2021 Formula 1 Thread

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by abm89

I also missed the start. Apparently Bottas yeeted a third of the grid?!

Bottas handed grid penalty for Belgian GP after Hungary crash
By:
Luke Smith
Aug 1, 2021, 11:02 AM
Valtteri Bottas has received a five-place grid penalty for causing the Turn 1 crash involving four cars in Sunday’s Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Bottas slid into the rear of McLaren’s Lando Norris under braking in damp conditions at the first corner, losing control of his Mercedes.

This sent Norris into the path of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car, while Bottas careered into Verstappen’s team-mate, Sergio Perez.

The collision eliminated Bottas and Perez from the race immediately before the race was red flagged due to the amount of debris left strewn across the circuit.

Norris was able to get his McLaren car back to the pits under the red flag, but the team found the damage on his car was terminal, meaning he too retired from the race.

Norris said in the media pen that Bottas had apologised for the incident, and anticipated a penalty as the stewards moved to investigate the incident.

In a bulletin issued before the end of Sunday’s grand prix, the stewards announced that Bottas would receive a five-place grid drop for the next round in Belgium after the summer break for “causing an avoidable collision”.

As well as the five-place grid penalty, Bottas also received two points on his FIA superlicence, taking him up to four for the 12-month period.

“Immediately after the start, in the braking zone to Turn 1, car 77 collided with the rear of car 4,” the report from the stewards read.

“The stewards took into consideration the track conditions, however the driver of car 77 was fully to blame for the collision.”

Norris was left disappointed with Bottas’ error, saying that he had expected better when racing the leading drivers.

“You expect a little bit more from when you’re racing those top guys at the front of the field,” Norris said.

“But also they don’t race that often, they’re quite on their own, and not in the pack getting in dirty air and things as much as we are.

“So maybe they just don’t experience it, and they need to learn that a little bit more.”

[abm89]

Oh nooooo.

Anyway, how about Williams?! Nicely done!

[Ventruck]

Bottas gunning for teammate of the year.

Ham put in work actually. Ocon the man today. Seb still that dude despite the DQ

[danegrey]

The Alonso / Hamilton racing was fantastic, great respect between these two...
And without Alonso doing what he did, Hamilton must likely would have won.

Bottas, yea, but Norris did cut in front of him on a great start, Bottas simply made a huge opps at the start and it just want from there, on and on...

I hear Stroll also has a 5 grid penalty.

Other notes, Honda found a crack in Max's engine on Saturday and changed it to another one from the pool, so if they cannot repair it he is in trouble... Perez, was saying his engine is shot too. so RB may have more problems than what appears.....

[DLSTR]

10 things we learned from the F1's 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
By:
Luke Smith
Aug 2, 2021, 8:20 AM
Formula 1 packed plenty into its final round before the summer break, with drama and controversy both on and off the track at the Hungaroring. Autosport picks out the major talking points from the Hungarian Grand Prix, including some superstar performances, others feeling the pressure and the latest twist in feud between the title fighters.

1. Ocon’s victory is a lesson in hard work paying off--

It hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for Ocon. After a strong start to 2021 prompted Alpine to hand him a three-year contract, his form took a dip and reached its nadir in Austria where he was eliminated in Q1 two weeks in a row.

Unfairly, it led to questions about Ocon’s motivation, and whether Alpine had made a mistake giving him such a long contract so early in the season. Was he really the man to lead its revival and progression?

Those questions were answered emphatically on Sunday. While a number of factors played into Ocon’s favour - the Turn 1 crash; Lewis Hamilton’s tyre call; Fernando Alonso’s stunning defence - he did everything he had to do. He held his nerve for 65 laps at the front to keep the faster Sebastian Vettel at bay.

It’s a feel-good win for F1, and proof that Ocon should be discussed in the same breath as the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris and George Russell when hyping up the ‘next generation’.

But it also goes a long way to debunk the myth of F1 being a place where only ‘billionaire boys’ can succeed, to paraphrase Hamilton. Ocon comes from a very humble background, with his family making significant sacrifices to keep him racing. He’s twice seen the team he raced for collapse in F1, and spent a year on the sidelines.

Through all the adversity, Ocon kept the faith. In Hungary on Sunday, it paid off handsomely as he became F1’s 111th grand prix winner.

2. Vettel’s cruel DSQ should not diminish his excellent drive--

Regular readers of the 10 things column will know that I happily served myself a big helping of humble pie after Vettel’s podium in Baku, having said just two races earlier that Aston Martin’s season was looking like a write-off.

Well, it’s time for another serving, because on Sunday Vettel produced arguably his best drive of the past two seasons, dodging drama at the start before hounding Ocon for victory.

Vettel’s frustration was clear after he took the chequered flag, complaining on the radio that he had been faster but simply could not follow around the tight and technical Hungaroring layout.

In the end, Vettel’s car was found to be short of the one litre of fuel required for an FIA sample, resulting in his disqualification. While Aston Martin has notified the FIA of its intention to appeal the ruling, it is nevertheless a disappointing outcome for the team, especially after Alpine’s big day in the fight for fifth.

All the same, it should not diminish the performance that Vettel put in. He has faced plenty of criticism in recent years for not keeping cool in high-pressure moments, yet through the tricky conditions, he remained composed and delivered the kind of drive ‘old Seb’ would have been proud of.

3. Mercedes faced a lose/lose situation before the one-car standing start

There are plenty of moments from the Hungarian Grand Prix that will go down as niche F1 trivia in years to come. But nothing quite topped the bizarre one-car standing start following the red flag.

The stoppage to clear debris following the Turn 1 carnage gave time for the track to dry, but none of the teams thought it was quite ready for slicks, evidenced by the entire field’s decision to leave the pits on intermediates.

But as drivers made their way around the track behind the safety car, most quickly reported that it was time for slicks, prompting 14 of the 15 remaining runners to dive in to make the switch to dry tyres.

Mercedes kept Hamilton out, leaving him to line up on pole on the grid all alone, but soon realised its error. He pitted one lap later, dropping him to last and ending hopes of what would surely have been quite a straightforward victory.

The team couldn’t really win though. It didn’t feel it was quite time for slicks, and had it pitted Hamilton, the train of cars passing in the pitlane would have dropped him back to sixth anyway. Sixth may be better than 14th, but it was still a lose-lose situation for Mercedes.

The fightback from Hamilton was great to watch, particularly when he entered the decisive battle against Alonso that probably cost him the race win. But to leave Hungary back in the lead of the drivers’ championship must be considered as a huge result, even with the caveat of Verstappen racing with "half a car" after being clobbered at Turn 1.

4. Alonso won Alpine the race with his masterful defence against Hamilton--

After Hamilton stopped for mediums and started lapping nearly four seconds quicker than the leaders, it looked like another fightback to victory was on the cards.

That was until Hamilton came up against old rival Alonso, who delivered a defensive masterclass that harked back to his F1 heyday, proving that he is right to the peak of his powers once again.

Vettel had been warned that Hamilton was set to catch him 10 laps from the end. Although Alonso had fresher tyres that the leading duo, it still seemed unlikely that he would be able to keep Hamilton back for very long.

It was at Turns 2-4 where Alonso really made the difference. A known trick at the Hungaroring is to use DRS exiting Turn 1, take the outside for Turn 2, keep your foot in and then you’ll have the cutback on the inside at Turn 3. Verstappen twice pulled this move on Mick Schumacher.

But Alonso was able to place his Alpine car so perfectly at Turn 2 to prevent Hamilton from getting the line he needed. The Mercedes driver had a look a couple of times at the top of the hill into Turn 4, but knew a move on the outside was too risky.

The rate at which Hamilton caught Sainz and Vettel after passing Alonso proved just how critical that 10-lap dogfight was in stopping his charge to victory. Ocon was quick to credit his team-mate’s assist, having celebrated with Alonso in parc ferme, and said for all of the fuss made about the Spaniard’s ability (or lack of) to be a team player, none of it was true.

Alonso came in clutch for Ocon and Alpine in Hungary, and gave us the kind of display that will be filling highlight reels for months to come.

5. Bottas’s Turn 1 mistake spoiled a decent run of form--

With a decision on the second Mercedes seat looming in the summer break, Valtteri Bottas could have really done with signing off from the first half of the season on a high.

Instead, he made his biggest mistake of the season so far, spoiling what has been a decent run of form for the Finn, and only cranking up the pressure from the outside further.

Bottas started poorly before misjudging the braking point into Turn 1, causing him to career into the rear of Lando Norris’s McLaren. Both Red Bulls were also caught up in the incident, leaving team boss Christian Horner understandably frustrated after the race. Bottas was apologetic and took full responsibility for causing the crash, for which he has copped a five-place grid drop for Spa.

It is an error that comes at a time when Bottas appeared to be getting in a good groove, performing at a good level for the last month or so. He was well in the fight for pole in Hungary, and would have surely been a factor in the fight for victory had it stayed dry.

Instead, he missed a big opportunity to capitalise after a clumsy error. Toto Wolff has said it will not have any bearing on the driver decision for next year, but it will have done little to help settle Bottas in a tricky season to date.

6. Williams has taken the next big step in its revival--

It wasn’t only Ocon whose success provided the feel-good vibes in Hungary as Williams finally ended its long, long wait for points.

The team’s worst qualifying of the season - a double Q1 knockout - ironically meant talk of those breakthrough points didn’t arise on Saturday as it has so frequently this year. But once Nicholas Latifi and Russell capitalised on the start drama and moved to the dizzy heights of P3 and P7 for the resumption, points always looked to be on the cards.

Latifi and Russell both drove excellent races, with P7 and P8 (after Vettel’s penalty) a fitting return after two years in the wilderness. It marked the first points since Robert Kubica’s inherited P10 at Germany 2019, and its best result since Brazil 2017.

Russell’s tears in the media pen summed up just how significant the result was for Williams. It has been through the dark times, but after slowly piecing itself back together, it finally took a big result that has been brewing for some time.

The 10-point haul means Williams sits seven clear of Alfa Romeo in the constructors’ championship now - a big gap to overcome before the season is up. Eighth in the constructors may not seem like a big deal, but for Williams, after three seasons as F1’s basement team, it would be huge.

Points was the next major landmark Williams had to reach as it continues its revival. Now, it will want to build on this, and give itself more to celebrate as momentum builds under its new ownership.

7. Red Bull needs to reset over the summer break…

A return of just five points across Silverstone and Budapest has seen Red Bull lose the lead of both championships, leaving it in need of a reset heading into the summer break.

On outright pace, Verstappen should have a healthy lead over Hamilton in the drivers’ standings, barring the incidents in the last two races and the failure in Baku that denied him a surefire victory.

But title fights are rarely a case of ‘man with fastest car wins’. There will always be setbacks, requiring drivers to dig deep and recover. The Turn 1 incident was sheer bad luck for Verstappen, but has left him with a hole to dig out of in the second half of the season.

The confidence of having the fastest car might not be quite as strong as it once was, with Mercedes appearing to make a decent step with the Silverstone update. But this still feels like Red Bull’s title to lose.

If it can come back fighting at Spa and, importantly for Verstappen, Zandvoort, then the title will again be in its hands. Champions are formed by how they deal with adversity, meaning the response to the recent disappointment will be critical to Red Bull’s season.

8. …and leave the shambles of how it handled Silverstone behind

It’s not only on-track where Red Bull has been suffering lately.

The team waged a fairly aggressive war of words with Mercedes in the wake of Verstappen and Hamilton’s crash at Silverstone, doing little to defuse things even when Mercedes tried to calm the matter.

But it ended in fairly shambolic fashion after the FIA threw out the request to review the case when Red Bull offered no new evidence, but had instead created evidence from the accident in a bid to try and fight its case.

The stewards’ note of “allegations” made by Red Bull - which were did disclosed as the matter was put to bed - also indicates the belligerence shown by the team did not stop even when it came to a formal hearing.

Mercedes was emphatic in its response, saying it hoped the ruling would put an end to Red Bull’s efforts to “tarnish” Hamilton’s name. Sadly, the boos from the orange-clad fans after both qualifying and the race in Hungary show that the damage has already been done.

Yet Red Bull has also seen its own perception and role in this title fight change. Once the underdog that could give some fresh blood to the championship and perhaps end Mercedes’ domination - an attractive proposition to the neutral fan - it has come out of this whole affair very badly.

9. The FIA’s handling of the t-shirt procedure breach seemed needless--

Vettel’s advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the Hungary race weekend was a great statement to make against the country’s discriminatory legislation.

But the decision to keep his “Same Love” rainbow t-shirt on during the national anthem saw Vettel receive a reprimand after the race, along with Bottas, Carlos Sainz Jr and Lance Stroll, who kept their We Race As One t-shirts on.

Michael Masi explained after the race that removing shirts for the national anthem had been discussed earlier in the year - probably leading to the emboldening and underlining of the instruction in the race notes - and that a reprimand was fitting given it was the lowest penalty besides a warning, “which really is not a penalty”.

While it was a procedural breach, the handling of the matter was poor, particularly given how visible Vettel had been all weekend with his statements. Surely the FIA could have pulled all four drivers aside and said, ‘chaps, by the way, can you take off the t-shirts next time?’

Vettel didn’t care though. “They can do whatever they want to me, I don’t care,” he said. “I would do it again.” All power to him for that.

10. F1’s summer break has never felt more necessary--

The summer break is always a welcome period in F1, but this year, it feels more necessary than ever.

We didn’t get a summer break last year due to the delayed start to the season. It means there has been a run of 27 races in 52 weeks - so, fairly non-stop.

The break and shutdown will finally give the paddock a chance to decompress after a hectic start to the year. While we may be entering the break on a high after such a fun race in Hungary, the fact we’re still not even halfway through the year - round 11 of (possibly) 23 - shows the need for everyone to recuperate a bit in the next three weeks.

That said, there’ll still be news bubbling away during the shutdown. Besides the Mercedes driver call, decisions on the rest of the calendar are set to be made towards the end of August, giving us a clearer view of what the season will look at from Spa onwards.

For now though, time to rest…

[Hotrodz]

Well done article!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[ZCanadian]

Good article, except that the decision to do the restart on slicks was Lewis' alone. They did't "leave him out". They likely discussed during the red flag stoppage, but I think that every other driver made their own decision on the formation lap to dive for the pits based on how quickly the track was drying out even during that lap. Of course, had another shower blown through, it would have been a remarkably different race.

Good weekend. I liked it. Sad to see Bottas waiving his career goodbye, but that's the likely outcome. His penalty will be meaningless if Red Bull have grid penalties for new engines, etc, coming up later in the season, though.

[Hotrodz]

Agreed! Bottas need to drive strong and make no mistakes the rest of the year but it may be too late.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Good article, except that the decision to do the restart on slicks was Lewis' alone. They did't "leave him out". They likely discussed during the red flag stoppage, but I think that every other driver made their own decision on the formation lap to dive for the pits based on how quickly the track was drying out even during that lap. Of course, had another shower blown through, it would have been a remarkably different race.

Good weekend. I liked it. Sad to see Bottas waiving his career goodbye, but that's the likely outcome. His penalty will be meaningless if Red Bull have grid penalties for new engines, etc, coming up later in the season, though.

Bottas has nothing to be sorry for. He races and racers in races make mistakes. Not well timed but hey, VETTEL???? Mistakes, spinning etc? Bottas has not tossed titles like Vetttel has lol!

When the top 4 cars are so close together can it be a surprise if they hit a car its one of the other top 4???? The world did not end at all. Its racing, its risk and shite happens in each race. If that is too much for RedBull then they can quit. Bottas took responsibility as a good, fair and honest racer unlike others.

How dirty was MS or Senna. Greasy dirty. This was a fun race and I could care less who was affected on a greasy wet track. Mistakes happen and its called racing.

[abm89]

I am now a Williams fanboy, but I feel like George is going to go to Merc soon so I'll probably still root for them. I already decided that he's the new young one I'll root for going forward.

I'd root for Charles but leave it to Ferrari to screw things up.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by abm89

I am now a Williams fanboy, but I feel like George is going to go to Merc soon so I'll probably still root for them. I already decided that he's the new young one I'll root for going forward.

I'd root for Charles but leave it to Ferrari to screw things up.

Norris is the Jr new guy king for me. What a racer and taking advantage of all the Mclaren can offer he is. Ricci is sound racer but Norris has that number covered. Impressive.

[Hotrodz]

I have said from the beginning of this season that Norris was the best of young drivers. He fast and has a good head on his shoulders. Russell has tons of potential but we need to see him race in mid pack or above consistently. I have always been a fan Ocon as well. The kid is another diamond in the rough.

The future of F1 is strong and it is only going to get better as the rules and teams come closer together on beginning able to have equal cars.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[abm89]

I agree Norris is an all-star. This year proved it without a doubt. I'm still siding with George. I know it's one race, but to get in a Merc that does not fit with short notice, and wipe the floor with the rest of the grid 2 times through (because remember after the first Merc screw-up he nearly won again), that was unreal. One of the most impactful "top-team debuts" I've seen since Lewis went around the outside of Alonso in 2007 in Australia. Ocon is pretty solid, but I'd have a hard time ranking him over Gasly to be honest. I guess I would rank the under-25 crowd as follows:

Max - WDC title fight against Lewis. Speaks for itself

Charles - puts the Ferrari where it shouldn't be, is also a proven race winner. limited by Ferrari's incompetence.

*Mercedes George - if he was shorter and had a purple/black helmet, no one would have thought Lewis was absent, but the key difference is experience. Lewis calls shots from the car often regarding strategy and Merc is more likely to humor him vs George. That's understandable.

Norris - Extremely consistent, becoming that guy to pick up the podium should shenanigans happen up front

Gasly - more reliable now and a good racer. the car is inconsistent though.

*Williams George - one of the best qualifiers I've seen. Finally got points but still had some key mistakes in other races. I suspect is him trying too hard sometimes.

Ocon - inconsistent performances in qualifying, but he's trending upwards after the win. His time with Alonso (the old man mentor type) is going to be invaluable.

Gio - improved noticeably but is that due to actual improvement, or Kimi's regression?

Latifi - better than most people give him credit for. doesn't make mistakes.

Mick - Big upside, watching closely

Yuki - Needs more experience. The hot-headedness doesn't bother me, but he needs to learn to channel it. The greats, especially Lewis, are good at turning that energy into blistering pace.

Maz - yeah.....

[danegrey]

Laughing a bit at RB and Ferrari and the fact they want relief because of race crashes and engine damages... Funny that these big dollar teams cannot do what a HAAS, Williams, and other back of the grid teams deal with all the time....

They want cost control and then if something happens well, it's not our fault....

[Hotrodz]

Okay, since Yuki was brought up and he should be in the thick of the conversation. It is really said that he is not. The number reason is he Japanize. I am just putting out there. This kid can drive and there has not been rookie that has accomplished as much with a mid field car or better. I know Charles the golden boy and that was in the cheater Ferrari. Yes he needs to mature just as Max did and still does. He is much like Max, he knows he is good and he wants the car to fit him and to be the best it could be. He should be placed above Latifi and Geo. Also, Ocon sat for a full year that is a lot of seat time he missed out on. I like Gasly but I am not sur I would put him above Ocon. they are about equal. Lastly I am not ready to give Russel the nod over Norris. I just need to see how mentally tough he is. Can he hold a lead under pressure, can he make a charge and not do stupid in passing or over driving the car? I don't have a problem with him getting the number two seat but as we have seen experienced or not taking the number two seat is not easy!