The F1 thread

[Drarok]

I don't recall hearing Max moaning and wheezing over the radio following his big crash at Silverstone before either

They're not afraid to make up their own stories and add sound effects to sell it, mind.

[Raid]

Lewis may be changing his name:

https://www.racefans.net/2022/03/14/lew ... -his-name/

I think that's a nice thing to do. I'm looking forward to the comments (not here) that somehow find fault with it, because the man can't seem to do anything without attracting criticism.

[Snowy]

Vettel will not be driving Bahrain after testing positive for Covid

[Raid]

Funnily enough he was stood next to Ricciardo during an anti-war photoshoot last week.

I'm surprised they're still not testing in the paddock, at least for the drivers. Given most subs aren't capable of scoring points due to their unfamiliarity with the car, there's potentially millions of pounds in prize money at stake.

[eny]

So that's that then:

• The safety car procedure was a central topic of discussion during the detailed analysis and clarification exercise, stemming from the application of this procedure at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP, pursuant to Articles 48.12 and 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations.

• The Race Director called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations (Article 48.12).

• It was apparent from the analysis that there could be different interpretations of Article 48.12 and Article 48.13 of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, and that this likely contributed to the applied procedure.

• It was also considered that the decisions regarding the Safety Car at the end of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix likely took into account previous discussions that made clear the Formula 1 Stakeholders (FIA, Formula 1, Teams and Drivers) preference to end races under green flag racing conditions, rather than behind a safety car, when safe to do so.

• In combination with the objective to finish under green flag racing conditions applied throughout the 2021 season, the report finds that the Race Director was acting in good faith and to the best of his knowledge given the difficult circumstances, particularly acknowledging the significant time constraints for decisions to be made and the immense pressure being applied by the teams.

• The results of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIA Formula One World Championship are valid, final and cannot now be changed. In accordance with the rules, Mercedes made a protest to the stewards after the race, seeking to change the race classification. The stewards dismissed the protest and Mercedes then had an opportunity to appeal that decision to the FIA International Court of Appeal, but did not do so. There are no other available mechanisms in the rules for amending the race classification.

• The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error lead to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves. Due to the fact that manual interventions generally carry a higher risk of human error, software has been developed that will, from now on, automate the communication of the list of cars that must un-lap themselves. In addition, the 2022 Formula 1 Sporting Regulations have been recently updated to clarify that “all” and not “any” cars must be permitted to un-lap themselves.

• This process of identifying lapped cars has been reviewed as part of the recommendations previously announced by the FIA President in his statement of 17 February 2022, which also includes the creation of FIA Remote Operations Centre, the integration of a new and extended team to run trackside operations as well as a review of the interactions between teams and Race Control during track running.

https://www.fia.com/news/fia-announces- ... cisions-25

[Raid]

Err.

The process of identifying lapped cars has up until now been a manual one and human error lead to the fact that not all cars were allowed to un-lap themselves.

That's nonsense, surely. The timing screens shown to TV viewers tell them whether a car is on the current lap or a lap down (with provision for showing multiple laps made for the 2021 Haas). They didn't just let a few cars that they thought were lapped through, they named specific drivers that were allowed to overtake.

I'm willing to accept that Masi was not acting in bad faith, and that what he wanted to achieve was a finish to the season in racing conditions (that Mercedes could equally have capitalised on had they also changed tyres), but I struggle to believe that nobody in the FIA can see that this was an incredibly poor interpretation of the rules, and that this isn't simply an excuse for a massive blunder.

[eny]

Abu Dhabi is a void finish. There is no fairer way of interpreting it. Unlapping all or none of the cars then coming in a lap later is how it should have finished, but for "something else". I don't give a shit who is champion, I'm certain Lewis wouldn't view it as legitimate even if they had handed it to him. It should be void, because it is.

[Raid]

The first quali session of the year is over and, well, it's a bit of a change in the pecking order.

Spoiler

Looks like all of the talk in the last week about Mercedes sandbagging during testing was rubbish. The best Merc was nearly seven tenths off pole, and the other was outqualified by a Haas, an Alpine and an Alfa (although I think Russell must have had a scruffy lap, there wasn't nearly as big a discrepancy between him and Lewis earlier). Obviously they've started on the back foot before and I'm sure they'll be back at the front within a few races.

But yeah, Ferrari versus Red Bull. I suppose we don't know how each car will perform in a race, but I'm hopeful Sainz may get his first win this year.

[Snowy]

I would dearly love to see a different set of teams in the ascendent, especially if they happen to be red...

[eny]

Happy with that, Bwahahahahahhaaa!

Magnussen and Bottas especially!

[Snowy]

Wow what a race

Spoiler

Forza Ferrari! Man it has been a long while since I have enjoyed a Ferrari 1-2, great racing from Leclerc.

The to-and-fro between Verstappen and Leclerk was brilliant, when the first move got made I was bellowing at the screen for him to take it back, with little expectation that he would. Loved the improvements to overtaking.

Shame about the McLaren, seems like they have built a bit of a shitbox this year, but great to see Kevin Magnussen back and having such a great result, as well as Mick Schumacher driving strongly.

Final word, this was my first Sky Sports coverage that I have sat through the whole build-up and race in a very long time - when did Ted Kravitz become such a bell-end, he is as bad as Crofty now which isn't a good thing.

Oh, and must keep an eye out for post-race footage of that complete wand Horner. That slight look of disdain he always wears, like someone dabbed a wee spot of shite into his tache and he can smell it, would no doubt be completely absent!

[Wrathbone]

Oh man, those final 10 laps were a treat.

Spoiler

Schadenfreude is the word that springs to mind. I like Perez and I really feel for him, but seeing Red Bull get shafted by technical failures is a little bit funny considering what bell ends Verstappen and Horner have been recently. Glad to see Ferrari doing well again, and if Mercedes can solve their bouncing issue then this could be a hugely competitive year.

[Raid]

Spoiler

Superb driving from Leclerc today. To be overtaken three times, and to take that spot back three times forcing Max into an error (I'm sure that lockup on the third time around stopped there being a fourth) was brilliant to see. As much as I want to see Red Bull knocked down a peg or two, I never like to see a fight at the front be halted by technical issues. I think the fight was over by that point anyway.

Hamilton and Mercedes must be thanking any and all deities for that. I'm bloody delighted for KMag and Bottas, but gutted for McLaren - I really hope their issues can be fixed, I don't know whether it was the braking that was the problem or if the car itself just isn't very good. They really looked like they were ready to return to the front of the field last year.

Do we think the new regs have worked then? I didn't hear anyone complaining about not being able to follow a rival, and we certainly had plenty of overtaking, but I didn't take much note of whether they were all DRS assisted.

[Wrathbone]

It looks promising in terms of the rule changes. The C4 commentators gave me the impression that the effect of DRS is diminished, in which case the basic ability for cars to overtake each other without artificial assists appears to be improved. Early days, though.

[Raid]

They did say that but I wasn't convinced, because we then immediately saw a slew of DRS overtakes. Granted, Bahrain has 3 DRS zones so the number may have been exaggerated, but we saw an awful lot of them. Perhaps the effect of DRS was less than last year, but cars were able to follow one another through the preceding corners easier and get a better run?