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Post by René on Oct 4, 2023 9:24:45 GMT
 For the second time, the F1 circus visits the Losail circuit in Qatar. The circuit was actually built as a MotoGP track and therefore the pits and paddock were a bit tight for the cars. Apparently they have now enlarged this area. Oh well, money is never an issue.  Max Verstappen can secure his third title this weekend. A sixth place in the sprint race is enough, so that should work out.   Liam Lawson can get into the AlphaTauri again this weekend. It's a shame that he (probably) doesn't have a race seat for next season because the young New Zealander is doing exceptionally well.  And the news of the week is of course that Andretti Racing has received FIA approval to participate in Formula 1. Now they still have to get approval from the FOM and that could become more difficult. I understand that all teams also have to stand up for their financial interests, but you may hope that they also let their racing heart speak. Andretti as a team in F1 would be a wonderful addition if you ask me.  |
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Post by René on Oct 6, 2023 18:37:08 GMT
Everything is moving a bit slowly here at the moment… and the events in Qatar are not going to change that. A boring track in the sandbox and Max Verstappen on pole position. And again hassle about track limits (stop that nonsense) that cost both McLarens a good starting position. Carlos Sainz only starts a disappointing twelfth and Sergio Perez starts from his usual p13...  - Verstappen
- Russell
- Hamilton
- Alonso
- Leclerc
- Piastri
- Gasly
- Ocon
- Bottas
- Norris
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Post by mikael on Oct 7, 2023 8:27:07 GMT
- Verstappen
- Russell
- Hamilton
- Alonso
Quite amazing how Alonso continues to shine at age 42! (Of course, Hamilton is approaching the "sharp corner" too...)
Interesting to muse over that, even in the mid/late 1960's, while the drivers started out much later back then, past 40 was still considered to be a bit beyond "shelf life".
Jack Brabham turning 40 in 1966
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Post by René on Oct 7, 2023 9:35:51 GMT
Jack certainly had a sense of humor! And he always did look a little older than his actual age, didn't he?
With age, you will probably lose a bit of speed and maybe bravado but that is often compensated with experience. But I agree that with Fernando and Lewis, it seems they haven't lost anything yet. Maybe also to do with the extreme professionalism of modern times?
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Post by mikael on Oct 7, 2023 16:44:01 GMT
Jack certainly had a sense of humor! And he always did look a little older than his actual age, didn't he?
Yes, it's interesting how some people look much older than their age when they're young, but then somehow manage to keep that look even into their 70, and thus end up looking much younger than their age. (Emerson Fittipaldi is a good example of this.)
Jack Brabham's ten years younger co-driver, Denis Hulme, even looked older than "the old man" when both of them were in their prime.
Jack Brabham and Denis Hulme in 1966, Brabham at age 40, Hulme at age 30.
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Post by mikael on Oct 7, 2023 17:03:01 GMT
With age, you will probably lose a bit of speed and maybe bravado but that is often compensated with experience. But I agree that with Fernando and Lewis, it seems they haven't lost anything yet. Maybe also to do with the extreme professionalism of modern times?
One issue when getting older is the stamina, I think; but it probably makes a difference that all grand Prix driver now are so well-trained - they're real athletes.
That was not the case in earlier days, I believe. (I believe it was Michael Schumacher who started that extreme serious training in the gym which now has become a matter of course.)
If you start getting tired, you are prone to make mistakes. That is exemplified well in the wonderful "Grand Prix", where the aging top-driver "Jean-Pierre Sarti" is talking a good deal about getting tired - and probably due to this makes some grave mistakes.
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Post by René on Oct 7, 2023 17:10:00 GMT
Well, at least young Piastri is keeping us awake!   |
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Post by René on Oct 7, 2023 18:40:07 GMT
Big congrats to Oscar and Max! Three consecutive world titles is quite an achievement so well done and congratulations to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Credit where credit is due.  The sprint was actually quite exciting due to the different tyre strategies and safety cars. And what a result for Oscar Piastri. Definitely a future champion. I did feel for Lando though. He must have felt like Chris Amon in 1968, when his young new teammate at Ferrari Jacky Ickx took victory at round 6 in France in only his first full F1 season.    |
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Post by René on Oct 10, 2023 9:50:37 GMT
The enthusiasm for this Grand Prix is overwhelming! Oh well, that's what you get with such extreme predictability. The highlight of the weekend was Oscar Piastri's performance. A win in the sprint race and a second place in the Grand Prix will be remembered as his breakthrough to the top. Impressive. _ But still, Max Verstappen is world champion for the third time and once again a dominant winner of the Grand Prix. How good is Max Verstappen?  He's good, very good in fact, but is he as good as many of his fans would have us believe? Is he the best of this generation and, according to some, perhaps the best ever? In any case, he has been drilled and trained in a way that we have never seen before. There is nothing else for Max than racing. There are also several among the veterans who are completely lyrical about Verstappen, such as Mario Andretti. I'm not convinced but I do acknowledge that my opinion is colored by an antipathy towards his father and I am also not charmed by the total Verstappen/orange madness in my country. Everyone is suddenly a Formula 1 fan and connoisseur of the sport that I have been following for so many decades, even when hardly anyone was watching it in the Netherlands. But apart from this, I do see that Max is exceptionally good of course. In combination with the RB19, he is unbeatable. But does that suddenly make him so much better than Hamilton or Alonso? Or other multiple champions from the past? How would Hamilton or Leclerc have done in the RB19? The dominance is so extreme it's almost unreal, certainly with a teammate who suddenly can't drive anymore. What do you guys think? |
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Post by mikael on Oct 10, 2023 11:42:30 GMT
Yes, Max Verstappen is indeed exceptionally good. The main point is, he's not making mistakes. None whatsoever. That is contrary to the other recent multiple champions: Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton, who all made mistakes occasionally. Verstappen has even learned to take it easy and take the safe points, rather than to risk it all to win (like in the recent sprint).
Also, Verstappen is head and shoulders above Pérez. Of course, Shumacher was also head and shoulders above Barrichello (I think). However, I don't think Vettel was head and shoulders above Mark Webber. (Addendum/correction: Or was he? Maybe he was, actually, ...) Also, Hamilton was not head and shoulders above Rosberg. Significantly better (both of them); but not "head and shoulders" above. However, presently, Verstappen is completely in a league of his own.
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Post by robmarsh on Oct 10, 2023 12:20:57 GMT
I am with you on this Rene. He is very very good but has never been tested by a top driver in the same car. I still put the following, in date order, Ascari, Fangio, Clark, Stewart, Villeneuve, Prost, Senna and Alonso ahead of him. I would say he fits in with Hamilton, Schumacher, Lauda and Vettal. He has the best car and is not driving anywhere near the limit. In fact after this race, when for the first time in years the cars were driven flat out from start to finish, one can see how easy it has been for the drivers for the last ten or more years. They have never had to push the cars to the limit for more than a couple of laps per race. The rest has been just about managing tyres, brakes etc led by the engineers. Boring.
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Post by Carl on Oct 10, 2023 19:38:24 GMT
How good is Max Verstappen? He's good, very good in fact, but is he as good as many of his fans would have us believe? Is he the best of this generation and, according to some, perhaps the best ever? In any case, he has been drilled and trained in a way that we have never seen before. There is nothing else for Max than racing. What do you guys think? Max is phenomenal, but I think his childhood was spent vindicating his father's frustrated ambitions. Tiger Woods enjoyed worldwide acclaim until the effects of constant training as a toddler took a toll. Will the same happen to Max? He seems to have a very narrow focus. Timing is the essence of motorsport and when you're on top of the world the time is always now.
Mario Andretti's worldview doesn't extend far beyond racing and personal success, but he's a good judge of talent and was right to point to Interlagos in 2016 and Verstappen's amazing car control at speed in the rain:
Click on the YouTube link
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Post by René on Oct 11, 2023 19:53:11 GMT
I think you all have good points. There is no discussion that Max is very good and has shown phenomenal car control on several occasions over the years, in particular in the rain.
Mikael is right that he makes hardly any mistakes. He did make small mistakes this season but they are usually during practice. Probably searching the limit. But when I think back of Michael Schumacher in his most dominant Ferrari years, 2002 and 2004, he also made hardly any mistakes. When your car is so much better than the competition, a driver of this caliber doesn’t need to drive at the limit. Remember how Schumacher often played with the competition in 2004? Four pit stops during the French Grand Prix and still winning. Very much what we see now. Max hardly ever drives at the limit, he always has something in hand. Thus you make no mistakes. But of course, you still need to do it. Easier said than done. It’s a shame that Pérez had a mental breakdown and has still not recovered. He is not that much slower than Max but can’t handle the pressure of driving in a top team.
Let’s hope for some more competition next season.
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Post by mikael on Oct 11, 2023 20:30:14 GMT
Just a comment regarding "driving on the limit". It's my understanding that the present cars are just as difficult to drive at the limit as F1 cars were from the mid-1970's and throughout the first turbo-era, at least. They cannot be driven slightly over the limit, contrary to what was the case during the years (during the 00's, say) when the tyres were relatively narrow.
I recall an interview in the early 2010's, where Lauda(*) suggested that F1 should go back to (a) wide tyres, with a characteristic by which it's like "falling off from a cliff" at the limit; (b) a surplus of power, such that not even the gradient at Eau Rouge could be felt on the way the car accelerates through the gears. In short, they should be harder to drive. It seems that both wishes now, with the 2022 rules, are fully realized. So I believe (and of course I don't know for sure) that the cars are much harder to drive now than they have been for many years, including, e.g., Schumacher's heydays.
(*)I believe it was by the race by which Max Verstappen had his very first F1 appearance; but I am not able to find it again (on YouTube).)
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Post by robmarsh on Oct 12, 2023 7:18:43 GMT
The trouble is Mikael is that they only drive on the limit in qualifying and maybe two or three laps in the race. That amounts to about ten laps in total during a GP weekend. Hardly inspirational stuff.
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