2024 ROLEX "WALTZING MATILDA" AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

[Aty]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Pole position I think indicates that Max has something to do with wining races. It's not all just the machine. Dr. Marko asserted, this last race was not RB/Max's the preordained win, DNF or not. He has figured out RB was significantly slower than Ferrari. Will be Singapore another one for Ferrari?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Then again, if I am Ferrari aI am looking at what Sainz is doing now and beginning to panic that the multi-millions they’re going to be giving a 2025-spec Lewis Hamilton might actually be a downgrade from the much cheaper option they currently have.

They would have to be. Seems from what I read that this was a decision from Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann rather than Vasseur or anyone at team level. A ridiculous and ill considered decision. I would love for Sainz to go to Mercedes and pee on Lewis from a great height.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Given some of the penalties and post race activity the results and Championship points I posted are now wrong here are the updated stats;

Race Result

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 55 Carlos Sainz FERRARI 58 1:20:26.843 25
2 16 Charles Leclerc FERRARI 58 +2.366s 19
3 4 Lando Norris MCLAREN MERCEDES 58 +5.904s 15
4 81 Oscar Piastri MCLAREN MERCEDES 58 +35.770s 12
5 11 Sergio Perez RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 58 +56.309s 10
6 18 Lance Stroll ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 58 +93.222s 8
7 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB HONDA RBPT 58 +95.601s 6
8 14 Fernando Alonso ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 58 +100.992s 4
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg HAAS FERRARI 58 +104.553s 2
10 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 57 +1 lap 1
11 23 Alexander Albon WILLIAMS MERCEDES 57 +1 lap 0
12 3 Daniel Ricciardo RB HONDA RBPT 57 +1 lap 0
13 10 Pierre Gasly ALPINE RENAULT 57 +1 lap 0
14 77 Valtteri Bottas KICK SAUBER FERRARI 57 +1 lap 0
15 24 Zhou Guanyu KICK SAUBER FERRARI 57 +1 lap 0
16 31 Esteban Ocon ALPINE RENAULT 57 +1 lap 0
17 63 George Russell MERCEDES 56 DNF 0
NC 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 15 DNF 0
NC 1 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 3 DNF 0

Note - Leclerc scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.
Car #2 (Logan Sargeant, Williams) withdrawn.
Gasly received a five-second time penalty for crossing the line at the pit exit.
Alonso received a drive-through penalty converted to 20-second time penalty for potentially dangerous driving.


2024 Driver Standings

POS DRIVER NATIONALITY CAR PTS
1 Max Verstappen NED RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 51
2 Charles Leclerc MON FERRARI 47
3 Sergio Perez MEX RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 46
4 Carlos Sainz ESP FERRARI 40
5 Oscar Piastri AUS MCLAREN MERCEDES 28
6 Lando Norris GBR MCLAREN MERCEDES 27
7 George Russell GBR MERCEDES 18
8 Fernando Alonso ESP ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 16
9 Lance Stroll CAN ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 9
10 Lewis Hamilton GBR MERCEDES 8
11 Yuki Tsunoda JPN RB HONDA RBPT 6
12 Oliver Bearman GBR FERRARI 6
13 Nico Hulkenberg GER HAAS FERRARI 3
14 Kevin Magnussen DEN HAAS FERRARI 1


2024 Constructor Standings

POS TEAM PTS
1 RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 97
2 FERRARI 93
3 MCLAREN MERCEDES 55
4 MERCEDES 26
5 ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 25
6 RB HONDA RBPT 6
7 HAAS FERRARI 4

[erwin greven]

I think that the new regulations hit the Mercedes team at their weakest point. Understanding of aerodynamics. And in particular the floor part. In the previous rule-set the flawed aero was being overcome by a very powerful engine, but now the others have reeled them in, it is all about aerodynamics.

[DoubleFart]

I don't agree with the Alonso penalty. A driver can use whatever speed they justify to go through a corner. Russell didn't anticipate, a d didn't react appropriately.

It's not like this was at Monaco or something. These people have fighter jet pilot reactions, and Russell shit the bed. Simple as that.

[PTRACER]

Merc really are totally and utterly lost, aren’t they? Second year they’ve proclaimed that they’ve understood their issues from the previous year and fixed them only to - within a month of the season starting - have gone backwards again. There’s a fundamental issue with the team and how it’s put together at the moment, because more than any other team they’re just seemingly flailing around in the dark. Lewis is getting out at the right time.

Then again, if I am Ferrari aI am looking at what Sainz is doing now and beginning to panic that the multi-millions they’re going to be giving a 2025-spec Lewis Hamilton might actually be a downgrade from the much cheaper option they currently have.

The car is just not right aerodynamically, you could see that at numerous times over the Australian GP weekend. Also Hamilton has been on the back foot all year - it feels like he has lost something.

Meanwhile Carlos has suddenly come good - better then CLAP. Carlos will at least be runner-up this season.

[White six]

Pole position I think indicates that Max has something to do with wining races. It's not all just the machine. Dr. Marko asserted, this last race was not RB/Max's the preordained win, DNF or not. He has figured out RB was significantly slower than Ferrari. Will be Singapore another one for Ferrari?

Are you only just starting to realise that crapping on everyone for 3 seasons is 'something to do with Max'?

[Star]

Well, what a race that was. A great win by Sainz after passing Verstappen. Of course then the Red Bull went bang and it was no win for Red Bull and a better race for us. That penalty Perez got really hurt the team even more because he couldn't get up and take the win once Max had gone.

Sainz did a brilliant job when you consider he was in hospital at the last race, good for him. He never looked like his win was in doubt.

I don't know what is going on with Sauber but their pit stops are a joke. They had slow stops in both the other races, one each for Bottas and Zhou, then they managed two lousy stops in this race.

Hamilton had to retire as well, then of course George Russell had that nasty smash at the end of the race. Not a good day for Mercedes.

I felt bad for Piastri when the team swapped him and Norris.

Kevin Magnussen was taking some risks when he tried to pass Albon, he managed to pass on his third attempt. Good job they didn't crash given Albon wasn't in his own car!

I was surprised that Alonso got a penalty for Russell's crash, but apparently the stewards looked at the telemetry and Alonso was to blame in their opinion. It was a very nasty crash but it took the pressure off Sainz when they finished under the safety car of course.

All in all, I thought that was a good race, the best one so far this year. Sainz is setting out his stall to get a good drive in 2025 and you have to say that so far he's showing Ferrari what a big mistake they have made in letting him go I reckon.

[Aty]

There was more than one soul who realised after qualification the car was not supposed to be beating Ferrari, yet Max turned that theory upside down, and made it happen anyway. It tickles me to live in times when he races. Him and Carlos. Now there are two.

[Everso Biggyballies]

I don't know what is going on with Sauber but their pit stops are a joke. They had slow stops in both the other races, one each for Bottas and Zhou, then they managed two lousy stops in this race.

They have a problem with the wheelnut threads crossing and jamming when the air-gun thing does them up. After problems at both middle eastern races they thought they had a fix sorted for Melbourne. They refer to it as "a containment issue". It seems whenever they do pit stop practice it is no problem, but whenever they do it in the pressure of a race they seem to have issues. That sounds to me like the splines in the nuts and on the wheel hub which have to align perfectly are, given the parts get so hot, are expanding at a slightly different rate, so the threads mismatch. The fact that the wheelnuts they put on are cold and the hub they screw onto is boiling hot cant help.....

Anyway apparently the problem today was slightly different although still with the same items. Before they were cross threading but today the issue was the wheelnut flew out of the gun in Bottas's stop and rolled into pitlane. Zhou's problem was a different one but still to do with the original problem. Apparently they introduced some new methods or additional step this week but they got it wrong with Zhou.

With Bottas stop when the nut came out of the gun not only did it cost them points (Bottas was ahead of both Haas cars which finished in the points, but with the stop taking 28 seconds stopped they ended up behind both Haas) but for a bit flying across pitlane in a dangerous manner they got fined €5000 for their trouble.

They are hoping to have a new fix in place by Japan.

[Picci]

Well. Whilst I’m glad that Sainz finally gives us the first non-Max victory since Singapore, I never enjoy seeing anyone, not even Max, going out of the race so soon.

Ironically the reason why the race was so “dull” is because the Ferraris were in RBR’s league this weekend and all the others were way off. To me the fact that Lando and Oscar were up there tells me more about the fact that other teams such as Mercedes wern’t really up there. Melbourne does have a habit of not being totally representative so I’m not convinced Ferrari will be consistently able to take the fight but I remain optimistic.

Perez gets the award for the least performing driver today.

Alonso’s penalty is the most absurd since the penalty given to himself for “impeding” Massa during qualifying for Monza 2006.

[Ruslan]

Sounds like the penalty was justified, if not indeed a little gentle: https://racingnews365.com/alonso-punish ... estigation

To quote (bolding is mine):

"Telemetry shows that Alonso lifted slightly more than 100m earlier than he ever had going into that corner during the race. He also braked very slightly at a point that he did not usually brake (although the amount of brake was so slight that it was not the
main reason for his car slowing) and he downshifted at a point he never usually downshifted.

"He then upshifted again, and accelerated to the corner before lifting again to make the corner. Alonso explained that while his plan was to slow earlier, he got it slightly wrong and had to take extra steps to get back up to speed."

[P. Cornelius Scipio]

Then again, if I am Ferrari aI am looking at what Sainz is doing now and beginning to panic that the multi-millions they’re going to be giving a 2025-spec Lewis Hamilton might actually be a downgrade from the much cheaper option they currently have.

They would have to be. Seems from what I read that this was a decision from Ferrari Executive Chairman John Elkann rather than Vasseur or anyone at team level. A ridiculous and ill considered decision. I would love for Sainz to go to Mercedes and pee on Lewis from a great height.

some parts of the Italian media, I think for example of Leo Turrini, said since the news came out that Hamilton was going to join Ferrari that the main driver for Ferrari was on the commercial side, apparently someone at Mararello (or, more likely, in Turin) think that Hamilton will help them to sell more merchandise and to promote the brand. It seems like a bizarre idea.

Regarding Hamilton he obviously doesn't look very comfortable where he is at the moment and I'm sure that in a different environment he could thrive once again, the point is that he doesn't seem to have the drive that, say, Alonso has had in recent years, I only managed to watch a summary of yesterday's race but it looked to me as if he was on the backfoot and he often looks like that. I don't think that Mercedes built a car that doesn't suit his driving style, they have an average car but that car is still designed with his driving style in mind so one should expect Hamilton to be more competitive that he currently is if compared to his team mate.

Regarding Sainz I think that he won't be shining for long at Ferrari, yesterday he was consistently ahead of his team mate and there was nothing that they could do about it, I fear that Sainz will find that as the season progresses he will have less chances, in a sense I hope that he signs for a new team soon because at the moment is he making Ferrari, their Chairman and their lead driver look like fools and I'm sure that this won't be tolerated for much longer

[White six]

Hamilton should do the decent thing and retire

We're definitely into legacy tarnishing territory now

[Everso Biggyballies]

Dont know if its been mentioned, but Albert Park now has a higher average speed lap than Spa.... In qualy Max's lap was an average speed of just over 250kph. The fastest qualifying lap ever (in the current configuration) of Spa is just under 250kph.
Only Monza and Jeddah have a higher average speed lap than Albert Park.

Also 452,000 through the gate over the weekend. Not to shabby for a nation the size of Europe with a total population of just over 26 million, some of who live a 4hour flight or a 4000klm (each way) road trip from Albert Park.

[Aty]

In re: Mercedes
What's happening with J. Allison? He was touted as a second Newey, yet cars are not even close. I think both men actually received the same education at the same college. One can clearly see that FiA can force teams to account in an audit last Euro what team spent, but they had not found equalisation tools for human brains. (Replacing designers with AI robot just around the corner?)