French Grand Prix - Circuit Paul Ricard

[charleselan]

Excellent win for Max, other than the little slip at the beginning where the wind caught him out he was superb. Not a fan of either team but it is a priority to have someone beat Mercedes Benz after all these years f tedious monopoly. Also always worth it to see Tonto's face afterwards, what's not to like .

However lets not get carried away here the gap between the front four and the rest is staggering and they might as well have been running F2 cars in reality. This is not what modern F1 should be about, basically two races in one with some also rans at the back.

That must be one of Ferrari's worst performances and even eclipsed most of those from 2020, a truly appalling performance with two drivers who deserve far better.

One has to feel for Valterri and his anger came to the fore with the radio message about the team not listening to him regarding the need for two stops. I think it is more obvious than ever that he is being sacrificed for Hamilton. He is a very good driver, but having this done to him is something akin to what Ferrari did to Massa in the Teflonso years. I can see Tonto's dilemma here in that he needs to keep Valterri in post to keep Hamilton happy, but also knows that if he promotes Russell then the young English lad isn't going to play the same game.

[René]

Yep a very deserved win for Max, even more after the Baku disaster.

Like you guys not a fan of Red Bull or Mercedes but it's good to see Mercedes under real pressure finally. Okay, Ferrari put them under pressure in 2017 and more in 2018 but they couldn't keep it up. I have the feeling Red Bull and Honda can and Max is driving superbly. And with a strong driving Checo they are even stronger. So who knows, maybe we'll see a first Dutch champion at the end of the season. But that seems a matter of time anyway.

The gap between RB-Honda & Mercedes and the rest of the field was disturbing however. And Ferrari's performance was shocking. I do hope this was a one-off!

[charleselan]

Just a further observation. It is plain to see that Tonto cannot handle the pressure, his own limitations are becoming painfully exposed. It is fine to look so amazing when one is dominating even if you have to keep saying how difficult it all is, no one is fooled.

It was interesting to hear Nico Rosberg getting in his little digs; he was scathing of Valterri in reference to what he perceived to be a very weak defence when Max came charging up, a rather harsh assessment in my book. He also said that he could not believe how soft Lewis was in his own defence of the lead. Nico mentioned that normally Hamilton would have defended down the inside and make Max go around the outside, he basically just gave up.

Tonto's conundrum is all about keeping Hamilton happy, but I wonder if he would prefer the Knight to simply retire at season end so that he can have both George and Valterri in place, no one then gets upset and happy days.

[robmarsh]

Interesting viewpoint Charles. I don't think SLH is worth as much now as he was a year ago. He too is cracking under pressure, the first time since the start of the hybrid era that the pressure has not come from within the team where it could be controlled. In any case I believe his performance graph is starting to decline and he only has a couple of years left at the very top.

As we all know F1 is ruthless and no driver is safe no matter how good he has been. As soon as somebody who could be as good but has a longer life cycle appears the he becomes surplus to requirements. It happened to Michael Schumacher and Seb Vettel at Ferrari and Williams countless times in their pomp.

I think George Russell is deliberately putting the pressure on by being vocal that he wants his contract sorted out in the next six weeks. Mercedes stand to lose him if they don't give him a drive and they no longer have a fall back as all the other excellent young drivers have multiple year contracts already in place eg Leclerc, Sainz, Norris and Ocon.

Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon have proved that you can't take even a potentially talented young driver and make him a viable proposition within a couple of years. Mercedes are so used to being the top team and having the best drivers that I can't see them turning the team into a training ground. It's not in their image.

Of course there is Verstappen but he would be very expensive even if he wanted to change. Mercedes actually don't have as many choices as they did twelve months ago unless they want to fork out big money, so keeping Bottas happy may be the better longer term view.

I also thought Nico's judgement of Valteri was harsh. I sometimes find Nico's comments a little too malicious for an independent observer. He doesn't need to go the JV route. Sometimes the best commentators are drivers who have been near the top but have not won world championships eg John Watson or Martin Brundle though I do find Damon Hill very fair. SLH was quick to refute Nico's comments about how he didn't defend his position.

[Carl]

Rob,
         Is JV the strange and mercurial Jacques Villeneuve?

[René]

Jun 22, 2021 18:21:55 GMT Carl said:

Rob,
         Is JV the strange and mercurial Jacques Villeneuve?

Or Jos Verstappen… or maybe Jimmy Vasser?

[René]

Here it is, the first photo of a Formula 1 single seater for the 2022 season!

The photo you see, of course, is not a single-seater of a particular team, as work is still in progress in the various factories. But it is a show car created specifically for the occasion to reveal to the public an example of what the cars will look like from next year. 





A lot more pleasing to the eyes if you ask me. Let’s hope the new car concept will also improve the racing but I have good hopes.

Source: LiveGP.it

[chrisb]

It’s a strange looking beast Rene but a lot better than the current crop

[robmarsh]

Chris, yep JV = Jacques Villeneuve who seldom has nice things to say about anyone. I am not sure about the new concept car, Rene. Looks like the Indycars of a few years ago so sincerely hope F1 doesn't follow the same bodywork design route.

I have been corresponding over the last couple of months with a chap who loved F1 back in the 50/60s but lost interest in the cars once they sprouted wings. I fear my interest might wane further if cars continue the route they are going. Maybe it's an age thing and we all hanker after things we loved in our youth. I still love steam engines and piston-engined aircraft more than the modern equivalents.

[charleselan]

By producing this example does that mean that all of the cars will look like this, if so then pure and simple spec series.

Indycar is a spec series in that they all use a Dallara chassis but have the choice of engine supplier which i believe allows for certain body/wing configurations.

F1 should not be going down this route, but I suppose when the powers that be are blinded to what other possibilities are available then this is what you get.

I think that as we all get older Rob we have entrenched views to some extent, I have far more interest in things from the past myself. The freedom of expression and design from days gone by are no longer about today as everything is controlled by those who determine what they want and profit from.

Back in the day I was enthusiastic for the major manufacturers coming into F1 but their presence has actually destroyed the concept.

[René]

Guys, the demo car is no different than the 3D renderings we’ve seen before. Based on the new regs with the ground effect floor and a much cleaner bodywork and simpler wings, this is what the cars will sort of look like. You can do the same with the current rules or the ones from 10 years ago. A computer can generate a car design based on the rules alone.

It will not be a spec series. The teams will build their own chassis and still have room for their own ideas and interpretations. Don’t forget that the greatest variety in car design was in the seventies and early eighties when the importance of aerodynamics became clear but knowledge was still basic and so was computer technology. 

Personally I think this is the step F1 needed. The cars will look more elegant and should be racier. 

[robmarsh]

I guess we will know in six to seven months time.