The Motorsport Thread (Part 2)

[vanilla.coffee]

I wonder if the engine change for Lewis will be something they do for all the remaining races?
It's got to be worth it for a 5 place grid drop as the net gain from that new engine meant Lewis passed 15 cars in 24 laps.

[Blumf]

Was a particularly sarcastic race: "Of course man, of course." "Yeah, perfect. Say hi.", amongst other radio chatter.

I wonder how much difference the new engine made to Hamilton's drive, as I'd guess the tyres are still the main factor, especially when you get up to the top 6 and really have to start fighting for those passes. But then, the overtakes were happening on/just after the straights, where the power counts.

[Ambient Sheep]

I wonder if the engine change for Lewis will be something they do for all the remaining races?
It's got to be worth it for a 5 place grid drop as the net gain from that new engine meant Lewis passed 15 cars in 24 laps.

Yeah, been wondering the same thing: presumably running the engine at its limits for one weekend rather than gently for six or seven means the extra power can overcome the grid-drop penalty.

I expect they'll find a way to outlaw it soon.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Terrific f1 season though, and the rivalry is reaching 2000s Ferrari/McLaren level.

Two equally irritating team principals who have devolved to hirsuite men fighting over a bald wig. Two supremely talented drivers in similar level machinery. The potential irony of Honda being a maligned engine supplier who break Mercedes hold on this era (then quit the sport). Genuinely fantastic races with some freak results. Still some garbage like Mexico, sadly but the % of intriguing races has been higher than at any point since the Maldonado win season.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Yeah, it's been a great season, just in time for them to push the reset button on the regulations and spread the field back out again.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Yeah, it's been a great season, just in time for them to push the reset button on the regulations and spread the field back out again.

The overtaking is a massive problem though it is certain circuits that accentuate it and are almost working against any opportunities for cars to pass on track.

[Alberon]

The footage of Verstappen's steering wheel when both he and Hamilton went off the track has been found.

Mercedes has demanded a review

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas team confirmed that we have today requested a Right of Review under Article 14.1.1 of the International Sporting Code, in relation to the Turn 4 incident between Car 44 and Car 33 on lap 48 of the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix, on the basis of new evidence unavailable to the Stewards at the time of their decision.

Can't see it achieving anything except increase tensions between Mercedes and Red Bull.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

The stewards didn't even merit it worthy of investigating did they? So even if there was steering wheel footage available they still might not have chosen to see it.

I very much doubt anything will happen from that incident. Or even that it ought to happen.

[Wonderful Butternut]

The stewards didn't even merit it worthy of investigating did they?

No, but allegedly FOM hadn't yet made the in car footage from Verstappen available to them at the time.

Presumably they had telemetry though, so idk how the in car footage changes a thing, other than letting people screech about it on Twitter and Reddit.

[Jasha]

Just Mercedes putting a bit of lean on the stewards in the remaining 3 races

[Wonderful Butternut]

Just Mercedes putting a bit of lean on the stewards in the remaining 3 races

Possibly. Although keeping schtum about it might help Lewis get away with a similar slightly naughty one later.

[Ambient Sheep]

Zhou confirmed.  Giovanazzi off to Formula E.  Oscar Piastri reserve driver at Alpine.

[Blumf]

Frank Williams gone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/59453378

Sir Frank Williams, founder and former team principal of the Williams Racing Formula 1 team, has died aged 79.

He built the team named after him into one of the most successful in the sport.

During his time with Williams, the team won nine constructors' championships and seven drivers' titles, and dominated much of the 1980s and 1990s.

If you're reading this thread, you know who Williams was and how big his team was back in the 80s and 90s.

[shoulders]

RIP Frank, pretty much the central figure of the sport when I started watching at the end of the 80s and start of the 90s.

The decline of the team after 1997 was startling, and lots of self-inflicted errors thereafter. They had a couple of chances to win more GPs after Maldonado's win that they messed up, which was a real shame.

No idea how much longer the Williams name will feature but it feels like it belongs in another era.

[aunt mildred]

Oh no Max, you didn't even need to be that fast in the last sector.

I've nothing against Lewis and think he's an incredible driver but I want Verstappen to win this year, just because I'm bored of Lewis winning every year. That Red Bull is quick as fuck all of a sudden, hopefully it's a great race with neither of them getting taken out so it's down to the wire.

[shoulders]

Watch Bottas yet again fail to offer Lewis any wingman support.

[shoulders]

So the BBC have the race live on the Sport website... when is the  race then? You'd think there would be a big advert, instead fuck all.

[Alberon]

Surely, that's just audio coverage, though? It's on about five-ish, I think.

That final lap from Verstappen was on the absolute ragged edge, there was no margin for error. Thankfully he seems to have avoided needing a replacement gearbox.

The safety car is going to be out a lot today I think.

[WhoMe]

Perhaps they could introduce a rule that the inlap must be within a certain margin of your qualifying time, say 10 seconds. Just seems inevitable that a car on a hot lap is going to smash into a slow car one day, especially on tight tracks like this where there's no visibility beyond the corner you're zooming around at 160 mph.

[shoulders]

I think the BBC were trailing that they have the actual race, full coverage this time.

[Blumf]

This Jeddah circuit looks like a right bastard to overtake on. So it's either going to be utterly dull, or full-on everybody crashing into reach other.

Why did a rich country with plenty of space not build a proper track?

As for qualifying, watching Max going balls to the wall was astounding, and sums him up to a T. Respect the bravery and commitment, but he needs to learn to think strategically. He's lucky the crash wasn't worse.

[Ambient Sheep]

Fuck you, Masi, why didn't you call the red flag in the first place?

Ah well, Mick may have inadvertently ensured that his Dad's record won't be beaten.

[Blumf]

Fucking hell! What a mess of a race. Looks like the protocol for giving position needs tightening up.

[shoulders]

Yet another dud Tilkedrome only enlivened by safety car events.

[Crenners]

Max gonna end up in a fireball soon 👍

[Ambient Sheep]

The stewards have just found Max guilty of causing the collision with Lewis.

They've given him a 10-second penalty, which makes no difference to the race result at all.

EDIT: and two penalty points.

[Alberon]

Max just expecting everyone to get out of the way no matter what manoeuvre he pulls is going to cause a big accident at some point.

That circuit needs some work though. It seems unlikely they can get through any F1 race without a red flag and a bucket of safety cars.

Still, equal points into the last race.

[Blumf]

Yet another dud Tilkedrome only enlivened by safety car events.

Tilkedrome Jr.^[*] Two generations of mediocre 'race' track designs now.

[Ambient Sheep]

Jesus:

"In deciding to penalise the driver of Car 33, the key point for the Stewards was that the driver of Car 33 then braked suddenly (69 bar) and significantly, resulting in 2.4g deceleration."

(From a Twitter thread by the BBC's Andrew Benson.)

Seems a bit of a light penalty for what seems to be a confirmed brake-test.

[vanilla.coffee]

Jesus:

(From a Twitter thread by the BBC's Andrew Benson.)

Seems a bit of a light penalty for what seems to be a confirmed brake-test.

Knowing Lewis was right there behind him in his wheel tracks. For that alone I hope Lewis wins next weekend to show the little petulant virgin boy who's man.