[Other Sport] F1 2022

[Icy Gull]

Oh **** off, once again a virtual safety car favours Max when Hamilton had him in his sights

 

[dolphins]

I recorded the race, but on switching to SSN for the interviews with managers and players, they did a wrap-up of the race - saved me watching it, and seeing the constant close-ups on the Dutch fans and their sodding flares!

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

Oh **** off, once again a virtual safety car favours Max when Hamilton had him in his sights

Agree

Basically became a 10 lap sprint Grand Prix

They must stop pit stops under SCs

 

[A1X]

Awfully convenient the Red Bull sister team sending Tsunoda out to cause a VSC which helped Verstappen enormously. Almost as convenient as that mysterious issue last week which meant Gasly had to start from the pit lane which pushed Max up a place and onto the clean side of the track.

But nah, sure it’s all perfectly legit and above board. Absolutely. And that shot of the Red Bull strategist grinning about the Alpha Tauri issue was perfectly innocent.

 

[indy3050]

Missed it this afternoon as was at the game but Lewis did not sound happy with the Mercedes hierarchy…

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Oh **** off, once again a virtual safety car favours Max when Hamilton had him in his sights

Serious question, can you still back a man that tries to take his team mate out and then insults the whole team live on the radio?
He has always been like that but know one believes me.
He is an arse as a person, thought he had grown up.

On the race George deserves that Ferrari the laughing horse.
This season may have some more excitement but Max and RB are in a different league.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Awfully convenient the Red Bull sister team sending Tsunoda out to cause a VSC which helped Verstappen enormously. Almost as convenient as that mysterious issue last week which meant Gasly had to start from the pit lane which pushed Max up a place and onto the clean side of the track.

But nah, sure it’s all perfectly legit and above board. Absolutely. And that shot of the Red Bull strategist grinning about the Alpha Tauri issue was perfectly innocent.

Not forgetting Perez spinning on the final lap of Q3 when it looked like both Mercs could be close to taking pole.

 

[Icy Gull]

Call me biased (and I am) but Mercedes fecked Hamilton over big time at the end of that race and he had every reason to be pissed off

The racing Gods are on Max's side in every race where he's not winning, they deliver him a safety car at exactly the right time.

I won't go down the Alpha Tauri conspiracy theory route.......

 

[Creaky]

Oh **** off, once again a virtual safety car favours Max when Hamilton had him in his sights

Nonsense - GR made the right call and came in for tyres, LH had exactly the same opportunity but didn’t take it.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

I think it’s a decent shout that whether the safety cars happened or not, and whatever the strategy choices, Max V looked faster than both Mercs and probably would have made it to first place anyway.

It was frustrating to watch though.

Plus side- Mercs now seem closer so could be closer for the rest of the season and bodes well for next season. Would be excellent if Merc Red Bull and Ferrari are all genuine title challengers at some point.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I think it’s a decent shout that whether the safety cars happened or not, and whatever the strategy choices, Max V looked faster than both Mercs and probably would have made it to first place anyway.

It was frustrating to watch though.

Plus side- Mercs now seem closer so could be closer for the rest of the season and bodes well for next season. Would be excellent if Merc Red Bull and Ferrari are all genuine title challengers at some point.

Three teams seems an impossible dream. when was the last time that happened? I genuinely can't remember. It would be incredible though.

 

[Icy Gull]

Nonsense - GR made the right call and came in for tyres, LH had exactly the same opportunity but didn’t take it.

Your anti Lewis agenda is as laughable as my support for him. You really haven’t noticed how safety cars fall into Max’s lap whenever he needs them?

My post had nothing to do with what Lewis or George did or could do just irritation that a man who needed no help in the race had got it again. Lewis had an outside and slim chance of winning, the virtual safety car and the safety car ended it.

 

[Audax]

Few updates as the Monza race weekend gets under way:

Monza Grid Penalties

Hamilton will start from the back due to taking fresh engine components for Monza as a result of damage sustained from the Spa incident with Alonso.

Tsunoda will also serve a grid penalty, of 10 places, but for very different reasons - he's racked up 5 reprimands this season and cops an automatic grid drop as a result.

Bottas takes a minimum 15 places for engine components.

Schumacher will have a grid drop for a new gearbox.

Verstappen will apparently take a new ICE and drop 5 places.

Sainz and Perez also both expected to take power unit related penalties.


Porsche / Red Bull deal is OFF

Having looked like the deal being completed was just a matter of putting signatures to contracts a few weeks ago, as often happens in Formula 1 a lot has changed. Porsche have officially announced that they will not be entering Formula 1 with Red Bull, but in the same announcement have indicated that they do still have a desire to enter Formula 1 if the right opportunity presents itself.

Cue suggestions already coming through that Andretti should be on the phone to them sorting out an engine supply deal that he can use as leverage to convince the FIA to approve his new team.


2023 drivers silly season

Continues to be very interesting. Now the Piastri situation is sorted out, focus has shifted to who fills the vacant Alpine seat. Over the last two weeks the hot topic was that Alpine would pay to extricate Gasly from his Alpha Tauri contract, but that such a deal was dependent on Alpha Tauri being able to get a Super Licence for Colton Herta. The prospect of Herta getting that SL is currently looking very slim, and the talk of Gasly to Alpine is starting to subside ... and instead the talk now is that Alpine may turn to their next junior driver - current F2 rookie Jack Doohan. He's won F2 races this year as a rookie, and shown good pace to currently sit 4th on the table despite quite a bit of bad luck this season (including being rear-ended out of a likely P2 at the last race that would have seen him sitting 3rd). Doohan is no Piastri, but he's shown he has pace and is a quick learner.

What about the other 2023 seats and drivers? Zhou is not yet confirmed at Alfa Romeo, but is expected to receive that confirmation very soon. Meanwhile at Haas, it depends on who you think is most ITK. The sources I trust the most are suggesting that the front runner for Schumacher's Haas seat is Hulkenberg. Others are suggesting Giovinazzi, but that appears to be merely on the strength of Haas giving him a couple of free practice 1 outings - and Haas has been clear that is only to do Ferrari a favour and nothing to do with a race seat for 2023. Schumacher himself is still in with a chance of keeping the seat, and Haas has indicated that if he continues to show strongly as he did at the Dutch GP then he could yet be kept on.

It is still pretty much assumed that Latifi is out of Williams after this year. Two names in the frame to replace him: Nyck de Vries, who as a former F2 and Formula E champion and with Mercedes backing looks the strong option, or Logan Sargeant - Williams' young junior driver in F2, who's doing just as well as Doohan (however, Doohan has got stronger as the season has progressed, while Sargeant has faded over the last 4 rounds).

And then what of Ricciardo? Talk is he's looking set to accept a reserve driver role at Mercedes. The rumour there being that Mercedes are worried that Hamilton may quit after 2023 and they don't currently have anyone lined up to replace him, so they're interested in getting a look at Ricciardo in their car and simulator next season just-in-case.

 

[Audax]

Sainz and Perez also both expected to take power unit related penalties.

Both now confirmed to take penalties:

Sainz has 10 places for gearbox, and 15 places for power unit components.

Perez has 10 places for power unit components.

Hamilton, so far, remains the only driver to have a "back of the grid" penalty. As things stand, Sainz would start ahead of Hamilton. He may be able to start ahead of Bottas as well, but would need to run all 3 qualifying sessions as normal as he'd need to be at least 10 places better than Bottas.

Edit: Looks like Alpha Tauri have reacted to Tsunoda having a 10 place penalty anyway, and taken PU components that result in a back of grid start for him as well. Right now the confirmed grid penalties look like this:

Verstappen (5 places)
Perez (10 places)
Sainz (15 places + 10 gearbox)
Bottas (15 places)
Hamilton (Back of grid)
Tsunoda (Back of grid)

Note - there will probably be more. Monza is a good place to take grid penalties, whereas the next two races (Singapore and Suzuka) are not.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Danny Ric as a Merc reserve drive seems far fetched but who knows. He does seem out of any decent options. But race winner to reserve driver seems a crazy path. And hanging around waiting for Hamilton to hang up his helmet sounds like a v awkward dynamic.

Russell is 100% sound as a future No. 1 / Team Leader- similar to Lando at McLaren and Leclerc at Ferrari. Alongside Russell Merc should be looking to line up a bright young driver to replace Lewis when he’s ready to call time.

 

[Audax]

Alongside Russell Merc should be looking to line up a bright young driver to replace Lewis when he’s ready to call time.

I don't disagree ... but Merc don't have any junior prospects that look anywhere near F1 ready. They're still supporting de Vries, but they don't seem keen on him for their own team until after he's proven himself elsewhere in F1. If they can't get him into Williams for 2023, then their best option for 2024 if Hamilton retires would be Ricciardo.

 

[A1X]

Both now confirmed to take penalties:

Sainz has 10 places for gearbox, and 15 places for power unit components.

Perez has 10 places for power unit components.

Hamilton, so far, remains the only driver to have a "back of the grid" penalty. As things stand, Sainz would start ahead of Hamilton. He may be able to start ahead of Bottas as well, but would need to run all 3 qualifying sessions as normal as he'd need to be at least 10 places better than Bottas.

Edit: Looks like Alpha Tauri have reacted to Tsunoda having a 10 place penalty anyway, and taken PU components that result in a back of grid start for him as well. Right now the confirmed grid penalties look like this:

Verstappen (5 places)
Perez (10 places)
Sainz (15 places + 10 gearbox)
Bottas (15 places)
Hamilton (Back of grid)
Tsunoda (Back of grid)

Note - there will probably be more. Monza is a good place to take grid penalties, whereas the next two races (Singapore and Suzuka) are not.

It seems odd to me that an engine penalty would be deemed somehow worse (being “back of the grid”) than a reprimand one, but there we go.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

The grid once all the penalties are applied. Looks spicy but Russell said afterwards that they expect Verstappen to be in the lead by lap 15 again.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Wonder what Ferrari will do to screw Leclerc this time

 

[A1X]

Looking forward to seeing how Alpha Tauri can help engineer a safety car this week to help Max