Lewis looked like a sore loser on Sunday.
He acted like one as well. Saying things like: THEY are against me, they don't want us to win, they this and that, they they they. Unlike 1: Danny Ric who admitted he screwed up when passing Ocon (he's a jerk anyway) and Carlos "There's a wall there" Sainz who both admitted "my fault."Lewis looked like a sore loser on Sunday.
My understanding from what Sky said (I used DVR this week though ), was thatI got up extra early to watch it Sunday and that 0410 start time is hard on a Sunday morning. While the race was pretty uneventful it was still worth it. Especially watching Kvyat stick in there for so long. Not that I'm a big fan of him.
I still do no understand why Hamilton was administered two 5 second penalties? Did he have two practice starts? And why was he allowed to serve both 5 sec penalties at the same pit stop? I thought they couldn't be served in the same stop?
Ferrari just don't have the car to compete, but both Vettel and Leclerc sure can play defense and hold up the pack. I'm going to be torn next year since I'm not a huge Scuderia fan, but I do like Sainz and am hoping he and LeClerc make a potent combo for Ferrari.
Yeah, having Williams and McClaren good again will make a world of difference. Renault has always been a supplier of engines so them having a factory team is different. Though, as a Prost fan, I like he's kind of assumed a "Lauda" roll with them. I'll grant you that it's hard to see Team Red struggling to out qualify Haas and Williams. That said, I'll never be a fan after the treatment they gave Prost in his second season. Yeah, I harbor a grudge .Bytor, you are correct.
As we all know, you are required to take 1 pit stop in a F1 Grand Prix.....you can take more than 1, but 1 is required.
I believe I'm correct about this: If a time penalty for an infraction is leveled against a driver before their required pit stop in a Grand Prix (not necessarily before the race begins), the driver must serve the penalty at his pit stop. Should it be leveled against a driver after their pit stop, a driver can elect to either take another pit stop and serve the penalty or have the time penalty assessed to his final race time.
I've never been a Ferrari fan, but my heart really goes out to them this year. At first it was kind of funny that their car sucked, now I feel bad for them that they can barely get out of Q3. Hearing the communication between the pit wall and Seb is almost cringeworthy. You can tell he lost all confidence in the car a while back; now he has lost all confidence in the team. A competitive Ferrari is good for F1, as is Renault, McLaren and Williams.....simply due to legacy.
Fond memories for me of TAG-Porsche McClaren. But I think I read where two or three years ago when they were trying to figure out the 2021 (now 2022) tech specs they were almost committed, then pulled out. It really seems right up Ford's alley. They've heavily invested in Turbo and Hybrid. I don't know the 2022 rules though. Then again, now that Porsche pulled out of LMP2 they're really depending on the RSR-19 4.2L to carry the name; and sadly, it's somewhat outclassed at the moment. I tend to agree with Porsche that endurance racing translates more to better road cars than F-1.I was thinking the same thing regarding Ford. I would even take Porsche getting back into it.
I prefer the older LMP cars without that big fin on the bag. Classic cars like 917, 956, 962, 911 GT and even the Spyder. Not just the Porsche's but their competitors also looked good. Now you have those blunt front ends that just don't do it for me. Granted, the Halo in F-1 has somewhat ruined the looks and I don't think I could drive with that big giant thing in my line of sight. That said, they have already saved what would likely have been a few bad outcomes.I really like F1 racing and the technology they bring into auto and engine building. I don't think many people realize the physical demands of trying to control a car with that much power and grip on the racetrack. With that said, I have always had a thing for the Lemans prototype cars, and the enclosed wheel hypercars for endurance racing. I think the lines of the enclosed wheel cars are more aesthetically pleasing to me, but it is really hard to argue against the cornering ability and overall performance of the F1 cars.
Yep. Most of the LMP cars even LMP 2 are faster in straight line due to lack of drag those open wheels cause.I was reading about one of the new class of hypercars that might be able to compete in the LMP class cars next year that puts out 840 horsepower, and the body style (with the exception of the rear fin) is really gorgeous. They were saying that while the F1 cars are faster around a track, that some of the LMP cars are faster in a straight line. In either case, the performance of either F1 or LMP cars is truly marvelous.
When I was much younger I wondered why they would want to limit the horsepower of any competition cars. I eventually understood why safety had to take precedence over all out performance. I still think it would be interesting to find out just how fast they could get cars to go and compete if the drivers had enough courage and daring to drive a 1500 pound vehicle that would have 1700 horsepower ..... if it would be allowed. I know I wouldn't want anything more to do with driving a vehicle like that any more than I want to drive a 300 horsepower 400 pound motorcycle.
When asked how fast some of those unlimited motorcycles or autos could go, the response was "zero to infinity faster than you could say "Oh, SHIT. I'M GOING WAAAY TO FAST!"
I know that most people despise Lewis, but history was made yesterday and the list of achievements has gotten pretty long, so I feel it is worth mentioning.
If we will all remember, people hated Vettel during his streak and Schumacher during his. For that matter, I vividly remember when people hated Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon during their gashes in NASCAR.....I think people just get tired of seeing the same person at the top all of the time. Lewis just adds fuel to the fire with his off-track (and now pre-race) antics.
After winning the Portuguese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton how holds the record of most Formula 1 wins in history with 92.....passing Michael Schumacher’s previously held record of 91. For those who don’t keep up with such things, the next closest win totals are 53 (Vettel), 51 (Prost) and 41 (Senna).
Vettel (with 53 wins) is still active, but certainly on the decline, and the only other active driver with any notable number of wins is Kimi Raikkonen at 21. The next closest to Kimi is Valteri Bottas and Max Verstappen with 9 wins each. So 92 wins is bonkers.
Long story short: very impressive and likely not to be equaled or surpassed. 4 or 5 years ago, no one thought Schumacher’s record was ever going to be broken....not even Vettel, who had the best shot at the time. I’d guess that Lewis has maybe 2-3 more years before he sails off into the sunset. He is most certainly going to equal Schumacher’s 7 world championship titles this season. Even though he doesn’t say it, I’m sure Hamilton wants to win an 8th next year and officially break virtually every meaningful record.
Lewis holds the following records as of this post:
Most pole positions, with 97 (next closest is 68, Schumacher)
Most podium finishes, with 161 (next closest is 155, Schumacher)
Most races finished in the points, with 225 (next closest is 221, Schumacher)
Most consecutive points finishes, with 45 (next closest is 27, Raikkonen)
Highest percentage of races finished in the points, with 86% (next closest is 81%, Fangio)
Most races where driver led every lap, with 22 (next closest is 19, Senna)
Most races where driver led at least 1 lap, with 159 (next closest is 142, Schumacher)
Longest total distance led, with 25,259 km (next closest is 24,148 km, Schumacher)
Most pole positions and wins in same race, with 57 (next closest is 40, Schumacher)
(In fairness, there are dozens of records Hamilton does not hold, but the ones above are the records typically considered most desirable/impressive.)
It was fun to see history made.
Im excited to see if the 2022 reg changes (I think they bumped them 1 year due to COVID) make any meaningful changes in the competition levels among teams.
Yes, I think the San Marino time was like 5 seconds faster!!!! Unreal.Well stated. The best part of the 2020 season was getting to see tracks that normally aren't on the circuit. They took a toll on these drivers and cars since the speeds and downforce have increased so much and those tracks were designed back when cars were slower. Look at how many tracks have had new fastest lap times set this year. How often do you see a double red flag race or the amount of DNF/retired that occurred this year? That is what I have been watching. Granted they are still running on Pirelli compounds designed for 2018 and that has had a factor in the amount of DNF.
Yes, 2020 is the year of Mercedes, but I could give two shits about that. They have been boringly surgical, precise, and maddingly dominant. Midpack has been entertaining as it usually is.
The shifts in drivers by the teams for next year will be intense. I don't know about Albon. It looks like Red Bull will stand by him, but I think his time is up. The stand out to me this year was Hulkenberg. Hell, he only raced twice and isn't even one of the 20 drivers. I think he may show back up in F1 next year somewhere, but there is a lot of young competition in the stables in F2 waiting.
Yes, I think the San Marino time was like 5 seconds faster!!!! Unreal.
Ahh, the Hulk. He's a cool customer for sure. I loved how he drove up in in Porsche 911 GT2, looked for a car parking area, and swiped his badge going "into work" in the pits. Must be a crappy life to be hanging with "a friend" getting coffee (guarantee a supermodel) and have to drive into work to hop in an F-1 car. I actually think he'd be better with Max than Checo. I can see conflict if Checo arrives at Red Bull. But Horner for sure is sticking by Albon....will Helmut?
I like what Max said in one of the press conferences, that he and Louis should switch cars for a few laps. My guess is that was kind of a shot over the bow of the special one. Kind of like saying - dude, I could so kick your butt if I had your car. I can almost guarantee that Louis could not drive Max's car well and certainly he'd be whining every single turn. The fact that Gasly is doing well at Alpha Tauri and driving lights out and that Albon cannot do shit tells me that the RB is VERY difficult to drive. So much so that I think that was Max telling Louis that if I get a good car...you're done. Granted, Max is the only driver since Prost that's really excited me - well, maybe a young Seb Vettel. Though actually George Russell and Lando Norris are exciting to watch too - of these 2 I think Lando is the racer and Russell is the analyst (kind of a bit like Senna and Prost).Albon needs to go. I like him he just isn't able to help Max or Red Bull right now. Max is left all alone against the silver arrows.
I like what Max said in one of the press conferences, that he and Louis should switch cars for a few laps. My guess is that was kind of a shot over the bow of the special one. Kind of like saying - dude, I could so kick your butt if I had your car. I can almost guarantee that Louis could not drive Max's car well and certainly he'd be whining every single turn. The fact that Gasly is doing well at Alpha Tauri and driving lights out and that Albon cannot do shit tells me that the RB is VERY difficult to drive. So much so that I think that was Max telling Louis that if I get a good car...you're done. Granted, Max is the only driver since Prost that's really excited me - well, maybe a young Seb Vettel. Though actually George Russell and Lando Norris are exciting to watch too - of these 2 I think Lando is the racer and Russell is the analyst (kind of a bit like Senna and Prost).
Agree!!!Lewis has troubles when following others his car is set up for him and he has a lot of in put to that. As long as he's out front he's unstoppable. Lewis spends a ton of time with the engineers to learn everything he possible can, a lot more than most. I would believe that Max has in put to how the car should be set up for his driving. More experienced drivers can set cars up.
When I was racing I had a professional race car driver set my car up. It was a night and day difference on the way it drove. Also, had him coach me. My car weigh more than every one else and had less HP; I won the 2017 regional championship because of him. I would imagine an F1 driver would be skilled after driving an F1, but I guess not everyone can be Niki Lauda and set up a car. Since, Niki got Lewis to go to Merc, I am sure he helped him in learning how to set up F1 cars.
I would say todays modern F1 cars are harder to drive if the aero isn't set up properly. The rear on the cars are heavy and want to slide out and unfortunately when you drive on the edge in those cars it's almost impossible to catch the car before it goes into a spin. With that said they need to go back to just V-8 engines to allow other engine makers into the sport and to cut down on the DNFs. JMO
Just wondering if any Formula 1 racing fans on here? Who’s your favorite driver, team or both?
was doing Skip Barber SCCA stiff for a bunch of years on the east coast, never got down south though
Yaaayyy!!! Another Prost fan who rates Prost as the ATF!!!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO. I liked Prost at Ferrari too; but don't remember much of that last season and F-1 wasn't nearly as easy to get then (that's why you had Autoweek).Just found this thread, so I'm late to the party, but here goes. I've followed F1 racing since about 1969 or 70. I fell in love first with sports car racing, as the Ford GT40 captured my fancy as a young boy. Following the Sports cars led me to Can-Am and F1, and even Indy cars, since a lot of the drivers participated in all forms of racing. I started going to Road America for the Can-Am and Trans-Am races in 1969, and was lucky enough to meet Bruce McLaren there. Of course, that means I've been a fan of Team McLaren ever since (even after the takeover by Project 4 an Ron Dennis).
My early favorite drivers were Bruce McLaren, Dennis Hulme, Graham Hill, Gilles Villeneuve (saw him race at Road America in a lesser formula), Jochen Rindt, and of course Mario Andretti.
My all-time favorite F1 driver is Alain Prost. I was a HUGE fan of Alain when he was driving, even when he drove for Ferrari. (I am NOT a Ferrari fan!!) There have been many other favorites over the years, so I won't bore you with the whole list.
Of the current drivers, I'd say that I don't have a real strong favorite. I like Ricciardo a lot, and Kimi. I am cheering for Lando Norris since he shares my last name. Hopefully he will develop into a great driver. And of course he currently drives for McLaren, and they seem to be starting to get back up to speed, so I'm hopeful on two fronts there. I like Verstappen a lot too. Hope he continues to push the Mercedes boys, and hope he can start winning a few more races. (I am sick of Mercedes domination. I'd prefer to see more teams in with a shout for the win on a regular basis.)
Ok I've rambled on long enough. Glad I found this thread. Hope to be able to contribute to the conversation from time to time!
The thing I like about Kimi is he's so "dull" it's funny. The tirades you occasionally get..."What the F$$@ ....followed by mumbling" is classic.
I'm pretty envious of anybody that got to witness an actual Can-Am race with a 917 (935/936???) in the field in a real race. THAT must have been unreal.
Reminds me of a story a former instructor (driving) told me. He at a big Porsche Club event at Road America in the 80s. He got a chance to ride around the track at speed with none other than Derek Bell!!!! First of all, he was blown away by the skill of Bell
Oh the sound of the F1 cars! I think that sound hooks everyone..Was a fan until they changed the engines and ruined the sound.
I thought Turkey was some what interesting. Poor Stroll got off his game and just couldn't get his head back into it. It was nice to see Vettel on a podium again. Bottas just could get that track down and had a miserable day. Verstappen tried really hard , but the conditions just sucked.
I knew Max was going to spin. I was yelling at him to back off Perez because he was going to get washout from the Pink Panther - lot of good that did me. Bummer.I thought Turkey was some what interesting. Poor Stroll got off his game and just couldn't get his head back into it. It was nice to see Vettel on a podium again. Bottas just could get that track down and had a miserable day. Verstappen tried really hard , but the conditions just sucked.
...Perez, if he doesn't have a ride next year that's a crying shame.
That's actually even more crazy if it's money; didn't he personally step in to keep Force India afloat? Or maybe some Mexican sponsorship? Claro?Isn't that the truth. I am amazed that nobody has latched onto Perez. It's got to be a money thing, because he certainly doesn't lack talent or drive. I sure hope he gets a seat with someone!
Perez is linked to Carlos Slim. There's no shortage of money backing Perez.That's actually even more crazy if it's money; didn't he personally step in to keep Force India afloat? Or maybe some Mexican sponsorship? Claro?
I knew it was some big time playa...yeah...no shortage there. He could just buy F-1.Perez is linked to Carlos Slim. There's no shortage of money backing Perez.
That sounds like an incredible experience and I would feel the same way if Derek Bell said my driving was good. I've been on and off with respect to getting a 944 S or Turbo and building a street-track car but every time I get serious into it I have this attitude to keep working on my GTI.When I had my Porsche 944 I attended a Porsche Performance Driving School at Road America. The lead instructor was none other than Derek Bell. There were a bunch of other pretty well-known drivers there instructing, but I was lucky enough to put put into Derek's group. When we got finished with all the preliminary exercises and got down to lapping the track, Derek jumped into MY car and drove me around the track! He went faster than I'd ever lapped the track, all the while driving with one hand and explaining the finer points of the lap to me in an ongoing monolog! He was SOOOOO smooth! After a few laps we switched seats and he rode around with me while I lapped the track. He never said a word, and we finished the session he just smiled and said "you did very well. I didn't have to tell you a thing". I walked on a cloud for the rest of the weekend.
That sounds like an incredible experience and I would feel the same way if Derek Bell said my driving was good. I've been on and off with respect to getting a 944 S or Turbo and building a street-track car but every time I get serious into it I have this attitude to keep working on my GTI.
964's are my favorite Porsche's of all time, but I can understand missing the 944, they're just so cool. But thank you, so far she's Stage 2+ running E30 so the GTI is fun except from a dig. Spins like crazy even with launch control.I replaced my 944 with a 964 (1990 Carrera 4). It was a great car, but somehow I ended up missing the 944. If I ever find that time machine I've been looking for, I'd go back and skip the 964 and stick with the 944. Although I might try a regular 911 of that same era (1987-1990). Those are a hoot too.
The GTI is nothing to sneeze at. You've got a great car there too. Have fun with it!
964's are my favorite Porsche's of all time, but I can understand missing the 944, they're just so cool.
I would love to autocross a 964. I went from AWD to FWD when I got the GTI and I'm just not into awd for fun cars. The launches are great but I like being able to induce oversteer.The 964 was a great autocrosser. Did very well with it. But I had enough money in it that I was hesitant to really push it on the track. I did NOT want to bend it. The 944 I just pounded on! Also, on the track I liked the feel of the rear wheel drive better than the all wheel drive of the 964. Both were great cars though. I ended up getting rid of the 964 when our daughter turned 16. I didn't want to have to pay the insurance!!
I would love to autocross a 964. I went from AWD to FWD when I got the GTI and I'm just not into awd for fun cars. The launches are great but I like being able to induce oversteer.
I used to drive a BMW X5 in highschool, AWD was fun but at the end of the day it was a heavy SOB but handled well for it's size. I returned the lease with 2/32 tires.We had a couple of AWD BMWs, and their X-drive system is great because it puts more torque to the rear axle. Something like 60-40 in dry conditions. So the car feels like a RWD car until it gets slippery, then the AWD does its thing. VERY nice to drive. the "Ultimate Driving Machine" as they say!
We just witnessed an honest-to-God miracle!!!!!! I don't mind telling you, I'm still a little shaken up. How he got out of that is unbelievable. That he was conscious saved his life. That's at least 3 drivers saved by the Halo Device. No doubt this time it saved him, much like it would have saved Senna.My God!
What a crash. Thank God Grosean walked/stumbled away. That was super nasty.