but for the fan at home its just something else you have to work your life around to watch, or record and watch later.
Leave the spring races for the lower levels of the sport where the drivers need the race experience, and stick with a single race for the top level of racing.
Perez is still not doing enough to me to justify the seat, and I am convinced that with the performance of the Red Bull this season, Albon or Gasly would of performed just as strongly if not better. I would be very surprised if Mercedes don't do something tactical to give them an advantage over Max but thats what makes the races so exciting and was lacking from the sprint race.
Perez is having a shocking weekend so far but don't count him out, I imagine he'll return home with points this afternoon - more than Albon in the same position. Gasly clearly needs to leave RBR to maximise his potential, otherwise like Sainz he'll be stuck in the B-team. That said, it's not immediately obvious where a better opportunity might arise for him for 2022 at least - Merc will be Ham/Rus, RB will probably be Ver/Per (and even if it's not Perez, I doubt they'd promote Gasly) then McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas are all set for next year barring a major shake up - so it'd be Alfa or Williams. Bold move to go in that direction.
Overall I think Perez *is* doing enough - as well as getting the win in Baku there are multiple occasions he has made a one stop strategy work where others were mincing through their tyres, which has given Red Bull strategy options which they have a team haven't necessarily maximised. I think they consider that Verstappen is probably the best driver on the grid, you can't accept that as a probability without conceding you can't have two Verstappens. The gap between their driving ability is probably a bit wider than the Vettel/Webber days but then that is probably because Verstappen is that much better a driver than Vettel was.
Overall I think Perez *is* doing enough - as well as getting the win in Baku there are multiple occasions he has made a one stop strategy work where others were mincing through their tyres, which has given Red Bull strategy options which they have a team haven't necessarily maximised. I think they consider that Verstappen is probably the best driver on the grid, you can't accept that as a probability without conceding you can't have two Verstappens. The gap between their driving ability is probably a bit wider than the Vettel/Webber days but then that is probably because Verstappen is that much better a driver than Vettel was.
Rob
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I was not able to watch the Spring on Saturday, so can't comment on how that added/detracted from the event.
As for the actual race, well I caught up with it last night and eventful is one way of putting it. Overally delighted with the result; with Lewis winning and Verstappen scoring 0 points it makes the Championship suddenly seem a lot more interesting again. Although I still think Verstappen's Red Bull is faster than the Mercedes so put him as firm favourite.
The first half of the first lap was gripping. And with minor contact between Hamilton and Verstappen initially it is probably no suprise that more substantial contact did occur. I've got to say though, both Red Bull and Verstappen have a serious case of sour grapes/toys being thrown out of the pram. Verstappen calling Hamilton disrespectful and unsporting for celebrating a hard fought win at his home race with the return of fans? Come on. Are you telling me he would not have done exactly the same if the situation was reversed at the Dutch Grand Prix.
A saw it as a racing incident. Hamilton had been all over the back of Verstappen from the start and knew he needed to get past on the first lap. Verstappen defended hard but well. Hamilton tried to send it down the inside, yes he did miss the apex of the corner, but clearly Verstappen was not too sure where Hamilton was and did end up turning in. Do we not want good exciting racing any more?
I am glad that Verstappen is ok, as it was a heck of a shunt in to the barriers. But Red Bull's antics afterwards come across as very self entitled. Probably not helped by the fact that Helmut Marko is an ignorant so and so who clearly has an agenda against Hamilton (I remember a somewhat disrespectful comment he made regarding Hamilton in the background of one of the Netflix F1 shows).
Whichever way you see the incident, it was a great recovery drive from Hamilton. I am not sure how he managed to go at the pace he did during his secont stint and not totally destroys the tyres!
Another tough weekend for Perez, that second Red Bull seat does look cursed.
As for the actual race, well I caught up with it last night and eventful is one way of putting it. Overally delighted with the result; with Lewis winning and Verstappen scoring 0 points it makes the Championship suddenly seem a lot more interesting again. Although I still think Verstappen's Red Bull is faster than the Mercedes so put him as firm favourite.
The first half of the first lap was gripping. And with minor contact between Hamilton and Verstappen initially it is probably no suprise that more substantial contact did occur. I've got to say though, both Red Bull and Verstappen have a serious case of sour grapes/toys being thrown out of the pram. Verstappen calling Hamilton disrespectful and unsporting for celebrating a hard fought win at his home race with the return of fans? Come on. Are you telling me he would not have done exactly the same if the situation was reversed at the Dutch Grand Prix.
A saw it as a racing incident. Hamilton had been all over the back of Verstappen from the start and knew he needed to get past on the first lap. Verstappen defended hard but well. Hamilton tried to send it down the inside, yes he did miss the apex of the corner, but clearly Verstappen was not too sure where Hamilton was and did end up turning in. Do we not want good exciting racing any more?
I am glad that Verstappen is ok, as it was a heck of a shunt in to the barriers. But Red Bull's antics afterwards come across as very self entitled. Probably not helped by the fact that Helmut Marko is an ignorant so and so who clearly has an agenda against Hamilton (I remember a somewhat disrespectful comment he made regarding Hamilton in the background of one of the Netflix F1 shows).
Whichever way you see the incident, it was a great recovery drive from Hamilton. I am not sure how he managed to go at the pace he did during his secont stint and not totally destroys the tyres!
Another tough weekend for Perez, that second Red Bull seat does look cursed.
Danza91
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I also thought Red Bull handled it poorly. We all know if it was reversed Karen Horner would be saying Lewis turned in. Horner is one of the least likeable guys in F1 and that showed yesterday when he suggested Lewis took Max out on purpose. "I hope Lewis is very happy with himself" I believe were his exact words. He also said everyone knows you can't overtake on the inside at Copse, he knows this is not true.
Lewis has given Max space on plenty of occasions which would have otherwise resulted in a collision from Max's aggressive style. Neither backed out this time. A collision was inevitable at some point this season. Both drivers could have done more to avoid the incident, which is why I think it's a racing incident. Lewis just got lucky he only suffered minor damage.
It's interesting Horner was silent on Max's excessive weaving during the sprint race, and Sergio's incredibly dangerous rejoining of the track.
A famous win for Hamilton who was on fire in those last 10 laps.
Lewis has given Max space on plenty of occasions which would have otherwise resulted in a collision from Max's aggressive style. Neither backed out this time. A collision was inevitable at some point this season. Both drivers could have done more to avoid the incident, which is why I think it's a racing incident. Lewis just got lucky he only suffered minor damage.
It's interesting Horner was silent on Max's excessive weaving during the sprint race, and Sergio's incredibly dangerous rejoining of the track.
A famous win for Hamilton who was on fire in those last 10 laps.
pluk
TS Member
That was a maneuver I regularly pull on the dodgems and on that basis I consider it a legitimate overtake.
Red Bull love playing the victim, they make themselves very hard to like. Certainly has made the season a lot more interesting, and may well give Verstappen something to think about next time he's wheel to wheel with Hamilton.
Red Bull love playing the victim, they make themselves very hard to like. Certainly has made the season a lot more interesting, and may well give Verstappen something to think about next time he's wheel to wheel with Hamilton.
geo4chg
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There are way too many penalties given these days - the one for Russell in the Sprint was ridiculous and on balance Hamilton's could have easily been deemed a racing incident. At the end of the day, they are meant to be racing and, so long as a driver isn't reckless or dangerous or calculated (ie done on purpose), they are all going to make slight misjudgements or mistakes from time to time. If you think back to the 90s or even the early 2000s, there were far fewer penalties given and I think the sport was better for it.
In order to solve this, I would get rid of the 5 second and 10 second time penalties all together and make it so that penalties available to the stewards are just 10 second stop-and-go or DSQ (obviously only in the harshest of circumstances), that way these small infringements wouldn't be punishable but you still get a penalty for the bigger errors. It is possible for a driver to be mainly at fault (as was Hamilton in this instance) but it still be a racing incident. It seems at the moment unless it's truly 50-50 someone gets a penalty.
In this particular crash, I think Hamilton was mainly at fault for it - he went in too deep and should have realised the move wasn't on and backed out earlier - but give him the benefit of the doubt this time and say its a racing incident. Then if at the next race the same thing happens again then sanctions may be needed but in general let them race. And, by the way, this is from someone who wants Verstappen to win the championship this year.
In order to solve this, I would get rid of the 5 second and 10 second time penalties all together and make it so that penalties available to the stewards are just 10 second stop-and-go or DSQ (obviously only in the harshest of circumstances), that way these small infringements wouldn't be punishable but you still get a penalty for the bigger errors. It is possible for a driver to be mainly at fault (as was Hamilton in this instance) but it still be a racing incident. It seems at the moment unless it's truly 50-50 someone gets a penalty.
In this particular crash, I think Hamilton was mainly at fault for it - he went in too deep and should have realised the move wasn't on and backed out earlier - but give him the benefit of the doubt this time and say its a racing incident. Then if at the next race the same thing happens again then sanctions may be needed but in general let them race. And, by the way, this is from someone who wants Verstappen to win the championship this year.
IanB
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The abuse and racists comments that got directed towards Lewis during and after the race was appalling and has no place anywhere.
I have never really been a fan of Lewis (I am not a fan of McLaren because I disliked Ron Dennis, he always came across as quite arrogant but Lando and Zak Brown are slowly winning me over), but seeing all the good he is doing for the sport, and the message he is trying to send out, the adversity he has to overcome, you cant help but admire what he does in the race car.
I totally get the dislike some people have for Helmut Marko, the more I hear from him, the more I wish he would keep quiet. As for Christian Horner, he is just doing what any team principle would do, and sticking up for the team and his drivers. I tend to enjoy hearing his input during the races.
For the incident, my view is that at Copse, Lewis carried to much speed and went wide of the Apex, causing contact with Verstappen. It was not deliberate, I just think that Lewis knew he needed to get ahead to have any chance of winning, and tried something which did not work out as he planned.
Compared with Lewis going past Leclerc, and Lewis carries less speed and is able to take a much tighter line to the Apex.
I guess that is why Lewis got a penalty, surprised it was 10 seconds instead of the usual 5, so the stewards must of felt it was more blame on Lewis than other incidents we have seen this season. Why cant these controversial moments happen on the last lap so we get to watch 90 minutes of close racing, and then still have the disagreements about who is right and wrong which make sport so much fun to watch and discuss afterwards
Scary impact, but thankfully due to the safety of the modern cars he is okay.
Going to be interesting to see what happens in Hungary between the two now. Are they going to give each other more space, or will there be more contact. Going to be interesting to hear Max, and see how he reacts. How much has he matured, will this give Lewis the advantage or will Max learn from this and take the next step up.
What ever happens, as a F1 fan, no matter who you support, we are in for a great final 13 races.
A great recovery drive from Lewis, But an incredible drive from Leclerc. Its a shame he could not find another four seconds from somewhere to get the win but seeing the fans celebrate a Lewis win was great.
Also, a big shout out to Vettel, just a shame its not for his on race performance, but his performance afterwards, helping with collecting the litter and doing his bit for the environment.
I have never really been a fan of Lewis (I am not a fan of McLaren because I disliked Ron Dennis, he always came across as quite arrogant but Lando and Zak Brown are slowly winning me over), but seeing all the good he is doing for the sport, and the message he is trying to send out, the adversity he has to overcome, you cant help but admire what he does in the race car.
I totally get the dislike some people have for Helmut Marko, the more I hear from him, the more I wish he would keep quiet. As for Christian Horner, he is just doing what any team principle would do, and sticking up for the team and his drivers. I tend to enjoy hearing his input during the races.
For the incident, my view is that at Copse, Lewis carried to much speed and went wide of the Apex, causing contact with Verstappen. It was not deliberate, I just think that Lewis knew he needed to get ahead to have any chance of winning, and tried something which did not work out as he planned.
Compared with Lewis going past Leclerc, and Lewis carries less speed and is able to take a much tighter line to the Apex.
I guess that is why Lewis got a penalty, surprised it was 10 seconds instead of the usual 5, so the stewards must of felt it was more blame on Lewis than other incidents we have seen this season. Why cant these controversial moments happen on the last lap so we get to watch 90 minutes of close racing, and then still have the disagreements about who is right and wrong which make sport so much fun to watch and discuss afterwards
Scary impact, but thankfully due to the safety of the modern cars he is okay.
Going to be interesting to see what happens in Hungary between the two now. Are they going to give each other more space, or will there be more contact. Going to be interesting to hear Max, and see how he reacts. How much has he matured, will this give Lewis the advantage or will Max learn from this and take the next step up.
What ever happens, as a F1 fan, no matter who you support, we are in for a great final 13 races.
A great recovery drive from Lewis, But an incredible drive from Leclerc. Its a shame he could not find another four seconds from somewhere to get the win but seeing the fans celebrate a Lewis win was great.
Also, a big shout out to Vettel, just a shame its not for his on race performance, but his performance afterwards, helping with collecting the litter and doing his bit for the environment.
Recovery drive is overselling it a bit, Hamilton never seemed out of contention even immediately after serving the penalty. It was exactly what you expect from him, which is an excellent drive, but not out of the ordinary. Recovery drive is Perez in Bahrain last year, or Button in Canada '11.
Leclerc deserved driver of the day but I can't help but feel he chose to not make it particularly hard for Hamilton in the end, perhaps fearing he'd go the same way Verstappen did earlier on.
Overall a good race, good outcome for keeping the championship interesting as we head in to the summer.
Leclerc deserved driver of the day but I can't help but feel he chose to not make it particularly hard for Hamilton in the end, perhaps fearing he'd go the same way Verstappen did earlier on.
Overall a good race, good outcome for keeping the championship interesting as we head in to the summer.