Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
[Other Sport] F1 2024
- Thread starter Audax
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #242
I think "brake test" is over-egging it. What Alonso planned to do was legitimate. The reason he got in trouble for it is he messed up the execution.
Suzuka up next. I suspect this'll be another Verstappen easy win, but I think we'll need to keep a close eye on the McLarens and Norris in particular. That McLaren is very, very good through the fast corners, so Suzuka could suit them very well. Where they'll struggle are the tighter corner - the hairpin, and then the final chicane. The sector 1 sweeper sequence, though, could be McLaren territory. Watch for them setting the best times through there during qually.
- Thread starter
- #243
China this weekend. And it's a sprint race weekend. Could be an interesting one given they've not been to China since 2019, and the circuit has needed some remedial work (removing some bumps that have developed) to make it ready for the ground-effect cars.
As far as talking points ahead of the race:
* I'm expecting another Verstappen win.
* McLaren are likely to struggle relatively compared to their Japan weekend (where, as expected, they were super-strong through Sector 1).
* Aston Martin (well, Alonso) could therefore be in the mix along with Ferrari for best-of-the-rest, after their Japan upgrade worked well.
* Ricciardo could be facing a make-or-break weekend. He'll have a new chassis this weekend, after being much closer to Tsunoda (in qually, before the lap 1 disaster) in Japan. Talk is swirling already that if he doesn't put in some performances soon, he could lose the seat to Lawson.
* Alonso has committed long-term to Aston Martin, taking him out of the running for Mercedes or Red Bull. Full details not yet available, but he'll be racing 2026 with the new Honda engine and after that it sounds like he'll have the option to either continue racing or to make a step into management with the team.
* Alonso committing also closes a door for Sainz (on the assumption Stroll's seat is secure). And the talk is he's not even the #1 choice for Mercedes - they'll take a punt on losing him by waiting to see if Antonelli can prove in F2 that he's ready.
* What of the Horny Horner scandal? All a bit quiet currently, to be honest. The complainant has appealed, and that process is underway. The flurry of activity around Horner and Marko for the early season has died down, with both remaining in-post for now. Where there has been some smoke is Newey's future, with rumours of contact between him and both Ferrari and Aston Martin. AM might have pull for him - he's worked with them before (on the Valkyrie) when AM partnered with Red Bull, and an offer that encompasses both F1 and Le Mans might be tempting for him.
Edit: Nearly forgot! Two more points:
* There's been some noise around Andretti. They've revealed (and officially opened) their new UK-base intended for their F1 operations. They've made it clear they are continuing to work towards 2026, and have now mentioned there are further meetings with FOM upcoming. Andretti and Cadillac are intent on proving they deserve a place on the grid.
* Meanwhile ... rumours abound that both Alpine and VCARB might become available for sale (for different reasons). For Alpine, the rumour is that any sale is contingent on the buyer committing to running Renault engines for a minimum period; that likely rules out Andretti as a buyer, as they are committed to Cadillac. On the VCARB side, the rumours focus on potential moves by the FOM to a) officially limit F1 to 10 teams in the next Concorde agreement (I can't see the FIA agreeing to that!), and b) as part of that moving to limit shared ownership, thus forcing a VCARB sale.
As far as talking points ahead of the race:
* I'm expecting another Verstappen win.
* McLaren are likely to struggle relatively compared to their Japan weekend (where, as expected, they were super-strong through Sector 1).
* Aston Martin (well, Alonso) could therefore be in the mix along with Ferrari for best-of-the-rest, after their Japan upgrade worked well.
* Ricciardo could be facing a make-or-break weekend. He'll have a new chassis this weekend, after being much closer to Tsunoda (in qually, before the lap 1 disaster) in Japan. Talk is swirling already that if he doesn't put in some performances soon, he could lose the seat to Lawson.
* Alonso has committed long-term to Aston Martin, taking him out of the running for Mercedes or Red Bull. Full details not yet available, but he'll be racing 2026 with the new Honda engine and after that it sounds like he'll have the option to either continue racing or to make a step into management with the team.
* Alonso committing also closes a door for Sainz (on the assumption Stroll's seat is secure). And the talk is he's not even the #1 choice for Mercedes - they'll take a punt on losing him by waiting to see if Antonelli can prove in F2 that he's ready.
* What of the Horny Horner scandal? All a bit quiet currently, to be honest. The complainant has appealed, and that process is underway. The flurry of activity around Horner and Marko for the early season has died down, with both remaining in-post for now. Where there has been some smoke is Newey's future, with rumours of contact between him and both Ferrari and Aston Martin. AM might have pull for him - he's worked with them before (on the Valkyrie) when AM partnered with Red Bull, and an offer that encompasses both F1 and Le Mans might be tempting for him.
Edit: Nearly forgot! Two more points:
* There's been some noise around Andretti. They've revealed (and officially opened) their new UK-base intended for their F1 operations. They've made it clear they are continuing to work towards 2026, and have now mentioned there are further meetings with FOM upcoming. Andretti and Cadillac are intent on proving they deserve a place on the grid.
* Meanwhile ... rumours abound that both Alpine and VCARB might become available for sale (for different reasons). For Alpine, the rumour is that any sale is contingent on the buyer committing to running Renault engines for a minimum period; that likely rules out Andretti as a buyer, as they are committed to Cadillac. On the VCARB side, the rumours focus on potential moves by the FOM to a) officially limit F1 to 10 teams in the next Concorde agreement (I can't see the FIA agreeing to that!), and b) as part of that moving to limit shared ownership, thus forcing a VCARB sale.
Last edited:
JackB247
Well-known member
The most entertaining 10 minutes of F1 there for a couple of years in a tricky conditions in Sprint Quali - the best drivers really coming to the fore.
Won't be waking up at 3am to watch Lewis go backwards in the Sprint race mind.
Won't be waking up at 3am to watch Lewis go backwards in the Sprint race mind.
- Thread starter
- #245
I've finally got my 8 year old son interested in watching, and only have C4 highlights available, so I'll be watching it tomorrow afternoon at some point. Very tricky conditions in SQ3 (as well as the rain arriving part way through SQ2 preventing second runs) has resulted in a nicely mixed up grid.
Relatively easy to overtake at China, so we should see faster drivers able to make moves.
Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 30,590
I'm fully expecting the usual fare, i.e. Verstappen to win by a comfortable margin, Perez second, Ferrari and McLaren fighting it out for positions 3-6 with Alonso someone in that mix, Russell and Hamilton c 8th and 9th.
Well a day which promised so much turned out as dull as ever
Shropshire Seagull
Well-known member
Alonso using Honda engines?
Last time that happened in F1 he was less than complimentary suggesting it was a F2 power unit.
Have they kissed and made up?
Last edited:
AstroSloth
Well-known member
- Dec 29, 2020
- 1,000
Think Aston is Mercedes.
Flounce
Well-known member
- Nov 15, 2006
- 1,090
Not on 2026, they are switching to Honda. I notice Hamilton is much more humble when driving a shit car than Alonso has ever managed, even blaming himself rather than the car or others for his poor qualification yesterday. Really hope he discovers his mojo at Ferrari. F1 needs Lewis.
Attachments
Last edited:
jordanseagull
Well-known member
- Feb 11, 2009
- 4,065
Another procession, then.
Flounce
Well-known member
- Nov 15, 2006
- 1,090
If you ignore Verstappen this is a very interesting race, not a procession in any way
Another Lance Stroll disasterclass
jordanseagull
Well-known member
- Feb 11, 2009
- 4,065
Doesn’t make it any less of a procession up front though, does it. Interesting indeed but it’s nothing like a battle at the front.If you ignore Verstappen this is a very interesting race, not a procession in any way
jordanseagull
Well-known member
- Feb 11, 2009
- 4,065
AstroSloth
Well-known member
- Dec 29, 2020
- 1,000
Ah apologies, that's what I get for only reading part of a post.
AstroSloth
Well-known member
- Dec 29, 2020
- 1,000
Stroll vs Magnusson for last place earlier
AstroSloth
Well-known member
- Dec 29, 2020
- 1,000
"I was just told now apparently he [Lance] was blaming me for it and if that's true - I was starting to calm down but that really pisses me off. I watched his onboard and as soon as we start to brake he starts looking at the corner...he's not even looking at me."
Can't help but feel for Ricciardo in this situation. Actually making some progress with the car and unfortunately gets caught in a massive mess.
Can't help but feel for Ricciardo in this situation. Actually making some progress with the car and unfortunately gets caught in a massive mess.
- Thread starter
- #259
Ricciardo would have needed another stop for either softs or hards before the end of the race. He would have been in a similar position as Alonso to finish the race: initially outside the points, but with a tyre advantage to push back in. Think 9th or 10th might have been available.
What's worse for Ricciardo is he now has a grid penalty for Miami. Hulkenberg overtook both Ricciardo and Stroll while they busy getting tangled up. Ricciardo thought that was against the rules (no overtaking behind the safety car) and that he was entitled to take the position back, so he did that under the next SC. He forgot all about the exceptions to the "no overtaking behind SC" rule, though, and stewards ruled Hulk was entitled to pass under the circumstances. Because Ricciardo retired before a penalty was assessed (or an investigation even started), he couldn't serve a penalty in-race and it gets pushed to the next race as a grid penalty. So not only did Stroll's brain fade ruin his China chance for points, it's also created a headache for him in the next round.
I think positive signs for Ricciardo though. He was very upbeat through the China weekend that he was a lot more confident in the car. That follows on from a much better (again spoiled by contact) weekend at Japan, where his Q2 qually effort basically matched Tsunoda. If he beats Tsunoda in qually again at Miami, we might be in a position to assume that there was a chassis related issue with his car that held him back in the first few races.
- Thread starter
- #260
A rumour has started swirling that Logan Sargeant's last race with Williams might be the upcoming Miami GP. Joe Saward has speculated that he'll be replaced by Mercedes' young protege Kimi Antonelli from Imola. I would assume this would be in a bid to prepare him to fill Hamilton's seat at Mercedes from as early as next year. The major snag with this rumour is that Antonelli is still only 17, and the current rules require that he be 18 before he can be granted a super license to race in F1. The FIA could grant a special dispensation, but if that process was already underway I'm sure we'd be hearing about it from a lot more sources than the somewhat eccentric Joe Saward.
So for the moment, I'm filing this under "Saward throwing mud and hoping it sticks" and not expecting it to happen. But it's one that's worth keeping an eye on, as if further sources start reporting it it could have legs. Personally I suspect it's more likely that Mercedes are talking with Williams about placing him there, but that the actual swap would be only once he's turned 18 later this year or possibly even for 2025 (with Mercedes trying to get someone else to fill Hamilton's seat on a temporary basis). Given Antonelli's F2 form so far this year, there's nothing that yet screams "he must be in F1 ASAP!"
So for the moment, I'm filing this under "Saward throwing mud and hoping it sticks" and not expecting it to happen. But it's one that's worth keeping an eye on, as if further sources start reporting it it could have legs. Personally I suspect it's more likely that Mercedes are talking with Williams about placing him there, but that the actual swap would be only once he's turned 18 later this year or possibly even for 2025 (with Mercedes trying to get someone else to fill Hamilton's seat on a temporary basis). Given Antonelli's F2 form so far this year, there's nothing that yet screams "he must be in F1 ASAP!"