Damn. Charlie almost had it. Great finish.

Not a fan of simply running off and keep racing. You leave the circuit you should lose time and remember not to. I have zero issues with Jeddah. They just need to soften the walls.

The flow is amazing and we saw a nice race today. No one should be rewarded ever for leaving the circuit. Grass and kerbs should replace run off areas. There is wayyyyyyyyy too much.

Sucks how Checo's fortunes turned.

My homeboy LeClerc didn't quite net it. But so far a lot of racing to go. We'll see how long we get to have this close wheel-to-wheel at the front.

The DRS needs to Go!!!!:tup:

Leclerc: F1 2022 races would be "very boring" without DRS
Formula 1 races would be "very boring" if DRS was taken away, reckons world championship leader Charles Leclerc.
Jonathan Noble
By:
Jonathan Noble
Mar 28, 2022, 4:49 AM

The fight for victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix between the Monegasque driver and Max Verstappen was swung by the effectiveness of DRS.

As well as it setting up some cat-and-mouse games between Leclerc and Verstappen at the DRS detection zone before the final corner – as they each tried to trick the other in to being ahead – the overtaking aid proved critical in most of the overtakes in the race.


While there had been some hope that the F1 2022 rules overhaul would allow good racing without such reliance on DRS, drivers feel that it still an absolute must.

Leclerc, who finished second behind Verstappen at Jeddah, reckoned without it, there would not be much action right now.

“I think DRS needs to stay for now, otherwise the races would be very boring,” he said.

“As much as following has been better from last year to this year, and it's a very positive step, I still think it's not enough to get rid of the DRS.

“It's part of it and I actually quite enjoy it. It's part of the strategy for each driver in terms of defending and overtaking, and it's part of racing for now.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, battle for the lead


Saudi GP winner Max Verstappen reckoned that DRS provided him with the only means of being able to get past Leclerc for the win.

“If I didn't have DRS today I would have never passed,” he said after the race. “I think we are still too sensitive for that. And of course, some tracks are easier to pass than others. But for me at the moment, if DRS wouldn't be there, I would have been second today.”

While the switch to ground effect cars was aimed at making the racing better, drivers still feel there are elements of the rules package that hold them back when it comes to battles.

Verstappen added: “I think the cars are better to follow, it just depends on the tyre. Like the hard tyre was capable of following closer, the other compounds – and this depends on the track – but they just fall apart. As soon as you follow for a few laps, they just open up.

“Also the weight of the car pushes you over the tyre edge. So, this is something we need to look at for the future.”


Carlos Sainz Jr reckons, however, that maybe the effectiveness of DRS could be looked at – as the boost from it was quite strong in Saudi Arabia.

“Without DRS, it is almost impossible to overtake nowadays,” he said. “What it has improved is the predictability of the car in following and it's given us a much more predictable balance, and the ability to stay closer through the corners.

“But without those three or four tenths that DRS gives you in each straight, it would be impossible to pass - also because the slipstream is lower than last year.

“We might need to consider making the DRS effect a tiny bit lower though, just so we don't have the delta states that we see nowadays, that some overtakes are maybe a bit too easy.”

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/le...t-drs/9392610/

That's how penalties are supposed to work. But as the key word says, "supposed to" so who knows as the FIA sucks at enforcing rules. I find it odd video games do a better job of policing track limits than the FIA. A simple solution is to use sensors to detect when a car has all four wheels off track. Once that's done, they can flag the car and penalize them via a "penalty box" type system on the main straight where they have to pull offline and be forced to slow down via the standardized ECU or deny the driver access to ERS systems for a lap. The amount of time with reduced power can be a certain percentage of time spent off the track. Obviously the FIA can override this should someone get pushed off the track.

Again, a rough draft, but seriously why have they not bothered with this? Also, Jeddah is a purposely built track that finished in 2021. Why not use the energy absorbent barriers to start with? They knew exactly what they were doing creating a race that would cause red-flags. It's a trash circuit.

They should adopt the push for pass concept like Indy Car.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Jeddah Corniche is a temporary street circuit. This was, AFAIK, its last F1 race.

Assuming F1 returns to Saudi Arabia in 2023, it will be at a different (purpose built, road course) track that is still under construction in Qiddiya.

EDIT: I read one report that Jeddah Corniche may be extended for another year or three based on Qiddiya not being ready - don't know how much weight to put on that.
F1 has a 15 year deal with the Kingdom, so I think that all of the posturing of drivers, saying "maybe we shouldn't be racing here" was a bit naive. There are a lot of places that would qualify for that comment!

watched the race and it was enjoyable.
-- Alpine drivers racing with each other
-- Hamilton drive from the back (Thou he partly responsible for the pit mix up)
-- KM Haas drive to score points again
-- The fight for the lead, enjoyable - but I could do without Max comments of possible violations (come on Max, just drive)
-- DRS zones a bit of a joke here, and the games that went on with it...
-- Bottas good to see that he has a half way decent car

Queen Latifi does what he is known for again...
change someone else's race result. Every race, he's in a wreck.

Torpedo a barrier....his automatic response on comms
"I don't know what happened". He is so bad and has to go. Williams you need to wake up.

https://f1i.com/images/436919-monaco...ull-swing.html


Monaco build-up now in full swing

Although I wish it were an all-the-way decent car - at least capable of finishing.
Anyone hear why the retirement?

cooling issue to force his retirement.

Idiot Horner wants easier passing for Max LOL. Too bad he had to work so hard. Shut up and race. Funk off - complaints are 99% of his press words.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ho...games/9450256/

Horner: F1 should look into DRS placement after Saudi GP 'cat and mouse games'

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes Formula 1 should look at the placement DRS detection lines in order to avoid the "cat and mouse games" seen in Jeddah.

Realising the power of the DRS on Jeddah's long city streets, Leclerc purposefully started easing off the throttle well before the last corner, forcing Verstappen to overshoot ahead of the DRS detection line. That meant Leclerc would get the DRS advantage on the following main straight, easily enabling him to retake the lead.


Verstappen quickly caught on to the Monegasque's tactics and at his next attempt the Dutchman locked up his tyres trying to stay behind Leclerc ahead of the final hairpin, both drivers actively seeking to avoid being in the lead.

With four laps to go Verstappen finally passed Leclerc to win the race after what he called "playing smart tricks", with Leclerc admitting he was "half throttle trying for Max to overtake me and for me to have the DRS".

"It worked once and then the second time, he understood so he braked very early and then there was a bit of a mess, but I think it was it was fun," he added.

While their duel was entertaining to watch and both protagonists saw no issue with it, questions were asked about whether drivers deliberately trying to avoid overtaking each other is the type of racing that F1 should encourage.


When asked by Autosport if the DRS games being played were getting silly, Red Bull F1 chief Horner acknowledged that F1 should look into where the DRS detection lines are drawn to avoid "a game of cat and mouse".

"The DRS is so powerful you could see that there was a game of cat and mouse going on between the drivers, where they'd actually brake to a point that they actually accelerated into the corner," Horner said.

"I think maybe we should look at where that DRS detection zone is for future years. You definitely want to avoid being in that situation."

Maybe F1 should look into the games played by Red Bull's lead driver behind the safety car, too!

If it weren't for Charles being a decent guy, one touch of the brake pedal would have had Max pass under the double waived yellows and get at least a 5 second penalty.

Honestly, Max played the same game with Lewis in Abu Dhabi and I'm still amazed that Lewis didn't brake really hard when the Red Bull was right along side.