Formula 1 2021

[Burt Macklin 19230]

9 hours ago, faps said:

Why not pit Max just few laps after Lewis' stop and put him on softs? Max could at least try to chase Lewis down instead of being a sitting duck on much older mediums. 

https://racingnews365.com/marko-red-bull-did-consider-soft-tyre-switch-for-verstappen

 

2 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

Why not pit him immediately on the next lap and put on softs?  He had the 22 second advantage and would have come out neck and neck with Hamilton. Red Bull is now becoming fucking Ferrari with their terrible tactical decisions.  Instead of acting they said “Hungary” over the radio. Guess what Horner?  The exact same fucking thing happened in Hungary.  God, I can’t stand ineptness. 

Putting Max that early on softs and asking him to make them last that long while getting around Bottas and driving like hell to catch Lewis would’ve been pretty much impossible.
 

Like Wood said, it really didn’t matter. It was clear Hamilton had the superior pace and he would’ve won either way. They maximized their points this way betting 2nd plus fastest lap. 

2 hours ago, VABuckeye said:

Really solid race by LeClerc today.  He was prepared to make those mediums last 40 plus laps and only took the final pit because he’d built such an advantage.  

Yep. He qualified and drove his ass off this weekend. That first lap pass was great. I’m really ready for him to have a WDC-capable car for a whole season. 

[elfenix 34778]

Ham gets on Max's bumper and instead of staying with it the feed director shows men in red pajamas carrying tires around.

Red Bull knew what was coming, had a set of reds sitting there and don't pit. "Oh maybe Bottas would stay out the whole time" Yeah buts he's Bottas he's not Lewis Hamilton and he's on old as fuck yellow tires if he stays out.

 

1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

Putting Max that early on softs and asking him to make them last that long while getting around Bottas and driving like hell to catch Lewis would’ve been pretty much impossible.

ham pitted the end of 42, if RB reacts at the end of 43 that's only 23 laps and they'd already done more than that earlier.  further, ham was so far back after the pit that a typical red bull stop gets max out still ahead of hamilton.  on better tires. 

 

red bull gets in front and they panic. 

Edited May 10, 2021 by elfenix

[52-80 19377]

9 hours ago, wood said:

Yep. Put a driver with a pulse in that other seat, & then we could have some fun.

probably not what Mercedes wants though, like with Rosberg. 

Barring retirement/incidents, Bottas puts the car on the podium everyweek for WCC points without hassling Hamilton, which is perfect for them.  Manager...and assistant to the regional manager.

[wood 11770]

59 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

probably not what Mercedes wants though, like with Rosberg. 

Nope. Bottas is a "sensational wingman". No. Threat. At. All. Nico was all up in Lewis's head.

[Goofyboy 3438]

Nope. Bottas is a "sensational wingman". No. Threat. At. All. Nico was all up in Lewis's head.

Bottas needs to remember who he is and why he gets paid what he does. He’s there to deliver 2nd and win the constructor championship. He can’t beat Lewis and Lewis and the whole world knows it.

[wood 11770]

36 minutes ago, Goofyboy said:

Bottas needs to remember who he is and why he gets paid what he does. He’s there to deliver 2nd and win the constructor championship. He can’t beat Lewis and Lewis and the whole world knows it.

Sure. He's zero threat to Lewis, which is exactly why Merc hired him. Well, that and he was also managed by Toto. The last thing Merc wants is a driver that can threaten Lewis. They've been down that road. Toto called VB a 'sensational wingman', which was being kind, really. IMHO he's not even very good as a wingman.

I think we're starting to see VB having less fucks to give though, because he knows he won't be there next year. I read somewhere a while back that he and the team haven't even been negotiating for 2022.

[utee94 16091]

5 minutes ago, wood said:

Sure. He's zero threat to Lewis, which is exactly why Merc hired him. Well, that and he was also managed by Toto. The last thing Merc wants is a driver that can threaten Lewis. They've been down that road. Toto called VB a 'sensational wingman', which was being kind, really. IMHO he's not even very good as a wingman.

I think we're starting to see VB having less fucks to give though, because he knows he won't be there next year. I read somewhere a while back that he and the team haven't even been negotiating for 2022.

Yeah, Bottas ignoring team orders to let Lewis past-- at least for a little bit-- pretty much demonstrates all we need to know about that relationship.  

So any news on who's available and likely for Merc  to pick to replace Bottas, and if Bottas would have a seat somewhere else?  Or does it not matter, if Merc is actually considering exiting altogether?

 

 

[52-80 19377]

12 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Yeah, Bottas ignoring team orders to let Lewis past-- at least for a little bit-- pretty much demonstrates all we need to know about that relationship.  

So any news on who's available and likely for Merc  to pick to replace Bottas, and if Bottas would have a seat somewhere else?  Or does it not matter, if Merc is actually considering exiting altogether?

 

 

Ocon will probably give them less of a headache than Russell might.  But if you're Toto.. why not just keep Bottas there and let the train roll on

[utee94 16091]

26 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Ocon will probably give them less of a headache than Russell might.  But if you're Toto.. why not just keep Bottas there and let the train roll on

I guess.

I'd say that sounds okay, right up until the point where Bottas really doesn't want Lewis to pass him and does something emotional and stupid.  The timbre of his comments in interviews has changed quite a bit over the past few years, it's pretty clearly bothering him to be labeled a "wingman" and treated as a #2.  F1 drivers are prideful  and I don't think Bottas is any exception.  I won't be at all surprised if he ends up getting tangled up with Lewis at some point, the same way Nico did.

And then the decision to keep him won't look so obvious.

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by utee94

[wood 11770]

44 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Ocon will probably give them less of a headache than Russell might.  But if you're Toto.. why not just keep Bottas there and let the train roll on

Because they have to start thinking about the future beyond Lewis, if they plan to stay beyond that. If they continue to roll with Bottas or someone on his level, that might be a clue about their plans.

Edited May 10, 2021 by wood

[Burt Macklin 19230]

 

 

1 hour ago, wood said:

Sure. He's zero threat to Lewis, which is exactly why Merc hired him. Well, that and he was also managed by Toto. The last thing Merc wants is a driver that can threaten Lewis. They've been down that road. Toto called VB a 'sensational wingman', which was being kind, really. IMHO he's not even very good as a wingman.

I think we're starting to see VB having less fucks to give though, because he knows he won't be there next year. I read somewhere a while back that he and the team haven't even been negotiating for 2022.

This is what I was curious about. The not letting Hamilton past and his comments after the race made me think he already knows he doesn’t have the seat for next year. 
 

I think it’s also easy for people to say know your place, but the competitiveness it takes to be an F1 driver doesn’t mesh well with accepting being a second driver and I’m sure that weighs on a driver over time. Bottas has been a good teammate for a while now, but he may just be running out of patience for it. 

1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

Ocon will probably give them less of a headache than Russell might.  But if you're Toto.. why not just keep Bottas there and let the train roll on

I think Ocon would probably fit better next to Hamilton, but Ocon has gotten in his share of teammate battles, so it’s not a given he’d accept being a clear second til Hamilton’s gone. Merc also runs the risk of losing Russell entirely if they don’t give him the Merc seat next year. 
 

It’s obviously hard to tell because Williams is so bad, but a lot of people think Russel is an extreme talent, so Merc might be willing to have a couple years of tension with Lewis if it secures Russell for the long term. 
 

If the reg changes tighten things up or Merc struggles some, it might also necessitate getting the best racer they can for that seat. They move been able to have a clear #2 with Lewis for a while now because their car is so vastly superior to everyone else. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

8 hours ago, elfenix said:

Ham gets on Max's bumper and instead of staying with it the feed director shows men in red pajamas carrying tires around.

Red Bull knew what was coming, had a set of reds sitting there and don't pit. "Oh maybe Bottas would stay out the whole time" Yeah buts he's Bottas he's not Lewis Hamilton and he's on old as fuck yellow tires if he stays out.

 

ham pitted the end of 42, if RB reacts at the end of 43 that's only 23 laps and they'd already done more than that earlier.  further, ham was so far back after the pit that a typical red bull stop gets max out still ahead of hamilton.  on better tires. 

 

red bull gets in front and they panic. 

But Hamilton pitted onto mediums so he could go all out for the rest of the race. RB only had softs left, and I don’t agree those were better tires in that situation. Not many people stretched softs past 23 laps and the ones that did were nursing them. Max would’ve had to go all out on them for 23 laps and they would have been starting to wear by the time he caught Bottas and then also would’ve had Lewis on his tail with better tires by then, which would have run the risk of Max getting third with no fastest lap.
 

I can see it both ways and them covering definitely would’ve been more entertaining, but I don’t think it was obvious RB made the wrong choice. I think it was more of a damned if you, damned if you don’t situation. Merc clearly just had much better race pace because they’re super fast on mediums and can make them last. 

[52-80 19377]

49 minutes ago, wood said:

Because they have to start thinking about the future beyond Lewis, if they plan to stay beyond that.

Launch an urban clothing line.

Sign Lewis as head promoter.

Say peace out to the racing world.

???

Profit.

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Launch an urban clothing line.
Sign Lewis as head promoter.
Say peace out to the racing world.
???
Profit.

Not sure if serious.

https://usa.tommy.com/tommy-x-lewis-explore/

He actually brought them on as a sponsor himself.

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Also, y’all, it’s going to be Russell. Come on.

There is one outlet that claims Bottas has already been told he’s not being renewed (Missed Apex, I think). But we will wait for that to be official later I guess.

[ChickenSandwich 9977]

3 hours ago, wood said:

Sure. He's zero threat to Lewis, which is exactly why Merc hired him. Well, that and he was also managed by Toto. The last thing Merc wants is a driver that can threaten Lewis. They've been down that road. Toto called VB a 'sensational wingman', which was being kind, really. IMHO he's not even very good as a wingman.

I think we're starting to see VB having less fucks to give though, because he knows he won't be there next year. I read somewhere a while back that he and the team haven't even been negotiating for 2022.

He’s been the perfect wingman. Look no further than Red Bull who can’t get their second car in the top 4. If Perez is on Bottas gear box it changes the strategy for both teams. 

[wood 11770]

4 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

He’s been the perfect wingman. Look no further than Red Bull who can’t get their second car in the top 4. If Perez is on Bottas gear box it changes the strategy for both teams. 

I think Perez will be fine. Like others moving to new teams this year, he just needs seat time, imho.

[wood 11770]

Wow.

Someone on reddit just posted this graphic of all point-scorers from 2010-2020. Look at Rosberg and Bottas 3rd and 4th in total points, after splitting time in the second Merc, and after Rosberg sat out the last 4 years & Bottas missed the first 3 years.

[wood 11770]

On 5/10/2021 at 10:55 AM, ChickenSandwich said:

He’s been the perfect wingman. Look no further than Red Bull who can’t get their second car in the top 4. If Perez is on Bottas gear box it changes the strategy for both teams. 

I didn't think about it before I saw that graphic I just posted, but re: Bottas, Merc has finished 1-2 in the WDC 5 of 7 years in this PU era. Rosberg finished 2nd twice and won a WDC. Bottas has finished 2nd twice and has finished 3rd and 5th as well. How the hell did he ever finish 5th? 

[wood 11770]

Turkey ... off. Looks like they're already talking about returning to Austria as a replacement. I think Noemi de Miguel broke this. In my experience, if Noemi says it's happening, it's happening. Sweet girl, too. She interviewed my boy in downtown Austin at the downsized FanFest before it finally died off.

Obligatory ...

Edited May 11, 2021 by wood

[52-80 19377]

Wood

 

that one year 4 points separated 3rd place and 5th…but given raikkonens 4 retirements, Bottas should’ve done better

[wood 11770]

41 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Wood

 

that one year 4 points separated 3rd place and 5th…but given raikkonens 4 retirements, Bottas should’ve done better

Agreed. VB finished P5 at something like the last 4 or 5 races of the season.

[TonyTexas 10786]

3 minutes ago, wood said:

Agreed. VB finished P5 at something like the last 4 or 5 races of the season.

Lulz. I don’t think he was calling for your opinion but rather was commenting on his willingness to partake in adult relations with Noemi. 

[elfenix 34778]

whynotboth.gif

[52-80 19377]

Pourquoi no todos 

[wood 11770]

3 hours ago, TonyTexas said:

Lulz. I don’t think he was calling for your opinion but rather was commenting on his willingness to partake in adult relations with Noemi. 

LOL. I didn't think he was asking me what I thought. I was just agreeing with the second line anyway.

[wood 11770]

3 hours ago, elfenix said:

whynotboth.gif

 

3 hours ago, 52-80 said:

Pourquoi no todos 

Yep4

... and yeah. Mmmm . Noemi. :drool:

Edited May 12, 2021 by wood

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Anybody want Valtteri’s AMG GT?

https://www.facebook.com/100044302740189/posts/324552512364838/?d=n

[PittsburghTiger 6351]

Since we are getting ready for Monaco I figured I would share some pictures I took last time I was there. Unfortunately, never for the race, always around that time. In two of the pictures you can see the safety barriers are still in place. I think this was Tuesday after the race.

 

 

[Buzzrock 15142]

Nice yacht

[PittsburghTiger 6351]

5 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Nice yacht

That’s precisely why I took that picture.  It was so obscenely out of place for what ya normally see

[52-80 19377]

[utee94 16091]

[Lidig8r 1906]

Wood or Anton or any other experts,

How significant would the change be if Hamilton and Verstappen switched cars, i.e., Hamilton becomes Red Bull's Number 1?

Or, would it be more significant if the Red Bull brain trust, pit crew, etc were forced to switch with Mercedes?

Am curious as to which has the greatest impact, Hamilton's driving and strategy, the quality of the Silver Arrow, or the expertise and acumen of the German brain trust.

[Amos Moses 795]

Well when Russell drove Lewis’ car last year he went straight to the front of the grid. I think Max in the MB with some experience behind the wheel is pretty salty. Lewis in the RB is probably still at the front of the grid, but I don’t think the RB crew has the chops to guarantee he doesn’t lose at least some of his usual advantages.

[wood 11770]

3 hours ago, Lidig8r said:

Wood or Anton or any other experts,

How significant would the change be if Hamilton and Verstappen switched cars, i.e., Hamilton becomes Red Bull's Number 1?

Or, would it be more significant if the Red Bull brain trust, pit crew, etc were forced to switch with Mercedes?

Am curious as to which has the greatest impact, Hamilton's driving and strategy, the quality of the Silver Arrow, or the expertise and acumen of the German brain trust.

IMHO the car is, I dunno, 80+% of it. Many people put it 90+%. Having the faster car gives you more strategy options, allows you to use less of the car to win, etc. Basically, unless there's a huge dropoff in driver quality, and in the case you describe there wouldn't be imho, then the faster car is gonna win the championships.

And re: the Merc brain trust, they have made some good calls recently, but over the years they've also been panned for bad decisions on the pit wall as well. Most of the top teams make great calls from time to time, and they all get it wrong from time to time as well. At Portimao, the race pace of the Merc was such that it didn't really matter which way Merc or RBR went, the Merc was gonna be ahead at the end imho. (Thanks for the compliment btw ... not sure if I deserve that!)

Edited May 13, 2021 by wood

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Well when Russell drove Lewis’ car last year he went straight to the front of the grid. I think Max in the MB with some experience behind the wheel is pretty salty. Lewis in the RB is probably still at the front of the grid, but I don’t think the RB crew has the chops to guarantee he doesn’t lose at least some of his usual advantages.

It’s a funny thing.

I rate Russell really highly, myself. I’m a fan of his (I think he will be my next guy once Lewis retires, along with Lando). But at the same time, that was the easiest track there is to do well at, so it’s hard to draw a great conclusion.

Lewis has always been one of the best qualifiers we have seen, but his more recent magic is twofold:

1) Tires. He is working the tires in a way that few others can. He drives in ways that will work the fronts more on a rear limited circuit, or work the rears on a front limited circuit, to maximize lifespan and keep them in a good working range. He has an uncanny ability to feel the tires. I think he’s developed this even after the early Merc years (he’s way better at it now than he was in say 2014-2016). His ability to follow in dirty air while keeping the tires alive has made a huge difference so far this year. I think Leclerc is pretty good at this as well.

2) Consistency. His bad days are really damn good days for most other drivers. Yes, he has the tools to make it work, but he doesn’t hardly ever have any bad “off” days. I don’t mean to say Bottas is a top tier driver, but it also means it is unflattering to him when Lewis is so damn consistent. I do think this has also improved with time. 2011 Lewis wouldn’t have let Max push him off at T1. They would’ve crashed. 2021 Lewis is different. We are starting to see Max change a bit in that way, too, but it will be interesting to see Max say, five years from now as far as that aspect goes.

It would definitely be interesting to see how Lewis would do in the Red Bull. He’s one of those drivers, similar to Alonso, that can make anything work for him. He drives around setup issues or inherent imbalances. Because of that, I think he would fare extremely well. Max and Charles can do this pretty well also. Sebastian Vettel, while I like him as a driver, has shown that he really struggles without a predictable rear end (TWSS), as he was never able to make the unstable oversteery cars work very well (Sinalla!)

When we look back in history, there are few championship winning cars that weren’t the fastest. It doesn’t happen very often. That said, Lewis does somewhat have a case for 2008. I think the McLaren and Ferrari were just about as even as you can get, track dependent. It was similar for a while in 2017 and 2018, but Merc pulled away towards the end, and Ferrari had the worst strategy team in the history of strategy teams. That, plus Singapore 2017 and Germany 2018.

[wood 11770]

Yeah consistency, adaptability, & balance are key traits of the greats imho ... Clark, Fangio, Senna, Schumi, Alonso, Hamilton, Hakkinen, Moss, Prost, Stewart, and more. Their biggest strength is a general lack of a weakness. They just have hardly any chinks in their armor and bring it session after session after session, just relentlessly. It's a big reason I & many people just can't rate Vettel in that tier, despite all the WDCs.  The true greats worry more about how to adapt their driving to the characteristics of the car rather than beating their heads against the wall trying to get the engineers to tailor the car to their driving style. Many drivers can only be really quick in an understeery car or an oversteery car, etc. The greats just get in and figure out how to be quick in what they're sitting in. That's not to say they won't try to make the car better, but they're always gonna get the most out of what they have.

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

Also, I believe F1TV has the official season reviews.

They are long (like several hours) but they sum seasons up extremely well. You could break them up over a few days on a non race weekend and get a good show of what happened.

They’re worth a watch if you haven’t seen a specific season.

[TonyTexas 10786]

 

[VABuckeye 2481]

Britain requires a two week quarantine for people arriving from Turkey which is what prompted the schedule shuffle.

[utee94 16091]

Disappointing but not unexpected.

[Anton Chigurh 3335]

This is pretty sweet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO3mi2MFhRg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[Buzzrock 15142]

Good on him. Miracle man.

[Prepuce of Doom 21295]

 

 

[wood 11770]

That seems like it doesn't suck.

[wood 11770]

 

[TonyTexas 10786]

35 minutes ago, Prepuce of Doom said:

 

 

Sponsored by Whataburger 

[Prepuce of Doom 21295]

2 minutes ago, TonyTexas said:

Sponsored by Whataburger 

Sponsoring David Starr for 19 Xfinity races this year. 

https://www.jayski.com/2021/02/11/david-starr-wil-run-32-xfinity-races-for-mbm-motorsports/

 

[RPM 26677]

1 hour ago, wood said: