Formula 1 2023 and general Motorsport

[Andicis]

Looking forward to this one. Really enjoyed the US GP last week, I thought it was nice to finally see a close race up front and hope this weekend follows the trend. Seemingly a track that will suit the mercs so maybe Hamilton can grab a first win since Jeddah 21. Despite my dislike of Verstappen, a bit sad that he'll need bodyguards. I imagine the locals will be even more unhappy when Checo limps to another 7th place.... 

[RadioactiveWaste]

4 minutes ago, Andicis said:

Looking forward to this one. Really enjoyed the US GP last week, I thought it was nice to finally see a close race up front and hope this weekend follows the trend. Seemingly a track that will suit the mercs so maybe Hamilton can grab a first win since Jeddah 21. Despite my dislike of Verstappen, a bit sad that he'll need bodyguards. I imagine the locals will be even more unhappy when Checo limps to another 7th place.... 

Yeah, Max might or might not be your favorite driver, but there's no need for it. I hate drivers getting booed or anything like this.

I suspect at the USGP it was a mixture of Checo fans and people who just really really really wanted Lewis to do it on the last lap, but Max hadn't done anything wrong, in fact I thought he driven well to balance his tyres/brakes against the pace he needed to stay ahead of Lewis.

[Andicis]

4 minutes ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Yeah, Max might or might not be your favorite driver, but there's no need for it. I hate drivers getting booed or anything like this.

I suspect at the USGP it was a mixture of Checo fans and people who just really really really wanted Lewis to do it on the last lap, but Max hadn't done anything wrong, in fact I thought he driven well to balance his tyres/brakes against the pace he needed to stay ahead of Lewis.

F1 seems to get more tribal and like football all the time. It has really taken off since that 2021 season, with Max or Lewis getting booed in various locations and it just never seems to have stopped. Max will get booed in Brazil and probably Vegas too. It's not really necessary, just politely clap and curse the result in your head! 

[RadioactiveWaste]

2 minutes ago, Andicis said:

F1 seems to get more tribal and like football all the time. It has really taken off since that 2021 season, with Max or Lewis getting booed in various locations and it just never seems to have stopped. Max will get booed in Brazil and probably Vegas too. It's not really necessary, just politely clap and curse the result in your head! 

I think you're right on the "footballification" aspects, for which i predominantly blame drive to survive, although the 21 season certainly amplified the Lewis-Max fan hate, I'm glad I binned twotter because F1 twitter was amongst the absolute worst fandoms on there.

I think a part of it is the safety is now so good that it seems more like real life computer game than, as the quote from the film Le Mans says "A professional blood sport" where the crowd genuinly understood they were all risking thier lives doing it. I'll start getting cranky high horse boring old fart if I carry on.

 

[ThePrisoner]

Very odd qualifying but despite the pit holds up and other nonsense, yielded some interesting results. Feel bad for Lando but really happy to see Danny Ricc back up there. 

[RadioactiveWaste]

31 minutes ago, ThePrisoner said:

Very odd qualifying but despite the pit holds up and other nonsense, yielded some interesting results. Feel bad for Lando but really happy to see Danny Ricc back up there. 

As a "he's back" statement it's pretty big. Being out qualified by the guy who really wants your job is not great for poor old Checo.

My prediction is Ricciardo ends up finishing 1 place ahead of Tsunoda anyway (same as Hulkenberg has had plenty of good qualifying results before ending the race somewhere near K-mag), I think the Ferrari's will move backwards and the mercs will move forwards. But at lease watching it happen will be fun. I hope between Mercedes and Ferrari the somehow bundle Max out of the win.

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

I am getting more encouraged that next season will be much better balanced as everyone gravitates towards the red bull car concept and there isn't the same easy advantage for Max. That's not to max can't or won't win again next season, but at least if he's having to work for 8t I won't mind.

[Gaspode]

Thailand MotoGP - wow, just wow......the perfect antidote to Max potentially disappearing off into the distance in Mexico....

[RadioactiveWaste]

18 minutes ago, Gaspode said:

Thailand MotoGP - wow, just wow......the perfect antidote to Max potentially disappearing off into the distance in Mexico....

NO spoilers please 🙂

To whet your appetite for tonights Mexican Grand Prix, we have the EnduroKa live from Brands Hatch, the economy hatch is endurance racing, with over 6 hours of pulsating excitment remaining!

 

 

[Gaspode]

2 hours ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

NO spoilers please 🙂

To whet your appetite for tonights Mexican Grand Prix, we have the EnduroKa live from Brands Hatch, the economy hatch is endurance racing, with over 6 hours of pulsating excitment remaining!

 

 

No intention of posting any spoilers - other than to tell you that you’ll enjoy it immensely!

[Comrade 86]

On 27/10/2023 at 18:34, Andicis said:

Despite my dislike of Verstappen, a bit sad that he'll need bodyguards. I imagine the locals will be even more unhappy when Checo limps to another 7th place.... 

 

On 27/10/2023 at 18:42, RadioactiveWaste said:

Yeah, Max might or might not be your favorite driver, but there's no need for it. I hate drivers getting booed or anything like this.

Couldn't agree more. Disgraceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RadioactiveWaste]

No spoilers, but there was a turn 1 thing.

[ThePrisoner]

The turn 1 thing…

[Andicis]

Dull dull dull. Good drives from Ricciardo, Hamilton, Norris. Bit dumb from Checo. Bring on next season.

[Comrade 86]

Standard fare, unfortunately. The way that RBR passes cars under DRS is still crazy. When you look at some of the overtakes Lando, Hammy and co were having to make, versus the RBR serenely sweeping past cars on the run to turn 1 and you really get a sense for what an amazing car Newey has built. Again! If there's a cheat code in F1, it's Adrian Newey. Merc need to make him an offer he simply can't refuse, though preferably without harming any horses!

Not much to say about the race really; Leclerc looked unlucky to be the meat in the RBR sandwich and tried manfully thereafter. Checo's head has completely gone and he went full s*** or bust here, ending up in a huge pile of the former. Lando pulled off two absolutely filthy overtakes and along with a racy looking Hamilton, gave non RBR fans a little excitement, but in truth, this was another procession with only pit stops and safety cars providing any sense of jeopardy. 

Roll on 2024.

[RadioactiveWaste]

I'll be honest, after turn 1 we all knew it'd be piss easy for verstappen. After the restart when Lewis got past leclerc that was going to be it for the podium, the only interesting part being Lando making his way back to where the car should be.

After sleeping on it, I still think that was terminal for Perez next season given Danny Ric's fine race and exceptional qualifying.

The only modicum of grace for Perez was he did qualify ok relatively to max, started well and it wasn't a stupid send from way back like he's done a few times recently, he was fully alongside leclerc when they started braking, and he had the balls to try it. To be honest there's no sugar coating it,if red bull think they've got the red bull Danny back I don't think anything is saving him now - it's not this race but the whole second half of the season that's done it. If he'd been consistently "ok" he'd be easily forgiven this one.

[Alty_Ram]

Yeah, I don't really see where Leclerc can go with 3 alongside each other and him the piggy in the middle. Checo was the only one with an 'out' by running wide, but he wasn't budging and in fact turns back in so it was always going to end badly. The pragmatic thing to do was just accept that he's got the car to reel in the Ferrari later (and any other places that he'd lose by running wide) and just get on with it, but the problem is he was so desperate to get ahead of Max that he was not giving it up under any circumstances. He knows as everybody else does that if Max gets out ahead them he's not catching him so probably saw hanging in there as some desperate gamble worth taking, but it was simply never on and a crash was pretty much inevitable from the moment he turns back in.

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, Alty_Ram said:

Yeah, I don't really see where Leclerc can go with 3 alongside each other and him the piggy in the middle. Checo was the only one with an 'out' by running wide, but he wasn't budging and in fact turns back in so it was always going to end badly. The pragmatic thing to do was just accept that he's got the car to reel in the Ferrari later (and any other places that he'd lose by running wide) and just get on with it, but the problem is he was so desperate to get ahead of Max that he was not giving it up under any circumstances. He knows as everybody else does that if Max gets out ahead them he's not catching him so probably saw hanging in there as some desperate gamble worth taking, but it was simply never on and a crash was pretty much inevitable from the moment he turns back in.

Yeah, agreed - heading into the braking zone he had a chance to do it, but by the turn in point it wasn't happening (that chance to do it did depend on Leclerc having to brake earlier than he did and when leclerc matched Perez on the brakes the chace was gone), it's entirly on Perez for not recognising that although it does fit into racing incident for me. Leclerc didn't do anything wrong and had nowhere to go, Max had even less involvment beyond "existing", should've bailed out of it and tucked back in and finished on the podium. If Perez had been driving well in other races he could be forgiven for this one, but it's just another in a long run of bad decisions and mistakes. I knwo wanted to at least lead the Mexican grand prix and try to win it, but realistically finishing ahead of Lewis is what'll have kept him in a job.

[Alph]

Perez isn't even going to come 2nd in the Driver's, is he? 

Hamilton has been wrestling with that Merc, he drove it into George the other week, he lost his place last week, he started behind Perez in Mexico and he's managed to claw Perez back into a fight for self respect!

Perez has surely had a podium car every single week while Hamilton has sometimes has the 3rd or 4th best car at some tracks? 

Totally crumbled. His interviews are just excuses. He doesn't sound particularly determined or positive about turning his form around. 

[RadioactiveWaste]

1 hour ago, Alpha said:

Perez isn't even going to come 2nd in the Driver's, is he? 

Hamilton has been wrestling with that Merc, he drove it into George the other week, he lost his place last week, he started behind Perez in Mexico and he's managed to claw Perez back into a fight for self respect!

Perez has surely had a podium car every single week while Hamilton has sometimes has the 3rd or 4th best car at some tracks? 

Totally crumbled. His interviews are just excuses. He doesn't sound particularly determined or positive about turning his form around. 

Sad but true.

Although to brighten everyone's day, the latest rumour is Fernando Alonso to red bull, not going to lie, that would be amazing and combustible.

Unfortunately, I really don't see it happening,it think this weekend will have made red bulls mind up on Danny for next season, unless there's a complete reversal of form, I think it's Danny's to lose.