Formula 1 2024 – WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

The roll hoops aren’t solid either.

Yes, I think I must have read the bit about the front part of the halo being a solid machined part and remembered it as the whole think being solid. That’s a big chunk of weight to have up high, I can understand why they’d want to try to save weight, but the Sauber spike design really did seem to be asking for trouble – quite predictable that it would dig into the ground whereas a hoop would be much more likely to slide.

The truly impressive thing for me was when Grosjean’s car punched through the armco and broke in half, but he walked away. Without the halo he would have been decapitated then incinerated.

A good result for McLaren too, bad for Checo, and as for Mercedes

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. Still, great to see Ferrari 1-2. Just a few years ago, I never would have imagined I’d ever say that

Lol did alonso start faking an issue when he came back round next lap and saw gr on his side?

https://twitter.com/Jeremlabase/status/1771786061917659332

Also

#AustralianGP telemetry of the George Russell crash for which Fernando Alonso is under investigation. Telemetry shows Alonso brakes twice on the lap of the crash. Must be noted that Alonso complained of throttle pedal issues after the incident pic.twitter.com/vsTzYPQwaA

— Formula StatAnalysis (@FStatanalysis) March 24, 2024

PENALTY: Drive-through penalty (so 20s race time) for Alonso.

Stewards "consider that Alonso affirmatively choosing to perform an unusual manoeuvre at this point to be an aggravating circumstance"#F1 #AustralianGP

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) March 24, 2024

Alonso has been penalised for potentially dangerous driving.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/68649182

Disappointed in Alonso. He’s one of the smartest racers around, smart enough to think about plausible deniability for lifting off early to throw off the car behind. I doubt he intended Russell to crash, but you really expect more from a multiple champion.

Personally i think it’s exactly the sort of dick move I’d expect from Alonso….he’s always been a conniving little git

Yay, Guenther doing the podium interviews without swearing😀

George Russell is turning into such a big whinger or as Roy Keane described Andy Robertson 3x a baby

He’s constantly moaning about Lewis , he jumped out his car to “save ” Gaunyu at the 2022 Silverstone GP and now he’s screaming for a red flag when there are race marshalls at every part of the track  and everything is filmed

His collision with Bottas when both crashed out he took no blame for that yet I think he got off lightly and blamed it all on Bottas

Ok Alonso maybe did the dirty on him today but he constantly whinges

To be fair Russel was on his side, in the middle of the track at the exit of a high speed corner.
Also does the result count a lap back from a red flag?

Personally i think it’s exactly the sort of dick move I’d expect from Alonso….he’s always been a conniving little git

His manager was Flavio Briatori, a dick of the highest order…

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.

[simondbarnes]

simondbarnes

Full Member

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.

It was classic smart alonso driving except in this case, a) he **** the manouvre up which the stewards considered eratic b) he did so in a very fast part of the track which the stewards considered dangerous.

It’s covered in the FIA doc here

https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/decision-document/2024%20Australian%20Grand%20Prix%20-%20Infringement%20-%20Car%2014%20-%20Potentially%20dangerous%20driving.pdf

I’m certain he knew he’d **** it as well, hence the ‘engine troubles’

[simondbarnes]

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.

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.

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. He’s just a baby

I’m a big Ricciardo fan, but his performances just don’t warrant him keeping the seat over giving Lawson a decent chance.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsport/formula-one/two-races-to-save-his-career-ricciardo-faces-shock-axing-over-f1-slump-as-kiwi-looms/news-story/4c572b066f2d84c75a204c50c256b721

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.

[redmex]

redmex

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

redmex

George Russell is turning into such a big whinger or as Roy Keane described Andy Robertson 3x a baby

He’s constantly moaning about Lewis , he jumped out his car to “save ” Gaunyu at the 2022 Silverstone GP and now he’s screaming for a red flag when there are race marshalls at every part of the track  and everything is filmed

His collision with Bottas when both crashed out he took no blame for that yet I think he got off lightly and blamed it all on Bottas

Ok Alonso maybe did the dirty on him today but he constantly whinges

redmex

He’s just a baby

lol, big fan then? 😀

In fairness he didn’t actually whinge today, he said “I went off and that’s on me”

[redmex]

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

[redmex]

George Russell is turning into such a big whinger or as Roy Keane described Andy Robertson 3x a baby

He’s constantly moaning about Lewis , he jumped out his car to “save ” Gaunyu at the 2022 Silverstone GP and now he’s screaming for a red flag when there are race marshalls at every part of the track  and everything is filmed

His collision with Bottas when both crashed out he took no blame for that yet I think he got off lightly and blamed it all on Bottas

Ok Alonso maybe did the dirty on him today but he constantly whinges

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.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, even in that situation, Russell had worked out that a red flag would get him points and a safety car wouldn’t.

But he did also sound genuinely scared!

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..

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/formula-1/2024/03/25/george-russell-crash-fernando-alonso-harsh-punishment/