Updated: Formula 1 all seasons thread!

[Ajay]

Either Merc has managed to up their power output, or the gusty winds hurt them a bit less than others. They just looked faster against RB.
Hamilton is just the best driver. He complains about his tires while outlasting others on the same and maintains the lead anyways - race after race.

 

[Zim Hosein]

And that is 100 career poles for Hamilton! GOAT Indeed!

Spanish GP Qualifying Results:

P1. Hamilton
P2. Verstappen
P3. Bottas

 

[Ajay]

Yep, don’t even know where Lewis found those extra 10ths. Last week I thought the Mercs were looking a bit faster than expected. Today we see Honda power is still there; we’ll see about race pace tomorrow!

Perez said he needed 5 races to get the most out of his new RB. I’m giving him that time to start showing he can hang close to Max and give RB a real shot at a WC (though Merc would need to make some mistakes).

 

[Zim Hosein]

Hamilton scores his 98th victory and fifth straight win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya!

P1. Hamilton
P2. Verstappen
P3. Bottas

Bottas is going to have to explain his actions holding up Hamilton during the race while on different strategies!

 

[_Rick_]

Well, Bottas was still racing Verstappen and Leclerc, at that point, so not losing 2 seconds on that lap was a prudent move.
Not like he really fought Hamilton either, he let him through nicely at turn 10.

I was hoping the rain would come and give us an entertaining race, but besides Giovinazzi almost getting a flat tire at the pit stop, not much happened... Except Bottas got shafted with a slower strategy to allow Lewis to win....

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, Bottas was still racing Verstappen and Leclerc, at that point, so not losing 2 seconds on that lap was a prudent move.
Not like he really fought Hamilton either, he let him through nicely at turn 10.

I was hoping the rain would come and give us an entertaining race, but besides Giovinazzi almost getting a flat tire at the pit stop, not much happened... Except Bottas got shafted with a slower strategy to allow Lewis to win....

Bottas was never in a position to challenge Verstappen.

 

[Ajay]

Ugh Red Bull! Why didn’t they pit Max right after Lewis???
Give the lad a shot! Oh, and Ferrari didn’t totally suck!

Lewis' charge back was a master class., damn. That and in the best hands, the Mercs are still a notch above RB.

 

[_Rick_]

Soooo... Leclerc seals pole with the old Rosberg tactics.
Only, he made the mistake of actually breaking the car while doing so, risking a gearbox change and a demotion down the grid.

At least get it right!

Hamilton down in 7th is pretty shocking. Outqualified by both Ferraris, Red Bulls, a McLaren and the other Merc... Certainly not a world champion drive today.
No rain expected for the race tomorrow, but then the general weather is pretty changeable - so there's hope yet.
Otherwise it will either be all about Max Verstappen not getting past Leclerc, or Max driving away, never to be seen again - depending on the actual grid.

I wonder if Schumacher tactically crashed the car, so he could be behind Mazepin for the start - T1 in Monaco isn't a great place with a careless crash-kid just slightly behind you...

 

[RandomCritic]

Cant wait for the next race!!!

 

[Ajay]

Hmm, Monaco without at least a safety car is certainly lacking in drama.
Merc had a terrible weekend, the screw up with Bottas was painful to watch. Max grabbed the win and the lead in the championship.
When he was being interviewed, the interviewer spent half the interview talking to Serena Williams, what a putz.

Someone at Ferrari should have been whacked in the head. Well, we could win or get a total goose egg (hello, constructors points anyone?).
Lewis is right and Monaco needs some track changes.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hmm, Monaco without at least a safety car is certainly lacking in drama.
Merc had a terrible weekend, the screw up with Bottas was painful to watch. Max grabbed the win and the lead in the championship.
When he was being interviewed, the interviewer spent half the interview talking to Serena Williams, what a putz.

Someone at Ferrari should have been whacked in the head. Well, we could win or get a total goose egg (hello, constructors points anyone?).
Lewis is right and Monaco needs some track changes.

Yeah, that was a real head scratcher. And David Coulthard was doing the interview, he drove for McLaren F1 back in the 1990s-2000s. He should know better.

Overall a very boring race.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I seriously doubt it was DC's call

 

[Ajay]

The only exciting thing about Monaco is the view from the camera above the driver's heads and head on cameras (on gantries?). Incredible driving skill getting through that road course. Hamilton has one really close call; missed a barrier on the right by about an inch and got a little loose in the rear with a barrier on the left coming up. I'd need a change of underwear.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Hmm, Monaco without at least a safety car is certainly lacking in drama.

Lewis is right and Monaco needs some track changes.

Yes and oh yes, most boring race I have ever seen to be honest.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Azerbaijan's Qualifying Results:

P1. Leclerc
P2. Hamilton
P3. Verstappen.

Tomorrow's race should be very interesting I must say!

 

[Ajay]

Yes, interesting results. So long as we have a decent fight for podiums, I'll be happy. Hopefully, there will be good mid-field action as well.

Annoyingly, my F1TV subscription seems to have defaulted back to the lower price tier capabilities and I am unable to watch the replay (software is the bane of my existence!).

 

[zinfamous]

Azerbaijan's Qualifying Results:

P1. Leclerc
P2. Hamilton
P3. Verstappen.

Tomorrow's race should be very interesting I must say!

this is a good result to follow up from what was the most boring sporting thing I had ever seen, that Monaco Race 2 weeks back. dear god. This should provide drama, with potential, even, for something to happen. I shall heroically wake up early to watch the race this week! (....@8am!)

I don't get the F1 news much less follow it at all, really, but is there a reason we aren't seeing Bottas in the top 3? (I mean, certainly LeClerc and Verstappen are very much expected and far from surprising at this point in the season; I'm just curious if real drama is popping up at Mercedes. ....ok, off to google.).

Anyway, LeClerc getting pole, again! and maybe actually starting this week. I like.

 

[Zim Hosein]

1. Perez
2. Vettel
3. Gasly



Hamilton finishes P. 15 after locking up on the restart, something wrong w/ "brake magic."

Pirelli will have a lot to answer for with two left rear tire failures on Stroll & Verstappen's cars.

 

[Ajay]

Perez' defense against Hamilton was brilliant, IMO. I was sort of stunned after Max's tire blew. He must have been gutted beyond words.
the "brake magic" is a driver setting that helps keep brake temperature up when driving behind the safety car. Lewis accidentally left it on after the safety car, cooked his brakes during the warm up lap (they were smoking on the grid) and then they just seized going into the corner. Thankfully, there was a run off area. I'm glad all the drivers were unhurt.

It was a pretty exciting race between Max and Lewis with Perez doing an outstanding job of holding Lewis back. Edge of the seat stuff. Now I'm just sort of in a 'just piss off Pirelli' mood.


Edit: Hamilton turned the magic off, then accidentally hit it on start. Brake bias shifts to about 90% towards the fronts - game over going into the turn.

 

[Ajay]

I didn't discover that F1 full races were on ESPN till 2016. So I've been watching season recaps from the late v8 era till 2017. I had been thinking that the current hybrids have become way to fat to run on the old city circuits any more. Lewis Hamilton came out the past week saying exactly what I've been thinking. So, put the cars on a diet, or move to city circuits with wider streets. Some commentators have speculated that Pirelli's problems are because F1 cars are growing in weight and torque faster than tire technology can match.

Singapore is out this year. Too bad, I like that circuit.

The Paul Ricard circuit appears to be punishing on the tires Pirelli brought. It was almost looking like Tokyo drift in parts looking at the FP2 highlights. Looking like Merc and RB are going to be pretty racy - not sure yet, as Perez was on a fly lap he came up on a Haas on the racing line (WTH?!). Anyway, really excited

 

[Ajay]

Hmm, Zim hasn't posted yet so...

P1. Verstappen
P2. Hamilton
P3. Bottas
P4. Perez
P5. Sainz

Big Merc/RB battle tomorrow if both have good race pace

 

[_Rick_]

Surprised that Ferrari moved up that far in Q3, they looked to be struggling in Q1, but improved just enough each session.

 

[Ajay]

Surprised that Ferrari moved up that far in Q3, they looked to be struggling in Q1, but improved just enough each session.

Yes, surprising, but good to see. I'm expecting a really good race out front and in the mid-field.
Also, I'd really love to see a three way championship battle in 2022.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Hmm, Zim hasn't posted yet so...

P1. Verstappen
P2. Hamilton
P3. Bottas
P4. Perez
P5. Sainz

Big Merc/RB battle tomorrow if both have good race pace

Long day yesterday, I just caught up on PR's quali!

Hamilton ended up only 0.258 seconds behind Verstappen after quite difficult practice sessions. The race into turns 1 & 2 should be quite interesting I must say. My money is on the Merc's having better race pace in the end, but we'll see in a few hours. After all the weekend talk about chassis swaps, it was funny to see Hamilton put Paul di Resta in check during the post quali interview.

 

[Zim Hosein]

French Grand Prix results:

P1. Verstappen
P2. Hamilton
P3. Perez

Terrible call on Mercedes trying a one stop strategy.

It was a interesting race though, Norris into P5 & Ricciardo P6!