Look, I understand there is a GP in the UAE, and I understand it is at Abu Dhabi.
Equally I understand that some of the infrastructure cannot be changed, but certainly within the confines of what exists, they must be able to reshape some corners?
Last edited by Antonov3 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
Congrats to Verstappen on a perfectly boring, not hard-earned win.
Driver of the race: Ricciardo
Highlights of the race: Ocon passing Stroll for 9th...knocking Stroll down to 11th in the driver standings.
Bad race: Stroll, and it was really bad at a time that it counted. Multiple errors, no consistency, he had a good car but definitely did not get the most out of it. Shame Perez dropped out. He was the only interesting drive going on. In the end, Tracing Point would have been 3rd in the championship if they had two strong drivers. This will haunt them next year also.
Ruslan wrote: ↑3 years ago
Congrats to Verstappen on a perfectly boring, not hard-earned win.
Driver of the race: Ricciardo
Highlights of the race: Ocon passing Stroll for 9th...knocking Stroll down to 11th in the driver standings.
Bad race: Stroll, and it was really bad at a time that it counted. Multiple errors, no consistency, he had a good car but definitely did not get the most out of it. Shame Perez dropped out. He was the only interesting drive going on. In the end, Tracing Point would have been 3rd in the championship if they had two strong drivers. This will haunt them next year also.
I totally agree.
Since there was not much going on the interesting bit was looking at the different driving styles. I'd say that Verstappen is the cleanest. It was also intersting to look at how differently the Ferrari drivers commit to a corner (and why Vettel likes a compliant car with a good turn in and a stable rear end). I think that Vettel, who has a driving style not too unlikely to Verstappen, would do very well at RBR, the Racing Points look a bit more neutral in terms of setting so I wonder if he'll perform as well as he could do given the right circumstances. Talking of the Racing Points, Stroll... I'm sure that he can drive, maybe not sensationally well but he has some sort of talent, the problem is that he cannot use it. To me it looks as if he can't set up his car (I still remember what he did while at Williams... utterly terrifying), he can't fight with other drivers, he doesn't think strategically, he can't read the race, he can't defend, he can't look after his tyres, basically he doesn't strike me as the smartest guy on track.
Talking of drivers I think that both Gasly as well as Kvyat deserve a better chance, IMHO they are both very good drivers from a purely technical point of view
Antonov wrote: ↑3 years ago
Look, I understand there is a GP in the UAE, and I understand it is at Abu Dhabi.
Equally I understand that some of the infrastructure cannot be changed, but certainly within the confines of what exists, they must be able to reshape some corners?
The big problem is the last few corners, maybe the last eight turns or so. And unfortunately as they go around a marina and a hotel, they're hard to fix.
Turns 1 to 13 aren't too bad. The back end just needs streamlining. Imaging if they dug a tunnel from turn 13 to the pit straight, made it fast with a nice sweeping corner through it. Sounds gimmicky enough for the UAE and it would improve the hell outta the layout imo.
Doubtful. A man can dream, though. A man can dream.
Guess the pole champion 2014
Guess the pole champion 2015
Guess the pole accuracy champion 2015
jimclark wrote: ↑3 years ago
What was with the garbaaage pre-race Norris/Sainz space filler???
Eh?
During the 1 1/2 hour pre-race show, there was a bit of about 10 mins. where Sky had Sainz and Norris strolling through the paddock together,
attempting to be entertaining. They were not very.....
Antonov wrote: ↑3 years agoLook, I understand there is a GP in the UAE, and I understand it is at Abu Dhabi.
Equally I understand that some of the infrastructure cannot be changed, but certainly within the confines of what exists, they must be able to reshape some corners?
Most of the circuits these days are a bore. No character......cookie cutter, billiard table flat and smooth.
And what's with the silly "track limits" determined by a line painted on the pavement? (of course I can appreciate not short-cutting the inside of corners)
This is supposed to be auto racing for cripes sake; specifically, road racing, not hopscotch....
Back when racing was real, if you weren't at least kicking up dirt and grass off the tarmac on corners' exits, you were not attempting or turning a hot lap.
Exceeding "track limits" was defined by the inability to complete the lap because you were off and out, period........
Those were the days my friends, we thought they'd never end.....
Since there was not much going on the interesting bit was looking at the different driving styles. I'd say that Verstappen is the cleanest. It was also intersting to look at how differently the Ferrari drivers commit to a corner (and why Vettel likes a compliant car with a good turn in and a stable rear end). I think that Vettel, who has a driving style not too unlikely to Verstappen, would do very well at RBR, the Racing Points look a bit more neutral in terms of setting so I wonder if he'll perform as well as he could do given the right circumstances. Talking of the Racing Points, Stroll... I'm sure that he can drive, maybe not sensationally well but he has some sort of talent, the problem is that he cannot use it. To me it looks as if he can't set up his car (I still remember what he did while at Williams... utterly terrifying), he can't fight with other drivers, he doesn't think strategically, he can't read the race, he can't defend, he can't look after his tyres, basically he doesn't strike me as the smartest guy on track.
Talking of drivers I think that both Gasly as well as Kvyat deserve a better chance, IMHO they are both very good drivers from a purely technical point of view
Thanks for the post. It does seem that Vettel's limitation is that he has to have the car "just so"...otherwise...
Actually, in slight defense of Stroll, I did see him do one nice pass where he faked the driver (Sainz?) on the inside and then shifted to the outside to pass him. One other hand, I saw multiple corners where he struggling to carve a proper line late in the race. Maybe it was because he was struggling with tires or trying to push, which may have been slowing him down. I think the statement "..he has some sort of talent" kind of summarizes it, he is not without some capability, but.....
Agree entirely on both Gasly and Kvyat. There are times when Kvyat has shown some very good speed but there is no consistency. Some of that I blame on Red Bull for jerking him around so horribly. Never got settled and confident. Gasly just looks good in all aspects. I think he needs to leave the Red Bull system and go some place where he is comfortable. Maybe Renault for 2022?
On another note, I think (imaging?) that I am seeing an improvement in Ocon's driving in the last couple of races. He has been underperforming all season relative to what he was doing in 2019. I have been mystified why.
Well, I had a big day at Sandown in 30C heat and was feeling a bit rooted by the time the GP started after midnight here..... I remember the warm up and the start but I had nodded off before Perez broke down. I vaguely remember the Safety Car and think I might have witnessed the restart but nothing after that. Seems I did not miss much.
I watched a replay this morning on fast forward. It seemed dismally boring with little passing other than DRS. I did watch a bit of a dice between Kimi and Leclerc for a position not in the points on normal speed but that was it.... good to see Kimi fighting hard and fighting back despite CLAP being on fresh tyres and Kimi keeping him behind until the end.
What a sad way to end a season.... the only high spot was it was not a Merc walkover, but Hamilton was clearly still suffering the aftermath of his Covid, which made me angry that George should have been in the car in his place. Other than that felt sorry for Perez going out like that, especially haven taken the new engine bits as a precaution. Stroll showed what a weak link he is in the team by his failure to contribute more than a single point to the RP WCC tally, and McLaren came through to take 3rd away from them. Bottas did enough to keep the WDC runner up accolade.
I really struggle to see why beyond Sheik Ya-wallets $$$ we are still there every year and especially as a season finale. The place sucks, and the always promised improvements to the layout never happen. As Tom Walkinshaw once said about Zolder, the only thing that will fix it is an awful lot of money and a fleet of bulldozers.
Summary.... the worst race of the year. Without doubt.
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
Just to summarise how the championship tables ended up, in the drivers title,
DRIVERS (WDC)
Obviously the win was never in doubt for Hamilton, but Max kept the underperforming Bottas honest, and despite winning the final race Max just fell short of being runner up.
Perez took 4th despite his DNF in Abu Dhabi, finishing just ahead of Danny Ric. Further down, from 6-10th was all very close with a bit of movement of the last day.
When was the last time the leading Ferrari driver finished 8th?
1. Lewis HAMILTON 347
2. Valtteri BOTTAS 223
3. Max VERSTAPPEN 214
4. Sergio PEREZ 125
5. Daniel RICCIARDO 119
6= Carlos SAINZ 105
6= Alexander ALBON 105
8. Charles LECLERC 98
9. Lando NORRIS 97
10= Pierre GASLY 75
10= Lance STROLL 75
CONSTRUCTORS (WCC)
In the constructors obviously Merc were far ahead of Red Bull, just 50 shy of doubling their score, but the competition was for best of the rest.
I dont know how RP failed to keep 3rd place. Ironically in the end their 15 point penalty for the brake duct copying thing cost them the position, but reality is (ie the real reason RP failed) despite RP having the better car than McLaren, the Orange team were saved by having two contributing drivers, something the Pink Mercs lacked a bit. Will the name change to Aston Martin make any difference next year? I doubt it given the scrutiny on their copying type upgrade system and the scrutiny that will be under. I guess a lot is going to depend on how Vettel fits in and whether Stroll can up his contribution.
Ferrari ended up with their worst tally for years, finishing 7th, 50 points shy of Renault in 6th. Alpha Tauri continued to close in but not enough in the end to jump the reds
1. Mercedes 573
2. Red Bull Honda 319
3. McLaren Renault 202
4. Racing Point BWT Mercedes 195
5. Renault 181
6. Ferrari 131
7. AlphaTauri Honda 107
* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left
“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)
* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
Well what a damp squib to end the season on. I did feel bad for Perez, he was making great stride cutting through the pack until his car went boom. I did feel for him and his frustration was obvious.
What was wrong with Ferrari? Why didn't they pit like everyone else during the virtual/full safety car?
Max did well to win, doesn't mean much though does it? The title was already over, Mercedes had turned down their engines (I wondered why too) and it is the dullest track on the calendar I reckon. We didn't even see much of the pretty lights on the hotel to relieve the boredom some.
I'm not sorry the season is over. I will hope for better in 2021, though I know it's likely to more of the same thanks to the new regulations having been put back a year