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Post by René on Jun 29, 2023 16:41:19 GMT
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Post by René on Jun 30, 2023 17:21:19 GMT
Exciting qualy and Ferrari's upgrade worked! 0.048s is the gap between Max and Charles! Carlos in p3 and Lando p4. The McLaren upgrade also worked and Aston Martin has been pushed back to p6 and 7 with Stroll in p6. Lewis in p5. George and Checo start way back... again!
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 30, 2023 17:54:59 GMT
Albon was very special in qualy. He would probably push Max too hard for him to be in the second Red Bull. Isn't it funny how Checo has failed to make Q3 ever since he thought he had a chance to beat Max. All the complaints about the white line and how stupid it is to monitor so closely were uncalled for, these guys are played millions to drive at the maximum within the limit. Both Ferrari drivers managed it. They should put gravel within one wheels width of the edge of the track and we will see how close they would go.
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Post by René on Jun 30, 2023 18:21:40 GMT
Albon was very special in qualy. He would probably push Max too hard for him to be in the second Red Bull. Isn't it funny how Checo has failed to make Q3 ever since he thought he had a chance to beat Max. All the complaints about the white line and how stupid it is to monitor so closely were uncalled for, these guys are played millions to drive at the maximum within the limit. Both Ferrari drivers managed it. They should put gravel within one wheels width of the edge of the track and we will see how close they would go. How could I forget Alex, that was a mega lap. And I really hope Williams can find the way forward again with Vowles at the helm. That would be nice. All the drivers had to deal with track limits and the best drivers did. It looks like Checo’s mind is messed up. Probably too much pressure in Mexico and from daddy. |
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Post by Carl on Jul 1, 2023 0:41:06 GMT
Max gets what he wants at Red Bull. If he wanted Perez to be less competitive, might someone have suggested to Horner that he accomplish this? Did Jos make Christian an offer he couldn't refuse?
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Post by mikael on Jul 1, 2023 9:45:35 GMT
Regarding the (persistent) discussions about track limits: probably too harsh for motor racing; but I came to think about how not crossing lanes where you shouldn't do it is enforced in Japan: by employing steel poles, as shown in the photos. This system is widely used, also in the countryside, not just in the cities. The poles are made of steel, so if you cross over, you will dent your car quite badly! Yet the steel is soft enough not to cause an accident if you accidentally cross over. (Occasionally, you can see a few bent poles.)
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Post by René on Jul 1, 2023 11:31:42 GMT
Regarding the (persistent) discussions about track limits: probably too harsh for motor racing; but I came to think about how crossing lanes where you shouldn't do it is enforced in Japan: by employing steel poles, as shown in the photo.
A little strong but certainly effective. And an unfair advantage for Yuki.  |
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Post by René on Jul 1, 2023 11:36:04 GMT
Max gets what he wants at Red Bull. If he wanted Perez to be less competitive, might someone have suggested to Horner that he accomplish this? Did Jos make Christian an offer he couldn't refuse? Probably more a threat than an offer, knowing Jos. In the lines of: "put a lid on Checo now or Max will sign for Ferrari next year" (with a Don Corleone accent ).. |
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Post by René on Jul 1, 2023 11:40:29 GMT
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Post by Carl on Jul 1, 2023 17:02:24 GMT
Max gets what he wants at Red Bull. If he wanted Perez to be less competitive, might someone have suggested to Horner that he accomplish this? Did Jos make Christian an offer he couldn't refuse? Probably more a threat than an offer, knowing Jos. In the lines of: "put a lid on Checo now or Max will sign for Ferrari next year" (with a Don Corleone accent ).. Absolutely! In la cosa nostra, threats are normally made politely, but with clenched teeth.  |
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Post by René on Jul 1, 2023 18:20:18 GMT
Another Max win but there were some good fights in treacherous conditions. Still not a fan of the format. - More important and very sad is the fatal accident today at Spa. Dutch driver Dilano van ’t Hoff was killed in a very similar accident that took the life of Anthoine Hubert in 2019. The 18 year old was racing in the Formula Regional Championship. Rest in peace Dilano.  |
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Post by Carl on Jul 2, 2023 0:47:57 GMT
It's heartbreaking to learn of the death of someone so young.
When the tragic deaths (one every other year*) and severe accidents are tabulated, Spa-Francorchamps seems cursed, a place of extreme danger that may not have been cured by eliminating the fast sweeping Burnenville and Masta Kink. I don't believe in ghosts or curses, but the slaughter in the Ardennes during World War 2 was of a magnitude exceeded by few battlegrounds.
The most dangerous remaining section, Eau Rouge past Raidillon and onto the Kemmel Straight, was originally very safe because of the slow Virage de l Ancienne Douanne (old custom bend) which detoured and moderated the extreme steepness. Maybe the old customs were better than those today.
*more deaths since 1925 than the Indianapolis Speedway over the same period
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Post by mikael on Jul 2, 2023 10:29:59 GMT
Very sad indeed, the Spa accident. Still only an adolescent.
So now we're back at a repetition of the discussions of four years ago. As I understand it, the introduction of asphalt runoffs was not for improved safety, but rather for improved "convenience". It's convenient for a driver to be able to return to the track after an "off", as if nothing had happened. And it's convenient for the mechanics to to avoid a lengthy clean-up, after a car has been stuck in - and dug out of - a sandbox-type of runoff. Basically the asphalt runoffs are a slackening of safety, as compared to sand-runoffs.
But if a wrecked car can bounce back from an asphalt runoff, onto a high-speed part of a track, then it's the wrong solution for that track-part. If this wasn't clear enough in 2019, it ought to be sufficiently clear now.
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Post by René on Jul 2, 2023 10:32:52 GMT
It was a horrible accident, so tragic. But they shouldn't have raced in these conditions in the first place. That was a mistake by the organizers. If these conditions are too bad for F1, then why let these youngsters race in it? Very bad. We may have seen the end of the Spa circuit as we know it. I have been there countless of times, Eau Rouge/Raidillon up to Kemmel. It's almost unreal when you see cars going up there full blast. Nothing like it. But it's very dangerous, certainly on top of the hill which creates a blind spot, even more in the rain.   |
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Post by René on Jul 2, 2023 10:37:37 GMT
Very sad indeed, the Spa accident. Still only an adolescent.
So now we're back at a repetition of the discussions of four years ago. As I understand it, the introduction of asphalt runoffs was not for improved safety, but rather for improved "convenience". It's convenient for a driver to be able to return to the track after an "off", as if nothing had happened. And it's convenient for the mechanics to to avoid a lengthy clean-up, after a car has been stuck in - and dug out of - a sandbox-type of runoff. Basically the asphalt runoffs are a slackening of safety, as compared to sand-runoffs.
But if a wrecked car can bounce back from an asphalt runoff, onto a high-speed part of a track, then it's the wrong solution for that track-part. If this wasn't clear enough in 2019, it ought to be sufficiently clear now.
Very good point, Mikael. Below a comment from Dutch racer Jeroen Bleekemolen which also addresses the asphalt runoffs: Driver and Formula 1 analyst for NOS Jeroen Bleekemolen was present at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit at the time of the crash. He did not see the accident happen, but the shock was also enormous for him.
"With the enormous speeds that are driven here, Spa is one of the most dangerous circuits in the world," explains Bleekemolen. "Standing still on the track is the most dangerous thing that can happen in motorsport. Every year at the Spa 24 Hours you have huge crashes in the same way. Violent things often happen."
Due to the rain and the splashing water behind the racing cars, visibility was almost zero in Belgium, says Bleekemolen. "You can't blame the driver who hit Van 't Hoff, because he never had the chance to avoid him. He was never able to see that there was a car there."
"The problem is also that the circuits are becoming safer with more asphalt next to the track. Then you just see that the four drivers go through the corner during the race, which you just have to go through on your own. someone spins, things go from bad to worse. We have to return the gravel traps, because then everyone will drive neatly behind each other instead of taking more and more risks."
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