George is now spending time with the wolf's and taking their kid karting
Back in the day I think most drivers would have been partying and enjoying the company of young ladies rather than crawling to the mega rich boss
I've just watched the footage of Russell's crash and I can absolutely understand why he was calling for a red flag when he came to rest across the track with the car tipped at forty-five degrees.
Getting t-boned in a stationary car would be an nightmare scenario.
Russell is a whingeing cockbag who crashes too often (although it should have been a red flag)
Penalising Alonso for clever, defensive driving was harsh.
But why did Alonso lie and claim initially it was a throttle issue? He braked.
Merc and McLaren have kinda switched positions from 12 months ago. Hopefully Merc will be able to pull the same trick of a mid-season upgrade that turns things around.
In order for that to happen they would have to have a grasp of what's actually happening. The last 2 years seem to show they have no clue at all how to fix things.
Well before this race I was thinking wouldn't it be nice if Red Bull had some mechanical issues this year and if Sainz could out qualify and out race LeClerc.
Don’t think a red flag would have made any difference to the situation. Other cars crawled past in the video so would’ve been exactly the same with red flags. He is sitting in the car which is the sensible thing to do until the scene is secured. Others who make the decisions have the big picture.
Yes, but if the race was red-flagged, would they not have used the order on the previous lap for the finishing positions, which would have meant that Russell scored points?
Mean it from a safety point of view really.
Brake checking the driver behind to make him miss an entrance is all part of the 'dark-arts'. I'd bet money that every driver on the grid will do it at some point in the season. There's a time and place for that stuff though, and the last lap of a GP probably isn't it. Although I'd imagine that never in in a thousand years did Alonso think it would have the outcome it did.
Net result is that Alonso's chances of being in the Merc next year have dropped, while Sainz's have improved.
If I was Sainz, I'd weigh up a Merc contract v carefully. Which is a sentence I never though I'd be writing! I think Red Bull would be the thing to hang on for wouldn't it? I can't imagine that Riccardo is in the running anymore after his dismal start to this season, and in fact I'd place a bet on whether he lasts to the summer break at the rate he's going.
I think those calling George Russell a whinging cock bag are being a bit harsh. Knowing the speeds of the F1 cars at that part of the circuit with you being in the position of lying defenceless in the middle of the track I don't see a problem in trying to make it clear to anyone listening that this is a dangerous situation.
And yes, on first watch I couldn't help thinking that Alonso was definitely pulling something. With nothing clearly wrong with the car he braked noticeably earlier and was obviously trying to get GR to brake harder, lose momentum and allow him to escape up the road. Definitely "dark arts" thinking but clumsily executed. Or rather, executed a bit too heavily that probably then panicked GR a bit into over-reacting. Made all the more obvious in the post-race interviews where he was trying to talk about managing issues in the car and not knowing who was around him or where they were behind him. Yeah, right Fernando. You knew exactly where GR was - hard not to know given that he's been on your gear box for the previous 5 laps or more. Anyway, another lesson for GR - and yes, he does seem to have had a few lapses over the last few seasons.
Best thing though was seeing Max go out. At least we've lanced the boil of him winning every race this season nice and early. 🙂
Going on the description of Alonso’s telemetry, it seems clearly intentional—which would be fine if he hadn’t done it the way he did. Disrupting other drivers’ pace or line by easing off early or going off the racing line is fine but doing it abruptly by hitting the brakes in a full throttle part of the track when someone’s behind you is dangerous; that’s why there are rules against it and those rules are why Alonso was punished. He’s the most experienced driver on the grid; the idea that he misjudged his braking so badly that he then realised he had time to accelerate before braking again frankly just doesn’t wash. I’m with The Race on this one: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/alonso-russell-penalty-australian-gp-stewards-defence/
Also, considering Alonso was fairly publicly stealth-marketing himself to Mercedes once Hamilton’s seat was up for grabs, it doesn’t seem like a great pitch.
Anyway, unfortunately I missed a large chunk of the race because I watched it late and fell asleep, but a cracking performance from Sainz. And with Fred at the team I’m even warming to the whole red thing these days, for pretty much the first time ever.
I think Red Bull would be the thing to hang on for wouldn’t it?
The trouble with RedBull is that, from the outside at least, it is Max's team and he/they want a team mate that'll concistently deliver the "2" bit of a 1-2 finish. Sainz seems more ambitious and capable than that, so would need some strong guarantees of equal treatment if he signed with them.
I'm a big Ricciardo fan, but his performances just don't warrant him keeping the seat over giving Lawson a decent chance.
Brake checking the driver behind to make him miss an entrance is all part of the ‘dark-arts’. I’d bet money that every driver on the grid will do it at some point in the season.
Brake checking is illegal. That's why Alonso got penalized. FFS, he lifted off and touched the brakes so early that he had to accelerate again up to the corner. A driver of his talent doesn't do dumb stuff like that by mistake. A sticky throttle, or whatever bullshit story he tried to spin, doesn't make the brake pedal self-actuate.
George is definitely going to think he will take over from Lewis as number one and his face will be tripping him if Carlos gets the seat and equal status.
Merc don't have a number one. Both drivers are treated equally. Whoever takes over Hamilton's seat, Russell knows they will get equal status. My money is on Sainz, utterly predictable top candidate for the seat.
Yuki is getting praise from Helmut so I wouldn't be surprised to see him as Max's No.2.
And Daniel is rumoured to have been given two more races to sort himself out or be replaced by Lawson.
Yuki is getting praise from Helmut so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as Max’s No.2.
He's there because Honda want him there. He seems to be fast but still behaves immaturely. I don't think Red Bull have any intention of promoting him. He'll be off to AM in 2026. Lawson is looking like their next big hope.
I doubt Yuki is a strong contender for the 2nd Red Bull seat.
And Daniel is rumoured to have been given two more races to sort himself out or be replaced by Lawson.
Sad end to his career if that's true, but he doesn't seem to have what it takes anymore. But if a driver like Yuki can make you look second rate (in the points and a lap ahead) then time's really up. I think Riccardo said after qualifying (Yuki 8th, Ric 18th) that there was no way he could've driven that car as fast as Yuki did to get to Quali 3
Merc don't have a number 1 driver, I think Bottas would disagree
Merc don’t have a number 1 driver, I think Bottas would disagree
Bottas was given equal equipment and was free to race Lewis. He just wasn't fast enough. Asking a driver who has fallen out of contention for the title to support a teammate who is in contention isn't the same as being a number 2. That wouldn't have happened if Bottas had performed to Hamilton's level.
There is no way Russel is considers Lewis’s equal. Sure they will give him the same kit and want him to maximise his points score for the constructors title. I think he is I. For a bit of a shock when he gets a new team mate and is still the number 2 driver.
Gary Anderson doesn’t agree with the Alonso penalty. He didn’t consider it to be brake checking but racing, and implied that a better driver than Russell would have reacted differently..
I think those calling George Russell a whinging cock bag are being a bit harsh. Knowing the speeds of the F1 cars at that part of the circuit with you being in the position of lying defenceless in the middle of the track I don’t see a problem in trying to make it clear to anyone listening that this is a dangerous situation.
I don't think those accusations are based on this one incident.
The trouble with RedBull is that, from the outside at least, it is Max’s team and he/they want a team mate that’ll concistently deliver the “2” bit of a 1-2 finish.
The Verstappens may think it's their team, after the race Horner said "We want to find the best pairing that we can [...] You've had a very fast unemployed driver win todays race, so the market's reasonably fluid."
Ralf Schumacher claims Red Bull are keen to sign him 😂
Sorry, I meant keen to sign Alonso 😂.
It would be interesting...I reckon Max would thrash Alonso, and Alonso would throw his toys out of the pram bigly
I think it would be amazing to see Alonso and Verstappen on the same team, two of the greatest ever drivers in F1 going head to head! Please make this happen!
A team that’s already on the brink of shaking itself apart from the inside and desperately looking for stability, hiring Alonso? Drive to Survive will self-combust and we’ll all be cooking popcorn on the flames. Where do I sign?
^^^^ Sorry, don't do Twitter / X anyway ... what's the story?
Que?
Meanwhile the next round of the alternate F1 year is kicking off with a Benson reporting on an interview with "a friend" of the female at the centre of the Horner allegations
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68712864
