F1 fans?

[LBB]

Does any of the rear size have anything to do with the size of the fuel cell now that refueling during the race is not allowed?

[iBanesto]

Eagle MK1 Westlake.

 

 

 

[lefthack]

It's race week in Spain and Red Bull is coming strong. If Ferrari fixed whatever they did wrong last time, we could see a real  4 way fight. 

[LeftDot]

5 minutes ago, lefthack said:

It's race week in Spain and Red Bull is coming strong. If Ferrari fixed whatever they did wrong last time, we could see a real  4 way fight. 

 

Red Bull? Or Racing Bull? 

 

The article I saw suggested a big ol upgrade for the team formerly known as Torro Rosso. Haven't seen any news for Red Bull Proper. 

[lefthack]

2 minutes ago, LeftDot said:

 

Red Bull? Or Racing Bull? 

 

The article I saw suggested a big ol upgrade for the team formerly known as Torro Rosso. Haven't seen any news for Red Bull Proper. 

 

I think Max is looking for a triple header. 

[LBB]

On 6/19/2024 at 12:58 PM, lefthack said:

It's race week in Spain and Red Bull is coming strong. If Ferrari fixed whatever they did wrong last time, we could see a real  4 way fight. 

And cheers to a circuit that pretty much guarantees a 2 stop, and likely offers some different strategy options based on last year.  C1/2/3 will be used again this year.

[lefthack]

I'm telling you, Lando is right there. If he can drive a mistake free race, he can beat Max. The only advantage Red Bull has is Max. 

 

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-spanish-gp-norris-verstappen-fp1-report/10625582/

[LBB]

I try not to get too excited over FP1, given that teams are doing a mixture of long runs and cars are rarely fueled the same even when they go out on softs.  Especially since the softs are a legitimate race tire to start or finish the race on and the teams will want to know how the tire degrades.  So Max...or even Norris could have been on varying amounts of heavy fuel when they posted those FP1 times...which is plausible given how fast FP2 times were.  FP3 is the real benchmark as that's when the drivers are specifically preparing for qualifying.

 

Looks to be a great weekend...we haven't had this much anticipation in a while.

[lefthack]

On 6/21/2024 at 11:09 AM, LBB said:

I try not to get too excited over FP1, given that teams are doing a mixture of long runs and cars are rarely fueled the same even when they go out on softs.  Especially since the softs are a legitimate race tire to start or finish the race on and the teams will want to know how the tire degrades.  So Max...or even Norris could have been on varying amounts of heavy fuel when they posted those FP1 times...which is plausible given how fast FP2 times were.  FP3 is the real benchmark as that's when the drivers are specifically preparing for qualifying.

 

Looks to be a great weekend...we haven't had this much anticipation in a while.

 

Yeah, I don't really pay attention until FP3 and even then it might not be telling.

 

But Lando with .02 on Max for pole is awesome. But Lando knows the only way he will beat Max is if he has a perfect race and Max doesn't. But I really like his chances. 

[lefthack]

[lefthack]

No yellow flags and all 20 cars finished. The battle between George and Lando was good and had Lando not failed the launch, he might have won it. 

[RoverTiger]

2 hours ago, lefthack said:

No yellow flags and all 20 cars finished. The battle between George and Lando was good and had Lando not failed the launch, he might have won it. 

That 3.6 second stop didn't help him either.

[lefthack]

1 hour ago, RoverTiger said:

That 3.6 second stop didn't help him either.

 

Seriously. Max had a 1.9 first stop, that's just silly.

[LBB]

McLaren did have the fastest car this weekend.  Not just on the single lap for pole, but with tire deg on race day.  It would have been a real fight between Max and Lando all day had George not got in between them.  Where is Latifi when you need him to create a late race safety car...LOL.  Still great racing though...and man...wth is up with Checco.  I don't expect him to be great every race, and it's clear he doesn't have as significant a car advantage over the mid field...but he seems nowhere to be found.  

 

 

[LBB]

Wonder what may have happened if Hamilton is farther back around lap 46.  Clearly Lando was still banging in solid times on his Mediums and they had to pit to cover Hamilton with the pit window.  If Lando can extend his second stint to say lap 50...I think he really comes out banging on softs.  There was that period around lap 56 where the gap stayed around 4.5-5.5 seconds where either he had to do some tire management.  Not often you hear GP on the radio telling Max he needs to drive faster...LOL.  Normally it's GP telling Max to slow down at the end of the race.

 

 

 

[lefthack]

1 hour ago, LBB said:

Wonder what may have happened if Hamilton is farther back around lap 46.  Clearly Lando was still banging in solid times on his Mediums and they had to pit to cover Hamilton with the pit window.  If Lando can extend his second stint to say lap 50...I think he really comes out banging on softs.  There was that period around lap 56 where the gap stayed around 4.5-5.5 seconds where either he had to do some tire management.  Not often you hear GP on the radio telling Max he needs to drive faster...LOL.  Normally it's GP telling Max to slow down at the end of the race.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, when they told Max to step on it, he kept the gap pretty consistent, but his tires were falling off towards the end. 

 

McLaren knows it's down to details now. Tires, strategy, and lap times. 

[LBB]

20 minutes ago, lefthack said:

 

Yeah, when they told Max to step on it, he kept the gap pretty consistent, but his tires were falling off towards the end. 

 

McLaren knows it's down to details now. Tires, strategy, and lap times. 

Also it's good to see Norris getting more used to success, which in turn will help him stay more even keeled to manage the highs and lows.  2021 Sochi in the rain was a clear example of a driver not ready mentally to handle the pressure of the situation.

 

I'm all for drivers showing emotion for grabbing pole and winning...but Norris is turning that all important corner in his career where he's acting like he's been there before.  Good for him.

[lefthack]

Just now, LBB said:

Also it's good to see Norris getting more used to success, which in turn will help him stay more even keeled to manage the highs and lows.  2021 Sochi in the rain was a clear example of a driver not ready mentally to handle the pressure of the situation.

 

I'm all for drivers showing emotion for grabbing pole and winning...but Norris is turning that all important corner in his career where he's acting like he's been there before.  Good for him.

 

He had a tough year last year with all the haters on social media talking about his inability to win. He held a record nobody wants, "most podiums without a win" is painful..

[LBB]

5 minutes ago, lefthack said:

 

He had a tough year last year with all the haters on social media talking about his inability to win. He held a record nobody wants, "most podiums without a win" is painful..

F1 is a brutal sport to be evaluated on.  There can only be one winner...and if you're not in the fastest car, it comes down to luck and cashing in on the few opportunities that present themselves. 

 

McLaren have delivered him a car he can now win with...and only time will tell how long this car will stay at or near the top.  It's up to Lando to cash in on these opportunities, and I think he's in a better place this year to do so than if McLaren delivered him a top car a few years ago.

 

It's crazy to think that the McLaren was near the back of the midfield 25-30 races ago the beginning of 2023.  We saw how quickly the Aston Martin fell off from early in the 2023 season.  It's also kind of nice to see RB experiencing some of the variability in car development/upgrades...LOL.

 

[LBB]

Austria up next with the Sprint race on Saturday.  Max completely dominated last year winning the sprint by over 20 seconds, then having such a big lead at the end of the GP Sunday that he made a late pit stop just to smash the fastest lap.

 

Lando is now 2nd in the drivers.  Lots of other close battles in the standings in play.  Looks to be another great weekend and I always loved Austria with the 3 DRS zones and how drivers use the 2rd detection zone into turn 3 as a bit of cat and mouse.  

 

Who you got???

 

Sprint Shootout (Qualy) - Max, Lando, Russell

Sprint - Lando, Max, Russell.  I think on a 24 lap sprint with no pit stops, I have a feeling that McLaren will have better tire deg management.  Max is known to fight teeth and nail, but for the sprint I think he plays it a bit safe as not to jeopardize Sunday.  No clue what happens after Max...I don't think Perez solves his qualifying woes and starts too far back.  Ferrari have been struggling recently, so I give the nod to Russell with Piastri and Hamilton in the mix.

 

Pole -Lando, Max, Leclerc

Race - Max, Lando, Piastri.  I think Max finds a way at his team's home race because he's Max...no other reason than that.  Elbows out and dive bombs.  Leclerc puts it together for a solid single lap to start 3rd, but I'll take a guess that Ferrari doens't have a good enough race day car to hold off the second McLaren.  There is also a slight possibility of rain on Sunday...crossing my fingers...

[rukahs]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:02 PM, LBB said:

Max completely dominated last year winning the sprint by over 20 seconds, then having such a big lead at the end of the GP Sunday that he made a late pit stop just to smash the fastest lap.

 

 

Is it even worth watching this year  😄 

[lefthack]

1 minute ago, rukahs said:

 

 

Is it even worth watching this year  😄 

 

Max might still dominate because it's Max, but you have 2 fast McLaren's and Oscar who hasn't done anything yet dying to get into the fight. Lando wants another win, then there are 2 Ferrari's and one of them might be unemployed next year. 🤣 

 

So yeah, I'm gonna watch it. 

[LBB]

2 hours ago, rukahs said:

 

 

Is it even worth watching this year  😄 

I sense sarcasm...LOL

 

Almost nailed the sprint qualy results.  I fully expect to see Norris all over Max's gearbox and the cat and mouse to the 2nd DRS detection zone will be fun to watch.

 

Austria is a great track when it's not a complete DRS train.  Will be interesting to see if Lando and Max "work together" in the first half of the sprint to create a gap over the rest of the field...which could bring Piastri with them.  There are so many clear passing areas in Austria, but you lose time if you fight.  Wouldn't be surprised to see Lando and Max constantly trade places the first 15 laps, then it's game on.

Edited June 28, 2024 by LBB

[lefthack]

People forget Oscar is also REALLY GOOD. He's had some bad luck and made some mistakes, but the car is legit and I still say they are the strongest pair on the grid. It's only Oscars second year, too. He had a Sprint Win before Lando, the dude is fast. 

[RoverTiger]

6 hours ago, lefthack said:

People forget Oscar is also REALLY GOOD. He's had some bad luck and made some mistakes, but the car is legit and I still say they are the strongest pair on the grid. It's only Oscars second year, too. He had a Sprint Win before Lando, the dude is fast. 

McLaren realistically could contend for both titles in 2025. It'll be interesting to see how their development progresses through the remainder of 2024.

[lefthack]

I'm not even gonna lie, that was a dirty move by Max. Like the broadcast said, that was the old Max coming out. He could have won on merit, but he got dirty. He was still pissed they left him out that long. 🤣

[BagofToast]

Was great racing IMO. Shame Russell is the one that came out on top, but that was great racing 

[lefthack]

🤣

[LBB]

Just when I thought the race was done and dusted...I got what I love about F1.  I say all of this being a Max fan, but I'll try to be somewhat impartial.

 

Max is an awesome driver because he pushes the limits in all aspects.  Whether it's a qualifying lap or getting his elbows out on track, all the great ones push the line, and at times go over it.  Because in reality, you will never know where the line actually is until you go over.

 

That said, Max deserved his penalty.  His move left did cause a collision, no question about it.  Was it "dirty"?  I don't think so in the sense that Lando's dive bombs could have similarly resulted in collision that took one or both drivers out of the race.  The only reason we aren't having a conversation if Lando is dirty is because Max avoided Lando when Lando cut him off and couldn't keep it on the track.  

 

Basically I'm saying that I want to see more of this...with penalties and collisions being an unfortunate consequence that's possible that I'm willing to live with from time to time.  You won't get great on track moments unless both drivers are willing to push just over the limits, but I think in Max and Lando's case, I think they both won't cross the line of dirty as deep down, they are friends and respect each other.  The battles between Max and Hamilton a few years ago were great...with both drivers going over the limit, but just staying under dirty.

 

I don't want to see Max and Lando all buddy buddy after ever race.  There should be some tension and it's great for F1 when we can debate these types of things.  2021 seems like so long ago...and I forgot what this type of racing is like.  Silverstone is the perfect track for the next race, and thankfully we don't even have to wait a week.

[lefthack]

I really hope they can stay buddies and still race, though. You can golf with a guy during the week in some amazing place like Spain, then bang elbows on Sunday.