305 replies to this topic

[_R_]

How do you feel about Virtual Safety Cars every few laps and back to back red flags, and just very odd rulings... it was a shit show of a race...

I'm sure there were a handful of clean laps, but over pure drama all race...

 

Ocon led during a restart, and Red Bull was asked if they'd be okay with 3rd behind Lewis as a punishment... like... what?

 

and I learned that the race start formation lap and the lining up on the grid for a standing restart, there is a difference of how far back the cars can be...

Formation lap: no more than 10 cars distance

Standing restart: anything goes

[Shi]

That race was high on drama but a bit of a shitshow racing wise. 

What was with that haggling between race direction and RB regarding Verstappen's starting position following the overtake off track

[Shi]

Both teams were playing games with each other to try and get an advantage. The race direction really didn't keep that in check.

The sequence of events around Verstappen trying to give the place back to Hamilton "strategically" was just comedy but a bit silly:

- Verstappen tries to give the place back to Hamilton before the DRS line on lap 37

- Hamilton doesn't seem to want to pass before the DRS line (for whatever reason, strategic or just being confused)

- Verstappen brake checks Hamilton to maybe try and force Hamilton to pass, Hamilton runs into the back of Verstappen

- Verstappen lets Hamilton by before DRS line on lap 42, dives past into last corner straight after

- Verstappen lets Hamilton by before the DRS line once again on lap 43, Hamilton blocks any pass attempt this time

- Verstappen gets 5s penalty for the offence for which he was asked to give the place back to Hamilton

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

As much as I dislike Louise I'm finding Verstappen's defensive tactics more and more over the line. And the give the position back maneuver was clearly cause for penalty, you don't need to brake to give a position back when lifting is enough.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

+10s penalty post race for 68bar brake check pressure

[Redliner]

I like the track as a driver for a fast lap, but it's un safe and way too fast for a street circuit with all the blind corners....second after Monza in speed.  What?  
Masi never had control of the race.  While I agree with the red flags due to the shit track layout, When Nando called into red flag the race again bc of the debris on the track...and there was no red flag, that was in inconsistent.  Totally should've been flagged again with parts littered on the track.
Terrible comms in general from the FIA.

Max isn't at 100% fault but he def takes the majority of it here.  Him slowing down strategically before the DRS zone makes sense.
Slowing down by hitting up to 50% of his brakes does not make sense. I can see the confusion from LH at this point...red flags and VSCs already, Max slowing down unnecessarily slow on a main straight AND pointing the car middle left without any comms from FIA & MB.  He clearly was trying to avoid the DRS detection zone but Max's driving in front was very erratic.  It's not against the rules to not take the pass, but it is to apply 50% of your brakes on a straight.
Imagine a backmarker doing the same to let a leader pass.  


It was a perfect storm and it was un safe by Max.  I'm not even the biggest Lewis fan on-track but Max has made it clear that he races more dirty than Lewis does. 

[Shi]

As much as I dislike Louise I'm finding Verstappen's defensive tactics more and more over the line. And the give the position back maneuver was clearly cause for penalty, you don't need to brake to give a position back when lifting is enough.

I think even if Verstappen wins this Sunday, there's going to be the feeling that he didn't do it the right way.

[Shi]

Good that race direction issued warnings about potential stripping of points for unsporting behavior... hope it makes a difference.

[_R_]

Read somewhere the Mercedes’ is kicking around the idea of putting in a new engine into Lewis’s car…

Avoid turn 1 drama, and crank that thing to 11, it just needs to last one race. 

[DrDickAction]

Read somewhere the Mercedes’ is kicking around the idea of putting in a new engine into Lewis’s car…

Avoid turn 1 drama, and crank that thing to 11, it just needs to last one race. 

I mean, this pretty well removes the chances of getting Prost'ed.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

Read somewhere the Mercedes’ is kicking around the idea of putting in a new engine into Lewis’s car…

Avoid turn 1 drama, and crank that thing to 11, it just needs to last one race. 

Do you risk having to overtake 3 other Red Bull cars just to make it up to have a fight with Max? Not suggesting for one bit that Red Bull might tell the other drivers to play dirty but why risk it?

 

Edit: 2 red bull cars, since we all know Tsunoda ain't going to be a factor.

[Shi]

Read somewhere the Mercedes’ is kicking around the idea of putting in a new engine into Lewis’s car…

Avoid turn 1 drama, and crank that thing to 11, it just needs to last one race. 

Surely that's too much risk to take for whatever benefit they can get

The Brazil engine is only 2 races old - Brazil and Saudi Arabia

[Shi]

That was a nice lap by Verstappen and good team work by Perez. I wonder what the thinking is behind using the soft tires in Q2 though.

[yonson]

Wow, what a crazy race.  The entire season coming down to a single lap!  I wish neither one of them would have won the championship though...  Hopefully next year RUS can give HAM a run for his money and it's a 3 (4 hopefully with PER, 6 with RIC and NOR) way battle!

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

If there is someone who can come up with a new aerodynamic concept with a huge restriction on wind tunnel time I'd put my bet behind Adrian Newey.

Race control needs to get their shit together for 2022 though. They looked to be lost and confused since Brazil, getting bossed around by team principals and making super inconsistent rulings.

Ham won with a lucky break and good pit call in 2008 so I consider this the universe balancing itself out.

[Shi]

For anyone that wants to watch a replay: https://f1full.com/r..._f32cec564.html

[Shi]

It was certainly exciting, most exciting race all season perhaps, but the result was too manufactured for my liking.

[Redliner]

I'm very un-easy with letting just the front 5 cars get unlapped just for the sake of the first 2 in the championship.  

The 2nd half of the top 10 also race for points and they had to also get around lapped cars as well...not the way this season should've ended.

Either red flag at the start of the accident or let Max race thru the lapped cars since everyone else had to do the same....forcing a final face off in one lap for the cameras just cheapened the sport.

[DrDickAction]

...forcing a final face off in one lap for the cameras just cheapened the sport.

I respectfully disagree.  Having some backmarker seal the chip with a dirty tire spin cheapens the sport.  Race control should enable the two contenders actually compete.

 

I absolutely loved the chipiness right before the restart.

 

Lewis handling the loss with absolute grace, good on him.

[Shi]

I respectfully disagree.  Having some backmarker seal the chip with a dirty tire spin cheapens the sport.  Race control should enable the two contenders actually compete.

 

I absolutely loved the chipiness right before the restart.

 

Lewis handling the loss with absolute grace, good on him.

The problem for Mercedes today was that they couldn't afford to pit Hamilton at any point due to the risk of Verstappen just torpedoing Hamilton off and taking the championship that way. 

 

Unless the FIA proves there's precedent for how race direction handled the restart, it gives me the feeling that the ending was orchestrated to give Verstappen the championship

 

From Ricciardo, Stroll and Schumacher's point of view, why should they not be allowed to unlap themselves when the 5 cars in front of them were?

[Redliner]

Since when was the entire championship only for the title contenders?  There's a lot of money in the 2nd half of the top 10 and they still had to drive around lapped cars is my biggest issue...race control allowed only the top 2 to battle without lapped cars while the rest of the positions had lapped cars to fight around which is hugely unfair.  It should've been all or none.

 

I respectfully disagree.  Having some backmarker seal the chip with a dirty tire spin cheapens the sport.  Race control should enable the two contenders actually compete.

 

I absolutely loved the chipiness right before the restart.

 

Lewis handling the loss with absolute grace, good on him.

[Dr. Jimmmah!]

The problem for Mercedes today was that they couldn't afford to pit Hamilton at any point due to the risk of Verstappen just torpedoing Hamilton off and taking the championship that way. 
 
Unless the FIA proves there's precedent for how race direction handled the restart, it gives me the feeling that the ending was orchestrated to give Verstappen the championship
 
From Ricciardo, Stroll and Schumacher's point of view, why should they not be allowed to unlap themselves when the 5 cars in front of them were?

I think they should have allowed cars to unlap themselves a lap or half a lap earlier and followed normal protocol but I'm glad the chip wasn't finished under a safety car.

[Shi]

I think they should have allowed cars to unlap themselves a lap or half a lap earlier and followed normal protocol but I'm glad the chip wasn't finished under a safety car.

They probably couldn't because the crashed Williams wasn't cleared away yet (would have to rewatch the race to be sure)

[DrDickAction]

Since when was the entire championship only for the title contenders?  There's a lot of money in the 2nd half of the top 10 and they still had to drive around lapped cars is my biggest issue...race control allowed only the top 2 to battle without lapped cars while the rest of the positions had lapped cars to fight around which is hugely unfair.  It should've been all or none.

 

Nobody wants to see an NBA championship end with freethrows, They did the best the could under the circumstances to enable to two contenders to fight it out on track.  In my opinion, that's literally their job.

 

I think they should have allowed cars to unlap themselves a lap or half a lap earlier and followed normal protocol but I'm glad the chip wasn't finished under a safety car.

That's kinda where I'm at - it wasn't a perfectly clean decision, but it was the right decision for the competition.

 

They probably couldn't because the crashed Williams wasn't cleared away yet

Yep, that is my understanding.  They would have let all the cars go by protocol if they had 1 more lap.  They didn't have that luxury, so did the best they could.

[Redliner]

Nobody wants to see an NBA championship end with freethrows, They did the best the could under the circumstances to enable to two contenders to fight it out on track.  In my opinion, that's literally their job.

 

That's kinda where I'm at - it wasn't a perfectly clean decision, but it was the right decision for the competition.

 

Yep, that is my understanding.  They would have let all the cars go by protocol if they had 1 more lap.  They didn't have that luxury, so did the best they could.

I'd rather they all race with lapped cars in place then release half the lapped cars inbetween *just* LH & Max and let the other lapped cars remain.  That would've been equal and fair for all.