Formula 1 2024 – WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS

Oof, that sounds rubbish. We looked at camping on site but we’re taking the dog so can’t. Some of the nearby campsite hve special rates for this weekend  and cost a bloody fortune. We found a nice one about 35 mins drive away and the wife can drop us off so we can cycle down a nice looking easy cycle track that runs past the race track. Hopefully should make it easier to get in and out….

After the race weekend we’re carrying on holiday for another 2 weeks, heading down to the Alps.

Looking like a 10 place grid penalty is on the cards for Max at Spa. Cue more toys out of pram?

I also see Red Bull have had to tell him to go to bed at a sensible time instead of staying up gaming and then being a useless grumpy fecker the following day. Literally the same as parenting my 15 year old.

Looking like a 10 place grid penalty is on the cards for Max at Spa. Cue more toys out of pram?

Source?

Source?

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/verstappen-set-for-belgian-gp-f1-grid-penalty/10638215/

Can Verstappen keep his cool as pressure grows? Belgian GP talking points

Max Verstappen set for big grid penalty at Belgian Grand Prix – report

Max Verstappen set for big grid penalty at Belgian Grand Prix – report

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/verstappen-set-for-belgian-gp-f1-grid-penalty/10638215/

It was also mentioned a few races ago that one of his engines was beyond repair. And Spa is the obvious place to add a new one to the pool as it’s easy to overtake there.

He’s going to get an engine penalty somewhere, Spa is the obvious place to take it. Not confirmed though, just quite likely.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/its-race-week-5-storylines-were-excited-about-ahead-of-the-2024-belgian.19YCrfp3CahKrW1KT5uinZ

Is there anywhere one can see how many engies gearboxes a driver has used so far? I wonder if RB are better, worse, average for the rest of the grid?

2024 Used F1 Power Unit Elements & Gearboxes

Looking like a 10 place grid penalty is on the cards for Max at Spa. Cue more toys out of pram?

Source?

La Source

Cheers @the-muffin-man that makes for interesting reading. Those Honda engines don’t seem that robust…

Couldn’t be happening to a nicer person.

Shame it’s not a grid penalty for behaving like a childish **** though.

Ocon confirmed at HAAS

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/haas-signs-esteban-ocon-multi-year-f1-deal-explained/

Ocon and Bearman then. Good luck Ollie! 🙂

Is anybody confirmed at alpine alongside gasly?

Ocon’s history of joining teams that Hulk’s leaving.

https://x.com/wearetherace/status/1816402739045314769

Is anybody confirmed at alpine alongside gasly?

Mick Schumacher in the frame according to Helmet.

Autosport saying that Verstappen will have a grid penalty this weekend.

https://x.com/autosport/status/1816429453402103875

Shame it’s not a grid penalty for behaving like a childish **** though.

Genuinely surprised that he didn’t get a penalty for causing a collison at Hungary tbh

Genuinely surprised that he didn’t get a penalty for causing a collison at Hungary tbh

With the move on Hamilton? To be fair, Hamilton did turn in (it’s pretty easy to see hand movements when you wear bright yellow gloves…) so I’m a little surprised that Hamilton didn’t get one.

What’s less surprising is Verstappen complaining about “divebombing” one week and then doing it himself the next, and Marko claiming that Max was fully in control and would have made the corner. For a Red Bull employee, Helmut sure churns out a lot of Kool-Aid.

Teams that still have space(s) at the end of the year to fill…

Mercedes, Alpine, Williams, RB VisaMasterCardAmericanExpress, Haas, and maybe Red Bull?

Is that right?

Not Haas – Ollie Bearman and Ocon

IIRC, the stewards looked at the Max-Lewis crash and said that Lewis followed his normal racing line and left enough room for Max and that it was just a racing incident. Not every incident requires a penalty.

Oh, I’m certainly not saying it should have been a penalty, just that I wouldn’t have totally fallen off my seat if Hamilton had been given one. Max was clearly spearing across the racing line fully locked up after an attempt that would be generously described as optimistic (and only slightly less generously as desperate) so I’d agree that at that point it’s hard to point the finger at someone else for being the major cause.

I’ve seen some rumours on X that Red Bull have been given a ‘secret’ cease and desist order from the FIA, similar to the Ferrari one a few years back. Might explain the sudden drop in performance…

To be fair, Hamilton did turn in (it’s pretty easy to see hand movements when you wear bright yellow gloves…)

….. to go around the corner.

It probably helped the decision that Verstappen lost 2 places because of his own actions whereas Hamilton managed to keep his position without any lasting problems. Calling it a racing incident in that case is probably justified by the “let them race” desires of F1/FIA/stewards.

I’ve seen some rumours on X

I saw some rumours on X that J.D. Vance had sex with a sofa. I’m gonna consider it unconfirmed until I see it with my own eyes.

 J.D. Vance had sex with a sofa. I’m gonna consider it unconfirmed until I see it with my own eyes.

Some things my eyes do not want to see.

Anyway what was the ‘cease & desist’ supposedly for?

No one knows – the rumour has been around for a couple of weeks now.

Might explain the sudden drop in performance…

I don’t think there been one. The rest of the teams are just catching up. Reb Bull have themselves admitted that there’s les ‘development headroom’ in their car than everyone else has got. There’s now McLaren (who’ve most likely have the best overall car) The Mercedes – in its favoured conditions just about on par, and Ferrari – barring some duff upgrade dead ends has the speed if it can get its tyres to work.

….. to go around the corner.

Obviously, but equally obviously there was a car in the way.

Equally though Verstappen didn’t have track position (wasn’t far enough ahead at the apex) and as he locked both front tyres from way back was only ever going in a straight line and wasn’t ever going to get ’round the corner regardless of whether Hamilton was there or not.

I think had they appealed the stewards decision , Mercedes could’ve expected to make a strong case, as it was, Hamilton retained 3rd and RB suffered their own penalty by dropping two positions., there’s no point

A desperate out of control dive bomb into a corner, causing a collision and somehow it’s Hamiltons fault, go figure ? ?

I think the point of a penalty would be to discourage this kind of behaviour in the future. Shrugs.

I think the point would be to discourage this kind of behaviour in the future

LOL – that behaviour is wired into Max’s DNA!!! 🙂

“A desperate out of control dive bomb into a corner, causing a collision and somehow it’s Hamiltons fault, go figure”

I’m pretty sure no-one is saying it’s Hamilton’s fault

I’m pretty sure no-one is saying it’s Hamilton’s fault

Helmut & Max did

somehow it’s Hamiltons fault

Fault, not really. But he could have avoided it by delaying turn-in. Penalties are applied on the basis of whoever is “predominantly to blame”, which clearly would have been Verstappen in this case. (So, yes, I’m now contradicting myself: there’s no realistic way Hamilton would have been penalised—but at the time I raised an eyebrow when Hamilton claimed on the radio “I didn’t move the steering”—or words to that effect—when he clearly did so as Verstappen was alongside, and was surprised he risked breaking the suspension when he was in contention for a podium finish.)

The partisan part of me was quite satisfied, anyway.

Surely “I didn’t move the steering” meant “I’d already applied the ammount of steering input I needed to apply to make the corner” before Max lost control and dive bombed him?

I’m pretty sure no-one is saying it’s Hamilton’s fault

The stewards actually did.  They said that Lewis could’ve avoided the collision, but chose to turn in.  Max was fully locked at that point, so couldn’t then avoid the collision.  Had Max braked earlier, Lewis wouldn’t have had to avoid a collision.  Racing incident as both did something that had they not done, would’ve avoided a collision.

Lewis wasn’t taking about his steering into the corner, He was talking about moving under braking, which he didn’t do.  once he was slowed down, he turned into the corner.  That’s allowed, but had he turned just a little later, he could have avoided the collision.