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

[Velvet78]

It wasn't the most exciting race honestly. I liked the moments with Verstappen - Norris rivalry though. Other than that, an easy win for Russell. Red Bull made a big mistake by preferring soft tyres for Verstappen at the start.

It was so difficult to predict that Russel will take pole, most uf were thinking about Mclaren or Verstappen. I just remind that Russel is still without contract for next season.
Lot of things will be answered on first corner tomorrow. If Russel will manage to keep his 1st place, that will significantly increase his chances to win race as Singapore track is great to defend position.

Yeah Russell is still in talks with Mercedes for a new contract. But there is still a disagreement. He wants a 1+1 year contract as far as I know but Mercedes wants it to be only 1 year for now. 

If I were in their place, I would do my best not to lose such a talented driver...

[coinlocket$]

^  If the 'incident' in Singapore is gonna catch up on Piastri and start costing him the world driver's championship, I think it would be safe to say that Piastri might leave after his contract expires.  Which will def be an opportunity for Toto Wolff and Mercedes. 

Another driver who isn't happy is Leclerc in Ferrari.  That's another good opportunity for Toto Wolff and Mercedes.  And a Piastri - Leclerc wouldn't be too bad imho.  It's really good if you think about it.

But Mercedes already has 2 good drivers.
Russell got an extention on his contract even if it not official yet.
Antonelli since he is superyoung could go in another team on "loan".

But yes about leclerc we got some rumors, and I think it could be a possibility a swap between Leclerc and Norris.

[karabiber]

Ayhancan Güven became the DTM champion. It was a fierce and tremendous race. Ayhancan did everything he needed to do in both the first and last laps of the final race, going above and beyond to secure the championship. Had he been timid in either situation, he would have had no chance of becoming champion, and his final attack earned him the respect of a true racer. Not everyone can take such risks in motorsports. Ayhancan has achieved a dramatic, cinematic championship in motorsports history.

[LTU_btc]

Ayhancan Güven became the DTM champion. It was a fierce and tremendous race. Ayhancan did everything he needed to do in both the first and last laps of the final race, going above and beyond to secure the championship. Had he been timid in either situation, he would have had no chance of becoming champion, and his final attack earned him the respect of a true racer. Not everyone can take such risks in motorsports. Ayhancan has achieved a dramatic, cinematic championship in motorsports history.

I think it's firsttime when I see post about DTM here. But I saw that race. Before last race of season there was 7(!!!) drivers who had chance to become champion. I can't remember anything similar in any other racing series. Congrats to Guven, it was amazing race.

Yeah Russell is still in talks with Mercedes for a new contract. But there is still a disagreement. He wants a 1+1 year contract as far as I know but Mercedes wants it to be only 1 year for now. 

If I were in their place, I would do my best not to lose such a talented driver...

Not that I would be big fan of Russel, but I just think Mercedes just can't find better options now. While Antonneli question is more complicated. He started season strong, but second part of it isn't going so great

[tokeweed]

^  If the 'incident' in Singapore is gonna catch up on Piastri and start costing him the world driver's championship, I think it would be safe to say that Piastri might leave after his contract expires.  Which will def be an opportunity for Toto Wolff and Mercedes. 

Another driver who isn't happy is Leclerc in Ferrari.  That's another good opportunity for Toto Wolff and Mercedes.  And a Piastri - Leclerc wouldn't be too bad imho.  It's really good if you think about it.

But Mercedes already has 2 good drivers.
Russell got an extention on his contract even if it not official yet.
Antonelli since he is superyoung could go in another team on "loan".

But yes about leclerc we got some rumors, and I think it could be a possibility a swap between Leclerc and Norris.

I know I know, I'm just saying...    Piastri is a little out of favor in the team if compared to Norris and Leclerc looks like he's just being played by Ferrari.  He's been given one promise after another and he still doesn't have the car that could compete for podiums every race. 

But yeah, both these drivers contract end 2028 and 2029 respectively so it's impossible to see them move to another team for the time being.

Anyway, US GP in a couple of weeks.  Does Vettel have a chance? 

[retreat]

At yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix, cooling vests were tested by drivers to combat the extreme heat on the circuit. These vests are designed to cool drivers' bodies and prevent them from experiencing health problems due to excessive heat in the cockpit, as temperatures inside can reach over 50 degrees Celsius during the race. Following the use of the cooling vests yesterday, the drivers shared their feedback. Some stated that the vests were quite effective in cooling their bodies, while others claimed they were not sufficiently useful – the vests only functioned effectively at the beginning of the laps, but as the race progressed, they ceased to work and even became hotter than they should have been.

Furthermore, Max criticised the vests and refused to use them, as he felt they were unnecessary and not a priority. He said that wearing these vests would only add to the problem because the cockpit was already very cramped, and wearing them would make the problem even worse.

It seems that these cooling vests are not a solution for excessive heat in the cockpit. The FIA should look for other solutions that make more sense than providing vests filled with dry ice, which actually melts quickly and is completely ineffective.

[tokeweed]

^  It became hotter than it should have been because their bodies adjusted to the lower temperature but when the cooling vests ran out of 'cooling', their bodies felt the heat much more.  It's like traveling from a cold country to a tropical country.  When you get out of the airport you feel this heat like a blanket of humidity all over your body.  It's really uncomfortable and you sweat a lot.  It's surely a different kind of heat compared to Bahrain.

I think there's no other way about it but to man up and drive through all the uncomfortable heat.

[coinlocket$]

At yesterday's Singapore Grand Prix, cooling vests were tested by drivers to combat the extreme heat on the circuit. These vests are designed to cool drivers' bodies and prevent them from experiencing health problems due to excessive heat in the cockpit, as temperatures inside can reach over 50 degrees Celsius during the race. Following the use of the cooling vests yesterday, the drivers shared their feedback. Some stated that the vests were quite effective in cooling their bodies, while others claimed they were not sufficiently useful – the vests only functioned effectively at the beginning of the laps, but as the race progressed, they ceased to work and even became hotter than they should have been.

Furthermore, Max criticised the vests and refused to use them, as he felt they were unnecessary and not a priority. He said that wearing these vests would only add to the problem because the cockpit was already very cramped, and wearing them would make the problem even worse.

It seems that these cooling vests are not a solution for excessive heat in the cockpit. The FIA should look for other solutions that make more sense than providing vests filled with dry ice, which actually melts quickly and is completely ineffective.

Yeah this was a new rule intoduced the past year after 2 years ago I thing some drivers were almost collapsing for the temepeature inside the car.
If I remeber correctly Logan Sargeant retired himself from a race due the temperature

[retreat]

^  It became hotter than it should have been because their bodies adjusted to the lower temperature but when the cooling vests ran out of 'cooling', their bodies felt the heat much more.  It's like traveling from a cold country to a tropical country.  When you get out of the airport you feel this heat like a blanket of humidity all over your body.  It's really uncomfortable and you sweat a lot.  It's surely a different kind of heat compared to Bahrain.

I think there's no other way about it but to man up and drive through all the uncomfortable heat.

And that's what Max did, he preferred not to wear a cooling vest rather than having to wear one, because he felt that it was simply unnecessary, he felt that the driver should be able to adapt to the heat, even though he also cared about the scorching heat, but there was nothing that could be done now and the driver had to be able to deal with it because it was a risk as an F1 driver.


And recently, there was some pretty heated news that the internal situation at Ferrari was heating up. Reports suggested that Frederic Vasseur was involved in an argument with senior engineer Matteo Togninalli. The two exchanged harsh words during the post-race evaluation, after differing views on the direction of the SF-25's development. Vasseur was opposed to the engineering team's tuning changes, which made the car stiffer and more prone to understeer, which he considered suited to Hamilton's driving style. This made it difficult for Leclerc to perform at his best, and also led to Leclerc's increasing criticism of the SF-25, claiming there was no progress, which infuriated the engineering team.

Ferrari, as usual, instead of making improvements and being open to criticism from their driver, instead felt they were right and their driver was wrong. Smh.

[tokeweed]

^  It became hotter than it should have been because their bodies adjusted to the lower temperature but when the cooling vests ran out of 'cooling', their bodies felt the heat much more.  It's like traveling from a cold country to a tropical country.  When you get out of the airport you feel this heat like a blanket of humidity all over your body.  It's really uncomfortable and you sweat a lot.  It's surely a different kind of heat compared to Bahrain.

I think there's no other way about it but to man up and drive through all the uncomfortable heat.

And that's what Max did, he preferred not to wear a cooling vest rather than having to wear one, because he felt that it was simply unnecessary, he felt that the driver should be able to adapt to the heat, even though he also cared about the scorching heat, but there was nothing that could be done now and the driver had to be able to deal with it because it was a risk as an F1 driver.

Ah I get it now...  Verstappen is a purist.  He wants things to be the way things are.  If an F1 driver, as a kind of athlete, is exposed to some environment then as an athlete he should be able to push on through and perform as best as he can.

That's admirable but if other drivers wants the cooling vest then let them wear it.  No need to make a big fuss about it because one wants or doesn't want to wear it.  It's prolly these journos spinning sh*t up again.  They need to eat.  Lol.

Anyway, early lines for US GP...  Norris at 3.00, Verstappen at  3.00, Piastri at 3.50, Russell at 13.00 amd Antonelli at 66.00.

[Velvet78]

Piastri messed up even more than Norris recently that he is the 3rd favoured driver for the win in the next race.    He is still in a good condition in the driver standings though with a 22-point gap.

But he needs progress anyway... Verrstappen is still on the rise. He is slowly getting closer to Norris. Hard to say he would be competitive for the title but can be for the 2nd spot at least. Because Norris still can't make use of the chances Piastri has given him.

[retreat]

Piastri messed up even more than Norris recently that he is the 3rd favoured driver for the win in the next race.    He is still in a good condition in the driver standings though with a 22-point gap.

But he needs progress anyway... Verrstappen is still on the rise. He is slowly getting closer to Norris. Hard to say he would be competitive for the title but can be for the 2nd spot at least. Because Norris still can't make use of the chances Piastri has given him.

That's because McLaren is too confident with their "Papaya Rules", so that it makes Piastri's position a bit pressured, seen in yesterday's Singapore GP where Piastri was quite annoyed because Norris seemed to prefer to turn the steering wheel towards him, and he questioned the papaya rules that they have been holding on to. And I also see that this rule is quite funny, several times Piastri was like a stepchild by McLaren, and I think after yesterday's incident, Piastri will enter his dark period. We probably won't see him being nice to Norris again.

[Republikcoin.com]

I forgot to check the WSBK schedule, even though yesterday there was a WSBK event in Estoril, Portugal, which was quite an exciting race and Bulega was also able to win in Race 2 after competing fiercely with Toprak since the SuperPole session. And for this weekend, WSBK continues directly to Jerez, Spain, but on the other hand, this weekend there is also a MotoGP race at Phillip Island, Australia, although the broadcast time is far different, so it is very possible to watch both this weekend.

[tokeweed]

Piastri messed up even more than Norris recently that he is the 3rd favoured driver for the win in the next race.    He is still in a good condition in the driver standings though with a 22-point gap.

But he needs progress anyway... Verrstappen is still on the rise. He is slowly getting closer to Norris. Hard to say he would be competitive for the title but can be for the 2nd spot at least. Because Norris still can't make use of the chances Piastri has given him.

That's when betting on Piastri starts to get more enticing...    When his line is undervalued by the bookies.  We saw Russell last week and he was lined at 21.00 before FP1 started. 

But yeah, as for Piastri's line right..?  Still no value there imho.  I'd wait after FP1 then see if the value increases.  If not then wait for FP2, then FP3.  Just wait for a good spot.  If it doesn't come, oh well.  There's always another race.

[Velvet78]

That's because McLaren is too confident with their "Papaya Rules", so that it makes Piastri's position a bit pressured, seen in yesterday's Singapore GP where Piastri was quite annoyed because Norris seemed to prefer to turn the steering wheel towards him, and he questioned the papaya rules that they have been holding on to. And I also see that this rule is quite funny, several times Piastri was like a stepchild by McLaren, and I think after yesterday's incident, Piastri will enter his dark period. We probably won't see him being nice to Norris again.

I hate that stupid Papaya rules thing. McLaren is still prioritizing Norris over Piastri. Even in the circumstances I mean... Piastri is technically closer to the championship.

By the way, I believe he was right about asking for his place back from Norris there. He literally hit Piastri's car directly from the side while trying to overtake him. I understand Piastri's anger because of that.

That's when betting on Piastri starts to get more enticing...    When his line is undervalued by the bookies.  We saw Russell last week and he was lined at 21.00 before FP1 started. 

But yeah, as for Piastri's line right..?  Still no value there imho.  I'd wait after FP1 then see if the value increases.  If not then wait for FP2, then FP3.  Just wait for a good spot.  If it doesn't come, oh well.  There's always another race.

The odds can become misleading a lot during a season. Going for a surprise makes it more fun in F1. But predicting it in the right time is always hard.    I would never expect Russell to go for even pole position in Singapore for example.

[retreat]

I hate that stupid Papaya rules thing. McLaren is still prioritizing Norris over Piastri. Even in the circumstances I mean... Piastri is technically closer to the championship.

By the way, I believe he was right about asking for his place back from Norris there. He literally hit Piastri's car directly from the side while trying to overtake him. I understand Piastri's anger because of that.

McLaren does favor Norris in the title fight between their two drivers. I don't know if it's because he's a British driver, making him a favorite to win, or if it's for some other reason. But what's certain is that at times, Norris has been favored over Piastri, and that's a bit unfair to Piastri. I prefer how Mercedes handles their drivers - they tend to be more transparent and fair in dealing with their two drivers. It's fine if you want to compete, but everything has to be fair and not disadvantageous to one another.

On the other hand, Max is exploiting McLaren's hegemony to increase his chances of winning the title. Max isn't completely out of the drivers' title fight, and he could pose a serious threat to Norris and Piastri. One big mistake from McLaren, and Max could overtake their driver.

[coinlocket$]

Very hot week coming in texas according to rumors.
This is a bad news for Ferrari and the LICO problems they have with their breaks has shown my Hamilton in the past weeks.

It will be a terrible weekend for them in the paper.

[Republikcoin.com]

This weekend will be the deciding week for the WSBK world championship and currently Toprak still leads the standings with a 39-point lead over his closest rival Bulega. I don't think Bulega will succeed in stopping Toprak from becoming the WSBK world champion this season because Toprak only needs to finish fourth in Race 1, Race 2 and also Superpole to celebrate the world championship at the final round of the WSBK season. But if Toprak falls in one race session and does not have any points, this will make Toprak work hard again in two different sessions.

[tokeweed]

That's when betting on Piastri starts to get more enticing...    When his line is undervalued by the bookies.  We saw Russell last week and he was lined at 21.00 before FP1 started. 

But yeah, as for Piastri's line right..?  Still no value there imho.  I'd wait after FP1 then see if the value increases.  If not then wait for FP2, then FP3.  Just wait for a good spot.  If it doesn't come, oh well.  There's always another race.

The odds can become misleading a lot during a season. Going for a surprise makes it more fun in F1. But predicting it in the right time is always hard.    I would never expect Russell to go for even pole position in Singapore for example.

True, it could be misleading but only because the bookies line the favorites too much that all the value goes to the guys at the fringes.  You know the fringe guys have a very low chance of winning but if the bookies start putting out a line for Russell at 21.00, who's a decent driver in a big team then the line has value.

It's more a bet for the line rather than a bet for the driver.  If you bet that race at that particular time and at those odds it could be +EV.

[LTU_btc]

Mercedes extended contract with Russel and Antonelli for 2026:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/russell-and-antonelli-confirmed-as-2026-mercedes-line-up.1vrWrdgEflkIwPgaybBEDj
Nothing unexpected, we been waiting it for a while. But Russel didn't got what he wanted ascontract was extended just for 1 season.
So, now there is one seat at Red Bull, two at Racing Bulls and one at Alpine.