interesting quote from Hamilton
“For 2022 we need a better tyre, we need a tyre that gives us more grip, better safety,” he said.

“And enables us to drive closer to cars and give the fans better racing. Right now, we’re managing [pace] to a serious extent. And I don’t think that’s what the fans want. That’s not what a racing driver wants.”

Via - https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-...every-what-if/

Yaawwwwnnnnn. Streeeetttchhhh.
I just woke up. How did it end?

Ecclestone was right - turn lawn sprinklers onto the track at random times/corners.

Other than a few mid-field moments, the only exciting part of that race was seeing which team would screw up on strategy the most. Usually, it's Ferrari, but they couldn't even win that fight this time!

I didn't understand why Verstappen was complaining about the slow pace from the leader, but by the same token didn't try to take the race to Hamilton. Seems that if he's going too slowly, then by rights you should be able to catch him at least, and get him to start thinking about defending or speeding up instead of managing his tires. Otherwise, the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

Don't kid yourself. He's paranoid about tires after the British GP. Used to be he's stay out on softs for 12 laps past what Pirelli recommended. Now he's afraid to put softs on with 10 laps to go. He's shown his weakness and other teams need to exploit that.

If he could get such a tire, he's simply try to manage it to ensure a one-stop instead of getting 20+ seconds faster in a two-stop.

TBH, tires are the only thing that keeps F1 interesting at the moment. I don't like that, but the results would be even more predictable with longer life rubber!

Bring back the cars from the 80s, less depending on the aero, fat grippy tires, less buttons on the steering wheel.

it is so funny that back in the days F1 used to be very exciting where every single race are filled with wheel to wheel actions.

Then some stupid in the management decided to slow the cars down thinking it can pack the pack thus more actions and also make it safer.

Then some more stupid ideas to try to make the teams more even and obvious it doesn't work and it will never work, do you ever think a Minardi can win over a McLaren? or a Alfa can lap a Mercedes?

The point is, how stupid is F1 (the company and FIA) throughout these years making so many changes that actually has make the excitement going backward, and in fact, after so many meetings or whatsoever, they are still making it backwards.

Having Hybrid engine saying it can apply to production cars where the spec and cost are so high that turn away MANY manufactures, extreme aero rules/components that only two or three designers in the paddock can manage to make something that can be competitive, budget cap talks every other months and it's been so many years where it's still a money game, so what's the point of these talk?

:facepalm:

Williams is SOLD - to a US based capital group
Concorde is signed -- by all 10 teams, which means HAAS decided to play
what is all means, I have no clue, since it is only time that will tell that...

Was looking for some data European on this transaction and new US capital firm.
I hope they are patient. Will need 3 years to fully implement the new regs.SO this year, then next with the old cars, finally 2022 for the new cars. This will be interesting but for sure Williams as a family concern is gone.

Interesting that Dorilton Capital added Williams Racing in its portfolio. Things will no longer be the same at Williams. I see a drastic leadership change coming in 2021 because it is INSANITY at Williams.

:iagree::iagree:

how long has Claire Williams been the deputy principal for? 10 years??

Welcome to racing Corporate style lol. I hope Claire watched Ford vs Ferrari for a taste of her new life :) :happydance:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...cedes-in-races

Not surprised Mercedes no fear of this rule to be used starting in Monza!

Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff sees the upcoming ban on qualifying modes as a challenge - and he believes that it will potentially give the team more performance in races.

The FIA wrote to the teams last week informing them of a plan to allow only one mode for qualifying and the race, with details set to be confirmed by a technical directive before the Belgian GP.

The change has been framed by the FIA as an attempt to help its technical staff a better chance of ensuring compliance with the regulations.

It has also been labelled as an attempt to rein in Mercedes, the manufacturer that has traditionally made the biggest performance gains when it matters in qualifying.

"I think the primary goal of the FIA was to implement the rule to better understand and better analyse what is going on with the engines," said Wolff.

"It's a very complex method between the combustion engine and all the energy recovery system, and having one mode it becomes more easy for the FIA to really see if everything is in compliance."

Regarding the suggestion that Mercedes was being reined in, Wolff added: "It has always been the case in F1 that pulling back the leaders, or what supposedly are the leaders, is something that is good for the sport.

"We see it very much as a challenge. We have a good quali mode and we are able to give it a little bit more power in that last session.



"But if that is not possible anymore because everything needs to be smoothed out over the race, then it's not a deficit for us.

"On the contrary, we think we can translate it into more performance in the race. That is something that is a great challenge for us that will take on once the rule is implemented."

Elaborating on that theme Wolff made it clear that qualifying modes currently have a cost in terms of how much performance is then available for races.

Thus it follows that if qualifying modes cannot be used then the power unit can potentially be run harder in races.

"I think we don't lack performance on Saturdays. We had until now quite a margin.

"We struggled in some of the races where we were quite limited in powerful engine modes, and if F1 were to ban in-season certain power unit modes, then I think it will actually help us in the race.

"If you can avoid damaging your power unit in those few qualifying laps that you have available, in Q3 and then the odd lap in the race, the damage metrics goes down dramatically.

"So five laps of quali mode not being done gives us 25 laps of more performance in the race, and that is something we believe will give us more performance.

"You must take into effect even if it may hurt us more in qualifying, which I'm not sure, and it's a couple of tenths, then it will hurt all the others in the same way.

"But for us, we are always very marginal on what we can extract from the power unit, and if we were to be limited in qualifying modes, then well, we will be stronger in the race."

Will probably result in more cars finishing on Sunday.

Will be curious to find out how much the teams rely on party mode.

Yes good question. The Mercedes will be in front. But who will be quicker over the rest. Red Bull or Clone Point, Mclaren?? Ferrari might be able to improve...

One word to describe today's race, boring.
Two teams that surprised me, Renault for doing well and RP for letting Renault take their candy.
Poor strategy, AT on Gasly not pitting like the others and RB on Albon for the wrong tires. Alex still playing the political game, held back on criticizing RB.
Ferrari was messy this weekend. Is the struggle related to the undisclosed "agreement" with the FIA as punishment for their sneaky fuel cheat from LY?