F1 2020 Season

First topic message reminder :

That said id rather the default position be racing incidents unless someone does something dangerous. We do want people to try to overtake even if it goes wrong at times

I think that's somewhat fair on Russell. The Kubica and Latifi comparisons however don't really hold weight when they've been miles off the pace and ended up with a couple of lucky weekends.

Totos going to protect his client but at this point Ocons more likely to be driving for Mercedes in Formula E than F1 after next year

I think Russell will be truly gutted. If he had kept his car on the track he would have won his first points. He was sitting in 10th and would have moved up to 9th when Albon spun out. Big, big chance blown.

Haas currently working on a double deal for Ferrari pair Mick Schumacher and Callum Illot - Ferrari would subsidise both drivers, but they also subsidise Giovinazzi so remains to be seen what deal Haas can manufacturer. Mazepin is the backup option

Night race on a Saudi street circuit from next year, moving to a track in 2023.

Because when you already go to Bahrain, Frak it, why not

No surprise. LM lining their pockets, having endured a financial hit during Covid.

Enjoyed the new tracks this year, but the calendar was always going to return to its usual haunts next year, where the big promotors have always paid more.

Vietnam off next year's calendar which is no real loss to anyone

The Jeddah GP will be the penultimate race next year.

Brazil is still listed as at Sao Paolo but still dependent on F1 agreeing a new contract.

Empty slot left open for a Vietnam replacement

GSC wrote:The Jeddah GP will be the penultimate race next year.

Brazil is still listed as at Sao Paolo but still dependent on F1 agreeing a new contract.

Empty slot left open for a Vietnam replacement

BBC reported that the issue is between LM and the promoter, who had close ties to Bernie. A different promoter and Interlagos will be back on the calendar.

As for the Vietnam replacement, surely they've got to go back to one of the tracks used this year (Portimao, Nurbergring or Mugello) and let them make some money.

GSC wrote:Night race on a Saudi street circuit from next year, moving to a track in 2023.

Because when you already go to Bahrain, Frak it, why not

Bleh. There is just something about night races that feels wrong to me.

The environmentalist in me doesn't like the sight of circuits bathed in the glow of hundreds of lights that practically make it seem like midday. The sport already has a high enough carbon footprint as it is.

Also street circuits turn out to be processions, more often than not. To be fair Jeddah looks like a nice layout, but seems like it will be another "driver's track". Fun to whizz round, but not producing a great racing spectacle.

After that, with the new regs, they might all become good race tracks...

Red flag for a little rain - stupid sport

Treacherous conditions causes the red flag in Q1. Think the bigger issue was that there was no grip on this resurfaced track in the dry, either. Mistake coming back to Turkey, it appears.

Just bad timing I guess. Also a consequence of scrambling around, trying to find places to host races at short notice.

If the rain doesn't ease up soon and allow the track to dry a bit, they may have to finish quali tomorrow morning.

I was clenching just watching them try to drive round, so god knows what it must've been like for the drivers.

Grosjean beaches it, and another red flag

Russell, Magnussen, Grosjean, Kyvat and Latifi out in Q1
Norris, Vettel, Sainz, Leclerc and Gasly out in Q2

Looking like this could be Red Bull's race.

RB 1 & 2 in Q2, with Albon half a second quicker than Hamilton.  Bottas only 7th fastest.

McLaren really struggling in 11th and 13th. Both Alfa Romeos through to Q3.

Stroll Pole

Olly must be creaming

Imagine if he could drive, eh

Imagine if Racing Point hasn't wasted their time with some Mexican pay driver and the bosses son

Just John wrote:Stroll Pole

Olly must be creaming

He's probably already passed out amid a huge pile of used tissues. Will probably come around just in time for lights out tomorrow...


Well that was a pretty crazy quali.

Certainly didn't expect RP to show so strongly, but they gatecrashed Red Bull's party...today anyway.

Congrats to Lance on beating Perez. Valiant effort by Verstappen but just a couple of tenths short. Expect both Max and Sergio to show their superior racing skills tomorrow. Albon in a decent position but still 1.5 sec off his team mate.

Wonder whats going on with Mercedes? Hamilton used to be the Rain Master. Will their race pace be any better?

Renault looking in pretty good shape again, but probably won't improve on their quali positions.

More rain expected tomorrow so could be an equally interesting race.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Imagine if he could drive, eh

Calm down mate, its only 1 race. If he starts delivering on a consistent basis then you can start with the, "I told you so's".

He's got 2 podiums in F1 and now a pole at age 22 driving in backmarker to upper midfield cars. Anyone else had that resume we'd be calling them a future star

Mercedes Achilles heel has been low grip circuits that feature a lot of slower corners, which given most of the fast corners here are now flat, has come to bear I suspect

GSC wrote:He's got 2 podiums in F1 and now a pole at age 22 driving in backmarker to upper midfield cars. Anyone else had that resume we'd be calling them a future star

Oh Jesus - are you going Olly on us as well now?

You're calling the car that won the title for Mercedes last year a "backmarker car" (even if RP have done their best to ruin it)?

A single pole position is nothing to crow about. Remember Hulk in Brazil for Williams? Even Pastor Maldonado managed a win. Stroll has generally been out-performed by Perez, so if Lance is a future star, what does that say about Sergio?

Theres a reason they say "one swallow does not a Summer make".

The Williams he drove certainly was. The point is he achieved these results while not driving in a top team.

Perez is 30 years old with over 150 GP starts. We criticise Lance for not beating him while touting Perez for a drive in the 2nd best car on the grid.

Also 2 podiums and a pole at age 22 is no longer 1 swallow. Don't think you have to go full Olly/Marky to recognise he's a young driver who keeps improving.

The lengths people will go to, to try and hold onto their incorrect opinions on him is very funny.

Was he put into a car earlier than he should’ve been? yeah sure, but a kid isn’t going to turn that down and even in that rookie season he became the second youngest driver to get a podium (after cutting short a budding career in the minor leagues where he was winning against peers who have also made F1) but give the kid some credit, he’s clearly got a whole whole lot better in the last 12-18 months. And that was a seriously great lap today.

Hopefully we get a spicy race tomorrow weather wise too - be good to see the Mercs actually having to face a challenge for once

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Hopefully we get a spicy race tomorrow weather wise too

It’s wet. Absolute lottery.

Norris five place grid penalty
Sainz three place grid penalty

Superb stuff from Stroll so far. RP 1-2

1-2 for RP, the Mercs vanishing to the back, and Vettel backing up the field in 3rd is probably more than they dreamed of

That said id be amazed if we didn't see the SC

Verstappen got too excited and spins it. Potential penalty too.

Bottas having a mare

Perez and Albon catching Stroll

Racing Point have no pace on the intermediates

Too much water off the racing line to brake efficiently. Will Perez play the team game here.

Hamilton needs to move sharpish on Vettel if he's going to be in this race at the finish. Looking like somebody's gonna get a statement win

Vettel and Hamilton quicker than the leaders

Albon spins. Perez 2 secs off Stroll

Racing Point engineers

Hamilton takes the lead

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Racing Point engineers

Tin pot outfit. Absolute panic stations

Stroll going backwards

Hamilton extending the lead. Ferrari’s coming alive

Stroll absolutely stitched up by his own team.

I look forward to dyrewolfe coming on to desperately tell us how it was all Stroll's fault.

That's a shame but RP just didn't have the pace to run that high once the wets came off. Not many strategy options to get around that

Bottas about to be lapped by Hamilton as he spins for the 5,000 time this race

GSC wrote:That's a shame but RP just didn't have the pace to run that high once the wets came off. Not many strategy options to get around that

Even Stroll questioned the decision. Leaving him out (like they did with Perez) would have left Stroll still crawling around in about 3rd place.

Sure but you have to try for the win in that position.

Also Perez is one of the better drivers on the grid at tyre wear and his look like they're almost slick tyres

Superb management on these tyres from Hamilton and Perez

Max might feel this was a win he threw away

Hamilton wins and becomes a seven time F1 World Champion

Perez second. Superb drive

Vettel in third

Leclerc being a spaz

Anyone not voting Hamilton driver of the day shouldn’t be allowed to watch the sport

Nice moment for Vettel to get 3rd. He'll appreciate the significance of this moment historically