Formula 1 Round 21 Saudia Arabia GP

Frank Bullitt

McFly85

Horner on Instagram saying Max will start P3 tomorrow, hopefully that means they know the gearbox is ok.

Hijpo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269897#Comment_118269897

Like watching a rally stage he was getting so close.

mickdw

Pity for max. He had done enough. Would have been great but instead we have 2 mercs in front. He was lucky to get away with rubbing the wall early on too though.

I'm surprised that track layout got the go ahead day 1 with high speed blind corners and no run off. It's asking for trouble but I guess it must meet all the very strict requirements re absorbing impacts and not throwing cars back out onto the race track.

chicorytip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269946#Comment_118269946

He was just pushing too hard. It was impetuous. If he had eased off even slightly he still would have finished P2 at least. He will need to drive the race of his life tomorrow.

Ultimate Gowlbag

I love this track

while I hope there arent any bad incidents in the race,i cant remember the last time i was on the edge of my seat watching a qualy,it's like watching old footage where there was a mix of bravery,ballsiness and danger!

quokula

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270326#Comment_118270326

That’s easy to say from the sofa. Pushing to the absolute limits is what separate the great drivers from the rest. Verstappen pushed harder and got closer to the walls than anyone else today, and that’s the reason he was on track to beat both Mercedes in a car that wasn’t good enough to break the top four in his teammate’s hands.

He ended up making a tiny mistake with big consequences, but starting P2 and starting P3 aren’t all that different depending on how the start goes for drivers on the dirty side of the track. If he was the kind of driver to just sit back instead of pushing like he did then he wouldn’t be leading the championship against a faster car like he is.

El_Duderino 09

The Saudi sports minister is on C4 talking about how sports help Saudi change and how much they want to change and how good the changes they have made are.... as if the Saudi government aren't responsible for making the changes.

The only way sports could hasten change in Saudi is tonrefusyto go you're unless they change. I would prefer if they didn't pretend they want to change and they can't unless sports like, and tourists and investors help them.

F1 is a grubby business and I would prefer if they didn't make it so obvious with such poorly disguised lies.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269342#Comment_118269342

https://youtu.be/FTQbiNvZqaY

Well seeing as I’m listening to this video after this post why shouldn’t others feel the same way.

Killinator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270377#Comment_118270377

'got closer to the walls than anyone else today'

Can't argue with that 😛

Being as objective as I can I have to say in terms of achieving a goal they've really pulled it off. Publicity around the danger and speed, they've done what they've set out to do.

Interesting to me what the drivers will put up with when it comes down to it as well.

PsychoPete

The RB looks extremely quick and with a safety car or two during the race its still a very winnable race for Verstappen. Aren't the tyres Hamilton is starting on 4 laps older? I wouldn't even be surprised to see a red flag during the race

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118270058#Comment_118270058

Or they might have an old gearbox from earlier in the year that they can use. Glad he's not taking a penalty here. The championship fight is hanging on by a thread given the speed advantage Mercedes appears to hold and the narrowness of the track. That would likely be the end of the championship fight.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269643#Comment_118269643

This is it. They designed an amazingly fast street circuit and made it too narrow to really overtake.

The only good thing about street circuits is the varriers are so close and the cameras are so close to the action that it really emphasises the speed. But they have designed the biggest flaw of street circuits out of it (lack of speed and flow) and designed in the next flaw by making it too narrow) great chance of a safety car on the first lap, probably a good chance of a red flag on the first lap, probably no overtaking except on the main straight

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271004#Comment_118271004

I didn't know thst about Hamilton's tyres but tyre wear isn't a problem at this track. In fact getting heat heat into the tyres is the issue because of the low grip. Max would still prefer fresher tyres but I wouldn't rely too heavily on it.

This would be a great track for DAS. If there's a safet car they will struggle to keep heat in the tyres.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269582#Comment_118269582

Not necesserialy. Clearly Hamilton has the advantage, however based on what we know / have seen before:

• Max could pass Bottas at the start and / or Hamilton - my guess is he will slip stream Hamilton to pass Bottas.
• The Rebull may be faster than the Mercedes in race trim (unlikley, but possible). Either car could be struggling for grip.
• A safety car incident (highly likley) could change everything for either driver
• Either Max or Lewis could bin it

I am looking forward to a great race!

The Royal Scam

El Duderino is spot on, with no doubt there will be SC's, keeping tyre temps up on a track with minimal corners will be tough. Max seems to be lovely and aggressive weaving before flying lap to build up temps.

I already have a knot in my stomach waiting for lights out.

flazio

Unfortunately, I reckon the safety car will happen on lap 1 where it will have minimum impact. Think back to Baku and Monaco this year, neither had any yellow/red flags caused by driver error (Baku was tyre failure).

I reckon Max's goal (provided he's still starting 3rd) is to get Bottas off the line and then undercut Hamilton in the stops.

murphyebass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271094#Comment_118271094

I don’t know about that. Just watched the F2 sprint race. Really enjoyable race. It finished under a safety car!

The dust seems to be playing a part in the unpredictability.

I for one am hoping for absolute chaos today. Late lunges, risk and reward, etc..

I do agree with you on Max’s strategy though. Hopefully he can pull it off. Was really unfortunate on that last lap of his yesterday in qualy. Just pushed that bit too hard. Great to see the hunger though.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271094#Comment_118271094

Sounds a sensible strategy. Given the low tyre wear, are they predicting one-stop race? Could be on for one of those races where max does a short first stint so Lewis goes long and hopes to catch and pass him at the end.

Max needs to be faster than, or at least as fast as, Lewis in the opening stint but unable to pass to make it work for him. Otherwise of max is 5 seconds behind attempting the undercut, Lewis will just pit the following lap and maintain the lead on the same tyres.

BrentMused

Am I correct in saying that if Lewis wins here and Max finishes 3rd with a fastest lap, that there will be 1 point between them going into the last race, which means essentially whoever finishes ahead in Abu Dhabi will take the Championship presuming no DNF's in the finale?

Dont be at yourself

Undercut for Max could be a possibility given the long lap and Merc's struggled switching it's tyres on. Hamilton's mediums are slightly older than Max's too.

17larsson

The F2 race had three safety cars in 20 laps

blade1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271272#Comment_118271272

Can't see max going for fastest lap here.

Either Perez or bottas will go for it depending where they are though.

Hijpo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271054#Comment_118271054

All will become clear if we see bottas pointing his car at Hamiltons rear wing at the start to get across Verstappen and get in behind Hamilton. Which will either force Verstappen to back out because he'll squeeze him to the wall or he'll do what he did to Raikkonen

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271348#Comment_118271348

Hamilton having older tyres points to him pitting early if anything.

flazio

Is Charles LeClerc carrying a gearbox penalty after his FP2 shunt. No way THAT gearbox survived that's for sure.

Widdensushi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271379#Comment_118271379

I agree, I will be surprised if bottas doesn't get the fastest lap.

ShamoBuc

Hugely looking forward to this. RB will be under pressure today. If he can't get past Bottas quickly, Hamilton will be able to 'save' his tyres a little as Max wears his trying to pass into second. Hamilton, with 4 more Laps done, would be inclined to pit first but might be able to stay out longer if Max still third.

The SC driver will surely be out once or twice and so many other aspects of the race, circuit and positions could well make this the most exciting race of the year. We all hope there will be no injuries etc, but equally, we are hoping for situations and events to happen that create doubt, confusion and the changing of tactics all over the place.

Bring on Lights Out !

RunningFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271438#Comment_118271438

That was his Friday setup so there won’t be a penalty to my knowledge (most teams usually use a different engine on Friday practice to the one they use Sat/Sun to save engine wear over the season).

Cant wait for the race, don’t know what to expect. As others have said, I can’t remember the last time I was on edge watching a Qualy lap when watching Max last night.

Bound to see some shunts so it’s going to be fascinating to see how aggressive Merc/RB are.

Really hope there are no component changes for Max or failures on the formation map (like LEC Monaco) and he gets to start 3rd.

Itssoeasy

the sporting god must like me because the race starts at 17:30 Irish time and the nfl doesn’t start until 6pm so I’ll be watching both but I can concentrate fully on the start of the Grand Prix because I think it’s going to all sorts of madness.

bbsrs

Wouldn't be surprised if Max gets super aggressive with Hamilton during any overtaking attempts . I think it's very important that Bottas stay between Ham and Max at the start and let Ham build up a 10 second gap. If Max were to take Hamilton and himself out then Max would only need to finish second in the final GP to ensure the championship. Its going to be an interesting race.

All_in_Flynn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271689#Comment_118271689

Likewise, he can't be too aggressive with Bottas either. I think Bottas is going to be told to make that car very wide today. Max cannot risk taking damage getting by Bottas.

MadYaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271758#Comment_118271758

Bottas has demonstrated many times that he's rubbish at that though, he regularly gets eaten alive at the start. I can't wait for this one it should be mental.

El_Duderino 09

This race is a bit more optimistic than the last few. Lewis has had a massive car advantage so if Max started behind generally meant it would be an easy race for Lewis. But this race seems to be closer on pace and the RB might even the faster race car.

Lewis is a divil for finding time between sessions so he could be faster again in the race.

Mx needs to get past Bottas. Perez is an embarrassing half second off his teammate and behind everyone else including a Ferrari It's set up for a good race. Advantage firmly with Hamilton but not put of the question for Max to challenge.

LIGHTNING

I only watched bit of FP2, is there many overtaking opportunities on the circuit?

ShamoBuc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271888#Comment_118271888

Mostly the straight but I reckon errors will lead to alot of overtaking today.

RunningFlyer

Also at this stage I wonder what RB’s priority is- Max winning the driver championship or them winning the Constructors? As whilst similar results are needed if Max is going out with the “all or nothing” attitude RB might be trying to reign him in to ensure points for the team.

Going to be a good one. Bet the Saudis are loving the hype and publicity this weekend..

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118271955#Comment_118271955

The Drivers championship is the priority, no doubt - not a hope in hell they’ll tell Max to take second if he has a chance to win the race.

Check the long-run pace from practice, this is Hamilton's to throw away.

There's (likely) little difference between 2nd and 3rd for Verstappen assuming Hamilton wins, either way he'll probably have to win Abu Dhabi.

Hijpo

What's the track damage haulting the F2 race?

skipper_G

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118272167#Comment_118272167

Barrier was damaged at the end of the second F2 sprint race last night when Lawson spun into it. Surprised they didn't fix it earlier

Ghost Train

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118272167#Comment_118272167

Turn 13,14 barriers I think, edit: I see answered above

Funny seeing the cars doing the track backwards

https://twitter.com/NotMrMatthewF1/status/1467504047192170506?t=vV9wCjj0pKwPYkyyD6NcEA&s=19

BikeRacer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118272193#Comment_118272193

They did fix it, this is due to a car going into the barrier during the Porsche sprint earlier

Rossi IRL

Red flag at start of the f2 race.....be interesting to see how quickly they can remove the damaged cars.

Crash was on grid so can't blame the track for it.

antodeco

F2 Red Flagged 1/4 of a lap in

murphyebass

Wow that didn’t take long. Just driver error. Nothing to do with the track this time.

Rossi IRL

Doesn't look good with the lack of replays.

Ambulance seemed to be going very slow on the way to the crash.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118272295#Comment_118272295

Yeah when the cameras are focusing on the pit lane it’s never a good sign.

antodeco

Ambulance is still on track too. Not a great sign. Also hearing nothing either. Hope both drivers are ok. Who was it? Fittipaldi and who else?