Of all the teams at the front, Mercedes are the only one not running team orders. Although it’s fair to say it looks Like Vettel and Albon would struggle to challenge their faster team mates if they were driving a Mercedes at this point!
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2020 Formula 1 Season Thread
- Thread starter pachyderm
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Back to the usual today. I think I’ll go watch some Ice Cubes form to find some excitement.
Well done to Max to hold off Bottas. Well done to Bottas for owning the new Track Record.
Well deserved DOTD to Seb for managing his tires to P7 given the ugly divorce under way and his equipment.
2022 can’t come soon enough.
Well done to Max to hold off Bottas. Well done to Bottas for owning the new Track Record.
Well deserved DOTD to Seb for managing his tires to P7 given the ugly divorce under way and his equipment.
2022 can’t come soon enough.
What a shame there was no challenge at the front. Bottas is done. Maybe Verstappen can be something of a threat but it’s almost a done deal for Lewis alreadt
Yeah the best driver in a car well beyond everything else makes every race result a forgone conclusion sans something wonky happening.
Good drive from Max, but the RBR is no match for the Mercedes and strategy was not going to favor him so never felt he had a chance at the win, though he did better than I expected (mainly because Bottas botched the start).
Vettel did well. The Ferrari is a truck and without their engine power from last year it's maybe sixth best behind Mercedes, Red Bull, Racing Point, McLaren and Alpha Tauri. If they are top-five in the CC at the end of the year it will be an achievement.
Good drive from Max, but the RBR is no match for the Mercedes and strategy was not going to favor him so never felt he had a chance at the win, though he did better than I expected (mainly because Bottas botched the start).
Vettel did well. The Ferrari is a truck and without their engine power from last year it's maybe sixth best behind Mercedes, Red Bull, Racing Point, McLaren and Alpha Tauri. If they are top-five in the CC at the end of the year it will be an achievement.
Who said Max would win... Was that on this board? @robbieduncan 
Oh well I knew that wasn't going to happen.
Oh well I knew that wasn't going to happen.| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | MERCEDES | 66 | 1:31:45.279 | 25 |
| 2 | 33 | Max Verstappen | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 66 | +24.177s | 18 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | MERCEDES | 66 | +44.752s | 16 |
| 4 | 18 | Lance Stroll | RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES | 65 | +1 lap | 12 |
| 5 | 11 | Sergio Perez | RACING POINT BWT MERCEDES | 65 | +1 lap | 10 |
| 6 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | MCLAREN RENAULT | 65 | +1 lap | 8 |
| 7 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | FERRARI | 65 | +1 lap | 6 |
| 8 | 23 | Alexander Albon | RED BULL RACING HONDA | 65 | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 65 | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Lando Norris | MCLAREN RENAULT | 65 | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | RENAULT | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | ALPHATAURI HONDA | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | RENAULT | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 15 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | HAAS FERRARI | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 16 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 17 | 63 | George Russell | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 65 | +1 lap | 0 |
| 18 | 6 | Nicholas Latifi | WILLIAMS MERCEDES | 64 | +2 laps | 0 |
| 19 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | HAAS FERRARI | 64 | +2 laps | 0 |
| NC | 16 | Charles Leclerc | FERRARI | 38 | DNF | 0 |
Pirelli going from the three softest compounds to the three hardest seems to have made all the difference. Maybe there is more to it than that? I'm sure Mercedes responded in the past week to the tire heating issues that gave them such headaches at the second Silverstone race.
What was interesting to me was the point in the opening stint when Verstappen complained at how slow Hamilton was driving. Which was certainly true, because Lewis was clearly managing his pace. But if Hamilton was driving so slowly, why didn't Verstappen put more pressure on him?
A couple of strange decisions from the top teams today. Why did Red Bull put Albon on the hard compound, a choice which seemed guaranteed to keep him mired in the middle of the pack? And why did Mercedes put Bottas on the softs, which failed to give him the pace to make up sufficient ground on Verstappen?
I still have no idea what Lewis Hamilton would have to do in order to win "Driver of the Day" from Sky Sports viewers.
What was interesting to me was the point in the opening stint when Verstappen complained at how slow Hamilton was driving. Which was certainly true, because Lewis was clearly managing his pace. But if Hamilton was driving so slowly, why didn't Verstappen put more pressure on him?
A couple of strange decisions from the top teams today. Why did Red Bull put Albon on the hard compound, a choice which seemed guaranteed to keep him mired in the middle of the pack? And why did Mercedes put Bottas on the softs, which failed to give him the pace to make up sufficient ground on Verstappen?
I still have no idea what Lewis Hamilton would have to do in order to win "Driver of the Day" from Sky Sports viewers.
I think they put Albon on the hards to get some data for Max. See if he could do a one stop.
Not a great race. The top three were so far ahead of the rest.
Vettel and Ferrari are really not getting along.
Next year will be the first time Ferrari don’t have a WC driver on their books since the mid 90’s! A team in decline.
Because he would have burned up his tires following in Lewis' slipstream and Lewis would have just increased his own performance to stay in front. End result - Max has to pit earlier for new rubber and come out in the middle of traffic.
I agree with Apple fanboy they did so to see how the car would respond on the hards for Max and use it to calculate if Bottas or the Racing Points could undercut Max if he went on the hards for a one-stop.
Albon needs to qualify better so he can be up there helping Max and forcing other teams to adjust their strategy rather than RBR having to play with Max's.
Could have been to keep Bottas ahead of the Racing Points and protect third place points if they knew that catching Max was unlikely (for the same reasons Max could not catch Lewis - burning up the tires).
When one just cruises to the win from the start, is that really worth "Driver of the Day"? Vettel at least went from 11th to 7th in a dog of a car.
How has Lewis faired in the voting when he's started in the back and worked his way on to the podium?
Vettel with his P7 finish today became the only driver other than Hamilton to reach his 3,000th Drivers Point in their F1 career.
Just a little more Seb Trivia. 😉
I find him smug and self-satisfied in a way that rubs me the wrong way. He seemed to arrive in F1 not with just a complete belief in himself (that's required to be there) but a belief he was in some way entitled to win, not that he needed to work for that.
Second generation maybe? I worked for a guy that inherited the business from his Dad. Needless to say the business is no longer trading!
I do believe it comes from his Dad. Who seems to be not a very nice person: https://www.crash.net/f1/news/175863/1/verstappen-arrested-charged-with-attempted-murder
Oh ya.. a few stories of bad boy Jos from the past so I'm sure Max picked up some of his dads traits. It's easy to not like Max, he grew up with a silver spoon in Monaco. All he knows is racing.
Personally I think Max is the best driver on the grid right now. Although if he was racking up the wins Lewis has with no competition, I think he would be an annoying world champion at this age. Maybe a bit worse than Seb with his patented index finger during the red bull years. I like Seb now though
Still feeling a little sorry for Vettel. This past weekend, I felt he was the Engineer; listening to his radio communication, it was as if he was on his 'own' out there.
In relation to Max, that boy can become a Legend in Formula One. However, I do feel he needs to curb his tone, manners, and attitude somewhat. One does not need to be a total arse, to move up the ladder...
In relation to Max, that boy can become a Legend in Formula One. However, I do feel he needs to curb his tone, manners, and attitude somewhat. One does not need to be a total arse, to move up the ladder...
I agree. I've always been a Seb fan even through his hundreds of moments. But you really have to feel a bit for him in this situation. The divorce with Ferrari is so ugly on Ferrari's part IMO. Yesterday was the bottom for me. His engineer obviously did not give a **** supporting Seb (Mattia most likely in on it as well.)
I've been a Ferrari Fan my entire life, but this is just on a new level of ugliness for them. They should have been prepared for the Post Bernie F1. Too many years of resting on the political cover. Now they are really screwed and they take it out on a 4 time WC who is still driving his ass off when I would not fault him in the least for just giving them the middle finger and walking away.
I'd be willing to bet the other teams see what is going on as well. It's just pathetic.
I would imagine Sainz is watching this treatment of Seb and feeling slightly worried. A team in a shambles and very poor behaviour towards a driver who deserved better. Never been a Ferrari fan myself as I’ve never agreed with their dirty politics in previous decades, but this goes to show vast analysts of funding doesn’t always buy you success.
Will be interesting to see some of the behind the scenes stuff regarding Ferrari / Vettel on the Netflix ‘Drive to Survive’ series next year.......assuming the series is still being made of course.
With others paying attention, it will be interesting to see where Vettel goes, if he in fact goes anywhere, or simply retires...
I have to believe Vettel is retiring. He does not appear to me to be really trying anymore, which is not what you would do if you were either looking for a new drive or had a new drive in your pocket.
Hmm, I disagree. He tried last weekend; he was the driver, and virtually the bloody Engineer.
And, he was Driver of the Day.
PS: This is coming from someone that cannot stand Vettel. Seriously. I just feel sorry for him at the moment. Being treated awfully.
And, he was Driver of the Day.
PS: This is coming from someone that cannot stand Vettel. Seriously. I just feel sorry for him at the moment. Being treated awfully.
A couple of questions...
1. Why was there no advertising on Vettel's DRS wing, last weekend?
2. Why did Hulkenberg not get to drive this weekend, with his original team (since Perez returned)?
Confused...
1. Why was there no advertising on Vettel's DRS wing, last weekend?
2. Why did Hulkenberg not get to drive this weekend, with his original team (since Perez returned)?
Confused...
No idea about Vettel but Hulkenberg doesn't have a seat this year, he's a reserve driver.