F1 German GP Thread - Contains Qualifying & Race Spoilers as usual

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :

Ain't doing it no one reads it anyway

[nathan]

Does GSC have an opinion on the incident or just Hamilton supporters views?

[GSC]

He was in the wrong and he was rightly punished for it.

Don't really have a view on whether it was too lenient or not, at least it was picked up unlike when Max used to just swerve in front of people on straights

[dyrewolfe]

Vettel not even man enough to acknowledge the incident

Yeah - pretty disgraceful...and he has the nerve to say they should act like grown men. What a hypocrite...


Would also like to give a shout out to the Ferrari and Force India pit crews, who really earned their money today, getting Kimi and Perez back out after the red flag.

[nathan]

They did a great job although picked up a penalty for it.

[dyrewolfe]

Just read something interesting: Vettel apparently has 9 points on his licence, going back to the British GP last season. If he picks up any more at the Austrian GP, he could miss the Silverstone race.

I expect he'll be much better behaved...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/40400424

The short-term problem is that three penalty points he received in addition to the penalty mean he now has nine on his licence for driving offences. Twelve in a calendar year triggers an automatic race ban.

The tally started at the British Grand Prix last year, when Vettel was given two points for driving Felipe Massa's Williams off the track. He received two more for causing a collision with Nico Rosberg's Mercedes in Malaysia and another two for driving dangerously in Mexico, the same race he told Whiting over the radio where to go using a four-letter word.

So Vettel will have to watch himself at the next race in Austria on 9 July or he risks missing the subsequent race in Silverstone seven days later.

The longer-term issue is his anger management - or lack of it - in the car. This is not the first time Vettel has lost control of his emotions behind the wheel, although it is the first time the result has been him deliberately driving into another car in this manner.

[Born Slippy]

Really bad luck for Hamilton - very bizarre thing to go wrong. Would be really frustrating if he loses a championship for a second year running due to problems with the car.

As for Vettel, I thought a 10 sec stop go was probably fair enough for the original error in driving into the back of Hamilton. However, seems rather light for the subsequent side swipe.

[Fernando]

[Fernando]

FIA are re-examining the Vet/Ham incident.

[GSC]

Common sense has prevailed and the FIA will take no further action and Vettel will apologise publically.

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

Robert Kubica set to have a second Test with Renault. The impossible dream may well become a reality for the Pole. Renault wasting their second car with Palmer

[GSC]

I'd love to see Kubica back but still not sure a full return is realistic.

[Fernando]

British GP leaving Silverstone in 2019

[Guest]

All that will happen is that they will run down the existing contract done by Ecclestone & the previous ownership, and then they will re-negotiate & re-sign from 2020 onwards, on a cheaper contract created by Liberty. Carey highlighted the importance of Silverstone & his reluctance to lose the 'classic' races from the calendar.

[Fernando]

Lewis has a 5 place gearbox pen for this weekend. 

Im sure he'll be on the radio by lap 12 going can Valteri back Seb up please.

[GSC]

Bottas out qualifying him would be a bonus

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

Brake failure for Hamilton in FP3

[dyrewolfe]

British GP leaving Silverstone in 2019

No news about where it will be held after then?

[GSC]

Bottas has life

[dyrewolfe]

Well that was a weird quali. Lots of drivers struggling for grip in the corners and all manner of wiggling and sliding going on.

Hamilton fluffs his final run, Grosjean stalled on the track prevents another attempt and he finishes 3rd. Will start 8th courtesy of a gearbox penalty.

Bottas on pole - will be of some consolation to Lewis I suppose, but Vettel starting 2nd should extend his championship lead even further this weekend.

[GSC]

Power track, if Bottas can get off the line he should win this race.

[GSC]

Bottas got off the line at least a split second before Vettel, Vettel thinks he jumped.

[GSC]

Sainz gets an awful start, Alonso and Kvyat jump him, Kvyat locked up and wipes out Alonso and Verstappen at T1

[GSC]

Bottas under investigation for a jump start

[GSC]

Dirty air in the second half of the lap is given Kimi enough of a buffer in the first sector atm

[GSC]

No jump start for Bottas

[GSC]

Wehrlein doing a lovely job of being lapped

[GSC]

F1 cars are way too complicated, Ferrari having to tell Kimi to input some code at 200 mph

[GSC]

Barring a SC or other shenanigans, the podium looks largely set at this point.

[GSC]

Stoffel with a lovely move around the outside of a Sauber.

Shame its for P14

[GSC]

Perez overtakes Bottas.

Well unlapping himself. Bottas will not be impressed

[GSC]

Ferrari have Bottas in a trap here, if he pits, hes going to be behind Kimi probably but Vettel catching him

[GSC]

Operation revenge for Spain incoming

[GSC]

24 laps to go, the highlights package will not be a long edit so far

[GSC]

Perez reporting some light drops of rain, with 6 laps to go its going to have to start a monsoon to force inters

[GSC]

Shame that didn't go another 5-10 laps, finally got interesting at the end.

Bottas wins, Vettel 2nd, Ricciardo 3rd. Pretty much a procession for 69 laps though

[GSC]

Hamilton now closer to Bottas than Vettel in the title fight, 20 points behind Seb and 15 ahead of Valteri.

[Born Slippy]

Good damage limitation from Lewis. Have to feel that the luck has to change eventually and his superior skill will see him take the title. However, there is a worry that he will let events darken his mood and make errors as a result. Just can't afford any more slip ups from here on. Pressure very much on.

[dyrewolfe]

New head protection system to be trialled at Silverstone.



Looks a lot better than the "halo". Lets hope it does the job.

[GSC]

Actually much prefer the halo, that just looks like someone's glued a Lego brick on top.

Also visibility will be next to null in wet running

[dyrewolfe]

Good point..unless it has a hydrophobic coating that makes water run off. Tbh not much different to helmet visors.

Anyway, good win by Valtteri. Controlled the race reasonably well, only coming under pressure in the last few laps. Now only 35 points off Vettel and creating a potential 3-way fight for the title.

Decent damage limitation by Lewis, but his luck is going to need to change for the next couple of races at least, if he is going to overhaul Seb.

Good to see Ricciardo back on the podium...he does seem to be making 3rd place his spot.

[GSC]

I'll hold my breath on Bottas being a legitimate contender. Generally way off the pace of Lewis and Seb in equal conditions.

Shame really, I think Alonso would be winning this championship in the Merc

[Guest]

Hypothetical. Hamilton without a headrest issue & gearbox penalty would be too. All in all, Vettel will be disappointed to be only 20 pts clear.

[GSC]

Of course it's hypothetical, that's the point.

[dyrewolfe]

I'll hold my breath on Bottas being a legitimate contender. Generally way off the pace of Lewis and Seb in equal conditions.

Shame really, I think Alonso would be winning this championship in the Merc

What do you mean by equal conditions? The same cars? If thats the case, its just pure speculation, as we'll likely never know. The facts are he's held off Vettel twice now to claim race wins. As for being "way off the pace" I'll ignore that as pure troll bait.  

Hamilton...well that depends on whether he's got his car set-up right, or not. All things being equal, I would agree Lewis is quicker, but his consistency has been lacking a bit this season, even when he's not had car issues.

Based on the races so far, there is no reason Valtteri can't keep himself in the title picture. On the other hand, its just as likely Seb and Lewis could turn it into a definite 2-horse race.


As for Alonso, I believe both Mercedes and Ferrari have already made it clear they have no interest in signing him...and in all fairness, why would they? One team has a 3-time champion and a solid 2nd driver, who could turn into a genuine title contender. The other has a pair of drivers with 5 titles between them.

I am genuinely sad about this, as I'd love to see Nando win a 3rd title before he retires, but unless Renault up their game and offer him a seat, after ditching Palmer, or McLaren get Merc engines (or build their own), I don't see any realistic prospects of him being in a race-winning car again.

[Guest]

Five place grid penalty for Bottas
Five place grid penalty for Ricciardo

[dyrewolfe]

Looking like a straight fight between Hamilton and Vettel...assuming Kimi will be told to let his team mate past.

Wonder if the weather will play ball? Will it be dry, wet, or a bit of both?

[Guest]

Hamilton win, Bottas 2nd & Kimi in third

Vettel leads WDC by 1 point. Luck balancing out with Ferrari's tyre issues

[dyrewolfe]

Wow - that was quite a dramatic finish!

Punctures / delaminations on both Ferraris in the last few laps, letting Bottas, Verstappen, Ricciardo and Hulkenberg past and costing them a 2-3 finish.

Bottas would probably have caught Vettel anyway, on softer, fresher tyres, but this made it a formality. Unlikely he would have caught Kimi in time, so that was a real bonus.

Pretty faultless race by Mercedes and the perfect result. Good result for the championship too. Nice recovery drive by Bottas after starting 9th with his gearbox penalty. Had a big slice of luck with Ferrari's tyre issues, but he (and the team) were probably due some good fortune.

Looked a decent race for Ferrari, although Vettel botched his start and lost a place to Verstappen. Were looking pretty solid for 2nd and 3rd for most of the race, until they began to struggle with their tyres. Kimi pitted first and was able to salvage 3rd place, but it was a pretty major calamity for Vettel who ended up 7th.

Respectable result for Red Bull too. Great drive by Ricciardo from 19th to 5th.

Highlight of the race for me was the duel between Vettel and Verstappen during the early stages. Very tense and very hard wheel to wheel racing, with Seb first pushing Max off the track and Max returning the favour a couple of corners later.

[Born Slippy]

Bottas had already sailed past Vettel and was closing up on Kimi, although it would have been touch and go whether he'd have got him.

[dyrewolfe]

Bottas had already sailed past Vettel and was closing up on Kimi, although it would have been touch and go whether he'd have got him.

My bad - Vettel had a major lock-up which likely contributed to his tyre failure, trying to defend against Bottas. It actually let go after he'd been passed.

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