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Post by René on Jul 31, 2019 11:22:51 GMT
Will we see the fourth cracker in a row or will F1 turn back to its normal 'bore mode'?  I actually think this race could be good with a competitive Red Bull and a fast and hopefully reliable Ferrari. It can be hot in Budapest this time of year which could be bad news for Mercedes. It's time for a Leclerc win, isn't it? Start of the 1987 race.  |
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Post by charleselan on Jul 31, 2019 12:17:07 GMT
I cannot see the Hungaroring playing to the strengths of the Ferrari's, more towards Fizzy Drinks Special's, although if it just warm/hot then the Benz cars will dominate. One can but hope that it is really hot then they will suffer as in Austria so the wishes of many that they implode maybe answered.
I think we may have to wait until Monza for Charles to get his first win, that is if Ferrari don't shoot themselves in the foot, or both feet once more.
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Post by René on Jul 31, 2019 13:30:10 GMT
I cannot see the Hungaroring playing to the strengths of the Ferrari's, more towards Fizzy Drinks Special's, although if it just warm/hot then the Benz cars will dominate. One can but hope that it is really hot then they will suffer as in Austria so the wishes of many that they implode maybe answered. I think we may have to wait until Monza for Charles to get his first win, that is if Ferrari don't shoot themselves in the foot, or both feet once more. Not sure, I think Ferrari has caught up in the corners. It's not only straightline speed that gave them the Hockenheim edge in qualy. I believe Charles will shine in Budapest!  |
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Post by robmarsh on Jul 31, 2019 17:43:04 GMT
I am planning on a Ferrari one two with Seb leading home Charles in team formation. Hamilton and Bottas will be watching from the sidelines.
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Post by chrisb on Jul 31, 2019 20:15:13 GMT
well good luck to you all, I have gone for Gasly, no idea why,
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2019 9:34:23 GMT
I've just had a look at some weatherforecasts for the Hungaroring - the sites give slightly different forecasts, but
the temperatures are consistent with lows in the high teen's, and highs in the mid twenties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
A couple of the sites indicate rain on Friday and Saturday, a couple no rain the whole weekend, all show Sunday as dry.
However, as we saw last weekend, weather forecasts even in live time aren't right from one minute to the next.
So not hot enough to trouble Mercedes, not wet enough for chaos, and not the 'precise' conditions that Haas need to get their tyres into their operating window.
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Post by René on Aug 2, 2019 20:32:24 GMT
I've just had a look at some weatherforecasts for the Hungaroring - the sites give slightly different forecasts, but the temperatures are consistent with lows in the high teen's, and highs in the mid twenties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A couple of the sites indicate rain on Friday and Saturday, a couple no rain the whole weekend, all show Sunday as dry. However, as we saw last weekend, weather forecasts even in live time aren't right from one minute to the next. So not hot enough to trouble Mercedes, not wet enough for chaos, and not the 'precise' conditions that Haas need to get their tyres into their operating window. Drizzle on friday. Rain on saturday would be fun with a mixed up grid and then hopefully a hot sunday. Flying Ferraris and MB with cooling issues!  |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2019 4:18:10 GMT
Wasn't that impressive?
Verstappen puts the Red Bull Honda on pole!
Fair enough, this is another tight and twisty track, Monaco without the walls as they keep telling us.
So a Red Bull type of track but Mercedes has no temperature, or other excuses, which makes it a pole on merit, well done!
I'm so pleased that Verstappen came through last seasons Ver-crash-en phase and is showning such skill and speed this season.
The Ferrari's being 0.4sec off the pace of the Red Bull and Mercedes is a real concern.
It seems that they have a lot of speed, but not much traction.
I guess that the Mercedes / Red Bull front wing and aero concept is proving to be more effective than the concept that Ferrari have adopted - even though it is working pretty well for Alfa in the mid-field.
All down to the start, race pace, a bit of tyre strategy and overtaking skill to see how the race works out.
I'm picking Verstappen to nail it, and hoping that the Ferrari's can fight their way up to the podium places (ideally through a Hamilton blunder wiping out himself and Bottas) but is not really an overtaking circuit so it is more likely to be a tense procession with the cars finishing in the order they start.
Other points of interest,
Haas - the Melbourne spec car out qualifies the current spec car, by 0.9 sec - their aero guys will be getting sent back to school.
Renault - Ricciardo out in Q3 (a blunder) and Hulkenburg out in Q2 (lack of pace) - their big development season is going really badly.
Racing Point - another team who's last season form has gone, and new development parts aren't helping - as with Renault, more money is giving poorer results.
Williams - starting to close on the back of the midfield - Russell 16th, on merit! Small steps but positive ones.
Silly Season is already well underway - lots of rumours about Verstappen going to Mercedes, Ocon replacing Bottas, Hulkenberg to Haas, Ocon to Renault, Ocon to Red Bull, Albon and/or Kyvat to Red Bull, Gasley to nowhere, etc etc.
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Post by robmarsh on Aug 4, 2019 6:11:38 GMT
George Russell's Q1 lap was really impressive, I hope the upward trajectory continues. Congratulations to Max and Holland on their first F1 pole. It is a sad reflection on the competitiveness of modern F1 that a driver of his undoubted skill and pace has taken 94 races to acheive his first pole. Jim Clark only raced in 78 Grand Prix.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2019 10:35:38 GMT
George Russell's Q1 lap was really impressive, I hope the upward trajectory continues. Congratulations to Max and Holland on their first F1 pole. It is a sad reflection on the competitiveness of modern F1 that a driver of his undoubted skill and pace has taken 94 races to acheive his first pole. Jim Clark only raced in 78 Grand Prix. And Stewart only 99. I was going to say the big difference was the number of seasons that they raced, but Verstappen is in his fifth F1 season! Clark competed in 8 seasons, finished 7 of them, 27 wins and winning two wdc's. A win rate of 35% Stewart competed in 9 seasons, finishing 8 of them, 27 wins and winning three wdc's, and a win rate of 27% So there is a difference in the number of seasons, but I think each Prix was Grander in those days, because they weren't so common. |
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Post by Carl on Aug 4, 2019 16:27:15 GMT
I read the online Los Angeles Times with my coffee every morning, a mistake on race day when I have the early morning Grand Prix taped and Lewis Hamilton has won. The Associated Press dutifully reports only Hamilton victories, and there it is at the top of the Sports section. Inexplicably, when someone else has won, there's no report. I write "inexplicably" from the perspective of a race fan, but there is a simple explanation: the news agency knows almost nothing about the sport and must use a software algorithm responsive to only one name.
One day I'll remember to finish my first cup of coffee before scanning the headlines. 
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Post by Jamie on Aug 4, 2019 17:01:16 GMT
It wasn’t a bad race though Carl and far from a foregone conclusion that Hamilton would win. Bit of a tactical gamble from Merc and it paid off .....Verstappen really looks like the real deal now though doesn’t he.
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Post by charleselan on Aug 4, 2019 19:28:58 GMT
It was for me a bit of a balancing act today, as i had to work out how to watch three important race meetings all around the same time schedule. Anyway of course British Superbikes from the fabulously fast Thruxton airfield circuit took priority and surprisingly MotoGP came out in third place, just not so enamoured at present. I therefore managed to view almost all of the Hungarian F1 race except for the first two laps live. Inexplicably (to quote Carl ) I actually found myself rooting for Lewis Hamilton, forgetting completely the boredom of the early season MB dominance. Why support Hamilton I hear you ask; well for me all the hype and build up by Max and his Fizzy Drinks team, plus Verstappens's recent comments about anyone of five or six who could win in the MB rather rankled to be truthful. It was stating the obvious in making this comment, but what really annoyed me was the implication that Max is better than Lewis. For goodness sake at this moment in time he isn't plain and simple and one could tell by the panic that set in with Verstappen as Hamilton closed in on him earlier in the race that he was worried, big time O.K. MB played a blinder with their strategy but for me Hamilton did the hard work and drove brilliantly even if, as always, he needed constant support to keep him on mission. I honestly can't even remember the likes of Fangio: Stirling; Jimmy; JYS; Ronnie; Emerson; Niki; Gilles; Ayrton; Keke; Alain; Michael & Mika et al needing that kind of chivvying when in hot pursuit. I am also left with the impression that Ferrari yet again gave Charles the less favourable race strategy, just as they always appeared to do to Kimi. Leclerc deserved that third place much more than Vettel as he was quicker all weekend and got shafted by the strategy decision. As I predicted Ferrari did not have the car for this circuit as they do not have the slow corner downforce. Another absolutely superb drive by the McLaren lads, young Sainz Jnr is really living up to my expectations, and boy did Fizzy Drinks drop the ball letting that lad go. Kimi again driving like the "old Pro" that he is now, another quality drive by the Ice Man. Also what about young George Russell, if this weekend hasn't illustrated this lads ability nothing will; MB get him in that second car next year without haste as he is a class above Ocon! |
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Post by Jamie on Aug 4, 2019 19:56:35 GMT
Some great points there John and to pick up on two of them.....I to am slightly less in love with MotoGP than I was at the start of the season, MM is just dominating to the detriment of the spectacle, not his fault of course, but it’s not as exciting as it has been presently. And George Russel has a very impressive weekend indeed, he must be quite a hot property at the moment.
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Post by Jamie on Aug 4, 2019 20:03:12 GMT
I also meant to add that the on-board radio comments very rarely seem to show the drivers in a good light (any of them) and I’m sure they edit these to only show the contentious stuff.....I do think our past hero’s would be equally petulant if radio comment was available back then, the adrenaline running through a racing driver at peak stress must be immense and they’re just venting most of the time I feel.
It always makes me smile how thankful and complimentary they are after the checkered flag when moments before they’ve been ranting over something or another 😆
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