|
|
Post by René on Jun 20, 2024 17:44:01 GMT
 After the Canadian trip we are back in Europe, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, home race for Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz.  Both Spaniards on the podium would of course be a dream result. That should be possible for Carlos, but for Fernando it will be difficult this time.  Furthermore, we will have to wait and see how the teams compare this weekend. Is Red Bull as dominant as before or will McLaren continue to keep the pressure on? And was the Canada dip for Ferrari a one-off or is the problem deeper? We shall see. Latest Newey rumor is that he visited the Aston Martin factory. I think he appreciates all that attention, but what he will actually do is still unclear.  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 21, 2024 9:51:29 GMT
At Alpine they are apparently nearing despair because they have brought in Flavio Briatore as an advisor... how low can you go?  Maybe bring in Nelson Piquet jr. as a test driver? |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Jun 21, 2024 16:20:48 GMT
At Alpine they are apparently nearing despair because they have brought in Flavio Briatore as an advisor... how low can you go? Maybe bring in Nelson Piquet jr. as a test driver? Or the elder Piquet (censored) for character development?  |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Jun 22, 2024 8:52:29 GMT
At Alpine they are apparently nearing despair because they have brought in Flavio Briatore as an advisor... how low can you go? Maybe bring in Nelson Piquet jr. as a test driver? Or the elder Piquet (censored) for character development? I thought Briatore was banned from F1 for life or is that like only 15 years like a life prison sentence. |
|
|
|
Post by chrisb on Jun 22, 2024 9:08:06 GMT
that is what I always thought Rob, but apparently not, one rule for one etc? so does this mean we could be facing more scandal? just what F1 needed
Catalunya is a fab MotoGP circuit and brings some brilliant racing and huge sell out crowds - will it do the same for F1? I see Silverstone is no longer the sell out it normally is, I understand mainly due to RB's domination, and for what other reasons?
I am wondering what Carlos has to do to be recognised as talented as he is, wouldn't it be great if he did win this weekend although I am going for Norris, as I do the McLaren's are looking good,
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 22, 2024 12:50:00 GMT
It's looking extremely close between Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes! However, contact between Leclerc and Norris is still being investigated by the stewards...  FP3 times 1 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari 1:13.013 2 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.030 3 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.037 4 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull +0.074 5 George RUSSELL Mercedes +0.151 6 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.346 7 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull +0.710 8 Alexander ALBON Williams +0.740 9 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +0.773 10 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +0.894 |
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 22, 2024 18:27:55 GMT
Pole position for Lando Norris!  It looked like Max had it but Lando managed to squeeze out a few extra thousands. Great lap and it could be an interesting race. A resurgent Mercedes is not far behind and so is Ferrari, although a little disappointed with the third row. On race pace, they are all quite close so who knows. It will at least not be a Max runaway race. Qualifying results 1 Lando NORRIS McLaren 1:11.383 2 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull +0.020 3 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.318 4 George RUSSELL Mercedes +0.320 5 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.348 6 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.353 7 Pierre GASLY Alpine +0.474 8 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull +0.678* 9 Esteban OCON Alpine +0.742 10 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren NO TIME 11 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin 1:12.128 12 Valtteri BOTTAS Kick Sauber +0.099 13 Nico HULKENBERG Haas +0.182 14 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +0.244 15 ZHOU Guanyu Kick Sauber +0.610 16 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas 1:12.937 17 Yuki TSUNODA RB +0.048 18 Daniel RICCIARDO RB +0.138 19 Alexander ALBON Williams +0.216 20 Logan SARGEANT Williams +0.572 |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Jun 23, 2024 9:38:18 GMT
Interesting article by Mark Hughes on the race. As usual he explains what was going on, he does have a great talent for this, and he included some comments from Lando which were illuminating. There were two corners on the track that Max could take flat out but the McLarens had to lift slightly, this was costing a couple of tenths. On his final lap, Lando took a deep breath, screwed up his courage and managed to take the one corner flat and the other just below flat. That got him pole.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 23, 2024 12:36:04 GMT
Interesting article by Mark Hughes on the race. As usual he explains what was going on, he does have a great talent for this, and he included some comments from Lando which were illuminating. There were two corners on the track that Max could take flat out but the McLarens had to lift slightly, this was costing a couple of tenths. On his final lap, Lando took a deep breath, screwed up his courage and managed to take the one corner flat and the other just below flat. That got him pole. Good article, as usual by Hughes. Much better than what Autosport brings these days. It makes Lando’s lap even more impressive how Mark describes it. And he also confirms that the Red Bull is still the best car, albeit not by the large margin they had over the past 2+ years. Enjoy the race!  |
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 24, 2024 17:51:06 GMT
Not a bad race and deserved win for Max Verstappen... again. He is very decisive in his actions it has to be said, very confident. Norris looked good also and I like his approach of wanting to catch Max and not just settle for second. He will start winning more I'm sure. George Russell was feisty and aggressive. His outside pass after the start was great racing and so was the dual with Norris. Great stuff. Also happy to see Lewis Hamilton back in form. He hasn't forgotten how to drive, just needs confidence in the car. Ferrari was disappointing. There's some tension building up in the team. Carlos is trying to prove his worth and Charles is trying to shake off his nice guy image it seems. And the car simply wasn't fast enough to win. But the margins are small and in Austria it could be a different story again.  |
|
|
|
Post by robmarsh on Jun 25, 2024 9:22:02 GMT
Good summation Rene. I can't help but think Ferrari made a mistake signing LPH so early in the season though.
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 25, 2024 15:47:46 GMT
Good summation Rene. I can't help but think Ferrari made a mistake signing LPH so early in the season though. Time will tell Rob. Fred is very convinced of his decision believing Lewis’s arrival will bring more than just lap time. We’ll see. |
|
|
|
Post by Carl on Jun 25, 2024 19:32:10 GMT
The highlights for me were George Russell's bold pass into the lead, Karun Chandhuk's wonderful description of a person being as frustrated as a mosquito in a mannequin store, and David Croft demonstrating his motorsport knowledge by explaining that a driver "broke later into the corner" and thus was able to pass. I was disappointed to see a graphic of race strategy presented as all about tyre compounds and when to pit. How can strategy be decided on lap 4? It's as though everyone is captive to algorithms. 1. "a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer" -Quoted from Oxford Languages
2. a dance of ones and zeros that spellbinds an entire sport
Because Grand Prix is the only game in town, the drivers are reluctant to protest. What they should do, if they had courage and conviction, is embolden the GPDA and demand more driver control. They've made demands in the past which led to improved safety. They could demand a return to proper racing. Plan another boycott. Las Vegas would be ideal... But there's little hope for a united GPDA bold enough to bite the hand that shovels money at them . Courage and convictions walk away fast when money talks. I don't believe Indycar is distorted at the same level. The game of thrones there has been less explosive and the power players less eager for complete control, only now and then when passing is crucial.  |
|
|
|
Post by mikael on Jun 25, 2024 20:03:46 GMT
I was disappointed to see a graphic of race strategy presented as all about tyre compounds and when to pit. How can strategy be decided on lap 4? It's as though everyone is captive to algorithms. Because Grand Prix is the only game in town, the drivers are reluctant to protest. What they should do, if they had courage and conviction, is embolden the GPDA and demand more driver control.
I couldn't agree more, Carl. Strategic thinking by the driver used to be a very important factor in F1. That was what drivers like Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda excelled in. Now it matters very little, if anything at all.
Imagine a chess championship where advice from "mission control centers" by radio were allowed. Needless to say, it would be ridiculous - just like path F1 has taken is.
No, no, no! - what you should do is ....
The right way
|
|
|
|
Post by René on Jun 26, 2024 15:09:08 GMT
I was disappointed to see a graphic of race strategy presented as all about tyre compounds and when to pit. How can strategy be decided on lap 4? It's as though everyone is captive to algorithms. Because Grand Prix is the only game in town, the drivers are reluctant to protest. What they should do, if they had courage and conviction, is embolden the GPDA and demand more driver control. I couldn't agree more, Carl. Strategic thinking by the driver used to be a very important factor in F1. That was what drivers like Jackie Stewart and Niki Lauda excelled in. Now it matters very little, if anything at all. Definitely Mikael. And don't forget Alain Prost who always built up his race and thought ahead. He won many races and championships with this approach.  Much has been lost over the years. Everyone understands that you cannot stop advancing technology, especially in a technical sport like Formula 1. But, as I said recently, it is up to the FIA to protect the sport. And by the sport I mean the character of the sport. The Mission Control centers do not make racing better, often the opposite. And here the FIA should have intervened much earlier, just like with aerodynamics. |
|
Maybe bring in Nelson Piquet jr. as a test driver?
