Formula 1

[Kim Jong Il]

Hamilton

Vettel

Verstappen

Nothing really unexpected with the top three finishing places.

Mercedes may well be a bit disappointed that Bottas couldn't have done a little bit better.

Not much of a spectacle at the front but the mid field was entertaining at times, especially on the opening lap when a Renault ended upside down on the fence. Nobody hurt but the car had to be righted to get the driver out...a failing of the halo system??? Good job it wasn't on fire.

Fernando just missed out on getting a point in his retirement race but still got awarded Sky's driver of the day....must be because he managed to finish!

So that wraps up this season. Looking forward to 21 races next year with the cars in a different configuration. Will Mercedes prove to be dominant, will Vettel manage to keep his head together, will Honda wring another 60 horsepower out of that engine and make the Red Bull unbeatable....we shall see!

Finally, thanks to the guys who comment on this thread and keep it going.

[cbmgolfer]

How many more years of Hamilton winning easily do we have to endure?

was some reasonably interesting stuff at the beginning of this year, but Botas quickly went to his cuckold bitch position as soon as it looked like he might mount a run for the championship, and Ferrari outdid themselves in incompetence on a regular basis, while Red Bull built an impressive heap of broken engines.

IMO F1 is lost in terms of their brand ... it either has to be let the teams go all out in terms of technology and speed, which means you will have, maybe, 10 awesome cars breaking lap records and great racing, or do like Indy and equilibrate the performance of all the cars, have big fields and exciting races.

personally, I vote for option B.  Watching one guy run away every year is boring.

[PepeLePew]

On 14/09/2017 at 02:30, PepeLePew said:

Enaam Ahmed - Lots of people talking about this lad recently. Only 17, just dominated the BRDC GP3 season and looking at doing the Euro GP3 next year. Reminds me a lot of Hamilton, not just in his dominant aggressive style but in the way he comports himself. Also the fact that he doesn't come from money. 1 big difference is he has no backers at the moment and his parents are selling their house to finance his next season, Mansell style , so no pressure there then! You heard it here first, unless you already heard it elsewhere.

That said the last time I backed a youngster on PA it was Alexander Albon who, whilst still racing has not really shown any 'special' talent and therefore not had any F1 interest (I backed him to have an F1 test at some point) . He finished runner up to LeClerc in 2016 F3 but only managed 10th in F2 this year so a career in WEC or perhaps one of those American circle series beckons

Ok, so allow me a little 'I told you so' moment

Back in 2012 I predicted a young Thai driver would make it to F1, he was pretty handy behind the wheel and had Red Bull backing already.

Ok so my timing was a little out. I predicted he'd have a test in an F1 car by 2015 which as far as I know didn't happen and I owe someone a couple of bar fines on that. In fact by the end of 2012 he'd been dropped by Red Bull for some unknown non racing reasons which remain mysterious.

So I'm 3 years late

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2018/11/66604/

 

[PepeLePew]

9 hours ago, cbmgolfer said:

How many more years of Hamilton winning easily do we have to endure?

was some reasonably interesting stuff at the beginning of this year, but Botas quickly went to his cuckold bitch position as soon as it looked like he might mount a run for the championship, and Ferrari outdid themselves in incompetence on a regular basis, while Red Bull built an impressive heap of broken engines.

IMO F1 is lost in terms of their brand ... it either has to be let the teams go all out in terms of technology and speed, which means you will have, maybe, 10 awesome cars breaking lap records and great racing, or do like Indy and equilibrate the performance of all the cars, have big fields and exciting races.

personally, I vote for option B.  Watching one guy run away every year is boring.

Then for you F1 has been boring most years.

[cbmgolfer]

14 hours ago, PepeLePew said:

Then for you F1 has been boring most years.

Yea, pretty much.  I can’t remember the last race that had a fight for first place in the last 5 laps.  There is generally some decent racing in the mid-field, but the top team usually dominates the bulk of the races.  Mercedes in recent memory.  

At least when Rosberg fought Hamilton there was some drama ... this year Botas gladly got out of the way when asked.  Boring.  Tire strategy made a few races interesting this year, but really Mercedes still had the best car by far.

Ne t year, same same ... Lewis again.  Already decided.

[butterfly bob]

If Hamilton drove for Ferrari this year he would have still won the championship and had the most pole positions. But only because he had the best car. 

[PepeLePew]

On 28/11/2018 at 03:45, cbmgolfer said:

Yea, pretty much.  I can’t remember the last race that had a fight for first place in the last 5 laps.  There is generally some decent racing in the mid-field, but the top team usually dominates the bulk of the races.  Mercedes in recent memory.  

At least when Rosberg fought Hamilton there was some drama ... this year Botas gladly got out of the way when asked.  Boring.  Tire strategy made a few races interesting this year, but really Mercedes still had the best car by far.

Ne t year, same same ... Lewis again.  Already decided.

And that's how it's always been.

If you've tried and can't find the entertainment in it then it's probably not for you. I'd suggest CART or Nascar if you prefer a more randomised sport with a fight for first place in the last few laps

[aussieoutcast]

Getting pretty excited about the start of the 2019 season on Friday (P1 08:00 and P2 12:00 in Pattaya).

Obviously Vettel, Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas should be dominant again but hoping for a Ricciardo top 5 finish in his new Renault. 

Also, having 1 bonus point for fastest lap adds a nice twist 

[aussieoutcast]

Interesting about the fastest lap bonus point. With 7 fastest laps last year, Bottas would have come 3rd in the title rather than 5th

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[Taa_Saparot]

Well, that is a sad start to the new season.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/47564762

Charlie Whiting: F1 race director dies aged 66 on eve of season-opener in Melbourne

 

[cbmgolfer]

On 09/12/2018 at 12:28, PepeLePew said:

And that's how it's always been.

If you've tried and can't find the entertainment in it then it's probably not for you. I'd suggest CART or Nascar if you prefer a more randomised sport with a fight for first place in the last few laps

There’s this thing called "racing", which F1 has lacked in large part in recent years (decades).  2018 was admittedly better than 2016-17, but F1 is still lacking IMO.   I watch F1, but I get more enjoyment out of F2, the Indy 500 (usually), and US SCCA racing, where the competition is keen and the races are often close and exciting.

Go watch the video of Alonso hunting down P1 in the 24 hrs of Daytona last month in deteriorating weather conditions.  Great racing... and why he left F1.

[aussieoutcast]

Not a great start for Ricciardo in his new Renault. 17th in P1 and 8th in P2, but real concern is that Hulkenberg has outpaced him in testing and both practices.

If you're going to $48m for a driver, he definitely should be able to out drive the $6m team mate

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[funky310]

On 27/11/2018 at 03:14, cbmgolfer said:

How many more years of Hamilton winning easily do we have to endure? Plenty more pal, plenty more, until a driver worthy to challenge him comes along!

was some reasonably interesting stuff at the beginning of this year, but Botas quickly went to his cuckold bitch position as soon as it looked like he might mount a run for the championship Whilst Raikonnen really brought the fight to Vettel and didn't bend over for his team-mate all season lol!!, and Ferrari outdid themselves in incompetence on a regular basis or rather, Vettel made numerous stupid errors throughout the season, due to him being unable to deal with pressure, while Red Bull built an impressive heap of broken engines.

IMO F1 is lost in terms of their brand ... it either has to be let the teams go all out in terms of technology and speed, which means you will have, maybe, 10 awesome cars breaking lap records and great racing, or do like Indy and equilibrate the performance of all the cars, have big fields and exciting races. This argument is getting so old. F1 has been the same for 2 decades. Schumacher dominated with Ferrari for far longer than Hamilton has dominated with Mercedes and was more consistently superior. That's just the nature of F1 finance. However, fair play to Mercedes for reversing the pecking order against arrogant bullies Ferrari, who only dominated because they always receive a ridiculously larger share of F1 revenue purse than any other team, for no logical reason at all.

personally, I vote for option B.  Watching one guy run away every year is boring. Every single pundit commented that Ferrari had the superior package to Mercedes for most of last year. The fact is that Hamilton is just a superior driver whilst Vettel is a choker under pressure. The test is proving yourself in different and inferior machinery. Hamilton was grabbing pole positions and the occasional win with Mercedes even under the old V8 era, in the same way as Ricciardo and Verstappen are doing today. Meanwhile, as soon as the V6 era came in, Vettel started whining like a little girl that Red Bull couldn't build a car that he felt comfortable driving. Er, last time I checked, the driver adapts to the car, not the other way around!!

Meanwhile, Ricciardo just got on with it and made the most of the inferior package, allowing him to destroy Vettel in the standings. Result, Vettel threw his toys out the pram and quit Red Bull to find a team that will anoint the 'chosen one', bow down before him and give him unlimited funds/resources and preference over his team-mate on everything. Ferrari did that, and he STILL can't win! I suspect he will throw the same tantrum when Charles Leclerc breezes past him repeatedly this season. IMO, Vettel was only the 5th most gifted driver on the grid last year, after Hamilton, Alonso, Verstappen and Ricciardo. This year, I'm betting he will drop to 6th or lower.

 

[Evilfriar]

17 hours ago, aussieoutcast said:

Not a great start for Ricciardo in his new Renault. 17th in P1 and 8th in P2, but real concern is that Hulkenberg has outpaced him in testing and both practices.

If you're going to $48m for a driver, he definitely should be able to out drive the $6m team mate

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He's less than a tenth of a sec behind Hulkenberg in a new car to him that Hulkenburg has been driving for 2 years, think he's doing ok.

Practice and testing isn't racing, time will tell as the season unfolds.

Cheers

[aussieoutcast]

After watching the 'Drive to Survive' doco on Netflix, I'm more interested in the best of the rest construction championship this year.

After race 1 this would be Haas (magnusson 6th), which could have beaten Red Bull points if not for yet another pit stop stuff up causing Grosjean to retire. Hulkenburg had a good race for Renault in 7th, but Ricciardo not such a good debut.

Also, very surprised Gasly's Red Bull could not get passed Torro Rosso for 10th.


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[Taa_Saparot]

Surprised there has been so little talk in Thailand of Alex Albon driving this year.

Edited March 17, 2019 by Taa_Saparot

[keepitfun]

Shhhhhhhhh all the cabbies will be even more adventurous if you tell them.

[keepitfun]

On 16/03/2019 at 13:01, Evilfriar said:

He's less than a tenth of a sec behind Hulkenberg in a new car to him that Hulkenburg has been driving for 2 years, think he's doing ok.

Practice and testing isn't racing, time will tell as the season unfolds.

Cheers

I’m biased.    I think a smiling friendly Riciado will bring more to Renault than Hulkenberg.   Season is young.

[Macawber]

Daniel Riccardo.. home GP.. big chance to make a statement.. alas, a massive failure AGAIN.. he's the Alicia Molik of Formula1.. 

[jerry]

Quite a few surprises today ... 

- Mercedes number one , no surprise there but the easy Bottas drove away from Hamilton was surprising . 

- Ferrari , Vettel not able to keep up with the Mercs is one but getting passed by a Red Bull with a Honda engine was surprising . Leclerc as to be expected Vettel's little bitch ... no surprise there . 

- Red Bull , a bit two sided ... Max passing Vettel on power and even keeping up with Hamilton quite easy was surprising ... as was the struggle of Gasly for 10th place and not even able to get passed Kvyat in the Toro Rosso .  

- Haas ... how difficult is it to get a wheel on a car ...? Surprisingly difficult for Haas it seems . Still best of the rest but get rid of that clown Grosjean . 

- Renault ... 2 top drivers but the car is , surprisingly , still sub top ... Good result for Hulk though . Ricci should have known his home circuit a bit better ... 

- Alfa Romeo racing , well done Kimi ... not sure what that Giovinazzi guy is doing on a race track though ...

- Racing Point Mercedes , Stroll seems to be not as bad as many people think he is ... putting the car in the points while Perez didn't even come close . 

- Toro Rosso , as expected . Kvyat in the points (just) and Thai newcomer Albon did what he had to do , finish the race . 

- Mc Laren , disappointing Sainz , good drive from newcomer Norris . The design from Mc Laren seems to be the problem as it doesn't matter what engine you put in there ... they blow up . 

- Williams ... 555 ... time for the old lady to get out of there and let a few experts get this show back on the road . It's getting pathetic now . 

[butterfly bob]

6 hours ago, jerry said:

Quite a few surprises today ... 

- Mercedes number one , no surprise there but the easy Bottas drove away from Hamilton was surprising . 

- Ferrari , Vettel not able to keep up with the Mercs is one but getting passed by a Red Bull with a Honda engine was surprising . Leclerc as to be expected Vettel's little bitch ... no surprise there . 

- Red Bull , a bit two sided ... Max passing Vettel on power and even keeping up with Hamilton quite easy was surprising ... as was the struggle of Gasly for 10th place and not even able to get passed Kvyat in the Toro Rosso .  

- Haas ... how difficult is it to get a wheel on a car ...? Surprisingly difficult for Haas it seems . Still best of the rest but get rid of that clown Grosjean . 

- Renault ... 2 top drivers but the car is , surprisingly , still sub top ... Good result for Hulk though . Ricci should have known his home circuit a bit better ... 

- Alfa Romeo racing , well done Kimi ... not sure what that Giovinazzi guy is doing on a race track though ...

- Racing Point Mercedes , Stroll seems to be not as bad as many people think he is ... putting the car in the points while Perez didn't even come close . 

- Toro Rosso , as expected . Kvyat in the points (just) and Thai newcomer Albon did what he had to do , finish the race . 

- Mc Laren , disappointing Sainz , good drive from newcomer Norris . The design from Mc Laren seems to be the problem as it doesn't matter what engine you put in there ... they blow up . 

- Williams ... 555 ... time for the old lady to get out of there and let a few experts get this show back on the road . It's getting pathetic now . 

Sky implied Hamilton was given preferential treatment for pitting first. They did exactly the same to the number 2 car last season to defend against the undercut - usually to Bottas. 

Gasly has a tendency to make excuses. He is going to have a long season thinking of them with Verstappen as a team mate.

Giovinazzi took over the rolling road-block duties from Sirotkin. They should team up. 

Renault engines always seem to blow up more for their customers than their own team. 

[cbmgolfer]

On 15/03/2019 at 10:41, funky310 said:

 

Yea, Hamilton is such a great driver that he did his usual shite start, and spent the entire race whining about why he was behind his teammate.  He has only one person to beat.  I’m sure by next race they will explain to Botas that he is number two, and we will see order restored.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Botas was DNF due to mechanical issues for the next few races.  That will teach him his place.

the Sebring 12 hrs race was pretty good this weekend, too bad you missed that racing.

[roger buttmore]

Any of you guys know of a TV channel or youtube channel which shows all the press conferences?

Ideally, both pre-race and post-race for both the drivers and the team principles?

These enjoyable elements always seem to be sadly represented, apart from just the occasional snippet.

[felix the cat]

It was such a boring race, nothing happened! Only Riccardo demolishing his front spoiler on the 1st lap.....after that nothing exciting happened 

[aussieoutcast]

Well except for Verstappen passing Vettel for 3rd, and LeClerc in his first race with Ferrari being able to beat 4 times champion Vettel, but not allowed by team orders

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