2023 Formula 1 Season thread

[cyb3rdud3]

Well, just watched the race.

Firstly, glad Lando was released from the LV Medical Center and is ok.

Definitely! That was quite the crash he had. Very unlucky.

Racier than I was expecting. Less of a Burlesque Show leading up to the race next year and I might stay up for it.

The show and build up was terrible, but I guess very Vegas. The race itself was a saving grace. I hope they learn a lot for next year.

Superb drive by Leclerc for P2. Max drops a full second on the final lap to try and give Sergio a tow and Sergio couldn’t close. Will he be at RBR next year?

It was a shame he just couldn't keep up, I was shouting at the TV. I appreciate he was running a different aero package, but that is why he was offered a tow. Slightly unfortunate timing that Charles made a mistake and Max immediately grabbed it as otherwise he could have given an even bigger tow.

But to see Max slow down nearly 1.8s in the gap to go beyond of what they discussed and Checo still not grabbing it was a shame.

Then again, Charles provided for some excitement and grabbed his opportunity. LOL I was going like oh noooooo, and my wife was exclaiming in excitement (she supports Ferrari after Max) too loudly for that time in the morning.

Master Class by Max. Calling out the Vegas Burlesque Show all week, then receiving a 5 sec penalty, George tries to take him out and wins by 2 sec with a missing winglet, and singing Viva Las Vegas on the cooldown. 😂

I loved it, the honesty and being himself. Doesn't like all that fuzz, and there was too much of it, and just showed it in the racing. His suit was funny as well, with a clear Elvis call-out.

Funny how the Sky commentators were going like it wasn't enough of a penalty for Max, yet torpedo George actually causes a collision with damage and then 5 seconds was fair enough 🤷‍♂️

Sergio pretty much guaranteed P2 in the WDC now. A first for RBR. Well done RBR.

Yes, perhaps there is an obscure rule somewhere, but I don't think Lewis can score enough points now. He had to obtain six more than Sergio to stay in the competition, and unfortunately, it wasn't their day.

So the race was better than expected. But pretty much all the passing was straightforward DRS passing where the driver in front was a sitting duck.
Charles did well to fight back for second. At least Max tried to give Perez a tow at the end.
Ready for 2024. This season has been the worst.
Really fed up of the stats. Most wins in a season. Do me a favour. How many other drivers would have beat or equaled that if their team mate was so poor, their car was so much better than the rest and the season was so long.
You are not comparing Apples with Apples.

The stats look the same when taking the relative values. So yes, it is the same and an outstanding agreement by Max and the team. Most non Max fans can acknowledge that. Even in this race he clearly demonstrated it is about much more than just the car, the consistency compared to the others is remarkable. Just listen and watch when he is overtaking across the field, and you can see the different line and braking he is applying. Sure, having a great car helps, but what we've witnessed this season, and the last, and building up to this is way more than that.

 

[Glideslope]

Definitely! That was quite the crash he had. Very unlucky.

The show and build up was terrible, but I guess very Vegas. The race itself was a saving grace. I hope they learn a lot for next year.

It was a shame he just couldn't keep up, I was shouting at the TV. I appreciate he was running a different aero package, but that is why he was offered a tow. Slightly unfortunate timing that Charles made a mistake and Max immediately grabbed it as otherwise he could have given an even bigger tow.

But to see Max slow down nearly 1.8s in the gap to go beyond of what they discussed and Checo still not grabbing it was a shame.

Then again, Charles provided for some excitement and grabbed his opportunity. LOL I was going like oh noooooo, and my wife was exclaiming in excitement (she supports Ferrari after Max) too loudly for that time in the morning.

I loved it, the honesty and being himself. Doesn't like all that fuzz, and there was too much of it, and just showed it in the racing. His suit was funny as well, with a clear Elvis call-out.

Funny how the Sky commentators were going like it wasn't enough of a penalty for Max, yet torpedo George actually causes a collision with damage and then 5 seconds was fair enough 🤷‍♂️

The stats look the same when taking the relative values. So yes, it is the same and an outstanding agreement by Max and the team. Most non Max fans can acknowledge that. Even in this race he clearly demonstrated it is about much more than just the car, the consistency compared to the others is remarkable. Just listen and watch when he is overtaking across the field, and you can see the different line and braking he is applying. Sure, having a great car helps, but what we've witnessed this season, and the last, and building up to this is way more than that.

Sky is frustrating in any race. Their Bias is so uniform it becomes comical at times. I enjoy Croft and really like Kravitz. The rest are like Sour Milk. Damon Hill drives me nuts with his periscope commentary. Martin Bumble simply invokes images of myself reaching through the screen and sticking a used Tear Off in his mouth.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Sky is frustrating in any race. Their Bias is so uniform it becomes comical at times. I enjoy Croft and really like Kravitz. The rest are like Sour Milk. Damon Hill drives me nuts with his periscope commentary. Martin Bumble simply invokes images of myself reaching through the screen and sticking a used Tear Off in his mouth.

Glad I don’t watch the sky broadcast.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

So the race was better than expected. But pretty much all the passing was straightforward DRS passing where the driver in front was a sitting duck.
Charles did well to fight back for second. At least Max tried to give Perez a tow at the end.
Ready for 2024. This season has been the worst.
Really fed up of the stats. Most wins in a season. Do me a favour. How many other drivers would have beat or equaled that if their team mate was so poor, their car was so much better than the rest and the season was so long.
You are not comparing Apples with Apples.

I know what you mean. I watched the race in the end and there were some moments that were entertaining but nearly all the passes I saw and seen to see in every race is off the back of DRS.

I thought Charles drove well and read Verstappen very well at the start in turn 1. He gave his all and second was as good as any driver would get in that Ferrari. Lewis didn’t have as bad a race as his final position suggested I thought either.

18 victories in a single season by a driver is something that we really shouldn’t be seeing, but no doubt Adrian Newey has found the advantage this year and you have to applaud him and the Red Bull team for that they have done. I’m ready to move on to 2024 in the vain hope another team is able to challenge for wins, right now they are so far off and let’s hope that’s because attention has switched.

Not the worst race I have ever seen, but not the best either.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Sky is frustrating in any race. Their Bias is so uniform it becomes comical at times. I enjoy Croft and really like Kravitz. The rest are like Sour Milk. Damon Hill drives me nuts with his periscope commentary. Martin Bumble simply invokes images of myself reaching through the screen and sticking a used Tear Off in his mouth.

I certainly don’t miss watching Sky’s content to be honest. Once upon a time I thought it was a shame when the BBC lost the Brundle/DC partnership but have grown to really dislike Brundle over the years since. I find him cocky and obnoxious. I know a lot has been made of people ignoring him on his grid walk but I think some of these people are aware of his sarcastic comments about them and him subtly taking the mick out of them. Shaq O’Neil blanked him this weekend but I saw him in the background later on talking to a female pundit from Sky. Maybe Martin just isn’t as respected as he thinks he should be?

The likes of Damon, Pinkham, Kravitz, Patrick and co are personalities I can go without ever seeing on the TV again in all honesty. I think Channel 4 do a much better job, even if they show far too many adverts.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I certainly don’t miss watching Sky’s content to be honest. Once upon a time I thought it was a shame when the BBC lost the Brundle/DC partnership but have grown to really dislike Brundle over the years since. I find him cocky and obnoxious. I know a lot has been made of people ignoring him on his grid walk but I think some of these people are aware of his sarcastic comments about them and him subtly taking the mick out of them. Shaq O’Neil blanked him this weekend but I saw him in the background later on talking to a female pundit from Sky. Maybe Martin just isn’t as respected as he thinks he should be?

The likes of Damon, Pinkham, Kravitz, Patrick and co are personalities I can go without ever seeing on the TV again in all honesty. I think Channel 4 do a much better job, even if they show far too many adverts.

Generally I like the Channel 4 team. Probably better when they have DC and Webber together though.

 

[JustinePaula]

What went wrong? I wonder, the "build up..." does anyone enjoy it? Does Sky care? I wonder what the drivers, team principles think? Everything is blown out of all proportion.. Is this what makes F1 feel like it is a clown circus?

 

[CWallace]

Just finished the ESPN+ VOD and overall, I thought it was a good race. Not a great one, but better than any of the other street races and on par with Singapore in terms of the general "glitz". And we saw speeds one normally only sees at the great dedicated race circuits like Silverstone and Monza.

Charles was arguably doomed from the moment Sainz was penalized, but he fought like a lion to stay in touch with Max and Perez. Perez did well considering he was running a much heavier downforce setup than Max or Charles (he was 7km/h slower down the Strip) and his race was saved by that second Safety Car which allowed him to replace his very used Hards with fresh.

I do hope that FOM realizes that they should not try to squeeze every last bit of revenue from the event and do away with the stupid attempts to block "non-paying" viewing of the race. I also hope the hotels and retail establishments re-evaluate their own pricing because I think next year anyone who is not watching from the F1 Paddock Club is going to wait to book their rooms and tables based on how pricing collapsed this year.

So Perez has the worst qualifying result of any Red Bull driver since 2008 despite driving the best Red Bull car in history.

Not a surprise since Perez was a nobody his entire career and somehow lucked himself in that Red Bull car.

And this is the guy who is supposed to fight Max for the championship? What a joke this season and the next seasons will be.

They did not hire Perez to fight Max for the Championship as they only want Max to be champion. They hired him to finish second in the WDC - something no other Red Bull #2 has ever done. And he did it.

Perez has secured his seat for 2024 by securing second in the WDC, which is what he was hired to do.

Yup just like Baricello, Irvine were planned as a WDC contenders.

To be fair, Irvine could have been WDC in 1999 if not for Ferrari doing their patented "Three Stooges Pit Stop" at the European Grand Prix where it took them almost a full minute to find his fourth tire in the back of the garage under boxes of crisps and bring it out to install. And he did secure Ferrari's first Constructors Championship in 16 years.

 

[Zest28]

Then again, that nobody is 2nd in the overall rankings I know it really doesn't feel like it, but those facts don't lie. Good result for RBR.

The fact is he rides a motorcycle in the Tour De France and still he got almost beat by 2 other riders on a regular bike.

Perez didn’t get 2nd by skill, he got 2nd because he drives the most dominant car on the grid.

 

[CWallace]

Perez didn’t get 2nd by skill, he got 2nd because he drives the most dominant car on the grid.

Webber, Ricciardo, Albon and Gasly also had the most dominant car on the grid and none of them were able to secure second in the WDC... 🤔

 

[Glideslope]

What went wrong? I wonder, the "build up..." does anyone enjoy it? Does Sky care? I wonder what the drivers, team principles think? Everything is blown out of all proportion.. Is this what makes F1 feel like it is a clown circus?

IMO, it's the Burlesque Appearance of Vegas. F1 (Liberty) want a Singapore GP in the US. This was the first attempt. There are still allot of legal issues going on after the race specific to ticket sales, and the fiasco of the P2 ejections of fans by the Clark County Sheriff's Department after promoters refused to pay the overtime caused by the delay from P1. Obviously the P1 incident was terrible for Carlos, but drain covers coming up do have precedent. More notable the weld did not fail, it was the concrete surrounding the cover that failed allowing the cover and it's assembly to rise up.

I think after the post race interviews the drivers honestly enjoyed the race. Even Max withheld his Vegas Hate despite the best efforts of the podium interviewer to get him to retract his week long truth telling. The drivers car ride to the Cool Down Room was bizarre. Stewards need to get on that.🤣

I don't think Sky gives a S*** about anything other than their revenue. As far as Team Principles didn't really hear much all week other than Toto's meltdown with the media. Allot of people jumped on him for that. I actually understood his reaction as an American and our state of the media. I don't fault him.

I don't feel F1 is a Clown Circus in general. I think the fact that the track was far racier than I was expecting saved Vegas' ass. Vegas is a Clown Circus.

F1 spending well over $600 million to create this event can't change my mind.

 

[Zest28]

Webber, Ricciardo, Albon and Gasly also had the most dominant car on the grid and none of them were able to secure second in the WDC... 🤔

You might want to recheck your facts.

 

[zagato27]

Finally, passing at the front in F1! Who knew? Thought it was an interesting race and the race itself proved the naysayers wrong. The surrounding activities...intros and the ride to the post race interview were lame however the racing itself was pretty good. The crowd missing out on qualifying and not being properly treated/recompensed was a failure. The ruling on Sainz although "to the rules" was just shameful as he did nothing wrong. Better track inspection next year. Seems that they might also look at having better access to removing damaged/inop cars. You have to admit it was a real race as opposed to Monaco. Granted, there is a lot to improve on but not as bad as everyone says. As to this years F1, I've been loving it. I think those who say can't wait for it to be over are just jealous of Max and RBR running away with it. Were you feeling the same way when Mercedes was dominant? Or were you wanting them to run the table? FIA might want to move the Vegas race earlier in the schedule for warmer temps but still keep it at night. Lastly, RBR has the dominant car. Can't fault them, they worked for it and the others just missed the mark. RBR also has Max, a driver who seems to be teaching a master class every race and who is driven to win and be the best. Pretty good combination. BTW, that Sphere is pretty cool.

 

[Pezimak]

I haven’t watched it yet, will do later. Glad it sounds like you lot enjoyed it, maybe we can keep the piggy circuit but cut back on all the glitz and glamour?

 

[Pezimak]

Just finished the ESPN+ VOD and overall, I thought it was a good race. Not a great one, but better than any of the other street races and on par with Singapore in terms of the general "glitz". And we saw speeds one normally only sees at the great dedicated race circuits like Silverstone and Monza.

Charles was arguably doomed from the moment Sainz was penalized, but he fought like a lion to stay in touch with Max and Perez. Perez did well considering he was running a much heavier downforce setup than Max or Charles (he was 7km/h slower down the Strip) and his race was saved by that second Safety Car which allowed him to replace his very used Hards with fresh.

I do hope that FOM realizes that they should not try to squeeze every last bit of revenue from the event and do away with the stupid attempts to block "non-paying" viewing of the race. I also hope the hotels and retail establishments re-evaluate their own pricing because I think next year anyone who is not watching from the F1 Paddock Club is going to wait to book their rooms and tables based on how pricing collapsed this year.




They did not hire Perez to fight Max for the Championship as they only want Max to be champion. They hired him to finish second in the WDC - something no other Red Bull #2 has ever done. And he did it.

Perez has secured his seat for 2024 by securing second in the WDC, which is what he was hired to do.




To be fair, Irvine could have been WDC in 1999 if not for Ferrari doing their patented "Three Stooges Pit Stop" at the European Grand Prix where it took them almost a full minute to find his fourth tire in the back of the garage under boxes of crisps and bring it out to install. And he did secure Ferrari's first Constructors Championship in 16 years.

Yeap Perez done his duty’s there. Surprised as I thought. Mercedes or McLaren or Aston would have grabbed it, it would have been stellar of Alonso got second!

 

[sunapple]

BTW, that Sphere is pretty cool.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Finally, passing at the front in F1! Who knew? Thought it was an interesting race and the race itself proved the naysayers wrong. The surrounding activities...intros and the ride to the post race interview were lame however the racing itself was pretty good. The crowd missing out on qualifying and not being properly treated/recompensed was a failure. The ruling on Sainz although "to the rules" was just shameful as he did nothing wrong. Better track inspection next year. Seems that they might also look at having better access to removing damaged/inop cars. You have to admit it was a real race as opposed to Monaco. Granted, there is a lot to improve on but not as bad as everyone says. As to this years F1, I've been loving it. I think those who say can't wait for it to be over are just jealous of Max and RBR running away with it. Were you feeling the same way when Mercedes was dominant? Or were you wanting them to run the table? FIA might want to move the Vegas race earlier in the schedule for warmer temps but still keep it at night. Lastly, RBR has the dominant car. Can't fault them, they worked for it and the others just missed the mark. RBR also has Max, a driver who seems to be teaching a master class every race and who is driven to win and be the best. Pretty good combination. BTW, that Sphere is pretty cool.

No one wants to see any driver run away with it. But at least when Vettel or Lewis were winning, their team mate kept them honest.
Currently there is no chance Perez will challenge Max. So it’s just a one horse race. Nobody wants that.
No jealousy at all. Just I prefer a tight championship.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

No one wants to see any driver run away with it. But at least when Vettel or Lewis were winning, their team mate kept them honest.
Currently there is no chance Perez will challenge Max. So it’s just a one horse race. Nobody wants that.
No jealousy at all. Just I prefer a tight championship.

Yeah ‘jealousy’ is an odd statement I think, it’s not it’s us racing here, we just watch here and there. I was quite vocal in here when Lewis was winning for years, it does get boring but at least as you say, he had a teammate who was good enough to challenge him on occasion and was allowed to. Red Bull are like the Schumacher era Scuderia where they make no secret of their preference for a number one.

If Checo had been consistently behind Max all year, it would have robbed us of some great performances by Fernando, Lewis, Lando etc I think. At least the focus has been more on the drivers fighting behind Max than it has been on him.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Yeap Perez done his duty’s there. Surprised as I thought. Red or McLaren or Aston would have grabbed it, it would have been stellar of Alonso got second!

Me too, really though Lewis would take second place from him. He drove great today, but even so at times it’s like he just loses focus and doesn’t keep pushing. Just something very odd and inconsistent about him.

 

[CWallace]

I do not believe Perez is actively denied any shot at winning. That is just counter-productive, especially when you consider how popular he is with Hispanic fans. I do believe that Perez does not have the confidence in himself or in the car to be a regular threat to Max.

I believe Max is just a better driver and Perez knows that and it pushes him into making mistakes and/or taking chances he really should not. I also do not believe Perez is fully comfortable with the current spec of F1 chassis (like many drivers) while Max is and therefore Max is able to get more out of the car even if they were on identical setups. Max was willing to shed rear downforce to match Charles' and give him a better shot at pole and keeping up with Charles whereas Perez was not (and as a result took a not-insignificant speed penalty on the straights).

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I do not believe Perez is actively denied any shot at winning. That is just counter-productive, especially when you consider how popular he is with Hispanic fans. I do believe that Perez does not have the confidence in himself or in the car to be a regular threat to Max.

I believe Max is just a better driver and Perez knows that and it pushes him into making mistakes and/or taking chances he really should not. I also do not believe Perez is fully comfortable with the current spec of F1 chassis (like many drivers) while Max is and therefore Max is able to get more out of the car even if they were on identical setups. Max was willing to shed rear downforce to match Charles' and give him a better shot at pole and keeping up with Charles whereas Perez was not (and as a result took a not-insignificant speed penalty on the straights).

I don’t think he’s denied wins as he’s won quite a few, but I don’t think he’d be supported should he start winning consistently. Helmut Marko has often criticised him, even before his slump in form, and from watching Red Bull all these years I have learned they tend to support one driver and tame the other into a supporting role. Right now it’s not so much of a headache as Max is clearly the much better driver in his team and managing Checo rather well.

 

[Pezimak]

Oof Lando was lucky to find the safety barrier and not the concrete! What an odd crash his back end just went? Glad he’s ok.
As for that start, well all the teams and drivers have the data on it now 😂. Cold tyres short run and maximum weight.. Max was lucky he wasn’t forced to give the position back, deserved the penalty as he did kinda shove Charles off.. still I’m early in it. Lots of overtaking though as you guys said! And Ferrari are right up Max‘s rear end, finally someone is!

 

[Apple fanboy]

I do not believe Perez is actively denied any shot at winning. That is just counter-productive, especially when you consider how popular he is with Hispanic fans. I do believe that Perez does not have the confidence in himself or in the car to be a regular threat to Max.

I believe Max is just a better driver and Perez knows that and it pushes him into making mistakes and/or taking chances he really should not. I also do not believe Perez is fully comfortable with the current spec of F1 chassis (like many drivers) while Max is and therefore Max is able to get more out of the car even if they were on identical setups. Max was willing to shed rear downforce to match Charles' and give him a better shot at pole and keeping up with Charles whereas Perez was not (and as a result took a not-insignificant speed penalty on the straights).

100% Max is better than Perez. He certainly has talent. However if he was in a different car, who do you think would be winning the WC in his car out of the current drivers? I think.
Lewis
Alonso
Norris
Piastri
LeClerc maybe?
Anyone else? Albon is a lot better than he was. But not sure there is anyone else.

 

[CWallace]

100% Max is better than Perez. He certainly has talent. However if he was in a different car, who do you think would be winning the WC in his car out of the current drivers?

Piastri for sure, considering how quickly and well he adapted to the eccentricities of the McLaren. I think Norris would do well, too, for the same reason. Alonso also seems to have the talent to adapt to the car. Lewis I think would do it, as well, thanks to his exceptional car control.

 

[Pezimak]

I’ll eat my words! What a race! Forget that glitzy over the top glamour.. the overtakes were amazing! And plenty and all over the track! Even at 200mph! Wheel to wheel, great stuff. Yeap ditch the glitz, keep the track on the calendar.