2024 HOO FLUNG DUNG CHINESE GRAND PRIX

[Everso Biggyballies]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Max worried he has run over debris and for the team to check his tyres. Only one more lap after this one

[Everso Biggyballies]

Last lap and Max had a big wobble.... I thought it was a puncture!

Max wins from Lando and Sergio


POS DRIVERGAP TYRE PIT
1 Max VERSTAPPENLEADER 1
2 Lando NORRIS+0.021 2
3 Sergio PEREZ+4.193 2
4 Charles LECLERC+19.769 1
5 Carlos SAINZ+32.958 3
6 George RUSSELL+33.239 1
7 Fernando ALONSO+34.432 2
8 Oscar PIASTRI+45.480 2
9 Lewis HAMILTON+48.546 2
10 Nico HULKENBERG+52.208 2

11 Esteban OCON+51.210 2
12 Alexander ALBON+53.385 2
13 Pierre GASLY+55.550 3
14 GuanyuZHOU+58.629 3
15 Kevin MAGNUSSEN+77.533 2
16 Lance STROLL+68.775 4
17 Logan SARGEANT+71.086 2
18 Daniel RICCIARDO-- 2
19 Yuki TSUNODA-- 2
20 Valtteri BOTTAS-- 1

[Everso Biggyballies]

Lando increases his record for the most podiums without a win.... now up to 15 and two ahead of previous record holder Nick Heidfeld.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Driver Standings. No change in the top 6 names or order.

POS DRIVER NATIONALITY CAR PTS
1 Max Verstappen NED RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 110
2 Sergio Perez MEX RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 85
3 Charles Leclerc MON FERRARI 76
4 Carlos Sainz ESP FERRARI 69
5 Lando Norris GBR MCLAREN MERCEDES 58
6 Oscar Piastri AUS MCLAREN MERCEDES 38


Constructor Standings. Again no change in the names or order.

POS TEAM PTS
1 RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT 195
2 FERRARI 151
3 MCLAREN MERCEDES 96
4 MERCEDES 52
5 ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES 40
6 RB HONDA RBPT 7
7 HAAS FERRARI 5
8 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 0
9 ALPINE RENAULT 0
10 KICK SAUBER FERRARI 0

[Aty]

We watch in silence.

[Star]

I have to say the man of the race for me was one Fernando Alonso, though it wasn't all good news for him, more on that later then. That start though, he passed Perez so easily and even had a look at Verstappen, only it wasn't to be. It was a wise move not to push his luck there. 

There was a nasty incident in the pits when Gasly's car came off the jack and looked to injure one of his crew, hopefully not seriously.  Shame also for Bottas when his engine let go. 
Now I did think Stroll had made another stupid error when he went into the back of Danny Ric and pushed him into Piastri. Seems thought the fault started much further ahead with his teammate. Alonso had an issue and forced Russell to go defensive, that backed everyone up and caused the Stroll problem it seemed. It ruined Ricciardo's race and Piastri's too sadly. 
The only real action we had was a duel between Magnussen and Stroll, it was pretty impressive for a while there, albeit at the rear end of the race.  If only we had more battles like that, it was very good while it lasted. I was amazed when Stroll was able to battle like that.

The stewards had a quiet time then handed out 3 penalties in a row. Like buses, nothing, then 3 all at once.

Alonso showed us some class out there today. After that pitstop he was just amazing. He made some excellent moves and managed to get the fastest lap as well. You'd never take him for a driver that is almost 43 years old would you? No wonder Aston Martin has signed him up for another two years. How he kept it on the track when he had that moment with the gravel I don't know and to then pass Hamilton just a couple of corners later, wow. 

Verstappen was in a league of his own again, what can you say about him? It's too easy for him isn't it? A great second place for Lando Norris and Perez probably should have got second but had to settle for third. 

All in all, not a bad race as far as I was concerned.

[DoubleFart]

Stroll was a fucking idiot. He has nobody to blame but himself.

If anything the others in front all went deeper into the corner and helped extend his braking distance.

I agree with Ricciardo's comments.

[erwin greven]

Stroll was a fucking idiot. He has nobody to blame but himself.

If anything the others in front all went deeper into the corner and helped extend his braking distance.

I agree with Ricciardo's comments.

[erwin greven]

Now I did think Stroll had made another stupid error when he went into the back of Danny Ric and pushed him into Piastri. Seems thought the fault started much further ahead with his teammate. Alonso had an issue and forced Russell to go defensive, that backed everyone up and caused the Stroll problem it seemed.

I disagree with this:

Just look how many cars were behind Alonso and Russell. They all managed to react on it. Behind Ricciardo, there was a significant gap to Stroll. And still he managed not to react accordingly and slams HARD into Ricciardo's car. Not just a nudge. No. He was underneath the RB.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Having had a chance. to look Stroll was looking to his right into the corner just a split second before he hit DannyRic. Looking ahead like that he should have seen everyone backing up and know it would domino back and would affect him.
Others were correctly more focussed on the car in front as you should be in a restart situation. Stroll was ultimtely at fault for driving into the back of the car in front without help (ie no one pushed him into Danny, he did it all on his own.
Whether he was being overeager or simply lacking in awareness and concentration on his immediate vicinity you cant say. Probably all of the above.
Bottom line is awareness is not Stroll's strong point as his reaction at the time suggested with his blame on Danny.

[PTRACER]

I have to say the man of the race for me was one Fernando Alonso, though it wasn't all good news for him, more on that later then. That start though, he passed Perez so easily and even had a look at Verstappen, only it wasn't to be. It was a wise move not to push his luck there. 

Yeah Alonso's progress is my main point of interest in every race lately. To be 3rd on the grid, beating Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes is epic. It's a shame the car doesn't have the ability to keep up on Sunday.

[Star]

Okay, I take it back, Stroll was an idiot. The reaction did start with Alonso but I see now Stroll had plenty of space to take evasive action and just... didn't. That wasn't clear on what I saw at the time. I stand corrected.

[Star]

I have to say the man of the race for me was one Fernando Alonso, though it wasn't all good news for him, more on that later then. That start though, he passed Perez so easily and even had a look at Verstappen, only it wasn't to be. It was a wise move not to push his luck there. 

Yeah Alonso's progress is my main point of interest in every race lately. To be 3rd on the grid, beating Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes is epic. It's a shame the car doesn't have the ability to keep up on Sunday.

I know age shouldn't come into it, but at 42, heading for 43 in a couple of months, Alonso is driving close to his best I reckon. He just doesn't give up does he?

[Everso Biggyballies]

He is certainly driving very well, and driving in a manner that comes with what will be, by season end, the experience and wisdom that comes with having started some 400 GPs. Still has plenty of aggression but generally tempers it with knowing what not to do.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Danny Ric given post race penalty after China..... Grid penalty for Miami.

Danny has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the sprint race in Miami as a result of a safety car infringement at the Chinese Grand Prix.

He was slapped with the penalty after officials found him guilty of overtaking Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg under safety car conditions on the 28th lap in Shanghai.

The incident occurred after Dan had been smashed into by Lance Stroll during a previous safety car restart. Hulk drove past Ricciardo under safety car conditions given Ricciardo was shunted by Stroll, which gave the Haas driver the green light to keep driving without fear of a penalty.

However, Ricciardo and his team both thought he was allowed to retake the position he’d lost but did so under safety car conditions.

It was a move deemed illegal by the stewards.

“The driver of Car 3 admitted that he overtook Car 27 deliberately but he explained that he felt that he could do so because Car 27 had overtaken him under safety car on Lap 28,” the race report read.

“We note that Car 27 was permitted to overtake Car 3 on Lap 28 because of Article 55.8.

“There was no justifiable basis for Car 3 to overtake Car 27 while the race was under Safety Car conditions. We accordingly imposed a 10 second time penalty on Car 3.

“As Car 3 was unable to serve the penalty due to retirement, we imposed a 3-grid place penalty to Car 3 for the next race in which the driver participates.”

Danny also received two penalty points for the offence.

[XcraigX]

Danny Ric given post race penalty after China..... Grid penalty for Miami.

Danny has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the sprint race in Miami as a result of a safety car infringement at the Chinese Grand Prix.

He was slapped with the penalty after officials found him guilty of overtaking Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg under safety car conditions on the 28th lap in Shanghai.

The incident occurred after Dan had been smashed into by Lance Stroll during a previous safety car restart. Hulk drove past Ricciardo under safety car conditions given Ricciardo was shunted by Stroll, which gave the Haas driver the green light to keep driving without fear of a penalty.

However, Ricciardo and his team both thought he was allowed to retake the position he’d lost but did so under safety car conditions.

It was a move deemed illegal by the stewards.

“The driver of Car 3 admitted that he overtook Car 27 deliberately but he explained that he felt that he could do so because Car 27 had overtaken him under safety car on Lap 28,” the race report read.

“We note that Car 27 was permitted to overtake Car 3 on Lap 28 because of Article 55.8.

“There was no justifiable basis for Car 3 to overtake Car 27 while the race was under Safety Car conditions. We accordingly imposed a 10 second time penalty on Car 3.

“As Car 3 was unable to serve the penalty due to retirement, we imposed a 3-grid place penalty to Car 3 for the next race in which the driver participates.”

Danny also received two penalty points for the offence.

Salt in the wound. But they should have just whined to the Stewarts like all the other teams do until they got permission to re-take it.



Can we start hope of a race ban for Stroll? Can we extend that ban for the next couple seasons? I guy can hope, can't he?