2018 Brazilian GP [Sao Paulo]

[Nitrodaze]

http://sf2.viepratique.fr/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2017/11/Sans-titre-2.jpg
https://www.formula1.com/content/fom-website/en/racing/2017/Brazil/_jcr_content/par/manual_gallery/image1.img.640.medium.jpg/1425634375289.jpg


We are back to the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace; sometimes called the Interlagos circuit. Brazil has hosted F1 grand prix unofficially since 1934 on the 6.9 mile Gavea street circuit of Rio de Janerio. The Interlagos track was built in Sao Paulo in 1936 as a formal autodrome for F1 racing. The first official F1 race was hosted at Interlagos in 1972, some forty two years after the track was built. The Interlagos track was named after the Sao Paulo local Brabham f1 driver Jose Carlos Pace. Another Sao Paulo homeboy and defending world champion at the time, Emerson Fittipaldi won the first race. This race has alternated with Rio de Janeiro venues a number of times in the past.

F1 returned to the Interlagos track as its permanent Brazilian home in 1990 after the local government of Sao Paulo invested $15 million to improve the track. The track was shortened as part of the revamp. This weekend is the 47th race on this track. Tracks like Baku, Bharain, Singapore etc benefit from this venue proving that F1 is a viable proposition outside Europe.

Shaped like a foetus of sorts, this track is 4.309KM in length with fifteen corners and two straights. This is a 71 lap race over a race distance of 306.909KM from lights to flag. Interlagos provides the drivers and engineers with many challenges, not least because the track runs in an anti-clockwise direction and is at high altitude. This technically challenging circuit is very bumpy in parts, putting great demands on suspensions. The many corners are a great test of transmissions and make this circuit very tiring for drivers. When it rain here, it is torrential. A downpour that have rivers running down the slopes and across the track in what quickly becomes a very tricky race.

Alain Prost remains the most successful driver to ever race this track with six wins. Sebastien Vettel is the current most successful driver of this era of drivers with three wins. Hamilton has only won this race once but remains a nostalgic event for him as he won his first F1 driver title narrowly and fortuitously here in 2008. Mclaren also remains the most successful team to win this race with twelve wins and closely followed by Ferrari with 11 wins.

The fastest lap time ever recorded on this track is by Valtterie Bottas who took pole in 2017 with a time of 1:08:322. Max Verstapenn holds the fastest race lap time at 1:11:044. Sebastien Vettel is the last winner of this track and the favorite to win the race this weekend.

The constructors championship is still open and available to Ferrari, but Mercedes hold a 55 points lead which may result in the title going back to Petronas Mercedes if Ferrari were to drop the ball. A Vettel win will setup the final race of the season at Abu Dhabi as a grand finale with a monumental last gasp fight for the final few remaining points that would decide the 2018 Constructors world champion.

The constructors title is a gift of the drivers to all the staff of their team, as the staff of the winning team would enjoy a generous bonus in their xmas sock. Vettel would be keen to reward his team with a consolation prize to buoy morale for next season. Hamilton would be very keen to reward his team for giving him the car to win his fifth drivers world champion. Hence there is much at stake to ensure that this race is a proper competitive event.

[Bagwan]

Shaped like a "foetus" ?
No .
Shaped like a curling stone .

[truefan72]

Wow. Leclerc. Epic lap to get into q3. Can't wait to see him in a Ferrari next year.

[truefan72]

Hmm. Vettel might be in trouble with his weigh bridge fiasco. Smh

[The Black Knight]

Not acceptable what the FIA did there with Seb. If you call a driver to be weighed in they must be prepared to weigh straight away with minimum delay. Can very much understand him being exceptionally irritated there.

[truefan72]

As to the hamilton sirotkin incident. DiResta debunked any potential issue as both were on an outlap and sirotkin decided on the final corner to try and overtake hamilton for trqck position. As to the kimi one....maybe but kimi lost no time

[truefan72]

Listen to brundle practically begging for the stewards to investigate hamilton. Lol.

[Nitrodaze]

I would be surprised if Vettel and Hamilton do not get some sort of pain from the stewards. Hamilton may get the benefit of the doubt, but Vettel is in trouble l think.

[Nitrodaze]

Not acceptable what the FIA did there with Seb. If you call a driver to be weighed in they must be prepared to weigh straight away with minimum delay. Can very much understand him being exceptionally irritated there.

Apparently, Vettels was suppose to turn the engine off and the car would have been rolled unto the scales which is very delicate. I hear the scale was damaged because he drove onto the scales. Thats why l think he may get a hefty fine and some grid drop at worst. I have heard of drivers being disqualified from races for this sort of thing.

[Nitrodaze]

Wow what a pole lap from Hamilton. 1.1sec faster than the track pole lap record of 2017. If Vettel get grid drop for the weigh bridge thing, it could be a Mercedes one two tomorrow. I think Kimi is well placed for another win this season with those yellow soft tyre on his car tomorrow.

[The Black Knight]

Apparently, Vettels was suppose to turn the engine off and the car would have been rolled unto the scales which is very delicate. I hear the scale was damaged because he drove onto the scales. Thats why l think he may get a hefty fine and some grid drop at worst. I have heard of drivers being disqualified from races for this sort of thing.
Yeah I realise that but they should be ready for him when he comes in and they clearly weren’t.

[truefan72]

Wow what a pole lat from Hamilton. 1.1sec faster than the track pole lap record of 2017. If Vettel get grid drop for the weigh bridge thing, it could be a Mercedes one two tomorrow. I think Kimi is well placed for another win this season with those yellow soft tyre on his car tomorrow.

Yup, Kimi is in prefect position to get his 2nd win. If the Soft tire strategy holds up.
But they have been suffering with more degradation than others this weekend. so who know.
Also Verstappen is lurking behind too.

Should be a good race tomorrow

[truefan72]

Yeah I realise that but they should be ready for him when he comes in and they clearly weren’t.

indeed, but as usual Vettel panicked and made the situation far far worse. Even with a slight delay, he still would have gotten a decent run and probably a top5 Q2 spot so there was no need to loose it the way he did. In the end it might cost him dearly.

[Bagwan]

Pretty harsh , weighing Vettel just as conditions are changing , but not good to not follow instructions from the FIA employees , so a penalty will be applied .

Hamilton is out chastising Sirotkin for attempting a pass into the final corner with them both on out laps .
I was in the Lewis corner on this one , thinking he had only realized Sirotkin was coming fast at the last moment , and had tried to dive inside to get out of his way .

But , rather than an act of respect , it was the ultimate act of disrespect , where he is essentially say to Sergey that he should stay in line and not get in the way of the big boys .
He dove inside to balk the Williams driver deliberately .
He has admitted as much , so a penalty should be applied .

[The Black Knight]

Pretty harsh , weighing Vettel just as conditions are changing , but not good to not follow instructions from the FIA employees , so a penalty will be applied .

Hamilton is out chastising Sirotkin for attempting a pass into the final corner with them both on out laps .
I was in the Lewis corner on this one , thinking he had only realized Sirotkin was coming fast at the last moment , and had tried to dive inside to get out of his way .

But , rather than an act of respect , it was the ultimate act of disrespect , where he is essentially say to Sergey that he should stay in line and not get in the way of the big boys .
He dove inside to balk the Williams driver deliberately .
He has admitted as much , so a penalty should be applied .

No he didn’t. He saw Sergey at the last moment thinking he was misinformed and that someone behind him was on a quick lap so he tried to get out of the way.



Hamilton explains Sirotkin incident, says Williams driver was "disrespectful"
"Everyone was on an out lap, me, Sergey and the one in front of me. When you're on an out lap, towards the end of the lap, you try to back off and get a gap

"As far as I knew no one behind was on a lap so I was making sure i had a gap, then all of a sudden out of turn 11 i saw a car coming.

"I thought someone might have been on a lap, so I went to the left and that's where he decided to go. But he wasn't on a lap so I don't really know what his thinking was.

"Between all the drivers, we all know to keep our space by that point so it was generally quite a disrespectful move...

"I was trying to get out of his way and then he got to the corner and slowed up. It was kind of strange, it was completely unnecessary because he had a space behind. Ultimately his lap and my lap weren't great.

"Hopefully he can learn from it."


That’s a pretty reasonable explanation from Lewis. If anything it was Sergey’s fault and Sergey himself had no issues with what happened after either. Personally I think it’s just one of those things that happens but, since it didn’t affect anyones qualifying, just let it be

[The Black Knight]

indeed, but as usual Vettel panicked and made the situation far far worse. Even with a slight delay, he still would have gotten a decent run and probably a top5 Q2 spot so there was no need to loose it the way he did. In the end it might cost him dearly.

I’d rather Vettel didn’t get a penalty as the FIA stewards were not ready for him. Fault on both sides but we’ll find out shortly. There is a possibility he may be sent home for it.

[truefan72]

No he didn’t. He saw Sergey at the last moment thinking he was misinformed and that someone behind him was on a quick lap so he tried to get out of the way.



That’s a pretty reasonable explanation from Lewis. If anything it was Sergey’s fault and Sergey himself had no issues with what happened after either. Personally I think it’s just one of those things that happens but, since it didn’t affect anyones qualifying, just let it be

exactly. I was about to post the same comments from the Autosport article.
I'm not sure where and how bagwan is getting this take from.
Nothing Hamilton said was remotely cocky brash or out of line.
I'ts amazing how a decent and reasonable explanation can be given and presented, but yet some folks decide to spin it into something completely different than reality.
oh well.

[The Black Knight]

25k fine and a reprimand for Vettel. As he did turn off engine and they got the car weight he escapes disqualification. Sounds fair enough to me.

[truefan72]

25k fine and a reprimand for Vettel. As he did turn off engine and they got the car weight he escapes disqualification. Sounds fair enough to me.

yeah. that sounds about right.
It could have been much worse.
well. should be ab exciting race tomorrow.
No excuses from anyone
...except poor DannyRic

[Nitrodaze]

25k fine and a reprimand for Vettel. As he did turn off engine and they got the car weight he escapes disqualification. Sounds fair enough to me.

That was lucky but it makes for a great race tomorrow

[journeyman racer]

Surely you all are going to be watching the Manchester Derby instead?

[Nitrodaze]

Surely you all are going to be watching the Manchester Derby instead?

Thankfully, that would finish just as the race starts. Bumper sunday this weekend just what the GF need to have a moan.

[Bagwan]

No he didn’t. He saw Sergey at the last moment thinking he was misinformed and that someone behind him was on a quick lap so he tried to get out of the way.



That’s a pretty reasonable explanation from Lewis. If anything it was Sergey’s fault and Sergey himself had no issues with what happened after either. Personally I think it’s just one of those things that happens but, since it didn’t affect anyones qualifying, just let it be

"I went on the left, not even hoping that he would let me go because he was so slow and I was coming so quickly and then in the last minute he saw me and tried to avoid me, he gave me the racing line but I was already on the left so I had to pass through the grass and basically my lap was ruined after that."

Where's the "disrespect" in what Sergey did ?


"I was trying to get out of his way and then he got to the corner and slowed up."
He "slowed up" because he had just had two wheels in the grass , didn't he ?

As I said before , I was willing to give Lewis the leeway because he hadn't seen him coming , and that is still the case .
Sergey went inside because Lewis was barely moving at that point .
Lewis needed a gap behind Bottas , and Sergey didn't , as he was nowhere near fast enough to be bothered by the Finn ahead .
But Lewis , if he let Sergey pass , would need to gap him as well , or pass him on a hot lap .

I think it was Brundle who said that the last thing you want to do when a car is coming quickly from behind , is move quickly in either direction .

And , yet , Hamilton said "Hopefully he can learn from this ." .

[Bagwan]

“I was wrong,it wasn’t a disrespectful move by Sergey, it was a misunderstanding and I honestly attempted to get out of his way.

“Didn’t work that well but shit happens and I respect the way he handled it.”


He learned from this .

And , what I hope he learned overnight was not to move when someone is coming in a hurry from behind , and not that this was a better explanation than what saying Sergey was disrespectful implies .

[truefan72]

“I was wrong,it wasn’t a disrespectful move by Sergey, it was a misunderstanding and I honestly attempted to get out of his way.

“Didn’t work that well but shit happens and I respect the way he handled it.”


He learned from this .

And , what I hope he learned overnight was not to move when someone is coming in a hurry from behind , and not that this was a better explanation than what saying Sergey was disrespectful implies .

you are still mnissing the point completely bagwan.
SMH

you seem hell bent on going on some anti-hamilton crusade.
both were on an outlap of which sirotkin was constantly behind hamilton and doing his warm up lap procedures, just like Hamilton. It was the penultimate corner where all are expected to slow down and create a gap for an excellent run up the hill and impediment free lap. but Sirotkin for whatever reason decided to go balls to the wall and try and overtake hamilton there. sirotkin was in the wrong, the stewards saw nothing wrong with it and Hamilton came out today and corrected his language. That's all.

get a grip

[The Black Knight]

Thankfully, that would finish just as the race starts. Bumper sunday this weekend just what the GF need to have a moan.
No it won’t be. It will only be 40 mins into the game.

[Bagwan]

you are still mnissing the point completely bagwan.
SMH

you seem hell bent on going on some anti-hamilton crusade.
both were on an outlap of which sirotkin was constantly behind hamilton and doing his warm up lap procedures, just like Hamilton. It was the penultimate corner where all are expected to slow down and create a gap for an excellent run up the hill and impediment free lap. but Sirotkin for whatever reason decided to go balls to the wall and try and overtake hamilton there. sirotkin was in the wrong, the stewards saw nothing wrong with it and Hamilton came out today and corrected his language. That's all.

get a grip

I suppose you've never seen drivers jockey for position in qualifying ?

I told you I was on Hamilton's side , until he said "disrespectful" .
Perhaps Hamilton is right that it usually isn't a place where drivers pass , going into a hot lap , but there's no rule that says he can't .

Using the word , it implies that he felt Sirotkin would not have the audacity to attempt a pass .
But , Sergey's agenda would have included trying like hell to get any tow he could , so Bottas was his only target , as Lewis was going so slowly , waiting for Valterie to get away .

By the way , should Lewis have been , since he was going so slowly , on the fast line ?
It seemed like he didn't think so , if we are to believe his statement .

So , his opponent , who had every right to pass there , made a choice to go inside of Lewis , who was going very slowly on the fast line , and Lewis chose to jink to the left into the oncoming car's path , causing the other driver to be forced off track onto the grass at high speed .
Leaving all the reasons aside , is there something that is wrong with that statement ?


And , by the way , saying "get a grip" is more than a little disrespectful .

[Tazio]

max is on fire!:hot:

[gm99]

Kimi unable to pass...

[Nitrodaze]

The mercs are slow

[Nitrodaze]

Who is going to win this race? It looks very open with RedBull looking very promising.

[Nitrodaze]

Max ahead.

[Nitrodaze]

Bottas has a drive of his life as Kimi breaths down his neck

[truefan72]

complete shaite strategy by mercedes. Unbelievable

[Tazio]

wow!!!

[truefan72]

Wtf is ocon doing????
Madness
Even if it was for position wtf are you trying to do at the senna s.

[gm99]

Max is right - Ocon is a f***ing idiot.

[Nitrodaze]

Ocon is crazy, racing the leader from 16th position

[Nitrodaze]

I think Max is still good for the win. The Merc is not happy on those white tyres.

[gm99]

At least Ocon made sure he will never be racing a Red Bull-sponsored car.

[Tazio]

Come on "The Boss"!

[truefan72]

Oh my. What a race

[Nitrodaze]

Never bet against Hamilton.

CONGRATULATIONS PETRONAS MERCEDES - 2018 CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONS

[truefan72]

Either way you cut it. Ocon had no reason to fight max or try and unlap himself. No threat from behind and miles behind the car in front.
Interesting conversation in the cooldown room. Hamilton giving advice to max.
I think this is his first win in Brazil

[The Black Knight]

Back in the 80s I think Max would have punched Ocon to be honest. I don’t blame him for being pissed, what Ocon did was ridiculous. Personally I think Ocon should get a race ban, you cannot take the leader out like that.

[BigWorm]

Bottas makes me appreciate Rosberg so much

[truefan72]

Bottas makes me appreciate Rosberg so much

there are a few drivers i would rather see in that 2nd seat.
including wherlein

[Nitrodaze]

Either way you cut it. Ocon had no reason to fight max or try and unlap himself. No threat from behind and miles behind the car in front.
Interesting conversation in the cooldown room. Hamilton giving advice to mac.
I think this is his first win in Brazil

I agree, but inexperience had a lot to do with the accident happening. More experienced racers would do everything to not risk losing the lead by giving Ocon a wide berth. I kind of blame them both but definitely more Ocon's fault.

[Nitrodaze]

Bottas makes me appreciate Rosberg so much

Bottas was brilliant in the first half of the season and started the second half with a lot of bad luck with all sorts of car problems. I think he did not take it well that he drifted away from Hamilton due no fault of his own. His driving since then has been quite tame and below what we know he is capable of. I can say that he definitely was better than he managed in 2017 where he won a number of races. Hence l can see how he would be quite depressed that he did not win any race in a season where he could clearly see that he is driving better than he did in previous year.

I think he would be quite pumped for next season. I am expecting that he may give Hamilton a good run in 2019 season. He has to because that would be his very last opportunity to showcase why he should be given the chance to retain his seat beyond 2019 with Ocon and George Russell waiting in the wings.

[Nitrodaze]

Lewis Hamilton has won 50 of the 100 races since the hybrid era started at this race win.

[Duncan]

Back in the 80s I think Max would have punched Ocon to be honest. I don’t blame him for being pissed, what Ocon did was ridiculous. Personally I think Ocon should get a race ban, you cannot take the leader out like that.

Something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFky8hpVolg

I still remember watching this one live with my Dad :-).

[The Black Knight]

Something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFky8hpVolg

I still remember watching this one live with my Dad :-).

Haha yeah that one :)

[The Black Knight]

2 days community service for Max for the incident with Ocon.

[Nitrodaze]

2 days community service for Max for the incident with Ocon.

I think the stewards are getting soft.

[Nitrodaze]

It has been a great season. Ferrari really impressed but still have operational issues to resolve in order for them to be properly ready to be constructors world champion. They did not win the constructors title because they have not deserved it. Mercedes was more deserving of winning the constructors title because they have shown true grit in the face of a harder competition from a much stronger opposition and have prevailed. They made less mistakes and dug deep to find performance when it seemed impossible. Admittedly, they were helped by the mistakes that Ferrari and Vettel made this season. But they took the manna from heaven when they presented themselves.

The opposition upped their game this season. Redbull won four races, one more than they managed last year and may have won their fifth at Interlagos but for the unfortunate crash with the Force India of Ocon. Ferrari turned up this season with a brilliant car that seemed capable of winning both titles. For the first time in the hybrid era, a Mercedes was lapped by a Ferrari. Also, we saw Mercedes properly rattled and scratching their heads by the form of another team.

I think Ferrari can keep their shin up. They have race like champions that they are. What could have been if they did not go down the wrong design path at Singapore.

Redbull are looking fiesty and bullish for 2019. It would be great if Honda can turn up with a solid package in 2019. I would love to see what Verstapenn can do with a closely matched car to the Mercedes and Ferrari.

It was painfull for me to watch Mclaren and Williams struggle this season. And l am disappointed that Alonso has finally departed F1 due to not finding a competitive car. I hope Mclaren and Williams find their form next season. That said, Sauber really impressed this year and helped us discover a new talent in Charles Leclec.

[The Black Knight]

Having had time to reflect on the Max/Ocon incident, I think that Max must take some small share of the responsibility. What Ocon did was stupid but Max could have given him more room as well.

As for Dr. Helmut Marko implying that it was somehow a ploy between Mercedes and Ocon so Ocon could gain favour with his team, that has to be one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever heard from anyone.

Next year will be interesting. Supposedly all teams have lost downforce points with the new regulations except for RBR. Apparently they bave found a way to maintain current downforce levels. With the cars expected to be 1.5 seconds slower next year RBR, coupled with a vastly improving Honda engine could be title contenders. Mercedes and Ferrari could find themselves lagging behind significantly.

[Nitrodaze]

Next year will be interesting. Supposedly all teams have lost downforce points with the new regulations except for RBR. Apparently they bave found a way to maintain current downforce levels. With the cars expected to be 1.5 seconds slower next year RBR, coupled with a vastly improving Honda engine could be title contenders. Mercedes and Ferrari could find themselves lagging behind significantly.

I agree, Redbull will be very strong next year and well in the mix at the sharp end. Niggly reliability issues are still prevalent in the Honda powerpod which may be problematic or not. But you can see how bullish and confident Redbull are for 2019. Verstapenn clearly can sense an opportunity to fight for the title next year.

That said, l think Mercedes are going to dump the 2018 chassis and design a new chassis for 2019. Their current chassis seem to have reached end of shelf life, it has delivered all the performance that can be squeezed out of it. It was slower than the Ferrari and the Redbull aerodynamically but occasionally faster in Hamilton's hands due to its mechanical strength. If they turn up with this chassis next year, they would be comprehensively beaten.

Ferrari have a chassis that can be refined to match the Redbull chassis. Hence, l would not rule out Ferrari from being the car to beat in 2019. But l fully expect Redbull to win as many races as Mercedes and Ferrari next season. I think it is going to be another closely fought and very tight season. The margin for error between the top three would be very small and maybe the determinant of how the season is won.

It is also very possible that a Brawn-like scenario might occur with one of the midfield teams emerging out of the winter with a unique design that puts them ahead of the pack. Imagine Mclaren or Williams or Haas or Force India or Renault suddenly emerging as the team to beat in 2019. That would make for a very cool season. We may end that season with an unlikely champion, which means any of the new rookies for 2019 [George Russel or Lando Norris] may win the title in their first year. It also opens the possibility for Sainz, Perez, Magnussen, Grosjean and even Raikonen in the Sauber to be the 2019 Driver World champion. Imagine that.

We shall also enjoy a display of experience versus youthful determination. Vettel shall have his hands full with Leclec while also battling the youthfull Redbull pair. The story is the same for Hamilton but more problematic for Vettel with one of them in his camp.

I can't quite picture Redbull for next season. But l don't think Verstapenn shall have it his own way. I have a feeling that Gastly would surprise him and give him some very frustrating weekends. Horner would need to manage this situation very carefully without damaging one of their drivers spirit.

[Zico]

Great race, really enjoyed that..

Congrats to Merc on winning the constructors championship.

A shame for Max... Ocon shouldnt have done that (Imo) but as Lewis says.. Ocon does have the right to unlap himself so be prepared for the unexpected and dont just assume your lead will be respected. Good advice for Max and I'm sure he will learn from it.


If McLaren have gone backwards with Renault and the Torro Rosso have moved forward with the Honda unit... Dont Red Bull look like they have a very realistic shot at bringing the fight to Merc and Ferrari next year?

Never thought I'd ever want Red Bull to be truly competative again but I really do... what a mouth watering prospect!

[Big Ben]

Didn't McLaren finish 9th with 30 points and STR 7th with 53? Right now STR is 9th with 33 points and McLaren 6th with 62. What am I missing? Isn't Honda's progress from an horrible engine to just an almost mediocre one? I don't get what Honda does to continuously generate all this hype even if they constantly fail.

[COD]

Bottas makes me appreciate Rosberg so much

Had an old engine fitted in Mexico, had to drive with lot less power to save the engine as it was passed its allocated milage. So many things affecting a drivers performance than just driving. He has had his share of bad luck this season

[Big Ben]

Verstappen showed once more that he's an idiot. Ocon's mistake or not, Verstappen had everything to lose, and lost it like a moron, getting into a pointless fight with a driver one lap behind. And then he topped it all off with his hissy fit. I was delighted with the result.

[Nitrodaze]

Didn't McLaren finish 9th with 30 points and STR 7th with 53? Right now STR is 9th with 33 points and McLaren 6th with 62. What am I missing? Isn't Honda's progress from an horrible engine to just an almost mediocre one? I don't get what Honda does to continuously generate all this hype even if they constantly fail.

Mclaren's 6th position is all Alonso frankly. This season, Redbull has been using Toro Rosso to help Honda develop the engine for the 2019 season. The low score of Toro Rosso is due to experiments that they have been doing as they try out things etc. It is clear on a number of occasions that, the Honda powerpod is good for the middle of the top ten at this moment if raced properly. Certainly good enough to be ahead of the Mclaren.

You have to bear in mind that next season is a low downforce chassis regulation to facilitate close quarter racing. It not about grunt as such but aerodynamic efficiency at low downforce. Which is where Redbull typically excel.

[daniellouwrens]

Verstappen showed once more that he's an idiot. Ocon's mistake or not, Verstappen had everything to lose, and lost it like a moron, getting into a pointless fight with a driver one lap behind. And then he topped it all off with his hissy fit. I was delighted with the result.

I totally agree, the Dutchman needs to grow up, he has a dummy spit every time something does not go his way, he is not perfect but he expects perfection from everyone else.

Cheers

Daniel

[zako85]

This race will be remembered for the useless drives by Bottas, Vettel, and Ocon. It is surprising that the only Ferrari having speed to be competitive was Raikkonen's.

[Firstgear]

Verstappen showed once more that he's an idiot. Ocon's mistake or not, Verstappen had everything to lose, and lost it like a moron, getting into a pointless fight with a driver one lap behind. And then he topped it all off with his hissy fit. I was delighted with the result.
Every sport needs a villain. For the last few years F1 has been without one. I'm kind of glad that Max is stepping up.

[daniellouwrens]

Every sport needs a villain. For the last few years F1 has been without one. I'm kind of glad that Max is stepping up.
A villain yes but a childish, undisciplined spoiled brat, no!!

Cheers

Daniel

[Nitrodaze]

A villain yes but a childish, undisciplined spoiled brat, no!!

Cheers

Daniel

This sort of behavior is only tolerable if the person in question has accomplished something. The annoying thing about Verstapenn is he does not know his place. He behaves as if he has already won a driver's championship. The talk about him being a potential world champion has gone to his head such that he behaves as if it has happened already.

He does not appreciate that becoming a F1 driver world champion is an up hill task that can be elusive even to those with the talent to become one. He has set himself up now for an expectation of "become a world champion or become the biggest idiot the sport has ever seen".

He has the talent to become world champion, but so do Gastly, Leclec, Russell, Nando, Sainz etc. There is no guarantee that he would ever be a driver world champion but very likely if he can pull it off in the Hamilton era before all the aforementioned drivers settle into their new teams.

He may win one in 2019 if Honda and Redbull put together a package that is much better than what Mercedes and Ferrari can muster for the 2019 regulations. Seeing the current Merc chassis, you may be inclined to put your money on Verstapenn for the 2019 driver's title. I suspect Mercedes are going to revisit the drawing board and come out with a redesigned chassis for 2019. Then, there is Leclec in the Ferrari for 2019, whom everyone thinks would be something special to behold in 2019. There is also a good chance that Ferrari would be stronger than they were this season and most likely not make a repeat of the mistakes they made this season.

Hence it may be harder for Redbull than they appreciate. It would always be a mistake to discount Hamilton and Vettel from the equation as well. Vettel would be very determined to catch up to Hamilton as a five times world champion. Of Course, Hamiton would be determined to pull further away and get closer to the Schumacher benchmark.

If there is one thing l can say l love about Hamilton and Vettel, it is that they are always very humble about their potential and achievements. If Verstapenn had Hamilton's achievements, he would be so big headed, they would need a special door for him to get into race tracks. You know what they say about pride.....

[Big Ben]

Horner (the voice of reason compared to the idiot doctor) defended Verstappen's behaviour after the race, so no wonder Red Bull's so good at producing spoilt brats. This moron makes Vettel look much better though. Vettel has his moments but doesn't have the sociopathic tendencies of his heir.

[Bagwan]

Max should have just let him go through , rather than racing him .

However , as he has said , it was Ocon's smiling face that tipped him over the edge .
It was clearly a "you got what you deserved" kind of expression , and I'm not surprised it prompted a shove or two .

[Nitrodaze]

Max should have just let him go through , rather than racing him .

However , as he has said , it was Ocon's smiling face that tipped him over the edge .
It was clearly a "you got what you deserved" kind of expression , and I'm not surprised it prompted a shove or two .

These two have bad blood going back to their F3 rivary where Ocon got the better of Verstapenn. There may be some jealousy there, Verstapenn has gone on to better things with Ocon departing into the sidelines in 2019. How being a Mercedes junior has failed to reward Ocon has turned out to be a tough medicine to take. Spare a thought for Werhlein whom has disappeared into oblivion.

[Zico]

The Ocon Verstappen incident is a clear example of third party teams/drivers with links to one of the big three.. interfering with the race lead to please his masters.

He would never have done that to Hamilton or Bottas.


I dont like it, it shouldnt happen but are there are no rules to stop the likes of this happening?

[Nitrodaze]

The Ocon Verstappen incident is a clear example of third party teams/drivers with links to one of the big three.. interfering with the race lead to please his masters.

He would never have done that to Hamilton or Bottas.


I dont like it, it shouldnt happen but are there are no rules to stop the likes of this happening?

I doubt it was intentional or done to please or at the request of Mercedes. It was a red mist moment that got out of hand. Ocon was going to forceably unlap himself because he thinks he has a better pace than Verstapenn with older tyres. And Verstapenn had the view he was the race leader hence Ocon should get out of his way and stay behind where he belongs. In this circumstances, a crash was inevitable as there was a lack of mutual respect.

[Bagwan]

These two have bad blood going back to their F3 rivary where Ocon got the better of Verstapenn. There may be some jealousy there, Verstapenn has gone on to better things with Ocon departing into the sidelines in 2019. How being a Mercedes junior has failed to reward Ocon has turned out to be a tough medicine to take. Spare a thought for Werhlein whom has all but disappeared into oblivion.

It was not a good picture of Ocon , laughing at his rival in the heated conversation .
It looks like Max gets the last laugh this time , though , as he's still driving next year and Kubica may take the last seat .

[Big Ben]

It's poor taste to laugh at a mentally challenged individual.

[Zico]

I doubt it was intentional or done to please or at the request of Mercedes. It was a red mist moment that got out of hand. Ocon was going to forceably unlap himself because he thinks he has a better pace than Verstapenn with older tyres. And Verstapenn had the view he was the race leader hence Ocon should get out of his way and stay behind where he belongs. In his circumstances, a crash was inevitable as there was a lack of mutual respect.


Yes, of course I'm not saying it was done under orders from a higher level.. but there is no way in hell he would have done it to either of the Merc drivers.

[Big Ben]

He wouldn't have needed to. I doubt that either would have got into this pointless fight with someone in a different race.

[zako85]

People who continue saying that Formula 1 racing is boring can now shut up once again. I had such low expectations that at first I didn't want to watch the Brazilian GP. Hamilton is the champion. Game over. Lame duck season. But oh boy, we have all been surprised there.

[journeyman racer]

As much as Ocon tried to demonstrate what a tough guy he is and justify his actions, all he did was demonstrate that he's a retard.

Even if it was for position, he was in the wrong. He never had "authority" for the corner and expected Verstappen to back out because he was supposedly far enough alongside. Verstappen is the lead car and is entitled to turn right into a right hand corner.

Where his lack of nous is demonstrated (And good team managers will recognise this), is that if that was for the win then he would've cost himself/team the win. If his pace was that much better than Verstappen and he could make his way past in those first two corners, then one corner away they're onto a straight and he could've got him. But drivers these days with the lack of professional decorum are too dumb to realise that.

[Nitrodaze]

But drivers these days with the lack of professional decorum are too dumb to realise that.

I think Alonso said something along those lines recently. I wonder if one could say the drivers are complacent of the fact that F1 has got so safe, hence are willing to take more risks as a result drive with poor mutual respect than the schumacher generation for instance? Or do we need to go far back to the Stewart generation for instance.

[Starter]

If his pace was that much better than Verstappen and he could make his way past in those first two corners, then one corner away they're onto a straight and he could've got him. But drivers these days with the lack of professional decorum are too dumb to realise that.
No one said his car was faster, just that he was on better tires at the time. Therefor passing on the straight was not a option. He was substantially quicker in the corners though and that's were he attempted the pass.

[journeyman racer]

Hmm. Ocon had his front wing momentarily ahead of Verstappen prior to the braking on the straight. Idk what point you're making, but it's not a good one.

[Big Ben]

And once again after an incident Verstappen says he's 100% right, that he has nothing to learn and proudly implies that shoving was quite ok as he could have beaten Ocon. I really struggle to find anything good about this guy. He's the new villain of F1.