2021 Race 2 - Italy

[F1nKS]

Last year it was a wild one with Gasly, Sainz, Stroll on the podium.

[N. Jones]

That was Monza. :)

[F1nKS]

It all Italy to me...

[F1nKS]

It is now race week. The two weeks (and 3 weeks by they time they race again) seems like eternity.

1. Redbull/Mercedes - was last race a omen for Mercedes or lost opportunity for Red Bull. Is Perez better than Vettel? Will Red Bull issues with their car (rear differential, power issue) hamper them? Will Perez be in position this race to give Red Bull some strategy options?

2. Alpha Tauri - how will Gasly handle the pressure from Tsunoda

3. Ferrari - looked much improved, will they make some noise

4. Mclaren looked strong in Bahrain, and Ricardo should have good vibes from Romagna race last year.

5. Aston Martin - Vettel, Vettel. It can't get any worse can it for him?

6. Alpine - Ocon/Alonso are looking to bounce back. Renault is investing a lot of money and would probably like to see return on that investment.

7. Williams/Alfa Romeo - Not much to watch, except to see how much George Russell can pull out of his Williams car.

8. Haas - how many spins will they have this week?

My predicted race finish

1. Hamilton
2. Verstappen
3. Perez
4. Bottas
5. Ricardo
6. LeClerc
7. Norris
8. Sainz
9. Yuki
10. Vettel
11. Gasly
12. Alonso
13. Stroll
14. Raikkonen
15. Ocon
16. Giovanazzi
17. Russell
18. Latifi
19. Schumacher
20. Maz-a-spin

[Tazio]

It's still early days, but they are predicting rain for Sunday. One can only hope!

[The Black Knight]

When was the last time we had a wet race in Imola? I actually cannot remember ever having a wet San Marino GP.

[Tazio]

When was the last time we had a wet race in Imola? I actually cannot remember ever having a wet San Marino GP.That is because the last wet race was in 1995. Really all the rain was over before the start. Not a propper wet race, rather drying conditions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur7l8JguyoA

[F1nKS]

Mercedes flexed their muscles in FP1 and FP2

FP1
1. Bottas (1:16:564)
2. Hamilton (1:16:605)
3. Verstappen (1:16:622)

FP2
1. Bottas (1:15:522)
2. Hamilton (1:15:561)
3. Gasly (1:15:629)

Red Bull struggled with Max car breaking down in FP2 and Perez crashing out in FP1.

Winners
1. Mercedes - did you really think they wouldn't have an answer

2. Alpha Tauri - Gasly at 3 and Yuki at 7
3. Ferrari

Losers
1. Red Bull - they are seeming to have reliability issue each week, Perez is underwhelming.

2. Vettel - rumors they may have short lease with him
3. McClaren - were very Ho-Hum

[F1nKS]

Mercedes

https://www.racefans.net/2021/04/16/mercedes-dug-deeper-and-found-gains-after-being-stung-by-red-bull-allison/


Mercedes dug deeper and found gains after being “stung” by Red Bull – Allison

Looks like the battle will be for Red Bull and Ferrari for #2

[truefan72]

Mercedes

https://www.racefans.net/2021/04/16/mercedes-dug-deeper-and-found-gains-after-being-stung-by-red-bull-allison/



Looks like the battle will be for Red Bull and Ferrari for #2

OK that's funny

[Nitrodaze]

It all Italy to me...

Monza is very different to Imola, as Mugello is also very different to Monza and Imola. Not all Italy

[Nitrodaze]

Redbull seems to be losing the initiative. It is clear their operational capability is not standing up to the Mercedes benchmark. This is what might cause them to fall behind Mercedes in the fight for the 2022 Constructors and driver titles. They have to get their act together and win this race or Mercedes would streak away with an early points advantage. It would get harder for Redbull after this race, as we start heading to tracks that favour the Mercedes package.

[F1nKS]

FP3 - Max Strikes back

1. Max 1:14:958
2. Norris +0.456
3. Hamilton +.557
4. Perez +0.593

We will know the "real deal" in a few minutes where it actually matters.

[Zico]

FP3 - Max Strikes back

1. Max 1:14:958
2. Norris +0.456
3. Hamilton +.557
4. Perez +0.593

We will know the "real deal" in a few minutes where it actually matters.

Cough... Perez.. 😉

[F1nKS]

Qualifying

1. Hamilton 1:14:411
2. PERZ 1:14.446
3. Verstappen 1:14:498
4. Leclerc 1:14:740

Winners:
1. Hamiliton
2. Perez - out qualifies Verstappen
3. Leclerc

Losers
1. Alpha Romeo (could not make it out of Q1)
2. Bottas (went from Pole last year, to 8)
3. Sainz

That Hurts
1. Norris (had a great run but track limits bit him on his last run)
2. Yuki - life of a rookie, crashes in Q1

[F1nKS]

Comparison from last year to this year for best time between Mercedes and Red Bull

Mercedes - 1:13.609
Red Bull - 1:14.176 (+0.576)

Qualifying this year
Mercedes - 1:14.411
Red Bull - 1:14.446 (+0.035)


Red Bull is +0.270 slower from last year
Mercedes is +0.802 slower from last year

If you look at the similiar splits between last week, Mercedes looks to really have cut into their deficit they had.

[Fortitude]

Marko: Perez's improvement is unbelievable

Today, ‎15‎:‎27

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was left impressed by Sergio Perez after the Mexican qualified in second place for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

https://racingnews365.com/marko-perezs-improvement-is-unbelievable

[Fortitude]

Sergio Perez, is currently 33/1 to win the F1 World Championship.

https://www.oddschecker.com/motorsport/formula-1/drivers-championship/winner

[F1nKS]

Marko: Perez's improvement is unbelievable

Today, ‎15‎:‎27

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko was left impressed by Sergio Perez after the Mexican qualified in second place for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

https://racingnews365.com/marko-perezs-improvement-is-unbelievable

For me that was the biggest surprise. He hand not really shown that ability yet to challenge for pole. I was just hoping he could be somewhere in the 4-6 range.

Now as long as him and Max don't take each other out in the first lap.

[Nitrodaze]

Two Redbulls to one Mercedes. A reversal of Bahrain. The start is going to be interesting. I expect Perez to have a great start on the supersoft. Hamilton is going to be mugged by the bulls. This is a race for Redbull to win with ease but do not underestimate Hamilton and Mercedes.

Bottas was shite as usual, 8th in a car sitting on pole wtf. Bring on Russell.

[Fortitude]

F1nKS,

I was surprised as well… ..but, BUT, his time has come, look at his experience and ALSO the comments by Martin Brundle on Sergio Pérez’s Wikipedia page…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_P%C3%A9rez

“Since Pérez announced his departure from Racing Point there was support from the media for him, with The Race saying it will be a "huge injustice were Perez not to be on the 2021 grid.".[83] Ex F1 driver turned Sky Sports F1 commentator/pundit Martin Brundle also echoed similar thoughts in his online column review the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix where Perez finished second and suggested that Perez "should be on Red Bull Racing's radar" to partner Max Verstappen in place of Alex Albon.[84]

Pérez won his first race at the Sakhir Grand Prix. On the first lap Pérez was hit by Leclerc and went from 2nd place to 18th and last. On lap 64 he took the lead and won the race ahead of Esteban Ocon and teammate Stroll. This was the first win for a Mexican driver since Pedro Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix 50 years prior”

Persistence and patience ARE OMNIPOTENT and Sergio HAS those MANY racing hours of experience as well…

IMHO, Sergio Pérez has a VERY GOOD CHANCE to become F1 World Champion this year.

[Zico]

F1nKS,

I was surprised as well… ..but, BUT, his time has come, look at his experience and ALSO the comments by Martin Brundle on Sergio Pérez’s Wikipedia page…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_P%C3%A9rez

“Since Pérez announced his departure from Racing Point there was support from the media for him, with The Race saying it will be a "huge injustice were Perez not to be on the 2021 grid.".[83] Ex F1 driver turned Sky Sports F1 commentator/pundit Martin Brundle also echoed similar thoughts in his online column review the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix where Perez finished second and suggested that Perez "should be on Red Bull Racing's radar" to partner Max Verstappen in place of Alex Albon.[84]

Pérez won his first race at the Sakhir Grand Prix. On the first lap Pérez was hit by Leclerc and went from 2nd place to 18th and last. On lap 64 he took the lead and won the race ahead of Esteban Ocon and teammate Stroll. This was the first win for a Mexican driver since Pedro Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix 50 years prior”

Persistence and patience ARE OMNIPOTENT and Sergio HAS those MANY racing hours of experience as well…

IMHO, Sergio Pérez has a VERY GOOD CHANCE to become F1 World Champion this year.


Well I wouldn't be putting be putting a penny on Perez becoming WDC this year.. though I'd certainly love to see that fairytale happen.
Even if Perez did become Mr consistent and Red Bull were able to find more gains from their engine to be quicker than Hamilton in the Merc... would Red Bull let him beat Max, their Golden Boy?
If they want to keep a hold of Max and stop him going to Merc they will most likely be handing Perez the No2 strategy Max support role.. and thats something I expect to see in the the race today.

[Zico]

Two Redbulls to one Mercedes. A reversal of Bahrain. The start is going to be interesting. I expect Perez to have a great start on the supersoft. Hamilton is going to be mugged by the bulls. This is a race for Redbull to win with ease but do not underestimate Hamilton and Mercedes.

Bottas was shite as usual, 8th in a car sitting on pole wtf. Bring on Russell.


Its not an overtaking circuit so strategy is going to be all important here but at least there is still exciting start prospects indeed.
Its a tough ask but if you could choose anyone to try and hold off the Red Bulls and a team to win the strategy battle even if disadvantaged by Bottas not being in the mix, you'd pick Lewis and Merc.
There could be a few accidents and safety cars in this one which means anything is possible, I just hope the Red Bulls don't take each other.. or Lewis out.

Really looking forward to this but the real question is... how many laps will Mazepin last?
Closest wins a years free, free subscription to this forum. Think I'm gonna be a tad optimistic and say 5 laps. 🤔

[Nitrodaze]

Its not an overtaking circuit so strategy is going to be all important here but at least there is still exciting start prospects indeed.
Its a tough ask but if you could choose anyone to try and hold off the Red Bulls and a team to win the strategy battle even if disadvantaged by Bottas not being in the mix, you'd pick Lewis and Merc.
There could be a few accidents and safety cars in this one which means anything is possible, I just hope the Red Bulls don't take each other.. or Lewis out.

Really looking forward to this but the real question is... how many laps will Mazepin last?
Closest wins a years free, free subscription to this forum. Think I'm gonna be a tad optimistic and say 5 laps. ��

LOL, that made me laugh. Mazespin! I think he would complete the race this time but dead last. He is looking like a bad joke at the moment but l think he would improve.

The start and race strategy is the winning factor at this track. Whoever makes it into the first corner; ahead and the quality of the work of the strategist on the pitwall would make the difference, l think. Perez is well placed to win this race. If he can get off the line well, those supersofts would most likely give the legs to leap ahead of the Mercedes of Hamilton. He would obviously pit earlier which would give him a chance to overcut Hamilton and Verstappen. He seems weak on the mediums yellow tyres, which may bring Hamiton back into contention. But with clever strategy and his brilliant tyre management, he could win this race.

I am thinking, Softs - Mediums [Long stint] - Softs [short stint] for Checo. But l think Mercedes would counter with Mediums - Softs [short stint to overtake Perez] - Medium, if Perez takes the leads off the start. If Hamilton stays in front through the first corner, then they would run their PLAN-A race which may be Medium - Hard two stop race.

[Nitrodaze]

Well I wouldn't be putting be putting a penny on Perez becoming WDC this year.. though I'd certainly love to see that fairytale happen.
Even if Perez did become Mr consistent and Red Bull were able to find more gains from their engine to be quicker than Hamilton in the Merc... would Red Bull let him beat Max, their Golden Boy?
If they want to keep a hold of Max and stop him going to Merc they will most likely be handing Perez the No2 strategy Max support role.. and thats something I expect to see in the the race today.


Redbull is all about winning. They would give support to that driver that presents them with a great chance of winning one or both of the titles. If Verstappen keeps making the mistakes he is making at the moment, and Perez starts winning races and putting it in front of Verstappen. Of course, the support would shift quite quickly to Perez.

That said, Verstappen is currently quicker than Perez in the Redbull. To be so close to Perez who is on soft with the medium tyre suggests that Verstappen is easily 0.300s faster. Hence, he is still the best chance that Redbull has at the moment. But Verstappen would need to clean up his act and recognize that Perez is probably one of the best drivers that he has partnered with in his racing career.

What we have seen at qualifying is that Perez would seize any chance thrown his way. Winning a championship is a percentage game. You do not need to be the fastest. But by Jove, you have to be the most consistent and fast enough to pounce when anyone in front messes up. Perez has all of those qualities and he also happens to be quite fast as well. Hence the chances of Perez becoming a driver world champion is a very realistic one. But that depends very much on how Hamilton and Mercedes perform at all the remaining tracks in this long season. Particularly the new tracks. How many mistakes Verstappen makes and how well Redbull team can operate relative to Mercedes.

That said, Verstappen also has a great chance to be World champion this season.

[truefan72]

Hmm. Cleary max didn't give Hanilton any room .even if Hamilton backed off, max still simply drove like nobody was there smh

[truefan72]

Perez should not be allowed to overtake those cars.

[truefan72]

Perez should have simply given the positions back and he will have been ok. That was his mistake and the team’s not instructing him either

[truefan72]

I wonder what Bottas excuse is going ti be this race

[truefan72]

Jeezuz. Once again mercedes pit crew botches it. Unbelievable smh

[truefan72]

Bottas v Russell
From my first view it looks like Bottas moved to the inside to cover Russelll then as russell moved to the right bottas moved to right pushing him slightly off the track. I blame bottas

[F1nKS]

Hmm. Cleary max didn't give Hanilton any room .even if Hamilton backed off, max still simply drove like nobody was there smh

He treated Hamilton like Hamilton treated him in Bahrain.

[Tazio]

Boss messed up!

[F1nKS]

Mercedes Chaos!!!! Exchanging of views and slaps between Mercedes drivers.

[denkimi]

I wonder if bottas will end the year in the mercedes.

Also suprising how slow perez is. In 10 laps he was 30 seconds down on verstappen.

[Tazio]

Bottas v Russell
From my first view it looks like Bottas moved to the inside to cover Russelll then as russell moved to the right bottas moved to right pushing him slightly off the track. I blame bottas
Yeah, it looked like Valteri moved left then right, but he drifted over at the bend in the track. I wonder if he was distracted by Russels pass attempt!

[Tazio]

Nice recovery drive by the boss!

[truefan72]

Yup. A very eventful race and am pleased to see that the Mercedes (at least in Hamilton's hands) is right on par with the rbr. So they have made gains. It would have been exciting to see what would have happened if Hamilton started behind Max on the restart.

[truefan72]

Congrats to Max
Great recovery by Hamilton
Awesome job by Norris in p3
Stroll, Gasly, Kimi, & Ocon should all be applauded.
Perez disappointing as was Tsunoda, but they will both Bounce back.
The Ferrari’s did well. Cant ask for more than P4&5 at the moment so, good job.
Ricciardo finished a solid 6th but his pace vs Lando is concerning.
Vettel continues to be underwhelming. He is killing my FGP lol

[The Black Knight]

One of the very rare mistakes by Hamilton today but the best driver and team on the day won in the end.

When I first saw the Russell Bottas incident I was convinced it was Russells fault but after looking at it in more detail there is definitely a rightward movement from Bottas and that is what initiated the incident. I think that rightward movement caused Russell to believe if he didn’t move right an accident was imminent and he reacted with cat like reflexes to avoid Bottas but there is also a natural right line in the track there, Bottas then jinked left. Russell wasn’t to know at this time that he could have kept his line.

I have to put the blame more at Bottas door than Russell - 70/30 - ultimately it wouldn’t have occurred without that movement from Bottas and I think as a racing driver you cannot expect a driver with about 30km/h extra closing speed than you to back out. You must give room and not jink, like Norris and Hamilton today or any of the other examples we saw of overtaking at that corner throughout the race.

Mercedes should surely have to be considering if they should finish the season with Bottas- two races in and he is nowhere near Hamilton and lapped today. That’s simply not good enough. It was fine last year when they had such a huge advantage but with the field as tight as it is this year 2/3 tenths of a second is
8 grid positions. He is just not good enough.

Close season this is turning out to be, really close. Going to be tight between Max and Lewis all year.

[F1nKS]

Nice recovery drive by the boss!

It was a amazing run by Hamilton. He does owe Bottas a six-pack for sucking and crashing out and making it possible.

What so amazing is Bottos was sitting at 10th and could not work through the crowd, but Hamilton just made it look so easy.

[F1nKS]

Winners
1. Verstappen - great start to take control of the race
2. Hamilton - amazing recovery drive
3. Norris
4. Ferrari


Losers
1. Bottas - looks like he is pulling a Vettel.
2. Perez - just when it looked like he was turning the corner, had a terrible finish and didn't even finish in the points. The mental and physical mistakes galore. He will now face 2 weeks of questions and excuses.
3. Former Champions
4. Russell - he had a chance to get Williams some points until him and Bottas came together.


Things that Make you go hmmm...
1. Alpha Tauri strategy call with Gasly tires to start. And they kept doubling down.
2. Yuki - what a head scratcher, was on a amazing makeup drive and then lost it.
3. Ricardo - decent finish, but is so far off Norris pace.

[The Black Knight]

It was a amazing run by Hamilton. He does owe Bottas a six-pack for sucking and crashing out and making it possible.

What so amazing is Bottos was sitting at 10th and could not work through the crowd, but Hamilton just made it look so easy.

I can’t see Bottas seeing the season out in a Mercedes on current form.

[Nitrodaze]

I wonder what Bottas excuse is going ti be this race

I don't think he has any excuse really. Hamilton was mugged by the Redbulls because Bottas was no there to interfere. Very tricky race, l thought.

[Nitrodaze]

Bottas v Russell
From my first view it looks like Bottas moved to the inside to cover Russelll then as russell moved to the right bottas moved to right pushing him slightly off the track. I blame bottas

Not really, it was Russell's fault. Bottas gave him plenty of space but Russell dipped his tyres on the grass which caused him to spin into Bottas.

[Nitrodaze]

Boss messed up!

Very rare but yep, Hamilton dropped the ball but recovered very well to 2nd. This is going to be a cracking season.

[Nitrodaze]

Congrats to Max
Great recovery by Hamilton
Awesome job by Norris in p3
Stroll, Gasly, Kimi, & Ocon should all be applauded.
Perez disappointing as was Tsunoda, but they will both Bounce back.
The Ferrari’s did well. Cant ask for more than P4&5 at the moment so, good job.
Ricciardo finished a solid 6th but his pace vs Lando is concerning.
Vettel continues to be underwhelming. He is killing my FGP lol


Well said. Norris is showing his star quality this season. Ricciado was comprehensively beaten by his younger team mate.

[Nitrodaze]

One of the very rare mistakes by Hamilton today but the best driver and team on the day won in the end.

When I first saw the Russell Bottas incident I was convinced it was Russells fault but after looking at it in more detail there is definitely a rightward movement from Bottas and that is what initiated the incident. I think that rightward movement caused Russell to believe if he didn’t move right an accident was imminent and he reacted with cat like reflexes to avoid Bottas but there is also a natural right line in the track there, Bottas then jinked left. Russell wasn’t to know at this time that he could have kept his line.

I have to put the blame more at Bottas door than Russell - 70/30 - ultimately it wouldn’t have occurred without that movement from Bottas and I think as a racing driver you cannot expect a driver with about 30km/h extra closing speed than you to back out. You must give room and not jink, like Norris and Hamilton today or any of the other examples we saw of overtaking at that corner throughout the race.

Mercedes should surely have to be considering if they should finish the season with Bottas- two races in and he is nowhere near Hamilton and lapped today. That’s simply not good enough. It was fine last year when they had such a huge advantage but with the field as tight as it is this year 2/3 tenths of a second is
8 grid positions. He is just not good enough.

Close season this is turning out to be, really close. Going to be tight between Max and Lewis all year.

There was an initial rightward movement by Bottas in a half attempt to defend. But he left a car's width for Russell's Williams. Russell seemed to me to have panicked and moved too far rightwards which put his tyres on the grass. I don't think it is Bottas' fault.

[Nitrodaze]

I can’t see Bottas seeing the season out in a Mercedes on current form.

Toto Woolf has a blind spot when it comes to Bottas. If he were in another team, he would have been sent packing two seasons back.

[Nitrodaze]

The chink in Mercedes' armour is their crappy pitstops. Two in a row suggest they have the crappiest crew in the top end of the grid.

[airshifter]

Interesting race again, and quite a bit of action considering the circuit.

Blazing start by Max. He took the straight line, got a great bite and drive off the line, and forced Lewis wide when he had the chance. Lewis was fortunate to not have more damage, as were several others over the day when bouncing over those curbs.

Great recovery drive by Lewis, though the Bottas/Russell incident and sheer luck played a big part in his final position. In any case he still would have got his way back well into the points most likely, and recovered well after his escape following the off. Great effort to regain the podium and fast lap.

Great to see Lando retain the podium after a tire choice call I questioned at the time. But I do think that the track limits issue should have been brought up again. Lando consistently went four wheels off, as did several other drivers on a couple of corners. Tsunoda got a penalty, but was the only one. I personally think track limits should apply on all corners, all the time. In this case it might have determined if Lando got past Leclerc or not, but in any case there is always an advantage to be gained. Of the rest of the front runners, a couple of them might have called it close or went four wheels off barely.... once or twice that I saw.

Good results for both Mclaren and Ferrari. I'm sure that was welcomed from both teams.

Russell had that car up in the points until the off, not easy to do in the Williams.

Alonso scores a point after Kimi is handed a 30 second penalty... rather harsh IMO given the circumstances.






Losers of the race.... well just as many.

Perez really blew it several time. He should have easily had that car in the points, especially considering starting position. With all fairness with limited testing he is still getting used to the car, but the repass after sliding off during the safety car was a rookie mistake by both him, as well as the team, for not giving the positions back.

Tsunoda. Well, not a great day after all the good driving he did to mess up enough to nullify it all.

Bottas. Bad weekend all around, and I think he was the major factor in the off with himself and Russell. That would have been questionable in the dry, but in those conditions was unsafe IMHO.

Mayspin... did spin. But in all fairness has now been involved in an incident where it wasn't his fault.




With only 7 points between constructors, and 1 point in the WDC, it could be an interesting season. Lewis and Max might be after each other for a while, but I still say the bigger deciding factors in the constructors this year will be Bottas and Perez. They both blew it today, with Bottas being worse overall. But zero points contribution from either driver this race is just horrid.

[F1nKS]

Toto Woolf has a blind spot when it comes to Bottas. If he were in another team, he would have been sent packing two seasons back.

I think after "Rosberg", Toto is just happy to not have the drama. For the most part, Bottas does what they need him to do - run interference for Hamilton and score enough points so they win the constructors.

[Zico]

Not really, it was Russell's fault. Bottas gave him plenty of space but Russell dipped his tyres on the grass which caused him to spin into Bottas.

Russells fault for me too. I initially blamed Bottas but after looking at the incident analysis on YT again.. Russell with his DRS open and going off the dry line into the wet it looks like he actually spun up his rear tyres before he hit the grass.

It was just overly ambitious by George Imo. He talked about this unwritten Gentlemens agreement not to defend because its wet? Nah, Come on, that's not very realistic. I can see why he went for it but in these one line conditions it was not really on.

[N. Jones]

The old men, all almost out of the points. I think the nostalgia factor has worn off for Vettel, Alonso, and Raikkonen (I know Vettel isn't that old but he is driving like it).

[Nitrodaze]

Russells fault for me too. I initially blamed Bottas but after looking at the incident analysis on YT again.. Russell with his DRS open and going off the dry line into the wet it looks like he actually spun up his rear tyres before he hit the grass.

It was just overly ambitious by George Imo. He talked about this unwritten Gentlemens agreement not to defend because its wet? Nah, Come on, that's not very realistic. I can see why he went for it but in these one line conditions it was not really on.

For someone looking for a Mercedes seat in the future, he did Mercedes no favours this weekend. Firstly he got Hamilton to slide on to the grass as he refused to yield the racing line under blue flags, forcing Hamilton to overtake on the wet during a crucial lap to catch Verstappen, causing damage to his front wing. Then crashing into Bottas, in what should have been a surgical overtake.

Imola is a bogey track for Russell. This time around, it has only served to show Mercedes that he is not ready for the senior seat. Mercedes passed over Wehrlien and Ocon for much less.

[Nitrodaze]

I think after "Rosberg", Toto is just happy to not have the drama. For the most part, Bottas does what they need him to do - run interference for Hamilton and score enough points so they win the constructors.

I get that, but they also want someone close to Hamilton and consistent. This season, those attributes are what really matters to fight off Redbull.

[F1nKS]

I get that, but they also want someone close to Hamilton and consistent. This season, those attributes are what really matters to fight off Redbull.

And that may end what you call a "Toto blind spot"

[truefan72]

The chink in Mercedes' armour is their crappy pitstops. Two in a row suggest they have the crappiest crew in the top end of the grid.

the sad thing was as Hamilton was pulling into the pit stop, i knew they were going to somehow mess it up. It seems to be expected these days that they will botch up one car or the other, or both.
In this case it probably cost Hamilton the lead. His pit stop was over 4secs, while Verstappen was 2.2, and LH pulled out a nice gap as well in his hammertime lap.
Eh, it is what it is, and his eagerness to overtake the lapped cars eventually cost him, and he kinda finished were i thought he was going to finish anyway, lol.

[truefan72]

Not really, it was Russell's fault. Bottas gave him plenty of space but Russell dipped his tyres on the grass which caused him to spin into Bottas.

fair point, but to me the onboards show bottas make his one move to the left to cover the inside, then he jinked to the right as Russell was already along side and in the process of overtaking him. mind you, with much greater speed. TBH I believe Russell when he said, any other driver and Bottas would not have made that move. ultimately it cost them both and that is the worst possible outcome. Bottas excuse also doesn't hold up IMO. Russell was overtaking him and he knew that probably 2 corners ago already. Just didn't want to be passed by the Williams and Russell. In comparison, Hamilton fought with both sainz, leclerc and Norris to try and make that pass on the very same section, with multiple attempts to pass on the outside and all 3 of those drivers defended properly without swerving to the right.

[truefan72]

Toto Woolf has a blind spot when it comes to Bottas. If he were in another team, he would have been sent packing two seasons back.

I agree with both TBK and your assessment. On the one hand, i do believe that Bottas is probably on very thin ice with Mercedes. but the guy is still quick, relatively speaking, and capable of winning races. But yeah, Days like yesterday, makes one question if there isn't a better option for that seat.
And yes, Toto does seem to have a soft spot for Bottas. Probably more to do with the fact that things have worked out pretty well for the team in the past 4 years with this current driver partnership, so you might as well continue with it until it all falls apart. Either way, I think this will be Bottas last year with the team and he is auditioning for Aston Martin, Williams and Sauber seat. So far his is not giving any of them a reason to pick him up.

[truefan72]

The old men, all almost out of the points. I think the nostalgia factor has worn off for Vettel, Alonso, and Raikkonen (I know Vettel isn't that old but he is driving like it).

I think Kimi drove a superb race. He also had a dynamite start and in the end p9 was taken away by a harsh penalty that had nothing to do with his driving.
Alonso will get up to speed and probably understands how 2 years away from F1 requires some time to adjust back. Also, the alpine is a bit twitchy.
Vettel, on the other hand is probably cooked IMO. This should be his last year.

[The Black Knight]

Toto Woolf has a blind spot when it comes to Bottas. If he were in another team, he would have been sent packing two seasons back.

That might change if it is going to cost them the championship. He has been worse this year than previous years. I wouldn't be surprised if he went the entire season without a win.

[The Black Knight]

There was an initial rightward movement by Bottas in a half attempt to defend. But he left a car's width for Russell's Williams. Russell seemed to me to have panicked and moved too far rightwards which put his tyres on the grass. I don't think it is Bottas' fault.

It's not really a case of whether he left a cars width from Russell, it's a case of whether he should have made that rightward movement to begin with. Okay, nothing in the rules against it but we all know that a right movement like that at 300km/h is not on. It's threatening another drive effectively with a crash if he doesn't back out. It's what Ayrton used to do in the day and Schumacher as well did it. Give the person a choice to back out or crash. There is an agreement between drivers not to do this anymore today and that is why I place more blame at the feet of Bottas. Yes, it spooked Russell but he was only spooked by Bottas unexpected movement. We saw probably a couple of dozen overtaking opportunities at that corner during the race without any other drivers making that movement because they kept to the agreements.

[denkimi]

Bottas tried to startle russel by suddenly moving towards him, and it worked.

That was a stupid move, something i would expect from mazepin, not from someone as experienced as bottas.

[Nitrodaze]

It's not really a case of whether he left a cars width from Russell, it's a case of whether he should have made that rightward movement to begin with. Okay, nothing in the rules against it but we all know that a right movement like that at 300km/h is not on. It's threatening another drive effectively with a crash if he doesn't back out. It's what Ayrton used to do in the day and Schumacher as well did it. Give the person a choice to back out or crash. There is an agreement between drivers not to do this anymore today and that is why I place more blame at the feet of Bottas. Yes, it spooked Russell but he was only spooked by Bottas unexpected movement. We saw probably a couple of dozen overtaking opportunities at that corner during the race without any other drivers making that movement because they kept to the agreements.

If you read the stewards report on the matter, they indicated that the track narrowed as both drivers approached a kink. Bottas traced the left edge of the track which made him move to the right. His steering wheel showed him turning leftwards. He did not take any action that was out of the ordinary. Most importantly, he left a car's width for Russell.
They called it a racing incident. It is simple, Russell panicked, gave Bottas a wide berth and dipped his rear on the wet grass. which spun the car into Bottas. Bottas was definitely not at fault at all.

[F1nKS]

I re-watched it last night and even rode along with each driver. Unfortunately Bottas view was not from where you could see his hands, but this is what I saw.

1. Bottas drifted to the right. I did not see a jerk or anything. He seemed to be just doing a Sunday drive through the Italian countryside not paying attention to anything around him feeling sorry for himself about how bad his drive was going.

2. Russell felt Bottas drifting and overcorrected, and lost it. There was ample amount of room on his left between him and Bottas. He made a mistake and it became a racing incident.

I am somewhat mystified what Russell endgame is by doubling and tripling down on this. Is he just wanting to keep everybody eye on Bottas and to get them to ask why Bottas was even down where a Williams is squabbling with him? He doesn't come off well either.

[Nitrodaze]

fair point, but to me the onboards show bottas make his one move to the left to cover the inside, then he jinked to the right as Russell was already along side and in the process of overtaking him. mind you, with much greater speed. TBH I believe Russell when he said, any other driver and Bottas would not have made that move. ultimately it cost them both and that is the worst possible outcome. Bottas excuse also doesn't hold up IMO. Russell was overtaking him and he knew that probably 2 corners ago already. Just didn't want to be passed by the Williams and Russell. In comparison, Hamilton fought with both sainz, leclerc and Norris to try and make that pass on the very same section, with multiple attempts to pass on the outside and all 3 of those drivers defended properly without swerving to the right.

It was regrettable that he made that statement. Because he has shown a side that did not impress Mercedes. As it went, the stewards did not find any evidence that Bottas acted in any way dishonourable. Besides, that is not the sort of thing that Bottas would do. He is not that sort of driver.

[F1nKS]

I am somewhat mystified what Russell endgame is by doubling and tripling down on this. Is he just wanting to keep everybody eye on Bottas and to get them to ask why Bottas was even down where a Williams is squabbling with him? He doesn't come off well either.

Just as I write that, Russell releases a statement


He said he had to take responsibility for his overtaking move having ended in an accident, and accepted he did not behave in the correct manner afterwards.

“Yesterday wasn't my proudest day,” he said.

“I knew it would be one of our best opportunities to score points this season and, when those points matter as much as they do to us right now, sometimes you take risks.

"It didn't pay off and l have to take responsibility for that.

“Having had time to reflect on what happened afterwards, I know I should have handled the whole situation better.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/russell-apologises-to-bottas-/6350902/

[Zico]

fair point, but to me the onboards show bottas make his one move to the left to cover the inside, then he jinked to the right as Russell was already along side and in the process of overtaking him. mind you, with much greater speed. TBH I believe Russell when he said, any other driver and Bottas would not have made that move. ultimately it cost them both and that is the worst possible outcome. Bottas excuse also doesn't hold up IMO. Russell was overtaking him and he knew that probably 2 corners ago already. Just didn't want to be passed by the Williams and Russell. In comparison, Hamilton fought with both sainz, leclerc and Norris to try and make that pass on the very same section, with multiple attempts to pass on the outside and all 3 of those drivers defended properly without swerving to the right.


Surprisingly the stewards report on the incident suggests Bottas didn't swerve... even though it looked that way to me initially also.

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 63 (George Russell), the driver of Car 77 (Valtteri Bottas) and the team representatives and reviewed multiple angles of video evidence and telemetry.

“Car 63 approached car 77 to pass after the front straight a few laps after the restart when DRS had recently been enabled. Car 77 maintained his line throughout the incident along the right hand side of the dry line, leaving at least a full car’s width to the right at all times.

“Car 63 approached with a significant speed advantage. He moved to pass on the right. As the cars approached the kink of turn 1, the gap between them and the right hand side of the track decreased. At no time did either car manoeuvre erratically.

“The track appeared to be not especially wet through turn 1 but at the point of closest approach to the right hand side of the track, the right hand side tyres of Car 63 hit an especially damp patch and the car snap yawed, bearing in mind that the car had low downforce in the rear with the DRS open.

“The Stewards conclude that the accident was a racing incident considering the conditions and take no further action.”

I guess the difference between a mere squeeze and a jink as Russell saw it, is relative to the closing speed. I can see this one both ways but if the telemetry showed that Bottas didn't do it, I feel they called it correctly.

[daniellouwrens]

Loser1nKS;1268272]Winners
1. Verstappen - great start to take control of the race


by pulling his usual over aggressive move and damaging his opponents car.
Without that move Hamilton would have had a fair chance of winning.

Cheers

Daniel

[denkimi]

Surprisingly the stewards report on the incident suggests Bottas didn't swerve... even though it looked that way to me initially also.

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 63 (George Russell), the driver of Car 77 (Valtteri Bottas) and the team representatives and reviewed multiple angles of video evidence and telemetry.

“Car 63 approached car 77 to pass after the front straight a few laps after the restart when DRS had recently been enabled. Car 77 maintained his line throughout the incident along the right hand side of the dry line, leaving at least a full car’s width to the right at all times.

“Car 63 approached with a significant speed advantage. He moved to pass on the right. As the cars approached the kink of turn 1, the gap between them and the right hand side of the track decreased. At no time did either car manoeuvre erratically.

“The track appeared to be not especially wet through turn 1 but at the point of closest approach to the right hand side of the track, the right hand side tyres of Car 63 hit an especially damp patch and the car snap yawed, bearing in mind that the car had low downforce in the rear with the DRS open.

“The Stewards conclude that the accident was a racing incident considering the conditions and take no further action.”

I guess the difference between a mere squeeze and a jink as Russell saw it, is relative to the closing speed. I can see this one both ways but if the telemetry showed that Bottas didn't do it, I feel they called it correctly.
Although bottas in retrospective indeed left enough space, he swerved more to the right than any other car at that point. More than russel could reasonally expect from someone who has no intention to hinder him.

Bottas tried and succeeded into scaring russel. He had every right to do this, since he left the space, so it was indeed a racing incident.

But it still was incredibly stupid from bottas to do this to someone who's already alongside you on a wet track. Either russel passed anyway, or he takes you crashing with him.

[Nitrodaze]

by pulling his usual over aggressive move and damaging his opponents car.
Without that move Hamilton would have had a fair chance of winning.

Cheers

Daniel

I thought it was a shame that Verstappen was so aggressive at the first corner as he has now invited a similar treatment from now on. And Hamilton would definitely give him a good taste of this next time around. He has taken the duel to a place it did not need to go. We are now seeing a bit of the sort of scrapes we saw between Rosberg and Hamilton begin to brew so early in the season between Verstappen and Hamilton, and Verstappen has drawn first blood.

[F1nKS]

by pulling his usual over aggressive move and damaging his opponents car.
Without that move Hamilton would have had a fair chance of winning.

Cheers

Daniel

It was actually a beautiful pincer move by the Red Bulls. Hamilton had to cover Perez and that left the door open to Max who got a great start to get in the mix.

Verstappen then is able to take the racing line and was faster than Hamilton and was able to get ahead. Lewis either had to backoff and let Verstappen to pass or go wide. Lewis chose not to give in and has goes wide over the kerbs and that is where he got his damage.

Regardless of the start, Hamilton still had a good chance to win, but Mercedes is not very good at pit changes. Still Hamilton had a chance, but Hamilton made a mistake and got into much a hurry and lost it - that ended his chance to challenge.

Verstappen better start, less errors, therefore better drive than Hamilton. Winner - Max.

It the same things we see over and over with Lewis, when he gets put under pressure and he get behind he makes overly aggressive moves and he usually screw up somebody else race - this time karma went against him and he screwed up his own drive.

[Zico]

It was actually a beautiful pincer move by the Red Bulls. Hamilton had to cover Perez and that left the door open to Max who got a great start to get in the mix.

Verstappen then is able to take the racing line and was faster than Hamilton and was able to get ahead. Lewis either had to backoff and let Verstappen to pass or go wide. Lewis chose not to give in and has goes wide over the kerbs and that is where he got his damage.



This is my exact view also. This is a WDC fight, its within the rules, the gloves are off, there will be no prisoners taken. I suspect Lewis would have done the exact same as he has done in the past..and will do the same to Max at some point in the next few races. In that event, as long as they steward it the exact same and not punish Lewis for it, its fair play for me.

[Nitrodaze]

This is my exact view also. This is a WDC fight, its within the rules, the gloves are off, there will be no prisoners taken. I suspect Lewis would have done the exact same as he has done in the past..and will do the same to Max at some point in the next few races. In that event, as long as they steward it the exact same and not punish Lewis for it, its fair play for me.

I hope you take the same view when Hamilton does the same next time round.

[Zico]

I hope you take the same view when Hamilton does the same next time round.


Absolutely, however, if its a repeat of his Albon run out onto the grass but not being ahead of last year, don't expect it.
I'm cool with a hard fair fight no matter who comes off worse, as long as they are both treated equally.

[F1nKS]

We might get to see if Hamilton is really the "sore loser" that Albon called him.

[airshifter]

I thought it was a shame that Verstappen was so aggressive at the first corner as he has now invited a similar treatment from now on. And Hamilton would definitely give him a good taste of this next time around. He has taken the duel to a place it did not need to go. We are now seeing a bit of the sort of scrapes we saw between Rosberg and Hamilton begin to brew so early in the season between Verstappen and Hamilton, and Verstappen has drawn first blood.

Was it a shame that Hamilton did the same thing to Verstappen at the last race? The only real difference was the run off area vs the curbs, but they both knew that going into the corner.

It's racing, and they are allowed to race, and allowed to take the racing line. It's either allowed or it's not, and at that level I don't think either driver is going to back out when entitled to the line.

[Nitrodaze]

Was it a shame that Hamilton did the same thing to Verstappen at the last race? The only real difference was the run off area vs the curbs, but they both knew that going into the corner.

It's racing, and they are allowed to race, and allowed to take the racing line. It's either allowed or it's not, and at that level I don't think either driver is going to back out when entitled to the line.

Fair point, whatever the case, it is going to be hard racing between the two. How hard, is yet to be seen. I can see this one getting personal.

[journeyman racer]

Although bottas in retrospective indeed left enough space, he swerved more to the right than any other car at that point. More than russel could reasonally expect from someone who has no intention to hinder him.

Bottas tried and succeeded into scaring russel. He had every right to do this, since he left the space, so it was indeed a racing incident.

But it still was incredibly stupid from bottas to do this to someone who's already alongside you on a wet track. Either russel passed anyway, or he takes you crashing with him.

The camera on Bottas' nose is fixed. The footage starts at 27secs. When does he swerve to the right?

https://youtu.be/vjdwQDXxrfY?t=27

[denkimi]

The camera on Bottas' nose is fixed. The footage starts at 27secs. When does he swerve to the right?

https://youtu.be/vjdwQDXxrfY?t=27
At exactly the moment that video starts.

Look at whatever video you want, they all show the same. Bottas is hugging the left side of the track, and just before russel is starting to overtake he moves about a car width to the right.

Either he didn't look into his mirrors, or he had the intention to scare russel.
Or, he wanted to defend, but misjudged russels extra speed and was to late to swerve right.

Either way it was a stupid thing to do from bottas, especially in het wet, even when he had the right to.

[denkimi]

But what i found more outrageous than the crash was the reaction of toto wolff. He basically said russel should not try to overtake a mercedes. I'm not quite sure about the rules conserning that, but that seems like something that goes directly against the spirit of the sport.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/56809267

[pantealex]

There was only 1 dry line, so did Bottas follow it or did he turn to wet line ?

I´m not expert on these matters.

[journeyman racer]

At exactly the moment that video starts.

Look at whatever video you want, they all show the same. Bottas is hugging the left side of the track, and just before russel is starting to overtake he moves about a car width to the right.

Either he didn't look into his mirrors, or he had the intention to scare russel.
Or, he wanted to defend, but misjudged russels extra speed and was to late to swerve right.

Either way it was a stupid thing to do from bottas, especially in het wet, even when he had the right to.
Bottas doesn't "Schumacher jink" at all. He follows the dry line.

It was Russell who misjudged his speed.

[Zico]

At exactly the moment that video starts.

Look at whatever video you want, they all show the same. Bottas is hugging the left side of the track, and just before russel is starting to overtake he moves about a car width to the right.

Either he didn't look into his mirrors, or he had the intention to scare russel.
Or, he wanted to defend, but misjudged russels extra speed and was to late to swerve right.

Either way it was a stupid thing to do from bottas, especially in het wet, even when he had the right to.



The next corner is a left hander, its completely natural to move to the right side of the track for that as the dry racing line shows. He may have very slightly unwound his steering to make it harder for Russell but he definately didn't 'jink' as we have seen Schumacher and Senna do.
I think Russell saw glory ahead of him in overtaking Bottas which probably made him take the big risk (only one dry line and with DRS open) while Bottas saw the complete opposite coming and wasn't going to just give it to him on a plate.
I can totally see both sides but ultimately I think its 60/40 towards blame for Russell.. but still a racing incident.



But what i found more outrageous than the crash was the reaction of toto wolff. He basically said russel should not try to overtake a mercedes. I'm not quite sure about the rules conserning that, but that seems like something that goes directly against the spirit of the sport.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/56809267


I thought he said Russell shouldn't overtake a Mercedes so aggressively? Which is quite different.

[Nitrodaze]

But what i found more outrageous than the crash was the reaction of toto wolff. He basically said russel should not try to overtake a mercedes. I'm not quite sure about the rules conserning that, but that seems like something that goes directly against the spirit of the sport.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/56809267

I don't think Toto was saying Russell should not overtake a Mercedes. He was just pointing out the fact that Mercedes is in a title fight and Russell ought to factor that into his thinking as he went about overtaking a Mercedes. And he is right by saying that. After all, the Williams is not in a title fight this season, hence some common sense is required when a Williams has to tango with a Mercedes. Especially since he aspires to drive for them someday.

It was a major f*ckup by Russell. That he crashed into a Mercedes would have been overlooked, but what he said after the race was a big dent to his prospects at Mercedes. But time is a great healer, so we would see. It was just a very stupid thing to say.

[F1nKS]

It was a major f*ckup by Russell. That he crashed into a Mercedes would have been overlooked, but what he said after the race was a big dent to his prospects at Mercedes. But time is a great healer, so we would see. It was just a very stupid thing to say.

Actually Toto should be thanking him, because he actually saved Hamilton and Mercedes day. Big difference in point take between 2nd and 7th.

[Nitrodaze]

Actually Toto should be thanking him, because he actually saved Hamilton and Mercedes day. Big difference in point take between 2nd and 7th.

How did work that one out? He put Hamilton in 7th in the first place. Yellow flags say get out of the way but he parks on the racing line forcing Hamilton to pass on the wet side that caused him to slide off track. He was a pain to Mercedes at this race.

[Bagwan]

George said he was sorry after seeing replays , and being that his first views of the incident were at some serious speed onboard , I think he deserves a little slack here .

He had a guy beside him moving right , and he was in the closing gap on wet tarmac next to the curbing .
In that adrenaline soaked moment , it would be pretty easy for him to assume he was out of room , and that Bottas was solely to blame .

[Bagwan]

How did work that one out? He put Hamilton in 7th in the first place. Yellow flags say get out of the way but he parks on the racing line forcing Hamilton to pass on the wet side that caused him to slide off track. He was a pain to Mercedes at this race.

I didn't hear Lewis blame George .
I just heard him say he slid through because he was maybe a little too impatient .

George said he was sorry , though .

[F1nKS]

How did work that one out? He put Hamilton in 7th in the first place. Yellow flags say get out of the way but he parks on the racing line forcing Hamilton to pass on the wet side that caused him to slide off track. He was a pain to Mercedes at this race.

The real pain was Bottas. Toto acknowledged that Bottas should have never been down in that position where he could be bothered by a Williams car.

Toto also said


“It was quite a move on the DRS, but I guess when a driver doesn’t go for a gap, he isn’t a racing driver,” Wolff says.

My bet Toto has more respect for Russell for being "race driver" than for Bottas being a "sunday afternoon" driver.

[F1nKS]

Jolyan Palmer does analysis on F1 youtube channel of the Russel-Bottas and Hamilton-Norris passes. They both tried passing pretty much at the same time. He shows dual window video, very similiar moves by the defending driver and pass. Difference was Russel was just got a little further to the right.

[Nitrodaze]

The real pain was Bottas. Toto acknowledged that Bottas should have never been down in that position where he could be bothered by a Williams car.

Toto also said



My bet Toto has more respect for Russell for being "race driver" than for Bottas being a "sunday afternoon" driver.

The move would have been more respectable if he had completed it without an accident. A badly executed move do not deserve any respect. I am sure he would learn from this and do better next time. But this one shall stay in his mind for years to come. Bottas just seem like he has given up trying. At this rate, he would not justify his place in the 2nd Mercedes car.

But this accident has raised some doubt about Russell's promotion into a Mercedes seat. He has competition from Stoffel Vandoorne and Estaban Ocon for that seat. Ocon is doing just as good a job as he is doing at Williams. Hence, it is not a foregone conclusion that the seat is going to be his. Russell needs to spend the rest of the season winning back Toto and Mercedes' confidence in him.

There is driving fast and there is racecraft.

[F1nKS]

But this accident has raised some doubt about Russell's promotion into a Mercedes seat.

This is drama queen material. A accident on a wet track doesn't raise some mega doubt. If it did, then you should have doubt with Hamilton also, his attempt to pass was even more suspect, because he got impatient, the only difference was he got lucky and didn't take anybody out and was able to stay in the game.


He has competition from Stoffel Vandoorne

You must be a comedian in real life. Gonna give the seat to guy who been out of F1 for 3 years?


and Estaban Ocon for that seat. Ocon is doing just as good a job as he is doing at Williams.

Yeah, everybody talks about how good Ocon is.....well only if everybody is his MOM. Ocon got whipped last year and only thing that makes Ocon look good this year is Alonso.

[Nitrodaze]

This is drama queen material. A accident on a wet track doesn't raise some mega doubt. If it did, then you should have doubt with Hamilton also, his attempt to pass was even more suspect, because he got impatient, the only difference was he got lucky and didn't take anybody out and was able to stay in the game.



You must be a comedian in real life. Gonna give the seat to guy who been out of F1 for 3 years?



Yeah, everybody talks about how good Ocon is.....well only if everybody is his MOM. Ocon got whipped last year and only thing that makes Ocon look good this year is Alonso.

Calm down, dude. Notice the use of the words "SOME DOUBT". No suggestion that he has been completely ruled out. He just has to work towards proving the point that he is still their man of the future. You also grossly underestimate both Vandoorne and Ocon. And fail to realize that there are other very talented young drivers eyeing that seat; for instance, race winner Gasly. Ocon showed he may have done just as good a job in the Mercedes at Bahrain last year by finishing third ahead of Russell [in the Mercedes]. It might not seem like it, but there are very stiff competition for that seat.

[F1nKS]

Calm down, dude. Notice the use of the words "SOME DOUBT". No suggestion that he has been completely ruled out. He just has to work towards proving the point that he is still their man of the future. You also grossly underestimate both Vandoorne and Ocon. And fail to realize that there are other very talented young drivers eyeing that seat; for instance, race winner Gasly. Ocon showed he may have done just as good a job in the Mercedes at Bahrain last year by finishing third ahead of Russell [in the Mercedes]. It might not seem like it, but there is very stiff competition for that seat.

I'm sure there are some young guy eyeing that seat like Max or Norris along with George. But hey, if Mercedes is really eyeing Vandorne or Ocon or Gasly....power to them. Let the Red Bull dominance begin.

[Fortitude]

VERY interesting column on TJ13 The Judge;

Hamilton: Huge miss by the stewards at Imola

April 26, 2021 · by thejudge13 · in Daily F1 News and Comment.

So, reversing onto a live track with cars passing at 304kph is safe. Reversing in the pit lane is not, and punishable by the stewards; wheels not on cars 5 minutes before is also a risk to life and limb clearly.

FIA incompetence in adjudicating F1 races not acceptable, and the Formula 1 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy was a prime example – “A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.”

Read MORE here;

https://thejudge13.com/2021/04/26/hamilton-huge-miss-by-the-stewards-at-imola/

[Nitrodaze]

VERY interesting column on TJ13 The Judge;

Hamilton: Huge miss by the stewards at Imola

April 26, 2021 · by thejudge13 · in Daily F1 News and Comment.

So, reversing onto a live track with cars passing at 304kph is safe. Reversing in the pit lane is not, and punishable by the stewards; wheels not on cars 5 minutes before is also a risk to life and limb clearly.

FIA incompetence in adjudicating F1 races not acceptable, and the Formula 1 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy was a prime example – “A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.”

Read MORE here;

https://thejudge13.com/2021/04/26/hamilton-huge-miss-by-the-stewards-at-imola/

Interesting read but full of shite really. Firstly, it is very disparaging to the stewards. As much we find fault regularly with the office of the stewards, it is very misguiding to suggest that they are busy swigging whisky and hurdled in the kitchen having sausage rolls while the race is ongoing.

The discretion of the stewards can be quite cryptic at times, but it is nonetheless their discretion to choose which incidents they punish and which they ignore. Besides the two circumstances that the article referred to, are two very different scenarios. Manoeuvring back onto the track is difficult at best with the very limited visibility available to the diver. Reversing in the pit lane involves the driver and his pit crew. There is more spatial awareness present in this circumstance and better control to ensure compliance with pitlane rules. That said, there has been a clear indication that the office of the stewards have it in for Aston Martin, since last two season at least.

What l fail to see in the article is a good reason why Hamiltons reversal onto the track was a reckless act that should have been punished. Besides, there were lots of similar incidents over the weekend and none were punished. Hence the stewards were actually consistent on this occasion.