Italy 2018

[Bagwan]

Let's get ahead of it this time , kids .

The reds look to be fretting a bit too much about seemingly having the advantage going into the temple of speed this weekend .

Perhaps we'll get more news on the current driver merry-go-round now that "too tall" Ocon has failed his Mc-seat fitting ; hello McSergio .

[Bagwan]

Fast pink cars in the rain in the first , and a tumbling Sauber in the second means that not enough data was collected , which means some may get things a bit sideways for qually and the race .

That top element might just have been too heavy to close it under the force of braking for that corner , and a bigger spring might be the fix , but this seems to be a gross miscalculation if so .
McLaren seemed to fiddling with their wing , too , so may have been dealing with the same thing .

Because it's way up in the air , and , as the most important aim of any car designer is to get the COG as low as can be had , it has to be made as light as possible , but this failure should make all question the whole concept of a movable wing .
This is the nightmare scenario for the DRS wing , having it open unexpectedly into a corner at speed .

[Nitrodaze]

That Erickson crash in FP 2 was sick. How he came out of that unscathed is a testament of how safe the F1 cars of this era is.

Strange to see marshalls standing on the track side of the AMCO barriers. One of them was standing just where Erickson crashed. I wonder what that is about?

[Starter]

I'll be missing qualifying tomorrow and the race Sunday so keep the info coming. (At another race this weekend and no easy access to TV.)

[Bagwan]

That Erickson crash in FP 2 was sick. How he came out of that unscathed is a testament of how safe the F1 cars of this era is.

Strange to see marshalls standing on the track side of the AMCO barriers. One of them was standing just where Erickson crashed. I wonder what that is about?

One of the commentators mentioned it looked far more dangerous than it actually was , as the camera angle showed him looking rather vulnerable there , but in reality , he was quite safe , far enough back to avoid any debris .

[Bagwan]

Does anyone out there think , after taking the top spot at Monza , that they would dare fire Kimi ?
Maurizio hugging Kimi's girl told me he's staying . A smile and a tear said it all .

[Nitrodaze]

Does anyone out there think , after taking the top spot at Monza , that they would dare fire Kimi ?
Maurizio hugging Kimi's girl told me he's staying . A smile and a tear said it all .

You never really know in F1. It could also be a hug and a goodbye. Kimi deserved pole. It makes one wonder why Ferrari has not supported him enough for him to win races. You might argue that he should be winning when Vettel is not; like Rosberg did with Hamilton at Mercedes. But one cannot help noticing that the pit wall decisions have almost always placed the finn in unfavorable situations to win races. Kimi seem to get the worst service from his pitwall than any other driver on the grid for some reason.

Hence, he might not win the race tomorrow for these reasons, but he has made a clear point to his team. He is the iceman and he would win given the right support.

[Bagwan]

You never really know in F1. It could also be a hug and a goodbye. Kimi deserved pole. It makes one wonder why Ferrari has not supported him enough for him to win races. You might argue that he should be winning when Vettel is not; like Rosberg did with Hamilton at Mercedes. But one cannot help noticing that the pit wall decisions have almost always placed the finn in unfavorable situations to win races. Kimi seem to get the worst service from his pitwall than any other driver on the grid for some reason.

Hence, he might not win the race tomorrow for these reasons, but he has made a clear point to his team. He is the iceman and he would win given the right support.

Sorry , but the bagwan knows .

Take it to the bank .
Cut the ribbon .
Seal the envelope .
Slaughter the pig .
Fold the laundry .
Roll up your sleeves .
And fire the dishwasher , it's done .

He'll be in red .

[Big Ben]

For once I enjoyed Vettel's screams. He knew he didn't have to bother with Kimi but surprise! He made a little fool of himself. Things will get corrected tomorrow though.

[Bagwan]

For once I enjoyed Vettel's screams. He knew he didn't have to bother with Kimi but surprise! He made a little fool of himself. Things will get corrected tomorrow though.

Are you sure he wanted it , or did he just want the same team-mate next year ?
It's a long way to the first corner , Ben .

[zako85]

As we speak right now, I can only imagine that Ferrari bosses are explaining to Kimi how he will give up the race win to Vettel. And I can't blame them. The stakes are high.

[Big Ben]

I don't think any explanation is needed. He knows how things stand. He will win again only if Vettel's car blows up and that fast enough, before they ruin his race too bad.

[Bagwan]

If Kimi is asked , he will understand , and will honourably obey without whining about it .

[gm99]

Vettel once again doing the best not to win the championship.

[longisland]

The watch power unit went kaput. It’s really frustrating for Daniel

[Nitrodaze]

What a brilliant race. Shame Kimi's tyres gave up on him. Without cover, it was going to be hard. Hamilton saw the oddity of the grid after qualifying and was determined to take advantage of it and it worked out brilliantly.

[Nitrodaze]

Verstapenn was quite pertulent at this race. Probably not the first time that he has disobeyed team instructions. He decided to give away points to Ferrari out of anger really. I think the Redbull team do not have a good control of this guy.

[Nitrodaze]

Vettel once again doing the best not to win the championship.

Just another costly mistake that would make the fight harder for him. He is still favorite to make it ahead by Abu Dhabi, but at this rate it makes one wonder.

[Big Ben]

Vettel is F1's worst joke and the joke may get worse by the end of the season. 5 times wdc material :laugh:.... And that petulant idiot from red bull, what an annoying individual.

[The Black Knight]

How many mistakes is that for Vettel this season? He has the best car but is making a right hash of his chances of the championship. By contrast, I can’t actually remember Hamilton making a mistake all year. If Vettel wins this championship now it will not be because he was the better driver season long, unless Lewis makes many uncharacteristic errors in the remaining 7 races. Two more wins for Hamilton and this Championship will be out of Vettel’s hands as he’ll be able to finish 2nd in every other race and still become champion. And from the looks of today Raikkonen will be of no use to him.

[Nitrodaze]

I have to say, Mercedes were at their very best with the strategy today. They out-thinked the Ferrari team today. Vettel being out of position really helped Mercedes today as well. Keeping Hamilton out for a few laps longer made all the difference when it was time to take the fight to Kimi.

Haas are joint 4th in the constructors championship with Renault. Renault seem to have put forward a formal protest of the Haas cars which has resulted in both car being withheld by the stewards subject to investigation due to Renault's protest. The new kid on the block is ruffling some feathers it would seem.

I wonder, if Vettel loses the drivers championship of 2018 to Hamilton, would he still be wearing red next season? By the way, rumours are that Leclerc has been signed by Ferrari for next season. It would seem Kimi's days in red are numbered.

Kimi being the sole Ferrari at the front was literally mugged by the Mercedes pair. The Mercedes strategist was out for blood today and executed his plan with deadly efficiency which left Kimi with damaged tyres and easy picking for a RAMPANT HAMILTON. It was a brilliant display of team effort to which Bottas contributed enormously. The Mercedes may be slightly slower than the Ferrari, but they are making up for the difference with some gritty and daring attacks.

[airshifter]

Absolutely a brilliant strategy by Mercedes this race, and quite a change from some of the blunders they have made in past races. I must admit that when they left Lewis out losing ground to Kimi, it appeared as though they had made the wrong call. But once they got Kimi in the Mercedes sandwich, it all came to them.

Seb screwed himself. So did Max. We can still expect it from Max, but Seb should know better.

Even after Kimi being held up by Bottas, Lewis had a fight on his hands with Kimi. Rather than make any risky moves, he just kept applying the pressure and helped Kimi beat up his tires until it was a losing battle. When Lewis did finally make his move, clean and decisive, and no games between the drivers. Also great clean racing on the Lewis pass and Kimi pass to get back in front on the first lap.

Great team playing by Bottas with enough in hand to still secure a spot on the podium. Though he was slow to get by the RB at that point it was a losing battle and well played for Bottas to wait it out. In the end Max made the pass for Bottas by being Max, so justice was served.

Haas up in 6th with Rogro staying quiet and doing his thing. Both FI cars up in the points as well. It seems the best of the rest are fairly strong, and there was some good racing through the pack.

Hartley and Ricciardo gave Fred some company in the DNFs. It has to be wearing thin for Alonso and Daniel at this point. I'm surprised the Hartley bump didn't give out a penalty, as it didn't appear he moved at all to cause that damage.

[gm99]

Haas up in 6th with Rogro staying quiet and doing his thing.

Grosjean was ultimately disqualified for an illegal floor on the Haas, so Sirotkin gets his first point in F1.

[N. Jones]

Ferrari cost Kimi the win. Not testing the softs was their undoing.
Haas, specifically Grosjean, being DQ'ed is a huge blow to the team and keep Renault ahead of them. The way STR is looking with Honda I think RB will be quite pleased.

Bottas is the DOTD for me. He brilliantly kept Kimi behind so he became easy pickin's for Lewis.

[Nitrodaze]

And that petulant idiot from red bull, what an annoying individual.

Verstapenn is fast becoming the most unlikable racer of F1.

[Luijbregts]

So Verstappen is the stupid one here? How in gods name did Bottas think he could pass there on the outside? I would say that was a poor judgement call. Verstappen said after the race he could maybe have given Bottas a few more mm's but that is what racing is all about.

[The Black Knight]

So Verstappen is the stupid one here? How in gods name did Bottas think he could pass there on the outside? I would say that was a poor judgement call. Verstappen said after the race he could maybe have given Bottas a few more mm's but that is what racing is all about.

Can’t understand this post. Bottas was as far left as he could go. Verstappen clearly drifted left and hit Bottas. Whether he thought he could pass him is irrelevant. Max knew he was there, Bottas was entitled to be there and Max gave him no room.

[Nitrodaze]

So Verstappen is the stupid one here? How in gods name did Bottas think he could pass there on the outside? I would say that was a poor judgement call. Verstappen said after the race he could maybe have given Bottas a few more mm's but that is what racing is all about.

I have a feeling that if the track positions of Verstapenn and Bottas were reversed you would be very critical of Bottas anyway. All l have to say is watch the race again and watch this part in slow motion if you can.

[Nitrodaze]

I am also happy to see both Williams quietly edging into the points at this race. It seems they are getting a better understanding of this car which bodes well for their 2019 season.