Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM.....

[Luzin]

I hated the days when Lorenzo or Marques were running away with the championship.  It makes the latter half of the season kinda boring.  This is turning out to be a great start in my opinion.  I would love to see Yamaha and Ducati battle it out until Valencia.

It looks like it will be the same as last season. There is no racers dominating the race. If it's not wrong, only Quartararo is able to win in two consecutive series. Besides that, it is filled with a different name. So that we can see that their points do not have a wide enough difference. Predicting the return of Marquez to dominate is wrong, he has not been able to appear perfect.

So far it is true what you say Yamaha and Ducati still dominate the results of the race. They will keep playing until the end, but don't forget Honda they will make improvements because the marquez are back.

[boltz]

Looks like Max will take pole in Monaco as it seems Mercedes it's not in their best shape so far but you never know how tomorrow qualifiers will be. What I did like is again Lando Norris showing up and deliver big in that McLaren , a Sergio Perez that is closer and closer with that car and FP1 were great for him and a Vettel who is again in top 10 in FP1 so this means he controls the car better and better.

[DireWolfM14]

Predicting the return of Marquez to dominate is wrong, he has not been able to appear perfect.

It'll take some time for Marquez to return to top form, and there's plenty of season left.  It's unlikely he'll recover all of his speed, I've seen it too many times: Young buck with little regard for life and limb, takes a bad spill and loses a large part of his nerve.  It's only natural, but this is Marquez we're talking about.  I'm not a fan of Marc's.  In fact I've had a grudge against him since he cost Rossi the championship in 2015.  Nonetheless, I wouldn't count him out just yet.

[Cnut237]

Looks like Max will take pole in Monaco as it seems Mercedes it's not in their best shape so far

Well, Ferrari were the big surprise in P2... 1st and 2nd.
It looks like Verstappen, Hamilton and Bottas are all close behind, with Perez further back.

Could Ferrari surprise everyone in qualifying? It's probably too early to say, as we don't know what specs and fuel loads each car was running, but at the moment there's certainly a decent gap between Ferrari and the rest.

[Koal-84]

Maybe RBR should come up with a better tire strategy in Q2 and the race.

Tyre strategy in the race is probably irrelevant... overtaking is ludicrously difficult, so tyre choice doesn't matter that much.
I think last time at Monaco, Hamilton won on ridiculous 68 lap old mediums, driving slowly but no-one could overtake.

Actually the race itself is largely irrelevant. Qualifying is everything here.

That is so correct and I also think that the Tyre strategy is not important, especially in Monaco, the qualification is half or almost the whole rent and the pit stops have to be timed and quick. But RedBull is very good at the pit stops, I think even the best in the field.

[coinlocket$]

Told you aware of Ferrari on this track.
Ferrari seems to be very powerful in high traction tracks but again Mercedes and Redbull are probably not pushing at their 100%.

However, is still exciting to see 2 reds at the top of the leaderboard after this long time.

[AakZaki]

~snip~

1km long straight track, enough to overtake the yamaha in front of the Ducati by a small gap. So it's natural for you to champion Ducati, other than that this is the home of the Ducati even though I think there are more Rossi fans. The problems with Marquez and their Honda seem to be sinking, even Suzuki and KTM, which last season performed well, have not shown their best performance.

[tokeweed]

Told you aware of Ferrari on this track.
Ferrari seems to be very powerful in high traction tracks but again Mercedes and Redbull are probably not pushing at their 100%.

However, is still exciting to see 2 reds at the top of the leaderboard after this long time.

What do you think of the bet ‘Leclerc and Verstappen to finish on the podium’ at 3.6 or Hamilton and Leclerc at slightly better odds at 3.85?  Is there any value in those lines even if only slight?

Looks like Max will take pole in Monaco as it seems Mercedes it's not in their best shape so far but you never know how tomorrow qualifiers will be. What I did like is again Lando Norris showing up and deliver big in that McLaren , a Sergio Perez that is closer and closer with that car and FP1 were great for him and a Vettel who is again in top 10 in FP1 so this means he controls the car better and better.

I’d say wait for FP3.  Hamilton was prolly sand bagging as usual.  Lol.  


Here are the results in case anybody wants to see.

F1 Monaco GP FP2 Results

1.  Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow   1m11.684s
2.  Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow   1m11.796s
3.  Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m12.074s
4.  Max Verstappen   NED   Red Bull Racing   1m12.081s
5.  Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m12.107s
6.  Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m12.379s
7.  Pierre Gasly   FRA   Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda   1m12.498s
8.  Sergio Perez   MEX   Red Bull Racing   1m12.708s
9.  Antonio Giovinazzi   ITA   Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen   1m12.746s
10.  Sebastian Vettel   GER   Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team   1m12.982s
11.  Kimi Raikkonen   FIN   Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen   1m13.065s
12.  Fernando Alonso   ESP   Alpine F1 Team   1m13.175s
13.  Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team   1m13.195s
14.  Esteban Ocon   FRA   Alpine F1 Team   1m13.199s
15.  Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m13.257s
16.  George Russell   GBR   Williams Racing   1m13.509s
17.  Nicholas Latifi   CAN   Williams Racing   1m13.593s
18.  Nikita Mazepin   RUS   Uralkali Haas F1 Team   1m14.407s
19.  Mick Schumacher   GER   Uralkali Haas F1 Team   1m14.416s
20.  Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda   1m14.829s

[TheGreatPython]

Maybe RBR should come up with a better tire strategy in Q2 and the race.

Tyre strategy in the race is probably irrelevant... overtaking is ludicrously difficult, so tyre choice doesn't matter that much.
I think last time at Monaco, Hamilton won on ridiculous 68 lap old mediums, driving slowly but no-one could overtake.

Actually the race itself is largely irrelevant. Qualifying is everything here.

That is sort of tire strategy as well. Going 68 laps with mediums is a strategy, sure not a great one but still one that worked out for them so it is good in that instance. I would definitely advice against 68 laps with mediums, but if you are going to do it in anywhere it should be monaco with how little overtaking happens. If that dude stopped for a pit and changed to new ones that would mean he would have lost without a doubt, so either lose the race and get brand new tires, or risk by going with the same tires and have a chance to win. When you have Hamilton on your team you go for that risk because he can handle that type of problems.

This is very well a strategy, even not doing anything is a strategy, and it worked. Monaco will be one of the most boring ones about the overtaking situation but it is a good race to watch because of how great looking places are, you are basically not just watching the cars, probably on place where you do not look at the cars alone but look at surroundings.

[coinlocket$]

What do you think of the bet ‘Leclerc and Verstappen to finish on the podium’ at 3.6 or Hamilton and Leclerc at slightly better odds at 3.85?  Is there any value in those lines even if only slight?

I think Ferrari could fight for the top 3 spots in the qualify even the pole position if he can make the god lap.
For the race is really a bingo, he probably has the potential but again is a pure gamble on this track, a safety car, a barrier or even a blue flag can choose the winner since it is almost impossible to overtake.

The same thing in the qualify where we will see 20 cars in the track for 12 minutes to get 1 good lap since it is very hard with the traffic and apparently the need to make two laps to warm up the tires.

[Koal-84]

I wonder no one see that or write here about that what i see?



RedBull and Tezos are official blockchain partners, I hope this is sustainable and the blockchain continues to move into Formula 1. What you are think?

https://www.redbull.com/ke-en/redbullracing/tezos-joins-as-official-blockchain-partner

[swogerino]

What do you think of the bet ‘Leclerc and Verstappen to finish on the podium’ at 3.6 or Hamilton and Leclerc at slightly better odds at 3.85?  Is there any value in those lines even if only slight?

I think Ferrari could fight for the top 3 spots in the qualify even the pole position if he can make the god lap.
For the race is really a bingo, he probably has the potential but again is a pure gamble on this track, a safety car, a barrier or even a blue flag can choose the winner since it is almost impossible to overtake.

The same thing in the qualify where we will see 20 cars in the track for 12 minutes to get 1 good lap since it is very hard with the traffic and apparently the need to make two laps to warm up the tires.

There is a statistic in Monaco race which is many races have been won usually by the guy who starts first even if he has not the best car.This is because the max speed here if I remember correctly is 289 Km/h or just a bit higher and that is after the tunnel and then hard braking.It is really difficult to overtake here and in a race with normal conditions without safety car or rain disturbing the race usually the guy who start first will win the race and that is why it is extremely important to get pole position here in Monaco.

[Jackl87]

There is a statistic in Monaco race which is many races have been won usually by the guy who starts first even if he has not the best car.This is because the max speed here if I remember correctly is 289 Km/h or just a bit higher and that is after the tunnel and then hard braking.It is really difficult to overtake here and in a race with normal conditions without safety car or rain disturbing the race usually the guy who start first will win the race and that is why it is extremely important to get pole position here in Monaco.

It's true that overtaking during the race is very hard in monaco or almost impossible. Therefore the qualifying is way more important than in the "normal" races during the season. A chance to win a position is through box strategy or maybe after a safety car restart or if your car is just way faster than the car infront of you like when a mercedes has to start from last place or something like that.
Also the car is not that important than in other tracks because there are little to none high speed corners which means the superior aerodynamics of mercedes and red bull are not that big of a factor here. I think that in monaco the driver is the most important factor that's also the reason why we could see an unexpected winner on sunday.

[tokeweed]

What do you think of the bet ‘Leclerc and Verstappen to finish on the podium’ at 3.6 or Hamilton and Leclerc at slightly better odds at 3.85?  Is there any value in those lines even if only slight?

I think Ferrari could fight for the top 3 spots in the qualify even the pole position if he can make the god lap.
For the race is really a bingo, he probably has the potential but again is a pure gamble on this track, a safety car, a barrier or even a blue flag can choose the winner since it is almost impossible to overtake.

The same thing in the qualify where we will see 20 cars in the track for 12 minutes to get 1 good lap since it is very hard with the traffic and apparently the need to make two laps to warm up the tires.

But if they get a top 3 spot on the grid at quali, that’s almost a sure finish at third since overtaking is hard in Monaco.  And the cars have slightly become wider compared to 10 years ago and they also had a hard time overtaking then.

And just read this online, Leclerc never finished a race in Monaco.  Just something to know.  Lol.  Sainz podium finish? 

[el kaka22]

By the looks of it Lerclerc was doing awesome at practice that is for sure, he wanted to be as high as possible and I think did quite alright as well. However let's remember all the previous grand prix we have seen and practice means nothing when it comes down to qualifiers and even more when it comes down to race itself. We all know monaco will barely have any overtaking, sure maybe at the very end there could be for bottom racers, some pay get seconds penalty, some may crash, and that is something I can understand but that's just about it, the top 5 or even top 10 would probably not change too much from qualifiers.

Practice shows that it is not going to be just mercedes vs red bull, ferrari will be there as well but I doubt that it will be first, I think it may not be that good. Let's see what happens but I believe it will still be hamilton and max at one and two.

[coinlocket$]

And just read this online, Leclerc never finished a race in Monaco.  Just something to know.  Lol.  Sainz podium finish? 

Did you read Verstapenn this the wall every year? Because I think it's true.
In race or practices, he always hit and destroyed a car.

Its an unpredictable track, its pure gamble.

[Juggy777]

And just read this online, Leclerc never finished a race in Monaco.  Just something to know.  Lol.  Sainz podium finish? 

Did you read Verstapenn this the wall every year? Because I think it's true.
In race or practices, he always hit and destroyed a car.

Its an unpredictable track, its pure gamble.

@coinlocket$ some very interesting banter being exchanged between Hamilton and Verstappen, and it all started when Hamilton said that Verstappen has lot to prove, and he had avoided the contact with Verstappen car on the track.

However this didn’t go down nicely with Verstappen who fired back saying that he has nothing to prove, and the contact on the track works both ways, so do you’ll feel that these banter will have an effect on the upcoming races results.

[Cnut237]

some very interesting banter being exchanged between Hamilton and Verstappen, and it all started when Hamilton said that Verstappen has lot to prove, and he had avoided the contact with Verstappen car on the track.

My takeaway from this was that Hamilton is genuinely worried about Verstappen this season, and sees him as a real threat for the championship. It's rare that Hamilton initiates mind games and tries to unsettle an opponent, he normally just relies on his own ability. If I were Verstappen, I'd take Hamilton's comments as a compliment, and as a form of encouragement. If he's got Hamilton rattled already, only a few races in, then this could be an interesting season.

[aesma]

About the qualifications, keep in mind teams and drivers seem to be sandbagging quite a lot this season, so free practice times are not necessarily representative.

[coinlocket$]

FP3 done. Can Ferrari really fight for the pole position?

I think not but I will be very happy if they can.

1   Max Verstappen   NED   Red Bull Racing   1m11.294s
2   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow   1m11.341s
3   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow   1m11.552s
4   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m11.765s
5   Sergio Perez   MEX   Red Bull Racing   1m11.822s
6   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m11.988s
7   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m12.020s
8   Kimi Raikkonen   FIN   Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen   1m12.298s
9   Pierre Gasly   FRA   Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda   1m12.357s
10   Sebastian Vettel   GER   Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team   1m12.537s
11   Antonio Giovinazzi   ITA   Alfa Romeo Racing Orlen   1m12.539s
12   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team   1m12.700s
13   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m12.959s
14   Mick Schumacher   GER   Uralkali Haas F1 Team   1m13.139s
15   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Alpine F1 Team   1m13.329s
16   Nikita Mazepin   RUS   Uralkali Haas F1 Team   1m13.390s
17   George Russell   GBR   Williams Racing   1m13.447s
18   Nicholas Latifi   CAN   Williams Racing   1m13.475s
19   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda   1m13.522s
20   Esteban Ocon   FRA   Alpine F1 Team   1m13.614s

Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/978554/1/f1-2021-monaco-grand-prix-free-practice-results-3

Side note.
Schumacher destroyed his car at the end, the session has been red-flagged and it's unlike he can race for the qualify.
They need to do a miracle to repair his car in time.