F1 - 2018 discussion

I see the strategy dept at Mercedes are still at work, leaving Lewis out another lap and allowing Seb to get past him!

I felt sorry for Valterri though but that's why it gets paid the big bucks I suppose.
 
There is always a chance, if the championship isnt in play, that Lewis will repay at a future date
 
There is always a chance, if the championship isnt in play, that Lewis will repay at a future date

I'd take that as a given.

Lewis didn't ask for the change yesterday nor did he want it when he was told, his response was to tell Valterri to speed up. He also gave the place back last year on the last corner in Austria I think and all the commentators were suggesting at the time he may regret it later in the year but as Lewis said at the time, it was the right thing to do.
 
F1 is a team game. Everyone knows (or can be pretty damn sure!) that VB would have won the race had he not let Hammy past so his (VB's) race winning capability won't be ignored. IIRC he has at least another year with his current bosses and this may well be extended. IMO his willingness (well, his acceptance of the need!) to allow his (championship leading) team mate to get a few more extra points to extend the lead is a point in his favour.
 
2018 FORMULA 1 HONDA JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

VgC9Pwp.png


Suzuka International Racing Course

Lap data
Lap length 5.807km (3.608 miles)
Race laps 53
Race distance 307.471km (191.054 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’31.540 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2005)
Fastest lap 1’28.954 (Michael Schumacher, 2006, qualifying two)
Maximum speed 328kph (203.81 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) Pit straight
Distance from grid to turn one 405m
Full throttle 66%
Longest flat-out section 994m
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 48
Fuel use per lap 1.89kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.074s

UK Times
Friday 5th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 1: 10:00-11:30 (UK time: 2:00-3:30)
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 2: 14:00-15:30 (UK time: 6:00-7:30)
Saturday 6th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 3: 12:00-13:00 (UK time: 4:00-5:00)
Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying: 15:00 (UK time: 7:00)
Sunday 7th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix: 14:10 (UK time: 6:10)

Previous Winners
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Suzuka
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2011 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2010 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2009 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2008 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Fuji
2007 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Fuji
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Suzuka
2005 Finland Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari
2002 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2000 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari

Videos

Alonso 2017 on board
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-BzHE19mpo


1995 various onboard (Ferrari V12 @7.35 hhnnnngggg!)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXw3dHaqcQ



Facts from the last race
Lewis Hamilton has celebrated few wins as un-enthusiastically as his 70th.

This wasn’t the first time he’s won a race after being waved through by a team mate – Nico Rosberg made way for him in Monaco two years ago – but the switch clearly didn’t please him.

Bottas went into the race still in championship contention and he retains a slim mathematical chance of winning the title, as does Kimi Raikkonen. Realistically, however, it’s between Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

To win the title Vettel needs to recover a deficit of 50 points – equal to exactly two wins – in five races. The only driver who’s overcome a gap of this size (in relative terms) in that many races or more was James Hunt when he won the 1976 world championship, and he was aided by Niki Lauda’s absence due to injury.

Although it bears pointing out that in the first year of the current points system Vettel went into the final two races a full win behind Fernando Alonso, yet snatched the title at the final race. But Hamilton has only dropped seven points from a possible 150 in the last six events.

Mercedes sustained their domination of the Russian Grand Prix. No other manufacturer has won this race since it was added to the F1 calendar at the beginning of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014.

Valtteri Bottas took the race’s fastest lap as a consolation prize. It was his eighth, putting him level with James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button. He also took pole position, his sixth, tying with Phil Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Alan Jones, Carlos Reutemann and Ralf Schumacher. On top of that he knocked 1.8 seconds off the Sochi track record.

However it wasn’t Hamilton or Bottas who led the most laps of the race. That honour went to Max Verstappen, who eventually finished fifth after starting 19th.

His 14-place climb is the biggest improvement any driver has made on their starting position so far this year. While he obviously had a significant car advantage to do it with, the fact he made up all the places he kept within just eight laps is impressive.

Verstappen is one of five drivers to make up more than 10 places in a race this year, along with Hamilton (Germany), Bottas (Belgium), Daniel Ricciardo (Russia) and Fernando Alonso (Austria). But Verstappen is the only driver to have done it twice: he made up 11 places in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s grid penalties meant they had no reason to run in Q2, so they didn’t. The same went for Pierre Gasly and Renault realised they were unlikely to progress. With those five cars sitting out the session there was no competition for a place in the final 10.

Sauber took advantage of the situation to get both their cars into Q3 for the first time since the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix. This also meant all six Ferrari-powered cars made it to the final round.


Drivers’ Chosen Tyres
Dn7t7_XXgAEjVK7.jpg


Championship Standings
tdlLvYh.png

wPLfC3O.png
 
2018 FORMULA 1 HONDA JAPANESE GRAND PRIX

VgC9Pwp.png


Suzuka International Racing Course

Lap data
Lap length 5.807km (3.608 miles)
Race laps 53
Race distance 307.471km (191.054 miles)
Pole position Left-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’31.540 (Kimi Raikkonen, 2005)
Fastest lap 1’28.954 (Michael Schumacher, 2006, qualifying two)
Maximum speed 328kph (203.81 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) Pit straight
Distance from grid to turn one 405m
Full throttle 66%
Longest flat-out section 994m
Downforce level High
Gear changes per lap 48
Fuel use per lap 1.89kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.074s

UK Times
Friday 5th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 1: 10:00-11:30 (UK time: 2:00-3:30)
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 2: 14:00-15:30 (UK time: 6:00-7:30)
Saturday 6th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix Free Practice 3: 12:00-13:00 (UK time: 4:00-5:00)
Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying: 15:00 (UK time: 7:00)
Sunday 7th October 2018
Japanese Grand Prix: 14:10 (UK time: 6:10)

Previous Winners
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Suzuka
2016 Germany Nico Rosberg Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2011 United Kingdom Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes
2010 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2009 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2008 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Fuji
2007 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Fuji
2006 Spain Fernando Alonso Renault Suzuka
2005 Finland Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes
2004 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2003 Brazil Rubens Barrichello Ferrari
2002 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2001 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari
2000 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari

Videos

Alonso 2017 on board
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-BzHE19mpo


1995 various onboard (Ferrari V12 @7.35 hhnnnngggg!)
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjXw3dHaqcQ



Facts from the last race
Lewis Hamilton has celebrated few wins as un-enthusiastically as his 70th.

This wasn’t the first time he’s won a race after being waved through by a team mate – Nico Rosberg made way for him in Monaco two years ago – but the switch clearly didn’t please him.

Bottas went into the race still in championship contention and he retains a slim mathematical chance of winning the title, as does Kimi Raikkonen. Realistically, however, it’s between Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.

To win the title Vettel needs to recover a deficit of 50 points – equal to exactly two wins – in five races. The only driver who’s overcome a gap of this size (in relative terms) in that many races or more was James Hunt when he won the 1976 world championship, and he was aided by Niki Lauda’s absence due to injury.

Although it bears pointing out that in the first year of the current points system Vettel went into the final two races a full win behind Fernando Alonso, yet snatched the title at the final race. But Hamilton has only dropped seven points from a possible 150 in the last six events.

Mercedes sustained their domination of the Russian Grand Prix. No other manufacturer has won this race since it was added to the F1 calendar at the beginning of the V6 turbo hybrid era in 2014.

Valtteri Bottas took the race’s fastest lap as a consolation prize. It was his eighth, putting him level with James Hunt, Gilles Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button. He also took pole position, his sixth, tying with Phil Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Alan Jones, Carlos Reutemann and Ralf Schumacher. On top of that he knocked 1.8 seconds off the Sochi track record.

However it wasn’t Hamilton or Bottas who led the most laps of the race. That honour went to Max Verstappen, who eventually finished fifth after starting 19th.

His 14-place climb is the biggest improvement any driver has made on their starting position so far this year. While he obviously had a significant car advantage to do it with, the fact he made up all the places he kept within just eight laps is impressive.

Verstappen is one of five drivers to make up more than 10 places in a race this year, along with Hamilton (Germany), Bottas (Belgium), Daniel Ricciardo (Russia) and Fernando Alonso (Austria). But Verstappen is the only driver to have done it twice: he made up 11 places in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s grid penalties meant they had no reason to run in Q2, so they didn’t. The same went for Pierre Gasly and Renault realised they were unlikely to progress. With those five cars sitting out the session there was no competition for a place in the final 10.

Sauber took advantage of the situation to get both their cars into Q3 for the first time since the 2015 Chinese Grand Prix. This also meant all six Ferrari-powered cars made it to the final round.


Drivers’ Chosen Tyres
Dn7t7_XXgAEjVK7.jpg


Championship Standings
tdlLvYh.png

wPLfC3O.png
Awsome. Cant wait!
 
Haha hahaha hahaha Seb seems to be making the odd mistake these days
 
"Is it still a battle?" Like it, Max!!!
 
Whoever decided intermediates probably isn’t allowed back in Italy haha
That decision wasn't the deciding factor though, the track was still good when they got onto slicks, Kimi made a small error and Seb made a bigger one on their one chance.
Pushing a bit too hard chasing the Mercs I guess.
 
That decision wasn't the deciding factor though, the track was still good when they got onto slicks, Kimi made a small error and Seb made a bigger one on their one chance.
Pushing a bit too hard chasing the Mercs I guess.

Fair enough, it looked like it had started raining, both Mercs went slower one their second run which wasn’t far behind the ferarris, either way, Hamilton will be 5 time champ unless his engine blows up every week
 
Vettel probably won’t be sleeping well tonight, starting in 9th must be a bit of a nightmare for someone who can’t afford a coming together off the start or into the first corner.
 
Vettel probably won’t be sleeping well tonight, starting in 9th must be a bit of a nightmare for someone who can’t afford a coming together off the start or into the first corner.

I won’t be sleeping well either knowing my alarm will be going off at 5:45
 
Freeview Ch13 - FTW!!! I can live better without HD than without the extra hour of (MUCH needed [!!!]) beauty sleep.
 
I’m even more lazy, the Sky box is set to record from 5:30, I’ll start watching when I get up at 8 :p.
 
trying too hard? Surely he should have had a penalty for causing a collision with Verstapen?
I don't see how Magnessen didn't get a penalty for that move.

I rather agree with you on both points there tbh.
I've noticed more and more lately that Magnesson keeps doing some really dumb things. Mind you, I say the same of Perez
 
I rather agree with you on both points there tbh.
I've noticed more and more lately that Magnesson keeps doing some really dumb things. Mind you, I say the same of Perez

Perez was under pressure. He didn't like being shown up by ocon
 
Vettell is bang on average driver. Makes too many schoolboy error mistakes
Maybe just above average but he ain't on my top 5 list of drivers for the past 15 years


Wow!!!!!
Unbelievable!!!!
I am not a Vettel fan, but the guy is incredible.

4 times World Champion in succession
Most championship points in a season.
Most podiums in a season.
Most wins in a season.
Most pole positions in a season.
Most consecutive wins.

If that is average/just above average, I want to see the five (or more) drivers who are above him:ROFLMAO:
 
I'm not a Vettel fan either and while i rate him as well above average I think some of those stats need to be taken in context.
He won most of his races when Red Bull and Renault were the best package, blown diffuser, gentle on the tyres etc. He adapted well to those cars characteristics and got the most out of them, more so than Webber who was at his best when they could push flat out all the time.

Currently, I would rate Vettel in the top 5 current drivers, just. Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo and Verstappen are ahead of him in my opinion and if Leclerc can continue his progress into next year Vettel may be dropping further down the pecking order.
Ocon is highly rated too, been difficult to really shine in Force India but he has put in some solid performances, when he's not having an accident with his team mate that is.
 
I'm not a Vettel fan either and while i rate him as well above average I think some of those stats need to be taken in context.
He won most of his races when Red Bull and Renault were the best package, blown diffuser, gentle on the tyres etc. He adapted well to those cars characteristics and got the most out of them, more so than Webber who was at his best when they could push flat out all the time.

Currently, I would rate Vettel in the top 5 current drivers, just. Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo and Verstappen are ahead of him in my opinion and if Leclerc can continue his progress into next year Vettel may be dropping further down the pecking order.
Ocon is highly rated too, been difficult to really shine in Force India but he has put in some solid performances, when he's not having an accident with his team mate that is.
id say roseberg too was ahead of him.

IMO vettel is overblown and its showing drastically.

Alonso in that ferrari for example would be the one thats 50+ points ahead, not hamilton. Ferrari have thrown away 4-5 races this season mostly down to Vettel
 
Yup, interesting young driver, but he'll be absolutely screwed in the Williams. They just seem to be going backwards

He’s a Merc driver, possibly a sign that Merc are going to take more interest in the team?
 
he has supposedly been signed on talent alone, so maldonado must be coming back to pay for both seats haha
I'd guess Williams will be getting a discount on their power units for having the talented (he genuinely is) driver from the Mercedes junior programme.

They could do worse than taking Ocon as well, think he would help develop the car.
 
Doesn't seem to exist from our local station. :(
 
I'd guess Williams will be getting a discount on their power units for having the talented (he genuinely is) driver from the Mercedes junior programme.

They could do worse than taking Ocon as well, think he would help develop the car.

They got a 2 year discount as part of the compensation for losing Bottas
 
2018 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

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Circuit of The Americas

Lap data
Lap length 5.513km (3.426 miles)
Race laps 56
Race distance 308.728km (191.835 miles)
Pole position Right-hand side of the track
Lap record* 1’39.347 (Sebastian Vettel, 2012)
Fastest lap 1’34.999 (Lewis Hamilton, 2016, qualifying three)
Maximum speed 333kph (206.917 mph)
DRS zone/s (race) First and second straight
Distance from grid to turn one 364m
Full throttle 59%
Longest flat-out section 1090m
Downforce level Medium
Gear changes per lap 66
Fuel use per lap 1.88kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel 0.071s

UK Times
Friday 19th October 2018
United States Grand Prix Free Practice 1: 10:00-11:30 (UK time: 16:00-17:30)
United States Grand Prix Free Practice 2: 14:00-15:30 (UK time: 20:00-21:30)
Saturday 20th October 2018
United States Grand Prix Free Practice 3: 13:00-14:00 (UK time: 19:00-20:00)
United States Grand Prix Qualifying: 16:00 (UK time: 22:00)
Sunday 21st October 2018
United States Grand Prix: 13:10 (UK time: 19:10)

Previous Winners
2017 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Austin
2016 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2015 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2014 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2013 Germany Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2012 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes

Videos

Alonso 2017 on board
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XvTnhyaDO4


Depallier Long Beach 1978
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hADkXWaQK0


Championship Permutations
Hamilton will win the title if...
He is 1st and Vettel is 3rd or lower
He is 2nd and Vettel is 5th or lower
He is 3rd and Vettel is 7th or lower
He is 4th and Vettel is 8th or lower
He is 5th and Vettel is 9th or lower
He is 6th and Vettel fails to score


Facts from the last race

Lewis Hamilton needs only 33 points from the remaining four races to be sure of the 2018 championship title.

To put that into perspective, that’s an average of eight and a quarter points per race, when his average over the last four is a perfect 25. Sebastian Vettel is 67 points behind, which is one point further away than he was after the first 17 races of last season.

Suzuka saw Hamilton take his fourth consecutive victory. If he wins the next race he will tie his personal best streak of five wins in a row.

It was also his fifth Japanese Grand Prix victory, leaving him one shy of Michael Schumacher’s record. As in Russia, Mercedes has been undefeated in Japan in the V6 hybrid turbo era. Nor have they lost in that time at the next venue on the calendar: the Circuit of the Americas.

With his 71st win, Hamilton is now 20 away from reaching Schumacher’s all-time victories record. He’s contracted for two more seasons at Mercedes and has won at least nine races in every season since 2014. It’s therefore likely he could equal Schumacher’s 91 wins around the same time his current Mercedes contract expires…

Mercedes have decisively overturned Ferrari’s performance advantage. They scored their second one-two finish in a row which is something they never managed to do during the whole of last season. Their most recent consecutive one-twos were in the final four races of 2016.

Hamilton led every lap of the race, the first time he has done so this year. However he was denied a ‘grand slam’ of pole, win, leading every lap and fastest lap by Sebastian Vettel, who claimed the 35th fastest lap of his career. His 1’32.318 was 0.778 seconds off the all-time Suzuka race lap record, held by Kimi Raikkonen.

Valtteri Bottas notched up his seventh second-place finish of a season in which he is still yet to win a race – partly due, of course, to Mercedes’ team orders in the Russian Grand Prix. This was his 30th podium appearance, moving him ahead of Daniel Ricciardo.

Force India had both cars in the points again. They’ve done this at every race at the summer break except Singapore, where their two drivers tangled with each other.

Finally, two-times Japanese Grand Prix winner Fernando Alonso finished 14th in car number 14 for the second race in a row. It ensures that in all of his Japanese Grand Prix appearance for McLaren he never finished higher than 11th, which was where he also finished on his first visit to Suzuka with Minardi in 2001.

Drivers’ Chosen Tyres
DpEoR1WW4AElhVz.jpg


Championship Standings
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GRwkHny.png
 
Perez signed a 1 year renewal with Force India (or whatever they're called now).
Wonder if he'll have any on track argy bargy with his new team mate, the boss's son :)
 
A 3 place grid penalty is pretty pointless for the best overtakers but might screw Vettel up a bit! :D
 
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