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

[swogerino]

-snip-
Who do you say for the pole? There is a fierce Verstappen - Leclerc fight. Maybe a chance for Leclerc here?

I am very optimistic that Charles can get a podium in this race, seeing how he consistently got good positions in the free practice and qualifying sessions. However, it seems that we will see how the race will be quite tough for him, because there is Verstappen and the McLaren duo in front of him, and Sainz also doesn't seem to want to lower his ego to allow his teammate to get first position. But I hope that Ferrari can at least win this race because it's been a while since they won on their home turf.

The win looks difficult so far for Ferrari unless some crash puts out of the positions Max and McLaren and this is the only possibility for Ferrari to win a race.I doubt they can fight in the race pace and they win during the laps there against Verstappen and McLaren during tomorrow race.It is going to be interesting as we have a really different starting grid for the first 10 drivers for the first time this season and as I have said before,beautiful races start when Europe races start.We are in the legendary track of Imola where racing action is guaranteed and I am very much looking forward to that race for tomorrow.

[coinlocket$]

1   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m15.762s   1m15.176s   1m14.746s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.940s   1m15.407s   1m14.820s
3   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.915s   1m15.371s   1m14.837s
4   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m15.823s   1m15.328s   1m14.970s
5   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m16.015s   1m15.512s   1m15.233s
6   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.107s   1m15.671s   1m15.234s
7   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m15.894s   1m15.358s   1m15.234s
8   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.604s   1m15.677s   1m15.465s
9   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m16.060s   1m15.691s   1m15.504s
10   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m15.841s   1m15.569s   1m15.674s
11   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m16.404s   1m15.706s   1m15.980s
12   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.361s   1m15.906s   
13   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.458s   1m15.992s   
14   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m16.524s   1m16.200s   
15   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.015s   1m16.381s   
16   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.626s       
17   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.834s       
18   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m16.854s       
19   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.917s       
20   Logan Sargeant   USA   Williams Racing   No Time Set       


Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1048653/1/2024-f1-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-qualifying-results

This was the official qualify session but PIASTRI got penalized for impiding.
So the evertone scale up by 1 position.


It will be fun race/fight with max and lando.

[Distraction]

The qualifying was really delightful.    Verstappen had some difficult time at the weekend but still didn't let anyone else get that pole position. He is a really hardworking driver also.

Because he was actually having some issues in one of the sectors but fixed it by trying a different method. There is only an hour to go for the race! I hope to see an exciting race. 

This was the official qualify session but PIASTRI got penalized for impiding.
So the evertone scale up by 1 position.

Yeah, Piastri got penalized by 3 places. Otherwise he did an amazing work during the qualifying.    Sometimes he shows what he can do more and I'm excited about his future in F1.

McLaren has 2 young and really skilled drivers which I think is a big privilege.

[swogerino]

It sounds and it looks a lot to me that this Piastri fellow is a great driver and has done quite some brilliant race performances even when McLaren was not at the top of performance and I am sure this is also noticed by other big teams who I am sure have an eye to him and they will be offering him great contracts as soon as the occasion is presented.I am also sure that McLaren also realizes this better than any other team since they have him on board and I am sure they will renew his contract as soon as they see fit in order to have to talented drivers with them,I am also in knowledge that Piastri and Norris both are very happy at McLaren right now.Can't wait to see what they will show us during the race that starts in less than an hour from now.

[tokeweed]

1   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m15.762s   1m15.176s   1m14.746s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.940s   1m15.407s   1m14.820s
3   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.915s   1m15.371s   1m14.837s
4   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m15.823s   1m15.328s   1m14.970s
5   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m16.015s   1m15.512s   1m15.233s
6   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.107s   1m15.671s   1m15.234s
7   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m15.894s   1m15.358s   1m15.234s
8   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.604s   1m15.677s   1m15.465s
9   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m16.060s   1m15.691s   1m15.504s
10   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m15.841s   1m15.569s   1m15.674s
11   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m16.404s   1m15.706s   1m15.980s
12   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.361s   1m15.906s   
13   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.458s   1m15.992s   
14   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m16.524s   1m16.200s   
15   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.015s   1m16.381s   
16   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.626s       
17   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.834s       
18   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m16.854s       
19   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.917s       
20   Logan Sargeant   USA   Williams Racing   No Time Set       


Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1048653/1/2024-f1-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-qualifying-results

This was the official qualify session but PIASTRI got penalized for impiding.
So the evertone scale up by 1 position.


It will be fun race/fight with max and lando.

Note to self, whenever the books make someone else than Verstappen as the favorite to get pole position in quali, always bet on Verstappen.  Lmao.  Verstappen lined at 3.00 was like a holiday present just waiting there.  Had to be clever and went for Sainz. 

Anyway let's hope the Ferrari upgrade boost the cars to give both the McLarens a good race.  Rooting for Leclerc to get on the podium.

[swogerino]

1   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m15.762s   1m15.176s   1m14.746s
2   Oscar Piastri   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.940s   1m15.407s   1m14.820s
3   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m15.915s   1m15.371s   1m14.837s
4   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m15.823s   1m15.328s   1m14.970s
5   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m16.015s   1m15.512s   1m15.233s
6   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.107s   1m15.671s   1m15.234s
7   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m15.894s   1m15.358s   1m15.234s
8   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team   1m16.604s   1m15.677s   1m15.465s
9   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   Visa Cash App RB F1 Team   1m16.060s   1m15.691s   1m15.504s
10   Nico Hulkenberg   GER   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m15.841s   1m15.569s   1m15.674s
11   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m16.404s   1m15.706s   1m15.980s
12   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.361s   1m15.906s   
13   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.458s   1m15.992s   
14   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m16.524s   1m16.200s   
15   Pierre Gasly   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m16.015s   1m16.381s   
16   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.626s       
17   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber   1m16.834s       
18   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   MoneyGram Haas F1 Team   1m16.854s       
19   Fernando Alonso   ESP   Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team   1m16.917s       
20   Logan Sargeant   USA   Williams Racing   No Time Set       


Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1048653/1/2024-f1-emilia-romagna-grand-prix-qualifying-results

This was the official qualify session but PIASTRI got penalized for impiding.
So the evertone scale up by 1 position.


It will be fun race/fight with max and lando.

Note to self, whenever the books make someone else than Verstappen as the favorite to get pole position in quali, always bet on Verstappen.  Lmao.  Verstappen lined at 3.00 was like a holiday present just waiting there.  Had to be clever and went for Sainz. 

Anyway let's hope the Ferrari upgrade boost the cars to give both the McLarens a good race.  Rooting for Leclerc to get on the podium.

Rooting for Leclerc to be on the podium and not to win the race shows that you don't believe much in the upgrades of Ferrari although we have not seen them how well will behave in a race,we have only seen in a single lap where they made a small difference compared to other races yet not the big one promised by Ferrari.

I am rooting for the first time for Verstappen to be out in the first corner and we to enjoy a very good race without him like in old times Ferrari vs McLaren,by out I don't mean DNF for him,I just hope he goes 9th or 10th place so we can see a very beautiful race or if this does not happen,a Safety Car is all I pray for  .

[tokeweed]

I'm rooting for Leclerc because I think he's a good driver who hasn't been given much of an opportunity to win because his team can't design a competitive enough car to win podiums or races in every grand prix.  As for not really believing enough in the upgrades...  Not my fault.  I just watch these races for the lulz.. 

[Pulsar77]

I'd like to say "What a race!" but I can't. It was quite boring as we didn't see much change in top places. However the last moments of the race were really exciting. I don't know how but Verstappen started to lose a lot of pace and a new chance was born for Norris to go for his 2nd win in his career right after achieving the 1st one. 

Verstappen still won but in the last lap my heart was beating at a much higher rate.    Thanks to them we saw some action. Leclerc did a good job by finishing right behind Norris but maybe he could have also been more competitive for 2nd place if he didn't make a big mistake at a turn.

Full results:

[swogerino]

I'm rooting for Leclerc because I think he's a good driver who hasn't been given much of an opportunity to win because his team can't design a competitive enough car to win podiums or races in every grand prix.  As for not really believing enough in the upgrades...  Not my fault.  I just watch these races for the lulz.. 

Max is a masterpiece of a driver I must say in the last laps fighting without battery and with tires gone against a McLaren that surely has upgraded their car to a huge performance and if there were just 2-3 couple of laps more I am sure Lando would have gotten his 2nd win which would have been also a back to back yet Max managed to win the race against all odds.This shows that the driver can make a difference in such situations but are exactly these situations that decide a Championship as who has more chances to win,Leclerc unfortunately remains just an average driver and no one should expect world Championships from him,he is simply not good enough as this race showed once again.

[LTU_btc]

I'd like to say "What a race!" but I can't. It was quite boring as we didn't see much change in top places. However the last moments of the race were really exciting. I don't know how but Verstappen started to lose a lot of pace and a new chance was born for Norris to go for his 2nd win in his career right after achieving the 1st one. 

Yeah, whole race wasn't most exciting, I was struggling not to fall asleep literally. There wasn't much action, but probably it was something expected, considering that Imola isn't easiest track for overtaking. But end when Norris gave some good pressure for Verstappen made it worth watching.
If Mclaren will manage to keep what they did today, they're capable to fight for wins in some races. While if Ferrari with upgrade expected to fight with Red Bull, now they will have to reach Mclaren somehow.

[swogerino]

I'd like to say "What a race!" but I can't. It was quite boring as we didn't see much change in top places. However the last moments of the race were really exciting. I don't know how but Verstappen started to lose a lot of pace and a new chance was born for Norris to go for his 2nd win in his career right after achieving the 1st one. 

Yeah, whole race wasn't most exciting, I was struggling not to fall asleep literally. There wasn't much action, but probably it was something expected, considering that Imola isn't easiest track for overtaking. But end when Norris gave some good pressure for Verstappen made it worth watching.
If Mclaren will manage to keep what they did today, they're capable to fight for wins in some races. While if Ferrari with upgrade expected to fight with Red Bull, now they will have to reach Mclaren somehow.

They are very near to McLaren I would say in the start when using the medium tires,the only difference was with the hard tires,McLaren looked like the best car with those tires compared to every other single team so they have to find how to manage the tires better.Good thing next week we have a great race like that in Monaco which is Leclerc home race and in there the overtaking is much more difficult than here if not impossible,most likely the pole winner will also win the race,so it would be nice for Ferrari or McLaren to hit the pole there and to make another win.It won't be that easy but in a track like Monaco seeing Redbull is only good because of Verstappen it can be beaten,Perez is really not performing with the car now.

[coinlocket$]

short week off.

In 4 days we'll be back on track in Monaco at Leclerc's home.
Rain is forecast for the weekend, without rain let's prepare for the most boring Grand Prix in F1.
Once it was interesting as a Grand Prix with many accidents of drivers crashing, with these cars and their technology it has become a very rare event.

[püsür]

I'd like to say "What a race!" but I can't. It was quite boring as we didn't see much change in top places. However the last moments of the race were really exciting. I don't know how but Verstappen started to lose a lot of pace and a new chance was born for Norris to go for his 2nd win in his career right after achieving the 1st one. 

Verstappen still won but in the last lap my heart was beating at a much higher rate.    Thanks to them we saw some action. Leclerc did a good job by finishing right behind Norris but maybe he could have also been more competitive for 2nd place if he didn't make a big mistake at a turn.

It was not a very exciting race, but at least it seems like there are more watchable races compared to last year. Last year there were races that I turned off in the middle of the race. It was a problem-free race for the teams, but the race, which we expected to be tense, if not about the passes, then about the risks, was very calm. I would like one of sainz, norris, piastri to win. Of course, there is also a max who received 3 track limit warnings in 11 laps and drove 52 laps without error. Towards the end, whether it was due to tyres or some other reason, his pace dropped, but he knew how to win again.

[Captain Corporate]

Oh man, if there was even just one more lap, I am sure that Norris was just about to takeover, it really looked like we are going to end up with Norris getting two wins in a row and that would have been shocking to the whole world, he showed today that last win wasn't just safety car luck, and sure that helped but today he showed that he can go toe to toe. Now all depends on next race, if Norris could be within like just 5 seconds, even if he loses, I am sure that odds everywhere will change. Last I checked, it was like 1.03 or something silly for Max to win, and after last win and this second place of nearly winning, I am pretty sure that one more close race and odds for Norris will skyrocket.

[retreat]

I'd like to say "What a race!" but I can't. It was quite boring as we didn't see much change in top places. However the last moments of the race were really exciting. I don't know how but Verstappen started to lose a lot of pace and a new chance was born for Norris to go for his 2nd win in his career right after achieving the 1st one. 

The last 10 laps were like a roller coaster for me, Norris and Max's battle really kept me entertained - they showed the fight that should be shown in an F1 race. Especially when Max said on the radio that his battery only had 30% left, that really made me happy, but yeah luck wasn't with Norris, if there were 2 more laps, I'm sure that Norris could get P1. And for Charles, I'm a little disappointed with him even though in the FP session he showed a very good performance, but yeah this is a race anything can happen, hopefully at the Monaco GP we can see that this "Prince of Monaco" can get P1.

Lastly for Logan, I was really sad when he saw him in the interview, it was like he was dead inside and had no hope of surviving in F1. Even though in general, we can see that his performance is better than Albon, but it's just that he doesn't get more exposure. Hopefully, if Andretti enters F1, he can get a driver's position there, because he has the potential, he just needs the right team for him.

[tokeweed]

Oh so Verstappen won again?  Wow...  Not.    But hopefully we get another shot at getting Verstappen getting lined at 3.00 for quali.  That's a pump fist bet.

Here's the schedule for the next race.  Should be good at quali with the McLarens looking strong at the last race.  Their momentum could continue in Monaco.

2024 F1 Monaco GP Schedule
Track:  Circuit De Monaco



May 24:  Practice 1  13:30 - 14:30
May 24:  Practice 2  17:00 - 18:00
May 25:  Practice 3  12:30 - 13:30
May 25:  Qualifying  16:00 - 17:00
May 26:  Race  15:00

[Pulsar77]

Max is a masterpiece of a driver I must say in the last laps fighting without battery and with tires gone against a McLaren that surely has upgraded their car to a huge performance and if there were just 2-3 couple of laps more I am sure Lando would have gotten his 2nd win which would have been also a back to back yet Max managed to win the race against all odds.This shows that the driver can make a difference in such situations but are exactly these situations that decide a Championship as who has more chances to win,Leclerc unfortunately remains just an average driver and no one should expect world Championships from him,he is simply not good enough as this race showed once again.

The battery condition of these 2 drivers was like this in those exciting moments.    This was enough to make me more hyped honestly. Because Norris was really good at saving ERS for a big attempt during last lap of the race. But still somehow Verstappen managed to keep him behind. Maybe Norris could have overtaken him though if we had 1 more lap before the finish.

I really admire McLaren this season. They are very competitive. Norris - Piastri both are doing their best. I think McLaren will compete with Ferrari for 2nd place and finish the season as the 3rd at worst. 

[joniboini]

Because Norris was really good at saving ERS for a big attempt during last lap of the race. But still somehow Verstappen managed to keep him behind. Maybe Norris could have overtaken him though if we had 1 more lap before the finish.

I remember seeing a meme about how Norris changed for the last 10 laps in every race he did for the last few months. Is this his recent habit or is he always this way? I'm not following F1 closely so I don't know much about it. That being said, some comments suggest that he or his team did this because they were not confident that their car could race against Red Bull's car from the beginning. How true do you think this is? Norris's latest comment about one more lap fuels this meme analysis even further on social media as far as I can see.

[retreat]

I remember seeing a meme about how Norris changed for the last 10 laps in every race he did for the last few months. Is this his recent habit or is he always this way? I'm not following F1 closely so I don't know much about it. That being said, some comments suggest that he or his team did this because they were not confident that their car could race against Red Bull's car from the beginning. How true do you think this is? Norris's latest comment about one more lap fuels this meme analysis even further on social media as far as I can see.

The McLaren team tried to play it as safe as possible because they were concerned about the reliability of their car and if they tried to push it early on they would miss the moment at the end. So maybe their strategy was to play it safe at the start and then push at the end, and while hoping that the safety car would be brought out to reset the race, like they did at the Miami GP. However, this method apparently did not work at the Imola GP, so they were only able to finish in P2.
I'm just waiting for what surprises McLaren will present at the Monaco GP, since it is a very difficult race and there will definitely be tough competition, not only from RB but also Ferrari.

[karabiber]

The vehicles have grown too big. It's very difficult to pass on such narrow tracks and the cars can't even get next to each other. And then you end up with such a boring race. The Imola GP was a dull race except for Norris catching Verstappen in the last laps. I like the Italian and European circuits, but I think it makes sense that Imola is off the calendar. Or this GP could have stayed in memory of Senna, but I don't think the F1 management would have cared about that. I don't think it was nice that only Verstappen wasn't wearing a Senna t-shirt at the Senna memorial.

Ferrari and McLaren are now championship contenders. If Perez continues his bad run, the Red Bull team championship will remain a dream. McLaren is at a very good level in terms of car development. Their upward trajectory since 2023 in Austria, coupled with the second update package coming soon, should see McLaren win more races in the second half of the season. Ferrari are also in good shape and wins could come from them too. Even though the big update package they brought here didn't work as well as they would have liked, the foundation of their cars is solid. The second half of the season will be more exciting.