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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 8, 2021 19:48:25 GMT
the-race.com/junior/ferrari-has-just-signed-its-next-charles-leclerc/Sounds like Ollie Bearman could be the next Lando Norris. I'd heard the name because he was favourite for the BRDC young driver award, but I hadnt appreciated the level of success he's had. Hopefully he does get a Prema F3 drive next season as it's always fun to have some prospects to follow in the support races.
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Post by Red_Bool on Nov 9, 2021 15:05:35 GMT
Not the most exciting race of the season last, but me and my boys had some fun anyway: Bottas not being able to overtake Ricciardo was like a running gag (with that dramatic pitstop adding injury to insult) Funniest moment however was Max overtaking Valtteri again when he wanted to have a go at the fastest lap. That in itself was already funny, but the boardradio was priceless. His engineer telling him in a very parenting voice to "Let him go Max, just let him go" and Max answering with childish innocence "but he was in my way!"  |
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 12, 2021 23:13:34 GMT
Looks like Hamilton might lose pole for a technical infringement.
If so, I fear that's pretty much it for this year's Championship but rules are rules so it's hard to have any sympathy.
Mercedes and Hamilton have contrived to screw up almost every weekend when they've actually had a car advantage since May and ultimately they don't deserve the Championship.
Felt like this weekend was really a must win to take it to the wire, but he was already facing a 5 place engine penalty and starting at the back will make it almost impossible unless it rains.
I guess it'll make the sprint race slightly better but realistically, by the time Hamilton gets near the front on Sunday, Verstappen will have a full pitstop's worth of advantage.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 12, 2021 23:16:09 GMT
Yup be all but done now. Merc been very disappointing. So many silly errors and I can't see a way back from this one
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Solid-SCB-
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 12, 2021 23:26:38 GMT
They really have gone Ferrari 2018 about this Championship. Fascinating to see a team that's looked so efficient for 7 years flap when the screw's been turned.
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Post by Psychotext on Nov 13, 2021 0:23:02 GMT
I guess it'll make the sprint race slightly better but realistically, by the time Hamilton gets near the front on Sunday, Verstappen will have a full pitstop's worth of advantage. He has a huge advantage over most other cars though, so don't be surprised to see him finish in the top five of the sprint race. Would still be 10th for the race, sure... but all it takes is a safety car or two to put him in contention. |
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 0:29:53 GMT
If the rear wing needs a fundamental change it'll surely mean a pit lane start which will add a bit of time needed to catch the pack. That being said they'll be a bit more spread out which could make life a little easier.
I'd say a podium isn't out of the question on Sunday depending on how much of today's advantage was the new ICE and not the widened DRS opening. He needs 2nd though really, I think I remember seeing that 3rd or lower means Max doesn't even need to finish in 2nd at all of the other races. It's a huge cock up.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 5:36:50 GMT
Looking like a plot twist. Max to be called in first thing.
There is footage of max touching the back of the merc after qualifying. I don't know how easy it would be to mess with those wings but if it's something you could do by hand then maybe that will be the merc get out of jail.
I don't believe max actually did anything but mercs stance will be "prove he didn't?"
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 13, 2021 9:20:01 GMT
Again it's a rules are rules situation for Max. He should know by now that you can't just go around touching cars in parc ferme. You'd think that was bleeding obvious given the mm tolerances involved in legality. Feels like a slam dunk as well to me. I have no idea what the appropriate penalty is mind you.
According to The Race the investigation into Hamilton's wing came from Red Bull raising a query. Total conjecture but I wonder if Red Bull have been sat on this suspicion for a while waiting for the right moment. They haven't been threatened by Merc pace for quite a while until yesterday.
Max may have been told to "go over and draw attention to the rear wings whilst the TV cameras are on you" to add some PR pressure. If so, that's pretty smart (right up to the point he touched it anyway, which was distinctly dumb). It's all in the game after all.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 10:08:00 GMT
Merc were strong prior to the "red bull circuits" them being up there isn't that unusual. Max had problems with his wing last weekend and yesterday so was probably just being nosey. Vettel used to do it all the time.
That said because he touched it, you now have the issue that merc could argue he "tainted the crime scene" as its the very specific part brought into question.
Prior to the video of max its a slam dunk penalty for merc.
Now max has touched it its too murky. If I was to bet......
Max to get a warning
Lewis to be left as is due to above
Either way merc have really made things difficult for themselves this season and will probably be thier undoing. Almost feel they relied on max letting the pressure get to him. Just don't don't that will happen.
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 11:08:44 GMT
It's like someone decided to make Drive to Survive canon this season. The handbags have been on another level.
Maybe Red Bull should get Albon to spend the afternoon playing around with rear wings in parc ferme conditions.
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 13, 2021 12:36:49 GMT
From the race:
"The stewards hearing was adjourned because some evidence was not yet available. The Race understands this to be footage from the rear-facing cameras, which needed to be downloaded and assessed.
Footage like this will allow for specific observations of the rear wing on-track rather than relying solely on the post-race check.
This could be especially relevant given footage appeared on Friday evening showing Verstappen’s upper rear wing element apparently bending unusually with the DRS activated, although Verstappen’s rear wing did not fail any post-qualifying checks."
Sounds like a good old-fashioned F1 political clusterfuck.
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Post by Psychotext on Nov 13, 2021 13:50:11 GMT
So Verstappen should be out of his stewards meeting at this point, and Merc should be in... probably not long before we find out what's going on.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 14:14:57 GMT
Hoping if Lewis does go to the back we see "still I rise" hamilton engage his final form to get into top three.
Not "come on guys" hamilton struggling to pass mazapin
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 14:43:28 GMT
15min before practice. We need answers! Answeeeeeeeerrrrrs
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Post by Red_Bool on Nov 13, 2021 14:47:31 GMT
Lewis can still do the practice. They're allowed to use a different rear wing (because the original was impounded)
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Post by Psychotext on Nov 13, 2021 15:04:20 GMT
Some stewards buying yachts this year? Negotiations ongoing...  |
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 15:08:31 GMT
Farce really. Again.
Both the protagonists (teams not drivers) and the people in charge of keeping the rules are trying their hardest to take the shine off an excellent championship battle.
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 16:48:11 GMT
€50k fine for Max.
Stewards deem "No direct harm caused" however, so Merc don't have a leg to stand on and you'd have to guess it'll be a pit lane start.
I can't remember seeing a fine that big for a driver before. So it's clearly a very big "No one do this again" message to the rest of the field. No more Seb rolling the cars around after the race anymore.
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 13, 2021 17:47:12 GMT
Hamilton DQ'd from qualifying.
Both seem fair enough to me really. Verstappen deserves punishment but realistically he's not strong enough to bend a part that takes hundreds of kilos of load down a straight.
Valteri has to send it into T1 for Merc doesn't he. At least make it hard for red bull.
I'd guess from the back in 24 laps Hamilton can maybe get to about 8th-10th. So that would be starting 13th to 15th tomorrow.
What's even worse for Hamilton is that it's a sprint race weekend. Rather than just losing a very likely 25pts for the race tomorrow he's also lost 3pts today. Very hard to come back from that, especially as it takes all pressure off Max and Red Bull. They can play safe from now on.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 17:48:34 GMT
And that will be that. Sure Lewis will push it to the end but max has it now.
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 17:56:51 GMT
He seems to have a hell of a car under him this weekend so it could at least finally make one of these sprints an entertaining watch.
I still think he makes it on the podium tomorrow but he really needed that 2nd or even win he'd have been capable of with just the 5 place penalty. 3rd or below and Max can probably move one eye over to reliability for the remaining races and nurse his car home Rosberg style.
Start will be extremely interesting. Bottas has seemed about as interested in stopping Red Bull so far as I am in cricket but I wonder if he fancies being the guy who won the most sprint races in its first season.
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Post by damagedinc on Nov 13, 2021 17:58:27 GMT
Listening to him on the beyond the grid podcast he will want that win.
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Post by Psychotext on Nov 13, 2021 18:27:28 GMT
I'm all but certain he'll end up on the podium tomorrow. That Merc is a fucking monster and it's trivial to overtake at Brazil (plus safety cars are fairly common).
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 19:50:55 GMT
Bottas and Verstappen 12 seconds up the road after 13 laps. It's absolutely ridiculous. This surely can't happen anymore next season.
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Post by TheSaint on Nov 13, 2021 20:04:31 GMT
Very entertaining sprint and a good argument for reverse grid races.
Nice drive from Lewis especially that late move on Lando.
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 13, 2021 20:04:54 GMT
The new engine effect of the Merc is apparently much bigger then the Honda. They suffer worse degredation. Interestingly though, Hamilton looks especially fast in sector 2 more than anywhere else.
That was a fairly mega effort from Lewis. Didn't put a foot wrong and didn't pass up on an opportunity. Still, extrapolate the 17s gap to third and it's reasonable that by the time he gets to that point tomorrow he'll be 20s back. Plus he's lost another 2 championship points.
Probably just about done enough to keep his hopes alive by a thread (and has Max's bad start to thank as well), but still feel like he somehow has to outscore Max tomorrow.
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Post by Whizzo on Nov 13, 2021 20:05:05 GMT
Mercedes have to be happy with that, Bottas doing the business from right from the start and Hamilton slicing through the field like a man possessed.
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Post by muddyfunster on Nov 13, 2021 20:08:35 GMT
Yeah best sprint race so far which totally makes the point that reverse grid is key to them actually being entertaining. Conversely no one other than Lewis substantially changed position.
Norris on Leclerc was great though.
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Post by Solid-SCB- on Nov 13, 2021 20:08:46 GMT
I said podium, bit the win isn't out of the question on that pace. He won't be stuck behind Sainz for 24 laps like bloody Perez so I don't think he'll end up cast adrift to the same extent. Straight line speed on that straight is otherworldly.
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