Formula 1 2024 Season

On a different note, we are back in the speculation that this is Ricciardo's last race.  Can RB decide which driver isn't going to finish the season with the team and get on with it?

In reply to alfadriver :

I agree and I am a Danny fan. The fact that Lawson, collapinto and Bearman have all come in and been up to speed quickly isn't helping him. It shows how much talent is out there. 

Oops, Carlos.  But the next question is how big of penalty will Max get for not slowing for a double yellow- he had a really fast lap driving through Sainz's crash.

edit- it sounds like he won't get one- lifted going into the double yellow.  But he's whining that his lap time was deleted, even though the double yellow eliminates all times.

Interesting ending there.  Lando gets pole, Max gets to pass him going into turn 1, and the Mercedes in row 2.  Piastiri is still right there to fight- especially compared to Perez.

Kind of a disaster for Ferrari- one car crashed, the other had its lap time deleted.  But even if that time stayed, the fastest Ferrari was actually a Haas.

Lewis must feel a bit better now, after his string of epic suckiness in quali.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

Not so sure about that- while he was pleased the car fell into place, he really has no idea if the car will be equally good tomorrow.

alfadriver said:

Advan046 said:

Curious if Williams will show good pace this weekend. They have been making good steps forward and I would be nice to see them perform at a higher down force track with lots of turns. 

So watching Q1, I started out thinking how Sargent hampered Williams development so much that Albon and Colopinto's car are so different.  But then at the end, they are both in the top 10 not very far apart.  Now I think Sargent hampered development because he didn't get the most out of that car.  

Colopinto is really showing his value showing the team how close the two cars are even though the spec is different.  It's really a shame that we all have to wait at least another season to see him in a regular F1 spot- he's seems quite good out there.

RB has Lawson in the wings but really should lose 2 drivers sooner then later.

 Colopinto looks like he'd have a better then average shot of out performing either of them.

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

Do you think Williams would loan him to RB?  It would be good for him, but I don't think Williams would loan out Colopinto....  For the fans, it would be awesome if he got that seat, even for a season.  He *seems* really special.

In reply to alfadriver :

Well they have Albon and Sainz locked in for awhile(from memory)so can they really hang on to him?

In reply to kevlarcorolla :

I just looked up that Vowles is trying to get him the second Audi seat.  Can't seem to find news about his contract with Williams and when it runs out.

Race isn't quite over, but it's pretty static.  

Some odd strategy decisions out there- starting with the hope that Hamilton could pass Verstappen on the opening lap.  Once that didn't happen, it was damage control the rest of the way, and thanks to that, Hamilton lost to both Russell and LeClerc.  I get that there has always been a SC at this track, but when it happens is pretty variable.  So why bank on it for stint 1?  

Then Piasatri- I guess that it was a good strategy that he did get past both Hamilton and Russell- but they had him in a slot to only need to pass one.  I guess they kept him out for a mad sprint at the end, which hasn't happened.  So if all they expected was to clear the two Mercedes- why did they make it harder for him to end up in the same spot?  Waiting for a SC, I guess.  Other than Magnusson, Norris has had a few chances to force a SC by brushing the wall.

McLaren is really gaping RBR now.

The whole Danny taking fastest lap so that McLaren doesn't get it smells terrible. Why does Red Bull get to have 2 teams playing a team game and nobody else does. That should be fined and removed and given back to Norris. Complete E36 M3. The only reason it was done was to benefit Max. Merc doesn't use Williams as a 4 car team. FIA should be clamping down on this. Same with the 4 driver sharing program. 

The fastest lap may have also been a farewell present to Danny. Heck, Hulk tried to pick it up for no real benefit to himself, but it's a big lift for the team. 

Lewis almost got past Max on that opening lap, but I doubt it would have stuck for more than a dozen laps. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I am sure that's what Horner et al will say but that's a load of malarkey, it was done to pip a point for Max. It was the first thing they said to Max on the radio after the race. 

Many times someone gets fastest lap at end. Nothing wrong with a team protecting it's points. This forums hatred of Max and RB is getting old. Give it a rest. 

Keith Tanner said:

The fastest lap may have also been a farewell present to Danny. Heck, Hulk tried to pick it up for no real benefit to himself, but it's a big lift for the team. 

Lewis almost got past Max on that opening lap, but I doubt it would have stuck for more than a dozen laps. 

Finish last but fastest lap. More of a kick in the rear than anything else. 

JimS said:

Many times someone gets fastest lap at end. Nothing wrong with a team protecting it's points. This forums hatred of Max and RB is getting old. Give it a rest. 

While that is true, Red Bull is the only team that has a sister team that finished DFL to even be able to do that. 

McLaren giving that win to Piastiri is going to bite them in the rear when Lando comes 25 short for the championship.