The F1 thread

[DjchunKfunK]

Ricciardo summed it up in that F1 doc on Netflix, he wanted to be somewhere where he felt happy, that to him was as important as winning and he didn't feel that at Red Bull. He also bore the brunt of the reliability issues at Red Bull so it's not like he was giving up what he felt like was a reliable car.

I can see Vettel doing an Alonso at McLaren at some point this year.

[Drarok]

Not got around to watching that yet, a couple people have mentioned it though.

There's unreliable, and then there's slow and terrible…

[DjchunKfunK]

The Renault wasn't slow, was just behind the Red Bull before the engine issues.

[Raid]

Yeah, Ricciardo's pace wasn't a good indication because he was on a terrible strategy (he was the only driver trying a one-stop). Hulkenberg however was running in 6th (having started 17th) when his engine went pop. The Renault probably is a decent car, but there's just something wrong with that team. They've had exactly the same amount of time to get that power unit to the level of Mercedes and Ferrari, and it's beginning to look like Honda have surpassed them now too. The race team's failings are perhaps more forgivable, but it's getting to the point where they really ought to be grabbing better results. Haas have only been operating since 2015 (2016 was their first entry), and although they've approached the sport in a very different fashion (buying large portions of their car from Ferrari), they don't have the massive financial backing that a company the size of Renault ought to be bringing.

But let's not judge Ricciardo's move just yet. Don't forget that Hamilton spent a year in a high-midfield car before Mercedes' championships started coming (although that was due to a radical change in regulations). The Renault seems like it's a good car this year, they just need to get their strategy sorted, and hopefully the reliability will improve as they work out what went wrong this weekend.

I can't remember a more disappointing result following a great first half of a race in recent years. LeClerc absolutely had that win in the bag, and it's not as if he started from pole and drove off into the distance; he had to overtake his 4-time world champion teammate let's not forget. Vettel on the other hand was really shown up by his far less experienced teammate, completing his 4th unscheduled pirouette in 10 races, without so much as a nudge from the Merc that was passing him. I said at one point last year that I didn't think Ferrari were going to take a championship with their current driver lineup (then Vettel and Raikkonen), that Vettel needed someone that would actually give him a proper fight to encourage a raise in his game. Well, here we are, after two races Vettel is being beaten by his teammate for the first time since 2014, the year that Ricciardo showed him up when they both drove for Red Bull. It's early, of course, but that 4 point gap really ought to be 14 given that Leclerc should have won yesterday.

[Drarok]

The Renault wasn't slow, was just behind the Red Bull before the engine issues.

No, but both of them packing in meant the safety car kept Verstappen behind Leclerc!

[Wrathbone]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/48093928



Red Bull dominance was so much more interesting, right?

[Maturin]

The funny thing is though, Mercedes really shouldn't have got all these 1-2's so far this season. Leclerc was nailed on for a win previously before his engine played up - plus I reckon he may well have got pole here without that crash.

Ferrari need to get it together basically. They absolutely screwed Leclerc again with a stupid strategy.

[Raid]

In fairness, starting 8th on the slower tyre meant that LeClerc was always going to be compromised. Still, Mercedes have had pretty bulletproof reliability and race strategy this year, and even with a more evenly matched car than in recent years, Ferrari still just aren't getting everything on the operations side right as they need to.

[DjchunKfunK]

Vettel should be looking at himself and Ferrari as to why Mercedes are dominating.

[DjchunKfunK]

Think it's time for some root and branch reform over at Ferrari. They clearly have real issues that prevent them from converting the supposed form in testing to "real-life".

[Drarok]

I swear their strategy team must be in a secret base on Mars given how slow they are to react to anything!

[Wrathbone]

Clearly Ferrari have much bigger and longer-standing issues than Binotto as team principal, but it doesn't appear that he's helped matters. In interviews, his response to concerns about Ferrari seem to be on the lines of "Eh, it'll be fine", whereas Toto Wolff and Christian Horner are both people I imagine you don't want to disappoint. Binotto should be kicking down doors and putting the fear in Ferarri that they HAVE to improve, because they're quickly becoming a laughing stock.

[Maturin]

Mercedes don't seem to have really done a great deal, as far as I can work out, apart from make some incremental improvements here & there this season.

This was a massive opportunity for Ferrari, after how they were neck and neck for much of last season, but they seem to have shot themselves in the foot with their new car design and managed to somehow go backwards. Plus their drivers make too many mistakes. Plus their strategy is wrong too often during races. Plus... etc..

In theory, we've got 2 teams who should be evenly matched, but only one of them appears to be on the ball in every department.

[DjchunKfunK]

Consensus seems to be that the design of the front wing is the major issue, something the BBC highlighted before the season started. This piece.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47527705

[DjchunKfunK]

Vettel showed his class once again yesterday. No matter what your thoughts on the incident and punishment, to act like that was totally unnecessary and made him look like a complete child.