Official F1 Topic

[Jason]

RB and Max masterclass. Got the decision absolutely right not to pit before the frankly inevitable safety car/red flag and Max was just on a whole other level to every single driver on the grid. Absolutely world class in the rain from him.

 

But Alpine... what a f*cking moment. It's races like this that remind you why you love F1. Pure chaos but a completely deserved double podium for Alpine.

 

And that's Max winning the WDC done and dusted I think. It could get worse for McLaren with the investigation as well, but eitherway they'd need multiple Max DNF's now and the only way that happens is if they get Piastri to t-bone him every race.

[Eutyphro]

Yeah, absolute masterclass by Max, and very smart to stay out. I'd be interested in the exact reasoning for why they decided that and the other teams didn't. That's really title number 4 for him and it further marks him as a great in the history of the sport. Can't remember the last time seeing him with a smile like that after all the issues they had with the car this season.

Do we reckon Max is off to Mercedes next season?

[Jason]

5 minutes ago, Eutyphro said:

I'd be interested in the exact reasoning for why they decided that and the other teams didn't.

 

Cause a SC/red flag was inevitable. Quali was plagued with red flags and the rain was getting much worse that point in the race, I've not got access to the data they have and I could've told them the right call was to react to Max and not be proactive. They (McLaren and also Merc) played it like they were the underdogs who had to take a risk to win, despite being in the best position to not have to take risks.

 

It's yet more inexperience from this McLaren team and Lando to a degree. Hopefully they learn from it next year, especially if they don't have to play catch up to a giant lead again, but yea, they need to smarten up with these decisions. RB and Max kept their heads and it paid dividends in the end.

 

8 minutes ago, Eutyphro said:

Do we reckon Max is off to Mercedes next season?

 

Nah, Kimi Antonelli is signed and they won't bail on Russell yet, plus Max is on contract for a few more years still. I do think 2026, the new regs, could be the time for Max to move if he wants to.

 

Next years grid looks really exciting and refreshing though, really looking forward to next season already.

[Eutyphro]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

 

Cause a SC/red flag was inevitable. Quali was plagued with red flags and the rain was getting much worse that point in the race, I've not got access to the data they have and I could've told them the right call was to react to Max and not be proactive. They (McLaren and also Merc) played it like they were the underdogs who had to take a risk to win, despite being in the best position to not have to take risks.

Yeah that fundamentally makes sense.
 

Quote

Nah, Kimi Antonelli is signed and they won't bail on Russell yet, plus Max is on contract for a few more years still. I do think 2026, the new regs, could be the time for Max to move if he wants to.

Considering the types of thing Jos has said in the media about Horner, and considering Max and Jos are fundamentally inseperable, I think Max will want to move sooner than later. I don't think the fact that Merc signed some 18 year old kid is going to change much about that really. But we'll see, I find F1 transfers more complicated and harder to predict than football ones. But I am pretty sure Max wants to move. He's generally also been very unhappy about the team, and that was very noticeable. Though now he is clearly increasingly relieved that the championship seems his.

Edited November 3, 2024 by Eutyphro

[Jason]

Oh yea, Horner's end is inevitable. If you read between the lines it seems very clear at this point that the Horner trouble at the start of the season split the team and is at least part of the reason why they've lost so many members of their team over the season, potentially even Newey. Not to mention he has a poor relationship with Marko and their star driver's family. So it's just a matter of when and how for Horner I'd say, I wouldn't be surprised if they struggle to hire the top talent directly because people don't want to work for Horner at the moment. I would not be surprised at all if in the next 1-2 years he publicly steps down / retires, but it's more like a forced resignation.

 

As for Antonelli, I think Toto in particular is still annoyed about losing Max to RB and they're pinning a lot of hopes on Antonelli to be their next star driver. If Max were to join within the next 2 years I think they'd get rid of George honestly. I think George is a good driver , very good in fact, but I don't think his ceiling his high enough to challenge for a world title alongside Max, Hamilton, even LeClerc and Lando.

[Nico]

Lando is never going to win anything with this poor mentality. Deeming it all as "luck" for Max having been in the right place when the session was red flagged, but he didn't have such luck earlier in the qualy. Meanwhile Lando says those things, Max has just did his absolute best race ever, pure masterlcass in the wet with no need of dirty driving, while most drivers were suffering hard to even stay on track. Bravo, I usually never cheer for him but he has shown why deserves the title. Of course luck is a part of this sport, as anything in life really, but one has to be wise and quick enough to get the best of that luck.

 

At this point the only thing I want for next year is a more equal fight from the beginning. McLaren and Ferrari should have good cards, but Red Bull is in a very frail state despite Max's superb performance. Who knows where they would be (and where they WILL be) without him. The only good thing of Checo dragging them so much is more wind tunnel, oh and Mexican sponsor money I guess. But I doubt that will be enough to cover the huge losses they suffered this year alone. They celebrated the win like if it was their first ever, you can tell they need every ounce of morale boost they can get. Last year every win seemed like another day at the office for them.

[Jason]

Lando generally seems to cool off after a few days, he congratulated Max for the win for example, but in the heat of the moment he lacks composure and comes out with some stupid stuff. You see the same problem in his racing, he really lost any chance he had shortly after the summer break when mistakes cost him at least 2, maybe 3 or even 4 races where he should have finished higher than Max or won outright. There was one, I forget where, where he was chasing Max and had so much more pace but couldn't put together a clean leap to get the DRS overtake on the straights, he was slipping and sliding all over the place. If he had more composure, and tbf to him this comes with experience of competing for titles which he's never done before, he might well have got the points he needed then to put Max under a lot more pressure. Cause the reality is as much as fans and media have tried to make this a battle, it's all been a bit exaggerated especially in hindsight. Max just needed 1-2 wins, a bunch of decent finishes and no DNF's and he'd coast to it.

[Jay]

My spidey senses were tingling that even tho I spammed this thread to death a decade ago I'm just now about to be dethroned from the top.

 

In that time I fell off with F1 with the Merc dominance but came storming back with the rest of the DTS crowd. I now spend a lot of money on scale model F1 cars and also trading cards.

 

I too believe the WDC is all but sewn up for 2024. But I hope that at least a few of the final races are not won by Max

 

I'm a RBR fan from back in the day, but they're not fun to support when they're winning.

[Stahli]

So if the next season ends like this one it will be very interesting.

 

I have no idea who might be the favorite in the race tomorrow. The top 10 placements are a good mix. Strong from Russell. But I'm maybe his tires will give up more quickly tomorrow, i.e. from others. Compared to the other teams, Mercedes got the tires up to working temperature very quickly.

[Nico]

Colapinto needs to stop f*cking around with celebrities and get some focus. He's making a bad image for himself. He isn't Max or Messi; he's still a nobody in the history of his sport. Can't afford to be a playboy right now.

 

This was set to be a pole for Russell, although the Ferraris weren't nowhere until the very end. Gasly surprising too, sad to see him doing so well while his team is going through dire times. And it's sad to see Hamilton suffering so much in his final races with Mercedes.

[Jason]

Hamilton's been pretty poor for a while now. He's okay in races generally, finishing in positions where you can just about get away with the "the car's not great and it doesn't suit him" excuse but, as he's said him self I think last season, his qualifying has been really poor for his standards. He's got two wins this season which is not to be diminished, but his poor qualifying has probably cost him a ton of points over the course of this season.

 

Also Perez.... Jesus man, at what point is the Perez sponsor money no longer worth it? He's cost them the WCC and if his form continues as is into next season which it very well might, he's not gonna be helping RB in ANY title fight next year. Not to mention all the crashes and damage he's had too, which adds up in cost.

 

It's a shame this race is on at an unwatchable time for me in the UK, I'd love to watch a Vegas GP live as I'm not really one to watch full sporting events after the fact. I will say though, considering this is Vegas which is a city all about the in person spectacle, I repeatedly see and hear that attending Vegas for this GP is a horrendous experience unless you're seriously wealthy. It sounds like an awful event to attend for the average fan and that just sucks and is the problem with a lot of sports right now.

[Stahli]

22 hours ago, Stahli said:

I have no idea who might be the favorite in the race tomorrow. The top 10 placements are a good mix. Strong from Russell. But I'm maybe his tires will give up more quickly tomorrow, i.e. from others. Compared to the other teams, Mercedes got the tires up to working temperature very quickly.

I was probably completely wrong with my tire assumption about Mercedes. Double victory, great performance. Drivers did everything right and were damn fast.

 

Verstappen drove his own race. Didn't get into big fights to secure his title.

 

But what's going on with McLaren? There isn't that much left of the short-term dominance somehow.

[Eutyphro]

[Jason]

Once again it sounds like Hamilton's qualifying issues cost him the chance of victory. He needs to sort that next season if he wants any chance at all.

 

Job done for Max, but 5th again doesn't paint a good picture for RB next year but that's great for the fans cause on paper next year looks absolutely impossible to predict right now.

[Jason]

I think there's a sentiment going around some fans that this season has went on a bit too long now, and I do think my self it's a race or two too long but then again the WDC is tied up so that doesn't help in generating hype for the last two races.

 

That being said, Max absolutely tearing Russell a new one in during interviews and press conferences is some hilarious bit of spice.

[Dostoyevskiy]

Woah, George is cooking Max.

[Jason]

The stuff that's being said is pretty mad lol. Even peak Max vs Lewis wasn't like this.

 

Every time a mic is put in front of them they're responding with more and more. Russell outright said RB are trying to get rid of Horner. 

[Eutyphro]

26 minutes ago, Dostoyevskiy said:

Woah, George is cooking Max.

Not with his driving skill really, which is what matters. Russell is not 'cooking' anyone and regularly struggles outcompeting a guy almost 40 years old.

[Jason]

Max will probably win by 30 seconds on Sunday cause he's like a f*cking rocket when he's angry, but man I hope they don't kiss and make up and this drags onto next season. Some real, proper spice between drivers has been missing this past two seasons or so.

[Nico]

The only thing that's cooked is Mercedes if this is the attitude of the driver that will lead the team from now on. Not a great inspiration for a newcomer Italian kid who struggles to keep the car off the walls...

[smokeless6]

1 hour ago, Dostoyevskiy said:

Woah, George is cooking Max.

 

Russell has made a fool of himself, and keeps doubling down. His antics in the stewards room after quali last week angered Max. Next days on the trailer carrying the drivers around to wave at the fans Russell was all buddy-buddy, arms around the shoulder laughing it off and Max was having none of it. George has brought all this down on himself with his own petulance if you ask me. Now crying that Max is a 'bully'. Good grief.

[Eutyphro]

I'm wondering whether George is afraid of being swapped for Max by Toto.

[Dostoyevskiy]

6 hours ago, Eutyphro said:

I'm wondering whether George is afraid of being swapped for Max by Toto.

He's definitely not affraid, because actually Toto slandered Max and Horner today and brought Abu Dhabi back with George. He doesn't want Max anymore. He has both young talent and lider of the team right now. I find it amazing that Max fans think that he can just go to any other team from Top4 and they'll take him no matter what. He has to suffer in that Redbull since 2026.

[Jason]

I'm a Brit and not a "Max fan" and I'd say that if Max went up to Toto after this weekend and said I'm done with RB give me a seat Toto would move heaven and earth to make it happen. He's the best driver on the grid, the current world champion, a 4 time world champion, and still well in his prime years.

[Eutyphro]

Seems like Toto tried to defend George by being harsh to Horner and not really going after Max at all. Says enough for me. I find it hard to predict, but I'd really like seeing Max at Mercedes. I think they could be a really dominant combination if it happened.

[smokeless6]

15 hours ago, Dostoyevskiy said:

 He doesn't want Max anymore.

 

 

Pull the other one

[Jay]

On 12/2/2024 at 10:51 AM, Jason said:

I think there's a sentiment going around some fans that this season has went on a bit too long now, and I do think my self it's a race or two too long but then again the WDC is tied up so that doesn't help in generating hype for the last two races.

 

That being said, Max absolutely tearing Russell a new one in during interviews and press conferences is some hilarious bit of spice.

 

I feel this. At the start of this season I was really keen to stay up late and watch all the Euro and Gulf races. Now even with the season decider on tonight at about 11:30pm I'm thinking of just getting some rest

 

ed: nah that was worth staying up for, even with the Piastri spin on t1.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Jay
sleep is for the weak

[Dostoyevskiy]

Actually it was surprisingly good show. Ferrari, VCARB and Williams liveries were dope. Mercedes did good too, but almsot nothing has changed since last year.

[smokeless6]

It's time once again for Smokeless' Pre-Season State of the Grid Extravaganzapalooza!

This is based on a wicked mix of speculation, bias and misjudgement, but I know the demand is high, so with no further adoo


1. Ferrari. On the final day they weren't tickling the top of the board. But over the three days of testing they felt the most assured. The car looks good, it's quick, seems reliable and who knows how much sandbagging any team was doing. Based on what I saw, and intuition, Ferrari look top heading to Albert Park. Over the off season, formula1.com ran a poll asking to rate the best driver pairing, and Fez were far and away the winner. I voted for the Papaya boys, but there's no doubt that Ferrari look formidable heading in to the new season.

2. Mercedes. Car looks quick, and I gotta say I love the livery. More simple, but just looks great. Antonelli acquitted himself well over the test, and Russell set fastest lap on the final day. It all seemed to go smoothly and Mercedes will be feeling confident, with most questions positively answered. A promising start

3. Red Bull. I'm picking them over McLaren for third spot based on Max's laps on day 3. Red Bull's test was not as smooth as some other teams, not piling up the lap counts like Williams and a few others did. But their issues appeared minor and the car looks quick. It all hinges, you'd think, on how Lawson does. He needs to hit the ground running but that's no guarantee.

4. McLaren. Again, we don't know who is keeping their powder dry, but based on the three days it would appear McLaren have a little work to do. Of all the teams last year, McLaren seemed to have the best handle on their car, understood it best, resulting in a string of positive upgrades. I think they are right in the mix to start.

5. Williams. I know right? An absolutely stellar test for the team. The car was near the top of the charts all three days, and they must have racked up more laps than anyone else. That means reliability. Couple that with the speed they seem to be showing and Williams could be a surprise this year. Certainly the biggest surprise of the test. I think Vowles is the least impressive team principal on the grid, I have my doubts about him. But so far I am impressed with Williams in 2025.

6. Alpine. Gasly looks reborn. The car looks much more competitive to start. Not sure if they found some more power, have found a way to shed some weight, or just got it right elsewhere. Doohan however failed to match those heights. That's to be expected I think, but his seat feels the hottest heading in to the season with Colapinto waiting in the wings. He needs to get off to a good start.

7. Racing Bulls. They look off the pace a bit, had some troubles. Tsunoda's day three salvaged something with some good laps. The livery has been a hit. But I get the feeling they are in for a long season. Hadjar doesn't look comfortable. I think they will be struggling for points most weeks.

8. Aston Martin. Placing the final three is difficult. None of these final three teams impressed during the test.

9. Haas. For me the most disappointing team over the three days. Their second half of 2024 felt like momentum, and that they'd kick on. But based on Bahrain, that has failed to materialize. Of course it's early and this is just to assess the teams based on this test. But I saw little to think they are ready to improve on last season out of the gate.

10. Sauber. Nothing to be excited about. The car doesn't look fast, and it just feels like they might mail it in until 2026. Probably not, but there's little to suggest they'll be anywhere but at the tail of the field this year.

Let's get it on

Edited February 28 by smokeless6

[Jason]

Haven't watched any of the pre-season but from what I've heard so far so good in terms of it being open at the top, but of course yea we won't know the true pace until the first race.

 

Genuinely excited for the season to start though, such a good mix of stories all over the grid, RB aren't clear favourites anymore, loads of new faces, multiple teams looking to be in the running for the titles and of course Hamilton at Ferrari. It's got all the ingredients for an all time great season... fingers and toes crossed it delivers.