F1 2024: Japanese GP - Suzuka (Apr 7)

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

The F1 world witnessed that very December day in Abu Dhabi back in 2021 the dethroning of the reigning king and the crowning of the new king.

Silverstone or no Silverstone (2021), Monza or no Monza (2021), Abu Dhabi Masi or no Abu Dhabi Masi (2021): Verstappen still required the race craft and shrewdness to overtake (with a sudden cramp in his right leg) in a "do or die" shootout lap, with a sportsmanlike maneuver, on a circuit with limited obvious overtaking possibilities, Hamilton, the reigning 7-time WDC legend driving a Mercedes rocket who was perfectly aware that he was race leader (but, due to a questionable team strategy choice, on used hard tires) and only 1 lap away from ultimate 8-time WDC record bliss. Beating Verstappen that day in the shootout lap would have been one of his most memorable and monumental victories of his whole race career.

But despite his vast racing experience and knowledge of all tricks of the race book, Hamilton misjudged the timing of Verstappen's overtaking attempt: the fact that Verstappen (P2) managed to surprise and pip Hamilton (P1) already in Turn 5, going all-in without further ado and in a fair way, demonstrates that Verstappen deserved the 2021 WDC title. From the footage of the shootout lap you can conclude that Hamilton did not expect an overtake attempt in Turn 5 - Verstappen caught him off guard, compromising Hamilton's exit speed out of Turn 5 (an aspect that proved to be crucial for the rest of the road to the chequered flag). Verstappen knew that there would be no DRS during the shootout lap and that, unlike his car, Hamilton's car still featered used tires. Outsmarting your rivals is part of the sport - to boss a living race legend fair and square during a crucial final lap, is a claim to fame.

The final outcome did justice to all achievements throughout the whole 2021 season (featuring missed oportunities due to DNF's in Baku [tire failure], Silverstone [controversial crash with Hamilton] and Monza [controversial crash with Hamilton]). And later achievements, albeit with new regs requiring new cars and also requiring teams and drivers to adapt to the new reality, confirmed that the 2021 transfer of WDC leadership didn't happen by accident: compare the number of pole positions, fastest laps, race wins and Sprint wins between both rivals ever since the 2021 season: we all know that the discrepancy of the statistics is outright massive.

Attachment 3430109

It must be remembered also that LEW has the quicker car than MAX in '21.

[Artemis]

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Artemis

The 2021 Abu Dhabi race was a rollercoaster of emotions.

At least that guy understands the strategic mistake Mercedes made there. (and those comments of the hammyfans and then Max takes the lead )

Strategically Mercedes is a weak team. Always has been.

And it showed in Suzuka again, having to change their tyre strategy mid race as their starting strategy was not feasible.
And when you don't have the quickest car anymore, these strategic faults matter if your competitor doesn't make them

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Strategically Mercedes is a weak team. Always has been.
And it showed in Suzuka again, having to change their tyre strategy mid race as their starting strategy was not feasible.
And when you don't have the quickest car anymore, these strategic faults matter if your competitor doesn't make them

Mercedes is usually making good strategy choices. Ferrari on the other hand...

However, during the final laps of the Suzuka GP I was expecting Mercedes to pit Hamilton (P9) for a Fastest Lap attempt. I was counting down the laps thinking that the "Box, box" message would be broadcast any moment. But that didn't happen. The gap to Tsunoda (P10) was sufficient though for Hamilton to pit for fresh rubber. After the race, Hamilton mentioned that his car had sustained damage: was that the reason for not pitting for a Fastest Lap attempt ? Or was no fresh rubber available anymore for Hamilton at that stage of the race ?

Russell could also have been an option for a Fastest Lap attempt pit stop: he was at risk of a penalty for the Piastri incident and an overtake maneuver on Piastri could have been risky for DNF. But if Russell had pitted, Piastri would have kept P7.

[Artemis]

Peculiar at this stage about Oliver Bearman:

• F1: 6 pts and P12 out of 21 drivers - 1 race;
• F2: 2 pts and P19 out of 22 drivers - 6 races (of course he missed 2 F2 races when replacing Sainz for Ferrari during the Jeddah F1 GP).

Bearman in the past:

• F2 2023: P6 (Pourchaire won the championship);
• F3 2022: P3 (Martins won the championship).

So far, his Prema Racing team mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli outperformed him this F2 season (24 pts and P9 out of 22 drivers - 6 races). Kimi had never competed in F1, F2 or F3 before this season (Mercedes decided to promote him straightaway to F2, skipping F3). As he's only 17 and AFAIK not holding yet a valid driving licence, Kimi is not allowed yet to race in F1, but has already gathered the required FIA Super License points.

Bearman (British) is a Ferrari protégé. Kimi (Italian) is a Mercedes protégé.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

The 2021 Abu Dhabi race was a rollercoaster of emotions.

That was quietly satisfying for the cheering world to see of a Merc blogger gradually losing it leading onto disbelief then total shutdown.

[M5Rick]

2 years ago now but what an embarrassment for TW, the Race Directors decision was and is final which supersedes any regs with the onus being to continue a race.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

2 years ago now but what an embarrassment for TW, the Race Directors decision was and is final which supersedes any regs with the onus to continue a race.

.

[M5Rick]

The latest from Albon's bent tub emergency sent back to GB, can it be repaired for a second time again then sent out back east to the CGP, this all comes out of the FIA ruled limited team budget. $ 2M spent already on repairs and transport costs just for this.

...and MAX confirms he is STAYING with RBR until 2028.

[M5Rick]

MAX: ''I'm very happy where I'm at (RBR) and want to keep it that way'', did anyone really think that the happening at Milton Keynes would scare him into doing something rash.
So Wolff will have to look elsewhere.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

MAX: ''I'm very happy where I'm at (RBR) and want to keep it that way'', did anyone really think that the happening at Milton Keynes would scare him into doing something rash.
So Wolff will have to look elsewhere.

Dutch press yesterday, though:

Originally Posted by Artemis

Earlier this week Dutch former F1 driver Robert Doornbos claimed to have heard a couple of scoops from a reliable source ("my trusty little bird"):

• Verstappen is already having talks with Mercedes, purely to see one-on-one what the feeling is for the future;
• Verstappen has had an open conversation with Helmut Marko explaining that he will also sound out now what is possible with the competition;
• behind closed doors down at RBR there is still a lot going on - more to come this month;
• Adrian Newey is bothered by the Horner complaint controversy and will not extend his RBR contract (ending at the end of the 2025 season);
• after the Suzuka race, Perez (P2) asked RBR for a 3-year contract extension; but according to Doornbos Marko does not favor a long-term contract for Perez.

Source (Dutch):
https://www.f1maximaal.nl/opinie/doo...rko-weet-ervan
https://www.f1maximaal.nl/formule-1/...-contract-niet

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Dutch press yesterday, though:

Doornbos can speculate with what his source has told him though in the end it's just word of mouth from one to another.
As far as MAX speaking with Wolff/Merc it may be it was just general chats and nothing about any driver swaps I don't think, obviously he wants to have some idea about a likely general direction of things as '26 is coming but that time is a long way off yet.
Like everyone he has to wait to see what may become as the time approaches, Merc could even suspect MAX may want to use that info for RBR.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Doornbos can speculate with what his source has told him though in the end it's just word of mouth from one to another.
As far as MAX speaking with Wolff/Merc it may be it was just general chats and nothing about any driver swaps I don't think, obviously he wants to have some idea about a likely general direction of things as '26 is coming but that time is a long way off yet.
Like everyone he has to wait to see what may become as the time approaches, Merc could even suspect MAX may want to use that info for RBR.

Fair enough. I got no insider info and it could be that we're all being played by those folks spinning their narratives. Just keep in mind that Doornbos is Dutch, a former F1 driver, has worked for Red Bull Racing and personally knows the Verstappens and F1 journalists. That may get him access to scoops - it's a small world.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Fair enough. I got no insider info and it could be that we're all being played by those folks spinning their narratives. Just keep in mind that Doornbos is Dutch, a former F1 driver, has worked for Red Bull Racing and personally knows the Verstappens and F1 journalists. That may get him access to scoops - it's a small world.

Attachment 3431183

Attachment 3431186

Newey leaving after 2025 and maybe F1 too to enjoy his yacht in retirement while he is still active. He is on everyones grab list but no one can work for ever and I think he'll call it a day then.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

As far as MAX speaking with Wolff/Merc it may be it was just general chats and nothing about any driver swaps I don't think, obviously he wants to have some idea about a likely general direction of things as '26 is coming but that time is a long way off yet.

By the way, have you noticed the latest trend of Toto Wolff regularly lauding Verstappen ? Did the skies clear up after years of bitter bickering, coming to terms, leaving the past behind.

Most will say that it's simply a reality-check by Wolff about Verstappen's sheer dominance on track, but there could be more than meets the eye.

Wolff was caught off guard about Hamilton's surprise move to Mercedes. A vacated Mercedes race seat for 2025 combined with the Horner controversy causing internal friction down at Red Bull Racing, unexpectedly opened a unique 'window of opportunity' for Wolff. Reeling in Hamilton for 2013 was 'a chance of a lifetime' for Lauda and Wolff. Together they wrote many amazing pages of greatness in F1 history books. Wolff could hope to relive that fantastic endeavor by reeling in Verstappen for 2026 (or maybe even already for 2025). Already almost a decade ago Wolff was interested to hire Verstappen, but Marko was quicker to offer him an F1 contract. Alike in 2013 with Hamilton, Wolff could promise Verstappen that Mercedes will do their level best to give him a competitive Mercedes car, facilitating 2026 WDC and WCC titles (with either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli as team mate).

Could also be that, based on one-on-one talks, Wolff changed his mind, for better, about Verstappen on a human level. Verstappen is currently very comfortable at Red Bull for 2024 and 2025: car, team support, Newey, pay, fan base, etc. It takes courage to walk away from that luxurious comfort zone to join a currently lesser performing team, mainly because of a disagreement about core values (Horner controversy) and possible doubts about the 2026 car performance (Ford/RB Powertrains). Hiring a driver is making him unavailable for competing teams.

I think that Wolff is even prepared to accept Marko in some advisory role for Verstappen. Marko will be 81 later this month. Or maybe Marko could assist Andretti in accessing F1, at last, via a Visa Cash App RB takeover.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by Artemis

By the way, have you noticed the latest trend of Toto Wolff regularly lauding Verstappen ? Did the skies clear up after years of bitter bickering, coming to terms, leaving the past behind.

Most will say that it's simply a reality-check by Wolff about Verstappen's sheer dominance on track, but there could be more than meets the eye.

Wolff was caught off guard about Hamilton's surprise move to Mercedes. A vacated Mercedes race seat for 2025 combined with the Horner controversy causing internal friction down at Red Bull Racing, unexpectedly opened a unique 'window of opportunity' for Wolff. Reeling in Hamilton for 2013 was 'a chance of a lifetime' for Lauda and Wolff. Together they wrote many amazing pages of greatness in F1 history books. Wolff could hope to relive that fantastic endeavor by reeling in Verstappen for 2026 (or maybe even already for 2025). Already almost a decade ago Wolff was interested to hire Verstappen, but Marko was quicker to offer him an F1 contract. Alike in 2013 with Hamilton, Wolff could promise Verstappen that Mercedes will do their level best to give him a competitive Mercedes car, facilitating 2026 WDC and WCC titles (with either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli as team mate).

Could also be that, based on one-on-one talks, Wolff changed his mind, for better, about Verstappen on a human level. Verstappen is currently very comfortable at Red Bull for 2024 and 2025: car, team support, Newey, pay, fan base, etc. It takes courage to walk away from that luxurious comfort zone to join a currently lesser performing team, mainly because of a disagreement about core values (Horner controversy) and possible doubts about the 2026 car performance (Ford/RB Powertrains). Hiring a driver is making him unavailable for competing teams.

I think that Wolff is even prepared to accept Marko in some advisory role for Verstappen. Marko will be 81 later this month. Or maybe Marko could assist Andretti in accessing F1, at last, via a Visa Cash App RB takeover.

Wolff is grabbing at any strings to get back to earth with the coming of losing LEW for '25, completely blanking off the past and taking a liking to MAX is now a try everything measure for him, frankly I think he should get one of the younger drivers from their academy in there but the plot may yet thicken...

A former Ferrari engineer has suggested Ferrari may yet re-think LEW's signing for Ferrari.
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ella-decision/

[Marcoose]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

2 years ago now but what an embarrassment for TW, the Race Directors decision was and is final which supersedes any regs with the onus being to continue a race.

And what happened to this illustrious race director ? From Wikipaedia:

In July 2022, Masi left the FIA in order to relocate to Australia and spend more time with his family. In September, Masi was appointed the independent Chairman of the Supercars Commission in Australia. He was appointed to the board of directors of Karting Australia in December. Due to the abuse he received after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the exhaustion of travelling to different countries as race director, Masi sought help with his mental health.

Hopefully he's happy with his novel, on-the-fly final decision. Sure was a great job.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

Wolff is grabbing at any strings to get back to earth with the coming of losing LEW for '25, completely blanking off the past and taking a liking to MAX is now a try everything measure for him, frankly I think he should get one of the younger drivers from their academy in there but the plot may yet thicken...

A former Ferrari engineer has suggested Ferrari may yet re-think LEW's signing for Ferrari.
https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/10...ella-decision/

[G30M]

[Marcoose]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Abu Dhabi Masi or no Abu Dhabi Masi (2021)

Nah. Nice try, tough. (Again)

[G30M]

we all have mobile phones, anyone can text anyone, anyone can dine with anyone, anyone can speak with anyone.

Max speaking with other people? does he have a mobile phone or not?

who moves where that's a different matter. lawyers and signatures are involved. even then, if more money is offered, signatures can be erased.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by g21

we all have mobile phones, anyone can text anyone, anyone can dine with anyone, anyone can speak with anyone.

Max speaking with other people? does he have a mobile phone or not?

who moves where that's a different matter. lawyers and signatures are involved. even then, if more money is offered, signatures can be erased.