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

[Pulsar77]

I must admit that I'm really sad for Max Verstappen after the qualifying session. Because I think that he definitely deserved to take the pole position. He was coming with two purple sectors but he just messed up his chance on the last turn. He pushed so hard that he lost the control of his car a little and it caused him to hit the barriers. Jos Verstappen was so angry to see it also. But despite this incident, Verstappen already proved that he is faster than Hamilton on this track. As long as he is focused like this and doesn't make such a mistake again, he can still win this race.

[coinlocket$]

Max got the pole position in his hands and he threw it away.
Now he maybe even have his gearbox damaged.

In the end, was a nice track let see if tomorrow they can overtake.

[Koal-84]

Max got the pole position in his hands and he threw it away.
Now he maybe even have his gearbox damaged.

In the end, was a nice track let see if tomorrow they can overtake.

Exactly, Verstappen had it in his hand. But the good thing is that even if Verstappen didn't make it, Mercedes is not as superior as most people think. It will definitely be an exciting race tomorrow. But it's crucial to score points tomorrow and to get a good start in the race.

[AndySt]

I must admit that I'm really sad for Max Verstappen after the qualifying session. Because I think that he definitely deserved to take the pole position. He was coming with two purple sectors but he just messed up his chance on the last turn. He pushed so hard that he lost the control of his car a little and it caused him to hit the barriers. Jos Verstappen was so angry to see it also. But despite this incident, Verstappen already proved that he is faster than Hamilton on this track. As long as he is focused like this and doesn't make such a mistake again, he can still win this race.

Only the first position in the qualification can serve as proof, and this did not happen. Let's hope that Verstappen won't be able to win the race tomorrow to keep the intrigue in the championship Qualifying was successful for Mercedes and the team managed to win the first two positions at the start, but these positions will need to be held, and Max showed in previous races that he can show a great start. Therefore, in the end, a lot will depend on the start and what pace the Mercedes and Red Bull cars will show during the race. Also, let's not forget about Ferrari and Leclerc, who finished fourth in qualifying and can also make adjustments to the fight at the start.

[fullhdpixel]

The last time he was in a serious title challenge it was against Vettel, and Vettel wasn't strong enough mentally to deal with it. But Verstappen is strong enough, I think. He's not shown any signs at all of buckling under the pressure. He's certainly a worthy opponent for Hamilton.

If Hamilton has the faster car here, then one thing that could be important is the pace of the second drivers. Bottas looks like he should be up near the front for a change, but Perez seems to be struggling a bit. That could hand Mercedes a tactical advantage if it stays like that through qualifying. Of course I don't expect Bottas to beat Verstappen in the race itself, but he might be able to assist Hamilton.

I am not even sure about Vettel, sure he is a great driver and multiple champion but when Mercedes started their domination in 2014, nobody really got too close. Even Vettel was further away than max, even if max ends up becoming second in each race and loses the title, he will be within like 10 points or so, right? That means he would be the person who got closest to Hamilton in 8 years or so. This is by far the most hardcore season Hamilton had in his entire life.

I am not one of those people who say Hamilton only won this many thanks to his car, but it is fair to say that Mercedes has always been faster than every other car, at all times, so for the first time ever, Hamilton finally has someone who gives him a challenge and that means his "most important title" is actually true. Plus he would become the person with most titles as well, added bonus for sure.

[Koal-84]

In a few hours, the penultimate race of the season will start. For Verstappen and also Hamilton, a crash or a technical defect is forbidden. I think Hamilton will win the race normally and Verstappen can finish second on his own, then the decision will be postponed to the last race. Bottas could possibly play a decisive role or do you think Bottas will lose the start against Verstappen?

[alegotardo]

In a few hours, the penultimate race of the season will start. For Verstappen and also Hamilton, a crash or a technical defect is forbidden. I think Hamilton will win the race normally and Verstappen can finish second on his own, then the decision will be postponed to the last race. Bottas could possibly play a decisive role or do you think Bottas will lose the start against Verstappen?

This season is really great, it's great to be able to follow a season until the end without knowing who will be victorious in it, unlike what happened last season
Or does someone believe that Verstappen can come first and Hamilton sixth or less? That then, the test end today.

Another piece of information that caught my attention is that Hamilton broke another record... he is the first driver to score pole positions on 32 different circuits. Of course Verstappen helped Hamilton achieve that, I don't believe he hit the rail on the last corner at the end of Q3.

[Real-Duke]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position
Ok guys, lets fight on the track! Looking forward to the battle in a few hours.

[tokeweed]

Max got the pole position in his hands and he threw it away.
Now he maybe even have his gearbox damaged.

In the end, was a nice track let see if tomorrow they can overtake.

Yeah he got greedy.  He got 2 purples at sector 1 and sector 2 and continued to try to get more pace at sector 3.  He was prolly trying to make a statement against Hamilton and it cost him.  The start of the race will be very crucial for him for sure.  But with Bottas at P2 it’s gonna tough.

[Koal-84]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position
Ok guys, lets fight on the track! Looking forward to the battle in a few hours.

I have already read that Verstappen does not need a gearbox change and therefore does not get a penalty. So for Verstappen it depends on the start, it would be important for Verstappen to overtake Bottas at the start and not get into a collision with the Mercedes. In any case, this season is one of the most exciting in years. Perez will not be helpful in the fight, but if RedBull wants to win the Constructors' World Championship, Perez should finish ahead of Bottas.

[swogerino]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position
Ok guys, lets fight on the track! Looking forward to the battle in a few hours.

I have already read that Verstappen does not need a gearbox change and therefore does not get a penalty. So for Verstappen it depends on the start, it would be important for Verstappen to overtake Bottas at the start and not get into a collision with the Mercedes. In any case, this season is one of the most exciting in years. Perez will not be helpful in the fight, but if RedBull wants to win the Constructors' World Championship, Perez should finish ahead of Bottas.

A narrow track like this means nothing from which position you start if we see a lot of Safety Car happening here and I bet it will happen.It all depends in the strategy and if I were Redbull I would start Perez with the hardest tires possible in order to give Max a hand during the final stages of the race and why not winning the Constructors Championship.I am afraid though that they will not do that and this race is going to be lost in the early laps.

[Cnut237]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position

I have already read that Verstappen does not need a gearbox change and therefore does not get a penalty.

I think it's still an open question whether the gearbox is damaged or not. They decided not to replace it, and avoid the five place penalty... but remember that's exactly what Ferrari did with Leclerc in Monaco, and we all remember how that ended up.

I suspect this is a calculated gamble from Red Bull, and they will still be concerned during the race as to whether the gearbox can make it through. The decision is likely due to the speculation that overtaking is difficult here, and him starting from eighth would mean he'd likely finish behind both Hamilton and Bottas, giving Hamilton the championship lead. So they risk the gearbox instead. From the outside, this looks like a brave decision, but it could backfire on them.

[tokeweed]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position
Ok guys, lets fight on the track! Looking forward to the battle in a few hours.

I have already read that Verstappen does not need a gearbox change and therefore does not get a penalty. So for Verstappen it depends on the start, it would be important for Verstappen to overtake Bottas at the start and not get into a collision with the Mercedes. In any case, this season is one of the most exciting in years. Perez will not be helpful in the fight, but if RedBull wants to win the Constructors' World Championship, Perez should finish ahead of Bottas.

A narrow track like this means nothing from which position you start if we see a lot of Safety Car happening here and I bet it will happen.It all depends in the strategy and if I were Redbull I would start Perez with the hardest tires possible in order to give Max a hand during the final stages of the race and why not winning the Constructors Championship.I am afraid though that they will not do that and this race is going to be lost in the early laps.

^  There’s a rule in F1 that any driver must use those tires used in the driver’s fastest lap in Q2.  So Red Bull can’t choose even if they wanted to...  And I wasn’t paying attention, but I’m guessing Perez was using the softs for his fastest lap at Q2?

Anyway just around 30 mins more to go guys.  The start and the first 5 laps should be good.  

[Koal-84]

Red Bull just confirmed that the Gear Box from Verstappens car is not damaged so he should be able to start from the 3rd position

I have already read that Verstappen does not need a gearbox change and therefore does not get a penalty.

I think it's still an open question whether the gearbox is damaged or not. They decided not to replace it, and avoid the five place penalty... but remember that's exactly what Ferrari did with Leclerc in Monaco, and we all remember how that ended up.

I suspect this is a calculated gamble from Red Bull, and they will still be concerned during the race as to whether the gearbox can make it through. The decision is likely due to the speculation that overtaking is difficult here, and him starting from eighth would mean he'd likely finish behind both Hamilton and Bottas, giving Hamilton the championship lead. So they risk the gearbox instead. From the outside, this looks like a brave decision, but it could backfire on them.

I assume that RedBull has checked the gearbox and found it to be good. If the world championship is decided by the gearbox, that would be a shame. Soon the Grand Prix will start and we will know better then, at the moment we can only guess and speculate.

[Cnut237]

I assume that RedBull has checked the gearbox and found it to be good. If the world championship is decided by the gearbox, that would be a shame. Soon the Grand Prix will start and we will know better then, at the moment we can only guess and speculate.

Yes, I hope it's not decided by that. Looking back at the Leclerc crash (video here), it does seem quite a bit more severe than Max's crash yesterday... so it's not quite the same thing, and maybe Max's gearbox is fine after all.

But yes, we are only speculating. There is an exciting race in store...

[Koal-84]

I assume that RedBull has checked the gearbox and found it to be good. If the world championship is decided by the gearbox, that would be a shame. Soon the Grand Prix will start and we will know better then, at the moment we can only guess and speculate.

Yes, I hope it's not decided by that. Looking back at the Leclerc crash (video here), it does seem quite a bit more severe than Max's crash yesterday... so it's not quite the same thing, and maybe Max's gearbox is fine after all.

But yes, we are only speculating. There is an exciting race in store...

RedBull and Verstappen are very lucky as the race is now red flagged and Verstappen can change tyres as well. I don't understand why Mercedes changed the tyres on both cars, they could have easily left Bottas in front of Verstappen. Good luck for Verstappen and RedBull.

[Real-Duke]

What a great start! Hamilton is taken the lead and now after the accident from Mick Schumacher Verstappen is in advantage because he can change his tires under red flag.
I thought this going to be a really short race but now there is enogh time to pick up another beer without missing anything

[Cnut237]

now after the accident from Mick Schumacher Verstappen is in advantage because he can change his tires under red flag

Yep, that's a huge advantage now, with the race expected to be a one-stopper, that double-stack from Mercedes and Max staying out could have decided the title. Max goes from dropping 10 points on Hamilton to gaining 7, so from being 2 points behind in the championship to 15 ahead... which if it stays like that is almost a guarantee.

But plenty still to play for here, still questions over that gearbox, and whether Lewis can somehow overtake Max on track!

[coinlocket$]

What a mistake for Redbull for Verstappen.

What luck for Verstappen with the red flag he recovered the missed pit stop on a red flag.

[Real-Duke]

LOL what is going on here? Another red flag after a few corners
But what is with Max? Could it be that he will get a penalty?