Subscribe now and choose from over 30 free gifts worth up to £49 - Plus get £25 to spend in our shop
This is worth a quick watch. I expect the new skirts are going to be very easy to damage on sausage kerbs etc (@6:00) but basically the entire car looks to be different so hopefully will give constructors a bit of a shake up
That looks good. Bring it on if it works. Maybe this could be Williams’ last chance to get back.
Great video! So well explained. Looking for to seeing them in action! When does the Sky contract finish?
I just looked it up- 2024
First pole to verstappen.
Finger boy out qualified his team mate in a damaged car, can't see him being around much longer.
bottas is toast
Brilliant call by Merc
brilliant call from the mercs, no lose in real terms but a chance at the win....
having Mr interval chasing you down must be really unnerving
come on lewis, give it every thing 😀
he's a ****ing animal
jesus wept !!!!
tires are dead
we don't have to tell you 😀
Yes
amazing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo ferkin woo! 👌
GOAT
MB can make calls like that because they know what LH can do. Awesome race.
he even surprised his team !!!!!!!!! he drives to a delta like no one !!!!
Yes! I really enjoyed that. 20 miles on the bikes then this with beer and another rude tonight. Brilliant Sunday!
what with the ferrari's ?
third to first and you need to ask !!!!!
he must gave chased down 22 seconds in 16 laps there ! absolutely phenomenal
Merc strategists from zero to hero in the space of a week. Anyone who doubted Lewis... who's laughing now? What an awesome drive from the pair of them.
Merc strategists from zero to hero in the space of a week.
the red bull chaps got lucky they put Vestappen on mediums meaning his 360 spin was not at the high speed final corner and could pit for inters with a working car!
Have Ferrari finished yet?
Great call by Mercedes and a stunning drive from Lewis.
Bottas is gone for next year I reckon. Shame, as he isn’t a terrible driver, but unless he wins a hatful in the second half, Ocon will be in the seat.
The second half will be too late if Toto's making a decision during the break. I still think a lot depends on whether there's a good non-Mercedes seat for Ocon. If so, the safe option would be to do a year elsewhere and then put him in the Merc for 2021. But where? Haas? Highly likely they'll have an available seat, but they have a Ferrari engine and they can't figure out how to make a car go faster. Williams? Again, pretty certain Kubica's seat will be up for grabs, but would they want Ocon spending a year going out in Q3 and having a private race with Russell? Unlikely. Renault? Perhaps the most viable option, assuming they don't retain Hulkenberg.
But let's face it, Bottas did himself no favours today: locking up into turn 1 with his teammate on his outside, replaying the same scenario in turn 2, and then in turn 3 not having the nous to lift just a little earlier when it was clear he'd lost position to Hamilton. The contact with Leclerc was just bad luck, but the contact with Hamilton was a bit amateurish.
But what I found curious was that although Bottas's wing damage was clearly significant, it was 5 laps before the team brought him in. From watching the highlights it was hard to tell just how much time that lost him, though it seemed comfortably over 10 seconds, but ordinarily I'd have expected him to have come in on the same lap. Would they leave him out losing time to ensure that his error landed him in it? Probably not, but… who knows? In any case, I think my pre-Hungary 60/40 in favour of Bottas has probably reversed.
I think it's not looking good for Gasly, either. Red Bull want to beat Ferrari. They need a 45 point gain over 9 races to do that, and Gasly's just not delivering. Verstappen is consistently ahead of the Ferraris and their second car should at least be right with them to knock at least one of them down the results. Today, with Max ahead of Seb, they needed Pierre in front of Charles to get the 5 point per race gain they need, but instead he's two places back and losing out to a McLaren. Much as they said they'll give Gasly time, I think they'll be smelling blood now that they've looked so competitive in the last four races. In the first few races Max was splitting the Ferraris, now he's consistently beating them. They'll know they can take second in the championship, but they'll know equally well that they can't with Gasly. The next two races—Monza especially—look good for Ferrari on paper (though how good would it look for Honda to finish ahead of them at Monza?) but Red Bull should be capable of beating them on the final seven. Kvyat's looking a bit more like a safe pair of hands this year… I'm not sure it's a safe bet, but I'd certainly be prepared to stick a few quid on Max having a new teammate by Singapore.
Oh and PS thanks Channel 4 for only putting the highlights online at gone 1am; makes for a great start to my week. FFS.
although Bottas’s wing damage was clearly significant, it was 5 laps before the team brought him in.
I expect they were hoping that by keeping him out for a few laps they'd get him into a window where he could run to the end on the hard tyre, so losing a few seconds with the damaged wing to save an extra pit stop would've been worth it. Didn't quite work out that way.
Yeah, that’s the most reasonable explanation. But when he was losing two seconds a lap from lap 1? The one-stop window was a long way down the road from there. That speed loss only takes you to lap 10 before you need to pit even if the hards manage 60 laps at the same performance as two sets of the other compounds—which of course they won’t.
Oh and PS thanks Channel 4 for only putting the highlights online at gone 1am; makes for a great start to my week. FFS.
Is that what time they came out? I gave up at 10:30pm and just went and found out the results. Glad I did now. I want to support C4 but the highlights are on TV at kids bedtime so catch up is all I have and there's no way I can avoid the result until Monday night!
I want to support C4 but the highlights are on TV at kids bedtime so catch up is all I have and there’s no way I can avoid the result until Monday night!
Do you not have a VCR?
Oh and PS thanks Channel 4 for only putting the highlights online at gone 1am
They were on earlier in the evening - I recorded it and watched the extended highlights after our girls went to bed last night. And most enjoyable it was too.
These days unless my mates dad isn’t using his Sky login I listen the radio and just watch the 5 minute highlight video on F1.com
They were on earlier in the evening
Yeah, they were broadcast at 7pm, but as per pocpoc I have kids so I never get to watch the F1 until about 10pm. And no I don't have a recorder (or anything to record: we don't have cable, satellite or even an aerial).
Normally the highlights appear on catch up around 9-10pm but occasionally for whatever reason they don't turn up until stupid o'clock. Last week's race was odd, too: after a few hours checking the iPad/iPhone apps where it was in the list but not playable, I checked the website and it was playable on there (go figure) so I had to install Flash and watch it on the Mac instead.
Very much a third world problem, obviously, but there seems to be no real reason for why some of the coverage is so hard to get hold of.
Very much a third world problem, obviously, but there seems to be no real reason for why some of the coverage is so hard to get hold of.
Well not having any means to record something does make you an edge case.
Very much a third world problem,
Sounds like a first world problem. Those of still in the third world have aerial and video recorders. OK I sometimes watch it online when there is something more important to record - like a bike race.
Oh yeah. First world. You’ll have to excuse me, I only had three hours’ sleep 😉
Do you not have a VCR?
Nope, just Freeview. I can record on to a memory stick but it's so complicated and faffy in the menus that it's not worth the inevitable disappointment when it fails to record.
Also, Mrs PP is normally watching so Love Island spin off or other similar crap on the actual TV, so sat next to her with the laptop and headphones is the usual set up.
For people with catch-up issues, it might be worth looking into a freeview PVR like a HUMAX?
You can get a re-furbished one from HumaxDirect for £90 or so.
Or something new from Argos/John Lewis etc.
When we got our new 'smart' TV, we debated getting rid of the Humax box. But, the reality is that we still use it loads. I record the F1 on it, so can watch it back whenever I want & can fast-forward the ads, which you can't do on C4 catch-up.
We also use it to set-up series record for things that we are likely to forget.
You can set it to record 2 things at once as well & we also use it for recording films that we might want to watch at a later date.
I could probably do the same by plugging a HDD directly into the TV, but there seems little point when the Humax keeps soldiering on.
For people with catch-up issues, it might be worth looking into a freeview PVR like a HUMAX?
Not much use for Bez who hasn't got an aerial
Just caught up. What's that, the third or even fourth exciting race in a row? Surely they'll have none left for the rest of the season!!
I’m enjoying it all, especially the way Mclaren are getting back into the race.
I’m enjoying it all, especially the way Mclaren are getting back into the race
Likewise, I think it's been one of the best seasons in a long time
That was another good race. Not quite the drive that the excitement of the last page indicated but he certainly made the most of a cracking strategy call. Not quite up there with Schumachers French 4-stopper yet!
Red Bull replace Gasly with Albon from Spa!...
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/albon-gasly-red-bull-spa/4512520/
Not unexpected, they have form for it!
Ooof! That must be a de-moralising situation for Gasly, but you can see why they have done it. And now Albon has to prove that he can do the job better. No pressure, then....
No bad for a driver who had given up on F1!
I suppose one advantage for Albon is because he had given up on F1 he's less likely to be hampered by the pressure. He knows there's life outside F1 for him.
Can't say I'm hugely surprised. Great result for Albon.
Nice, just hoping the pressure doesn't destroy him.
No bad for a driver who had given up on F1!
I suppose one advantage for Albon is because he had given up on F1 he’s less likely to be hampered by the pressure. He knows there’s life outside F1 for him.
Didn’t work for Brendan Hartley. Though, I suspect talent may have been the bigger issue there.
Hartley, Gasly, and Kvyat (Vettel too) were strange because they all seem to be fast when they drive decent cars and are supported by their teams, but wilted under pressure when they were thrown in the deep end. Hartley won the WEC and Le Mans, but looked hopeless against Gasly, who was much more assertive (and seemed to have the support of the team). Now, Gasly looks hopeless against Verstappen (much more assertive and has the support of the team). Kvyat always looked fast, but just seemed to be trying too hard up against a very tough teammate. Vettel is obviously a very quick driver when the car suits him, but looked hopeless against Ricciardo when the car wasn't to his liking. To me it just looks like Red Bull are wasting decent drivers by promoting them too soon and putting them under too much pressure. I don't think Hartley would ever be championship material, but Gasly and Kvyat both looked quite decent at Torro Rosso before getting promoted to the senior team.
Red Bull replace Gasly with Albon from Spa!…
Whaaaaat!
Red Bull career graveyard needs another headstone then. Punishing!
Albon to drive for Redbull till the end of the year and then Bottas will go to Redbull if Merc give Ocon his seat
Albon will go back to Torro Rosso and Gasly will leave F1 unless a seat becomes a available elsewhere, Maybe at Hass if Gunther loses his rag with Magnussen or Grosjean and Gene Hass says fire one of them
Or maybe someone else decides to exit F1 of their own accord
That's my prediction
Oof. We all saw it coming, but Hungary's result off the back of the Hockenheim incident was the writing on the wall.
I'm reminded of last year's soap opera that was Hartley vs Gasly at Toro Rosso. Gasly has had his confidence ripped out from asunder - even having to default to Verstappen's car settings and then being dropped. He's going to have a shit time at TR, going head to head with another Red Bull demotive and them both fighting it out for the chance to be Verstappen's replacement's wingman for 2021, assuming that Max decides to throw in his lot with Ferrari et al.
...Grosjean is definitely out of Haas soon, surely? I like the guy hugely, but his bout of the Yips is never ending. He's 33 and there's no sign that he's on the cusp of becoming the next Damon Hill.
He's bloody handy on a Whyte though.
I'm fairly certain that Max will be staying at Red Bull for next season.
Am fairly certain that you're right. The weakness in the package - the Honda engine - certainly has pace and enough durability to last a couple of races. The trajectory is ominous, the RB is clearly a quick car and Honda appear to have got their act together.
I think there's zero chance of Bottas going to Red Bull, or of Verstappen leaving the team. The point of Red Bull having a driver development program is that they have a stable full of drivers ready to step up to the senior team. If they promote from outside that, there's no point in spending money developing young drivers. My guess is that they want to compare Gasly, Albon, and Kvyat before deciding on next year's partner for Verstappen. Next year they will be hopeful of challenging for the constructor's title if they can find a solid partner for Verstappen. Kvyat has already shown he has the speed to be useful at the senior team, he just lacked the maturity to not crash on the opening lap. Now they can see how Ocon handles the pressure and also see if Gasly can sort out his problems. That gives them three drivers to choose from next year.
My money would be on Hulkenberg going to Haas and Ocon to Renault for a year before replacing Bottas at Merc. Bottas is a safe bet to score points for the constructor's championship. Ocon is probably a better long-term bet, but Merc won' want him to end up like Kvyat or Gasly if he gets promoted too soon.
The point of Red Bull having a driver development program is that they have a stable full of drivers ready to step up to the senior team
This might be true but iirc Verstappen was never in the junior program. He won 6 f3 races on the trot and was snapped up!
For what it’s worth they should have never let Saintz go, he is maturing into a handy driver.
Yes, but Verstappen had to work his way up through Torro Rosso as a rookie. Hiring an experienced outside driver for the senior team would mean that there's no point in running TR as a driver development team.
IIRC, they initially loaned Sainz to Renault because they didn't have a seat for him at the senior team, they thought they could get him back if they needed him. Ricciardo's move was a massive shock, so losing Sainz didn't seem like such a problem then. Sainz always looked like a very good driver, but Verstappen looked like a potential champion, so Red Bull promoted the one they thought was better. The only way they could have kept Sainz was to promote him and demote Ricciardo back to Torro Rosso, which would have been silly.
My money would be on Hulkenberg going to Haas and Ocon to Renault for a year before replacing Bottas at Merc.
Yeah, that’d probably be my bet too.
For what it’s worth they should have never let Saintz go, he is maturing into a handy driver.
It would be interesting to see if they can get him back
He was contracted for another year until the end of 2020 by McLaren after Silverstone. Smart move McLaren!
The point of Red Bull having a driver development program is that they have a stable full of drivers ready to step up to the senior team
How has that been working for them? they have had 4 different drivers at Toro Rosso in 3 years and 2 of those have been promoted to Redbull only to be dropped back down and then dropped completely for a year (kvyat) or dropped from the program permanently in the case of Hartley, then Sainz went to Renault
What's the point of running a development team if its not delivering the drivers you need?
Bringing Bottas for a year or two would take the pressure off the Toro Rosso drivers trying to perform at Redbull too early and allow them to spend more time at Toro Rosso developing for a couple of years before stepping up to Redbull
How has that been working for them?
Four back to back drivers' and constructors' championships and Verstappen?
That was back in 2013, 6 years without a championship win and coming 3rd in the constructors championship every year since (some of which is engine related) and never really been a challenge to Merc of Ferrari till this year
They seem to be stuck in a rut of promoting drivers too early, then when they don't perform demoting them back down and it just isn't working (Verstappen being the exception to the rule)
Verstappen spent 1.5 years at TR before being promoted to RB
Kvyat spent one year at TR before being promoted to RB for a 1.5 years then being demoted and finally left F1 for a bit
Hartley spent 1 year at TR before leaving F1
Gasly spent 1 year at TR before being promoted to RB only to be demoted back down after 6 months
Unless TR have the next Max Verstappen in the wings then they would be better off letting their drivers spend a few years at TR before promoting them to RB, bringing in Bottas or another proven driver to RB for a couple of years would allow all the TR drivers to hone their F1 skills before being promoted up to RB
All in my opinion obviously but RB need a stronger 2nd driver and TR aren't supplying that
Ricciardo’s move was a massive shock
was it really? I can't imagine for a minute that when Ricciardo let them know he was off to Renault there was much surprise at all...I'm a casual F1 watcher, and by mid season even I knew he was going.
Doctor Helmut is a total prick and his ideas about motivating drivers are terrible, but they have produced some outstanding drivers. Vettel (4x champion) is now lead driver at Ferrari. Ricciardo (multiple race winner and highly rated throughout the paddock) is now lead driver at Renault. Sainz is now lead driver at McLaren and has had an impressive season. Plus Verstappen is now looking like the next Big Thing. So Red Bull have actually produced a lot of good drivers, they just messed up by losing Ricciardo and Sainz at the same time. Last year they had three top-level drivers and only two top-level seats available.
As far as results from the last six years go, the Renault engine was woeful. That Red Bull actually managed to win some races and beat Ferrari and the customer Mercedes teams shows how good their car and drivers have been.
Ricciardo’s move was a massive shock
was it really?
Yes, everybody expected that re-signing with Red Bull was really a formality. Going to Merc or Ferrari would have made sense if a seat was available, but Renault was a huge shock. Merc had already arranged for Ocon to driver there, so that put him on the sidelines, leading to some nasty comments from Toto Wolff about broken promises.
Yes, Ricciardo's move to Renault was a shock for everyone, especially Red Bull who had to promote Gasly way too soon and to recall Kvyat to Toro Rosso.
When he joined Toro Rosso, Gasly had a certain cockiness about him that will have been comprehensively undone over the last six months. The rug has been comprehensively pulled form under him, his preferred car setup choice has been overruled and he will have been humiliated by the team's finding that nothing was amiss with his stripped down Red Bull. He will have been made to look an idiot in front of his engineers and any insinuation that he and Verstappen are racing with unequal machinery will not be looked kindly upon, even if there's some substance to it. Over the last couple of races, Gasly been ordered to use Verstappen's setup, which will have been indicative of the team's confidence in his ability to communicate effectively with his engineers.
Gasly now has nine races in the Toro Rosso to prove his mettle, he knows that a return to Red Bull for 2020 is off the table no matter how well he performs. Renault is a potential lifeline, there's a suggestion that the team are looking for a French driver in their lineup but the odds are slim when you consider that not only is Gasly up against Hulkenberg, but also either Ocon or Bottas for that seat. The only other potential seats in the frame are Williams and Haas, neither of which are particularly appealing.
I reckon the Haas seat has potential. Yes, the team seems to be a bizarre clusterfuzz of comedy pit stops, dodgy sponsors and an inability to know what makes the car perform, but on the random days when it’s on song they do have a car which can make a good driver stand out. Providing it doesn’t get taken out by the other car, obviously.
It's clear that Haas - like Williams this year and McLaren last year - do not fully understand their car. I don't know whether this is due to insufficient wind tunnel data or other factors affecting the balance of the car, certainly their recent decision to revert to start of the season spec is drastic, I can't think of any other team doing this in recent history.
Do they ride out the rest of 2019 dealing with the collateral damage and divert their efforts to 2020 or do they try to turn the performance around over the next nine races, potentially compromising the development cycle of next year's car?
I guess Haas are in a slightly unusual position in that, because they buy in so much of the car, they presumably have to be quite reactive to each year’s set of components, rather than proactive in developing them. So you have to wonder how much they can develop ahead of season compared to the other teams, especially the works teams or sole PU customers, ie Red Bull.
I guess Haas are in a slightly unusual position in that, because they buy in so much of the car, they presumably have to be quite reactive to each year’s set of components, rather than proactive in developing them.
I like Gunter Steiner but it would be satisfying if their business model holds them back!
2021 car model in the windtunnel:
If those numbers about effect on following cars are right then it could be just the ticket.
That is a very big IF though.
Looks like Ocon is definitely going to Renault, so I'd assume Hulkenburg will end up at Haas. The relationship between Hulk and K-Mag will be 'interesting'...
So Bottas is now confirmed at Merc for 2020.