# F1 2021



## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Let's put the 2020 season behind us! Go Papayas!


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Posted it in the 2020 thread not long ago but will post it here so no ones jumping back and forth.

Alpha Tauri’s weird car reveal:









AlphaTauri reveals AT02 Formula 1 car for 2021 season


AlphaTauri has unveiled its new 2021 Formula 1 challenger, the AT02




www.autosport.com





I like that they reversed the colours.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

JesseB94 said:


> Posted it in the 2020 thread not long ago but will post it here so no ones jumping back and forth.
> 
> Alpha Tauri’s weird car reveal:
> 
> ...


I think the car looks better.
Surprised they didnt have Pierre and Yuki wear team branded outfits when they showed them the cars.
Having met Pierre a few times I can say he is a really nice guy....with ahem...unique fashion sense


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Cut him some slack, he's French. 

I like the new livery. The blue ties them back to RBR.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Diablo said:


> I think the car looks better.
> Surprised they didnt have Pierre and Yuki wear team branded outfits when they showed them the cars.
> Having met Pierre a few times I can say he is a really nice guy....with ahem...unique fashion sense
> View attachment 352000


The car looks great, for sure, but the unveiling itself was strange lol.
That’s awesome you got to meet Pierre!


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Alpha this and Alfa that, and Aston something or other, how's a guy to keep it all straight? 

The new Alfa looking pretty good as well.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

I know a lot of people are taking shots at the amount of AMG decals on the W12, but I'm really liking the new Merc livery.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Alpine's looking good too!


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Awesome step up in looks for the (former) Racing Point.
Just gorgeous.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

jb welder said:


> Awesome step up in looks for the (former) Racing Point.
> Just gorgeous.




I like it too, but I think this would have been better


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

JesseB94 said:


> I like it too, but I think this would have been better
> View attachment 353607


Maybe they could switch it up depending on the tires du jour.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

jb welder said:


> Maybe they could switch it up depending on the tires du jour.


With a quick decal job when the change compounds mid race. That could replace refueling. LOL


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I am thinking I really like the new Williams livery


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Rumour is out that Binotto is finito.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Diablo said:


> Rumour is out that Binotto is finito.


Heard it was Ferrari’s gt driver, Josef kral who spread the rumour, to his own embarrassment. As a Ferrari fan though I’d say good riddance if it was true.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Diablo said:


> Rumour is out that Binotto is finito.





JesseB94 said:


> Heard it was Ferrari’s gt driver, Josef kral who spread the rumour, to his own embarrassment.


Also
"According to Formula 1 journalist Serhan Acar (almost 100,000 followers), Binotto will work as a member of the FIA World Motorsport Council, representing Ferrari. This is to prevent Binotto, who is still considered one of the best engineers in the premier class of motor sport, from moving on to Red Bull Racing, Mercedes or any other team.




> Binotto bugün, Ferrari'yi temsilen FIA Dünya MotorsporlarÄ± Konseyi'ne katÄ±ldÄ±...
> — Serhan Acar (@serhanacar) March 5, 2021 "











Rumour: Ferrari fires Binotto as team boss before F1 season starts


There are rumours that Mattia Binotto will be dismissed from his position as team principal before the start of the season in Bahrain. The Maranello based team would like to wait and see how the car performs during the winter tests at the Bahrain International Circuit and then dismiss the Italian.




www.gpblog.com


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Anyone else watching testing?? Mercedes is doing better today. If anyone could turn it around it would be them, although they do seem to have a bit of trouble posting times under 1:31.000 unless they’re sandbagging. Mclaren looks promising, as does alpha tauri and alpine. My poor Ferrari doesn’t look much better (and sains just had a hydraulic issue). Aston Martin looked great until 2nd session yesterday, wonder what’s up with that


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Was it on TSN?


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Hammerhands said:


> Was it on TSN?


Not sure, I was watching on F1TV


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Well done Yuki Tsunoda !


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

ICYMI - Drive to Survive Season 3 dropped today on Netflix


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Yep! I may or may not have taken the day off to binge that today. 

Meanwhile, I'll be avoiding this thread until I'm finished. haha


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I already watched 1 & 2 before work this. Think I will sit with an early lunch for another


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

There’s a 2017 documentary called McLaren on Crave that is pretty good.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Watched 3 episodes of the new season, tomorrow I’m binge watching the rest


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

JesseB94 said:


> Watched 3 episodes of the new season, tomorrow I’m binge watching the rest


i got 5 in. The rest tomorrow


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)




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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

So we’ve watched all 3 seasons and it’s been interesting to learn about some of the teams and drivers but maybe I am expecting too much as I have more questions than answers.
Zero info on Williams, only one of the most successfull F1 teams ever no matter their recent struggles.
Not one pit crew member interviewed. 
No technical info on the cars though I get this is highly secretive for the most part.

The series does provide a unique insight into F1 but I still would like more.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

It’s like Christmas Eve! Bahrain practice 1 tomorrow morning at 07:30 EDT


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Qualy at 10AM Central on Sat. Very excited about the season if Mercedes is truly down on form.


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## bigboki (Apr 16, 2015)

Training session were interesting but we still don’t know much
Tomorrow 11am eastern will be fuuunnn


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Qualy at 10AM Central on Sat. Very excited about the season if Mercedes is truly down on form.


I hope so. Can’t take another season of Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen then a bunch of other guys


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

FP1&2 are done.. I may be willing to predict a new constructors champ. I know merc is probably sandbagging but they’re not looking 100%, and red bull is. Sort of sucks to see where AMR are, I figured they’d compete with Mclaren, Ferrari and them for top of the midfield but the season hasn’t even started yet so here’s hoping!


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

McLaren were giddy about party modes.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Time for quali! Hope we get to see a bit of a shake up this year. Probably not. Looking forward to Checo and Ricci in their new rides. And to Stroll being faster consistently than his teammate. And to perhaps Latifi not being last.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Q2 done and it looks a lot different this season, hope it continues this way!


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Perez out in Q2. That’s a cursed seat. 2 Mercs vs. 1 Red Bull.

Ferrari didn’t suck.

Tsunoda also out in Q2, but is very fast.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

MazeSpin is bad.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jayoldschool said:


> MazeSpin is bad.


will take Hamilton out on lap 17 while Hamilton is lapping him. Calling it now


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Looks like Seb is starting at the back of the grid for ignoring the yellow flags thanks to Mazespin.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Just saw that vettel will start at the back of the grid because he ignored yellow flags... 

He’s still one of my favourite drivers on the grid, and we can possibly fault the team a little, but to ignore yellow flags makes me scratch my head. They had a great 1st day of testing, then the last 2 days were gobshite, something went wrong other than just car failures. They did a breakdown on AMR’s cars this year, and contrary to belief, most of it, is in fact new (I’ll try to find a video and post the link, Sam Collins covered it during testing) which i predict is most likely causing some issues.

They’re not the most reliable cars on the grid right now, but hopefully we see a turn around. New car, new driver, they need time to settle in. However stroll seems to be doing fine. Pretty impressive actually.

Hour and 20 til race time gents.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Wow, Lance's haircut! Time to get serious.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Annnnnd mazespin is out in only 3 corners Max having a throttle issue, it’ll be interesting!


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

ZeroGravity said:


> will take Hamilton out on lap 17 while Hamilton is lapping him. Calling it now


lol. Seems making it to 17 laps is just a 'maybe someday' scenario.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> lol. Seems making it to 17 laps is just a 'maybe someday' scenario.


I really missed that one. Daddy better buy the team soon.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

2 Mercedes and a Red Bull on the podium. While Max made it entertaining, I hope there’s more of a shakeup coming.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

ZeroGravity said:


> 2 Mercedes and a Red Bull on the podium. While Max made it entertaining, I hope there’s more of a shakeup coming.


Was thinking the same thing. Was reading about the new rules being harder on the 'low rake' cars like Mercedes and they made it sound like Bahrain may be especially bad in this regard.
So the loss of form could be short lived.  

Very impressed by Perez, also Yuki and Alonso (while it lasted).


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Was thinking the same thing. Was reading about the new rules being harder on the 'low rake' cars like Mercedes and they made it sound like Bahrain may be especially bad in this regard.
> So the loss of form could be short lived.
> 
> Very impressed by Perez, also Yuki and Alonso (while it lasted).


There definitely some good drives in the pack. Both Vettel and Ricciardo disappointed. While the early going was exciting, once it settled in, it started to look like the same old. While some people may be looking forward to it, I hope it is more than every race being Lewis-Max swapping places then Bottas and then the rest. It is still early so hopefully some of the others can start challenging for a podium.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Still only one race in.. I still think it’ll be an interesting season with diverse podiums (hopefully). Merc did throw me for a bit of a loop this year with their sand bagging though. I never usually bite but with the downforce changes and their cars handling like boats I thought for sure they were going to have issues the first 2-3 race weekends.

Bold, but I’m still thinking verstappens taking it home this year.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I like Max but I wonder if he didn't overdrive the car after his last stop. His tires were 10 laps newer, if he would have nursed them a bit and let traffic have it's effects, I think he would have been in better shape when he finally got close to Lewis. But hey, he's young - and unlike me, in a very deserving F1 seat.

Bodes well for future races. And Valteri really needs to employ better priests or soothsayers. The guy's just shitty with bad luck.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

High/Deaf said:


> I like Max but I wonder if he didn't overdrive the car after his last stop.


I think/hope Checo will give him a serious run for his money this year. Maybe even come out on top (team politics permitting).


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

“Everybody at the factory has been working so hard, I know this. We were not fast enough, but we managed to do this. That’s teamwork.”


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

jb welder said:


> I think/hope Checo will give him a serious run for his money this year. Maybe even come out on top (team politics permitting).


A serious run, that would be good. 

But I think Max is quicker. And he knows the car better and he has the team more behind him. At best, I hope Checo gives the team some valuable WCC points and maybe gives Lew and Val some hassles in traffic and qualies. Max can't do everything by himself. 

Remember how 'helpful' Eddie was in Team Ferrari? He was never really allowed to be a WDC contender, even in the year MS was out due to a broken leg.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Worth mentioning, as well, the passing of the great Murray Walker a few weeks ago.

He totally shaped my perceptions of F1. A better sports commentator hasn't existed. His pairing with the late James Hunt was pure magic. RIP, Murray and James.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

High/Deaf said:


> Worth mentioning, as well, the passing of the great Murray Walker a few weeks ago.
> 
> He totally shaped my perceptions of F1. A better sports commentator hasn't existed. His pairing with the late James Hunt was pure magic. RIP, Murray and James.
> 
> View attachment 357951


Definitely worth noting. RIP Murray (and James). I love the quote on the halo that Williams added. Put a big smile on my face, and I’m sure many others to see that.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Imola this weekend gents... it’ll be a good one! Hopefully fast paced and entertaining, one of my favourite tracks.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

With Imola coming up, the Senna documentary is available to watch on Crave.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

The Canadian Grand Prix is cancelled, according to Radio-Canada.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Hammerhands said:


> The Canadian Grand Prix is cancelled, according to Radio-Canada.


Thankfully I just found an article from CBC saying that there still may be a chance, but they need to be strict on covid protocols if they bypass the 14-day quarantine period.



https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canadian-grand-prix-f1-montreal-1.5988769


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

TSN2 P2 08:15 tomorrow


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Thanks for the update, setting reminder alarm.


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Quali starts soon.. hoping for a strong race for gasly and leclerc. Yuki’s got a mouth on him lmao
Surprising amount of canceled times due to track limits, but understandable in practice


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

Perez is the first teammate to qualify better than verstappen since ricciardo in 2018. 2 red bulls chasing what I’m assuming will be a very pressured Hamilton. As a Ferrari fan I’m a bit disappointed to see sainz in 11th, but we’re doing a hell of a lot letter than last year so here’s hoping. Gutted to see norris’ fastest lap deleted, he would have qualified 3rd otherwise if I’m not mistaken. I wonder how many track limit penalties are given tomorrow. 

Going to be an interesting race day!


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

That was an exciting Quali! Tomorrow is going to be a fun day. Gutted for Lando too, but my bold prediction is that he's going to finish in the top 5, and Seb beats Bottas.

I'm also happy to see the Williams doing well this season. It's about time they start clawing their way back a bit.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

A little rain.

Pre-race fires!


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Pretty wild already!


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## JesseB94 (Feb 11, 2021)

All biases aside that was maze-spins fault if you ask me.. he had time to react to Latifi rejoining the grid.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Looking like NASCAR broke out at a F1 race


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Pretty crazy day. Glad to see Max get the win, and very happy Lando gets on the podium.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

LANDO!!!!!! Woooo!

Was pretty happy to see wet conditions. It always makes for a fun one.

Mazespin is now 2/2 for spins. Mick too I guess. Those poor Haas cars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Good run by Hamilton after the restart. 
And and eventful afternoon for the Japanese guy.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

You mean Yuki Tsunoda.

The rookies this year are still trying to settle in. Nothing new there.

Expensive weekend for Williams, oooof.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Interesting start to the season...rebranded racing point with Seb has been underwhelming so far. Alonso hasn’t been noteworthy as well.
nice to see wins not handed so easily to Merc.
my boy Gasly is looking sharp too. alpha tauri has done an amazing job to become a decent mid pack team in the past couple years.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

TWRC said:


> Gutted for Lando too, but my bold prediction is that he's going to finish in the top 5, and Seb beats Bottas.


Two for two, not bad!



ZeroGravity said:


> Looking like NASCAR broke out at a F1 race


You mean the smack in the head thing? 

The disappointment for me today was I got the distinct impression the Merc was the fastest car out there by a good margin. I think if not for the errors, Hamilton would easily have won again.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Two for two, not bad!
> 
> 
> You mean the smack in the head thing?
> ...


At the same time, he wouldn’t have been on the podium if it hadn’t been for the red flag that allowed him to close up so he could contend. I’m not a Hamilton fan but he can drive.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

jb welder said:


> Two for two, not bad!
> 
> 
> You mean the smack in the head thing?
> ...


I actually wanted to predict podium, but after seeing how fast Checo and Leclerc were in qualifying, I figured Lando would be good for P4-P5. What a drive from my boy, and it was also nice to see an aggressive tyre strategy from McLaren too.

I rewatched that Russell Bottas crash, and although it was deemed a racing incident, I do think George was slightly in the wrong there. I expected the middle finger from Bottas, but I didn't expect the helmet tap from George. Personally, I kinda like that George has a mean side. He's such a well mannered lad in the media so it's nice to see that he's not a pushover.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

ZeroGravity said:


> At the same time, he wouldn’t have been on the podium if it hadn’t been for the red flag that allowed him to close up so he could contend. I’m not a Hamilton fan but he can drive.


Ya Im looking forward to seeing LH's greatness with some pressure on the track this year.



TWRC said:


> I actually wanted to predict podium, but after seeing how fast Checo and Leclerc were in qualifying, I figured Lando would be good for P4-P5. What a drive from my boy, and it was also nice to see an aggressive tyre strategy from McLaren too.
> 
> I rewatched that Russell Bottas crash, and although it was deemed a racing incident, I do think George was slightly in the wrong there. I expected the middle finger from Bottas, but I didn't expect the helmet tap from George. Personally, I kinda like that George has a mean side. He's such a well mannered lad in the media so it's nice to see that he's not a pushover.


FIA's just going to let it pass as a racing incident which I think is the right call.
It didnt look like a safe pass to me, and Bottas has at least some right to defend his position.
Funny hearing GR in the media saying that theres "a gentlemans agreement about letting a faster car pass...". He may have never have had to deal with that from this side of things.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Diablo said:


> Ya Im looking forward to seeing LH's greatness with some pressure on the track this year.
> 
> 
> FIA's just going to let it pass as a racing incident which I think is the right call.
> ...


Sure there might be a gentleman's agreement, but that doesn't mean that the other driver can't defend his position. Multi 21 anyone?????

GR just released an apology to Bottas, and my guess is that he's had the time to look into the incident and might feel that he's partially at fault. Either way, I'm still impressed at his performance. To think that he had the opportunity to overtake the Merc in his Williams makes me all tingly in the nether regions. 😁


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Diablo said:


> Ya Im looking forward to seeing LH's greatness with some pressure on the track this year.
> 
> 
> FIA's just going to let it pass as a racing incident which I think is the right call.
> ...


Sounds like there is more in play than a gentlemen's agreement based on what Toto said (threatened). He basically said that GR should not have been challenging "a Mercedes" and I don't think it was meant just in that particular context either. 

If I was a race director of a team with an competing academy's driver I would not be happy finding out that that driver is expected to follow the academy's "team orders" or expectations rather than his own team's. Having Wolff as a team owner/principal and a driver agent is a massive conflict of interest that shouldn't be allowed. If there is an unwritten agreement between Mercedess and Williams on the subject, it should have stayed unwritten, but Wolff let it out.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

ZeroGravity said:


> Sounds like there is more in play than a gentlemen's agreement based on what Toto said (threatened). He basically said that GR should not have been challenging "a Mercedes" and I don't think it was meant just in that particular context either.
> 
> If I was a race director of a team with an competing academy's driver I would not be happy finding out that that driver is expected to follow the academy's "team orders" or expectations rather than his own team's. Having Wolff as a team owner/principal and a driver agent is a massive conflict of interest that shouldn't be allowed. If there is an unwritten agreement between Mercedess and Williams on the subject, it should have stayed unwritten, but Wolff let it out.


He definitely spoke out of both sides of his mouth on that one. While I believe that there _might _be an unwritten driver academy rule on this, I don't think Toto ever would have imagined that the Williams would have been in a position to overtake a Merc. Come to think of it, I don't know if he ever dealt with that when he managed Ocon too.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Toto was a diva on this.
how far do these alliances go? Should Russell be expected to hold up Max, for example, when getting lapped, so that Merc benefits?
leave the politics off the track.

russell acted like an ass. i imagine all the frustrations of the past couple years just came out at once. But he backpedalled it a little so all will be well and he‘ll likely eventually have a seat at Merc.

I hope Seb gets things figured out. He looks like he’s still at (last years) Ferrari. Racing point has definitely taken a step back from last year.
renault/alpina isn’t impressive either...including Alonso. But his pre season accident likely set him back.

norris is on fire. I think he’s going to be one of the greats of his generation.
I hope it doesn’t take Danny Ric a year to get comfortable again. He reminds me of the Eric Clapton of F1. Smooth but slow  I wish he had the same personality on the track as off it. I find him boring.

gasly looks like he will be reliably in the points most races. What an amazing story for both him and his team, it must be an exciting place to be.

it was funny hearing MSC s race engineer soothing him on the radio when his wing got damaged. A sharp contrast to Strolls engineer who sounds like he hates him/his job.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Anyone watch a Formula E race yet (TSN's shown a few)? What did you think?

I've only seen a couple, but in a word ................ 

BORING.

Internal combustion engines are complicated. Electric motors are simple. It is as impossible to make two ICE engines the same as it is to make two electric motors (of the same basic componentry i.e. brushless) different. Torque and power curves all over the place for ICE while nearly identical for electric motors - especially with telemetry/controls able to accurately measure and strictly control 'power output' in the electric world. That spells bad racin', IMO.

The races I've seen were a long line, nose to tail. If not for the 'manufactured racing' of strategic power boosts (triggered by going to the outside of a corner at Rome), it would have been a total procession. If this is the future of automotive competition, I'm gonna just enjoy the hell out of whatever is left of ICE racing in F1 and prototype sportscars. 

YMMV.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> Anyone watch a Formula E race yet (TSN's shown a few)? What did you think?
> 
> I've only seen a couple, but in a word ................
> 
> ...


I know it is only a very small sample size, but I caught the last 12 or 15 laps of the St Pete's Indy Car race yesterday, partly just to see how Grosjean was doing. It was the same thing, bunch of cars nose to tail 1s spacing.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

ZeroGravity said:


> I know it is only a very small sample size, but I caught the last 12 or 15 laps of the St Pete's Indy Car race yesterday, partly just to see how Grosjean was doing. It was the same thing, bunch of cars nose to tail 1s spacing.


Thirty years ago, CART was challenging F1 for open-wheel racing, especially in NA. It had big name drivers, various chassis and engine suppliers. Aero was becoming very competitive (I think Penske had the first 1:1 scale wind tunnel in CART). And then Tony George happened and it all went Pete Tong.

Boring spec racing can happen in any series. But it is easier to attain in the electric world, IME. It takes a lot of work/interference to make ICE engines that similar.

As you may or may not conclude, I am a big fan of engineering in racing. I love the race of technology, the competition of the designers and engineers, and find little interest in full-on spec series like IROC, where "it's all about the driver". I consider the 'nut attached to the wheel' to be just another intrinsic part of the racecar as a whole.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

High/Deaf said:


> Anyone watch a Formula E race yet (TSN's shown a few)? What did you think?
> 
> I've only seen a couple, but in a word ................
> 
> BORING.


I‘ve watched a few races. The first race this week was fun, in a “This is a shit-show!” sort of way. You can watch it on TSN.ca or the Shaw BlueCurve app.

Too many gimmicks to take it seriously, speed zone, fan boost, but it all came into play in that first race. Something to watch when F1 isn’t on. Maybe it will get better some day [there’s lots of money behind some of the teams]. Lots of F2 names.

One thing I like about Formula E, similar to Formula 2, it’s not a long race. In Formula E you know it’s going to be 45 minutes plus a lap.

I watched the St. Petersburg Indy, it was better than the Barber one. Racing on half a street circuit is great, it was a little like Baku where a bit of it is too narrow. Some F2 names in that, too.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

JesseB94 said:


> Thankfully I just found an article from CBC saying that there still may be a chance, but they need to be strict on covid protocols if they bypass the 14-day quarantine period.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canadian-grand-prix-f1-montreal-1.5988769



Now they say it is cancelled again.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Replaced by Turkey (Istanbul) for 2021


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

“It could be Hungary all over again.”


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Ham-Ver-Bot again, yawn. I know some are saying this is great that V. is battling H. But honestly today wasn’t much of a battle. Mercedes pulled off a great strategy move and Red Bull missed the immediate cover stop while they were still over 20s clear and could have battled for the win. I really hope someone, anyone can start to get in and disrupt the podium because that combo is getting old and it won’t be much of a season if it’s the same thing race over race. Good on Bottas to ignore the request to let Hamilton by. Hamilton is the GOAT and doesn’t need Bottas to suffer to further pad that. I feel bad for the guy, hope he gets a decent seat next year since everyone seems to have a hard on for Russell.

In other other maybe not so popular opinions, Vettel is past his expiry date and brings nothing to AM. A driver of his pedigree should be able to make the adjustments by now, others switched and have adapted. What a huge mistake to dump Perez for him for multiple years. Alonso, same and while we are at it, Raikonen too. I also don’t get the circle jerk around Russell. If he’s the wonder kid everyone says he is, he should be doing something more on race days. Tsunoda is quickly falling into the same category, Albon is looking pretty good right now.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I wonder if they will get Hamilton's car sorted for Monaco. I think he is 7th on the grid but even at Monaco that's doable for him. Don't think I'll bother getting up early to find out though.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Wardo said:


> I wonder if they will get Hamilton's car sorted for Monaco. I think he is 7th on the grid but even at Monaco that's doable for him. Don't think I'll bother getting up early to find out though.


Should we start a pool for what lap Leclerc’s gearbox blows? While I think the outcome will be a typical F1 finish, it should be an I interesting race with the mix in the top 10. Yellow flags are likely to be a factor in this race more than others.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Should we start a pool for what lap Leclerc’s gearbox blows? While I think the outcome will be a typical F1 finish, it should be an I interesting race with the mix in the top 10. Yellow flags are likely to be a factor in this race more than others.


Spoiler: The winning answer is Zero. 

What a shame for Charles.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Spoiler: The winning answer is Zero.
> 
> What a shame for Charles.


Interesting outcome, not a particularly interesting race since it is basically don’t screw up and you maintain your position. Sorry Val.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

now that hockey is over, lol….let’s talk racing!
awesome season so far. Love the parity and challenge for the tops spots, for a change. Love to see if LH can catch Max for WDC. I dont think he will. RB is firing on all cylinders, who knows what will happen when they get into the powerplant business though.

a lot of seat changes this year. Most haven’t been too impressive. Perez may be the best change.
Vettel is still inconsistent, Alonso is meh. Ricciardo is actually depressing. Neither of the Haas guys are impressive (understatement)…wouldnt think things could get worse for them, but here we are. Has there ever been a less liked driver than Mazepin? Sainz is about par. Yuki is inconsistent.

Norris and Gasly have really risen to the occasion. Lando is all business now, no time for bromances.
Charles is mentally phenomenal.
Gio seems to have pulled away from Raikonen finally.
VB is back to being Mercs redheaded stepchild whipping boy. At times, unfairly IMO. That team turns on itself in an ugly way when facing adversity.

And LH. Funny hearing him now whine about not having a competitive car, and how Max is only doing better due to his car….yet when LH was winning races, it was all about the driver? He should have a Vegas show, for his vanishing act from the media when he doesn’t get a podium.


----------



## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

I can't believe that Lando almost had pole! That one corner was the difference. Amazing that Ricci is still struggling with the Mclaren. Hope it's a good race tomorrow.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

jayoldschool said:


> I can't believe that Lando almost had pole! That one corner was the difference. Amazing that Ricci is still struggling with the Mclaren. Hope it's a good race tomorrow.


DRs first year with Renault was pretty bad too. Maybe he will always need a year to adapt before performing at his best? if that’s the case, he’d better learn to stay somewhere long term.


----------



## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Don't think any of those "outside" pass penalties were warranted. Pit lane, double yellows, yes.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

So apparently, Lando Norris got mugged at the euro cup for his watch.
F1 driver Lando Norris mugged at Euro 2020 final, $55,000 watch stolen | Fox News


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

This weekend they’re trying something different. Qualifying is this afternoon at about 12:30pm or 1:00pm EST.

That sets the grid for a sprint race on Saturday, which is only worth a few points, then the grid for the main race on Sunday is the order they finish in the sprint race.

There’s a practice session after the qualifying, so weird.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

While this may make for a more “interesting” fan experience, I don’t really see it changing things up much. Qualifying is still qualifying, a sprint race is going to run the same as seemingly every other race, get the pole, get through turn 1 or 2 and stay just out of DRS range of the guy behind you to win.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Hammerhands said:


> This weekend they’re trying something different. Qualifying is this afternoon at about 12:30pm or 1:00pm EST.
> 
> That sets the grid for a sprint race on Saturday, which is only worth a few points, then the grid for the main race on Sunday is the order they finish in the sprint race.
> 
> There’s a practice session after the qualifying, so weird.


curious to see this as well.
I'd like to understand it better....is the purpose:
1)pure entertainment/gimmick
2)to weed out the drivers that do better in quali than they do in racing
3)to sort out the silly backlogs and traffic jams in quali
4)???


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

I really like the current format but I think trying different things is a good idea, create chaos.

Hamilton thinks not much will happen in the sprint race because no one will want to risk damage.

Someone suggested the lower mid-field will race.


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Damon Hill was showcasing his watch while talking about Lando.

He’s an interestng dude.

Zack Brown has Covid.


----------



## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

What was Damon's watch, btw? Yes, I know I can google.

Looking forward to the sprint tomorrow. Hope some of the backmarkers drive batshit crazy to just shake things up. But they won't.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jayoldschool said:


> What was Damon's watch, btw? Yes, I know I can google.
> 
> Looking forward to the sprint tomorrow. Hope some of the backmarkers drive batshit crazy to just shake things up. But they won't.


Not sure about Damon’s, but Lando’s was A custom Richard Mille. About a $100K


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

jayoldschool said:


> What was Damon's watch, btw? Yes, I know I can google.
> 
> Looking forward to the sprint tomorrow. Hope some of the backmarkers drive batshit crazy to just shake things up. But they won't.


I don’t know, big.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Without a better picture it could be a TW Steel TW1018 TW1018


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Todays sprint qualifying didn’t really do much for me except for a few moments. Alonso vs McLarens, and the fact that one mistake puts you out with no 2nd chance (Perez) were the highlights but other than that it looked an awful lot like every other race without pit strategy. Whoever can get the jump to the lead is going to be the winner as long as they can stay ahead of DRS range. Other opinions, Russell is a good driver but is way overhyped by British circle jerk media and fans, Tsunoda isn’t ready for F1, Kimi needs to retire.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

An irresistible force met an immovable object.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

davetcan said:


> An irresistible force met an immovable object.


Apparently it was quite moveable. Glad MV wasn’t hurt. You don’t have to be in motor sports long to know that even a small tap in the rear end is going to send a car into a spin. Hamilton knows this and they were both seeing who was going to blink first but LH likely knew even if there was contact, at worse he’d come off with with some repairable nose damage and MV would be spinning. I highly doubt he meant to send MV into the wall.


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Hamilton passed two others at the same corner, he was a bit ahead of Norris who backed out, and Hamilton and Leclerc gave each other much more room than he and Verstappen did, Hamilton was on the inside curb and backed out while Leclerc ended up on the outside curb and correcting.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

It was just hard racing that ended up in a racing incident, and unfortunately Max ended up going off hard.

However, the comments made after the race by Marko, Horner and Max were disgraceful.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I didnt see anything that terrible between LH and MV. 2 hungry, stubborn guys racing.
But a lot was at stake, and RB had a terrible weekend, so not surprised RB was chasing Michael (Masi) around like Dwight on The Office. Merc would have been doing the same, rest assured, if the shoe was on the other foot.

A lot of fuckups in that race for some reason (pits, for example). They kept talking about the heat, but come on....its england. not the hottest place F1 races are held.

Great to see Charles on the podium. I love when guy like him get podiums. Its a real win for them, and they enjoy it. When LH, MV, VB get anything other than 1st place, they come across as sulking and dejected bc they see it as a loss.
Its easy to be gracious winner, much harder when someone else wins.
But a great drive for LH and Charles.
It was hilarious to see MV in the top 3 for DOTD for most of the race even though he didnt finish 1 lap lol.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Well Hungary is off to one hell of a start. Nick Latifi is in 6th place!


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> Well Hungary is off to one hell of a start. Nick Latifi is in 6th place!


Currently sitting in 3rd, LOL.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Restart was just as crazy. Pit accident with Alfa and Haas. It’s like upside down world right now


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Hell of a race. Williams 8 (Latifi) & 9 (Russell). The battle with Alonso was great.


----------



## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Alonso with the widest car on the grid. A masterclass in defending!!! Great to see a bit of a different mix there.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

And the race just keeps giving, Seb DSQ’d from P2 for too little fuel left Williams P7 and P8.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> And the race just keeps giving, Seb DSQ’d from P2 for too little fuel left Williams P7 and P8.


What kind of stupid rule is that?


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

davetcan said:


> What kind of stupid rule is that?


From what I can gather, it was a common practice to either under fuel the car for weight savings or jack up the flow rate (and under meter like Ferrari got caught doing) for extra power so they instituted a rule that they have to be able to provide a 1L sample at race end. Aston Martin is appealing that there was in fact 1.44L left but they were unable to extract it at post-race inspection.


----------



## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

ZeroGravity said:


> From what I can gather, it was a common practice to either under fuel the car for weight savings or jack up the flow rate (and under meter like Ferrari got caught doing) for extra power so they instituted a rule that they have to be able to provide a 1L sample at race end. Aston Martin is appealing that there was in fact 1.44L left but they were unable to extract it at post-race inspection.


heaven forbid they check the fuel before the race.


----------



## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Russell on the podium in 2nd. Fastest lap point goes to ... Mazepin!
lol


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

3 hours of watching people sit in the rain.


----------



## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

James Hunt would've voted to race, lol


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Back to back double points weekend for Williams. Feel bad for Latifi, who on any other weekend with his results would have been big news for him and the team but almost completely overlooked because of GR’s quali. Hell of a job by Red Bull’s mechanics to get Perez’s car repaired and on the track, albeit for nothing in the end.


----------



## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

jayoldschool said:


> James Hunt would've voted to race, lol


Vettel was doing his best 'Niki Lauda' in qualy yesterday, to no avail.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

well that was likely the worst race Ive ever seen lol.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

ZeroGravity said:


> Hell of a job by Red Bull’s mechanics to get Perez’s car repaired and on the track, albeit for nothing in the end.


One thing I wish F1 had, was more of that Nascar spirit, of patching a car up and out on the track, even if its unlikely you will win. I get that its a numbers game, but it would make things a little more exciting.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

jb welder said:


> Russell on the podium in 2nd. Fastest lap point goes to ... Mazepin!
> lol


bit odd that you can get a "fastest lap" while a safety car is out. Smart of Haas to exploit that though.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Handing out half points was an embarrassment. The race should have been cancelled.

I watched from the beginning of the programing to about 11:15 when I figured there was no way they would be starting the race.

So off I went to Long & McQuade to check out a new guitar that had caught my eye.
It turns out I liked the guitar a lot, but once I had my hands on it, I decided it wasn’t quite right for me.
I was a bit disappointed, so of course I had to check out other guitars - and found one that I _had_ to have.

So I didn’t miss any actual real racing and bought a new guitar – in the end I call that a good Sunday.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Planet F1 posted this image in an article on their page - seems about right to me.










Masi plans rule talks after farcical Belgian GP


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

From Reddit - Bottas posted a new car day picture of an AMG and another of a backside of paper with a pen on it. Assumption is Mercedes has finally made their decision and he's signed a contract. Question is, is the AMG a parting gift or a signing bonus???? F1 and Russell fanboys are having a meltdown waiting


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Interesting.
I dont think they give parting gifts unless someone retires, so Im guessing Sir Lewis' wishes followed....although it sure felt like VB was going to get shown the door, and putting in the terrible performances hes had this year didnt help.

Im fine either way. I think Bottas is a great wing man who can occasionally, albeit inconsistently steal a race every now and then. I know everyone thinks the gap should be closer between #1 and #2 drivers, but other than Ferrari, where is this the case (lets not count the teams battling to not be dead last)?
I also think Russell is way overhyped. Better than his numbers indicate (which, reminder, are terrible), but no more deserving of one of the top 2 teams than half the drivers on the grid.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I agree but I think VB will be better off elsewhere, latest rumour being a deal with Alfa Romeo and that Kimi is retiring. He's a decent driver and could be a number one driver on any of the mid-tier teams but he lives in LH's shadow both by situation and by Mercedes team order. Russell is good but still relatively untested but the British press and fanboy circlejerk is insufferable. Every good thing is a sign from heaven itself but every screwup and poor result (which is basically every weekend) is the car's fault. To cling to he outqualifies Latifi every weekend means zero when he can't score a point on Sundays. Hopefully silly season will be over soon and we get through the chorus of "I told you so" and "I knew it was going to happen like that" Internet boasting quickly whichever way it goes.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

I read the VB, GR, KR rumour on Planet F1 this morning.
Interesting, but I will wait patiently until it's confirmed.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> I read the VB, GR, KR rumour on Planet F1 this morning.
> Interesting, but I will wait patiently until it's confirmed.


and throw in Albon to Williams on top of that......It could make for an interesting season (and 2nd half of 2021) if it all comes together with the new 2022 cars. Or it could all status quo as far as drivers are concerned, VB stays another year, Russell has to cool his jets at Williams for another year, Kimi isn't ready to give up his "hobby" quite yet and Albon has to go to Indy. 

In other related news, it looks like Grosjean has been picked up by Andretti Autosport for next Indy season


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Nice to see that Andretti Autosport picked up Grosjean for next season. Hopefully he will do well there.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> Nice to see that Andretti Autosport picked up Grosjean for next season. Hopefully he will do well there.


Should be a step up from Coyne Racing who might pick up Albon. Grosjean seems to be enjoying it, said he wouldn’t race an oval and jumped in a did well. Wonder if Magnussen would make the jump from WEC.


----------



## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Diablo said:


> bit odd that you can get a "fastest lap" while a safety car is out. Smart of Haas to exploit that though.


Turns out that Mazepin did not get the point for fastest lap. Oddly, it was not because all the laps were behind the safety car, but rather because he did not finish in the top 10. 
Seems a rather strange and pointless rule to me, why shouldn't a back marker be allowed to take fastest lap point?


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Interesting events on Free Practice 1/2, retirements, interrupted flying laps with yellow and red flags. Looking forward to qualifying tomorrow to see if it stays the same or back the the same old story.

More silly season rumours now have Albon to Alfa (and Bottas) and DeVries to Williams (with Latifi). I wish they would hurry up and get this all announced soon.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Bottas to Alfa Romeo now confirmed.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> Bottas to Alfa Romeo now confirmed.


Now for the rest of the dominos to fall…Albon or DeVries? Giovianazzi? How long before MB announce Russell?


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

I think Albon to Williams is an odd choice, a Mercedes driver in DeVries makes more sense to me.
But we'll find out the remaining moves soon.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Unsurprisingly, Mercedes have now confirmed George Russell.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

aC2rs said:


> Unsurprisingly, Mercedes have now confirmed George Russell.


worst kept secret in F1.

Gasly and Tsunoda confirmed for next year as well.

Was nice to see Kubica drive on Sunday, even if only for 1 time.

Havent heard any rumours about former drivers, such as Van doorne, Kvyat or Hulkenberg returning to F1, which is interesting. Only Albon, in an unlikely scenario.

I wonder what the future holds for Gio, Mazepin and Schumacher. Of the 3 I'd say Mazepin has the best chance of returning (for, ahem, external reasons). Although in fairness, i wouldnt say theres much of a difference between him and his teammate other than money.

Overall, this has been one of my favourite years....love seeing a battle for the win. It just was too easy for too many years. And the rise of Max, Norris, Gasly, Leclerc and other young drivers has been great, along with some of the veterans stories...Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Of all the remaining, Haas will have to deal with the mess between Sch and Maz and their shit-sled of a car. I don’t think either should have a seat on merit.

Tsunoda didn’t impress at all for such a hyped rookie but Marko and Horner have made a colossal mess of their driver pipeline over the past couple of seasons they really had little choice but to stabilize even though Tsunoda and Perez haven’t lived up to expectations.

Gio is so under the radar and middle of the pack that Alfa is probably looking for a major shakeup for the new regs and he isn’t going to do it for them even paired with Bottas. I predict he is out for 2022. As for Albon taking that seat or the Williams, I don’t see Albon giving up Red Bull ties and Wolff is unlikely to back down on that so I figure Albon to AR and DeVries to Williams


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Albon confirmed at Williams this morning.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

and then there was one (Alfa).......


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

I find F1 very strange with how they do contracts mid season for next year. And I dont see the benefit of doing it this way, other than if backfilling retirements.

Is Bottas as likely to follow team orders that favour Hamilton, for example? Vettel wasnt cooperative last year.
Will the team de-prioritize the exiting driver for new enhancements (or use them as a guinea pig)?


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

The strongest rumour for the last available seat is that Zhou's backers are going to pay his way into the 2nd Alfa seat which would only be 1 year since the expectation is Pourchaire will get the seat in '23. 

Interesting but totally uncorroborated is that Vettel may bow out at the end of the season, which could open up an AM seat. If true, I could see that seat going to DeVries.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

ZeroGravity said:


> The strongest rumour for the last available seat is that Zhou's backers are going to pay his way into the 2nd Alfa seat which would only be 1 year since the expectation is Pourchaire will get the seat in '23.
> 
> Interesting but totally uncorroborated is that Vettel may bow out at the end of the season, which could open up an AM seat. If true, I could see that seat going to DeVries.


I think I read somewhere that Vettel wants another year with AM, and may already be in a multi year deal.
Formula 1: Aston Martin hint Sebastian Vettel's contract length (beyondtheflag.com)
Vettel to join Aston Martin in 2021 on multi-year contract | theScore.com
I suspect they will give it 1 more try. This year hasnt been a total disaster, just unlucky....and Lance isnt showing up Seb in any way.
Sebastian Vettel 'thinks' he'll still be in F1 next season | PlanetF1

Word is, we're going to get a 007 branded AM car in the next race to kick off the movie.

As for Zhou, Im hoping the spending cap will make pay drivers a thing of the past.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I could see it now that Kimi has packed it in. I understand Vettel's deal was 1+1, not a strict 2-year deal so he or AM could back out, although I doubt it would come from AM's side. I would bet Stroll would give him a nice golden parachute and a reserve/consulting position on the team if Vettel chose not to drive. Bringing in a Mercedes junior driver like Devries would strengthen the ties to Mercedes. Lots of wins to go around if he really does want to retire.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Pre-qualifying yesterday and sprint qualifying this morning.
I'm not sure I'm sold on the idea of this format yet but it is only the second time so I'll keep an open mind.


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

TSN’s timing for commercials is painful.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Hammerhands said:


> TSN’s timing for commercials is painful.


it couldn't have been worse.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Hell of a race so far!


----------



## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

Ricky’s tires look nasty.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

A well earned win for DR and McLaren.


----------



## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Very entertaining race. End of a very long drought for McLaren. Verstappen/Hamilton.....can't wait to see what the ruling by the stewards is on this little get together.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> Very entertaining race. End of a very long drought for McLaren. Verstappen/Hamilton.....can't wait to see what the ruling by the stewards is on this little get together.


wonder if Stroll will get a penalty and drop him behind Latifi?


----------



## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> wonder if Stroll will get a penalty and drop him behind Latifi?


Was that one of those 'going beyond track limit' things?


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

A 3 place grid drop for Max at the next race.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> Was that one of those 'going beyond track limit' things?


Not slowing down on a double yellow flag.


----------



## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Not slowing down on a double yellow flag.


Caught by the transponder....


----------



## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> A 3 place grid drop for Max at the next race.


So Hamilton, on a high speed corner at Silverstone, bunted him off the track....and got what....a 10 sec penalty. And here, cut Verstappen off at the entry to the corner at the end of the straight, and gave him no room to fight for the corner....I thought 'racing incident'.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> Caught by the transponder....


I didn’t read the whole thing completely but it ended up with a warning only.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

An interesting report this morning on Planet F1

Saudi Arabia linked with F1 takeover – report


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> An interesting report this morning on Planet F1
> 
> Saudi Arabia linked with F1 takeover – report


Right in the article however, it is stated the the report is"sketchy at best".


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

ZeroGravity said:


> Right in the article however, it is stated the the report is"sketchy at best".


Nonetheless it will be interesting to see if there is any truth to it and if anything comes from it.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Nice to read that Sebastian Vettel has now been confirmed for next season at Aston Martin.


----------



## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Can't believe Norris's team didn't force him to box.....they've got the rain radar and can see what's coming. What a finish....great race. No.100 for Lewis....Epic!!


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> Can't believe Norris's team didn't force him to box.....they've got the rain radar and can see what's coming. What a finish....great race. No.100 for Lewis....Epic!!


Definitely missed strategy and some bad luck. Great race to watch since it wasn’t just a runaway at the front like most. Verstappen benefited the most out of all this with the PU penalty basically not hurting him at all and may turn into an advantage if (when) Hamilton has to take one later.

On to Ryder Cup now


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

HighNoon said:


> Can't believe Norris's team didn't force him to box.....they've got the rain radar and can see what's coming. What a finish....great race. No.100 for Lewis....Epic!!


Yes McLaren got the strategy wrong but, I can see them leaving Lando out to try for his first win.
Awesome 100th win for Lewis though especially after getting down so far earlier in the race.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> Yes McLaren got the strategy wrong but, I can see them leaving Lando out to try for his first win.
> Awesome 100th win for Lewis though especially after getting down so far earlier in the race.


Without seeing the radar, it seemed a reasonable calculated risk that he could handle 3 laps but the rain came down harder than they expected. Lando just said post-race that they called him in and said no so equal blame.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

Too many engine penalties ruin the show. F1 needs to increase the number of engines to at least four per season.


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> Too many engine penalties ruin the show. F1 needs to increase the number of engines to at least four per season.


It sure seems that way if everyone ends up taking a penalty, then the limit isn’t right. They also shouldn’t have to take a penalty for engines etc wrecked in crashes.


----------



## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

... and the latest rumour - Herta to Alfa ...
Herta to Alfa Rumour


----------



## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

aC2rs said:


> ... and the latest rumour - Herta to Alfa ...
> Herta to Alfa Rumour


To be complete, continuing rumour is Andretti to purchase ownership of Sauber and bring Herta in a second driver and that there is a meeting during the USGP allegedly to finalize and/or announce the deal. Euros are all freaking out because they have no idea who Herta is and what he’s done because they don’t care about Indy racing and are already crying that Piastri, Pourchaire, and Even Zhou “deserve” the seat


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## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

We'll wait and see what transpires with this rumour.
Personally I'd like to see both Andretti in as an owner and Herta in as his driver.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Bottas was solid from the start to the finish. Verstappen did what he had to maintain position. Good team call for both him and Perez on when to change tires. Lewis 'I want to stay out' Hamilton....maybe, maybe not....why didn't the team force him to box when Perez did. And speaking of Perez and Hamilton those laps between 33-36 were epic....great racing.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

ZeroGravity said:


> Euros are all freaking out because they have no idea who Herta is and what he’s done because they don’t care about Indy racing and are already crying that Piastri, Pourchaire, and Even Zhou “deserve” the seat


Freaking out? I'm pretty skeptical myself, in that Indy (or any US series) to F1 driver migrations usually work out about as good as CFL players getting a shot in the NFL.
Scott Speed being the last in a long line of let downs, aside from Andretti Sr. it just never seems to work out.
As for Herta himself, his consideration for the seat seems pretty much a surprise for everyone. I'm not sure if it weren't for the possible takeover of Alfa, that his name would be put out there on merit?
That said, I'm not calling him the new Lance Stroll either.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Freaking out? I'm pretty skeptical myself, in that Indy (or any US series) to F1 driver migrations usually work out about as good as CFL players getting a shot in the NFL.
> Scott Speed being the last in a long line of let downs, aside from Andretti Sr. it just never seems to work out.
> As for Herta himself, his consideration for the seat seems pretty much a surprise for everyone. I'm not sure if it weren't for the possible takeover of Alfa, that his name would be put out there on merit?
> That said, I'm not calling him the new Lance Stroll either.


Freaking out as in “who is Herta” like he’s some nobody who doesn’t deserve to be on F1 and how Piastri and Pourchaire will get screwed by some unknown American paid driver yadda, yadda, yadda


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Herta has some history in euro open wheel and not too bad of a progression in indy.

Have to see what happens but yeah the migrations don’t usually go well.

Cheever did ok but years ago and he might have started his career in Yurp and stayed there.

Who else, Peter Revson, Dan Gurney, Ritchie Ginther but those were different times.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I thought that was a pretty decent race, not your typical pole position gets out in front and stays there


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## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

The latest rumour on Andretti is that, for financial reasons, he is now out of the purchase of the Sauber team.
Too bad, I would have liked to see that happen.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

aC2rs said:


> The latest rumour on Andretti is that, for financial reasons, he is now out of the purchase of the Sauber team.
> Too bad, I would have liked to see that happen.


Apparently the problem was putting up an up-front guarantee of $50mil per year for 5 years. That was to ensure they would spend the cap for 5yrs. even if sponsors did not pan out.
I was impressed that the current ownership asked for this, wanting to ensure the team sticks around rather than just cashing in.








Andretti will not buy into Sauber/Alfa Romeo F1 team - The Race


Andretti will not be buying into the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo Formula 1 team, after talks collapsed, The Race understands.




the-race.com


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

It’s Mexico GP week - *¡Olé!*


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Race Day


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Nice to see Checo on the podium there.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> Nice to see Checo on the podium there.


Agreed, a few more laps and he might have gotten around Hamilton. It didn’t take long for the blaming to start on Bottas even though Wolff said that RB drove circles around Merc today. I am sure there will be a few tequilas downed tonight


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Brazil starts tomorrow, FP1 10:30am EST. Return of the sprint qualifying.


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## aC2rs (Jul 9, 2007)

I really have no use for sprint qualifying. It just doesn't add anything to the show.
But I will watch it anyway of course.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Interesting events ahead of the sprint race. Hamilton’s wing fails a post run inspection with the DRS opening too much and then Max touched said wing after he got out of his car. RB is also bringing back the excess wing flex issue again.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Interesting events ahead of the sprint race. Hamilton’s wing fails a post run inspection with the DRS opening too much and then Max touched said wing after he got out of his car. RB is also bringing back the excess wing flex issue again.


$50 grand euro fine for touching the Merc.....things are getting testy heading down the stretch. Expect more intrigue in the entertaining weeks ahead.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Impressive drive by Lewis today to stay in touch with Max in the driver's championship. He had the bit between his teeth and a new powerplant to push him down the track.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

That was a monster drive, but it looks like Lewis is off to see the stewards again. Looks like he undid his harness when he grabbed that flag on the in lap. 

I've been rooting for Max during this battle, but I hope Lewis doesn't get a penalty for this. Hopefully it's just a fine, call it $50K Euro and we're all square. hahaha


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

It was a 5K fine, and I think another 20K suspended but I didn’t read the report fully.

Mercedes certainly have something going on, whether it’s pushing the new ICE harder or something else, the car is quick. I still find the whole passing strategy relying on DRS is a fundamental flaw with F1. There’s pretty much no (legal) way to defend once the passing car gets in range, it’s just an unfair drag race.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I agree on the DRS being a problem.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

ZeroGravity said:


> It was a 5K fine, and I think another 20K suspended but I didn’t read the report fully.
> 
> Mercedes certainly have something going on, whether it’s pushing the new ICE harder or something else, the car is quick. I still find the whole passing strategy relying on DRS is a fundamental flaw with F1. There’s pretty much no (legal) way to defend once the passing car gets in range, it’s just an unfair drag race.


I'd be curious to see if RBR decides to protest the Merc. That straight-line advantage seems a bit excessive, but who knows!?

I hope the aero on the new cars allow for more overtakes. I'm pretty excited for the 2022 season, but for now, this is definitely the most exciting season we've had since maybe 2016.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

TWRC said:


> I'd be curious to see if RBR decides to protest the Merc. That straight-line advantage seems a bit excessive, but who knows!?
> 
> I hope the aero on the new cars allow for more overtakes. I'm pretty excited for the 2022 season, but for now, this is definitely the most exciting season we've had since maybe 2016.


I guess they can only protest if they can substantiate it with something that may contravene the rules, but those kinds of gains seem pretty improbable at this point in the season with simple “tweaks”.

I too hope the new cars can lessen the dirty air issue and allow closer racing and take away (the need for) DRS.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

ZeroGravity said:


> I guess they can only protest if they can substantiate it with something that may contravene the rules, but those kinds of gains seem pretty improbable at this point in the season with simple “tweaks”.
> 
> I too hope the new cars can lessen the dirty air issue and allow closer racing and take away (the need for) DRS.


Agreed. To me, it's not adding up. 

On a related topic, I think Checo has really come into his own at Red Bull over the last few races, but I can't help but think how the Gasly would do in this title fight at the moment. I hope the Gasman has a good chiropractor because he's been carrying AlphaTauri this entire season.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

I'm wondering about the performance vs reliability tradeoff of the Merc ICE and whether they just turned up the wick on the new engine. 
I won't be all that surprised if they end up having to do one more swap, or maybe have a DNF.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

jb welder said:


> I'm wondering about the performance vs reliability tradeoff of the Merc ICE and whether they just turned up the wick on the new engine.
> I won't be all that surprised if they end up having to do one more swap, or maybe have a DNF.


I have read that they are basically running it on or just a hair under 100% and that Bottas’ swaps were more about testing how much they could push it without blowing it up. If the engine grenades on Bottas it didn’t affect Lewis. If it were any more to the ICE itself, it would have to be made available to customer teams as per the rules which would at least confirm it’s more than just pinning it with a new unit.

Edit: Further confirmations that MB has played a strategy game, taking a new ICE for the last couple of races which allows them to run a cranked up engine to last 2500km where normally it would have to go for 7000km.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Today’s news. Giovanazzi out, Zhou in at Alfa Romeo


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

I feel bad for Gio, he was showing a little bit of promise in the back half of this season.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

TWRC said:


> I feel bad for Gio, he was showing a little bit of promise in the back half of this season.


I kind of feel he was reliable but unremarkable in any way and never going to move the team forward so they needed change. He was just lost in the pack, almost never any media attention nor seemingly social media presence.

in other news, Piastri is officially signed as Alpine’s reserve driver for 22.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

You're definitely not wrong there.

Hmmmm, that seems oddly familiar, hopefully he'll be on the grid full time in a couple of years. Piastri is who I would have signed, but I get Alfa's move here, with Zhou being an Ferrari academy driver, along with all that sponsorship money.

Also, looks like Gio has a Formula E drive.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

TWRC said:


> You're definitely not wrong there.
> 
> Hmmmm, that seems oddly familiar, hopefully he'll be on the grid full time in a couple of years. Piastri is who I would have signed, but I get Alfa's move here, with Zhou being an Ferrari academy driver, along with all that sponsorship money.
> 
> Also, looks like Gio has a Formula E drive.


I think Gio has a few mow years of racing ahead with the (confirmed) signing to Formula E and there's still the chance at the Ferrari Hypercar seat too. I don't think we'll see him back in F1 anytime soon, if at all since there is a focus on promoting F2 drivers lately. Too many drivers with potential, too few spots.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Call me old fashioned, but we need more teams on the grid! 

I think Ferrari has a liking to Gio, so I can definitely see him working behind the scenes as a development guy. Doubtful it'll be in F1, but we'll be seeing him around.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

And the gap closes. Damage control race for Red Bull. Fernando on the podium....how cool is that.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> And the gap closes. Damage control race for Red Bull. Fernando on the podium....how cool is that.


Some good stuff, but it was still another typical F1 race in many respects. Pole sitter gets out in front, stays in front with no challenges. Yawn.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Some good stuff, but it was still another typical F1 race in many respects. Pole sitter gets out in front, stays in front with no challenges. Yawn.


Yeah if it wasn't for DRS you'd see a lot fewer passes. With the extensive and complicated aero packages, you get great down force, but a lot of turbulence, and it messes with good close racing. Probably why in the long run, I enjoy Indy Car as a contact sport a lot more. And that track today.....it had all the charm of a mid size airport in a run down suburb.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

The highlight of the race was Alpine's strategy with Fernando. I would have been heartbroken for him if he ended up with a tyre failure near the end of the race.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Love seeing the WDC going down to the wire. Its good for the sport no matter who takes it. It cant just be about having the best car.
Gonna miss Gio....as Ive said many times before, hes a super nice guy. This year I felt like the pressure got to him. he was fighting the car more, making more mistakes out of desperation. Maybe a change is needed.

love seeing Pierre's success as well....also, a super nice guy, criminally underrated for the past couple years. The way he used getting demoted by Horner's meat grinder to get motivated, is a tale for the ages.

Ive been cheering for VB77 as well. While not the best driver on the grid, I think he deserves a little more respect than he gets, for being a loyal lapdog to LH, unquestioning until this year. i rank him dead even with Danny Ric, fwiw. Both talented yet both can leave you scratching your head wondering how they stole defeat from the jaws of victory. I have to wonder, if DR had been in Gio's car the past few years, if he would be suffering the same fate? hes a heck of a charming guy with tons of confidence, but reality has to be sinking in that hes not in the Top 3 as he has previously suggested he was. Dannys mom reminds me of Andrea Martin.

Looking forward to seeing GR in Bottas' car. I think George is grossly overrated by fanboys online, but this will give him the chance to prove me wrong. Or maybe the Merc is just so good that you could put one of the Haas guys in it and even they would be getting podiums? who knows.

Most of all, love see Ferrari back in the mix....Binotto scored a big coup by landing Sainz to have perhaps the most evenly balanced and consistent team of drivers on the grid (not to mention, mentally focussed-neither one crossing the line of professionality to usurp the other), proving even a broken clock gets it right once a day.

Speaking of which, its been nice to see Vettel as the elder statesman/gentleman this year, doing damage control to repair his image from the previous year(s).


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Saudi Arabia - Jeddah Circuit; FP1 about to start. Hopefully it will be an interesting track this weekend and interesting finish to the season over the final races.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

No doubt the title fight will be going all the way to Abu Dhabi this year. We've been spoiled with such a great season thus far!


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

I think qualifying will provide the most entertainment value this weekend - those high speed turns that are practically blind are going to provide for some pucker moments.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Q3 didn’t disappoint. It’s on now. I suspect new gearbox for sure and maybe now is the time to throw in a new PU, limit damage tomorrow and take it all on the final race.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Holy hell, that was some race


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Yep, completely crazy insane race. Next race is going to be wild.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Some people may enjoy chaos, but that was probably one of the least enjoyable races I've ever seen. Complete shit show. I hold race control at least partly responsible and have lost my patience with them.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

It’s like when the refs lose control of a hockey game. However, it was the most interesting race on a long time. I think F1 has become sterile and boring. Get pole position, pull out of DRS range, win race. Hamilton has won several championships this way but boring as far as racing is concerned


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

I embrace the chaos.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Yesterdays' race.....So why, after the first safety car, and Red Bull left Max out there to get track position.....why didn't they also not pit Perez to act as a buffer against the Mercs. Did Max brake check Hamilton.....why before that if Max was giving up the position, didn't Lewis just go around him when he slowed down. What happened to Bottas slowing down in the virtual safety car below prescribed limitsto get a gap to double stack, getting investigated. Pretty obvious penalty. Next race....last race.....Max and Lewis same number of points for the championship. Who blinks first?


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

This season has become an F1 fans' wet dream! I'm not surprised by all of the events leading up to Abu Dhabi, but one thing that does bother me about all of the drama is that Kimi's retirement has been relegated to the backburner. I hope the Iceman scores some points this weekend.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

The rabid fanboy-ism on both sides of the WDC is mind blowing.


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Verstappen takes pole followed by Hamilton and then Norris but has to do it on soft tires after flat spotting his mediums. Looks like pit strategy will be key tomorrow


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Yep, this is all going to come down to strategy tomorrow - I can't wait!!!!!


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

It’s about to start, I’m spent alraedy.


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

What just happened?


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

Well that was insane. The rage and debate will go on for weeks now. I think it is clear that Max is the better driver (not by much) and Mercedes has the better car and it came down to how things lined up for each advantage on any given race. RB got lucky this time at the right moment.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

That was interesting......more like a Nascar ending of a race. Too much fun....Go Max....


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## ZeroGravity (Mar 25, 2016)

HighNoon said:


> That was interesting......more like a Nascar ending of a race. Too much fun....Go Max....


 Regardless of the validity of the situation, the entertainment value was high. I wanted Max to win but was resigned to Lewis taking it.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

ZeroGravity said:


> Regardless of the validity of the situation, the entertainment value was high. I wanted Max to win but was resigned to Lewis taking it.


Well, you got to go back to the 1st virtual safety car, when they didn't call Lewis in for fresh rubber. It all played out until the full safety car.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

Wow, that was tense. I'm happy that Max is the WDC, but it shouldn't have ended that way for Lewis.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

Quote of the year: “Toto, it’s called a motor race”


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Were there not several race ending protocols that were manipulated to allow the outcome that occurred? Feels like the outcome was more entertainment driven than what would have occurred at any other stop during the season.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

jayoldschool said:


> Yep, completely crazy insane race. Next race is going to be wild.


Yep, it did not disappoint, lol


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

leftysg said:


> Were there not several race ending protocols that were manipulated to allow the outcome that occurred? Feels like the outcome was more entertainment driven than what would have occurred at any other stop during the season.


I listened to sports talk radio on a long drive. Through multiple hosts, each of whom had a guest of one sort or another from the racing or media racing analysis, your take was pretty universal. How accepted that was varied from speaker to speaker, but they all agreed on 'why'.

Not a fan so wasn't watching, but Hamilton & team got just screwed, if what was portrayed - changing rules on the fly during the race - actually happened, which it sounds like it did. Apparently, Hinchcliff tweeted something along the lines of 'How nice that Netflix makes the rules in F1 now.'


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

LanceT said:


> Quote of the year: “Toto, it’s called a motor race”


I haven't paid much attention to Hamilton's career but if that's him talking in that clip then he's a better man than I thought he was. Reminds me of a quote from an old boxing coach: "if you lose don't say anything and if you win don't say too much."


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

You can't just look at the last race in isolation. This garbage has been going on for awhile this season, I was bitching about it last race but that wasn't even the start of it.
Either one of these two guys could have won and well deserved it.
If they hadn't have let any lapped cars through at that safety car that would have also been abnormal and just as many would have thought they handed it to Hamilton.
That was my first thought when they first said the lapped cars would have to hold station, WTF?
But the way they let some through but not all was a complete debacle.
This is what happens when a media company buys F1 and wants to get popular in the US market. Maybe we'll get 'real housewives of F1 drivers' yet.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

jb welder said:


> Maybe we'll get 'real housewives of F1 drivers' yet.


I always liked Cora Schumacher .. lol


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Wardo said:


> I always liked Cora Schumacher .. lol


So did Heinz-Harald.


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## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

I think Liberty Media's main objective is to grow the sport at all costs, and what better way to do so than to market towards the Netflix generation of fans. Look, don't get me wrong, I've been a Formula 1 fan for many years, and love the fact that our sport has grown exponentially over the years (especially this year). 

Did I want the race to finish with a safety car? No, but what happened on Sunday was purely for ratings and the drama. I'm no fan of Lewis, but a seven-time world champion does not deserve to lose a race that way - nobody does. The FIA has always been fucked up, but this year, the lack of consistency was born out of convenience to create added drama to entice new Formula 1 fans, and what better way to sell the sport than to throw fuel to the fire on such a tense championship battle?!

As for Masi, I actually don't think this is all on him. Say what you will about the guy, but how do you come into the Race Director role and expect to be as good as someone like Charlie Whiting? Charlie had a huge team around him, and from what I can tell, Michael is currently running the show solo - get the guy some help!

PS. I've always hated the rule that cars have to unlap themselves during a safety car period. What they should do is have the cars drop back in order, rather than waste all that time overtaking the safety car. Hey Masi, are you listening? I'd be happy being assistant director! Better yet, let this guy be the boss...


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I'm not a big fan but saw this headline and am posting in case anyone in here missed it.








Michael Masi removed as F1 race director over handling of Abu Dhabi debacle


FIA, the sanctioning body for Formula One, has removed Michael Masi as race director over the handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix debacle.




www.sportsnet.ca


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## Hammerhands (Dec 19, 2016)

> "Direct radio communications during the race, currently broadcast live by all TVs, will be removed in order to protect the race director from any pressure and allow him to take decisions peacefully," Ben Sulayem said. "It will still be possible to ask questions to the race director, according to a well-defined and non-intrusive process."
> 
> The structural changes see the creation a new soccer-style Virtual Race Control Room, while unlapping procedures behind safety cars will be reassessed before the first race in Bahrain on March 20.
> 
> "Like the Video Assistance Referee (VAR) in football, it will be positioned in one of the FIA offices as a backup outside the circuit," Ben Sulayem said. "In real-time connection with the FIA F1 race director, it will help to apply the sporting regulations using the most modern technological tools."



The criticism I've heard is that it should never have been one person, Whiting had a team, and it was stupid to have the teams lobbying a busy man at a busy time.

I think Masi was out of his depth.

I turned the broadcast off the momemt Verstappen crossed the line. He's got an asterisk.


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