Formula 1, 2020

[EddieB]

So, would George have won that in a Mercedes?

 

(Rehearsing the stock comment for 2021).

[Jonboy]

Was it just me that got the feeling Bottas was playing safe to secure 2nd in drivers championship, rather than pushing for the race win today?

[black and decker boy]

45 minutes ago, Jonboy said:

Was it just me that got the feeling Bottas was playing safe to secure 2nd in drivers championship, rather than pushing for the race win today?

After last weekend and with their MGU apparently wounded plus Lewis still under the weather, I think the whole team were playing it safe to make sure Bottas got 2nd place in the championship and both cars finished.  

[Oldddudders]

46 minutes ago, Jonboy said:

Was it just me that got the feeling Bottas was playing safe to secure 2nd in drivers championship, rather than pushing for the race win today?

Not sure, but Merc had apparently turned the wick down to protect the MGU(K). I can see the sense in doing that on Bottas's car, so he got the points - but why on Lewis's? 

 

I think Lewis has come back too soon. Negative tests, sure, but still a bit brain-fogged, as is often the case after flu, let alone Covid. His drive was lacklustre by his own standards. 

[StuAllen]

Thought Lewis looked broken on the podium, and in the interviews afterwards. Think he’s still not firing on all cylinders. But he’s a racer, and was the last race of the season - he wasn’t going to miss it.

 

Just found this comparison- https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/12159389/fernando-alonso-renault-2005-v10-vs-renault-2020-v6 2005 v10 compared to 2020 v6. Think the modern cars look so much wider, but the v10 sounds good.

[Andrew P]

Yes a boring race, and Yes Lewis came back to soon, he looked washed out afterwards, it's a good job it wasn't a repeat of 2016 and the Championship resting on the last Race.

 

You have to feel for Perez today, although he would not have passed Albon today, and Albon deserved that 4th place, but I think the Management will look at the whole season, and considering Perez missed two Races due to Covid, and has had 2 DNF's in the last 3 Races due to Engines he still out scored Albon.

 

Both Stroll and Vettel had lack lustre performances, although The Vet did better than usual.

 

Despite what Alonso said today, he is disruptive in a Team.

 

Also looks like Coultard, Jones and Webber may have a No 1 Christmas Single so there is life after F1.

 

[newbryford]

7 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

I'm trying to tempt fate here with a lap to go but what a borefest, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

6 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

It worked, Ocon passed Stroll on the last lap

 

And Danny Ric's fastest lap.

After CH had congratulated Max on a Grand Slam (pole/start to finish lead/fastest lap)

 

A nice sign off from Danny to Renault

Edited December 13, 2020 by newbryford

[Pete the Elaner]

3 hours ago, Jonboy said:

Was it just me that got the feeling Bottas was playing safe to secure 2nd in drivers championship, rather than pushing for the race win today?

 

He would have looked a right prick if he had thrown away 2nd by pushing too hard. He only needed 2nd & a clean race. I wonder if Hamilton settled for the role of rear gunner today?

 

Horner said at a previous race that RB hoped to be closer or level to Merc next year, but Merc seem have done the same as in the past: switched to next year once they have got what they could from this season.

They claim that they duped RB in 2013 by putting effort in to win the first race after the summer break after they had decided to switch focus to the 2014 hybrid. RB kept developing their car until the end of the season & got swept away in 2014.

RB took updates for this race, so they have still been putting effort into their 2020 car.

[Hroth]

An underwhelming race, with a consolation Christmas present for Verstappen.

 

Completely agree that Hamilton returned to racing too soon after his brush with Covid, the best construct I could put on it was that he was there to protect Bottas so that Mercedes got the 1-2 in the Drivers Championship after the farce of last weeks race.

 

[Zomboid]

10 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

RB took updates for this race, so they have still been putting effort into their 2020 car.

It depends what MB have up their sleeves, but RB at least have some race experience of parts which ought to help them with next year's car.

 

Though you'd be a to say that it gives them a decisive advantage, or indeed any advantage at all given the history with MB. This off-season being compressed will have an impact on everyone's developments.

 

I really hope that the RB (or almost anyone else's car, just not Ferarri) is capable of properly taking the fight to Mercedes all season next year.

[LNERandBR]

Well, Merc proved they can still do a double stack pitstop 

 

I bet it was a relief for the pit crew once they'd completed it.

[PaulRhB]

Well it ended on a bit of a tepid note compared to the drama of a few recent races but glad Max showed RB are nearly there. I guess the MB choice to turn down to save the mgu helped a bit but it shows it’s that close now. The only downside is the best of the rest are the ones without an engine in 12 months time! Enjoyed Lando & Carlos grabbing third for McLaren, that should make things easier sponsor wise and shows the changes have worked. If they can build on it like MB did it will be good, I wonder if they have followed a similar internal team ethos seeing how well it’s worked so quickly? 

[Zomboid]

Hopefully Williams will start making progress back towards midfield. We know they've got at least one decent driver for next year.

[PaulRhB]

1 hour ago, LNERandBR said:

Well, Merc proved they can still do a double stack pitstop 

 

I bet it was a relief for the pit crew once they'd completed it.

Toto said it was radio system failure rather than people though so I doubt the crew were under any more pressure than usual. From what he said there’s a default setting where the driver overrides everything else and lost the pit wall message as George called in. 
MB have learnt why the military and railway use repeat backs and over / out after messages to confirm understanding  

 

 

[rocor]

48 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

Hopefully Williams will start making progress back towards midfield. We know they've got at least one decent driver for next year.

 

With the requirement to carry over this years chassis to 2021, there is not a great deal of scope for Williams to improve the performance of their car. Maybe the maximum potential that can be realised from their one decent driver, would be to allow another team to buy him out of his contract for next year.

[woodenhead]

15 minutes ago, rocor said:

 

With the requirement to carry over this years chassis to 2021, there is not a great deal of scope for Williams to improve the performance of their car. Maybe the maximum potential that can be realised from their one decent driver, would be to allow another team to buy him out of his contract for next year.

It's a little more complicated than that, Mercedes stopped developing their 2020 car in the middle of the summer to concentrate on the 2021 car - using tokens they can make all sorts of changes to engines, gearboxes and the chassis.  There are aero changes required as well which need development.  

 

Whilst superficially everything stands still in 2021, in reality there are plenty of opportunities to develop the car.

[Pete the Elaner]

48 minutes ago, rocor said:

 

With the requirement to carry over this years chassis to 2021, there is not a great deal of scope for Williams to improve the performance of their car. Maybe the maximum potential that can be realised from their one decent driver, would be to allow another team to buy him out of his contract for next year.

 

That's a little harsh on Latifi. Many were touting Russell as amazing after last week so he should surely be stuffing any team-mate all the time?

Latifi has come closer to scoring a point for Williams this year & he could be a lot more competitive in a different car.

[Jonboy]

It’s going to be interesting for McLaren, apparently they have had to restrict their rear development to “essential changes “ for fitting in the new Merc engine for 2021, and not performance gains. Other teams have the normal array of tokens for the components.

 

will they keep third place next year I wonder?

[Pete the Elaner]

Just now, Jonboy said:

It’s going to be interesting for McLaren, apparently they have had to restrict their rear development to “essential changes “ for fitting in the new Merc engine for 2021, and not performance gains. Other teams have the normal array of tokens for the components.

 

will they keep third place next year I wonder?

 

They can do a lot of things as long as they can justify it as an essential change. Most things on the rear mount to the engine. If the rear wing doesn't fit, then they have licence to make changes to it.

 

The infamous Brabham fan car was a good example. The fan was for downforce but it would never have been allowed just for that....

If it was a part of the cooling system, then this could be classed as its 'primary function'...so it was made an integral part of the cooling system & the authorities were forced to allow it. It was later abandoned by an agreement by all teams, not by rules.

 

[rocor]

6 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

That's a little harsh on Latifi. Many were touting Russell as amazing after last week so he should surely be stuffing any team-mate all the time?

Latifi has come closer to scoring a point for Williams this year & he could be a lot more competitive in a different car.

 

My comment was not intended to show any disrespect to Nicholas Latifi, just to indicate that George Russell's stock is particularly high at the present time, after his drive for Mercedes in the Sakhir Grand Prix.

[Andrew P]

Just a thought, Daniel Kyvatt has not been re signed for  next year, and so I wonder if Marko and Co will offer Perez that seat on the promise that if Alex fails to perform, they will be swapped over.

[Zomboid]

Just as it's hard to know exactly what to make of Russell based on what he's done in the Williams, just about the only conclusion that you can come to on Latifi is that he's not as good as Russell (at least he wasn't in 2020). And as it turns out Russell looks like he has the potential to challenge for titles.

 

Latifi did win races and finish 2nd in the Formula 2 championship though, so he's probably a pretty good racing driver at the very least.

[EddieB]

Latest news is that there are going to be four separate driver championships in the 2021 season:

 

1. Sons/relatives of former drivers (Verstappen, Sainz, Fitipaldi, Schumacher)

2. Sons of billionaires (Stroll, Latifi, Mazepin)

3. Ex-champions/Superannuated Old Farts (Vettel, Raikkonen, Alonso)

4. The rest (the other half of the field).

[Andrew P]

Points make prizes, how the drivers are rated.

https://www.givemesport.com/1627505-hamilton-verstappen-vettel-ranking-every-formula-1-driver-from-the-2020-season

Edited December 14, 2020 by Andrew P

[Darius43]

11 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

Points make prizes, how the drivers are rated.

https://www.givemesport.com/1627505-hamilton-verstappen-vettel-ranking-every-formula-1-driver-from-the-2020-season

 

I don’t think the author would score very highly if this effort was being marked by professional sports reporters, i.e. not his peers.

 

Awarding George Russell only two stars for not scoring enough points in the Sakhir GP is nothing short of stupidity.

 

Darius