Formula 1 - 2018 Season

[MiniDave]

Spa qually will be interesting.....Q1 and Q2 were dry, rain pelting down between Q2 and Q3 now.

Top 3 cars are 3 hundredths apart!

wow, rain is the great equalizer.....

[BruceK]

Looking forward to the race tomorrow.  Spa is one of my favorite F1 tracks.

[MiniDave]

Has there ever been a Formula 1 race in the modern era that didn't have a cock up in the first few turns? What a mess......

The way Vettel passed the Hamster on the first lap was impressive.

Lewis again whinging about how he could have passed the Ferrari into the chicane after the safety car but the Ferrari just could smoke on by on the straights.

Not having the power advantage this year and he doesn't like it.....

[MiniDave]

Well, Spa was interesting on the first lap, then it fell into the normal F1 pattern, the leader drove off and was never really challenged again.

A couple of interesting notes tho, the Force India Racing Beat Pretty in Pink Point team is still a formidable mid pack race team, they were able to stay ahead of the Haas team all race. Those two teams are very close in terms of performance.....and Renault is simply not in their league. The best of the Renault engine teams - Red Bull - was able to stay on the lead lap OK, but Verstappen still finished half a minute behind Vettel, which translates to almost a second a lap slower pace - that's huge in modern F1 racing terms.

It was fun seeing Bottas carve thru the field from dead last (not so much fun for those he passed I guess) and the HP difference was very clear between the Mercedes and even the other Mercedes powered cars, let alone the Renault engine teams. The Hondas acquitted themselves well, which gives hope to Red Bull for next year. Ricciardo may be kicking himself next season for jumping ship, but time will tell.

No wonder Vettel wasn't too worried about not getting pole, the way he passed the Hamster down the Kemmel straight showed the clear performance gains Ferrari have made this year. In his own words, last year he tried the same thing and couldn't make it work......Hammy was pretty glum about it too, especially with another power track coming up this weekend at Monza. If Kimi can keep from getting punted in the first turn, it should be a good scrap between him and Vettel....he's sure been showing good form in qually -  he just has to remind the team to put in enough damn fuel!

[BruceK]

Yeah, not a lot of passing in that race --  besides the back and forth battle for 10th (!).   

Nice to see the halo prove its worth.   

Next race it will be interesting to see who is better represented, the tifosi or Max's fans?  Because its in Italy, it has to be the tifosi.  But the orange crew does do a bit of traveling en masse to see their guy run. 

[MiniDave]

Monza is close enough that I expect to see a lot of orange smoke in the crowd too.

Singapore is right after Monza and the Mercs never seem to do well there, if Vettel and/or Ferrari continues his/their dominance the title fight will tighten up considerably. Nice to see Vettel having fun again and looking forward to the fight with Hammy. The Hamster said he would relish a good fight with Ferrari before the season started, he doesn't seem to be quite as happy about it now.

[BruceK]

Great to see the Kimster get P1.   I guess he does know that he is doing.  ;D

I'm really surprised the Sky producer hasn't yet corrected "Crofty" for on-air screw-ups. On three different occasions today I heard him refer to the famous twin corners at Monza as "the Lesbos".   Hmmm.   Of course he is also the guy who says "Grand Prix's" instead of "Grands Prix" so its not exactly like he earns his living being paid to speak or anything.  ::)

[MiniDave]

Well, that was  pretty good race, despite Vettel's screw up on the first lap - which gave a lot of opportunity for passing as he carved up thru the field from dead last.

Kimi did a great job but Mercedes just had a better strategy, and with Vettel no longer there to run interference it was only a matter of time.

I loved Max's response - I don't care, I'm not going to just let him by even if I'm not really racing him (Bottas) after they assessed a 5 sec penalty.

Lots of real racing going on up and down the grid.....I think Alonso might as well go on to his next venture, he clearly has lost interest and only shows up to fulfill his contract.

Nice to see the Williams showing some life.

Christian Horner's description of Danny Ricky Bobby as their representative from Renault was pretty funny. 6th engine failure for him this season.....something is clearly wrong between them and their engine supplier. Alonso's not fairing any better with his Renault powerplants either.

Honda running strong athough if Red Bull wants to run at the front they're gonna need mo powah.

[gr8kornholio]

My only thing on Danny Ric is there were several replays of him banging that thing across curbs and the corner rumble strips.  Probably not the best on a freshly installed power plant.

[MiniDave]

I was surprised once he got in front Kimi couldn't put more distance between himself and the Hamster....

Wonder if the Hass DQ will stand?

[MiniDave]

Silly season coming into view now.....my thinking anyway

Mercedes - Hamster and Bottox
Ferrari - Vettel and LeClerc (maybe, probably, possibly, could be)
Red Bull - Verstappen and Gasly
McLaren - Sainz and Lando
Force India - Perez and Stroll
Williams - Sirotkin and Kubica
Sauber - Erickson and Ocon
Toro Rosso - unknown -
Renault - Ricciardo - TBA
Haas - Magnusen and TBA

What do you think?

[MPlayle]

As I am not a follower of F1, it sounds like a soap opera plot twist of who is messing with whom.

[MiniDave]

Rumors are strong that Leclerc is now in Ferrari red for next season......

If so, does that mean Kimi will retire again? Will we see the aggressive driven to win Kimi the rest of the season or the lackadaisical I don't give a shit where's the vodka Kimi?

I'm undecided whether it's a good move for LeClerc at this point in his career....I wonder if another season at Sauber or even better at HAAS wouldn't have been a better move for him? I guess we'll see next season, but one thing's sure it's going to be interesting at the front.....will he be uber-aggressive like Verstappen or follow Vettel around like a good #2 driver should?

It's also very possible that if Stroll strolls on over to Force India in Singapore, we could see Robert Kubica in a Williams the rest of the season.....and wouldn't that be special?

[MiniDave]

Well, it's official.....Sauber and Ferrari did a dealer trade - Kimi will go to Sauber next year and LeClerc will take his ride at Ferrari.

I'll be at Elkhart Lake - Road America - this weekend for the Sprite 60 Races and out of F1 range,  so try not to spoil the race results for me  ::) ;D

[BruceK]

Well, it's official.....Sauber and Ferrari did a dealer trade - Kimi will go to Sauber next year and LeClerc will take his ride at Ferrari.

I'll be at Elkhart Lake - Road America - this weekend for the Sprite 60 Races and out of F1 range,  so try not to spoil the race results for me  ::) ;D

I can take care of that right now.   Hamilton wins.  Or Vettel wins.    Done.  ;D

[Vikram]

The Red Bulls do have a chance at being competitive this weekend, as it is the Singapore GP. I eagerly await the race...

[MiniDave]

Nah, I think Kimi will win, and won't that show em! no more helping Vettel to his 5th for Kimi!  ;D

Or maybe little Stroll will win driving for his daddy's team this weekend?

[Vikram]

 A lot of people have said that kimi has been forced to help vettel this season. Personally I haven't seen much of it. Kimi is notoriously slow off the line and that often hurts his race. As amazing as his monza pole was, a contributing factor was the tow that he got from vettel. It later went on to hurt vettel quite dramatically on the first lap. So no preferential treatment there. People forget that the two are actually friends off the track and have great respect for each other. I would love to see a 1-2 this weekend to eradicate the painful memories of last year.

Hamilton has gotten far more help from bottas this season.

-from a biased ferrari fan

[MiniDave]

Well, that should just about do it....the Hamster is in great form, Mercedes seem to have gotten a handle on it's slow speed corners problem and their reliability has been as good as it can get. Barring some unforeseen issues I think you can put a period on this championship for the silver arrows and the Hamster.

Verstappen drove a great race to pass Vettel in the pits and keep him behind him for the rest of the race, I think Red Bull was wise to put him in the #1 seat, and no disrespect to Danny Ricky Bobby who I think is a great driver and competitor. I don't see many race wins for Ricky Ricciardo next season with Renault, tho finishing 7th shows they  can be at least at the top of the mid pack from time to time.

Unless Honda really makes some strides over the winter break, I don't see Red Bull taking any wins next season either, but everything from 5th on back should be wildly contested next season between Haas, Red Bull, Renault and Sauber, with the occasional Force India thrown in for good measure. Speaking of Force India, I wonder if Perez's contract will continue to hold up with FI, given how many times he and his teammate have removed one the other or both from a race, usually on the first lap? I wonder how well he and Stroll will get on next season, and if he takes Stroll out in the ifirst lap whether he will have a race seat the next morning - it don't pay to mess with the owner's son! This can't have gone unoticed by the new owners.....

So.....on to mother Russia.

[Vikram]

I refuse to believe that it is over until the numbers say it is. Poor strategy from Ferrari's side cost them 2nd place, but I think it will finally be a late wake up call.

Now for a 2 week wait.....

[MiniDave]

Well, I'm a Ferrari fan as well, and I'm tired of seeing one team dominate the series year after year, but you have to admit Ferrari have been their own worst enemies this season, and for the last 3 seasons really. Poor strategy decisions, mistakes by the drivers and so on. Mercedes OTOH, have run a clean campaign, run good strategy and their drivers have not made stupid mistakes.....hard to win a championship against a team like that if you don't bring your A game to the table too.

Next season will see shake ups on the entire grid - except for at Mercedes. How do you beat that playing musical chairs with drivers and team personnel?

[Vikram]

You're absolutely right, Ferrari have been their own worst enemy.
Mercedes have run like a well oiled machine, but I feel they have been quite ruthless with sacrificing Bottas. It's that ruthlessness which has put them at such an advantageous position.

It doesn't help that I can't stand Hamilton. I would absolutely love to see a twist to this tale.

[MiniDave]

And I agree with you about Hamilton 100%...

[MiniDave]

Another piece of the driver line up for 2019 has fallen into place.....

Kimi will be at Sauber, along with Ferrari up and comer Antonio Giovinazzi....now tell me Ferrari hasn't just set up it's new junior team ala Toro Rosso....

So
Mercedes - Hamster and Bottas
Ferrari - Vettel and LeClerc
Renault - Ricky Ricciardo and the Hulk
Red Bull - Max and the Gas
McLaren - Sainz and Lando Calrisian

Several teams are still not announced, although some inferences can be made...

Force India - Lance will Stroll on over, Perez is supposed to already have a contract.
Williams - Kubica and Sirotkin is my guess, if not Kubby, then Ocon if he wants the job
Toro Rosso -  I think they may bring Kyvyat back, the other will be....their reserve driver Timbuktoo if he can get his superlicense
Haas - I think Kmag will be back, not so sure about Mr. Big Jeans.

What's your prognostication?

[MiniDave]

Well, I think you can call this championship done.....stick a fork in it.

Mercedes was on the back foot the first half of the season to Ferrari, but has since found the answer and to my eyes look unbeatable for the rest of the year save an accident or mechanical failure.

Ferrari again shot themselves in the foot with their strategy and are clearly slower than the Mercs now. The only advantage they have that I can see is better tire wear under certain circumstance. That's not to say they might not win another before the end of the season, but the champ is done. Hamster for his 5th and he fought hard for it, so I can't fault him.

HAAS announced they're keeping both KMag and Big Jeans - I think they should have dropped Grossjean and hired Ocon, but I don't think Mercedes would have let him go there anyway, so it looks like he'll either be at Williams or sit out a season.

Next season should be interesting with all the new rookies on track, and some new guys moving up to name teams so I think next year should be fun, certainly in the mid pack.

I expect next season to be a carbon copy of this one with the possible exception of LeClerc at Ferrari and the introduction of the Honda power plants for Red Bull. Toro Rosso ran a new spec Honda motor this weekend and there was a clear improvement - expect to see that engine at Suzuka.

Questions for next year....

Will Renault see an mprovement to where they can fight with Ferrari and Mercedes?

Will Red Bull be competetive with the Honda Motors?

Can the mid pack get even tighter than it already is?

Will McLaren still be running at the back with Williams, or will Mercedes help Williams get back on track and move up? Who will Williams choose for drivers next season?

Which Kmi will we see driving the Sauber next year? The hard charging never say quit Kimi, or the I'm just out for a Sunday drive paycheck Kimi? I'm betting on the former for what will probably be his last season behind the wheel of an F1 car.

What do you think?