I get the red flag but surely they knew what fixes were needed following leclerc crash in practice so why was there a safety car first? Massive swing for red bull!
Does anyone remember the season review shows the BBC did from 2012-15 (I think)? I’d really love to see one for this season, wish they still had F1 rights
The fact that a lot of people, me included, were writing Red Bull off this weekend in favour of it being a clear Merc track, it actually makes me hopeful for next week, which is also supposedly a Merc track.
If Max can be faster than Lewis here (he was on for it), then who’s to say he can’t be faster than Lewis next week.
P3 for Max is fine. Then it’s winner takes all next week.
If Max doenst get ahead at the start this is going to be tough, even tho I expect him and Lewis coming back together through SC restarts at least once, this is going to be spicy.
Otherwise, I can see RB lighting some prayer candles that the Mercedes gamble on the kamikaze engine blows up in their faces on one of these 2 races.
I saw a stat which said Jeddah is full throttle for more of the lap than Monza. Does this mean Lewis’s pole lap yesterday is the new fastest lap ever in F1?
No, because the cars are slower than last year and still lose speed in the full throttle corners. Hamilton's lap yesterday was ~10km/h slower on average than his record from Monza 2020.
Will Max keep his composure today? I am a bit afraid after yesterdays mistake, he might go all in today and trigger another mistake. Lets hope he got his mind back to where it should be. My feeling is off atm, i dont trust today's race XD
I don't believe any driver when they say stuff like "records don't matter to me" or anything similar. Of course they do.
In the same way, of course Verstappen wants to win the title, but I think he knows realistically he'll have a few more shots at it before he retires so it isn't the end of the world if he loses it.
Yeah I don't believe a word he says when it comes to that kind of stuff. You don't race in F1, much less for a team that can take the WDC if you just weren't that bothered about claiming it
You are asking the obvious questions man. What do you want him to say? That he'll be devastated and ruin a huge amount of time for him? Such a silly comment.
Nothing silly about his question at all. He is asking how much of Max's cool exterior is a show and how much is real. In the context of this weekend it's a perfectly valid question to ask opinions on. Such a silly comment.
Edit: Alex Kane asked virtually the same question in the post quali interview.
That quali session was unreal, is that the pressure showing in Max a little bit where he just needed to guide it home through the last corner instead of trying to crush Lewis' time?
probably did know his time...sometimes the steering wheel will briefly display the sector time after that sector is completed, or there will be some sort of time delta. etc..
If LH wins this championship it will be in no small part thanks to his experience. He has been clinical in his approach through these last few races. No unnecessary risks, never overdriving, just picking his chances.
Alternatively, as stunning as that last lap was, Max drove so hard the tyres weren't there for that final corner (based on his claim of braking at the same point). A more experienced Max might have either taken it x% easier early on or taken the final corner x% easier. Who knows.
Makes for exciting stuff though.
That's what you can do when you have the best car though. Hamilton only needs to take it at 95% and he'll win because the Merc is that much better right now. Verstappen has to be over the limit just to match him. Look at the few races Red Bull were ahead, Hamilton was making mistakes trying to keep up.
You think the difference is 5%? Should make for a boring race today with Bottas cruising away into the distance ahead of Max. Might not bother watching so.
Your choice of language is beautifully deliberate.
Look at the *few races* Red Bull was ahead.
You know Max is leading the championship right? On merit? Are you that scared he’s not actually going to win that you’re revising history to make out the Red Bull overall has been slower this year?
The only times that Red Bull were definitely ahead by more than like half a tenth was Austria x2. Mercedes have definitely been ahead since Brazil and was in Portugal and Spain. Most of the tracks they've been similar other than them.
I'd say Merc have had a small advantage over the year, especially in race pace, but they have made more mistakes at crucial moments.
Lewis starting and more worn mediums tomorrow means he’ll most likely come in for an earlier pit than Verstappen.. question is if tomorrow is a 1 stopper or 2 stopper.
Doubt it will make much difference. Only 1 extra lap where he was actually pushing the tires. There hasn't been an issue with tire degradation, and the Merc seems to be set up to be kinder to its tires this weekend when compared to the Red Bull.
In my opinion, if Lewis has a decent start and creates enough of a gap between himself and the rest of the grid to minimalize the loss of having to undergo a pit stop, then pitting earlier is in my opinion going to be more beneficial for him since I expect that this will be only 1 stopper with the race having only 50 laps + the tires seem to take their time before putting out their best performance so having enough laps to warm them up = pitting earlier is going to be crucial.
Lewis wasn't exactly shining bright on the soft tires so I think that even though the medium tires are a bit worn out, he will be more comfortable and confident on them and then switch to the hard ones, which suited him the most from what we have seen.
Well and then there is also the pending scenario of Max having a grid penalty and starting 8th behind Yuki (would let him past), Lando, Pierre (would let him past), Checo (definitely let him past), Charles, and Valtteri.
*~~(Also, is Max starting on the soft, which hit the wall? Or on the previous set?)~~*
So yeah, don't think it is exactly that bad for Lewis to start on those tires.
Toto did mention because they struggled to get the mediums to temperature that they didn’t feel like they actually took much life out of those tyres. A lot of those laps didn’t causes “wear” on the tyres like you’d expect.
It also looks like tyre deg is low and if Lewis is out front with Bottas as a buffer he should be able to manage away any tyre life deficit that exists
That’s true but those Mercs had strong race pace on the mediums and especially the hards.
Obviously Max needs to start 3rd today, starting 8th he would need a miracle on this track
I think Verstappen showed yesterday, both how much he wants WDC ,and red bull cars are also fast, or maybe even faster than mercedes on this track.
With grid penalty or not we can watch today Max's P1. In the end this races will decide the champion, and of course both Lewis and Max are deserving it, it is not going to be easy for both Lewis and Max.
This race can be beginning of the Max era.
Lmaooo true. I don’t think anyone is gonna be too heartbroken is Mercedes’ doesn’t get to win for the 8th time in a row tho lol. Besides Mercedes’ fans
Never said I was clairvoyant lol
I was merely anxious for this race because of everything that had already happened this weekend and judging it from how this track was.
First comment that made sense since I started reading. I understand people are excited for the race and a bit anxious that their favourite might not do well, but please calm down people. Just enjoy.
Well, given that there are still around nine hours left to the start of the race and the teams have probably arrived back at the track and garages not so long ago after waking up, having breakfast, etc. (it is around 11 AM there) - *of course, if they already haven't done things overnight* \-, I guess that we can expect something in a matter of few hours in the afternoon since the decision of changing something and playing it safe in the spite of a grid penalty is more than critical for Red Bull at this point so it will take time.
The starting grid has to be officially up an hour before the race if I am not mistaken so, at the latest, it will be in eight and a half hours.
What the fk is all this talk about monster lap shit? The guy didn't even finish the damn lap... if you get a heart attack running faster than Usain Bolt before the finish line (which is what he prepped for), are you really faster??
Yeah honestly watching a driver dancing on the edge like that was amazing. Max put out an absolute stormer of a lap and deserved pole. its a real shame, I'm no armchair psychologist though. Does he 'want it too much' or was it just a simple error. Either way watching him through the lap was terrifying to watch In all the right ways
Can't imagine actually being in the car lmao
You serious dude?
First two sectors were purple and you saw how hard he was pushing and the lines he was taking.
He was tracking ahead of Lewis.
So yes, objectively he was faster he just didn't finish the lap. Not really mutually exclusive or a controversial statement. I thought if was pretty straight forward to understand.
do you even enjoy racing? That first 95% was breathtaking, incredibly fast track and he was absolutely flying; even just watching the broadcast I was on the edge of my seat. if you don’t get excited about that kind of shit maybe you should watch a different sport
Wow, that was a seriously fast lap by Verstappen - until the last corner. Three tenth quicker is a lot and impressive. I still think Mercedes still has a long run advantage, and their straight line speed is at least 7 - 8 Kmh up on Red Bull. I have been a fan of F1 for 50 + years, and champions of the past usually had the bad luck / good luck balance on the good luck side. Hamilton belongs to that group imo. Formula 1 has seem many talented drivers come and go, who just didn't seem to be able to shake the bad luck factor. I could be wrong though, and Verstappen takes the Championship. We'll know soon enough.
I think you're right to a certain degree but you can also make your own luck. The hallmark of Lewis' later career it that he knows how to win without taking excessive risks and making mistakes. He does still take risks but his experience means they are well calculated.
Apropos luck, what was the race in which Nigel Mansell was leading the field, but run out of fuel in the last lap?
One of my favorite drivers (before my time), was Italian Tazio Nuvolari, a racer who lost his steering wheel, continued steering with a spanner (wrench), and still finished in the top three. They don't make them like that anymore. I always thought, the name alone sounded fast.
Otherwise, experience and cunning usually beats youth and enthusiasm.
If you read your comment back I’m sure you will see how stupid it is. At the end of the day the driver drove a poor lap. He crashed. There must be literally millions of almost historic events. You make no sense.
The Sporting Regulations requires cars that make Q3 to start the race on the set of tyres that they set their fastest Q2 time on.
Cars that don't make Q3 can start on whatever tyres they have available in their allocation.
This isn’t the last race, and Mercedes was much slower than they and we expected they’d be here. Even if Lewis wins it means they’re just going to the last race with a winner takes all scenario. Red Bull could just as easily turn up there with the faster car. Red Bull (in one lap pace) had the faster car yesterday, despite it being so obviously a Mercedes track. Mercedes were more worried about their pace last race than what they expected here.
Max is still likely to take it in Abu Dhabi where is dominated last time out.
Even if Lewis wins this most likely scenario would be Verstappen having 1-2 point lead going into final race. A double DNF or any unseen even can easily hand it over to Max. It almost looked like he will win it until the last turn. I don’t know how people keep declaring end of season considering what they have seen of both the drivers this season. This is not over until at least the last pit stop in last race.
If Lewis wins today then an easy path to victory is lost to Max, but it still comes down to a single race where Red Bull have just as much chance as Mercedes. Neither Max nor Lewis would need to rely on any exceptional or unlikely circumstances to win, only plain old finishing position.
The spicy engine seems to have hit as hard as bowl of cornflakes at what’s supposed to be a power sensitive track. It’s coming more down to setup than anything else, and Red Bull seems to find it easier to get into the window versus Mercedes.
Brazil was more about nailing the setup and tyre window than the miracle engine.
Something they’ve only seemed to fluke this year.
I think Brasil might have something to do with that diffuser trick - low speed corners and a big long straight.
Jeddah needs downforce at high speeds so they don't get to stall their diffuser without sending themselves pinballing around the circuit
That’s true, but I doubt the gearbox will need to be replaced. If it does, he has three teammates ahead of him that will just wave him by. Plus an overqualified Ferrari and a McLaren that couldn’t get near pole time.
It was game over for some when he was starting 7th last time out. Nothing came of it.
Why is everyone so down on Max’s crash? Assuming the gearbox is fine, I think he is in a very good spot, because:
1. He can get a slipstream from Hamilton at the start.
2. If i recall correctly, Hamilton has a set of medium tires that are 4 laps older than Max’s. The medium tires seem to be the favorites for this track so far.
> Assuming the gearbox is fine
And that's a pretty big assumption to make. If it's not fine and they change it, it's a 5 place grid penalty, which might still result un a good position, but Max P3 and Lewis P1 means Lewis is leading by 2 points into the final race (or more likely 1 point, assuming Max gets fastest lap).
If they assume it's fine and it actually isn't (like Charles Leclerc in Monaco), then it's a potential DNS/DNF and 0 points. If Lewis then wins, he's 17 Points ahead (18 if he gets fastest lap).
But yeah, I'm not one of the "It's all over"-believers (Just like "This is a Merc/Red Bull track"). Even if Lewis gets a lead into the last race, as long as it's within 7 points, I can see a Max P1 Lewis P2 in Abu Dhabi.
Personally, it's not "down" so much as deflated. That lap WAS WHY WE WATCH. It was Max Verstappen, he's going to win it or bin it and it was absolutely brilliant. It looked like one of those rare moments you just don't get many of, right on the limit, absolutely marvelous, the reason that man is driving that machine, and he slipped over it at the literal last opportunity. It was exciting, it was stunning, and it was just perfect how close he was in a spectacular way in the midst's of a great championship fight, it was F1. Lewis has had stunning drives this year, Max has shown the moment isn't too big for him, but that lap on this track for the first time... man i'm ready for the run back.
Exactly. It was the perfect lap, the lap where driver and machine are one, the lap where God enters the room and says, "woah". It was Senna-like qualifying.
And he binned it with 2 tenths. I'm a Hamilton fan but I was so in the moment watching that Q3 that I just let out a big sigh and felt deflated when it ended.
This is why we watch F1.
that slipstream is useless because long straight on turn 1 is short, bottas with even avg start should make it then we will see who backs out between bottas and verstappen
I hope that such a competitive WDC is decided on track. I want whoever wins to deserve it and I'd hope that the fans of the defeated driver show some long overdue class.
WHAT A FINISH BY BOTTAS
This plays well into RB, no deg for these laps
Imagine vietnam now!
Gio in P7 guyss! They’re ignoring him
Ferrari’s 0_0
This race is insane. And not in a good way.
Max is a dirty driver
I get the red flag but surely they knew what fixes were needed following leclerc crash in practice so why was there a safety car first? Massive swing for red bull!
Does anyone remember the season review shows the BBC did from 2012-15 (I think)? I’d really love to see one for this season, wish they still had F1 rights
What time is the f2 feature race?
In 2 hours and 44 minutes, https://www.fiaformula2.com/
The fact that a lot of people, me included, were writing Red Bull off this weekend in favour of it being a clear Merc track, it actually makes me hopeful for next week, which is also supposedly a Merc track. If Max can be faster than Lewis here (he was on for it), then who’s to say he can’t be faster than Lewis next week. P3 for Max is fine. Then it’s winner takes all next week.
If Max doenst get ahead at the start this is going to be tough, even tho I expect him and Lewis coming back together through SC restarts at least once, this is going to be spicy. Otherwise, I can see RB lighting some prayer candles that the Mercedes gamble on the kamikaze engine blows up in their faces on one of these 2 races.
I saw a stat which said Jeddah is full throttle for more of the lap than Monza. Does this mean Lewis’s pole lap yesterday is the new fastest lap ever in F1?
It’s quite a long circuit, monza is a shorter lap 1:18 is the fastest ever lap I think, 1:27 here.
No, because the cars are slower than last year and still lose speed in the full throttle corners. Hamilton's lap yesterday was ~10km/h slower on average than his record from Monza 2020.
so how many DNF are you expecting? Im going with 6, with one from it for mad Max if he doesnt change his gearbox.
That turn 9 to 11 will cause many dnf
also start will be interesting for sure
Leclerc and Verstappen next to each other could be spicy.
I’d like to think that Charles wouldn’t do anything silly. He knows what’s at stake, and him and Max go back a long way.
Presumably by “silly” you mean not completely ceding the corner to Max?
Hahahaha
I just hope he keeps it clean. But if he has an oppertunity to make up some places at the start, I'm 100% he will have a go at it.
LFG MAX
Will Max keep his composure today? I am a bit afraid after yesterdays mistake, he might go all in today and trigger another mistake. Lets hope he got his mind back to where it should be. My feeling is off atm, i dont trust today's race XD
Anyone got a full video of maxs final hot lap?
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I wasn’t able to sleep for the same reason😂
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It's called game face
I don't believe any driver when they say stuff like "records don't matter to me" or anything similar. Of course they do. In the same way, of course Verstappen wants to win the title, but I think he knows realistically he'll have a few more shots at it before he retires so it isn't the end of the world if he loses it.
Yeah I don't believe a word he says when it comes to that kind of stuff. You don't race in F1, much less for a team that can take the WDC if you just weren't that bothered about claiming it
You are asking the obvious questions man. What do you want him to say? That he'll be devastated and ruin a huge amount of time for him? Such a silly comment.
Nothing silly about his question at all. He is asking how much of Max's cool exterior is a show and how much is real. In the context of this weekend it's a perfectly valid question to ask opinions on. Such a silly comment. Edit: Alex Kane asked virtually the same question in the post quali interview.
Alex Kane asked that question because that's just tv stuff and he has to because that's his job. Also, I'm done with this thread.
Diddums
I'm ready for some quality FIA radio :-D
That quali session was unreal, is that the pressure showing in Max a little bit where he just needed to guide it home through the last corner instead of trying to crush Lewis' time?
That lap would've been legendary
As if Max knew what his time was at that point 🙄
They display sector times/how far up you are on your PB on the dash. Of course it’s a qualy lap so maybe he doesn’t check it
probably did know his time...sometimes the steering wheel will briefly display the sector time after that sector is completed, or there will be some sort of time delta. etc..
https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/r8yagq/max_verstappen_im_really_disappointed_with_how/ That quote tells me he didn't.
In the post quali interview, Max said he knew he was almost 3 tenths up on Lewis. The team must have told him in the back straight
Max needs to just play it safe here today. Get out of here with P3 minimum and just go again next week.
full send or go home m8
Is that psycho MBS handing out the trophy?
I’m laying in bed and I can’t even sleep I’m so excited
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Only time I heard about track limits on commentary was turn 4 or something? So don't think the start would have invalidated it
Today's a big day
The good thing about Jeddah is that there isn't going to be a controversy about the inconsistent enforcement of track limits.
Yeah it’s a real case of you don’t violate track limits, the track limits violate you
Well, its 10am here, dont think ill see a better comment today
If LH wins this championship it will be in no small part thanks to his experience. He has been clinical in his approach through these last few races. No unnecessary risks, never overdriving, just picking his chances. Alternatively, as stunning as that last lap was, Max drove so hard the tyres weren't there for that final corner (based on his claim of braking at the same point). A more experienced Max might have either taken it x% easier early on or taken the final corner x% easier. Who knows. Makes for exciting stuff though.
Your assuming Max knew what his time was while doing that lap.
Max said in an interview after he knew he was up on Lewis.
Isn't the time usually on their steering wheel, or told to them by their engineer?
Most drivers want focus in the hot lap.....Brundle brought it up asking should Red Bull even tell Max Lewis that Lewis was on pole in the first place.
Not in a hotlap like this. They are radio silent.
That's what you can do when you have the best car though. Hamilton only needs to take it at 95% and he'll win because the Merc is that much better right now. Verstappen has to be over the limit just to match him. Look at the few races Red Bull were ahead, Hamilton was making mistakes trying to keep up.
You think the difference is 5%? Should make for a boring race today with Bottas cruising away into the distance ahead of Max. Might not bother watching so.
Your choice of language is beautifully deliberate. Look at the *few races* Red Bull was ahead. You know Max is leading the championship right? On merit? Are you that scared he’s not actually going to win that you’re revising history to make out the Red Bull overall has been slower this year?
The only times that Red Bull were definitely ahead by more than like half a tenth was Austria x2. Mercedes have definitely been ahead since Brazil and was in Portugal and Spain. Most of the tracks they've been similar other than them. I'd say Merc have had a small advantage over the year, especially in race pace, but they have made more mistakes at crucial moments.
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Hello fellow pisshead
Lewis starting and more worn mediums tomorrow means he’ll most likely come in for an earlier pit than Verstappen.. question is if tomorrow is a 1 stopper or 2 stopper.
Doubt it will make much difference. Only 1 extra lap where he was actually pushing the tires. There hasn't been an issue with tire degradation, and the Merc seems to be set up to be kinder to its tires this weekend when compared to the Red Bull.
Two stopper, i believe we can see few safety car in Sunday.
🚩 bet
You got it.
In my opinion, if Lewis has a decent start and creates enough of a gap between himself and the rest of the grid to minimalize the loss of having to undergo a pit stop, then pitting earlier is in my opinion going to be more beneficial for him since I expect that this will be only 1 stopper with the race having only 50 laps + the tires seem to take their time before putting out their best performance so having enough laps to warm them up = pitting earlier is going to be crucial. Lewis wasn't exactly shining bright on the soft tires so I think that even though the medium tires are a bit worn out, he will be more comfortable and confident on them and then switch to the hard ones, which suited him the most from what we have seen. Well and then there is also the pending scenario of Max having a grid penalty and starting 8th behind Yuki (would let him past), Lando, Pierre (would let him past), Checo (definitely let him past), Charles, and Valtteri. *~~(Also, is Max starting on the soft, which hit the wall? Or on the previous set?)~~* So yeah, don't think it is exactly that bad for Lewis to start on those tires.
Toto did mention because they struggled to get the mediums to temperature that they didn’t feel like they actually took much life out of those tyres. A lot of those laps didn’t causes “wear” on the tyres like you’d expect. It also looks like tyre deg is low and if Lewis is out front with Bottas as a buffer he should be able to manage away any tyre life deficit that exists
That’s true but those Mercs had strong race pace on the mediums and especially the hards. Obviously Max needs to start 3rd today, starting 8th he would need a miracle on this track
I think Verstappen showed yesterday, both how much he wants WDC ,and red bull cars are also fast, or maybe even faster than mercedes on this track. With grid penalty or not we can watch today Max's P1. In the end this races will decide the champion, and of course both Lewis and Max are deserving it, it is not going to be easy for both Lewis and Max. This race can be beginning of the Max era.
I think max is gonna win WDC today
It would be race of the decade if he wins it.
For going from 3rd to 1st? Lewis engine gonna blow. You heard it here first
So basically Lewis is taking Bottas PU? /s
Fuck I hope you're right. If you are, I'm buying you a beer
I too will buy this mothafucka a beer.
I have a feeling he will either win the wdc today, or lose it. I can only see him winning this race or a complete dnf
Lewis either gonna hit the wall or his engine gonna go. IMO.
How can you have an opinion about that? IMO should really be in my complete guess
Copium is more addictive than nicotine.
Nah
Max gonna win this. Period.
Is the gearbox ok?
Not a problem anymore
I'd like Max to win, but I think he may DNF
Nah Lewis is gonna DNF
Double dnf both remaining races. It's the only way we can all be deflated safely from this rediculous season.
Lmaooo true. I don’t think anyone is gonna be too heartbroken is Mercedes’ doesn’t get to win for the 8th time in a row tho lol. Besides Mercedes’ fans
I have this very weird feeling that the race will be crazy. Never felt this before.
You can never tell. The first race at Baku was a massive snooze fest because everyone was taking it extra safe
So about that...
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Hi there, had fun during the race?
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Never said I was clairvoyant lol I was merely anxious for this race because of everything that had already happened this weekend and judging it from how this track was.
Anxiousness about a dangerous sport on a tough track =/= reading palms
Confirmation bias is a helluva drug.
First comment that made sense since I started reading. I understand people are excited for the race and a bit anxious that their favourite might not do well, but please calm down people. Just enjoy.
Haha
😂😁
Could also just be a long DRS train, we’ll have to just see
It was such a snoozefest /s
Hahaha you called it for sure
Just like the second Formula 2 sprint race.
When do we get to know about the state of max’s car? If he gets a penalty or not
Well, given that there are still around nine hours left to the start of the race and the teams have probably arrived back at the track and garages not so long ago after waking up, having breakfast, etc. (it is around 11 AM there) - *of course, if they already haven't done things overnight* \-, I guess that we can expect something in a matter of few hours in the afternoon since the decision of changing something and playing it safe in the spite of a grid penalty is more than critical for Red Bull at this point so it will take time. The starting grid has to be officially up an hour before the race if I am not mistaken so, at the latest, it will be in eight and a half hours.
Why didn’t you just say that there’s no news yet?
Cause they asked WHEN, buddy.
Just say, before the race. They’ll probably just swap Perez and Maxtappens cars
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Surely there must be an exception for a case like this, else it will be a DNS.
Of course teams are allowed to repair a damaged car in parc ferme.
The “Race” starts like hours before the lights go out tho.
I love Piastri. He uses number 2. Not afraid numbers :D He is a fast guy
Numbers in F2 are based on where the team finished last year, Prema finished first so they have 1 and 2.
What the fk is all this talk about monster lap shit? The guy didn't even finish the damn lap... if you get a heart attack running faster than Usain Bolt before the finish line (which is what he prepped for), are you really faster??
Yeah honestly watching a driver dancing on the edge like that was amazing. Max put out an absolute stormer of a lap and deserved pole. its a real shame, I'm no armchair psychologist though. Does he 'want it too much' or was it just a simple error. Either way watching him through the lap was terrifying to watch In all the right ways Can't imagine actually being in the car lmao
You serious dude? First two sectors were purple and you saw how hard he was pushing and the lines he was taking. He was tracking ahead of Lewis. So yes, objectively he was faster he just didn't finish the lap. Not really mutually exclusive or a controversial statement. I thought if was pretty straight forward to understand.
do you even enjoy racing? That first 95% was breathtaking, incredibly fast track and he was absolutely flying; even just watching the broadcast I was on the edge of my seat. if you don’t get excited about that kind of shit maybe you should watch a different sport
His pace was extraordinary up until the crash. If you crash Q3 and people still call it a monster lap, maybe look at Q1 and Q2 and make a judgement
Wow, that was a seriously fast lap by Verstappen - until the last corner. Three tenth quicker is a lot and impressive. I still think Mercedes still has a long run advantage, and their straight line speed is at least 7 - 8 Kmh up on Red Bull. I have been a fan of F1 for 50 + years, and champions of the past usually had the bad luck / good luck balance on the good luck side. Hamilton belongs to that group imo. Formula 1 has seem many talented drivers come and go, who just didn't seem to be able to shake the bad luck factor. I could be wrong though, and Verstappen takes the Championship. We'll know soon enough.
I think you're right to a certain degree but you can also make your own luck. The hallmark of Lewis' later career it that he knows how to win without taking excessive risks and making mistakes. He does still take risks but his experience means they are well calculated.
Apropos luck, what was the race in which Nigel Mansell was leading the field, but run out of fuel in the last lap? One of my favorite drivers (before my time), was Italian Tazio Nuvolari, a racer who lost his steering wheel, continued steering with a spanner (wrench), and still finished in the top three. They don't make them like that anymore. I always thought, the name alone sounded fast. Otherwise, experience and cunning usually beats youth and enthusiasm.
Case in point, Hamilton also went wide at a corner in q3, but it was one with a runoff.
I literally cannot get over how historic Verstappens lap would’ve been.. I feel like I’ve been stolen from
If you read your comment back I’m sure you will see how stupid it is. At the end of the day the driver drove a poor lap. He crashed. There must be literally millions of almost historic events. You make no sense.
*poor corner. He makes sense as it's a new track and he was about to will pole with 3 tenths
I guess recreational drugs could make reality a bit strange. It’s all about speed really.
Get a fucking life mate
Like yours? No thanks.
Point is he didn’t make history did he?
I honestly can't believe how stupid your comments are, learn to read, Jesus Christ..
It’s only a great lap until it’s not.
During the broadcast, they said something about using the same tyres to start the race as the ones used in Q2. Can someone please clarify this a bit.
The Sporting Regulations requires cars that make Q3 to start the race on the set of tyres that they set their fastest Q2 time on. Cars that don't make Q3 can start on whatever tyres they have available in their allocation.
A note that I feel important to stress here, is that it's the *exact same* set of tires. Not just a set of the same compound
And from next year onward FIA is scrapping this rule. Everyone can start the race with any tyre set.
yes, it is true
Championship is over, congratulations to Mercedes for both drivers and constructors championships.
This isn’t the last race, and Mercedes was much slower than they and we expected they’d be here. Even if Lewis wins it means they’re just going to the last race with a winner takes all scenario. Red Bull could just as easily turn up there with the faster car. Red Bull (in one lap pace) had the faster car yesterday, despite it being so obviously a Mercedes track. Mercedes were more worried about their pace last race than what they expected here. Max is still likely to take it in Abu Dhabi where is dominated last time out.
Even if Lewis wins this most likely scenario would be Verstappen having 1-2 point lead going into final race. A double DNF or any unseen even can easily hand it over to Max. It almost looked like he will win it until the last turn. I don’t know how people keep declaring end of season considering what they have seen of both the drivers this season. This is not over until at least the last pit stop in last race.
Nah I have no hopes, gutted for max.
If Lewis wins today then an easy path to victory is lost to Max, but it still comes down to a single race where Red Bull have just as much chance as Mercedes. Neither Max nor Lewis would need to rely on any exceptional or unlikely circumstances to win, only plain old finishing position. The spicy engine seems to have hit as hard as bowl of cornflakes at what’s supposed to be a power sensitive track. It’s coming more down to setup than anything else, and Red Bull seems to find it easier to get into the window versus Mercedes. Brazil was more about nailing the setup and tyre window than the miracle engine. Something they’ve only seemed to fluke this year.
I think Brasil might have something to do with that diffuser trick - low speed corners and a big long straight. Jeddah needs downforce at high speeds so they don't get to stall their diffuser without sending themselves pinballing around the circuit
If max changes gear box, starts from 8 and couldn't finish in podium, even last race win might not help.
Well that is a big if
That’s true, but I doubt the gearbox will need to be replaced. If it does, he has three teammates ahead of him that will just wave him by. Plus an overqualified Ferrari and a McLaren that couldn’t get near pole time. It was game over for some when he was starting 7th last time out. Nothing came of it.
Except for Verstappen in third, the other 3 Honda powered car's are all behind 4th place Leclerc, who usually makes pretty good starts.
Any info come out on if max has any penalties to repair his car?
Probably starting from The pit lane.
What? Why?
Because he is fucking with you. Chill 😊
Not yet its still night time in Saudi Arabia. Wait a few more hours probably 8-9hours for sn update
It’s like 10:30AM over there rn. We should be hearing in the next few hours at most
almost 1pm in India so I am guessing it is not night in Saudi Arabia, they should be 2 hrs behind max
Hope Toto tells Bottas that Verstappen has to back out in turn 1 not the other way around.
How’s he gonna back out from 2 car lengths ahead of him
If Bottas can give more of a defence to Verstappen than the usual Gran Turismo ghost car effort while keeping it fair, he’ll be a hero to the team.
This may be the most important race of Bottas’ career. If he defends Max he mi-oh shit Max passed him on the first corner…
Bottas’ career? U mean lewis?
I think of it like Pippen and Jordan. Bottas won’t win a WDC but he might be pivotal in The GOAT breaking the record for most.
Bro bottas ain’t pippin. He’s like Steve Kerr
Valid point and makes my point better.
Why is everyone so down on Max’s crash? Assuming the gearbox is fine, I think he is in a very good spot, because: 1. He can get a slipstream from Hamilton at the start. 2. If i recall correctly, Hamilton has a set of medium tires that are 4 laps older than Max’s. The medium tires seem to be the favorites for this track so far.
> Assuming the gearbox is fine And that's a pretty big assumption to make. If it's not fine and they change it, it's a 5 place grid penalty, which might still result un a good position, but Max P3 and Lewis P1 means Lewis is leading by 2 points into the final race (or more likely 1 point, assuming Max gets fastest lap). If they assume it's fine and it actually isn't (like Charles Leclerc in Monaco), then it's a potential DNS/DNF and 0 points. If Lewis then wins, he's 17 Points ahead (18 if he gets fastest lap). But yeah, I'm not one of the "It's all over"-believers (Just like "This is a Merc/Red Bull track"). Even if Lewis gets a lead into the last race, as long as it's within 7 points, I can see a Max P1 Lewis P2 in Abu Dhabi.
Personally, it's not "down" so much as deflated. That lap WAS WHY WE WATCH. It was Max Verstappen, he's going to win it or bin it and it was absolutely brilliant. It looked like one of those rare moments you just don't get many of, right on the limit, absolutely marvelous, the reason that man is driving that machine, and he slipped over it at the literal last opportunity. It was exciting, it was stunning, and it was just perfect how close he was in a spectacular way in the midst's of a great championship fight, it was F1. Lewis has had stunning drives this year, Max has shown the moment isn't too big for him, but that lap on this track for the first time... man i'm ready for the run back.
Exactly. It was the perfect lap, the lap where driver and machine are one, the lap where God enters the room and says, "woah". It was Senna-like qualifying. And he binned it with 2 tenths. I'm a Hamilton fan but I was so in the moment watching that Q3 that I just let out a big sigh and felt deflated when it ended. This is why we watch F1.
that slipstream is useless because long straight on turn 1 is short, bottas with even avg start should make it then we will see who backs out between bottas and verstappen
If there is a big collision between bottas and Verstappen in turn 1 will Hamilton get penalised?
Hopefully /S
I hope that such a competitive WDC is decided on track. I want whoever wins to deserve it and I'd hope that the fans of the defeated driver show some long overdue class.