F1 2020 (spoilers abound)

Has Verstappen got a weird driving style? Maybe his style just suits however the car is. Then if he’s doing well in it the engineers listen to his feedback and make the car more as he likes it, the designers make next year’s car more like and you end up with a viscious cycle creating a peculiar handling car only he can get a grip of.

Albon says that Max runs more front end than just about anyone he knows of. Which implies less rear stability so perhaps they have gone with Max’s direction, which is understandable as it is team Max to an extent. And since Ricciardo left there’s only been one consistent driver to develop the car.

Would PG now get on with the RB? His tail was pretty high when he joined RB. Same as ALbon. Different cars.

Certainly the mystery of the season is trying to figure out what Bottas’s “plan” was to beat Hamilton. Unless he was carrying a significant mechanical issue, finishing ten seconds ahead of Hamilton, when he had a bunch of time robbed by a restart, 30 seconds lost to the penalty, and about ten cars to overtake, is making him look very average again. As did Norris’s brilliant move on him on the first lap.

If he has a plan he’s deluding himself

I think Norris has a good point – maybe not that changing tyres under a red flag should be banned (because we’ve seen races flagged and everyone then swapping to full wets because conditions were horrendous) – but it shouldn’t be allowed to be classed as the mandatory change. It’s a within the rules but not the spirit loophole imo.

They could solve it by mandating a pitstop during the race. Red flag means race suspended so anything that happens in that time doesn’t count. Same as they do with serving penalties.

Edit, hmm that could still shaft folk in a two+ stop race. Only allow a change of tyres if weather/safety necessitates?

Grosjean has the lap record at Mugello…

Only in so much as he’s set the fastest official time (test sessions) Actual (unofficial) record is held by Barrichello.

Anyone spot the sideline that Renault are changing names to Alpine next year?

TBH unless they specifically say otherwise we just assume that Toleman/Benetton/Renault/Lotus Renault(no hyphen)/Lotus-Renault(with hyphen)/Renault will be changing their name.

Hamilton becomes a team owner – X44

Lewis’s penalty was harsh. From way out in front to 30 seconds behind last place. Although it only took him about 5 laps to make up that 30s!

Maybe 10 seconds on his time would have been fairer. Good to see the unusual podium though.

Lewis’s penalty was harsh.

Deliberately so, and for good reason. In this case, it was clearly not intentional, but it is a serious safety risk to have cars entering pit lane when it’s closed. Therefore there is a mandatory 10 second stop-go penalty. There is no leeway in imposing it, that’s the only penalty available, as I understand it. If it was just 10 seconds added to the race time, teams would be tempted to deliberately break the rule in order to get a tyre change done before anybody else. Therefore, there is a severe penalty imposed with no leeway given because it’s a serious safety issue. It might have been inadvertent, but Merc and Hamilton were stone-cold guilty. The drivers who didn’t break the rules benefited because they didn’t break the rules.

Crazy that with a steering wheel that’s able to display Blue flags, time deltas and all the car settings that it doesn’t have an automated ‘Pit Lane Closed’ display!

Good article about the call to bring Lewis in here

Crazy that with a steering wheel that’s able to display Blue flags, time deltas and all the car settings that it doesn’t have an automated ‘Pit Lane Closed’ display

NASCAR never seem to have this problem, and their steering wheels are far simpler. “Pit lane closed” over the radio tends to do it. OTOH the guys on the F1 wall don’t half waffle on these days (from listening to the YouTube radio vid), even Sainz was confused when you really just need someone shouting clear instructions in that situation

Simon Roberts takes over as acting team principal at Williams

Simon Roberts takes over as acting team principal at Williams

oomidamon
Full Member

Good article about the call to bring Lewis in here
Posted 1 hour ago

I hadn’t seen that full bit of footage before, at a glance the flashing pit closed sign looks really similar to the flashing SC sign so it’s easy to see how the driver missed it.
Given the valid safety concerns perhaps a traffic light near the pit entrance would make sense, much harder to miss if it’s only ever green or red.

Job jobbed.

If it was just 10 seconds added to the race time, teams would be tempted to deliberately break the rule in order to get a tyre change done before anybody else.

I have to confess that when they initially mentioned the issue in commentary, being unsure of what the actual penalty was, I did think perhaps it was a calculated violation: get it done, take the advantage, put some qualifying laps in and stay ahead.

It would be interesting (maybe) to see an article that worked out how it would likely have played out if Charles hadn’t stuffed his shitbox into the wall.

It would be interesting (maybe) to see an article that worked out how it would likely have played out if Charles hadn’t stuffed his shitbox into the wall.

The pack were bunched up anyway due to kmags safety car, and he would’ve had to take the penalty within 3 laps, so while he might’ve pulled 10 secs back in those laps, I can’t see it would’ve made much difference to the result. Save for stroll finishing a lot further down the order…

Might have been different if they’d added 30 secs to his finish time, with him having stayed in front.

Perez off at the end of the season.

Looks like Vettel to AMR?

Perez off at the end of the season.

Worst kept secret ever

We all know that but now it’s official.

Perez was absolutely adamant he was staying a couple of weeks ago.

Blimey, wasn’t expecting to see that until the end of the season. So Seb to Ferrari, are there any other seats not confirmed yet?

Great, another season of watching Vettel being tediously average.

On a brighter note, I see they’ve painted the Shitbox a fetching shade of Haemorrhoids for this weekend.

Hopefully they’ll be able to repeat Mercedes’ spectacular anniversary celebrations, especially as I seem to recall reading that they’re also hosting Netflix at Mugello. I’ve got the popcorn already.

are there any other seats not confirmed yet?

Several. If I recall: Hamilton, Albon, both Alpha Tauris (obviously the RB/AT cockpits are basically a sporadic game of musical chairs anyway), both Haas and both Alfa Romeos.

On a brighter note, I see they’ve painted the Shitbox a fetching shade of Haemorrhoids for this weekend.

Safety cars are Ferrari red too.

Can’t wait for a Merc to hold the lap record there 🤭

Entirely unrelated to the topic above, but I’ve just noticed that Schumacher and Hamilton have a combined win total only two behind McLaren.
Between them they have won more than one sixth of all F1 races ever held.
.
I thought that was quite impressive.

I thought that was quite impressive

Lewis alone has started a quarter of all F1 races, owing to the 20 odd a season we have now, rather than a handful in the early years

Seb confirmed at Aston Martin Racing.
F1_insta

Can’t see any mention of a multi-year deal though, so might be the ringing endorsement of a 1 year contract.

Hope Checo finds a seat – I think he’s still got a lot to offer.

Can see Hass snatching up Perez asap if he is willing to go there

Wonder who they will get rid of Magnussen or Grosjean?

Can’t see any mention of a multi-year deal though

Deal is for “2021 and beyond”, according to the F1 site.

Gonna be a great mid-field battle next year, Alonso, Vettel, Leclerc, Sainz, Norris and Ricciardo scrapping it out.

bluearsedfly

Safety cars are Ferrari red too.

Probably the only time a red car will be leading the pack

escrs
Free Member
Can see Hass snatching up Perez asap if he is willing to go there

Wonder who they will get rid of Magnussen or Grosjean?

Wasn’t there rumours a few weeks ago that Grosjean might be replaced my Hulkenberg. I’d be happy if Haas dumped Grosjean & Magnussen & replaced them with Perez & Hulkenberg!

Bez

Several. If I recall: Hamilton, Albon, both Alpha Tauris (obviously the RB/AT cockpits are basically a sporadic game of musical chairs anyway), both Haas and both Alfa Romeos.

Thanks, Haas and Alfa I guess are potentials for Perez then.

Honda are keen to get a Japanese driver on the grid ASAP so I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Tsunoda in Kvyat’s seat at some point. Not sure if he’s got enough points for a super licence yet.

eta: if he keeps third in f2 he will have enough points

Can see Hass snatching up Perez asap if he is willing to go there

Wonder who they will get rid of Magnussen or Grosjean?

Bye Bye K-Mag

If its a choice between Magnussen and Grosjean, I’m pretty sure they will keep Grosjean. He gets on a lot better with the team and is well liked in the paddock generally.

Wasn’t there rumours a few weeks ago that Grosjean might be replaced my Hulkenberg.

Then again maybe its goodbye to them both!

I never cease to be amazed that Haas have kept both of those two every year. Neither is consistent and they’re both a liability. But then the whole outfit has just looked like chaos from the outset; they got a bit lucky in the early days and since then it’s had regular elements of train wreck. I can only assume Netflix is paying Gene to stay in so they can have guaranteed material every year.

Doesn’t KMag bring a bucket load of cash to the team from his personal sponsors?

richmtb

Bye Bye K-Mag

If its a choice between Magnussen and Grosjean, I’m pretty sure they will keep Grosjean. He gets on a lot better with the team and is well liked in the paddock generally.

K-Mag has had better results points over all, i couldn’t be bothered to tally up all the car failures so bear that in mind

______RG__KM___Winner
2017__28__19___RG
2018__37__56___KM
2019__8___20___KM
2020__0___1____KM

edit: excuse the underscores, STW apparently doesn’t format [ code ] properly

Wonder why there’s a ? for the second Aston Martin seat in that graphic – is Lance Stroll not contracted already?

I assume they didn’t want to formally announce drivers until they’d sorted out the Perez thing.