NASCAR gets underway with a big smash-em-up that sends Ryan Newman to the hospital in a horrific crash. Congrats to Denny Hamlin for the win, I suppose.

F1 testing started this week. The last year of the current regs. Can Mercedes run the table and win every championship under the current regs? Hamilton was fastest on the hard compound tires yesterday, but lap times mean nothing in testing, as Ferrari clearly learned last year. The most interesting bits so far are Racing Point's 'duplicate' of Mercedes' W10 of 2019, which is sure to get the midfield frights (Perez seems to be getting along with the car pretty well in testing) and Mercedes trick new steering system which looks to mechanically change the toe angle on the steering. It doesn't change the suspension though, so it adheres to the letter of the law (though maybe not the spirit). Whether it is a serious advantage or a gimmick that could fail at the worst moment remains to be seen. Either way, 7 for 7 will be the goal for the Silver Arrows this year.

I felt sick Monday night, like a lot of people. Thought for sure that last hit by LaJoie must have killed Newman, or at least paralyzed him. Absolutely amazing he walked out that hospital yesterday.

That said, while I love racin', I'm done with Daytona and Talladega. I don't like 25-car wrecks, and I don't like what happened Monday night.

F1-wise, I just want Williams to not be horrible.

Glad you made this post, btw.

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https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.mercedes-trick-das-steering-system-wont-be-legal-under-2021-f1-rules.6RuPl5v6j2YZyOp91yWhSq.html

If Mercedes took the R&D time and budget to make a trick steering setup that can only be used for one year just because screw the other teams, that's incredibly ballsy. Makes you wonder how confident they must be in their 2021 setup, which all bets are off for everyone.

I would love to see them go 7 for 7 with the current regs. Winter testing means jack, but so far, it's promising.

Ferrari was supposedly taking things a little conservatively to sort some things out, so may not have showed true pace. Whether they are actually slower than RB and Petronas is yet to be seen. Tons of scuttlebutt over Racing Point's RP20/W09. If it is in fact a knock off of last year's car, this will make the mid field even sillier. Either that or Stroll now stands a chance to get out of Q1. Haas feels like they are still tripping over their own feet. Williams actually looked semi-competent, though any improvement over last year is a huge win.

Green flag drops in 2 weeks. Just enough time to watch the latest season of Drive to Survive on Netflix. The behind the scenes at the German race has been all the buzz so far. Should be a good watch

Drive to Survive, that is. As with the last series, the race footage is superb. What I didn't like is how much time they spent on the negative, downer stories of the year. I get that they're trying to make the content match the title, and show the human-interest side of the sport, but at the end I felt like it was all about:

- Haas sucking
- Hulk losing his seat
- Gasly losing his seat
- Williams sucking

Did like the long section on Albon, though.

They kind of beat those stories to death. And while I do really like Will Buxton, there are a lot of other commentators I wouldn't have minded hearing from.

All that said, the series wasn't really aimed at me, but more at attracting more casual sports fans to follow F1 specifically. And I do appreciate that F1 is trying to shed the Bernie-era aura of arrogance. Nice to have all these young drivers who don't come off as pricks, the way a lot of drivers used to.

Those that watch the sport pretty much knew most of the storylines from each race, good and bad. The series serves to flesh them out a bit (I knew Williams was in a bad spot, but not THAT bad). And yeah, you have to form a narrative to pull people in, and what better way to play up drama and loud cursing personalities and frame it like a soap opera.

But the footage is awesome. The ariel tracking shot of Bottas losing it in Germany was fantastic

as far as the storylines, yeah it's really for non-fans.

my wife does not care about anything related to any sport anywhere (she once tried to kick izzo out of his own locker room bc she didn't know who he was. at his own university)

and she was all-in on both seasons just because of the way it's formatted

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but yeah...it's worth it just to watch the races from all angles. beautiful stuff.

So the impact of this virus is hitting Moto GP already this weekend, might give a bit of context to what's upcoming with F1 possibly. They've cancelled the early season Thai GP, but have also cancelled the Premier class race of the opener at Qatar this weekend due to travel restrictions placed on Italians, which I guess represents too much of the Moto GP field and factory team members. Only Moto 2 and 3. No one's talking about Italian GPs yet, some of these hot spots could be interesting.

Got to figure the next 3 races (Bahrain, Vietnam, China) are off the books. Shame the inaugural Vietnam race has to be a wash, but health first, full stop. Things may possibly be better in May, but whether Spain and Monaco will be viable is unknown. A short season will make the end of this era of regulations interesting. Whomever wins the championship will have their work cut out for them.

Easy to forget how much farther Mercedes was to everyone else when the new regs came through. 3rd race of the season and it seemed like every lap Hamilton and Rosberg were another second plus ahead of 3rd place. By lap 15 the gap between Rosberg anr Perez (2-3) was 18 seconds. Every team has since made gains in either the PU or aero department, but to see how much farther Mercedes was from everyone else is pretty shocking

Ferrari and Vettel have announced they are parting ways at the end of the 2020 season (whatever that ends up amounting to). It feels like a bit of a surprise right now, though not completely unforeseen, but he was talking about how he expected to still be there at least past 2020 if only for one year not too long ago. An open Ferrari seat definitely sets silly season off and running nice and early.

Williams won a Virtual GP lol

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Silly season is moving pretty fast.

Ferrari made a good move for the future. Sainz and leclerc should serve the prancing horse for a while, as neither have reached their peak. Team dynamic should be better than with Vettel as well.

Danny moving to Mclaren is interesting, but probably smart. Even though the rumor has been Renault will be on point with the new regs, their PU still has issues (which really puzzled me when he moved from RB to end up using the same unreliable engine and trans). With Mclaren having the aero back on track AND using Mercedes power, that could be a very dangerous combination. Assuming things work better for the Woking team than when they were on Honda power, they also set themselves up nicely to jump the midfield.

So... does Vettel retire? A scenario with Petronas dumping Bottas and giving Vettel the seat sounds stupid. I can't see him running with Renault, unless there's something huge up their sleeve that either Danny didn't know or didn't care about. Could The Hulk come back to Renault next year?

Silly season indeed, before we turn a wheel in competition this year...

8 races on tap, with two back to backs (Red Bull Ring & Silverstone), which is weird. Unless they are trying to work with the 14 day quarantine rule some countries have? Who knows. No spectators, which will make Parc Ferme strange.

Still, with a compressed season and such a long layoff it will be interesting to see is the status quo holds up or if this ends up being the extreme silly season.

Also, Mercedes running black livery instead of silver feels sorta badass, at least just in the sense of what it will feel like to see that on the grid and know it's Lewis in one of those cars.

I never really had an opinion one way or another or F1 ownership in the past, but Bernie's trash comments would've been even more problematic if he was still running things.

Too bad they don't run alt colors in F1. Switching between the two would be fire.

That said, can't help but feel like it's semi-pandering to Lewis. At the same time, it's a symbolic gesture that looks fire and will move more merch, so...winning?

Whatever, just bring the season on. More excited for qualis on Saturday than fireworks.

It's definitely hard to call on 'pandering' right now, but he's got Mercedes talking about this stuff, and F1, so hopefully the things they're announcing about seeking more diversity bears fruit in the future. They can't all run black livery so it makes sense for them to be the one to present that image at least, imagine if another team beat them to that punch! I hope they keep it all season, I think changing the team colours will feel pretty impactful on the grid, it's a bit different than some of the team sports stuff you see where the bench might be wearing black shirts but the jerseys don't actually change.

Hopefully Mercedes is ready for Austria this year too, after the struggles the last two years. Or else he better kill it on Silverstone's two weekends.

I mean, Lewis is a unicorn. If any team would support BLM in a big way it would have to be Petronas. I don't think you change your car's color scheme for a crew member in Woking. WHatever. It's a good look for the team, symbolic or not, and the car should look sick on track.

As for the race... having the first 2 races on Red Bull's home track does worry me. The last 2 years have not been kind to Mercedes, for sure. But I think if they sorted out their cooling they may have a chance. The next 3 races should be successes if, say, they have one good and one bad race in Austria. Been such a long window between winter testing and now there's no telling where any team is. While the Red Bull Ring may be a better opener for racing than Melbourne, it's anyone's game.

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Felt really weird with nobody in the stands, but just seeing the cars out there was great. Ferrari definitely has problems. Bad aero? No cheater engine? Probably a little of both. Vettel not making Q3 was a bit of a shock.

Those Petronas boys look fast. Like, quite a bit of pace away from the field fast. Not quite 2014 disparity, but definitely it's their race to lose. Racing Point is going to scare the midfield, as they had the pace. Just not quite enough development of the car, so it was fast but Perez and Stroll had to wrestle the car, whereas Mercedes was pretty stable (trick steering notwithstanding). Just wait to see what McLaren can do with Mercedes power next year...

A few more hours to go. Green, Green, Green....

Not sure we learned anything, except that Merc is still fast and everybody else has reliability problems. But glad for McLaren, looking quick, bummed for Max, and thinking that Seb just doesn't wanna be out there at all this season.

Glad they're back at the Ring again next week. Track does seem to produce good racing, for some reason.

Well, the Alonso return is actually happening, with Renault signing him to replace Ricciardo. That's always been my personal favourite place to cheer for Alonso, and it's another spot Vettel can't fill.

Despite it eventually going to shit for Hamilton a little, having some excitement at the end of the race helped entertainment purposes. I hope the Mercs solved their 'electrical noise' problem, even if they still both finished well enough.

I wish Albon would just get his own safe, clean pass in for a podium for his own sake somehow. He always makes room for someone else's special day though.

They are gonna be petty with everything this year. Karma came and bit them on the a$$ with 3 of 4 of their cars not finishing, Max first (I cackled at that).

I do feel bad for Albon though. It had to be Hamilton again, right? I think if the spin didn't drop him so far back he may not have got the penalty, but who knows. I'd have called a racing incident, but I can't be mad at the decision either. What I AM mad about is not keeping up the pace and letting Norris snatch the podium by the skin of his teeth (but happy Norris got his first podium. The elation he and his team showed was great).

Overall, really fun way to start the season. Mercedes is stupid fast, but they probably got the strategy wrong (not pitting for softs was probably not a great idea, and may have kept Hamilton far enough from Albin that he wouldn't have been in a position to have been passed). Either Ferrari has some pace in the car, or LeClerc managed to drag the car much further up the ladder than should have been possible (like Lewis in 2013). McLaren is going to be quite a problem next year.

And I'd bet money Hemilton gets the win Sunday. No chance they let the same issues and strategy undo the race Sunday.

Lewis again showed he's near peerless in the wet beating Max by over a second and then running away with the win by 13 seconds over the field. After dropping to 4th last week you knew he would be on it this week, and he did not disappoint.

Ferrari, WTF? 2 races in, your engine is slow, your aero is crap, and your drivers can't stay off each other? Horrible week for them to be sure. The power deficit almost confirms they were cheating last year, but the aero issues are a much bigger issue. This may be one of the most difficult seasons for them in years.

Midfield battle was insane between McLaren, Pink Mercedes and Danny Boy. 5 - 8 were under a second apart.

and lewis is lewis.

he's the champ and everybody else isn't.

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>he's the champ and everybody else isn't.

it really feels like a shumacher throwback now. the best driver is in the best car and everybody else is just out there.

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It’s really looking like a 2 car race this season, as the Black Arrows are faster than everyone else. 2 races in and Hamilton has been in his own league.

I mean, they couldn't have known Lewis tire would go, but damned if RBR ain't throw a win away with that fastest lap pit stop.

In related news, Pirelli has some explaining to do.

Seb, man. Kinda making me sad.

There's word it could also have been debris from Kimi's wing that broke of that caused the issues. All the tires were in bad shape but apparently there's onboards that may show issues when the drivers went through that area and the tires let go not long afterward.

Bottas has to be hating life. Second late stage tire issue in recent memory that robbed him of a podium (Baku coming to mind). When Hamilton's tire went I nearly passed out. Watching Max close on him with nothing that could have been done was excruciating.

Now, RB bringing Max in for the fastest lap was probably a 50/50 call at best, and safe at worst. No word on how his tires were looking, and assuming Hamilton stayed out, no way to have caught him, even if Hamilton backed way off to eek that tire to the end. So, 2nd and fastest lap makes sense from a standing perspective. You could question Petronas for not bringing Hamilton in after MAx pitted. There was enough time in hand and with Bottas out, you really want to make sure the same didn't befall the points leader.

Standings stayed the same, but Valtteri definitely got the worst of it, having the gap between him and lewis grow considerably and the lead he has over Max shrink to just 6 points. I think the W11 has enough pace over the field to give either Mercedes driver the win on any given Sunday, so Bottas should be able to keep 2nd place, but he doesn't have much cushion anymore.

Hulkenburg is who I feel sorry for. A whirlwind signing to replace Perez hours before race weekend begins only for the car not to start.

to be on the "max's tire would've popped too, and maybe worse" train

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They had the big gap, might as well pick up the extra point. Just one of those tings how it turned out.

the tires that popped weren't even the ones with obvious seams, Lewis was damn lucky to be able to get that thing around for another lap without it completely coming apart.



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from the Winners this weekend: https://twitter.com/F1/status/1292526500600852482

Did anyone else watch KTM get their first Premier Class win?

I guess it's good someone else got an F1 win, Lewis can't win them all lol

Those tires were definitely crazy, and the weather this Summer is definitely messing things up. It's actually screwed with the Moto GP grid even more possibly, it was so much hotter in Jerez then when they usually race there in April, so many riders have been having crazy high-sides and breaking and fracturing things. Marquez is out, it's truly a bizarro Championship in terms of results, factory teams are being beaten by their customer counterparts.

I don't know if this Racing Point drama is interesting or not.

But unless there's a catastrophic event that happens, I don't see how Lewis don't have 7 'chips and Mercedes has every constructors 'chip in the current regs.

It's possible the downforce the Silver Arrows cars can generate has a negative effect on the tires in specific situations. For all their German efficiency, they may not have calculated for that. It happens. Could they have left Hamilton out and rolled the dice on a one stop with Max 10 seconds back? Maybe, but the drama from last week meant that was a non starter. Take given points rather than risk max points. Bottas has to be pissed, but I have little doubt he gets 2nd in the driver's 'chip over Max. RB has to win on tactical decisions rather than pace, and the Petronas team usually sorts their strategy out after a loss.

What's the over/under on Vettel quitting mid-season? The car isn't good (even with LeClerc dragging the car higher than it should), he's not there next year and it really feels like Ferrari has given up on him and the car this season.

It also doesn't bode well for him next year. Racing Point's penalties do not make them as appealing for next year. Right now, he is just going trough the motions. Hamilton and Petronas are in good shape if they don't take their foot off the gas.

Red Bull are the future. Max and Alex are going to be fun to watch. Once Albon gets more comfortable, he is going to be consistent and great with Max. They are both risk takers and really good drivers.

I love Max, even if he's a dick. There has never been a pass he wouldn't take, and he drives the balls off the car. The only problem he has is Hamilton and Mercedes. As long as both are on their game, Max ain't winning, as that Mercedes power is greater than Honda and Hamilton is, at best, a better driver, and at worst, a more experienced driver than Max is. I look forward to years of Max and LeClerc fighting each other, but this year and next, it's probably Hamilton's world. We'll see what the new regs do.

As for Albon. I like him. The two problems he has are he's racing with Max, and he's not close to him in skill, and he's racing for Red Bull, who's not known for keeping #2 drivers. His qualifying and race finished are consistently lower than Max. The one thing that is probably helping Albon out is the fact there's no clear #3 team behind Mercedes and RB, so they should be able to finish 2nd in the standings regardless of the finishing gap between Alex and Max.

This isn't a big knock on Albon at all. He was put in the same situation as Gasley was in last year and managed it better. Probably not to the level that Horner and Marko would like, but not enough to flush him from the team. Besides, what options do they have?

I think Red Bull will be a little patient with Albon because he shows flashes of brilliance and he is definitely not a threat to Max's #1 status. He will keep them in the points and will create a good relationship between the drivers. Max is prickly and if you bring someone in that he doesn't mesh with, it will be a disaster.

I don't know what the hell is up with Ferrari's car. Whatever the secret engine settlement was had to be significant. I am not convinced next year will be better. Charles is driving the hell out of that underperforming car, though.

I am all in on Hamilton (All Black Everything!) but I do root for Ricciardo and Ocon and a few of the younger drivers. They are just not close to being in the realm of Petronas.

who do you pair with your star?

if you want to replace albon, you need someone who is both consistently better and also won't fall apart from losing to max because they likely won't be able to beat him.

idk how you find that person, although hulkenberger definitely showed he has the pace and would love a shot in a good car

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F1 is Lewis' world, and every other driver is just living in it right now. I love it

Max is next up, and there's a slew of talent on the grid now, making F1 viable entertainment going forward. But until Hamilton and Petronas slip up, everyone else is fighting for 2nd.

This one was over on Saturday. After Lewis' Q3 lat it would have taken mechanical failure for him to lose. Were it not for some last lap heroics of Danny Ric (plus the fact the top 3 were all cruising the last 6 laps to keep the tires from going off) Hamilton would have another Grand Slam. The total wins record seems like a foregone conclusion. It could be done in September (you have to figure if he can clear the first chicane in Monza next week unscathed it's a wrap for the field). I wish the record could go down in front of fans in person, but 2020 being what it is, I'll take it.

Bottas either needs catastrophe on the other side of the garage on a 2016 level or just be satisfied coming in second again. I don't doubt he moves past Max, as he has the better car, but coming to terms with Hamilton just being better is...sobering. Still, 2nd isn't small potatoes. It's good for the team, and as has been stated before, the gap between him Bottas and Hamilton isn't as wide as the gap between Max and anybody not named Danny Ric. Speaking of....

I've heard some scuttlebutt about Albon being under pressure at RB. Not entirely sure if that's fair, as Max is a generational talent, held back by the fact that he's not Hamilton or drives for Petronas. Anybody you put beside him won't fare well. Could Albon, or Gasley, have had their car set up better for their style? Maybe. But the design really does seem to fit max more than anyone. Ricciardo gave him a challenge, but since Max is the future of the team (and rightly so, honestly) he had to leave. I hope Albon keeps the seat. Let him grow into it, and see what happens. You're not going to find a 1A for Max, so keep your B.

So, it's a pretty foregone conclusion that Ferrari had a cheater engine, right? Seeing Vettel and LeClerc out in Q2 was shameful. Every car running Ferrari power next week are going to be lapped, maybe twice. With rules locked more or less for next year, it's going to be a hard end for this era for Tiffosi faithful. Sainz may want to enjoy going fast this year, because next year doesn't look great...

I can't imagine Mercedes struggling in Monza unless those proposed engine setting changes take effect on quali modes etc. really do effect them more than others in a way they don't figure out right away.

The funniest part of the Ferrari situation to me now is how they appealed the whole RP ordeal asking for more transparency, after all the secrecy surrounding their stuff last year.

>So, it's a pretty foregone conclusion that Ferrari had a
>cheater engine, right?

If you look at the results independent of the variable of driver skill, that car is not really any better than the Alfa, and only marginally better than the Haas.

If you insist that the Ferrari chassis MUST be better than Alfa/Haas, then Kimi must be doing things neither LeClerc or Vettel can do, and that MAG and GRO are pretty much their equal.

Hm.

There was already word last year (and maybe the year before) that the aero philosophy Ferrari adopted may not pan out as well, and likely would have a bit of a performance ceiling as far as what they could do based on their high rake design and how they designed their front wing. Considering they were losing time in the corners to Mercedes, that seemed to have been proven true even then. However, because of that 'stroker' engine, they could power through and mask some of that aero deficiency. Without that extra power, the design choices really start to bite them in the rear.

They pretty much are like Mopar in the late 60's early 70s. Fast in the straights, can't turn. Engine regs hit and now can't do either.

Poor Carlos

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I am happy for Gasly, Hamilton will surely keep winning later, he doesn't have to get his 90th at the same track as Schumacher when he's surpassing him lol

The pit stop thing obviously caught hami out as the first one through, but it's clearly just some little thing they all technically needed to know. I really wonder what it would have been like watching Ferrari going out like that if their were fans there in person.

I'm not sure what the engine regs changed, Red Bull seemed to suffer the most in quali but that may be track dependent, and Bottas seemed to complain his setting made it hard to race in the pack.

good for gasly though, he deserves things going his way, and he drove that car at the end.

not a great weekend for bottas and albon, even if their issues weren't their fault, they came out of it looking bad.

stroll got third but tbh I thought the whole thing reflected poorly as shit on him. so he essentially a free tire change without ever having to make a pit stop, and still can't come in first or second? that's like a free 40 second head start over the rest of the field.

sainz prolly should've had second no matter what, just a little unlucky to not win


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There's nobody on the planet that could have predicted how this one was going to end. Lots to unpack

First, congrats to Gasly and AlphaTauri. A lot of stars and planets needed to align for this outcome, but once Pierre got the lead he kept it even with serious pressure from Sainz. After the year that kid had it's great to see him with a win. Factor in the works team that dumped him a year ago finished with a DNF and zero points the win has to be extra sweet (more on RB later). Here's hoping for more success and smart career choices in the future (more later)

Second, end of an era in modern F1. Having the Williams family out of racing kinda sucks. But such is the fate of a team that needs funding and the only way to secure it is to sell. I don't think this was all Claire's fault, but with new management, the old guard has to go. It will be years before we get the real story behind Paddy Lowe and how his team managed to get the car so unbelievable wrong. Maybe the new ownership can get Martini to sign as a sponsor again (I do miss that livery).

What should have been business as usual at Mercedes got turned completely upside down. Hamilton was on pace for a 20+ second win. Instead, he put on a display that showed reverse grids may not be a bad thing after all. Some may not like Lewis going to the stewards during the red flag period, but you have to give him credit for taking the blame for pulling in the pit and congratulating Pierre first and foremost. It was a freak set of circumstances that caught Petronas out there this weekend, but you better believe that won't happen ever again. Either they will hire someone just to check pit entry lights and messages or figure out a way to automate it better (or do both). Driving back to 7th was pretty amazing. If that red flag didn't stop the race, I wouldn't have been surprised if he ended up on the podium even after the 10 second stop & go penalty. On the other side of the garage, Bottas didn't have a good race at all. Another crap start and possible car issues didn't see him make a podium run, which would have helped his (non-existent) chances at the title run. Still, he's back in 2nd, which is how things were going to shake out anyway.

Not a good day for Red Bull. Max didn't have a great quali and ended up with a DNF. Definitely didn't help his chances at coming 2nd in the drivers championship (which, really, is Bottas' to lose). Albon was a non factor today. To see Gasly on the podium has to make Horner and Marko's soul burn slow though. But what can they do? Promoting Gasley back to RB makes them look like they didn't make a good choice and undercut's Alex's confidence. Pierre has to know RB has a much better shot at any kind of championship over AT, but does he want that kind of pressure again? At this point anybody in the seat opposite Verstappen is not going to look good. Bringing someone up from their junior race program will likely have the same result. Looking outside of RB as a whole, who would you pay to bring in and race beside Max? Staying as is may be the only call right now.

I bet everyone at Maranello is glad there were no fans in the stands. Ferrari couldn't have had a worse weekend if they tried. Glad the barriers at the chicane were foam, or it would have been bad for Vettel. Glad LeClerc walked away from that crash as that was brutal. Bad enough they were already going to get curb stomped at their home track but to leave with two damaged cars that didn't make it to Q3 in the first place? This is simply a bad year for them.

Lastly, how does Antonio Giovinazzi have a seat in F1? He must have a TON of sponsor money or somebody's family member hostage.

Apparently a lot of the important data for the team on the pit wall gets spoken by a robot voice in to their headset the moment it happens, so even if they're not looking at it they hear 'Safety Car' told to them all at one the moment it happens. The closed pit lane indicator isn't in that system of things that they get voice notifications for but it sounds like that will probably change.

I don't know. I don't know if Seb is better than Checo at this point.

I will say that if I'm Haas, I'm snapping up Checo and his pesos right quick.

Yeah, if Perez still comes with that financial backing I'd find it hard to believe he gets left out, since he also seems a better racer than the Haas boys or Gio (I don't know what Alfa's sitch is).

Watching these cars ride in Mugello is amusing right now, since I'm so used to watching Moto GP bikes race around it, the way they can take some of these corners flat out completely changes the dynamic. If that main straight DRS zone isn't effective I don't see much passing going on anywhere else.

Sign Checo now. He also will bring them some money to improve their crap car.

I still don't understand how Grosjean has a job. He supposedly drives fast in a straight line when no one is around him. Is that enough?

or it could go down in flames with both sides collapsing

I understand why it's his best option and why aston martin wants a 4x world champ in the seat

but....is anyone sure they'll be able to keep making a decent car without copy/pasting mercedes specs, and whether seb right now is just uninspired or totally washed?

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I struggled to remember that these are the best drivers in the world.

Stroll's was nasty. Glad he's all right.

I like Mugello when I drive it in racing sims, but since F1 can take almost every corner flat, not sure it's a great choice to keep on the calendar in the future, unless they really do get rid of a whole lot of downforce in '22.

Italy was not kind to Max this season. Back to back DNFs? Not good at all. That gives Bottas the breathing room he needed (back up 25 points), since he's sure to suffer some unfortunate puncture 3 laps from the finish. Happy for Albon finally getting on podium. All he needed was not to tangle with Hamilton, I suppose.

Stroll's crash was as bad as LeClerc's last week. And the 4 car pileup at the restart further cemented the HALO is saving lives. I can't remember seeing 8 cars out at the final flag before. War of attrition


Vettel to Tracing Point was the worst kept secret this year. Absolutely sucks that Cheko was on the chopping block. But, nepotism, right? Question is how much Vettel still has in the tank. He doesn't suck, per se, but he's clearly not the same driver he was after he wiped out in Germany a few years back and threw his championship away. Still, the Pink Panther cars should be faster than Ferrari's disaster and he should be the #1 driver there, Papa Stroll notwithstanding (even diminished Vettel is a better driver than Stroll is gonna be).

but I guess he learned that he needs to take all the space if he's going to go there.

dude was driving like collisions were off before, man of cours they're going to punt you.

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Family means more than winning. Otherwise, there's no way you keep Stroll over Perez on the team going forward. Even if you're looking at age, very little has shown Stroll will be any better than a mid pack driver on his best day. Mind you, if Vettel gets there and gets outqualified by Stroll it will not be a good look for him or the team choosing Vettel over Perez.

Bigger question: Who ends up the odd man out of F1 when this all shakes out? Alonzo coming back threw everything into chaos it seems.

it looks like Kvyat is on his way out of F1

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Still, this seems to have been muted by other subplots:
- Honda leaving next year, giving RB few options
- RB possibly taking over Honda's engine program
- Ricciardo back on the podium after 2 years (and Cyril's soon to have tattoo)
- Hulkenburg coming from breakfast Saturday morning to driving to a points finish less than 24 hours later.
- Bottas' retirement making an already foregone conclusion that much closer
- Albon inching closer to getting sacked

amazing

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(T)Racing Point would only have one car on the grid. Definitely deserved driver of the day.

Now to see who gets a seat first, Hulk or Perez

Most dominant driver, car and team, and they are still not done. Lewis is on his 92-93 Jordan steez. Nobody getting a chip until he's done.

And the scary thing is, neither he nor the team look to be slowing down a bit. New track? No DAS? No problem. Stable regs next year? Expect more of the same. This record is going to stand for decades. And I'm gonna love every moment of it.

At least 8 or 9 drivers on the grid better than him right now.

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Toto's team is in the record books. To be undefeated during any regulations period is unheard of. But build the best PU, continue to work on the chassis and PU over the years, get the best driver and hammer on year after year after year. Other teams can whine, other teams can cheat, but Petronas Mercedes still comes out on top. Salute.

The race itself was in interesting one. Quick notes:
- There's going to be griping about leaving Lewis out for an extended period and the VSC timing. Neither is valid. The plan was to jump Max for the 1-2 Mercedes finish, not necessarily to jump Bottas. Had the VSC not been called, it would have been close. But it was, and Hamilton got the added benefit. This isn't his fault, as he has been on the wrong side of the VSC a few times before. Still, if the roles were reversed Bottas may not have been able to do the same. Certainly not yesterday with the Ferrari endplate wedged under his car, and in general, I don't think he could have maintained his tires like Lewis does.
- We got a Shoey in 2020. And Hamilton took part. We are in the end times. Good for Danny. He won't win a chip, but I hope for good things with McLaren next year
- Feel bad for Gasley. Killer quali, lined up next to his old teammate in the 'junior' car, and had to box the car early. Would have been an interesting race, as AT had speed this weekend (witness Kvyat coming in 4th)
- Feel worse for Russell, binning it under the safety car when all he needed to do was stay on the track for his first point ever. He couldn't even blame Ericsson...
- Italy has not been kind to Max
- So, Albon is a wash out next year?
- RP just doesn't want Cheko to be great in his last races with the team. Shame to see him without a seat next year

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Bottas would have found a way to screw up the reversed situation. Hamilton is just made differently.

I hope Danny does well at McLaren. He is one of my favorite racers. He races with joy and seems to be a good dude. Him in a consistently quality car would be fun.

Russell's crash will ultimately make him better. He is shaping up to be a really great driver and this mistake will make him more precise in how he works. Kind of similar to how Hamilton evolved over time.

I am trying to root for Albon but he doesn't make it easy. It is either one of two reasons for his performance - 1) The Red Bull car is incredibly difficult to drive and only Max can drive it well. 2) Albon does not have the mental fortitude to drive the car/deal with the pressure.

Neither of those reasons are good for Red Bull.

Perez is going to be in F1 next year. He does well in races and is a great tire manager. Most importantly, he comes with money. He will get a seat. Russell may be on the outside looking in next year but Checo will get a seat somewhere.

Lots to unpack here, so here we go...

This has to go down as one of Hamilton's Top 10 races. Doing a 1 stop on inters on an ice rink after starting from 6th and winning by 20+ seconds is absolutely amazing. The feel for the car, the tires, the track, the patience to stick in there, and the ability to just keep the car n the track when damn near everyone else had an off or a spin? His ability in the wet is already a known factor, but this was something else entirely that sets him apart from everyone else in the field.

Seven drivers championships. Four straight. Could have been 5 if not for Malaysia or Monza in '16, but I digress. Even if this coronation was a foregone conclusion this season the drive he put in to secure it speaks volumes. All he needed was to finish ahead on Bottas, and since he has a horrible race from the start, that wouldn't have been hard. But to go for the win and get it in such treacherous conditions? I don't ever want to hear any commentator, pundit, driver, past or present, ever to doubt Hamilton's will to win, his skills as a driver relative to the car he's in, or that he's one of the greatest driver in F1. Already winningest by race, likely will be winningest by championship before he retires. Greatest of his generation. GOAT? You can no longer dismiss the idea.

You could hear and see the emotion when he finally crossed the line. This still means something to him. He still has that fight, even being an elder statesman in the field at this point. That should be pretty terrifying to everyone else. Not gonna lie, hearing him tear up after crossing the line and watching him in parc ferme had me in tears a bit. That man made history and looks like me. It's a big deal.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I am actually super happy for Vettel. Even being a lame duck season, it has been a horrible year for him. But he managed to show he still has something in the tank. He made a great start, kept in the top 5 most of the r ace, and capitalized on LeClerc's mistake to get on the podium for the first time in forever. And he was the first one to get to Lewis to congratulate him on the win. It's kind of poetic that Vettel was on the Podium with Hamilton for this one. This also had me a little teary eyed. Maybe he will have a decent year at Aston Martin next year.

A hugely impressive finish for Perez as well. WHile his teammate absolutely lost the plot, Perez had to hold off Max, Lewis, Seb, Charles, all on worn inters while trying his best to stay on the track. Vettel deserved driver of the day, but Checo could have got it and it would have been equally justified. (T)Racing Point had to be sweating bullets on leaving him out there, but considering they threw a podium away last race bringing him in, what were you going to do? I seriously hope he gets a drive next year. If things were fair Stroll would be sacked and Perez keeps the seat. But, life isn't fair. Haas or RB are possible. Wherever he ends up, he'll be worth it.

What to say about Verstappen today? His biggest asset was his worst enemy today: aggression. He really did not need to try and overtake Perez at that stage in the race and spun, effectively ending his chances then and there. Being aggressive kept him in the mix, but still cost him a few offs and spins in the closing stages. Going to slicks would have been a disaster for him. This race just served to illustrate the difference between him and Lewis. Max is still raw, and doesn't have the patience or touch Lewis has, nor the experience to know when to use that aggression. Had Max waited another lap or so he likely could have made that pass on Perez and got on the podium, as the RBs hooked up a lot quicker than everyone else bar Racing Point. He'll learn. This one got away from him and he has nobody to blame but himself.

I'd say Stroll sucks, but that's not fair. Stroll is Stroll. It was a freak set of circumstances that got him on pole, and a good start that got him out there. BUt I don't think there was a person on earth, not even Stroll himself, who thought it could be maintained. To see how far back he fell was a little surprising. Still, for a driver with his skill set this was expected.

Pirelli screwed the pooch on tire compounds this week, for sure. While the rain wasn't something they could control, the freshly surfaced track was something they were completely unprepared for, and everybody suffered, fr better and for worse. Second race of the season their compound choice has been wrong or possibly dangerous.

Even with all the rain, no full safety cars? That's probably the most amazing bit.

dude has it, and unlike a ton of drivers on the grid, has the experience to know what to do with it.

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he really responded to that rosberg championship by going "you know what, fuck it, I'm going to be god damn perfect from now on so that it's never even close again, it won't matter what the stewards do, if the engine blows up, nothing, if I never leave pointso n the table, then you can never beat me"


AND THEN FUCKING DID IT

hasn't finished out of the points since 2018

hasn't gone a season without a race win EVER

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At points in both those seasons, that Ferrari was faster and/or better than the Mercedes, and Lewis had a real fight with Seb. Even under pressure, you didn't see him crack.

Have to agree, losing how he did in '16 made him a much better driver. His one big weakness from that season was his starts, and he's aced that ever since. He knows how to find that extra bit of pace and make it work when needed. If something does do sideways and the results suck, he bounces back with a vengeance.

I mean... Turkey was a horrible set of circumstances for everyone, 2 teams had cars better set up for the conditions, Lewis was a full pit stop behind and still managed to win by a pit stop plus. It's not the car. It's him. Lewis is the most complete package as a driver in F1, and even his haters cannot dispute that.

The rest of the field better hope Petronas blows the new regs. If not, Lewis could go for 10

I am very glad that I didn't have to watch someone die this morning. How he managed to stay conscious AND have the wherewithal to pull himself up and out of that mess...god bless Romain, the track staff, the halo designers...

amazing job by everyone to negate a tragedy

and I've never seen anyone walk away from it

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J.D. McDuffie at Watkins Glen

(it's on youtube, I was watching that race live at the time)

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Really, Dale's didn't look that bad when it happened. Not much worse than any number of other hooks into the fence.

are interesting

neither one looked like the worst kind of hits, but it was enough. and the chnges made as a result lead to each series becoming far safer almost overnight, with no deaths in races for a loooong time

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Top Fuel/Funny Car engines would explode but I haven't watched those in years. That Haas split in half and split the barrier. No halo, we're watching a funeral rather than a race. Thank goodness he's alive.

The race didn't mean anything beyond that.

assuming it was a race day test....he may have been contagious and he was around a lot of the pit crew after the race without a mask.


either way, if the championship were still in the balance this would be ridiculous. w/ the quarantine rules in the countries left, his season is done


edit - apparently it was a monday test, but still.

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Only thing that can slow Hamilton down is COVID. That's some shit. Hope he recovers, and hope the rest of the team isn't hugely affected. Health safety is priority. That said, everything is wrapped up anyway, so Hamilton racing or not doesn't matter. Max now has a shot at a win or two (I assume Lewis won't have a negative test back in time to race next week in the finale). That said...

George Russell, welcome to the big time. Literally coming from a back marker car to the champ's seat has got to be a made for TV movie scenario. If he doesn't score points this weekend I'll be pissed. The person I'm most worried about in this would be Bottas. He's locked in next year for sure. But if George does well in a last minute switch to a car that isn't his, or, worst case, comes in ahead of Bottas, that will not be a good look. That said, Bottas is doing what they need him to do as a wingman, and Hamilton hasn't slowed down yet. All can stay the same come 2021, but at least they have a gunge of the future.

Russell showed up on Friday :) though they seem to know his one lap pace isn't entirely representative.

I'm happy for him and hope he shows what he can do, he is kind of the unluckiest of that new crowd of drivers being at Williams. I have to admit I had this dream scenario where Mercedes made an arrangement with their other customer team to let Perez have a nice send off in the best car on the grid just in case he doesn't get to come back!!

>he is kind
>of the unluckiest of that new crowd of drivers being at
>Williams.

There's something to be said for a trial by fire. There are easy cars to drive, and then there are hellishly difficult cars to drive. Two years of hauling that POS Williams around the track could have the effect of making him much better than if he'd started at Toro/Alpha, or even McLaren.

You're not wrong, and Mercedes clearly see him as their future so as long as their car doesn't suck by the time he gets in it full-time hopefully he should be good. I still think it's good he got to show himself up front because sometimes that lack of visibility stuck back there can affect things after too long, but I guess he'd only be truly unlucky if his relationship with Mercedes doesn't pan out as intended long-term.

I wanted that Russell win, man.really did.

Bottas and Russell need to slap fire out of everyone in the pit crew and on the pot wall. Never should have come in for new tires, then absolutely screwed the pooch for both drivers, ruining both their finishes.

Super mega gutted for Russell. He had the win, then had the win again, and lost it. He's the real deal race wise. He had the pace, he had the mental fortitude, he had the car. He had Bottas on his back foot. This was the miracle story in the making, and it was all taken away from him, through absolutely no fault of his own. I think when all is said and done Russell will hold his head high and be glad he has his first points (assuming those aren't taken from him from the FIA). Just having the opportunity to go from the slowest car to the fastest is still a dream.

On the flip side, Perez FINALLY getting his first win from dead last was the best result otherwise. Watching him cry after he crossed the line was super emotional. He's had his best season yet, and getting sacked next year is truly a crime. There's no way Stroll keeps that seat, but money and dad owns the team. I like Albon, I really do. But RP really have to seriously consider giving Checo a shot if they want a shot in the championships

Best wishes to Hamilton on a speedy recovery. His place at Petronas is assured, and his car is in good hands if he can't race next week (and realistically, he has no reason to even if he is healthy)

I wanted to say it was a stupid race, but that mainly applied to Mercedes. It seems like they only intend to fine the team, so he's keeping his points, which is cool.

It's kinda cool that it's not just the fastest car, but it's Lewis' car, like getting to drive a bit or modern history. The fact that Russell practically made himself the #1 driver on that team in the race in a span of days is pretty telling.

At this point, it's either Albon or Perez taking a year off. As Team Canada I want to give my guy the benefit of the doubt lol but it's getting weird how clear it is both him and apparently even Latifi come from money.

>At this point, it's either Albon or Perez taking a year off.

What RBR need is a Bottas to Max's Hamilton. An experienced hand who knows he isn't as fast as Max—because, really, who is?—but is still gonna push him, nip him in qualifying occasionally, and NOT throw away points.

I like Albon, but when every weekend it's Max P3 and Alex trying to fight his way up from P9 or whatever...that's expensive. And I think you gotta stop with the youngsters who just can't hang anywhere near Max and go with the steady hand. This year would have been Max P3/Checo P4 every time out.

I'll expect to receive my consulting fee soon.

2021 should be interesting between Petronas, Red Bull, Aston Martin and McLaren. Good cars and drivers in all (except maybe Stroll, but...). Hamilton and Bottas better not sleep

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they keep blaming the radios. need to invest in making sound travel faster next year and worry less about the car lol

If the win, they win decisively. If they screw up, they lose definitively. Petronas has showed a master class on double stacking before. They showed a master class on how NOT to double stack this race. Hopefully they got that out their system. This was worse then the VSC pit in Monaco a few years back

Bigger chatter is Bottas 2021. Honestly, Mercedes has no reason to make a switch at this point, as Bottas is doing exactly what they need. He's a solid #2, does enough to push Hamilton but not upset the balance of power in the pits, and gets enough points to stay comfortably ahead in the constructors championship. Unless Hamilton decides he wants to quit or shows signs of slowing down what else do you need? Nothing is gained from bringing Russell up as it will still be 1-2, with the regs staying the same in 2021. 2022 is anyone's guess. If Lewis wants to run, you may keep it the same; give Bottas another 1 year and see if Mercedes got the car right with the new regs. Upsetting the team dynamic, which is a known constant, when everything changes, which is an unknown, doesn't seem like something Totto and co. will do. Even if that means Russell takes a year off as a reserve for Mercedes until 2022, that would me a decent idea. No he's not racing, but he's tasted the best, and another team won't give him that. Now, if Mercedes looks slow in 2022, he can go elsewhere. If not, bide your time and get the best seat in the business.

But who knows.

As boring a race as always, but glad for Max.

Tell you what, I was damned glad for F1 this year. Needed as many things to look forward to as I could get. Well done to them for getting through the season like that.

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Midfield was the only thing in play, and once Perez went out (hated to see that on his last race) it was a wrap for (T)Racing Point getting 3rd. McLaren will be a dangerous team going forward, having seemed to have the car sorted out a bit better, more financing coming in, good drivers AND Mercedes power waiting for them. Aston Martin and RB should be worried.

Happy the season actually got done. Glad to see history made with Hamilton and Petronas. May do a recap at some point then wait until spring for the season to start (hopefully)