Besides the considerable changes to the cars, designed to allow better overtaking both in corners and down the straights, one big change has already happened in F1 for 2019 - Arrivabene is out at Ferrari.
This means Ferrari have gone thru 4 team principals in the last 5 years.....I don't think this is the formula for success in F1 - you only have to look at Mercedes and Red Bull, who have had continuity in this position for years now to see that having the same guy (and the right guy) running the show is better - that stability is conducive to good teamwork and ultimately success. Clearly, Ferrari just didn't have the right guy in place, and I'll bet the changes at the top of Ferrari itself had a lot to do with the changes at the top of the F1 team. When we entered the new era of Turbo/Hybrid cars Ferrari were way down on power compared to Mercedes (so was everyone else of course) but since putting Mattia Binotto in as technical director, things have improved dramatically - at least in the car itself - but issues still remained - poor strategy, poor pit stops, infighting between the Arrivabene and other directors, the media blackout, etc were not necessarily caused by Arrivabene, but as team principal the responsibility falls on his shoulders.
Binotto OTOH has a completely different style of management than the reign of fear that usually is at Ferrari - that win or be replaced attitude that has been pervasive was changed in the tech dept. under Binotto - it became more of a work together to win attitude, where creativity and pushing boundaries were encouraged and with very positive results - the Ferrari engine is every bit as powerful as the Merc, some say even more so and reliability is also on par....all due to Binotto.
I guess the hope is that he can work his magic on the rest of team operations too, so that the drivers can concentrate on driving and winning instead of worrying about strategy and pit stop windows and tire selections and whether they'll have a job next weekend.
No question the improved performance of the Ferrari powerplant is the reason Sauber moved so far up the grid from one season to the next, and why Kimi had no issues moving back there when LeClerc replaced him at Ferrari.
So, 2019 holds many interesting new things to watch for - the changes in chassis and aero are supposed to make passing a thing again, new drivers are on the grid, including one "old" driver - Kubica. Red Bull will be the Honda works team and we'll see if they have closed the gap in power or whether it will be down to Verstappen's driving and Newey's chassic to keep them in the hunt. We won't have Alonso to kick around anymore, and while there always has to be someone at the back of the grid, the midfield has closed up so much that there can be less than a second difference in performance between the entire midfiels of 5 teams - Haas, Renault, Force India Racing Point Stroll (or whatever they will be called) Sauber and Renault will all be duking it out this year again, leaving Toro Rosso, Williams and BigMac to bring up the rear again. Almost like three races in one, isn't it?
I just heard that some very good news about F1 here in the US for 2019: for the 2nd year in a row there will be no commercials on the ESPN TV broadcasts of the races. WHOO-HOOO!!!
Quote from: BruceK on January 28, 2019, 06:05:42 AM
I just heard that some very good news about F1 here in the US for 2019: for the 2nd year in a row there will be no commercials on the ESPN TV broadcasts of the races. WHOO-HOOO!!!
Praise the lord!!!
Today was the first day of preseason testing in Spain, and right out of the box the Ferrari is strong and very reliable. Vettel was able to run 169 laps with no issues, and set the fast time of the day Of course all times are pretty meaningless at this point, but it is important to note that with the change of management the team seems more relaxed and ready for this years challenges.
Red Bull, Mercedes and McLaren also had good days, and at this point all are pumping each other up, but quietly are probably thinking they can beat Ferraris time...
The only team not on track was Williams, they say they won't be on track till Wed, the third day of testing - this does not bode well for their campaign I think.....but even top teams have had bad starts like this and managed to pull out a good season.
Sainz was happy with the Big Mac, and also had no reliability issues, and he got within .4 of Vettel's time.... a decent start for them compared to last season - and the three before that!
Lots to talk about before this season starts in March, but till the first race it's all just speculation.
After 4 days of preseason testing a few trends have become clear:
Ferrari is fast and reliable - and not just in the red car, the Sauber/Alfa and Haas both had good weeks with lots of trouble free laps.
some say the top teams are still sandbagging, that the Mercedes for example hasn't really turned a lap in anger yet. However, Bottas is quoted as saying the Merc in on a knife edge of balance.....if true that means it could be a tough start to the year.
The Hondas are not quite showing the pace as Ferrari but they claim they're still in test mode, but the one bight light was that all 4 Honda engine cars ran flawlessly and did a ton of laps.
Just 3 weeks away!
Here's the 2019 calendar:
Australia
Melbourne
17 Mar
Bahrain
Bahrain
31 Mar
China
Shanghai
14 Apr
Azerbaijan
Baku
28 Apr
Spain
Catalunya
12 May
Monaco
Monte Carlo
26 May
Canada
Montreal
9 Jun
France
Paul Ricard
23 Jun
Austria
Red Bull Ring
30 Jun
Great Britain
Silverstone
14 Jul
Germany
Hockenheim
28 Jul
Hungary
Hungaroring
4 Aug
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
1 Sep
Italy
Monza
8 Sep
Singapore
Marina Bay
22 Sep
Russia
Sochi
29 Sep
Japan
Suzuka
13 Oct
Mexico
Mexico City
27 Oct
USA
Americas
3 Nov
Brazil
Interlagos
17 Nov
Abu Dhabi
Yas Marina
1 Dec
Rose and I are going to Austin Nov 3 for the US Grand Prix, anyone else?
Quote from: MiniDave on February 21, 2019, 09:32:28 PM
Rose and I are going to Austin Nov 3 for the US Grand Prix, anyone else?
What are the ticket prices expected to be?
All the website says is "coming soon" about ticket info, but if I had to make a guess $3-400 each.....
Hmmmm. That's somewhat pricey. $400 was what my round trip airfare to the UK cost last year.
And that's just to get in. Parking and concessions are appropriately priced for the event too.
I'm sure you're right, but for us it's a once in a lifetime thing, and I'd rather spend the money to do this than take a cruise. I'd be bored stupid on a cruise boat - I don't drink and my wife is so fair skinned - she never is out in the sun, what would we do the whole time?
I'd rather go to the race, even if it is spendy.
I'm looking into a package deal, with passes to the pit areas and such.
I also want to drive this track in anger at least once before I can't drive anymore!
That's a great way to do it. Plan it like a full on vacation and have a great time. Yea I'd love to take one of those exotic racing things around that track. I think they have event days. The local metroplexmini club brings it up now and then.
I am tempted to attend on Sunday this year, mostly because as a Chive Green Ribbon donor, I am invited every year to the Green Gala.
https://chivecharities.org/featured-event
This year it is the same weekend as the F1 race. I could kill 2 birds with one stone / flight / hotel stay.
Tossing it around with Mrs5543, we have a busy spring and summer ahead, I am not sure we should spend money on that too.
Pre-season continues in F1, reliability has been paramount, with all the teams showing well.....with the possible exception of McLaren who have brought out the red flags 3 times in 2 days this week already. Good news for them is they have the fastest times both days.
However, you can't really judge anything on fastest lap times as the teams are not running full song, most are just trying to do race test distances....every day at least a few of the drivers are racking up over 100 laps of run time which is considerably more than race distance. All the teams have had issues, but I have to say the Honda powered cars seem to have both the least frequent and the least serious problems, which bodes well for their race season. To finish first, first you have to finish - or be Finnish, I forget which! ;D ;D ;D
The Williams cars have been going well, tho no better than 10th but maybe they won't be this season's perennial back markers? But that said, I wonder who will be bringing up the back of the grid this season? It won't be Sauber/Alfa, nor McLaren unless they have engine/gearbox problems and have to start in the back. It won't be Haas, they've gone as quickly as 4th in the test so far, should be a interesting grid - I wonder if they'll go marching 2 by 2 as they have done in the last few seasons, or if we'll see some mixing of the colors on the grid this year?
One the eve of the first race of the 2019 season.....
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.fia-f1-race-director-charlie-whiting-passes-away.3Su01LCNwgrPic2Ex8FBQP.html (https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.fia-f1-race-director-charlie-whiting-passes-away.3Su01LCNwgrPic2Ex8FBQP.html)
Oh that's too bad. Seemed like a nice guy respected by all. From my perspective 66 years old seems way to damn young to go.
Yep.
I watched FR2 today, they never even mentioned him.....
Congrats to Hamilton on his 2019 WDC and to Mercedes for their 2019 Constructors Championship.
I would like to thank them for giving us a reason to tune in today and not ruining the season during pre season practice.
Ferrari and Red bull will never find 0.8 seconds.
I am cautiously optimistic that Mercs race pace may not be as good, that is about the only hope one has for this season to be remotely interesting. Right now it looks like another season of Mercedes winning 20 of the races.
Well if that's the case I'm not wasting my money to get a streaming service with espn. We told directv to stick it and just have antenna, Philo and Netflix.
Even after watching this race, it's way too early to write off the season!
Bad strategy from ferrari left vettel with no tyre. Australia is a funky track. Should see a different result in Bahrain.
I was happy to see Bottas grab this race by the throat from Lewis. And even tho there was 30 sec from 1st to 2nd place, I'm not ready to concede the season just yet......but the Benzer boys looked STRONG, just like they finished last year.
Once again, if Hammy gets beat at the first turn he seems to go into a funk and just drive around till the end.
Vettel was fairly disconsolate, at one point asking his team "why are we so slow" they didn't seem to have any answers for him.
If I'd have been Leclerc, I would have said screw team orders and passed Vettel - thereby letting them know he was NOT going to be #2 to anyone! He had the speed and plenty of tires left, there was no reason to stay behind except team orders. If the roles had been reversed and Vettel was the rookie, he would have passed him - I guarantee it!
Some interesting notes - two Renault engine cars failed with engine woes, none of the Ferrari engines failed, but one of the Haas was out with broken suspension.
None of the Honda engines failed, and Verstappen at least was able to run with the big dogs - at least the 2nd place big dog.
All in all, an interesting start to the year!
Williams had a woeful race as expected - when asked about his teammate Russel said his role was not to race his teammate to see who would be last, but to drive the package they have and do the best he can for the team. He was quite a bit quicker than Kubby, but it didn't matter as expected - they were still last.
The midfield was a hotbed of constant action, all the mid teams are so close in performance but it was surprising to see Kyvat in 10th at the end in the Toro Rosso and Gasly in the varsity Red Bull unable to pass him despite having new tires.
Bahrain promises to be a different race with a much more aggressive surface and way hotter temps.
A good day when not-Lewis wins. But would have been better if it was a not-Mercedes.
Also, I look back to previous seasons when the Ferraris were shiny and the tires were not.
Ferrari made it very clear that they were going to give first choice to Vettel,well before the season started.
Vettels race was compromised by the team, possible power unit issues too. There is no way the team would embarrass their number one driver by letting the rookie through under those circumstances.
Charles was smart and played it well. He has a career ahead of him, he's not going to burn bridges on the first race of the season.
Of course you're right, but.......I would have loved to see him go past! It doesn't matter to their constructors points of course.....
I was surprised they didn't go for fastest lap with Charles by pitting him. However after looking at vettels speed traps, he was way down on speed.
Perhaps they did not want to risk Charles' power unit in an attempt for an extra point that they had an out side chance at.
Hoping for improvement at Bahrain!
Lewis is about to launch a mental assault on Bottas like he has never seen. It was so bad for Nico he walked away at the end of the season, prepare for fireworks from Mercedes.
Bottas could take WDC this season, if he can handle the head games that are about to begin.
I stand by my post, Hamilton will be WDC and Mercedes will be WCC.
My Prediction. They will win 19 of the 21 races with 1-2 finishes in 17 of those races.
Hmmmmm.......things just got interesting in Bahrain!
Not only do Ferrari have a lockout on the front row, ahead of both Mercs......
But it's Leclerc is on pole, not Vettel!
The Mercs have been on the back foot all weekend, with Ferrari clearly faster in every session tho they drew within 3/10 in final qualifying. However, the Mercs are supposed to have a half second a lap in race pace over everyone else - including the boys in red jammies.....and the DRS zones are supposed to be un-defendable.
So, what do you think will happen tomorrow if Leclerc gets a good start and is in front after turn 1? Will Ferrari make him let Vettel by or will they let him run for the win?
Tune in tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel!
Oh look another Mercedes 1-2. At least it wasn't an outright ass kicking.
Lewis will be wdc by race 17.
Vettel is done, he cannot deal with the pressure. If I were Ferrari I would be looking to Charles for the wins.
Cannot and will not accept that fate.
Still believe Vettel will be WDC. 4 guys fighting for the title right now. Ferrari just need to sort out their reliability issues.
Vettel will find himself again.
Say what you will that was one hell of a race, all the way thru. Passing right and left all thru the grid.
F1 is fun again!
Quote from: Vikram on March 31, 2019, 01:02:41 PM
Cannot and will not accept that fate.
Still believe Vettel will be WDC. 4 guys fighting for the title right now. Ferrari just need to sort out their reliability issues.
Vettel will find himself again.
I am a huge Vettel fan, have been since he joined RBR and since he drove in a BMW Sauber and scored points his first time out.
He has lost it, he is crumbling under pressure, which amazes me since he held his ground against the most abhorrent teammate any driver could have, Mark Weber.
I think he is complacent and not hungry anymore and has lost his mojo.
LeClerc is impressing me greatly, I see great things in his future and yes, Lewis was gracious.... because he won.
He already launched a mental attack on Bottas and will ruin him if he thinks he is going to win WDC this season.
I honestly do not think Bottas has the the mental fortitude to deal with Lewis' game. He may posses the raw speed but he will need more than that, or at the least try to get far away from Lewis at the start of every race, or Lewis will be in front of him.
Both Lewis and Bottas seem to crumble when they're not in front and don't seem to be able to catch the front guys, but I will give Lewis props for being a hard charger - when he feels like it.
If he wasn't such a smug whiny biotch......
While I've been a Vettel fan for a long while, I'm on team Leclerc this season, I hope Ferrari can give him the car they did today - at least till it failed - and he can fight for the title. Ferrari will be changing the team orders soon, and may have already....not saying they're giving up on Vettel, but the handwriting is clearly on the pit wall - Leclerc would have passed Vettel in Melbourne had they not told him to hold station, and he sure passed his ass today!
I'm afraid I'm with Jim on Vettel, he's lost his edge.
It's a very different Ferrari team this time.
Binotto is giving interviews with TV personnel, and was very supportive of vettel on the radio after the race. Its different from the old ferrari way of attacking anyone at fault.
I think with this attitude he will find himself again. Charles looks extremely strong too, so they will really push Hamilton.
His fortune will run out and he too will crack under pressure.
We may share different views, but we can agree it will be an exciting season.
As to which driver is most vulnerable to cracking under pressure i say that it has to Lewis. He's great when leading, but he starts whining (or, since he's British I should say "whinging") like a petulant little girl promised a pony when things are not in his favor. He lashes out at his team, questions each decision, and generally throws a hissy fit. Next to his disingenuous act of "being a good sport" when congratulating someone else's achievement, his inability to deal gracefully with adversity is his worst trait.
Yep....I admire his ability, but loathe him......not an ounce of class in him.
Quote from: BruceK on April 01, 2019, 06:48:13 AM
As to which driver is most vulnerable to cracking under pressure i say that it has to Lewis. He's great when leading, but he starts whining (or, since he's British I should say "whinging") like a petulant little girl promised a pony when things are not in his favor. He lashes out at his team, questions each decision, and generally throws a hissy fit. Next to his disingenuous act of "being a good sport" when congratulating someone else's achievement, his inability to deal gracefully with adversity is his worst trait.
This sounds like my boss at work. 20.gif
I was thinking the little girl from Willy Wonka, the Gene Wilder version, who wants the golden goose.
I finally watched the Chinese F1 race this morning.
Meh.
Yes was not good at all.
I do hope Jim is wrong about his prediction.....
Quote from: Vikram on April 15, 2019, 09:35:32 AM
Yes was not good at all.
I do hope Jim is wrong about his prediction.....
I think I am wrong.
I am changing it.
Mercedes will win every single race this season and 19 of them will be 1-2 finishes.
No one is coming close to them. They keep talking about Ferrari's straight line speed, well that is not worth crap if you cannot keep up in the corners.
Plus I honestly feel Mercedes are sandbagging still.
It's interesting that Honda have given Red Bull an engine that's reliable and making the same or very close to the same power as Ferrari and Mercedes, but now the chassis doesn't seem to be up to their usual form.
Glad to see Gasly getting closer to Mad Max at last.
This race was pretty Meh, even the midfield wasn't the usual hotbed of crazy.....
The Renaults are still having failures in the powerplants too.....
Glad we didn't waste sleep staying up for a 1 a.m. watch party at the hotel.
Crash Kvyat is back to his old form tho....
Quote from: gr8kornholio on April 15, 2019, 02:06:28 PM
Glad we didn't waste sleep staying up for a 1 a.m. watch party at the hotel.
EXACTLY what I was thinking as I watched it.
Was it really kvyat's fault this time?
I hate how mercedes invent their competition and claim how tough the weekend was. No one is buying it, we're being treated like we're idiots. Toto was already on about ferraris straight line speed advantage in Baku....
That being said ferrari need to sort their strategy out.
Quote from: Vikram on April 15, 2019, 10:29:28 PM
Was it really kvyat's fault this time?
I hate how mercedes invent their competition and claim how tough the weekend was. No one is buying it, we're being treated like we're idiots. Toto was already on about ferraris straight line speed advantage in Baku....
That being said ferrari need to sort their strategy out.
Why are Ferrari so fast in the straight line? Have they sacrificed downforce? That is what it seems line to me. Red Bull did this years ago as well, they knoew they were 80 HP down so they tried to rely on chassis for grip and dial back downforce so they could cope on the straights.
I do not think Ferrari have all the power everyone thinks they do. I think Mercedes are running their engines easy and are using more downforce, hence their advantage in the turns.
I too think this manufactured competition is insulting as well.
Trust me, Mercedes have not even touched party mode yet, if they have it was on Saturday, on Sunday they have not needed it.
They are toying with Ferrari right now, their double stack pit stop is something you can pull off when you are crushing the entire field. They are controlling the races right now. I doubt Ferrari will beat them in development.
Well, in some ways this was a heck of a race, passing all up and down the grid. Tough day for Leclerc but he did as well as he could have been expected to do - finishing 5th from 10th starting place. He was fun to watch in the early laps as he passed car after car.
The Hondas are continuing to show good form and power, but the McLarens are improving each race, Interesting how the Renault engine customer cars seem to be doing better than the Renault powered Renaults! The Racing Force Point cars both finished in the points today too.
The lead car usually rums off and hides from the field but this race was pretty close all the way thru. The last few laps I think everyone was convinced the Hamster would pass Vallteri for the win but Vallteri seemed to think he could defend against him and did hold on to the end, so good for him.
You have to hand it to Mercedes - they are simply the best team, and have been for a while now.
Lewis and his do-rag.....so it's proper to remove your hat during the anthem, but a do-rag doesn't count?
Mercedes now leads the championship by 74 points - I think Jim's prediction may come true after all....sad to say
As Joni Mitchell one sang: "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".
Just listen to the sound of F1 some 15 years ago, back when the cars made proper racecar sounds.
No announcers or commentary, just the cars themselves.
Quote from: BruceK on May 03, 2019, 08:08:28 PM
As Joni Mitchell one sang: "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".
Just listen to the sound of F1 some 15 years ago, back when the cars made proper racecar sounds.
No announcers or commentary, just the cars themselves.
Went to the 2011 F1 race in Montreal and was so happy I did. While not the V10's the V8's still sounded so good. When we go to the track the cars were running and flying by underneath us as we walked over a bridge, it was the first time hearing an F1 V8 in person and it was glorious.
I am not even interested in hearing the current cars. F1 really has lost its way, it should not be PC and green, it should be what Top Gear and Grand Touring was, ANTI PC and green.
My regret is never hearing a V10 in person, although I hear a local wealthy person owns some V10 cars and runs them at a local track, I will have to figure out how to get there and hear them.
Saw my first F1 in Melbourne Austalia 2001. Mark Webber's 1st year. Nobody in his autograph tent. They'er all in Michael Schumacher's tent. David Coulthard, Kimi Raikkenen et al.
BINI introduction; local Celebrities racing them on a side feature. Schumacher wins again. Australian air force flew an F18 over Albert Park (Race venue) and stalled it right over the park. (well almost). V10's earsplitting.
So, I am watching a recording of today's Formula One race in Spain, it's lap 40 of 66 and quite a massive snoozefest. Just now Sky TV is replaying video clips detailing the start of the race — for the second time in the same broadcast — apparently to just have something interesting to talk about. Mind you, there was nothing interesting at all about the start of the race but the broadcasters seem to be desperate to try to drum up anything to discuss during this very boring mess.
So in 30+ years of F1 viewing I've never done this before but I'm bailing out and turning off the TV — I'm not hanging around to end of the race.
Well you missed a safety car, and the ferrari's magically found pace and vettel came through to win! Shouldn't have turned it off....
Nope... A snoozefest indeed
Now I'm wondering if Mercedes can will all the races this year 1-2, wouldn't that be something?
If they did they should just quit, they've won it all, what else do they have to prove? Maybe then it could become a privateer's series instead, and we'd see small teams coming out of everywhere with new, innovative designs, they way it used to be. Those were the fun days of F1, when any team on any given day could win it all.
Wouldn't that be fun? Any chassis design, any engine - kinda like an open wheel Can-Am series? But no manufacturers allowed....engines have to be stock block and heads or something? After all, a stock LS9 makes 700 hp now, and Chrysler makes engines that make 1000 hp already, so there would be no shortage of HP.
Maybe no carbon fiber, regular steel brakes, aero wide open.....that would keep the costs down but change the tenor of the series I suppose.
Frankly, this is making me rethink my decision to go to CoTA this fall, why spend this much money to watch a parade, a not even interesting parade? Led by my least favorite team and very least favorite driver......
If Mercedes had any balls at all, once the WDC and WCC is won they pull Lewis and Valeri and put in 2 lower tier drivers, I suggest Ocon who is a reserve driver and then take a driver either from a Mercedes customer team or as I would prefer, Suzi Wolf and put them in the cars for the remaining races. I am willing to bet both cars will podium every race to the end.
There is a guy on another forum that has a theory that each driver at Mercedes gets a win each weekend. This weekend was Lewis' turn, next weekend will be Valteri's.
I watched the entire race this afternoon on my DVR in X2 and X3 speed. I slowed down maybe 2X the entire time and finished the entire race in about 15 minutes.
What used to be an afternoon with beers chips and circumstance, has turned to a quick 15 minutes for the race when I have time to squeeze it in. Qualifying takes about 10 minutes.
I typically skip to Q3 and watch the last 5 mins, just to see which Mercedes will be in 1st and then which Ferrari will be in 3rd.
Of course the only surprise today was Max slipping by both Ferrari's and taking a podium from them.
What hollow WDC, the WCC is much deserved the Mercedes driver that wins this year should be embarrassed of the gift win.
Please, if there is a god, make Mercedes pull their main drivers and make a mockery of their dominance by putting in 2nd tier drivers for the win.
Development.
Stolen comment from a F1 forum, Look at the amazing gains from Mercedes and Ferrari.
QuoteCATALUNYA QUALIFYING COMPARISON
Powered by llllKartCMP1
Team............2018..........2019..........Net
Mercedes..-1:16.173 - 1:15.406 - 0.767 gain
Ferrari.....- 1:16.305 - 1:16.272 - 0.033 gain
Red Bull....- 1:16.816 - 1:16.357 - 0.459 gain
Haas.........- 1:17.618 - 1:16.911 - 0.707 gain
Toro Ross.- 1:18.463 - 1:17.243 - 1.220 gain
Renault.....- 1:17.790 - 1:17.299 - 0.491 gain
McLaren...- 1:17.721 - 1:17.338 - 0.383 gain
Alfa...........- 1:18.661 - 1:17.788 - 0.873 gain
Racing Po.- 1:18.696 - 1:17.886 - 0.810 gain
Williams....- 1:19.695 - 1:19.072 - 0.623 gain
**2019 Renault & Toro Rosso times taken from Q2, not Q3.
There's the .8 you were talking about.....
The F1 world has lost a legend. Godspeed Niki Lauda.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/46781936
Of all the things to take him down, I never expected kidney failure......
Monaco 2019 - Qually
Same as it ever was.....2 Mercedes in front, Verstappen next and Vettel 4th
It looked like Bottas had it but the Hamster pipped him on the last run and Bottas had a mistake.
Ferrari has had a miserable weekend so far, due to a strategic error Leclerc was out in P1, put there by his teammate on the absolute last lap of qually 1.
As Jim predicted, the Mercs are .7 quicker than the Ferrari - still.
Verstappen has closed within .4 and the Red Bull continues to improve.....and there were 4 Honda engine cars in Q3.
So, unless it rains tomorrow or there are a number of safety cars, Leclerc's race will be an absolute bore as he simply parades around towards the back.
There are grid penalties coming for some drivers that may improve his starting position one or two, but he has an almost impossible task to get into the top 10 tomorrow.
So, it will most probably be yet another Merc 1-2, at this rate it's looking more and more like they will not only take both championships, but they could win them all.
Pray for rain to generate some interesting racing.
Typical Monaco race, even if he's down 165 hp or on worn out tires you can't pass the leader.....
Some interesting battles but I took away this......
Two Mercedes, two Ferrari and two Renault powered cars in the top ten - 4 Honda powered cars in the top 8!
Honda is no longer the backmarker engine provider.
Leclerc decided not to simply parade around and went super aggressive, forcing his way past a couple of cars - till he met one that wouldn't be intimidated. And that was his race....
The last 6 cars were all Mercedes or Ferrari powered, I don't know what to make of that except two Mercedes powered teams have consistently been at the bottom this year - point being, While power helps, it ain't just about the engine anymore.
I think the Constructor's Championship is done, about the only thing to be decided is who will come second.
As for the driver's Championship, unless Bottas can mount one hell of a charge the rest of the season, it's done too.
Sad, we're only 6 races into a 20 race season and it's already a foregone conclusion.
Guess what? "not-Hamilton" is on pole for the Canadian GP - in a "not-Mercedes"!
Hooray, great lap by vettel!
Quote from: MiniDave on June 08, 2019, 03:37:08 PM
Guess what? "not-Hamilton" is on pole for the Canadian GP - in a "not-Mercedes"!
Fingers crossed for not-Hamilton (and not-Bottas too!)...
Race is just about to start.....1st lap will tell the story......
Wow, even when they lose they win......
Pathetic.
Hamilton is the least genuine character I've ever witnessed.
Quote from: Vikram on June 09, 2019, 01:37:44 PM
Pathetic.
Hamilton is the least genuine character I've ever witnessed.
He sure is.
Disgusting result
We are being played.
Mercedes were faster and holding back, when Vettel made a mistake suddenly Hamilton had enough pace to run up on him like he was a back marker and hols station.
F1, thanks to Liberty, has turned into Nascar and the WWF.
I am so over it all.
My 550 HP 2600 lb RX7 ran on slicks on track days.
If I had an off like Vettel, which was Very rare but happens when pusing, it was like driving on ice when you came back on track, all the grass would stick your tires making the car undriveable.
What happened was a hiccup a moment of loss of concentration, seems Vettel is not a robot, like Hamilton who kept locking up in the hairpin.
Even the Sky guys who are biased Hamilton fans were amazed there was a penalty.
No matter, I am positive Mercedes were told to dial it back this weekend to draw viewership. Once Ferrari made a mistake it was game on.
I am insulted by this display and and I am over it all
I thought NASCAR was a joke, F1 is the same now.
I am done.
Off to enjoy my summer the season is over as far as I am concerned.
I'm pretty certain that the medium tyre is the only one ferrari has any race pace on. The moment they moved to hards it was over.
And yes, hamilton repeatedly locked before the hairpin and no matter what he says that certainly didn't help him get past the ferrari on the straight. But of course that's only down to the straight line speed, not Hamilton making the same mistake over and over.
He was all over the back of vettel, but he wasn't getting by no matter what he said in his little radio message after the race. The BBC is already swinging this into another vettel mistake under presssure, because its easier to do that than blame the FIA. Yes, he made a mistake but thats what happens whrn you're racing so closely for 75 laps, it doesn't give the stewards any excuse to make a poor decision.
I really hoped vettel didn't go to the podium, but I guess he had to to avoid further penalties. As far as the championship goes, vettel himself says its not about that, it was just about getting this win and it was stolen.
Championship is over.
Wow! now that was a race!
FINALLY!! A real, exciting, suspenseful F1 race. LeClerc drove wonderfully, but Max really shined. And Vettel drove well too. So happy it was a not-Hamilton day. So much orange!!
I'm just annoyed by his insincere, whiny little bitch personality.....not to say others don't also have their faults, and maybe we're just exposed to it too much by the fact that he's always on the podium and getting interviewed. But when he gets a streak of non-podium finishes you should hear him whinge and complain.
As for his driving - no question he has his moments - but mostly he's just in a better car. As was Vettel with Red Bull and Michael when Ferrari reigned supreme.
This is the major thing wrong with F1 today, in order to try and contain costs and make the competition more even, all the rules have done is the opposite. It now costs hugely more and there simply is no room for the non-manufacturer, extremely deep pockets team to play except as a back marker and grid filler.
So, while it was a breath of fresh air to see Verstappen, Honda and Red Bull finally win one, it was on a track eminently suited to their package, and they also have VERY deep pockets. It's still extremely unlikely that Toro Rosso, Sauber/Alfa/Ferrari, Hass, Renault, McLaren, Williams or anyone other than the top 3 will win one this season, or next.
Agreed on the Hamilton assessment. For contrast, see Daniel Ricardo. I haven't watched this year to see how he's handling the difficulties, but the only time I saw him visibly angry/upset, after a race regardless of result, was when his team absolutely robbed him of a earned Monaco win. He's really the only person I miss by not watching F1 this year.
Danny Ricky Bobby has been well off the radar this year, given his team's mediocre performance, about all he gets is a general mention of place during the race.....not much camera time when your team's performance is dismal. See also Haas, Williams, Toro Rosso, Alfa and Racing Pink Point. About all they have to say about Williams is it's a shame and oh, they're last again but getting better. And they are too. Instead of 5.5 sec a lap slower than everyone else, they're down to about 2.5. won't be long and they'll be mid-pack again....so, while they have improved, they still have a ways to go to even be middling.
I don't think Kubby will be invited back again next year, considering how badly rookie Russel has been besting him this season. I admire him for trying, but I think running at the back is a terrible way to revive a career.
As much as I hated to see LeChar lose for the second time, at least he realizes that second place is certainly better than no place at all, and that bringing the car back in one piece is better for his career than pointless heroics.
Oddly he probably learned that from the driver that was in front of him. Mad Max (checkers or wrecker baby!) Took him awhile to realize that.
Yeah, and Mad Max learned the move he put on LeChar from Rosberg, who used it to great advantage to beat the Hambot to the Drivers Title.
Point being, the stewards have a tough job, and the toughest part is applying the rules fairly to everyone.
Personally, I think there is an anti-Ferrari fix in place! ;D
Quote from: Whee on June 30, 2019, 06:06:15 PM
I'm curious why all the dislike for Hamilton? Sure he's arrogant, but that's often part of a winning personality in an individual sport.
He leads a glamorous life sure, but I've never seen him being mean to others, I've never seen him being accused of sexual assault, never seen him him tearing up hotel rooms.
He didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth like so many of the top drivers did. Broken home, bi-racial. He's got to where he has on pure ability.
So why the dislike?
He was not as poor as he lets on.
If he was karting as a kid that takes some serious money. I looked into it with my younger and older kids and for them to be competitive would take more money than I could afford to spend and I am not poor. You have to buy a new kart every season and they run over 10K probably more I was always shopping for used 1 -2 year old karts which will not be winning karts.
Engines are not cheap and a couple of set of tires every weekend are not cheap either, neither is traveling around to races all over Europe. I ended up just buying older used Karts and letting to play at practice days at the track, I put each of them through Karting camps but could never afford to launch a race campaign. The cats at the track doing that were showing up in 100K cars to meet their kids mechanic who drove out in the motorhome towing the fully equipped trailer loaded with spare karts, and everything needed to race all weekend with spares to boot. Yes there were the odd few toying a tiny little trailer putting up a tent and trying to win races too, the norm was the former not the latter.
He caught McLarens eye at a young age, they invested in him, insert silver spoon.
I do not care what he does off track, the fact he bangs hot chicks and travels around living the life and paints his Jet Candy Apple red makes no difference to me.
More later I am supposed to be working and preparing for a meeting at 9.
I agree with all that has been said about Hamilton. Hes a supremely talented driver, and very consistent.
I strongly dislike how bias the media is towards him. As Dave said, when vettel had his untouchable years at RB not once were his lights to flag wins put down as 'masterful' or 'league of his own', as they do for Lewis. They hated him and the finger. Don't get me started on Crofty.
As far as Lewis goes, he just doesn't come across as genuine. There's always something to whine about even when leading, there's always the other team 'being strong all weekend', and 'firstly thanks to the fans'. Its just the same 3 lines mashed out every time, after 'get in lewis'. Maybe I'm just frustrated.
I'm not sure if you see his social media posts. His latest one was just after this gp, with a picture of him being 'vulnerable'. He barely mentions his poor race performance, but instead focuses on being vulnerable and true to yourself. It's just another way to make people focus on 'his character' over his poor race weekend. I'm not buying it.
In other news, a fantastic weekend and definitely not penalty. Just like Canada, but the stewards were damned if they did or didn't in this case. Great to see a strong drive from vettel, even if ferrari screwed the stop.
Well, the silly season has begun early this year.....
Grosjean will be done at Haas, and there are a LOT of rumors about Verstappen going to Mercedes to replace Bottas. Gasly has to the summer break to improve or he will be demoted back to Toro Rosso - but does that mean he and Kyvat will swap seats?
I don't think Kubby will be back at Williams, Russel will stay unless someone like Haas grabs him up to replace poor Romain lettuce...
All in all, I expect some musical driving seats in F1 to start pretty soon.....
Omg I can hear the whining already from Hamster if he had to put up with Max as a teammate. Be like Prost and Senna.
Quote from: gr8kornholio on July 05, 2019, 03:47:54 PM
Omg I can hear the whining already from Hamster if he had to put up with Max as a teammate. Be like Prost and Senna.
Ham has not had to launch a mental attack on Bottas.... yet... if Mad Max goes there, it will be fireworks.
Well, another non race in F1.....it started out well, Hammy and the Bot going at it hammer and tongs, but that only lasted a lap or two and Mercedes decided to give the race to the Hamster (the fix is in) by putting Bottas on a two stop strategy, which meant he would have a late pit stop.
The HAAS boys took each other out in the early going, LeClerc gave chase after the HamBot - but in a matter of a few laps the Benzers were 6 sec in front. Then Ferrari screwed up Leclerc's race with a shit stop, leaving Vettel in 3rd with Max chasing him. Max pulled off a clean pass and Vettel promptly punted him up the ass taking both cars off the track.
Max recovered to go on, Vettel was handed a 10 sec penalty but it didn't matter, after replacing the nose on his car he was dead last and only recovered back to 15th, behind Russell for his best finish in the Williams. Kubby came in dead last.......as usual.
So, I can see some changes coming for next season - Bottas will probably be shuffled back to a midfield team, Romaine Lettuce should be shredded and gone, Vettel should retire, Kubby won't be invited back leaving room for some serious shuffling of driver's seats and some more teenaged drivers coming up from the junior ranks.
Hammy will be given his 7th title the same way this one was handed to him.
Can't see any reason to continue watching F1 except for the comedy.......damn sure not spending the money to go watch them in Austin this fall.
What a race. Great to see rb and tr doing so well.
Dont think vettel should retire any time soon....! Hope this gives him a boost
Nothing like a little rain to shake up the status quo!
Verstappen is definitely showing his racecraft, and kudo's to Vettel for making the most of Ferrari's bad luck. Poor Le Clerc just a victim of the racing gods, as Bottas and several others were.
One encouraging thing, the Honda is showing it's mettle too. It's been dead reliable and seems to pretty much have the measure of both the Ferrari and Merc. Glad to see it.
Renault is still smoking engines, tho not as bad as before....
All in all a fun race, courtesy of the rain gods. Without them, another Mercedes parade.
Hungaroring
Mercedes did a great strategy, Red Bull muffed it......when Mercedes pitted Hammy they should have pitted Max too and let him fight for the win. As it was he was a sitting duck when Merc gave Hammy new tires with 20 laps to go and they didn't. Poor strategy Red Bull......
winner - the Haminator
Loser, everyone else.....the winner lapped up to 4th place! The Hamster was a full minute ahead of Vettel in 3rd place - a full MINUTE!
Hammy and Max had a great race up till then with lots of scrapping for the lead, but strategy (or the lack of it) killed it at the end.
Ferrari have nothing to smile about at this point, as Red Bull closes within 40 some points in the constructors race and they seem to be losing ground to the other teams, particularly Red Bull....who are continuing to surge ahead. Note too - the Honda motors are still dead reliable on both teams.
Announcers kept saying Sir Hamilton during the race. Thought I was hearing things.
Looked it up, he was knighted last year.
Well then, I shall call him Sir WhinyPants.
Well, the silly season got off to an early start this year!
Gasly is gone - back to the junior varsity and Albon got called up to the big leagues to partner the golden boy, Verstappen. If Alex does better than Pierre did, he'll probably stay and start with Max next season. So much for Red Bull, but if he doesn't?
Red bull is not keen on giving their drivers at second chance...call Gasly back up? Unlikely. Promote Kvyat? Not gonna happen after they passed him over for Gasly. Get Ricky Racer back from Renault? Maybe....but I doubt he'd come given the golden boy's status in the team. Sainz? He'd be a great choice but I doubt he'd come - he's the #1 driver at Big Mac, and they are showing steady improvement, plus his contract goes to 2020. I think he'll stay right where he's at.
Vettel? If Ferrari decides to make a change? Unlikely but the best option for him if Ferrari lets him go IMHO.
Ocon? Mercedes has him pretty well tied up unless they decide to keep Bottas.
Things will be interesting come this fall, no question.
Well, some of the dominos have fallen into place in F1 for next year....
Mercedes will keep Bottas another year.
Perez is set at Pink Panther, I'm sure Stroll is too.....
Ocon is back in yellow at Renault - nice symmetry there with a French driver in a French car and a really good teammate in Danny Ricky Bobby to help him get going.
Which opens a couple of doors for the Hulk - could he wind up at HAAS? No love lost between him and Kmag when Kevvy told him to suck his dick, but maybe they can overcome that? Another choice might be at Alfa with the Kimster? Or even Red Bull to partner Max? I don't see that happening, but they're not deep in talent in the junior team right now, so maybe a 1 year deal? Lastly, I'm pretty sure poor Kubby will not be invited back for next year at Williams Sonoma, in fact he may not even finish the season....so there's always Williams......at the end of qually today at Spa Kubby and Lonesome George were both more than 5 sec off the pace - that's ages in F1, but still above the 107% requirement. Kubby races tomorrow at the discretion of the stewards, but I think they'll let him race unless they're afraid he'll just be a rolling roadblock.
Given all the engine replacements, Williams will not be on the back row for this race - well Russell won't at least as Kubby blew up.....
So on to the good stuff, Ferrari were expected to do well at this race and at Monza and they did not disappoint - at least Leclerc didn't! He's on pole and .7 sec faster than Vettel, who's only about 2 hundreths faster than the Hamster, with Bottas a further .2 behind him.
Max came in 5th, and his Red Bull is more than a full second off Leclerc's pace. Albon didn't really show his true pace as he had an engine change and will start from the back, so his qually was only about race set up.
6th and 7th went to the Renaults with Danny Ricky Bobby leading the charge over the Hulk who was about .3 slower.
8th went to Kimi who is consistently showing what the Alfalfa can do - Giovanasty lost his engine in Q2 and will start at the back...although his race performance is slowly improving over the season and he has strong ties to Ferrari, I wonder if they'll let him go or keep him for next season and let him continue to develop.
9th went to Checo, the best Lance could do was to stroll up to 13th
10 and 11 went to the Haas boys, with Kmag just ahead of Lettuce and only 6 hundredths between them.
The rest don't matter......:-)
This race and Monza is Ferrari's best chance to grab some points on Mercedes and stretch the lead over Red Bull, and for Monza they get to swap in the next specification engine, which promises to be even stronger than the current bomb - should be fun.
Mercedes is also on a new spec for this weekend, but Hammy said it was more about efficiency rather than absolute power, and only good for maybe 2 tenths improvement. However, with 2 engine explosions already this weekend, maybe they won't turn them up to 11 just yet?
Leclerc gets his 1st win!
But he owes a BIG thank you to Seb for A) letting him by B) holding the Hamster back
If Hammy would have had 2 more laps the race would have had a very different outcome, but after a late race stop for new tires Seb did get the point for fastest lap..
Albon justified Red Bull's trust in him by starting 17th and finishing 5th, and carving thru the field in a way Gasly never seemed to do. However, Gasly finished well for Toro Rosso too in 9th.
all in all an interesting day in the Ardenne forest......
Good race, agree with all your points.
Shame for kimi after an excellent qualifying performance...
And I also wonder what Verstappen could have done to mix up the race. It's clear the Honda power plants have come good at last (as everyone but McLaren seemed to know they would) and the Renaults are still having issues (as Red Bull knew they would and again, Big Mac couldn't seem to see) as witness Sainz and Lando both dropping out due to engine problems.
Verstappen seemed to have plenty of pace especially during the race and could have forced the Mercs to change strategy.....who knows? We may see something in Monza tho if he can get thru the first lap. He knew he couldn't get thru there.....I don't think Albon will challenge the golden boy for the lead in a race, but he sure can do their constructor's challenge some good by finishing well with Max instead of out of the points.
And what the hell were Renault thinking keeping Danny Ricky out there the whole damn race on one set of tires (save the first lap)?
I'm guessing the constructor's points are assigned to the car, regardless of who's behind the wheel?
HAAS has got to get their race pace sorted out - the boys start off great and just fall down the order thru the race. It has to be disheartening to the drivers and in fact the whole team to know the car is fast but then just gets slower the longer the race goes.
Helluva race in Monza today!
And again, not-Hamilton won!
That was a great race! I'm usually not a fan of races where the pole sitter leads 90% of the laps and wins the race because they tend to be a parade - but today was quite different. Lots of great racing and interesting strategies too. Ferrari was so smart to sign Leclerc for this season.
He's been in their young driver's program all along, hasn't he?
I know Giovanazzi is.....
I could not agree more with the announcers who said that having LeClerc on the team was just the spark the Ferrari team needed. He is definitely going to hasten Vettel's retirement, maybe Hamilton's too?
He may not have been 100% "legal" with every move he made, but he reminded me of the Hamster in his early days - whatever it takes to win! Clearly Ferrari has a new #1.....
So Dave, is the change in the way the season going changing your trip plans for the US Grand Prix?
We have about 5 weeks or so to make that decision........we'll see.......one of my brothers is going for sure.
Just think about what this season would look like right about now if Leclerc had won the other three he should have won this year.
And for once in this race Ferrari got the strategy right. So may ways this race could have gone better for them if Seb was on his game, but somehow I think Leclerc has sort of deflated him......I just don't see the confidence he used to show, even when things weren't going well.
Now I wonder who they might replace him with (Seb)
The karma of "Multi 2-1, Seb" comes back to bite Sebastian in the ass. Sweet.
I never was a Mock Weeber fan, I thought he was a really good guy but only an average driver. Seb has been brilliant at times, but the last two seasons he's just not been on his game.....
Here's some positive news on the reported condition of Michael Schumacher.
Amazing stuff - I had pretty much given up hope that he would ever talk and walk again. I wonder what he'll think of what's going on in F1 now, especially at his old team Ferrari?
Speaking of F1, this weekend they're at Singapore, where the Ferraris with their low downforce setup were expected to struggle, but they did bring some new parts including a new floor design and nose - guess who's on pole? Mr. Not Hamilton himself!
LeClerc - again! 3 poles in a row now - the boy and the car are really starting to shine - at one point in qually 3 the Mercs were 1 sec off pole - this was a track they were supposed to run off and hide from everyone else. Clearly the Ferrari power is helping, and the new trim parts must have made a difference too. Leclerc now has more poles than either Merc driver.....
The Hamster managed to get within 2 tenths and Vettel came third - Vettel thought he had it all sewn up with his earlier lap as he was ahead of Charles by a few hundredths, and well ahead of the Mercs. Leclerc said he lost control 3 different times on his final qually lap!
Verstappen came fourth, about 1/2 second off Leclercs time......the Reds Bull thought they had a pretty good shot at pole today but did not reckon on Ferrari to be ahead of them - no one in the top three teams did!
On another interesting note - Ricciardo was disqualified from qually for using too much electrical power in Q1 - clearly that's not in the driver's control so Renault musta done something to give him a boost - and the boys in the booth saw it. They may allow him to start the race from the back of the grid, or the pit lane.
Oh, and one more surprise in F1 - HAAS resigned both KMag and Grosjean for 2020! 8.gif
Also - as expected - Kubby is one and done for F1, they think he's going into DTM next season.
Well....THAT was an interesting race.
Leclerc got a great start and kept first, Hamster behind and Vettel keeping station in 3rd.......but as the race progressed they called Vettel in for tires first and he managed to undercut Leclerc and come out ahead. Leclerc was not impressed with the teams strategy but later conceded that getting the 1-2 race finish was what was important. Someone needs to remind him that Vettel held back the other cars at Monza to give him that win.
There was the typical safety car - in fact there were three of them - one of which was caused by Grossjean (imagine that!) and I thought that might give the Mercs a shot at catching the boys in red, but with Max in third it didn't happen.
The Hamster whined about the strategy calls all race and said afterwards that there would be a team meeting about this! Brat.
The big takeaway from this race is that the red cars were not expected to do well here, and they beat the others fair and square on a combination of race pace and good (for a change) strategy calls. Whether it should have been Leclerc's race and they should have had Vettel let him by is a discussion they'll have internally, but in the end it's a Ferrari 1-2. Leclerc and Max are tied on 200 pts each but Leclerc is put ahead in the standings by virtue of his two wins. Vettel is close at 194, but the chances of the catching Hammy at 296 are pretty much nil. Might as well hand over the trophy now. Same with the constructors - the current gap is 133pts, I don't think there's any way in hell of making that up in the last 8 races.
They are testing for 2020 now. The season is over. Merc has it all wrapped up all they have to do is finish in the top 5 and they have this.
The Vettel pit stop was a last second call in response to RBR coming into the box with tires for Max. They called Seb in 2 turns before pit entry.
Sebs out lap was blisteringly fast as was the lap that followed that. Those 2 laps won him the race. If there was no safety car I am not sure anyone would have been near him, he had opened up a 6 second gap quite fast as soon as he cleared the cars that had not stopped yet.
Sochi
What a disappointment for Ferrari.....
Vettel's retirement could not have come at a worse time, allowing the two Mercs to get ahead under the safety car, turning a potential Ferrari 1-2 into a Merc 1-2 and another win for the Hamster. Bottas is proving to be a good little bitch for Hammy, keeping Leclerc at bay just enough to allow the Hamster to pull a gap.
This race was Ferrari's to lose, and lose it they did.......
Ferrari: Seb let Charles go by he gave you a tow.
Seb: Tell him to catch up and pass
Charles: He is going too fast we had a deal.
Ferrari: Seb, we had a deal....
Seb: He can pass when he catches me (*while pulling a 4 second lead)
Ferrari: Charles, we will get the pass doen later.
Then Ferrari keeps Seb out on his worn out tires 3 laps too long compromising his race. They pulled off the swap.
Then boom!! Karma gets them.
Best quote from the race:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-psJXzQS/0/e9e1f4bf/S/i-psJXzQS-S.jpg)
How BBC reports the race:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cC5jC76/0/4e4903af/S/i-cC5jC76-S.jpg)
What we all see at Mercedes for 2 races now.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-CkBmSfC/0/a49f5154/XL/i-CkBmSfC-XL.jpg)
Next up Suzuka.....
Honda is bringing their "Spec 4" (Type R ;D ) package and expects to do well in front of the home crowd - which is already sold out!
Meanwhile, Verstappen smack talks both Hammy and Leclerc, saying in the same car he would be at least 2 tenths faster than either one of them.
Mexico - just turned it on to watch the race live and found Max had been demoted from pole position 3 places for not slowing down in a yellow zone after Bought-ass crashed in Q3. because of that Leclerc finds himself on pole again, with the Ferrari's straight-line speed and the long first straight it should be Ferrari's race to lose.
The Hamster only needs to podium to win his 6h driver's championship today, but he has to finish well ahead of Bought-ass.
Well, I said it was Ferrari's to lose, and lose it they did - once again.
Austin 2019.....
Not-Hamilton on pole, but unfortunately for everyone else it's still a Mercedes.
My brother is at the race and ran into Esteban Ocon in his hotel, gave him a quick thumbs up!
So guessing that means you didn't bother to go this year. I may actually watch this one as it's on a regular tv channel.
No, we decided not to spend the money this year......my brother has friends in Austin to hang with plus his flight and hotel are free -so a cheap weekend for him. For us it would have meant boarding the boys and a REALLY expensive hotel room plus flights, meals out and a rental car or transportation to and from the track - it was all really adding up. I think I'll just watch on the big screen TV at home. I wish there was a motor sports oriented bar here in town, it could be fun to go with some folks and do that.....
One of the big differences besides the sounds and smells if you see it live is not having to listen to these motormouth announcers, but I'll manage. I really don't understand why these guys think they have to talk non-stop thru the entire race. Rose says well, they get paid to talk.....annoys the crap out of me tho.
Bought-ass drove a good race, it had to be particularly satisfying to pass Lewis at the end for the win.
The Hamster wins his 6th title, as we knew he would from about the 4th race onward.......
Ferrari were no where, especially after Vettel broke his rear suspension, Leclerc did well to finish 4th. Some speculate the rules "clarification" by the FIA meant they had to turn the secret power booster off as they were noticeably slower on the straights.
I think if he had one more lap Max would have passed the Hammy......but he just ran out of laps.
Haas just fell off the truck this year, they haven't looked on form all season long, I hope they get it figured out for next season.....and I can't believe they're keeping the same drivers.
Ricciardo looked strong again as he carved thru the field, and the big Macs have certainly come a long ways - but for me the highlight of this year has to be the way Honda and Red Bull have improved.....as we knew they would.
The last two races are just for pride, and of course to see how they're going to divvy up the pot of gold at the end of the season.
Brazil 2019
THAT was one hell of a race!
Once again the Ferraris manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
A couple of bright spots - watching the Honda engine Toro Rosso hold off a Mercedes down the final straight.
I think the Honda's are going to be a force next season, just as predicted. Their partnership with Red Bull is really starting to bear fruit.
Abu Dhabi 2019
The Hamster finishes his year off with a win, as expected.
While the race promised some racing, it really didn't happen except in the mid field. There were a number of last lap passes for position, and several points positions finally settled.
Next season the Big Macs will have Mercedes power, and combined with their improved chassis they should be fighting for at least third and fourth.
Bottas started dead last and finished 4th, just behind Leclerc - showing the performance of the Mercs once again.
If Honda continues to improve I think there could be some good fights for the win next season between the Mercs, Red Bull, McLaren and possible Ferrari.
What I would like to see is Leclerc go to Mercedes against the Hamster. I don't think Ferrari is going to give him what he needs - both in a consistent car and good race strategy - to be a contender for either title.
So 2019 ends, there may be one more bit of contention, as there was a discussion that Leclerc may have been under-fueled for the race. It really doesn't matter unless he's completely disqualified.....