The F1 thread

euan

It feels like McLaren might regret ordering Norris to give up the win. Three tenths is huge and Norris might have had six tenths advantage in race pace 

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Great lap by Norris! I was expecting it to come down to the slimmest of margins judging on how tight Q2 was, but he really pulled it out the bag there - 4 tenths is massive on a short track like that.

TimmyO

Just watching the quali now - at the end Brundle compares Norris (positively) to Senna, Hamilton and Verstappen. What a lap. 

RandallFlagg

Nozzer needs to show he's got the killer instinct to become a world champion, he should never have conceded that first place to Pastry and he needs to get off the line quicker. He's got the car now needs to deliver.

stickyfiddle

If Norris can fix his starts and keep up this quali pace there is definitely a longshot at the title, but it's still a longshot unless Max DNFs. I'm looking forward to watching it.

As for Logan, I feel bad for him, but surely he's toast now. Having a big off from dipping a wheel on the grass in the wet for the second time this season, AND on the entry to a brow where the car will go light anyway, AND doing it in practice where there's nothing at stake. Surely Merc & RB will both be wanting to get their juniors in that car for the rest of the year?

TimmyO

Re Norris’ woeful 1st lap stats over the last couple of seasons, I’ve noticed that as often as not his start itself is fine but he then gets snarled up under someone’s gearbox while others flow by. 

boogieman

TimmyO said:

Re Norris’ woeful 1st lap stats over the last couple of seasons, I’ve noticed that as often as not his start itself is fine but he then gets snarled up under someone’s gearbox while others flow by. 

They showed some figures recently and Lando’s reaction times are generally slower than others at the front. Marginal, but I guess enough to make the difference. He does seem to get mugged on the first corner an awful lot though. 

TimmyO

boogieman said:

TimmyO said:

Re Norris’ woeful 1st lap stats over the last couple of seasons, I’ve noticed that as often as not his start itself is fine but he then gets snarled up under someone’s gearbox while others flow by. 

They showed some figures recently and Lando’s reaction times are generally slower than others at the front. Marginal, but I guess enough to make the difference. He does seem to get mugged on the first corner an awful lot though. 

Cos he’s ’my guy’ I’m usually watching just him at the starts - many are the times that his first move is ‘good’ and then he falls foul of the guy in front getting out of it and having to do the same. I’ve often wondered if he pushed less initially and left himself reaction space he’d do better - maybe it’s something other drivers have learned to do? 

Hopefully being nearer (or at) the front more regularly will start to pay off… 

euan

He needs to get more aggressive with his starts when he is on pole. Later he needs to line up on the grid already aiming to take the inside line and stopping a Verstappen dive bomb. Force Verstappen to go on the outside and then into the clutches of Piastri 

Brio

Norris!!!!!!! Nooooooo!!!

thumpingrug

I'm glad Norris won.  

RandallFlagg

Good for Norris that his McLaren now has what appears the same advantage the Red Bull had over the rest of the pack not that long ago. It still took him 18 laps to get it back. He needs to fix his start issues.

euan

Tbh it seems like Piastri had the same issue so it might have been McLaren

stickyfiddle

Slightly dull race but at least it's not Max at the front. Maths says it'll be close if Lando keeps this up, so here's hoping! 

FWIW everyone in the odd number slots seemed to go backwards on the start, so def not just Lando this time.

boogieman

euan said:

Tbh it seems like Piastri had the same issue so it might have been McLaren

They said both Macs suffered with wheel spin off the line. Lando’s reaction time was identical to Max, he just didn’t get the same traction. 

dazzajl

Happy to see Lando win but would have been happier still to see an exciting race. 

Would really love to drive that track. And if you’re headed that way, would be rude not add Spa to the trip too 

skullfunkerry

boogieman said:

euan said:

Tbh it seems like Piastri had the same issue so it might have been McLaren

They said both Macs suffered with wheel spin off the line. Lando’s reaction time was identical to Max, he just didn’t get the same traction. 

It looked to me like Lando & Oscar were starting in formation; the gap between them didn't seem to change for a good few seconds, so that suggests it was the car, not the driver.

goldtop

Mazepin's stink has settled over Haas. They're stuck at Zandvoort:

euan

Perez finished closer to Verstappen than Piastri did to Norris. 

He needs to repay the favour McLaren did for him and step up and beat Verstappen 

Cols

euan said:

Perez finished closer to Verstappen than Piastri did to Norris. 

He needs to repay the favour McLaren did for him and step up and beat Verstappen 

Well… Piastri finished 3 places behind Norris while Perez finished 4 places behind Verstappen. So that’s comparatively better.  But it’s definitely not where Oscar wants to be.

Both of them dropped a place from their grid slots, so I don’t imagine either of them will be particularly happy.  But Red Bull seem pleased that Perez qualified in the top 10 and didn’t sink down through the field too much during the race.