The F1 thread

[Raid]

There are so many permutations of things that could have happened that would have made that accident fatal, and it's chilling. Grosjean didn't manage to get out of the fire until about 30 seconds after the impact. He managed to get himself out as the marshals would not have been able to get close enough. What would have happened if he'd been unconscious? What if the cockpit came to rest at an angle he couldn't extricate himself from? What if the cockpit hadn't passed through the barrier entirely and he'd been wedged in there?

Thanks Rossell for posting that before the Channel 4 broadcast. I didn't watch it at the time as I tend to try and avoid race spoilers before watching the replay, but I'd have hated to have watched that without knowing he was mostly alright.

[Rossell]

No problem mate.

Still shook by the whole thing this morning. I was reading the live text on autosport and when I saw "That is a huge accident" followed by the red flag my heart sank. One lucky boy.

[Maturin]

In terms of future changes, I wonder if they'll introduce a dedicated firefighting truck at each circuit (with the crew in full gear) to follow the race start? Something similar to Indy racing.

It just looked woefully inadequate when the non-protected medics were the ones having to get close to the fire initially. Considering F1's otherwise incredible safety advances, it does feel like a missing link in the chain.

[Raid]

I think the problem with that is that fire trucks naturally have to carry a lot of water, which makes them extremely heavy and slow. Not only would it not be able to keep pace with the field, but it probably wouldn't be able to complete one lap before the F1 cars caught back up to it.

Karun Chandhok has said that the FIA only this year introduced fireproof suits capable of withstanding burning for 20 seconds, while the gloves still only protect for around 10 seconds. I timed how long it took Grosjean to clear the flames and it was around 30 seconds.

Grosjean himself has filmed a quick update from hospital. His hands are heavily bandaged, I do hope he doesn't have lasting injuries.

[Wrathbone]

Hamilton's tested positive for covid with mild symptoms and will miss the upcoming race.

Given that he's tested positive the day after the previous race, doesn't that mean everyone he came into contact with (i.e. half the grid and most of the Mercedes team) will have to self-isolate? Or do they have special provision?

Maybe Toto Wolff should stop wearing his mask under his nose, the silly sod!

[Raid]

Toto no doubt has 300 missed calls from Nico Hulkenberg by now.

[Drarok]

And the same again from George Russell?

[Raid]

I reckon Russell is the most likely to get it, at a substantial cost to Mercedes I would think. Mercedes have been grooming him as Hamilton's replacement, and first-hand data to compare the two would be invaluable.

Edit: oh they've already confirmed Russell. I'm looking forward to this, although it will probably end his streak of never having been out qualified by his teammate since he started in F1.

Also, Mick Schumacher has been confirmed for Haas in 2021.

[Raid]

So Russell was just two hundredths away from Bottas' pole time. This is a really short track so that proximity is a little exaggerated, but that's still bloody impressive from someone who'd only driven the car for five hours. I think realistically he'll not be able to catch Bottas during the race as he won't have the same level of experience of how the Merc treats its tyres, but I think he's already proving that he's a worthy candidate for 2022.

I haven't been this excited for a race all year.

[Rossell]

That race was beyond mad. So mad it needs the winner in spoiler tags

Spoiler

Sergio Perez

[eny]

That was fucking nuts, really felt for Russell, best drive of the day, worst team support!

[Raid]

Spoiler

Oh my god, I never thought Perez's first win would ever be a consolation prize. And he did it despite being last at the end of the first lap. Absolutely incredible. For crying out loud Red Bull, hire that man.

But George... George. I think he convincingly proved himself today. If Mercedes hasn't fucked up he'd have won. He embarrassed Bottas, plain and simple. He'll be a permanent driver in that team come 2022.

[Wrathbone]

Russell's charge after Mercedes' blunder was extraordinary. If they don't give him a drive in 2022 then I don't know what they're thinking.

Wonderful job by Perez and Racing Point though!

[Maturin]

I'm not sure Verstappen realised how much gravel there was beyond the tarmac area when he went off - if he'd just braked a little bit more on the tarmac to the left of the track he probably would have been able to swing the car round and stay in the race. Bit of a shame, he would have been fighting for the win otherwise.

[Raid]

It's worth noting that Perez now holds the record for most races before a first win, at 190, beating the previous record holder (Mark Webber) by 50. He'd actually passed Nico Hulkenberg for "Most races without a win" this year.