[neo_narender]

Great race indeed! Apart from the position swap for P1 & P2. Max deserved that position though, but no taking away from Lewis' driving or Mercedes.

I just am glad in one aspect being a lifelong Ferrari fan. They have improved from last year massively with a P6 & P8. I hope to see more of Leclerc's aggressive driving & brilliant moves.

I also had higher hopes on Seb with him joining AMR. He just cannot catch a break! Stroll could get a P10 with the same car, let's see if Seb can at least bring the AMR into the midfield battles.

Neo

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I'd like to see Race Control make up its mind about the track limits rule . If viewers like me were able to catch Lewis regularly careen well off the track limits at Turn 4 from lap 10 onwards, with the TV broadcast even showing him do so, I think those with an interest in just seeing some regulatory consistency were bemused by how the race ended. Don't get me wrong - I'm thoroughly glad we got to see a proper even duel between Max and Lewis, with an old school game of pitlane chicken between the two teams what with the undercut. But make no mistake, Lewis was definitely gaining an advantage for most of the race and Bono coming on about lap 40ish to chide Lewis doesn't quite cut it.
At least Red Bull for a rare instance have the moral high ground in the fact they managed to get Max to cede the position (rightfully given he had all 4 off the white line). I can assure you though Christian and co are going to be on the blower to Michael Masi from lap 1 the next time they spot Lewis pulling a similar stunt.
So please - just make up your mind FIA Race Stewards and just stick to one position throughout.

I'm surprised folks found the midfield battle a bit tepid and that there's scant talk of Lando. I thought Norris was the low key driver of the day. He monstered his vastly more experienced team mate at the start and then comfortably chased down and kept Charles at bay for the rest of the race. Really promising stuff from Mclaren, was worried the lack of development tokens would really handicap them (though it's likely it will later on in the season).

All in all - great start to the season. Power to Max and RB or anyone for that matter for keeping Lewis and Mercedes honest and having them work for the wins instead of processional.

[fastturtle10]

What a season opener that was! There was so much anticipation towards this season as there were many questions surrounding Red Bull's true pace and whether the rest of the midfield is actually close to Red Bull and Mercedes. Lewis being Lewis had a fantastic race and managed to get the most out of the tyres like always. More than anything, I am glad that this race proved to diehard Hamilton haters (the small minority who thinks he has the bare minimum skill) that even without the fastest car, he still can claim to be one of the best, if not the best, driver on the grid.

Max had a stellar weekend until qualifying and it was fair to say he was the favorite to win the race even till the penultimate lap. Regarding the turn 4 incident, I believe the drivers were told that turn 4 will not be monitored during the race and that was what led to the Mercedes cars taking advantage of the opportunity. I believe they were also told that the drivers could go off the track in turn 4 as long as they do not gain an advantage in positions while doing so (which is what happened with Max). Hopefully, this is taken as a learning moment and further races will have the rules and guidelines be crystal clear.

Overall was a fantastic season opener and hoping for more races like this.

[H0RSEPOWER]

Originally Posted by GTO

Kimi & Fonso have been around so long that they raced with both the M Schumachers, father & son

Not only them, but Lewis & Seb also raced with both the M Schumachers. Though not in senior Schumacher’s Ferrari days, but after his comeback , they raced together.

[jpcoolguy]

Apparently, a sandwich wrapper was the cause for the brake failure in Alonso's car. Poor fellow, returning back to F1 after 2 years gap and in his first return race, had to deal with this.

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Originally Posted by jpcoolguy

Apparently, a sandwich wrapper was the cause for the brake failure in Alonso's car. Poor fellow, returning back to F1 after 2 years gap and in his first return race, had to deal with this.

Wait - may I ask where this is from? I mean it wouldn't surprise me (you've noticed how careful the drivers are disposing of their visor tear offs over their shoulder and behind them so that they don't get sucked in and foul up a critical intercooler). I swear Fernando somehow has some arcane hex placed on him, likely by old Ron from the whole Spygate saga.. Never have I seen any other so brilliantly gifted driver be bedevilled by such at times cruel/deserving (depending on your opinions on 'Nando) misfortune.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ads11

Wait - may I ask where this is from?

Alonso’s first race wrecked by a sandwich wrapper.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/al...apper/5970411/

Cheers

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by ads11

I'd like to see Race Control make up its mind about the track limits rule . But make no mistake, Lewis was definitely gaining an advantage for most of the race and Bono coming on about lap 40ish to chide Lewis doesn't quite cut it. .

Exactly my thoughts too. Every time Lewis exceeded track limits he was giving his tyres a breather. Yes he picked up a bit of dirt but if he was forced to stay within track limits wouldn't his tyres have to bear the brunt by either having to brake or due to increased cornering speeds? That is a lasting advantage I believe. Must be all of Toto's and Lewis' yelling about regulations targeting them that made the stewards treat them with kid gloves.

Originally Posted by H0RSEPOWER

Not only them, but Lewis & Seb also raced with both the M Schumachers.

Something similar was alluded to as Tsunoda was duelling with Raikkonen. The youngest on the field duelling with the oldest.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[fz_rider]

I was most intrigued by the statement of Aston Martin team principal Otmar during the race. He said, the regulation change has hurt the low rake concept cars. As if already conceding the season. If that was the case, Mercedes wouldn't have won the race.
I don't think if they get the results soon, they wont pay heed to this season and focus on 2022.

After watching the race, the season will be duel between Mercedes and Red bull. McLaren looks safe in 3rd. Ferrari and Alpha Tauri will be battling for fourth.
Aston Martin and Alpine will slug it out for sixth. Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas will be the last three respectively.

[SilentEngine]

Red Bull cannot afford to gift races like this to Mercedes. It's only a matter of time before Mercedes sort out their qualifying and start locking out the front row. Perez did well to recover, but sooner RedBull get two cars to qualify at the front, the better.

Originally Posted by Shiftlock

Great job from Mike Tsunoda as well, to get a point for AlphaTauri on debut and Perez did well to finish inside the top 10 after that start.

Isn't he Yuki Tsunoda? Sounds very similar to Mike Shinoda

[Shiftlock]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Isn't he Yuki Tsunoda? Sounds very similar to Mike Shinoda

Yes, I realised my error after the editing window had closed
It was really inspiring to see someone around my age competing with all these experienced racers.

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Originally Posted by shibujp

Exactly my thoughts too. Every time Lewis exceeded track limits he was giving his tyres a breather. Yes he picked up a bit of dirt but if he was forced to stay within track limits wouldn't his tyres have to bear the brunt by either having to brake or due to increased cornering speeds? That is a lasting advantage I believe. Must be all of Toto's and Lewis' yelling about regulations targeting them that made the stewards treat them with kid gloves.

Basically Lewis can carry more speed out of Turn 4 if he just lets the car swing in and out of that corner. The way I see it is in terms of a pendulous motion where you're just letting the car follow the natural momentum. Every time he did that he'd be getting a fractional advantage that all eventually adds up. When you consider that the final gap was in the order of <1sec then you can clearly see how that might peeve others. It's gamesmanship plain and simple. I'm not really blaming Lewis or Toto - they're entitled to push their luck if the stewards don't clamp down and that's precisely what they did. Only when it got the the final third of the race and the tussle was getting tight did the stewards suddenly realise there could be a controversy here that they'd rather avoid for race 1 of the new season. Hence their message down to Bono. Frankly that's reactive enforcement from the FIA. Reactive rules implementation is fine when its in response to say engineering innovations like DAS or blown diffusers what have you but track limits are pretty fundamental. As Brundle mused and I'm bemoaning here - those are the sort of fundamental rules that really aren't in any grey area, especially if Lewis was not doing so in response to being forced off the line by another car in his vicinity. Which is why it was a bit irritating to see. Anyway, here's hoping it stays a minor gripe that isn't replicated down the line for this season.

Originally Posted by fz_rider

I was most intrigued by the statement of Aston Martin team principal Otmar during the race. He said, the regulation change has hurt the low rake concept cars. As if already conceding the season. If that was the case, Mercedes wouldn't have won the race.
I don't think if they get the results soon, they wont pay heed to this season and focus on 2022.

The major rule change this year was with the barge boards and the use of vents and sculpting of that floor. You'll notice it's much simpler and crucially they've removed a bit of the floor board in front of the rear wheels. That's essentially what's hit the low rake cars harder. Honestly Otmar can shut it, Tracing Point were caught out by a rule change - it happens to everyone.

See: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sa...-more/5923863/

Also right before the race weekend, right on cue Pirelli issue a tire pressure amendment. Guess who has historically struggled with tire pressures going back to their immediate post Brawn GP days? Mercedes. Getting Pirelli to allow higher pressures allowed Mercedes to mitigate somewhat the disadvantage of the lost pressure under the car from their low rake concept. I'll say this though, turns out that Otmar's car isn't entirely a Pink Mercedes anymore if it isn't as sensitive to tires as the factory cars.

Originally Posted by fz_rider

After watching the race, the season will be duel between Mercedes and Red bull. McLaren looks safe in 3rd. Ferrari and Alpha Tauri will be battling for fourth.
Aston Martin and Alpine will slug it out for sixth. Alfa Romeo, Williams and Haas will be the last three respectively.

Haas went into this season having stated they won't devote any resources towards development this year. It's partly the reason they made their reasoning about going in with two rookies. They're going to hope they can somehow scrape above Williams is all Gunther and Gene can reasonably expect. Given their cash flow issues they've decided that it's in their interests to focus and get the 22 regs right from the start rather than be caught chasing.

I don't think Mclaren are safe in 3rd just yet. The worry is that the complete lack of development tokens is going to hit them midway through the season when the typical updates are brought through. Mclaren are handicapped with their allowance there due to being forced to spend their allocation on the engine modifications (which was a bit unfair but what can you do).

For Renault again, Fernando is clearly going to be looking mainly at how they make the jump for the new regs, this year is him just staying match fit essentially for what he hopes is one last tilt at the big one. If things don't work out a few races in next year, he's walking off into the sunset and Pierre probably gets parachuted in to save the French project if it isn't killed from board level (I'd reckon they'd need to add Williams too as an engine partner to placate the boardroom).

[digitalnirvana]

I'm just gonna leave this here : https://didmazespin.com/

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by prasanna.vps

I feel its high time we get re-fueling back into F1, this allows for some interesting strategies, given the tyres are now same for everyone. Imagine how safety cars and fueling strategies will throw open possibilities. God, I miss the old days!

Don't think F1 cars will ever be allowed to refuel thanks to safety concerns and costs involved in moving and setting up the equipment required. As per BBC it was costing close to 1 million Euros per year/per team.

[prasanna.vps]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Don't think F1 cars will ever be allowed to refuel thanks to safety concerns and costs involved in moving and setting up the equipment required. As per BBC it was costing close to 1 million Euros per year/per team.

I can understand costs, but lets be clear re-fueling a racing car is NOT a safety concern IIRC, its done in most endurance races today as it was all these years. FOM is the only group that has changed it to this way.

Would be curious to understand where this concern for safety is coming from.