The F1 thread

Cols

Perez is unwell ahead of this week’s Grand Prix.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/sergio-perez-illness-austrian-grand-prix/

The cynic in me suspects that he just wants to skive off his press commitments and will be right as rain come FP1.  Max pulled a similar stunt at the Saudi Grand Prix.

https://www.skysports.com/amp/f1/news/12433/12835227/red-bulls-max-verstappen-to-miss-f1s-saudi-arabian-grand-prix-media-duties-due-to-stomach-illness

stickyfiddle

Exclusive pictures of last night's caterers have been revealed..

Cols

I’m not sure I want to think about what’s dripping off the wooden spoon there…

RandallFlagg

Cols said:

I’m not sure I want to think about what’s dripping off the wooden spoon there…

I would imagine it's got Christian Horner's DNA in it

stickyfiddle

RandallFlagg said:

Cols said:

I’m not sure I want to think about what’s dripping off the wooden spoon there…

I would imagine it's got Christian Horner's DNA in it

I was guessing... badger honey...?

As for quill, Perez did a fine job of not keeping it in the lines and blaming everyone else for it. Lolz

Interesting that so far DannyRic is still the only guy to be able to be Max's teammate and not mentally implode (though arguably that's probably why he wanted out). His summer break will be very important. 

Cols

At Red Bull’s home track, only one of their 4 drivers had a good day yesterday.  I suspect if Mateschitz was still alive somebody would already be out on their ear.

Horner was especially tetchy about Perez flopping out in Q2 again.  The Ferraris are very close to Verstappen, and he’s undoubtedly sensitive about being mobbed at the start.  Sergio scrapping around in 15th really isn’t much use, unless you need someone to play interference while lapping cars.  He can bleat about track limits all he wants, but the fact remains that if the track was lined with alligator-filled pits the drivers would have no trouble keeping it between the lines.

De Vries is basically done for at this point.  He’s just keeping the seat warm for Lawson or Ricciardo.

stickyfiddle

My gut says DR at RB and Lawson at Toro Rosso or whatever they end up calling it next year

Cols

Seems likely.  I suspect it rests on how DR performs in the Silverstone tyre test, and whether the team is reassured that whatever befell him at McLaren has been resolved.

Lawson is on the Red Bull Junior team, but unless I’ve missed something he’s not exactly vanquishing all before him in the lower formulae.  Tsunoda is developing well, but not really looking ready to step up to the senior team.

I wonder if Red Bull have a performance-related break clause in Perez’s contract?

stickyfiddle

Cols said:

I wonder if Red Bull have a performance-related break clause in Perez’s contract?

I would be astonished if they don’t 

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Full little quali shootout there, some interesting results. Great efforts by Norris and Hulk, but Max was another completely different planet there.

TimmyO

Surprisingly little talk about Max’s conscious deliberate bonkers lunge on his teammate compared to the earlier shove the other way around 

TimmyO

I enjoyed the Sprint - but FML Norris must have the record for positions lost on the opening lap? 

DesVegas

Lando for the win today. Max and Charles crash. Max dies and comes back as a ghost and starts dating geri halliwell

stickyfiddle

Perez and Max both playing silly buggers in the sprint, but it was a fun half hour. 

Today unlikely to be as interesting without the shitty weather but hopefully Norris can get the upgrade McLaren up the field

Cols

TimmyO said:

Surprisingly little talk about Max’s conscious deliberate bonkers lunge on his teammate compared to the earlier shove the other way around 

Bit of red mist there, I think.  Max had the thin excuse that he was barely in control of his car, unlike Perez when he put his teammate on the grass along the straight.

stickyfiddle

Not a bad race aside from Max winning by half a lap. 

And AM have protested that not enough track limits penalties were given...

(only mildly related but I note Sophia Floersch also got points from starting 20th in a shitbox team in F3. Disqualified for what sounds like a minor technical thing but good to see her actually getting in with the boys. I'm interested to see how far up the F3/F2 grids she can get)

stickyfiddle

Lolz

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-hands-out-12-penalties-for-track-limit-offences-after-f1-austrian-gp/10490833/ ;

Aston Martin launched a protest in relation to incidents of breaches of track limits – predominately at Turns 9 and 10 – not being correctly identified and penalised.
The FIA then revealed that it had been unable to review in excess of 1200 reports of violations of drivers having strayed over the painted white lines with all four wheels during the 71-lap race.
The stewards, meanwhile, were presented with a list of deleted lap times from race control that showed cases of infringements that were not previously brought to their attention.
These have now been reviewed and a further 12 penalties awarded on the following basis:

• Three infringements should have resulted in a black-and-white warning flag.

• Four infringements earn a five-second penalty.

• Five infringements earn a 10-second penalty.

• Thereafter, a "reset" has been allowed due to the "excessive number of infringements" meaning four fouls earn another five-second penalty.

As a result of the full review, Sainz has dropped two places to sixth in the final classification.
He was initially handed a five-second penalty, which he served at his second pitstop. But that has now been upped to a 10s hit.
The Spaniard subsequently falls behind McLaren driver Lando Norris and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.
Similarly, Mercedes driver Hamilton has been moved from a five to 10-second penalty to fall a place behind his team-mate George Russell to eighth.
Esteban Ocon is the biggest casualty of the new evidence presented to the stewards. He has copped four separate penalties that combine for a 30s hit. His 12th place becomes 14th.

Pierre Gasly (now 10th in the final results), Williams duo Alex Albon (11th), Logan Sargeant (13th) and AlphaTauri drivers Nyck de Vries (17th) and Yuki Tsunoda (19th) have also been penalised.

Teams retain the right to appeal these latest decisions within a specific time frame.

Motorsport.com understands teams were frustrated by the delayed policing of track limits since they might have otherwise been able to warn drivers when they were shown a black-and-white flag that they were only one strike away from receiving a five-second penalty.

The stewards added that they "very strongly recommend that a solution be found to the track limits".
The FIA has previously lobbied Red Bull Ring management to install gravel traps on the exit of Turns 9 and 10 – as is used at the slower Turn 4. But these have not come to fruition owing to the circuit also hosting motorcycle championship events including MotoGP. 

Penn

The FIA are just a joke. 

They couldn’t manage a scalextric race much less a formula 1 race. 

DesVegas

Damen Hill called it by saying they need to slow down a bit more on those corners

stickyfiddle

DesVegas said:

Damen Hill called it by saying they need to slow down a bit more on those corners

I agree 100% - no sympathy for the drivers at all for the penalties. But it shouldn't take one team protesting after the event for the correct penalties to be applied, and then for those to be applied unevenly (4 strikes for the first penalty, then 2, then 4, etc). It's nuts! 

The FIA would have known in advance that this race would need watching carefully because this circuit is always like this due to its high speed corners and massive grippy kerbs.