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Post by René on Sept 19, 2024 17:28:27 GMT
 Little rest for the drivers because they have to get back to work this weekend on the fast and technical street circuit of Singapore.  Will we get another McLaren vs Ferrari battle like in Baku? The chance is quite big. McLaren is fast anyway and this is a track where Ferrari traditionally does well.  Red Bull often has a harder time here, although Checo is always good on these types of circuits. There is little to say about Mercedes, but in Baku it did not look fantastic. It will be interesting to see how Williams and Haas do here.  |
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 19, 2024 18:35:06 GMT
Hoping for a Ferrari 1-2
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Post by Carl on Sept 19, 2024 21:16:07 GMT
The Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, with an apparently beached ocean liner straddling its two towers, piqued my curiousity. Were any rooms available next weekend, a basic standard room with no special privileges would cost almost $3000. The week after the Grand Prix, a deluxe standard room with full amenities including breakfast and access to the exclusive rooftop Sky Bar, Club Lounge and swimming pool, is a bargain at $1200. However, judging by the reviews posted online, guests staying elsewhere than palatial suites with full amenities are sometimes treated with indifference. That's why I'm staying at The Snooze Hotel Marine Parade, where rooftop tents are cheap and always available.
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Post by René on Sept 19, 2024 21:58:16 GMT
I prefer the $12.000 a night room during the Grand Prix weekend with access to the infinity pool and view on the circuit. I might even catch a glimp of the race.   |
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Post by René on Sept 19, 2024 22:00:02 GMT
Me too, Rob.  |
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Post by Carl on Sept 19, 2024 23:43:25 GMT
I prefer the $12.000 a night room during the Grand Prix weekend with access to the infinity pool and view on the circuit. I might even catch a glimp of the race. 1. Your pool companion is cold and turning blue. You should return to your room for a restorative full body massage.
2. The Snooze Hotel Marine Parade is visible in the background, almost out of frame on the left. With a good pair of binoculars you might see David Croft at the railing wishing SkyTV was more generous
3. One year at Long Beach, my cousin and I had premium weekend access to the roof of the Hyatt Regency. The view was great! We could see the Queen Mary, Shoreline Drive as it approached Turn 1 and Turn 6 looking straight down. It was comfortable and the fancy catered meal was delicious, but you're too far removed at that height from the sound and the fury. A well located grandstand is much better.
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Post by René on Sept 20, 2024 9:02:20 GMT
Of course Carl, being close to the action always beats the glitz and glamour. Even if the full body massage is rather tempting… |
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Post by René on Sept 20, 2024 15:58:39 GMT
As expected, it's again between McLaren and Ferrari. Strong pace also from the RBs and no pace from the Red Bulls. The McLaren looks much better with the white instead of black (like Alexander Rossi's Arrow McLaren in IndyCar).  FP2 times1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:30.727 2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.058 3 Carlos Sainz Ferrari +0.629 4 Yuki Tsunoda RB +0.741 5 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.747 6 Daniel Ricciardo RB +0.751 7 George Russell Mercedes +0.761 8 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +0.871 9 Alexander Albon Williams +0.923 10 Nico Hulkenberg Haas F1 Team +0.940 11 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.982 12 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +1.023 13 Kevin Magnussen Haas F1 Team +1.066 14 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.230 15 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +1.294 16 Franco Colapinto Williams +1.330 17 Esteban Ocon Alpine +1.392 18 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.495 19 Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber +1.632 20 Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber +2.059 |
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Post by René on Sept 21, 2024 17:57:07 GMT
Pole position for Lando Norris, strong comeback from Max Verstappen to second and an unexpected excellent result for Lewis Hamilton in third. Disaster for Ferrari.  The grid: 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:29.525 2 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.203 3 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.316 4 George Russell Mercedes +0.342 5 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.428 6 Nico Hulkenberg Haas +0.590 7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.689 8 Yuki Tsunoda RB +0.829 9 Charles Leclerc Ferrari no time 10 Carlos Sainz Ferrari no time 11 Alex Albon Williams 1:30.450 12 Franco Colapinto Williams 1:30.481 13 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1:30.579 14 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:30.653 15 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1:30.769 16 Daniel Ricciardo RB 1:31.085 17 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:31.094 18 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:31.312 19 Valtteri Bottas Sauber 1:31.571 20 Zhou Guanyu Sauber 1:32.053 In the meantime, ‘swearing-gate’ continues…   |
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Post by mikael on Sept 21, 2024 18:33:49 GMT
In the meantime, ‘swearing-gate’ continues…
This may be a good opportunity to - once and for all - get rid of the radio communication as part of the "show". It would be a blessing! I'd say: this inter-team communication is none of our business - it's much better for us, as TV-viewers, to know less, and to leave something for our imagination.
Finally, sorry for my negativity, but for me, these floodlit GP's have as much charm as, say, an indoor kart-race, or a stadium motocross. Singapore or Abu Dhabi - or whatever - it's all the same; it's like imaging an extension of the tunnel in Monaco, to cover the entire circuit ...
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Post by Carl on Sept 21, 2024 19:36:22 GMT
In the meantime, ‘swearing-gate’ continues…
This may be a good opportunity to - once and for all - get rid of the radio communication as part of the "show". It would be a blessing! I'd say: this inter-team communication is none of our business - it's much better for us, as TV-viewers, to know less, and to leave something for our imagination.
Finally, sorry for my negativity, but for me, these floodlit GP's have as much charm as, say, an indoor kart-race, or a stadium motocross. Singapore or Abu Dhabi - or whatever - it's all the same; it's like imaging an extension of the tunnel in Monaco, to cover the entire circuit ...
Totally agree! Well said, Mikael  |
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 22, 2024 14:12:02 GMT
This may be a good opportunity to - once and for all - get rid of the radio communication as part of the "show". It would be a blessing! I'd say: this inter-team communication is none of our business - it's much better for us, as TV-viewers, to know less, and to leave something for our imagination.
Finally, sorry for my negativity, but for me, these floodlit GP's have as much charm as, say, an indoor kart-race, or a stadium motocross. Singapore or Abu Dhabi - or whatever - it's all the same; it's like imaging an extension of the tunnel in Monaco, to cover the entire circuit ...
Totally agree! Well said, Mikael Couldn't agree more Michael. |
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Post by René on Sept 22, 2024 18:40:07 GMT
Congratulations to Lando Norris. A very convincing victory although he did tempt fate a few times! That McLaren is a very well balanced rocket ship. Damage limitation for Max Verstappen with an excellent P2 finish.  Mercedes was okay but the soft tyre gamble didn’t pay off for Hamilton. Russell saved the day by holding Leclerc behind. You do wonder what Charles Leclerc could have done had he started from the front. The race pace of the Ferrari was very good and it looked like he would have been the only one who could have challenged Norris. But well, they messed up in qualy and this was the price. Good recovery though from both drivers. Another excellent drive from Franco Colapinto. Alex Albon needs to up his game to stay in front of the young Argentine driver. _ Max Verstappen has again said he will leave F1 if he’s not happy anymore and made another protest in the press conference by only giving extreme short answers. Ben Sulayem’s idea to punish drivers who swear over the radio is ridiculous. These guys are full of adrenaline so don’t ask them to watch their language. Indeed as Mikael said, stop broadcasting these radio messages completely and leave the drivers alone. |
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Post by mikael on Sept 22, 2024 19:40:37 GMT
Ref: "swearing-gate": The FIA presidency has been held by a number of rather colourful characters. In comparison (to several of his predecessors), Jean Todt was a rather low-key type of character; but perhaps he was one of the best and most efficient, after all?
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 22, 2024 23:38:05 GMT
Jean Todt seemed much more mature than the likes of Balestre, Mosely and the new dude.
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