Official F1 Topic

[Jason]

Normal service is resumed, then. 

 

What a debut season Piastri is having by the way, since McLaren's upgrades he's been really good. Out qualifying Lando this weekend despite having never raced here before is some achievement, hope he gets a podium tomorrow cause he deserves one after being unlucky in his past one or two chances os far.

[Margot Robbed Me]

Perez what the f*ck

[Nico]

3 minutes ago, Misumi said:

Perez what the f*ck

love your pfp

 

I don't get why they "unretired" his car. Some technicism I guess? If they wanted to retire him already they should have served the penalty, make him do a lap and then retire. Maybe he had damage as well?

 

Superb season for Max and Red Bull, but F1 needs fighting at the top. Especially from different teams if you can't rely on both drivers being in contention.

[Emmi]

Perez. Any other driver would have been thrown out by RB mid-season with such performances but I guess "he" pays too much for them to do that, can't explain it otherwise. What a shame ... another driver deserves his seat tbh.

 

Also Max alone would have won the constructors championship for RB this season, not this race obviously but he would have done it. They could have saved a hell lot of money if they just raced with Max alone this season. It wouldn't have made any difference ... let that sink for a moment. LOL

Edited September 24, 2023 by Emmi

[Jason]

Replacing drivers mid-season isn't so simple lol, especially for a team like RB. He'll very likely be gone for next season though.

 

And yea, that whole unretiring thing is RB exploiting a loop hole. If he retired and got a penalty that penalty would have to be served next race so they unretired him so he could serve any potential penalty during that race. So much of F1's history has been teams using the rules to the advantage so I'm kinda all for it but that is probably a loophole that needs plugging, lol.

[Emmi]

It always looks like RB is bending the rules in their interest and the FIA is scared of them because of their constant threats exiting F1 alltogether if something doesn't suit their taste.

The finale in 2021 (where Lewis was robbed his 8th WDC by the FIA) is one thing in the history of this sport I will and can never forget. It keeps haunting me ...

[Jason]

The teams bending rules is part of F1 lol.

 

RB did it today but every team has done it in the past. It's the most advanced motorsport in the world, the cutting edge, and every single team is combing through the rulebook all the time trying to work out how they can get around it. Merc have done it just as much.

 

It's up to the FIA to close the loophole, but what happened today isn't something I would say is on the FIA. It was just... clever, lol. Unsportsmanlike? Perhaps, but again, rule bending is a massive part of F1 and I think the sport would be less exciting w/o it.

 

The FIA having f*ck ups is another thing entirely.

[smokeless6]

19 hours ago, Emmi said:

It always looks like RB is bending the rules in their interest and the FIA is scared of them because of their constant threats exiting F1 alltogether if something doesn't suit their taste.

The finale in 2021 (where Lewis was robbed his 8th WDC by the FIA) is one thing in the history of this sport I will and can never forget. It keeps haunting me ...

 

Name a few of the ways they always seem to be bending the rules. We all know about the cost cap breach. What are the others? Checo unretiring isn't bending the rules, it's clearly within the rules.

 

Constant threats to leave the sport? A few examples of this would help too.

Edited September 25, 2023 by smokeless6

[smokeless6]

I find the evidence unconvincing. And honestly, Formula 1 is all about pushing the rules, testing the boundaries. We see it with wings, with diffusers, with floors, even with mirror supports.

 

My unmet challenge to Emmi was done to see specifically what it is that Red Bull do that you cannot attribute to all ten teams. I won't call BS until I know exactly what we are talking about, and Emmi's claims are distinctly vague. And the way it is framed suggests that Red Bull are alone in this chicanery. Maybe it is true, but bring some evidence to back up these claims at least.

 

 

[Big Molio]

On 9/17/2023 at 3:14 PM, Jason said:

Sainz also has a pretty mature head on track it has to be said

Sainz's drive in Singapore, for me, was one of the best I have seen for a while. Intelligent racing, dragging Lando round at the back of him with the DRS to keep the door closed on the two Mercedes drivers yapping to get past. A high point of an otherwise dull season.

Edited October 5, 2023 by Big Molio

[Lonely-Martin]

Great for Piastri there!

[Jason]

If there's one team I want to see do well it will always be McLaren, so it's been amazing seeing their turn of form since the break. Piastri is just the icing on the cake, he's genuinely brilliant.

 

I'm not a fan of sprints existing cause I think they exist really only for money reasons but as a race that was a really, really good watch. Different strats (soft vs med) playing out over the race, lots of over takes, spins, crashes. Great watch, though the DRS was crazy powerful to the point I kinda hope they reduce it's effectiveness for tomorrow/

[Ehrmantraut]

Perez getting lapped by his own teammate, lol. Max has lapped more than half of the grid at this point.

 

The amount of track limits penalties during this weekend is ridiculous.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Ehrmantraut

[Jason]

Perez in by far away the best car in the grid might not even make the top 10, while Russell who essentially had to start from the back and has potentially raced with some damage all race is in 4th. Dear oh dear. It's made even worse by Hamilton's blunder meaning he could've given himself more of a cushion for 2nd in the drivers championship.

 

Piastri now consistently starting to out perform Lando as well. Feel like that's gonna nag at Lando, which would explain some his mistakes in the past one or two races.

[Lonely-Martin]

Aside that.one race, Max and red bull have been supreme, well done there.

 

For the rest, there's been moments for sure. Piastri and McLaren now, Alonso and Aston for a while, we know if Ferrari overall had better pit/strategy management over the last couple seasons they'd fare better, and Merc at times showed some promise at moments that makes me think they're onto next year's car, understandably so.

 

Hopefully we see a closer title challenge next year, no matter if Max wins the next 10, but honestly pushed to it, it's all good. We're due a really competitive scrap!

 

But yeah, hard to fault red bull in such a strong season. You have to admire it when it's that on point as that's surely all anyone tries for. But let's hope for a good scrap for the rest of the spots in the championships. 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Lonely-Martin

[Jason]

Lance Stroll saying that during the tail end of the race everything was just a blur and that he was almost passing out in the high speed corners, due to the heat and humidity. Alonso mid race complained of his arse being on fire and even asked for someone to throw water into where he sits, lol.

 

Racing in those conditions is going to end in disaster one day man. Some countries are just not well suited to certain sports.

 

Edit: Oh man, it gets worse. I forgot that Sargent retired from the race due to feeling unwell, but Lando also mentioned drivers passing out post race in the medical centre.

 

I mean, look at Stroll immediately after the race: https://imgur.com/a/s8w3NEC#jBY8yzG

 

Money be damned, F1 should not be racing in those conditions and it's as simple as that.

[Ehrmantraut]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

Lance Stroll saying that during the tail end of the race everything was just a blur and that he was almost passing out in the high speed corners, due to the heat and humidity. Alonso mid race complained of his arse being on fire and even asked for someone to throw water into where he sits, lol.

 

Racing in those conditions is going to end in disaster one day man. Some countries are just not well suited to certain sports.

 

Edit: Oh man, it gets worse. I forgot that Sargent retired from the race due to feeling unwell, but Lando also mentioned drivers passing out post race in the medical centre.

 

I mean, look at Stroll immediately after the race: https://imgur.com/a/s8w3NEC#jBY8yzG

 

Money be damned, F1 should not be racing in those conditions and it's as simple as that.

They don't even need to drop the contract, all they need to do is change the calendar. Its not hot all year long in Qatar, there are some cooler periods there, just schedule the race to take place during these periods. In fact, this race is taking place in December the next season, so it will be better but they should do the same to all the hot cities.

[Lonely-Martin]

7 hours ago, Jason said:

Lance Stroll saying that during the tail end of the race everything was just a blur and that he was almost passing out in the high speed corners, due to the heat and humidity. Alonso mid race complained of his arse being on fire and even asked for someone to throw water into where he sits, lol.

 

Racing in those conditions is going to end in disaster one day man. Some countries are just not well suited to certain sports.

 

Edit: Oh man, it gets worse. I forgot that Sargent retired from the race due to feeling unwell, but Lando also mentioned drivers passing out post race in the medical centre.

 

I mean, look at Stroll immediately after the race: https://imgur.com/a/s8w3NEC#jBY8yzG

 

Money be damned, F1 should not be racing in those conditions and it's as simple as that.

 

Yeah, definitely agree. I saw Sargent go out of course and was hoping he was OK, and with Alonso I thought maybe because we see so many sparks, I just assumed the car was rubbing on these kerbs a touch more than usual and hadn't linked the 2 issues to the heat fully in my head. But seeing follow up reports since, it's clear they were struggling and yeah, it takes enough out of a driver naturally, let alone this humid and hot. 

 

Hopefully they find a solution asap, same for the tire issues, lol. But fortunately there was no major incidents on track due to these problems!

[Jason]

I missed it but Hamilton had an incredibly strong race, heard some poor pitstops might've genuinely cost him the win.

 

... but it's a good thing they had those pitstop errors, because he might be about to be DQ'd for plank wear along with Leclerc. Must've been a while since we've seen a DQ for that?

 

Edit: yep, DQ'd. Imagine if Hamilton had won lmao.

 

I will say though that they only check a random selection of cars for this, they checked 4 today - Ham, Leclerc, Lando and Max. I aint being funny but... surely you'd check them all? This is a black and white rule that teams could break and get away with cause it's not checked. Why the hell are all 20 cars not being checked every week? That's bizarre to me.

[Lonely-Martin]

Blimey, missed that news yesterday, lol. Bit of a shame after an entertaining race from Lewis there.

 

Though as to how they do these tests or the frequency of random spot checks, I'm not sure how they do. I figure it's like the weighbridge and the driver/teams know they could be tested anytime as it's a frequent thing, just with the weighbridge we see that play out during and around qualifying/races etc.

 

But if it's a less frequent thing, like you said before there Jason, teams are always looking to squeeze the rulebooks.

 

Still, I hope we see this progress continue and it carry over next year though. Max was sweating there, lol, but to see more challengers is key now.

[Jason]

Supposedly they suspected Lewis and Charles were running low so they tested them, likely throwing in two others on top of that to avoid it looking targetted?

 

But yea... when you test four cars but not all of them for a black and white rule like this which can result in DQ... Think it's yet another glaring oversight from the FIA. They've potentially opened up a can of worms here.

[smokeless6]

There's just no way that they can inspect every car for everything they check for. It would take too long, simple as that I think. So they have to be selective in how they go about it, just like they do with the weighbridge.

 

The FIA probably had reason to suspect these cars were running too low through watching the race, and cursory inspection may have revealed the appearance of excessive wear on the plank that led to closer scrutiny and taking a measurement of the holes.  Sprint weekends especially are problematic for the teams with less data and especially on full fuel loads, and maybe Merc and Ferrari just got it wrong, no intention to breach the rules. It probably doesn't help that COTA is so bumpy, but obviously other cars did not fall afoul.

 

Merc and Ferrari might actually be counting themselves lucky that their others cars were not inspected.

[Jason]

The reasons for why they only check a limited selection of cars might be understandable from a practical stand point but it doesn't make it right. When a rule is so black and white, which it should be, and can result in DQ, which is fine, it is only fair to check every car. If you're Merc or Ferrari right now yes they may be "lucky" that they didn't check Russel's or Sainz' car but they also might be unlucky that they didn't check other teams cars.

 

The very simple fact that teams could broke this rule, intentionally or unintentionally, and get away with it due to a flawed testing model is not good enough for what is supposed to be the worlds premier motorsport competition.

[Jason]

Wow, day 1 of the Vegas GP was a complete and utter disaster lmao.

 

Feel awful for the fans who have spent an awful lot of money to watch 8 minutes of track time, for some fans that's all they'll see all weekend.

[Lonely-Martin]

You can really sense a sit in the field/between everyone over this weekend, lol. Does feel like a money weekend more than most, but that's probably highlighted more by the lack of competition this weekend as this race, and Saudi Arabia etc are there with all this glamour at this point in the calender to see some of the more decisive aspects of the season wrapping up so probably saps some excitement that would otherwise distract.

 

But hopefully we see no more issues like FP1 earlier. Definitely a bad look, but other tracks have had similar issues so I feel its a bit harsh as people look for ways to criticise this weekend. That said, of course it could have caused further issues had there been a nasty accident, but fortunately its just a bit of an expensive weekend for Ferrari more than anything. 

 

We'll see what the weekend brings.

[Jason]

Yea street tracks having issues on their debut is not unheard of, but it's made worse by everything around it.

 

Ferrari have been absolutely f*cked by something that is down to incompetence, with the official ruling at their request for compensation basically being "we wish we could, but the rules suck".

 

Fans, who have been massively overcharged, have then been f*cked by it, with them being kicked out before they could watch FP2. The people behind the GP have confirmed there will be no refunds for anyone.

 

Also the fact that they have a pretty strict schedule due to the fact they need to have the track open to the public by certain times etc. If there's an accident or something happens in Q1/Q2 then it's just as possible that there are no fans for Q3, which would be horrible.

 

I'm not against a bit of a spectacle, hell, it's what the US do best for sporting events, but it can't come at the cost of 1) the actual competition and 2) the fan experience. This has been a disaster for the those two so far sadly.

[DEALUX]

Amazing win by Max with the broken wing and the penalty. Also, beautiful heli camera angle:

 

 

[smokeless6]

That was a fabulous grand prix. Action all over the track. Multiple overtakes every lap, and then the other car could come right back at 'em. When I drove this track in the sim I thought it could serve up a good race, it felt like Baku without the old city section, so lots of high speed and braking/acceleration points that are not race-killing chicanes. The low grip and low deg just added to the spectacle, serving up mistakes while letting the drivers push all out. What a perfect storm.

 

Not only was that an amazing race, the backdop was spectacular. I still don't want any of the 'celebrity' in my F1, but the rest of this event was great. You can see in the driver interviews that just about every one of them thought it was a great race. They honestly had fun. Even Max, who hated everything about it until the race was singing Viva Las Vegas.

There was a lot of sneering from many F1 fans about this event, and not without some justification. But many of these same people are eating their words after maybe the best race of the season.

[Ehrmantraut]

I'm not sure why I was supposed to hate the Las Vegas GP but all I know is that I loved it, probably the best race of the season alongside Singapore.

 

The only thing that was a bit cringe to me was the "cooldown Rolls Royce", lol.

[Jason]

Yea the day 1 stuff and some of the other shenanigans around the race aside, it sounds like the actual GP was great. Wasn't able to watch it due to the time it was on but one thing I keep seeing is that it was a good track for overtakes, which is always one of my complaints with street tracks.