2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Jeddah, Dec 03 - 05

[Just_a_fan]

It looks highly demanding to me, like high speed Monaco, but we’ll soon see. There’s several “wall of champions sections”.

I’m not sure how accurate these sim previews actually are.

This seems the best I’ve seen

Yikes, they must have been driving using the keyboard! They were rubbish.

[NathanOlder]

So this race is the first chance for Max to become World Champion. It was only today I realised that if he wins, he becomes part of the group on champions in a car. As it stands, Verstappen, Latifi and Mazepin are the only drivers on the grid never to win a championship in a car. Max surely doesn't belong in that group

An interesting, off topic discussion sprang after this post. You'll find it over here: Verstappen has never won a championship (29-Nov-2021), possibly soon outdated.

[FWandE]

With those walls I anticipate at least one and probably more safety car situations which probably means the race & possibly the championship will be decided by pit or stay out decisions by the teams & not the skills of the drivers. I hope that isn't the way it plays out but ....

[pb6797]

I fear if it comes down to a decision on pitting under safety car, that will mean the Championship is decided by an almost entirely random event (where the drivers are at the time the SC is called, essentially). That will be a shame after a year of back-and-forth.

[bosyber]

An SC decided WDC here being anticlimactic in some ways would be poetic justice for going to this track for FOM, I think, and in a way it might even be (given f.e. Verstappen's Baku, then Hamilton's Baku end, and Hungary's start) on point, but indeed, with many of us hoping for somewhat of a fight during this race and a final maybe closely fought race in Abu Dhabi to decide the championship, well, it would be a bit sad. Hope not though.

[siskue2005]

With those walls I anticipate at least one and probably more safety car situations which probably means the race & possibly the championship will be decided by pit or stay out decisions by the teams & not the skills of the drivers. I hope that isn't the way it plays out but ....

I am hoping it will be like Baku 2015

[Just_a_fan]

With those walls I anticipate at least one and probably more safety car situations which probably means the race & possibly the championship will be decided by pit or stay out decisions by the teams & not the skills of the drivers. I hope that isn't the way it plays out but ....

I am hoping it will be like Baku 2015

Er, what happened in Baku in 2015? It wasn't an F1 race that's for sure.

[FWandE]

I fear if it comes down to a decision on pitting under safety car, that will mean the Championship is decided by an almost entirely random event (where the drivers are at the time the SC is called, essentially). That will be a shame after a year of back-and-forth.

I've never understood why the rule isn't that no one can pit under the safety car until the leader has had an opportunity to decide whether to pit or not.

[Bill]

these track should be redbull track unless you think you can navigate a London bus around streets than 911.if Max wins here he win win champ unless merc crash into him again

[AnthonyG]

I fear if it comes down to a decision on pitting under safety car, that will mean the Championship is decided by an almost entirely random event (where the drivers are at the time the SC is called, essentially). That will be a shame after a year of back-and-forth.

I've never understood why the rule isn't that no one can pit under the safety car until the leader has had an opportunity to decide whether to pit or not.

Overtaking is difficult enough in F1 on some circuits already or the fastest car comes out on top anyway if overtaking is easy, a rule like yours would make everything even more predictable.

[Just_a_fan]

these track should be redbull track unless you think you can navigate a London bus around streets than 911.if Max wins here he win win champ unless merc crash into him again

You do realise the wheelbase difference makes no real difference on a race track such as these don't you?

And as for the last bit...

[AeroDynamic]

It would be a bizarre parallel to this season if max doesn’t win the championship despite most wins

[El Scorchio]

I just looked at his F3 season. Those run of wins are impressive stranglehold on the championship that season. It looks like he had the most wins - he should’ve won the championship. For whatever reason, it looks like he also has the most DNF’s of the front running drivers in the championship. I don’t have the energy to look into the causes of those DNF’s, but surely not all of them are mechanical failure?

It would be a bizarre parallel to this season if he doesn’t win the championship despite most wins

If Hamilton wins both remaining races- as he needs to, assuming neither of them have anything untoward happen- then it’ll be 9 wins each, I think. It is possible but very unlikely for Hamilton to win the title but with only 8 wins. It would require a DNF for Verstappen or a very low points finish in one of the races.

[AeroDynamic]

I just looked at his F3 season. Those run of wins are impressive stranglehold on the championship that season. It looks like he had the most wins - he should’ve won the championship. For whatever reason, it looks like he also has the most DNF’s of the front running drivers in the championship. I don’t have the energy to look into the causes of those DNF’s, but surely not all of them are mechanical failure?

It would be a bizarre parallel to this season if he doesn’t win the championship despite most wins

. It would require a DNF for Verstappen or a very low points finish in one of the races.

It’s happened before. And he has had some near misses with a couple of drivers this season.

[NathanOlder]

I just looked at his F3 season. Those run of wins are impressive stranglehold on the championship that season. It looks like he had the most wins - he should’ve won the championship. For whatever reason, it looks like he also has the most DNF’s of the front running drivers in the championship. I don’t have the energy to look into the causes of those DNF’s, but surely not all of them are mechanical failure?

It would be a bizarre parallel to this season if he doesn’t win the championship despite most wins

If Hamilton wins both remaining races- as he needs to, assuming neither of them have anything untoward happen- then it’ll be 9 wins each, I think. It is possible but very unlikely for Hamilton to win the title but with only 8 wins. It would require a DNF for Verstappen or a very low points finish in one of the races.

I can very much see Hamilton winning the championship with 8 wins. A Mercedes 1-2 in Saudi putting Lewis on 8 wins. Then another Merc 1-2 in Abu Dhabi with Lewis letting Valtteri take the win as a thank you for the help over the last 5 years. All Championships secured with 8 race wins. All very possible, especially if the saudi track suits the Merc and Bottas gets a more powerful PU for the last 2 races as mentioned in the Mercedes team thread.