Rest of the 2015 F1 Championship, shall we?

[FaultyMario]

Hungaroring. Not a speed track, not a fuel track. Hopefully we'll have a race, unlike this guy's practice:

http://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/39a9d5652efa49c4051a78663b992726bacafda6/0_0_2597_1559/master/2597.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&

[FaultyMario]

Hungary's grid:


HAM -- ROS -- VET -- RIC -- RAI -- BOT -- KVY -- MAS -- VES -- GRO


So how's the silly season going about? Bottas to Raikonnen's, Button to Botta's, Hulk and JEV to Haas...

[Freude am Fahren]

I think Hulk/JEV would be great for Haas.

[FaultyMario]

I think it'd make sense for hulk both from a financial standpoint, being able to tap into a healthy advertising market and getting paid to drive, and also for sporting reasons with a freer contract relative to similar teams, as it is obvious there are no open top seats.

[overpowered]

Wow. A lot of fuck ups in this one.

[Freude am Fahren]

Seriously, this must have been the most exciting Hungarian GP in history. Would have been even better if Rosberg hadn't hit Ricciardo.

[overpowered]

Yeah. Ricciardo might have still had second and Rosberg would be closer to Hamilton in the championship.

Great start from Ferrari. Bad luck for Kimi.

[Alan P]

I was expecting a boring race. Happily my expectations went out of the window! Also both McLarens finished, and in the points too! That would seem to suggest the Mechanical grip and aero is there as Hungary really isn't a power track. Talk again of Honda using some tokens for Spa for power rather than reliability reasons. If not, well it's going to be painful.

[MR2 Fan]

awesome race...lots of action and drivers really pushing. I feel bad for the stewards trying to keep up with all of that....more penalties in a race than I can remember.

[Godson]

Moldanado was a fucking joke. Kimis bad luck might have cost him his seat.

[FaultyMario]

Just let'im thru you tosser. (https://vimeo.com/134886720)

Maybe Kimi will stay, who knows what's going on behind closed doors. My hunch is that Arrivabene, a newcomer by all intents and purposes, has found in him a good lead into the world of F1.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLeFhoCWIAAdRTN.jpg:large

New Lewis Hamilton Look...😨😨😨 #F1 (https://twitter.com/f1writers/status/628117485947068416)

[Godson]

He's going hood rat?

[overpowered]

Just let'im thru you tosser. (https://vimeo.com/134886720):up:

[MR2 Fan]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2541708-jenson-button-and-wife-gassed-robbed-of-300k-worth-of-belongings?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

[Alan P]

BBC article (which I trust more) simply says that occupants being gassed is an issue and sometimes happens but there's no confirmation that Mr & Mrs Button were actually gassed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33814823

[Godson]

Depending on the gas, they can do blood samples on the anesthetic agents used.

[FaultyMario]

I hope the FIA can come up with a sensible solution and allow free tire choice in a simple way.
And also cut down data generation and gathering. I think JPM's right about his comment about F1 cars having too many sensors, but data transfer from the circuit to the base should also be capped.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm just happy to know Kimi will still be around for the 2016 championship! :up:

[FaultyMario]

Pretty nice LCDs Mercedes is using this weekend.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CNBcd5CWwAAjqJG.jpg:large

[Freude am Fahren]

What are the penalties for exceeding allowed PU updates? At tthis point they may be worth it :|

[Godson]

They should measure the distance and make them start from there.

[overpowered]

Vettel gambled on his tires and lost. He should have settled for some points.

A lot of power unit problems in this one.

I think McLaren needs to be cut a little slack until Honda gets their act together.

[Alan P]

The Honda seems to have problems with the hybrid system, both harvesting and deployment. Brundle said they were harvesting when other cars were still deploying and Button had problems when there were up and down G loads on the car such as Eau Rouge. To my mind, Hungary shows the chassis is certainly there or thereabouts as its a track that needs decent mechanical grip and a good chassis. Spa needs horsepower first, aerodynamics second. I suspect McLaren had to take off some wing to stop them being overtaken by the Manor's on Kemmel so to my mind most of the issues lie with Honda. Not sure if it's arrogance, overconfidence, lack of talent or what but Honda are sucking badly ATM. They should have offered another team engines rather than doing the whole single team thing. No doubt Caterham might have managed to survive if they were getting major help/discounted engines. Twice as many miles every race. Honda need to buck up their ideas next season, this season is a complete write off.

It was also postulated that the team might ditch Jenson as they're going to be receiving a lot less money from the FIA for finishing position so they might drop his wage, likely £10-15 million a year, and take either Magnussen or Vandoorne who will be many magnitudes cheaper.

[overpowered]

£10-15 million a year?

Wow. I would drop him for sure. As bad as their car is, there's not much point in having an expensive driver. Supposedly Alonso's getting £25.5 million per year. There are a number of much cheaper young drivers who could finish out of the points almost every race just like they're doing.

[Alan P]

I believe the majority, if not all on Fernando's wage is paid by Honda.

[FaultyMario]

Jense wants to be a dad. And between losing his own father and the french vacation incident, he's pretty out of it. Hopefully he wont do a Damon Hill for his last race, though whp cpuld blame him if he did.

[FaultyMario]

FamF, are you on facebook?

[Freude am Fahren]

Yes, yes I am. I think we're friends?

[Random]

:lol:

[FaultyMario]

I was hoping we were. It's just that I always confuse you with TylerGodson.

[Random]

His name is MUCH cooler than Tyler's. ;)

[Freude am Fahren]

:up:

But all three of us have had E36's right?

[Mr Wonder]

The Honda boat anchor is definitely the major problem for McLaren, and the reasons for that are exactly as IMOA described, but the chassis isn't where they want it to be either. There is a rather large problem with their rear suspension arrangement, the upshot of which is that drivers had to avoid riding over the kerbs exiting corners, lest the car tear itself apart. I'm led to believe that this is part of a homologated structure and cannot be changed until the new car next year.

[Freude am Fahren]

I wonder if that mounting is a result of the Honda packaging?

[FaultyMario]

Who knows, they had the "rocking-horse" design in '13. Where they tried to balance front and rear loads to lower the car at speed (a-la RB9) but couldn't quite figure it out and thus had the dismal season then.

[SportWagon]

So nobody else watched the Belgian Grand Prix, either?

[Kchrpm]

I watched it on DVR, having already known what happened to Vettel but not when. That made a potentially anti-climactic spoiler become somewhat heartbreaking.

[overpowered]

So nobody else watched the Belgian Grand Prix, either?Some of us commented on it back when it happened.

[overpowered]

Go:

https://goo.gl/maps/HGWc3

[samoht]

Ah, it's almost time for the annual festival of humiliating the tifosi ;-)

Will be interesting to see if Ferrari can do anything here, as it's a power track - last year they got a 9th and a mechanical DNF. They've improved the engine over last year though, could be close with Williams for the win in the non-Mercedes class?

[FaultyMario]

Monza grid:

HAM - RAI
VET - ROS
MAS - BOT
PER - GRO
HUL - ERI

[FaultyMario]

1429

[samoht]

Well, I was wrong about that !

Pity that Rosberg had to go back to his old engine, this might result in a fairly boring race tomorrow, at least at the front.

[overpowered]

I don't know. If Ferrari can do another good start and get past Hamilton, it could be pretty interesting at the front.

[FaultyMario]

It is boring as it is.

[overpowered]

Hamilton managed to get off to a decent start and stay ahead. Kimi had some sort of problem with his clutch. So yeah, the front of the race was boring. Vettel was completely unable to challenge, even though he maintained a decent gap ahead of Rosberg. I'm wondering why Rosberg couldn't quite catch him given how he was losing time to Hamilton on pretty much every lap. Maybe whatever caused his engine to blow up was also slowing him down?

The tiny hope that Rosberg had of catching Hamilton in the championship pretty much evaporated. Hamilton will have to have a lot of bad luck for him to catch up.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, Rosberg's engine wasn't just old spec, it was old, with lots of miles on it. So it was probably down on power and fragile.

[MR2 Fan]

Well the end of the race was quite intriguing, so they could have gotten a 25 second penalty for tire pressure, and Lewis had a 25.046 gap at the end or something crazy.

[FaultyMario]

Yes, that was tooootally weaksauce, MercAmg KNEW they had something in the grey and hence they asked HAM to put the hammer down during those laps. They obviously interpreted their gain as performance and thus expected the time penalty after the race. But as symonds explained to sky, when there's a limit and clear measurements set, it becomes a yes/no issue, not a matter of tolerances.

The fact that they were notified during the race, and given the chance to appeal suggests why they ordered some hammertime. That they then based their defence on procedure hints to political maneuvering to avoid a disqualification instead of the time added penalty they had anticipated.

[Freude am Fahren]

An American back in F1!

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/an-american-is-back-in-f1-as-alexander-rossi-signs-to-d-1731045733

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-3237003/Alexander-Rossi-make-Formula-one-debut-Singapore-GP-signing-Manor-rest-season.html

Rossi will drive most of the rest of the season for Manor. He'll drive for Mehri, who will drive the Russian and Abu Dhabi GP's that Rossi has to miss because of GP2.

[FaultyMario]

Hopefully alex wont try to hard and get burned in the process.

II hope this answrrs the stupid question of why backmatkers are needed on F1

[FaultyMario]

What the hell happened? how is Ferrari 1" (avg) faster than Lewis?

First time no podium for Mercedes, the RBs are pretty easy on the tires, or at least Dan is.

[Freude am Fahren]

Something is wrong with the Mercedes and it has no grip. They can't figure it out. They may be even worse in the race, as Ferrari and RB are usually good on their tires, Mercs will eat through them with their setup/chassis issues.

[overpowered]

Pretty surprising. Senna's record stands. If Vettel wins, he'll pass Senna in career wins before Hamilton does.

[FaultyMario]

That's gonna be so sweet, the British media have been hyping Hamilton's season sooo much over that record, that it'd the tits if Mr. Finger did it instead.

[FaultyMario]

If Hamilton does not win tomorrow, he then can't break Senna's 41 wins from 162 starts, at most he'd be able to match it.
If Vettel does win, he's then 42 from 152 and then needs himself 10 wins from 49 starts to break Prost's. pretty doable for the kid me thinks.

[Freude am Fahren]

Doable, but highly dependent on how the cars work out next year. If they're close enough for it to be essentially a driver vs. driver year rather than car vs. car, he definitely can. If it's status quo next year, he'll be lucky to get 5 more by the end of 2016

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPRz17jXAAACZWL.jpg:large

[FaultyMario]

Merc's tire issues at singapore show much of a chicken the stewards were at monza. Of course there is a performance gain, of course mercedes were compromising their safety in order to be faster. The one thing that changed from last year is the 2 psi pirelli added to the minimum pressure limit.

Somebody said that the engine downtune amounts for 2/10s, tops.

[Freude am Fahren]

I'm not sure <1psi is worth 1.5 sec.

[FaultyMario]

In singapore, Pirelli increased the pressures from 16.5 to 18 psi. That's a 9‰ gain that must surely have an impact on such a bumpy track.

Check out the onboards, the front suspensions on the mercs are really working, the rbs and the ferraris look a lot harsher. Mercedes were definitely not expecting this swing... They got slower, they havent been caught up.


Sorry, pressure was upped to 18.5, so 10% increase.

[FaultyMario]

So Ferrari broke podium protocol again and they have to apologize? If they got heavily fined last time around, shouldn't the FIA fine them again? At least for repeat offense. It's a silly technicality, but it would do well for the FIA to show some consistency.

Anyhow, Gorsjean/Gutiérrez for Haas 2016. French dude being offered only one year because a certain team would be evaluating his performance. I'd expect the other dude to have a similar contract.

[MR2 Fan]

interesting, regarding the guy who walked on the track mid-race:

https://twitter.com/Dinalli/status/645588790296252422

[Yw-slayer]

It took place in Singapore, so no-one really expected anyone to VIOLATE ANY REGULATIONS!!

[overpowered]

What was the point of the team orders on Verstappen? If he had given in, all it would have done was change the order and points of him and Sainz. It would not have helped the team's overall points. It's not like Sainz was really going to be able to pass Perez. If he couldn't pass Verstappen, how's he going to pass Perez?

[racerfink]

Great article the Monza mess.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/italian-gp-f1-s-tyre-controversy-know-the-whole-story/

[samoht]

What was the point of the team orders on Verstappen? If he had given in, all it would have done was change the order and points of him and Sainz. It would not have helped the team's overall points. It's not like Sainz was really going to be able to pass Perez. If he couldn't pass Verstappen, how's he going to pass Perez?

The idea was indeed to give sainz a shot at passing Perez, with the idea that if he couldn't make the pass he would give Max back the place at the end.

In a train of three cars, because the middle car has DRS, the rear car will find it harder to overtake because there is no DRS offset. So its possible that Sainz could have been unable to pass Max, but able to pass Perez if given the chance.

Anyway, it seemed the team had failed to explain this idea to Max, I guess in future after a chat that they will come to an agreed plan for these situations in future.

[FaultyMario]

Jenson Button poised to quit Formula One (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/jenson-button/11879322/Jenson-Button-poised-to-quit-Formula-One.html)

[samoht]

Yeah, saw that. Nothing is done til its done, and we did have similar chatter this time last year, but I can see why Jensen might be calling it a day.

It seems unlikely that Mac Honda will be competitive next year, given that they haven't cracked either reliability or speed now, and we are already into autumn. So the likely best case for Jensen would be another year of 'development' driving trundling round at the back until the car expires, and then he'd probably lose his seat before he actually got the chance to benefit from a competitive car, if one ever happens.

Alternatively he can walk away with his reputation still high, based on a strong showing against Hamilton and Alonso as team mates, and go and do sports cars and perhaps Top Gear, while having a slightly less taxing schedule and a bit more time for his new wife.

Once the hope is gone, you're just going through the motions, and as much as F1 has been made easier, its still too gruelling and dangerous to be worth it without hope.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Honda seems to be Button's curse. Sigh...

Alonso is probably kicking himself for leaving Ferrari... wonder how many more years it'll take to develop McLaren/Honda back to winning form...

[FaultyMario]

McLaren will ditch them by Spa next year if Arai is not sacked.

[samoht]

Next up, Suzuka! Voted the third favourite track of all by readers of James Allens website.

I anticipate Merc will be back on form and ahead of the pack, and another Lewis win. Vettel to make up the podium, then the bulls and Williams. Of course if Merc really can't get the tyres working at the new pressures then we could see a very much closer end to the championship than expected, but one race is far too little to call a trend.

In other news, Romain to Haas with the hope of getting into the red cars after Kimi leaves. Renault to look for another French driver alongside Crashtor, so its likely Vergne will get a shot somewhere, well deserved IMO after he was close to Ricciardo at TR. McLaren will likely be choosing between Magnussen and Vandoorne for their second seat, as its looking likely Button will be calling it a day in Japan.

[Alan P]

McLaren will ditch them by Spa next year if Arai is not sacked.

I'd imagine that would cost them a pretty penny as there's likely to be exit clauses and penalties on both sides. I also wonder if there are performance clauses that give McLaren a 'get out' or payments from Honda to McL?

[FaultyMario]

Speaking of the devil, “At Honda we are in a new phase and one year behind and it's very difficult to catch up the top teams. So I hope personally that the regulation is more relaxed which would be very useful to help catch up.” (http://www.crash.net/f1/news/223306/1/honda-hope-for-rules-relax-to-recover-ground.html)

[FaultyMario]

I've always wondered how much of Mercedes 2013 we are actually seeing, under Ross Brawn, the strategy was always ultimate one lap pace, because he knew that was how RBR was winning championships. That year they never got around their problems with heat management in the rear tires, and I've always thought that the monster of an engine they have plus the current not-really-racing-but-just-managing style masks their shortcomings, so if they were to properly race again they'de be in the same place again; fast on saturdays, going backwards on sundays.

[FaultyMario]

Suzuka time!

I think japanese fans are like, the coolest, ever. (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/bianchi-tributes-3.jpg)

They are really supportive of the good racers! (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/fans-4.jpg)

And of the others, too! (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/merh.jpg)

[samoht]

Seems like the regular order has been restored at Suzuka, with the 'Spec Mercedes' cars about a second ahead of the so-called 'Formula One' field.

Real pity that Kvyat's smash denied us the final shootout between Nico and Lewis for pole - even as a confirmed Ham-fan, I'm not going to go out and say pole would have been Lewis', Nico is strong here and both would have improved on their second flyer - but it would have been close again.

Will be interesting to see if Lewis can do anything in the race, as he doesn't that often end up just following Nico around all race long. And the Williams-Ferrari battle is rejoined, watch for the Williams to get ahead and then resist being passed on the narrow, high-aero circuit.

No Jensen announcement yet, looks like it was a load of hot air generated based on his tone of voice after Singapore, he's still game to race if a deal can be done it would seem.

[FaultyMario]

Every time Hamilton talks to the press (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/08/lewis-hamilton-red-bull-formula-one) I dislike him more than before.

It's only because the regulations allowed McLaren to throw everything, including the kitchen sink, in the 2008 season after their poor start that he became champion the first time.

He's such a fucking idiot.

[Kchrpm]

I don't bother paying attention to him off the track...or on the radio :)

GO LEWIS!

[FaultyMario]

Sound advice.

[Godson]

Oddly, I am becoming a Vettel fan....wtf?

[FaultyMario]

Not that odd. He seems like a normal dude. Part kimi, part prost with a lot of german.

I like the fact that we do not know much about his personal life, except that he is a gamer and a LP collector. And that he really uses his position in the paddock to galvanize the drivers around collective issues, like safety.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, it's funny, because I actually started liking Alonso more when he went to Ferrari too. It must be a relaxing environment to be a driver, giving them the ability to be less prickish. Also lot winning every week will do that.

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQ8zJa4WUAEaPYr.jpg:large

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CQ8zJ7pUAAA6GYV.jpg:large

[ANATOMY] Foam & hollow blocks are sandwiched together to form @TecproBarriers: @ScarbsF1 #F1 #RussianGP

[overpowered]

Button out qualifies Alonso without Alonso having a mechanical problem.

What happened to Massa? Almost 2 seconds behind Bottas?

Verstappen continues to impress.

[Freude am Fahren]

Massa got traffic on his second to last lap, didn't see his last, but I'm guessing traffic or a mistake.

[Alan P]

I used to dislike Vettel at RB for some reason, perhaps it's because he was at RB or the Multi 21 thing but I too have warmed to him at Ferrari.

[samoht]

I can't think Hamilton will pass Rosberg into turn one _again_, and Rosberg looks quicker so I have to expect he'll win.
Mercs are well ahead so Hamilton likely an unchallenged 2nd.
Vettel to jump Bottas with the undercut at the one and only round of stops, as usual - with the cool temps I can't see the need for two stops.
At least one lotus to be involved in a collision
At least one McLaren to retire

Will be interesting to see how it actually pans out.

[samoht]

I can't think Hamilton will pass Rosberg into turn one _again_ [Yes],
and Rosberg looks quicker [? (hard to tell when Rosberg's throttle started playing up)]
so I have to expect he'll win.[No (due to mechanical failure)]
Mercs are well ahead so Hamilton likely an unchallenged 2nd. [Yes]
Vettel to jump Bottas with the undercut [Kinda, he did jump Bottas but by staying out rather than putting early]
at the one and only round of stops, as usual - with the cool temps I can't see the need for two stops. [Yes]
At least one lotus to be involved in a collision [Yes, although not the expected one]
At least one McLaren to retire [No, both finished in the points]

Will be interesting to see how it actually pans out. [More exciting than expected, tho Mercs were well ahead]

[Freude am Fahren]

What a Finnish!

Wonder if Kimi will get a penalty (did he already)? Wonder if he's still Bottas' hero :lol:

Happy for Perez and FI though. THey were strong here, too bad they lost Hulk early.

[samoht]

Yeah, Kimi had +30s added to his time which put him back to 8th position. Feels about right, it was a bit too much to attempt that move.

This promotes Massa, Kvyat, Nasr and Maldonado to 4th-7th respectively, with Button and Verstappen rounding out the points. So both Massa, starting from near the back, and Verstappen, who got a first-lap puncture, ended up with points.

The reduction in Ferrari points also means that Mercedes are now 2015 Constructors World Champions, as Ferrari could no longer catch them. However, Vettel has moved ahead of Rosberg in the drivers' standings, so there is a battle for second place there.

[IMOA]

While I thought Kimi's move was quite clumsy someone really needs to pull Bottas aside and explain to him that leaving the door wide open at the best overtaking spot on the last lap with a quick car right behind you is not something a top driver does.

[CudaMan]

Looked to me Kimi came from waaaay back and wouldn't have made the corner even if Bottas wasn't there.

Kimi seems to be losing his once amazing speed and craft, bit by bit. :\

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, agreed. As a longtime Kimi fan, that was a seriously disappointing move. That was bush league Forza divebombing at its finest.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Looks like a racing incident to me. Last lap with door wide open, surely most racers would go for it.

[Kchrpm]

But he should be able to tell, based on his experience, that he was not going to be able to make the pass unless Bottas just completely gave up. Why would he do that on the last lap for the final podium position?

[Crazed_Insanity]

Because the door was wide open?

Why did Bottas leave the door wide open like that as if there's nobody on his tail? If contact still occurs without Bottas leaving the door open and Kimi smacks into his tail, then that'd be truly worthy of a penalty. When there's side by side racing and neither wish to give an inch to other and then contact occurs, i tend to see that as racing incident... and each racer gotta be prepared for a retirement when 2 racers commit to have their racing lines intersect on the track.

Of course I'm under the impression that Kimi could make the turn if Bottas' not there. If Kimi truly came in too hot and would have flew off track and Bottas' car saved Kimi, then yeah, sure, Kimi would be more at fault... but I'm just not seeing it that way...

IMHO, both were a bit stupid.

[2ndMoparMan]

What door are you seeing? If you look at the onboard, Kimi's left front hit Bottas's right rear. That wouldn't happen if Kimi was a LOT closer when he made the attempt to pass. There was no 'open door'. That was a flat out divebomb that had no chance of succeeding. Penalty well deserved, and I'm a Ferrari fan.

[Freude am Fahren]

Are you're referring to him being on the left side before entering the corner? It's called a racing line. No way Kimi would make the corner.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Contact occurred with Botta's rear rim(side) with Kimi's front rim(on the side as well). Anyway, to me that's enough of a side by side racing and if you decide to shut the door on the guy slightly behind you, be ready for impact.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjpB_1e_p2k

Kimi should've been wiser considering his experience. Bottas should've been more careful by driving more defensively.

I think you could sense Kimi realizing that he's not going to make it and contact is going to happen... no doubt Kimi's a bit hot going in. But like I said, Bottas should've been more defensive... or just yield to the older Finn by not closing the door on him... and if Kimi really over shot... he would've gone off to the deep end and Bottas could easily repass Kimi.

From the looks of it, I don't think Bottas even realized how close the older Finn was. He really was driving as if he's the only car on track.

Also, if Kimi wasn't so on edge(his front tire was smoking), I'm sure he would've jumped the curb to avoid a collision.

I dunno, maybe Kimi is just getting too old for this and lost his cool. But if it were up to me, I would call it racing incident and not penalize Kimi.

[Freude am Fahren]

You can't just look at how the cars line up at the moment of impact.

[IMOA]

Have a look at Riccardo's line when he was defending, then look again at Bottas, door flapping in the breeze.

[FaultyMario]

I too have warmed to him at Ferrari.

Q: You are a very private man who protects his privacy fiercely. Is that for you or your family?

SV: But in the end everybody has to make his own choices. I consider myself a sportsman - and not something else. It is awesome when you are on the grid and look at the grandstands and see all the fans and their flags - a Vettel flag, a flag with your number. These things are fantastic, but I am also a private person - and I want that to be respected.

Q: Right now Lewis seems to be testing his talents for ‘life after F1,’ be it music or fashion or design. What talents could you test?

SV: My lifestyle is very different. For now I am happy with what I do and haven’t really put so much thought into my ‘life after F1’. But yes, it is very true that in 10 years’ time I will not be here - and by then I am sure I will have found something else.

[Freude am Fahren]

Like skiing and yachting and doing other things with his hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Just make sure you don't fall and hit your head while skiing...

[overpowered]

Monsoon in Austin.

[Freude am Fahren]

It's been confirmed by the FIA that if they can't get qualifying in today, it will (weather permitting) run tomorrow morning. Otherwise grid set by FP3

FP3 standings, and possible grid before penalties. At least the Ferraris each drop 10 pos.

http://a1.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/MOTORS/images/2015/10/24/102415_MOTOR_F1FP3RESULTS.vadapt.955.high.95.jpg

[FaultyMario]

Ferraris and Will.

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, I figure there are others I forgot. Surely McLaren or Red Bull have some, right? They always do.

[Freude am Fahren]

Qualy postponed to 9 a.m. tomorrow morning (CST), heard from my buddy in Austin the rain is supposed to taper off by 7 a.m., so we may get a double feature tomorrow. He also said he got into see FP3, so I guess not all fans were locked out for it, though they weren't able to get to their seats at turn 5.

Also the FIA opened up the pit lane for all fans who stuck around when they finally canceled qualifying for today.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSHMceHVAAAZhFo.jpg

[Freude am Fahren]

Also, you must follow Craig Scarborough on twitter. If not for all his tech stuff, at least for his coverage/sketches of the F1/rain jokes.

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1

[overpowered]

Also, you must follow Craig Scarborough on twitter. If not for all his tech stuff, at least for his coverage/sketches of the F1/rain jokes.

https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSGqr3FXAAAOR5O.jpg

[Freude am Fahren]

So this race is unsurprisingly quite interesting.

Also, Kimi:

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--RkfYhc3m--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/syhn1uoxlkxcwxm3lwpo.gif

[Freude am Fahren]

I just realized that the NASCAR Sprint Cup chase race at Talledega was on NBCSN. F1 took priority :up: Fox never did that even for USGP's I don't think.

[FaultyMario]

Anyone that has ever been in team sports can say he is surprised by rosberg's reaction.

[Freude am Fahren]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ylqDZ77i--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/1490053813793223715.gif

[overpowered]

Hamilton's move on him at the start of the race was a bit dickish. He basically pushed Nico off the track.

However, Rosberg going off later to lose the lead again was all on him.

Ferrari blew the tire call by sending Vettel out on mediums.

Ricciardo managed to lead some laps for the first time since last season.

Verstappen manages 4th.

Button doubles his points for the season to pass Alonso.

[Freude am Fahren]

They're such sticklers about blocking by moving more than once, but what about literally pushing a car out of the way??

On the mediums call, a few guys looked good out there had there not been another safety car period, allowing everyone on softs to pit without losing much.

Like this maybe?


20.5 Manoeuvres liable to hinder other drivers, such as deliberate crowding of a car beyond theedge of the track or any other abnormal change of direction, are not permitted.

Edit: Just to be clear, I don't have much of a problem with Lewis doing what he did. Dickish? Yeah, but to be great, you kinda have to be a dick. I'm more annoyed by some other rules that seem less "unsporting" than that they take so seriously at times.

[samoht]

Yay Lewis! Finally gets to equal his hero in # of championships.

I agree it looks dodgy the way Lewis pushes Rosberg off the outside of the corner, race after race. However, it's clearly part of the sport, since he keeps doing it and the stewards never complain, if it wasn't allowed he would have been pulled up by now. I think it comes under 'normal racing line' - if you get the inside at the apex and are level or slightly ahead, it's 'your corner', and you are permitted to take a normal racing line. Since the normal racing line goes to the outside of the track at the exit, that's allowed - you don't have to deviate from the optimal line just because someone is outside you. (ie not an 'abnormal' change of direction).

[Alan P]

Generally at the start of the race the stewards are a lot more lenient compared to during the race.

Rosberg is, and has been since about halfway through last season, whipped into submission by Lewis. In some ways it's a shame that Rosberg is contracted for next year as well as I'd love to see someone better than Rosberg in Mercedes. To me that would mean Bottas, Alonso and Button who are better IMO and at least an equal in Raikkonen and Hulkenberg.

There's a discussion. Rosberg is at Mercedes because he's German first and because of his ability second.

[FaultyMario]

Rosberg is good driver. Better than Webbo. He is, however, a lot more influenced by externalities. Not that hamilton isn't easily fistracted, it just that rosberg was dealt bad hands and did not have the guts to make a play of them.

Anyway, overly impressed with young Max. That's punching at least 10 lbs. Above his division.

[overpowered]

On the mediums call, a few guys looked good out there had there not been another safety car period, allowing everyone on softs to pit without losing much.I thought that the medium call was based upon the idea of going to the end without another stop. However, they were clearly going off and he was losing ground. The pass by not pitting thing was not going to work.

The mistake was a result of not having any practice time on the track with them in the dry this weekend. Figuring out how long the tires last on the track is one of the main goals of practice time. They guessed that they'd be good longer, and they weren't.

[samoht]

The mistake was a result of not having any practice time on the track with them in the dry this weekend. Figuring out how long the tires last on the track is one of the main goals of practice time. They guessed that they'd be good longer, and they weren't.

Added to that, all that rain washes a lot of the the rubber off the track surface, which makes it more abrasive and thus wears the tyres out faster than normal once it dries again.

[samoht]

Max Verstappen came in 4th yesterday.

If he retires at the age Kimi will be when he reaches the end of his current Ferrari contract next year, he could be driving in F1 for the next 19 years, until 2034.

So potentially plenty of chances to win a title or three!

[Crazed_Insanity]

If I were Rosberg, I would close the door as Bottas closed it on Kimi while claiming that I didn't see him next to me.

This way, Hamilton would get penalized, hopefully also taken out of the race and the whole team would be mad at him... and the championship dream might still be alive. Even if Hamilton kept on winning the race, the team would not look on Hamilton with a positive light.

Rosberg is too chicken. Of course his own mistake also lost him the race/championship...

But now the game is over. Hamilton is #1 and probably always will be.

[samoht]

If I were Rosberg, I would close the door as Bottas closed it on Kimi while claiming that I didn't see him next to me.


Totally different situation; Hamilton was level, adjacent and parallel with Rosberg at the entry to the corner, just travelling slightly too fast to make the apex. You can see Hamilton's front wheel and wing are clearly visible and adjacent in Rosberg's onboard - hard to claim you can't see something that's clearly visible in the onboard replay. Even had he turned in it would likely just result in rubbing wheels.

Rosberg has tried the bloody-minded approach before, in Spa last year, and knows where that leads. You can get away with it more when it's another team, but with your team-mate you have to take pains to avoid an avoidable collision. Hamilton just seems to be rather good at placing his car to benefit from this rule ;-)

[overpowered]

Mexican GP looks like it could be interesting. The loss of down force and the loss of cooling could make things difficult. Throw a bit of rain in there and it's going to get quite odd.

[Freude am Fahren]

And since they have hybrids/turbos they're not down on power. That plus a long straight and the thin air means nearly Indy level top speeds! 225+ already.

NBCSN was saying Monaco level downforce specs with only Monza level actual downforce.

[FaultyMario]

ROS - HAM
VET - KVY
RIC - BOT
MAS - VES
PER - HUL
SAI - GRO
MAL - ERI
NAS - RSI
STE - RAI
ALO - BUT

[overpowered]

Rosberg and Hamilton run away with it, again. Mercedes appears to have figured out their brake issues. At least Rossberg won this time, so that's at least a little different.

Kimi and Vettel both commit suicide.

Ended up being kind of meh.

[FaultyMario]

That poor track was butchered. I can't believe how much Tilke tightened exit for the initial corner every time there was a 'section', thus ruining the whole section.
Add to that, the conservative Pirelli choices on the new track meant really low mechanical grip which, combined with the reduced effect of aerodynamic loads this was a 2-hour long processions.

Boring!

[Freude am Fahren]

I really liked Vettel when he first came into the sport with BMW.Sauber, but kind of soured on him when he let his success seemingly go to his head the last few years, but since going to Ferrari, he's really become more likable, as we've discussed before here. This is just a nice sampling of why.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PPhfA5XNaE

[MR2 Fan]

at least he's breaking up the tension a bit

[Freude am Fahren]

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/1517145195251333670.jpg

[overpowered]

:?

I'm pretty sure that's Lewis. I'm not sure what kind of car that is. Maybe a Zonda?

[Freude am Fahren]

His one-off $2Million+ Zonda. He crashed it in Monaco the other day after too much partying (not-alcohol related).

http://blackflag.jalopnik.com/lewis-hamilton-reportedly-crashed-his-pagani-zonda-in-m-1742322391

[overpowered]

Ah. That's the part I was missing.

I guess I was also thrown by the fact that he's in his old McLaren gear. I guess he hasn't crashed a lot at Mercedes. He seemed to do it a lot at McLaren.

[Alan P]

Judging by the picture that looks like China when he ran the tyres down to the cord then binned it coming into the pits.

[XHawkeye]

Fun with twitter.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTypEwcWsAAfa3g.jpg:large

The end of the season just can't come fast enough. @alo_oficial @McLarenF1 #F1 #Photography

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTyrPh7UcAAfHJV.jpg:large

@jamesmoy @thebuxtonblog @alo_oficial @McLarenF1 @alo_oficial #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTysVRTW4AEJLSD.jpg:large

I'm working as quickly as I can RT @thebuxtonblog Please let this become a thing. #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTypJEBXAAAn3Iq.jpg:large

At the dentist #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe #F1 #BrazilGP

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTyuJZ3WEAAOmRQ.jpg:large

Having too much fun with these! #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe #F1

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTy4fMTWEAI_wiQ.jpg:large

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzKUbfWUAM2q2R.jpg:large

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzUvzpWsAAaeEw.jpg:large

Mein Favorit! #PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTyt5QYWUAAFviw.jpg:large

The Power of Dreams #F1 #GoFernando #BrazilGP

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzp1_qWoAUh1w0.jpg:large

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe V #BrazilGP #F1

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzqKAfWUAAvnVL.jpg:large

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe VI @alo_oficial

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzsbbqWEAEI2aw.jpg:large

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe VIII #F1

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTzuJF9WEAAacwR.jpg

#PlacesAlonsoWouldRatherBe IX

[overpowered]

While I'm not a fan of Alonso, WTF else was he supposed to do when his shitty car failed him yet again?

Glad that at least Hamilton didn't win again today. Rosberg's trying to go out on a high note for the season.

Really need to see other teams take the fight to Mercedes. The level of domination is off the charts.

People talk about Vettel's dominance.

2010 - Takes the lead in the championship in the last race of the season. His teammate was in better position to win than him and ended up 3rd.
2011 - OK. He ran away with it, but his teammate came in 3rd.
2012 - Just barely managed it, and his teammate came in 6th. It's not just the car.
2013 - OK. He ran away with it again but his teammate came in 3rd again.

Hamilton and Rosberg have finished 1-2 the last 2 seasons and it wasn't at all close last season and it's not going to be all that close this season either.

As much as I like Kimi, I think it's clear that Vettel's better. Kimi's had some bad luck, but it's not just luck issues. Kimi has finished ahead of Vettel just 3 times this season. He only out qualified Vettel 3 times as well, and one of those times Vettel had power unit problems that kept him from going to Q2.

[Alan P]

If anything this season they've been more dominant. They're on track to gain more manufacturers point than last season. With the same number of races and WITHOUT the double points in AD. Now that's almost complete domination.

[FaultyMario]

Hurry before it's take down. Vettel sings happy birthday to his engineer. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkEPfUG3hk4&feature=youtu.be)

[2ndMoparMan]

Win.

[overpowered]

WTF Vettel in qualifying?

[Freude am Fahren]

Seriously, WUT. He/Ferrari claims that they thought they were good on time, but then why did they send him out at all? As time went on, it got even clearer that he wasn't. My guess is that someone f'ed up, either on the pit wall, or in the driver's seat, and they are just not telling us. Which in some ways, I really respect. One thing you can say about Ferrari right now, and Vettel really always, is that there isn't a lot of finger pointing.

Other than you know...

http://i0.wp.com/www.grandprix247.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Sebastian-Vettel-F1-Grand-Prix-Singapore-Qualifying-CBgMulyVLeCx.jpg?resize=750%2C497

[overpowered]

At least Kimi got a podium.

[FaultyMario]

There's few good things from this season.

I hope Renault get shafted by Bernie on their request of historical payments and have to bail on their purchase of team enstone. Fuck carlos ghosn.

That way, the moronic rules on engine supply have to be ammended and we can have racing teams, and not manufacturers, compete in the championship.

[Kchrpm]

Why do you prefer a Red Bull-funded racing team to a Mercedes-funded racing team? I don't have a preference either way but I'm also not emotionally invested in F1, so I'm curious what your mindset is.

[overpowered]

the moronic rules on engine supply have to be ammendedSpecifically how?

[XHawkeye]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CU-HdADWoAA-N4i.jpg

[FaultyMario]

Why do you prefer a Red Bull-funded racing team to a Mercedes-funded racing team? I don't have a preference either way but I'm also not emotionally invested in F1, so I'm curious what your mindset is.

The thing with the Milton Keynes outfit, Jaguar, Stewart, whatever its name is, the people working there do it for the sake of racing. When a company such as Red Bull pours money into it, they want to win, and get exposure for their brand on the specific market to which this specific commercial venue caters to, they don't care for selling IP or getting royalties from others using their technology (in the grand scheme of things of course). In its years associated with F1 RB have proven to be more than an advertiser; they've taken a gamble on drivers like Vettel and Verstappen*, FFS.

When an automotive manufacturer walks in (BMW, Honda, Ford) on a team like Brackley of course, they bring bags full of money and lots of new people expecting success. Sometimes they do it right and they get unpunished success like Mercedes now, or they flop like many others before. The thing is, by law of diminishing returns or by the very nature of the sport itself, their investment model is unsustainable. And they always pull out when they aren't dominant. Of course the exception to that carmaker rule is Ferrari. They dominate, they don't, they dominate, they don't. But they always compete. Which is what all the other private teams are there to do, not sell cars. Williams, Sauber, McLaren they need to form partnerships with automotive suppliers in order to be competitive, those partnerships are mutually beneficial and they are sustainable. Brake maker? Car Electronics? Fluids? There's two or three brands that we quickly associate with winning cars in motor sports, because they have helped Williams, Gannassi, Oreca or Penske be successful in their disciplines.

Then there's the fund managers that occasionally get a hold of a team for profit's sake.

Yes, technological showcasing, profitability, advertising, those are key components of motor racing, but they can't take center stage. When they do, a great disturbance in the Formula is felt, as if millions of fans suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

*Yes he was being lured by Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull, but RB were the only ones to offer him a raceday job

[Kchrpm]

Makes sense :up:

[Alan P]

F1 needs manufacturers, now more than ever with the cost and complexity of competing. But F1 should never be beholden to them.

[overpowered]

I'm still curious about how he'd change the engine rules if he could.

I agree that the current engine situation is a problem. I want to know how to fix it.

McLaren was the second worst team this year, with two world champion drivers. That shouldn't happen.

[Crazed_Insanity]

McLaren was the second worst team this year, with two world champion drivers. That shouldn't happen.

That's Honda's fault. They had an extra year to prepare! Their level of performance was really surprising surely to everyone and I don't think you can blame that on engine rules. Everyone's playing with the same set of rules.

[MR2 Fan]

The problem I think is that Honda wasn't developing an engine....it had to develop a "Power Unit" which is a lot more complicated

[FaultyMario]

Yes and that despite all the crying and floor stomping by Carlos Ghosn, Ciryl Abiteboul has admitted that they didn't really have much of a development plan for Renault's PU and that the Viry-Chatillon plant was in fact relying on RB personnel to do the development.

[XHawkeye]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJFb39zCsnM

[XHawkeye]

Some Craig Scarborough tech videos from the Autosport show

https://www.periscope.tv/ScarbsF1/