[Multi21]

Spa's my favorite track as well on the sim and would love to drive it and attend an F1 race there some day. Rarely do you see a "boring" race at Spa given the unpredictable weather coupled with the many opportunities to complete a successfully pass on opponents. Sadly, I haven't watched it yet as I was warned it was nearly as boring as the Spanish GP.

[Scott at Team Harco]

OK - that was different. Alpha Baloney wins. McLaren 2nd and 4th. Pink Mercedes 3rd. Mercedes 5th and 7th. Too bad for Hammy - it sure makes for a better race if he isn't running away with it...

Renault (6th and 8th) are now ahead of Ferrari. How far they have fallen.

Alpha Baloney is only 10 points behind Ferrari.

[David993S]

Great to see a different group on the podium. Man, Ferrari can't catch a break - not that it matters much with their cars this year. Glad Leclerc was OK.

[SeanR]

What a race that was, twists and turns and an unusual podium.

Now for the newest news. Seb to Aston Martin next year, Cheko is out. If it wasn't for Strolls billions, any other team would need Cheko for the money he brings with him. Wonder if Alpha Romeo will pick him up and force Kimi in to retirement. Should be an interesting couple of years in the drivers market. Any bets if Seb crashes and burns at AM?

[Multi21]

I've enjoyed Mugello as a MotoGP track for years and know that F1 has used the track in the past only for testing.... BUT WOW!!! What a track for F1!! A full half minute faster per lap than MotoGP bikes?? Incredible. Lot's of action, gravel traps as track limits, simply old school entertainment! Loved every minute of it.

I often wonder what Max could have done in these past two crazy races with SC periods and red flags had his engine not given up on him both races... Certainly an equalizing factor against the almighty Mercedes duo.

It was wonderful seeing Michael Schumacher's Ferrari F2004 championship winning car driven by his son Mick wearing Michael's helmet. The sight of that iconic car with that screaming V10 engine gave me goose bumps! Don't look now but Mick is leading the F2 championship. I didn't know if he had the ability to reach F1, but have to believe he'll be given a fair shot at a test at the end of the season.

[Luigi Vampa]

Mugello was interesting only because it was a total shit show. There was some good racing here and there and I enjoyed the track but the number of retirements was staggering.

[Multi21]

Mugello was interesting only because it was a total shit show. There was some good racing here and there and I enjoyed the track but the number of retirements was staggering.

One can hardly blame the track for that. Max got a great jump and then quickly lost power which caught those behind him flat footed. The late restart by Bottas caught people sleeping. Almost looked like a NASCAR race at one point.

[SeanR]

Was a fun race and watched it twice yesterday while doing house work. Yea, it was a total shit show for sure but I suppose that made it more enjoyable to watch. Too bad we won't be racing there again next weekend and then going to Sochi. I've been enjoying the double headers like earlier in the year.

Charles sure got a nice restart but knew the F-car was just going to fade back to the back of the pack in short order. Seb getting raced by the Williams was glorious, wish Russel would have been able to take him at the end.

[David993S]

Another interesting race in Tuscany this past weekend, but for not-so-good reasons. I've never seen two red flag conditions in a Grand Prix before.

[Luigi Vampa]

Mugello was interesting only because it was a total shit show. There was some good racing here and there and I enjoyed the track but the number of retirements was staggering.

I agree - my post was not clear. Mugello was a very interesting track but the most interesting thing about the race was that it was a shit show.

One can hardly blame the track for that. Max got a great jump and then quickly lost power which caught those behind him flat footed. The late restart by Bottas caught people sleeping. Almost looked like a NASCAR race at one point.

[TRAKCAR]

Anyone been to Portimao?

[Scott at Team Harco]

That had the makings of a great race. After the first few laps, it kind of fizzled out. Although there was a lot of good side-by-side racing mid-pack. All it needed was a bit more rain.

Nice placements by the guys in 4th - 8th. Bad luck for the pink Mercedes. Except maybe Stroll... most of his was self-inflicted.

I was impressed with the track. Looked very interesting. The pit exit , though, is horrible. It should be moved to a couple of turns later, so the exit isn't right into the apex of the fastest turn on the track.

[David993S]

I'm not going to post my cry baby Hamilton pic. Amazing accomplishment to surpass Schumacher's 91 GP wins. No denying the talent, but I still don't like Hamilton.

[SeanR]

Wasn't a bad race at all and Hamilton winning by over 25 seconds was a hell of a job for him. The guy is a legend for sure. I wish Mercedes had let Bottas put the softs on and see what would happen.

The first 1/2 the race was really entertaining. Kimi's start was phenomenal, 16th to 7th? I think it was. The Ferrari engine just does not have the power but seeing Charles doing as well as he has with it, and Seb sucking so bad does have to say something about the state of the F-cars.

Force India/Racing Point/Aston Martin sure had a crappy day but Perez came back really well, McLaren's sure looked good off the start. Overall, a fun race to watch.

[SeanR]

Did any of you guys see the Tweet from Mercedes to Max about him testing a Merc car? All he has to do is say he wants to. lol


Oh, the Sky Sports pre-race show is always fun to watch. I was busting up laughing when they had the 4 youngins on a zoom meeting answering questions. I think Russel really hates the fact he's not scored a single point.

[SeanR]

Thought this was in the Diner, never make it down to the track day area since my track days are long gone. Anyway.

image.png

[Multi21]

Did any of you guys see the Tweet from Mercedes to Max about him testing a Merc car? All he has to do is say he wants to. lol


Oh, the Sky Sports pre-race show is always fun to watch. I was busting up laughing when they had the 4 youngins on a zoom meeting answering questions. I think Russel really hates the fact he's not scored a single point.

Didn't see the tweet, but did see that Max said that anyone on the grid could win races in the Mercedes. Then I saw a Q&A with Hamilton and Max before the race a couple weeks ago and Max said he'd love to swap cars with Lewis to see what would happen. Hamilton brushed it off, but I think Max is getting under Lewis' skin with all the comments and insinuations that the car is clearly the best in F1 history and basically diminishing Lewis' accomplishments.

IMO, besides being the World Champion of D bags, Hamilton is incredibly consistent and knows how to manage a set of tires. Beyond that, he's also incredibly overrated. He's always had the best car with the exception of the 4 years of Vettel/RBR dominance and there is where he finished 4th on 3 occasions and 5th on another, but yet, Jenson finished 2nd just behind Vettel, so technically, the McLaren was competitive, but not the best.

Personally, I think Max has matured so much in the 5 years he's been in F1 and done so much with not the best package (winning 9 races and countless podiums) in a car that's been 5th fastest behind the Merc's and Ferrari's until this season, that if given the chance in the Mercedes, he'd be virtually unstoppable.

[SeanR]

Can't argue a single point you made. Norris made a comment like that and had to go back and explain himself because it pissed off the sensitive types. Any of the guys on the grid could do well in a Mercedes the past few years. But Hamilton, as much of a Dbag as he is, is a damn good driver and seems to be able to work around whatever bad points the car has. I'd love to see the entire grid in equal cars, for a few weekends, just to see how good some of these guys are.

[David993S]

Turkish GP qualifying.........Lance Stroll on Pole! Max 2nd. Perez 3rd.
Nice to see different drivers/teams up front.





And down in 6th............


EDIT: From 6th to 1st. 7 World Championships. Gotta hand it to him. But also best car and team.

[Scott at Team Harco]

That could have been an epic race. I was disappointed. Max should have won it. He was too impatient. It was fun having the Pink Mercedes at the front, but little Lance ran too long on his inters. Nice result for Perez. He really deserves a ride next year.

The biggest surprise had to be Ferrari. They can't contend on speed, but their patience paid off in this one.

Congrats to Hammy - but I really would have liked to see a different winner in this race. His championship has not been in doubt since the middle of the season.

[SeanR]

I enjoyed this one because of the unpredictability throughout. Not a surprise that Ham figured out how to make the tires work, he seems to do that a lot. Poor Charles though, he was pissed at himself.

Paddock Pass is up.

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2020/ ... _Prix.html

[SeanR]

Been binge watching 2010 to 2013 and right now watching the 2013 German grand prix and the racing was so much better back then compared to today. The one that I really feel for is Romain Gro as he was damn fast in the lotus and getting stuck in a non-developing Hass has really hurt him. If you can watch the earlier races, it really is fun to do.

[SeanR]

With Hamilton coming down with Covid, wouldn't it be great for Hulkinberg to get the substitute drive and his first podium.

[Scott at Team Harco]

With Hamilton coming down with Covid, wouldn't it be great for Hulkinberg to get the substitute drive and his first podium.

What? Link?

Never mind. Not hard to find...

This should be the best race of the year...

[SeanR]

George Russell got the seat to replace Hammy. Mick and Mazepan are signed for Hass. Romain released from the hospital and wants to drive this weekend. Big week so far, should be a fun race to watch.

[Scott at Team Harco]

I was just about to report that 'Jack' Russell will get the ride of a lifetime. This should be good fun.

Russell shouldn't have to worry about battling it out with Vettel for 12th place...

[SeanR]

So FP1 worked out well for Russel, P1 with Bottas in P4. FP2 should also be fun to watch. With 54 second laps, I wonder how many laps they will be running Sunday.

[Scott at Team Harco]

So FP1 worked out well for Russel, P1 with Bottas in P4. FP2 should also be fun to watch. With 54 second laps, I wonder how many laps they will be running Sunday.

Little George has done well for himself. Fastest in the first two practice sessions (Bottas exceeded track limits on his fastest times). Let's see how this holds for the weekend. A podium would be amazing. A victory, and Mercedes might not renew Hammy's contract...

[worf]

... and Mercedes might not renew Hammy's contract...

This would not cause me to shed tears. LH has allowed his success to go to his head. In 2007 he was a likable, respectable kid making good on his dream. Now... not so much.

[Scott at Team Harco]

... and Mercedes might not renew Hammy's contract...

This would not cause me to shed tears. LH has allowed his success to go to his head. In 2007 he was a likable, respectable kid making good on his dream. Now... not so much.

You can't deny the talent. The rest of the act has gotten old.

[David993S]

... and Mercedes might not renew Hammy's contract...

This would not cause me to shed tears. LH has allowed his success to go to his head. In 2007 he was a likable, respectable kid making good on his dream. Now... not so much.

You can't deny the talent. The rest of the act has gotten old.

Since I'm not a Hamilton fan, I'll say perhaps one can now question the talent....to some degree. Look at Russell's performance in the Merc. 25/100th off Bottas' qualifying time. I'm not saying Hamilton isn't talented - he is. But I think the car has much more to do with it than most think. If you put any of the top 6 or 7 drivers in the Merc, they too would be on the front row. Regardless, I'm looking forward to a good race with a different podium.

Hell, put that blow hard lib idiot over on RL (I forget his name) in the Merc and you know he'd be on pole.

[Scott at Team Harco]

This would not cause me to shed tears. LH has allowed his success to go to his head. In 2007 he was a likable, respectable kid making good on his dream. Now... not so much.

You can't deny the talent. The rest of the act has gotten old.

Since I'm not a Hamilton fan, I'll say perhaps one can now question the talent....to some degree. Look at Russell's performance in the Merc. 25/100th off Bottas' qualifying time. I'm not saying Hamilton isn't talented - he is. But I think the car has much more to do with it than most think. If you put any of the top 6 or 7 drivers in the Merc, they too would be on the front row. Regardless, I'm looking forward to a good race with a different podium.

Hell, put that blow hard lib idiot over on RL (I forget his name) in the Merc and you know he'd be on pole.

Absolutely - the car is the biggest factor. Let's not get ready to knight Sir George just yet. A few championships in F1, and then we can talk about it.

Being in the right place at the right time (equipment and team), has always been the key to success. Actually executing, with talent and perseverance, has been the hallmark of champions. There are very few that have won races, let alone championships, with inferior cars.

All said, I'd be very happy to see these two trade seats for a season...

[SeanR]

Here's a pretty good video mockup of the crash.

[Gator_86_951]

This weekend's adventure definitely goes to show you how good that Mercedes is, and how much a joke the current competitive environment is. Russel goes from the shittyest of shitboxes on the grid to nearly taking poll away from a guy who has been in the car for years? And, nearly wins?

2022 can't come fast enough.

[Scott at Team Harco]

I can't think of the last time I had a big smile on my face after an F1 race. I was rooting for Russell, but with the guys that finished in the top 6, it was a breath of fresh air.

Big win for Checo. I wish he had a shot at Albon's seat.

We need more bad luck for Mercedes. What a cluster that double-stack pit stop turned out to be. They should just get a 10-grid place penalty at every race.

[Gator_86_951]

Agree Scott. Was super cool to see Checo get a win for sure.

I just find it hilarious that Russel went from a complete shitbox to leading a GP. I am not sure he even knew were all the buttons were. I am not sure that does anything other than question all this "sport" we have been seeing from Bottas and Hamilton going on for years now. What a joke.

Hopefully 2022 brings some better racing. At least we had a good show today.

[SeanR]

image.png

Thought it was a fantastic race to watch and was really pulling for a Russell win, nothing like losing the race twice in as many laps. That puncture just sucked for him.

[David993S]

^^ Do you get the impression he'd rather be a Rapper than an F1 driver?

[SeanR]

Nah, I've got a good amount of respect for Hamilton but like all athletes I don't agree with everything they do.

Looks like he's going to be back for this race and Russell is back at Williams.

[Scott at Team Harco]

Nah, I've got a good amount of respect for Hamilton but like all athletes I don't agree with everything they do.

Looks like he's going to be back for this race and Russell is back at Williams.

Yep - back to boring, predictable, race results.

[Gator_86_951]

Nah, I've got a good amount of respect for Hamilton but like all athletes I don't agree with everything they do.

Looks like he's going to be back for this race and Russell is back at Williams.

Yep - back to boring, predictable, race results.

Max on pole. But I am sure Mercedes will manage not to screw something up, which is a low standard to get the same result we always get.

[linderpat]

it is going to be a good one. Here's rooting for Max VS!

[David993S]

Great win for Max. I hope Merc (i.e. Hamilton) doesn't dominate next year.

[SeanR]

Relatively boring race this time, good on Max for his performance and Albon for finishing in 4th. Great result for McLaren and with the news of new $$ coming in from America things could be real fun next year. Boy, do the Scuderia suck right now.

Overall, a fun season to watch considering how it began.

[linderpat]

yeah kind of a sleeper but was happy for Max's first and Red Bull.

[Multi21]

Late to the party and MIA but really liked the fact that a driver who has 2 FULL years in F1 and hasn't scored a single point jumps into Lewis' car and nearly puts it on pole and then was comfortably leading the race until all hell broke loose. George Russell may be a good driver, but we'd never know it because he's only managed to beat Robert Kubica in 2019 who was out of F1 for the better part of a decade and was literally driving with 1 arm. In 2020, Russell had to beat the highest bidder for the 2nd Williams seat and someone no one had never heard of before and no one can currently pick out of a line up despite being in F1 for a year.

Fast forward to Sakhir and you have Russell who is too tall for the car, thus the RAM air affect into the engine is affected, he has to wear a size 10 shoe instead of a size 11 he needs, is all bruised because the cockpit is made for smaller jockeys like Hamilton and Bottas, managed to push the wrong buttons on the steering wheel during qualifying and managed to not deactivate a setting after his first pit stop which robbed him of power, made 2 extra pits stops and still got fastest lap and 3 total points!! The biggest loser in all that was Bottas followed closely by Hamilton....

No wonder Lewis was so keen to step back into his car after seeing young George not only match what he usually does against Bottas, but brought a new excitement that has been missing in F1.

I'll give Lewis the benefit that he knows how to manage the tires and is really good at passing people with the fastest car in F1 history.... aside from that, all 20 drivers on the F1 grid would win races in the Mercedes and some in F2 as well. Beyond just winning races, there's about 4 driver's I would bet the farm that would beat Lewis on the same team and another 4 that would be a "pick em" between them and LH to win the championship and another 10 of so that would not beat him including Bottas, Stroll, Grosjean, Letifi, etc. All that being said, talk of being the greatest ever is no longer on anyone's lips after that weekend. Can you imagine Hamilton in the same car with Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Lauda? I don't think he'd stand a chance.

Hamilton has had the benefit of entering F1 with the fastest car in 2007 and aside from the 4 years Vettel won with Red Bull, has had the opportunity to continue to be in the best or one of the best cars. In those 4 years of RB championships, Hamilton finished 4th in the championship on three different occasions and 5th in one year where his teammate at McLaren finished 2nd behind Vettel.... That's all I need to know about Hamilton's "greatness"...

[SeanR]

This is greatness.

[SeanR]

In todays not so shocking news. Perez to RBR. Albon to reserve driver.

[Gator_86_951]

Glad to see Checo in a seat next year. Albon won't be raced so hard for a little while ( ). OK, that was mean.

[Scott at Team Harco]

In todays not so shocking news. Perez to RBR. Albon to reserve driver.

Good move by Red Bull.