2022 Formula 1 Season thread

[Phil77354]

Pre-race walk around by Martin Brundle was surreal, half the people he approached to talk to were either not who he thought they were, or someone he didn't even know! (Or they practically ignored him, i.e. Venus Williams). And the number of people crowded on the track was ridiculous. Good grief.

 

[Phil77354]

There is no reason for F1 racing in the U.S. to be held on these contrived circuits, as Miami and Las Vegas. The great track that has been built in Austin shows that a purpose built circuit can be constructed near large metropolitan areas and do very well, both in attracting spectators and in providing the drivers with a first class track. Think about all of the available land near Las Vegas that could be used to construct something equally desirable.

 

[Phil77354]

Horner said during a pre-race interview that they had a setup difference v Ferrari and that gave them higher top speed capability on the straights. That seems to have been the difference today. Charles could have overtaken Max but even the DRS advantage was not enough on the straights (but it was close). Good fight at the end though.

Despite the narrow track the race was mostly uneventful and more interesting than I expected. Good drive from Max, he earned the win, I have to say.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Not going to bother catching up with the highlights of this one. Gutted to hear Lando crashed out but a decent result for the Merc drivers considering the difficulties.

 

[CWallace]

Well Vegas is all about the spectacle of racing down The Strip at night.

I mean it's much the same with Singapore - it would be dull as dishwater during the day, but at night, it's amazing.

As for the Miami race, thank god for the late Safety Car because it was a snooze fest up until then.

 

[Glideslope]

George finishes ahead of Lewis again.......

Congratulations to the RB18 (Cough, Honda.) ?

 

[Glideslope]

Pre-race walk around by Martin Brundle was surreal, half the people he approached to talk to were either not who he thought they were, or someone he didn't even know! (Or they practically ignored him, i.e. Venus Williams). And the number of people crowded on the track was ridiculous. Good grief.

That is precisely why his name is Martin Bumble. Not Brundle.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

George finishes ahead of Lewis again.......

I’d be more focused on that if they were fighting for a championship but right now it’s more of a concern the car is still problematic.

 

[Glideslope]

I’d be more focused on that if they were fighting for a championship but right now it’s more of a concern the car is still problematic.

Agree on the car, however watching Lewis in the post race interview he was on a different world. He basically answered every question with “I don’t know,” or “it really doesn’t matter.”

Instagram posts or not, no way he is in a Mercedes on 2023 if he returns at all.

He has nothing left to prove. He should focus on Mission 44. Deep down inside he is already there.

 

[Pezimak]

Good race, less crashes then I thought we would get and the ones we did have were due to stupid mistakes, not the track. The whole event is rather ostentatious though. Next year their is Miami, Austin Texas and Las Vegas races.

I didn’t see the other drivers but Max, Carlos and Charles were all very visibly tired and hot, a tough race physically for them.

 

[pachyderm]

Yeah, very surprised at the lack of messes.

VER/RedBull have it all sorted now title is theis to lose.

Sorry Ferrari.

 

[pachyderm]

Horner said during a pre-race interview that they had a setup difference v Ferrari and that gave them higher top speed capability on the straights. That seems to have been the difference today. Charles could have overtaken Max but even the DRS advantage was not enough on the straights (but it was close). Good fight at the end though.

Despite the narrow track the race was mostly uneventful and more interesting than I expected. Good drive from Max, he earned the win, I have to say.

When?

He never got close. Never.

 

[Phil77354]

When?

He never got close. Never.

Last 10 or so laps of the race, the Ferrari was nearly able to overtake the Red Bull but even with DRS he didn't have quite enough speed. If the two cars had been equivalent in top speed on the straights - I am taking this from Horner comments as I mentioned, where he said Red Bull had a clear advantage in top speed - then I am suggesting that Ferrari could have possibly overtaken the Red Bull.

Your comment that he never got close is not correct. There were several laps towards the end where the Ferrari was within 1 second and had DRS, and at one point I believe he was within a half second. After making a couple of runs at the Red Bull it was clear he would not be able to overtake, and he then seemed to back off a bit and the end gap was probably 5 or 6 seconds, I'm guessing.

 

[Apple fanboy]

So I stayed up for the highlights. Started at 12:30 am. I missed about 20 minutes in the middle with a quick blink!
Race had more overtaking than I expected. But yes I’d be quite happy to say goodbye to the track. It was not good enough for F1.
Max will win the title. Ferrari don’t quite have the legs most weeks. In terms of development, the current Ferrari team don’t deliver in the way RB do. Plus Max is more consistent and better at getting his elbows out.

 

[Pezimak]

Last 10 or so laps of the race, the Ferrari was nearly able to overtake the Red Bull but even with DRS he didn't have quite enough speed. If the two cars had been equivalent in top speed on the straights - I am taking this from Horner comments as I mentioned, where he said Red Bull had a clear advantage in top speed - then I am suggesting that Ferrari could have possibly overtaken the Red Bull.

Your comment that he never got close is not correct. There were several laps towards the end where the Ferrari was within 1 second and had DRS, and at one point I believe he was within a half second. After making a couple of runs at the Red Bull it was clear he would not be able to overtake, and he then seemed to back off a bit and the end gap was probably 5 or 6 seconds, I'm guessing.

Yes Charles was right on Max's tail for a couple of the last laps and tried to have a go but just didn't have the speed. Made it exciting though. I wouldn't say it's Max's to lose just yet though as Ferrari were still 2nd and 3rd, and RB have reliability issues still. Long way to go yet.

I read in the news Lewis threatened to quit the race over being told to remove his nose stud and another piercing somewhere else in his body he won't disclose??? I suspect he believes they bring him luck like a pair of socks etc. I thought he'd reach an agreement and he had two more weeks to remove his jewellery for the race. I think he said he has raced perfectly fine with them so doesn't see the need safety wise to remove them, well yes but he has also raced fine for several years without the halo yet it's saved him personally at least once already, like last year when Max parked his car on Lewis's head!
Still I'm split on weather he should remove them or not personally.
He did well to position his car where he did though, and whilst George was just in front of Lewis, in qualifying Lewis did show George how to drive I've got to say.

Also of note in the race was a few cars just seemed to lack front end grip going round a few corners? They just ran really really wide. Very strange.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

On the jewellery side of things I think it should be down to the driver and team to decide whether or not it’s worn, not the FIA. It wasn’t long ago a racing driver wasn’t even wearing a wrist watch in the cockpit due to it adding unnecessary weight and the pre podium phase had drivers enjoying drinks and putting on watches. I can’t see how a nose stud or nipple piercing is a safety issue though. If it was, I’m sure drivers would have been stopped having these many years ago by now.

 

[pachyderm]

Last 10 or so laps of the race, the Ferrari was nearly able to overtake the Red Bull but even with DRS he didn't have quite enough speed. If the two cars had been equivalent in top speed on the straights - I am taking this from Horner comments as I mentioned, where he said Red Bull had a clear advantage in top speed - then I am suggesting that Ferrari could have possibly overtaken the Red Bull.

Your comment that he never got close is not correct. There were several laps towards the end where the Ferrari was within 1 second and had DRS, and at one point I believe he was within a half second. After making a couple of runs at the Red Bull it was clear he would not be able to overtake, and he then seemed to back off a bit and the end gap was probably 5 or 6 seconds, I'm guessing.

And your comment is a wishful thinking at best. I hope Ferrari can find an answer but I don't believe they will.

Even then he quickly fell back. I don't think he backed off as much as he couldn't keep up.

Title is VER/RedBull's to lose imho...

 

[NotTooLate]

We are now heading for some Ferrari favored tracks , Barcelona and Monaco should be obvious ones where Ferrari high downforce should prevail vs the RedBull drag less car , also Barcelona is where Ferrari will introduce the first upgrades to their car , to the poster above me saying Ferrari cant find the answer - wait for the next race , that Ferrari is CRAZY fast over one lap , and sure on tracks with very long straights it counts for less if you have a straight line speed deficit , but on the more technical tracks I dont think Max will be able to blow past Charles on the straights as he did yesterday.
On pace , they are very close.

 

[NotTooLate]

On the jewellery side of things I think it should be down to the driver and team to decide whether or not it’s worn, not the FIA. It wasn’t long ago a racing driver wasn’t even wearing a wrist watch in the cockpit due to it adding unnecessary weight and the pre podium phase had drivers enjoying drinks and putting on watches. I can’t see how a nose stud or nipple piercing is a safety issue though. If it was, I’m sure drivers would have been stopped having these many years ago by now.

The gossip around the paddock is that its Ben Sulyman pushing for it as it seems like the FIA and F1 are fighting a political fight where F1 are not happy with the FIA and the FIA are trying to show them who is the boss.
I agree that this jewelry thing is a joke when you take into account that we race open wheelers with tires that explode on degradation , we race in wet conditions where ppl aquaplane into walls , we race in missile bombardment countries , F1 is a dangerous sport , its part of the game , if the ROI is high , sure lets do it , but in the face of all the risks I dont think a noes piercing raises the risk for a weekend incident by more then 0.0001%.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The gossip around the paddock is that its Ben Sulyman pushing for it as it seems like the FIA and F1 are fighting a political fight where F1 are not happy with the FIA and the FIA are trying to show them who is the boss.
I agree that this jewelry thing is a joke when you take into account that we race open wheelers with tires that explode on degradation , we race in wet conditions where ppl aquaplane into walls , we race in missile bombardment countries , F1 is a dangerous sport , its part of the game , if the ROI is high , sure lets do it , but in the face of all the risks I dont think a noes piercing raises the risk for a weekend incident by more then 0.0001%.

The FIA should have learned by now that they always lose when they try and dictate terms to the teams. I’ve lost count how many times we’ve heard threats of a breakaway series, the last being in 2009. That was one thing Bernie did well and that was to keep the FIA in check.

 

[2REPOU]

I for one was not impressed with the Miami GP. I don't like the street tracks. Even Monaco can go. I love the open real tracks. Spa, Silverstone, Monza etc. COTA has shown what can be done.

 

[zagato27]

Best thing about the Miami race was Brundle's interview with Mario Andretti, Emerson Fittapaldi AND Zak Brown promising both a ride at the race in Austin. I just hope that they film the entire experience and show it on tv. Great to see Mario and Emmo. Also had Jean Alesi interviewed too. I am amazed at how these older drivers seem to be in such good shape.

 

[ipsedixit]

Good analysis of Max

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Agree on the car, however watching Lewis in the post race interview he was on a different world. He basically answered every question with “I don’t know,” or “it really doesn’t matter.”

Instagram posts or not, no way he is in a Mercedes on 2023 if he returns at all.

He has nothing left to prove. He should focus on Mission 44. Deep down inside he is already there.

From what I have read it looks like Lewis was on soft tyres and asked to make the decision on whether he thought he should pit under the safety car but lacked the knowledge of where his competitors were and not told the medium was the faster tyre. Lewis felt the team should have advised him but I suppose Russell had the same choice and it paid off for him as he pitted for mediums and overtook Lewis and Valtteri. I felt from the clips I’ve seen Lewis was back to his best and understanding by the car much better, but his luck doesn’t seem to be changing with safety cars etc and once again he’s finishing behind his teammate. That’s racing though.

Lewis had a very poor 2011 season where he made a lot of mistakes and was clearly frustrated in the car. He got a lot of flack and people questioned his ability and whether his previous form was a fluke. He certainly came back even stronger after that and hope he has the fight in him now at 37 to do it again. If he doesn’t, well that’s up him and he’s already proven his ability with a bulletproof legacy. He may want to retire at the end of the season while he’s still good enough and not be one of those champions that stick around past their sell by date.

 

[Marty_Macfly]

Oh, put the order of the Studio Display etc. on hold!

Auction on 14th May ?