2019 F1 Thread

[Buzzard]

Great qualifying run by BOT to get on pole. Looks like the lineup is 2x2x2x2x2 for the top 10.

I thought LH was on pole

 

[JessicaTam]

How the times have changed. Today I am just celebrating that RIC has finished. In the points is a bonus!

 

[Buzzard]

I'll have to stop reading this thread until I watch the highlights tomorrow.

 

[JessicaTam]

It was a fairly straight forward race IMO.

 

[moa999]

By straightforward you mean boring..

Mind you last year at China would have been similar had the two Torro Rossos not tangled

 

[JessicaTam]

By straightforward you mean boring..

Mind you last year at China would have been similar had the two Torro Rossos not tangled

I was being diplomatic!

 

[serfty]

All over red rover ...

Another messy F1 race for Ferrari - but what's new?

Another race, another head-scratching performance from Ferrari. A look at how Ferrari bungled another Formula One race and whether it is fair to assume the team is capable of beating Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to the title in 2019.

www.espn.com.au

 

[Flashback]

All over red rover ...

Another messy F1 race for Ferrari - but what's new?

Another race, another head-scratching performance from Ferrari. A look at how Ferrari bungled another Formula One race and whether it is fair to assume the team is capable of beating Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to the title in 2019.

www.espn.com.au

Yep, looks like another boring Mercedes year ......

 

[eastwest101]

Yep, looks like another boring Mercedes year ......

Agree, didn't see it in the "highlights" but apparently Mercedes had the time to double stack their cars in pit lane and still romp away from the rest of the field. They may as well put the mercs in the garage for the pit stops and let Hamilton and Bottas out of the cars to stretch their legs and have a coffee and then suit up to finish and they would still get P1 & P2.

A lack lustre race, everyone there looked bored.....

 

[docjames]

Good to see RIC get "best of the rest" and despite his lack of action (7th after 1 lap, 7th at the end), Perez kept him honest and he managed the gap (got very very close to 1 sec there at one stage).

Ferrari mucked up - the stuffing around cost them 4th, and they'd be better off letting the two push each other until one is clearly closer to the championship. But you have to act that way from race 1, and they haven't. I think it'll cost them the drivers title, and quite probably the team title too.

If Renault can't lift their game, and Ferrari can't manage VET and LEC properly, what odds LEC and RIC in 2021 (when VET's contact expires)?

 

[JessicaTam]

Agree, didn't see it in the "highlights" but apparently Mercedes had the time to double stack their cars in pit lane and still romp away from the rest of the field. They may as well put the mercs in the garage for the pit stops and let Hamilton and Bottas out of the cars to stretch their legs and have a coffee and then suit up to finish and they would still get P1 & P2.

A lack lustre race, everyone there looked bored.....

I saw that double stack. It showed just how confident they were to even consider it.

They did the swap with VET/LEC early on, and I reckon they should have just let them race. With the proviso that any damage comes out of their pay packet!

 

[eastwest101]

I saw that double stack. It showed just how confident they were to even consider it.

They did the swap with VET/LEC early on, and I reckon they should have just let them race. With the proviso that any damage comes out of their pay packet!

After seeing Bahrain and China, Ferrari don't seem to have the straight line speed and look to actually be less competative than Mercedes than last year, Red Bull actually look more competitive with the Honda engine in it than a lot of people expected, Renault look to have an extremely unreliable package and if the Mercedes cars can qualify P1 and P2 then we're going to see a season of them sailing off into the sunset when given clear air. Only 1 car in Formula 1 performance and reliability at the moment, everyone else is racing Formula 0.7 it seems.

I predict Verstappen to drive the wheels off his Red Bull this year, but will still only get 3rd place in the drivers championship after Hamilton and Bottas. The only reason to continue watching the season is to see if Ferrari and Red Bull end up having a close battle for 2nd and 3rd places in the constructors and drivers championships respectively.

 

[moa999]

Cars were about 5 seconds apart - and given top teams do about 2.5 sec pitstops it was quite doable, albeit adds risk.

Agreed it looks very much like Merc is well ahead.
And I wouldn't be surprised to see both Ferraris get ahead of Max by season end.

If so Red Bull hasn't really improved their position with the Honda switch, and Dan has traded 6th for 7th with a lot more $s

 

[Flashback]

What a shame I already have tickets booked to goto Spain. At least I'll be in good company there

 

[kelvedon]

Ok I’m calling the 2019 championship now!
Hamilton Bottas Le Clerc Vetel Verstaffen ....and Norris in the top 10 !!

 

[JessicaTam]

What a shame I already have tickets booked to goto Spain. At least I'll be in good company there

I resemble that remark!

 

[Flashback]

Mercedes front row lockout......... again. Yawn. Let's see what the race brings today.

 

[eastwest101]

Mercedes front row lockout......... again. Yawn. Let's see what the race brings today.

Without giving the result away - can someone who watches it on Fox tonight post on here let us know if its worth watching the highlights tomorrow on Bold? For reference - anything other than Mercedes finishing 1st and 2nd will justify watching......

 

[JessicaTam]

Without giving the result away ... <snip>

I suggest you don't read this thread until you watch the highlights, then. Discussion of results is part of this thread's raison d'être!

 

[Meggsy]

Kimi has had his quali time rubbed out due failing a wing deflection test and relegated to pit lane start. Dan now starting from p10.