2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, 23-25 June

[Phil]

Interesting session. Pretty shocking to see a RB on top at this track in both sessions, last year they were nowhere.. A bit worrying though that VES right rear seemed to have snapped off under braking in the final minutes..

Much more worrying was how rear axle tore off frome engine

Hmm yeah indeed, on closer inspection the right rear is still ok upto the moment of impact.

EDIT: new angle shows wobbling right rear before impact, either puncture or suspension/rear axle

I would think that has to do with the surface...

[basti313]

So what is going on with Hamilton? Is the set-up horribly wrong again?

I don't think he got a clean lap in. I'm awaiting his comments.

I think that was the problem for Vet, Rai and Ham. Vet got at least a second lap done on speed, Ham did not do a fast SuperSoft lap.

Are these guys a joke? I laughed a lot, they change their opinions in seconds.
http://www.imgim.com/captureasd.jpg

Well, usual Brit journalist BS. If they have the chance, they talk the car bad and when Ham then puts it into the place it belongs, they praise him like the lord.

[Phil]

Too much power for the gearbox? Sorry... couldnt resist....

[Soichiro]

Too much power for the gearbox? Sorry... couldnt resist....

torque

[Godius]

Is it just a coincidence that the TAG-Heuer engine tops both practice sessions after the updated FIA directive about burning oil during combustion being prohibited?

[Phil]

Arent the changes regarding burning oil for next year?

[Jordan44]

Is it just a coincidence that the TAG-Heuer engine tops both practice sessions after the updated FIA directive about burning oil during combustion being prohibited?

Obviously. If they were burning oil they wouldn't be doing it in practise sessions. Overall it is very damaging to the engine and can only be done for very short periods.

Nothing has changed for this weekend. The FIA are basically just covering their rear by specifically mentioning oil burning in the tech regs. It wasn't supposed to be legal as per another directive previously. The clampdown on it will come next year when they do the tank checks, etc.

[GPR-A duplicate2]

Is it just a coincidence that the TAG-Heuer engine tops both practice sessions after the updated FIA directive about burning oil during combustion being prohibited?

Could you also read it this way? Constructors and Driver's championship fight is between Merc and Ferrari now. With only 4 PU components allowed, it is imperative to use them with atmost care. Baku is power hungry circuit and you don't want to stress the components too much to be within the limits to survive entire season. Red Bull is out of contention for any of the championships and they are already on the verge of having engine penalties. So, they don't bother about conserving the PUs anymore. With the limited amount of data available from long runs, Ferrari has an average of 4 tenths on Red Bull. That says something. Mercs did not manage any representative long runs, so no idea where they stand.

[Jordan44]

So what is going on with Hamilton? Is the set-up horribly wrong again?

I don't think he got a clean lap in. I'm awaiting his comments.

"We've clearly still got lots of work to do ahead of qualifying, but Valtteri's time in FP2 looked promising, so there is obviously pace in the car, which is encouraging."

"Now it's just a case of getting our heads together tonight to work out exactly how to extract that pace across the entire weekend."

"We made some changes ahead of FP2 & the car definitely felt more comfortable, we're moving in the right direction"

He said on the F1 show that his lap that was aborted by Palmer's crash would have been good enough to put him in the top 3 had he completed it.

I would think by now after Monaco/Russia that they're aware of the warning signs that they have troubles. Toto didn't seem concerned on Sky.

[matt_b]

It gonna be a bit like last years qualifying with reds and yellows all over the place interrupting laps, you want to be at the front of the pit lane exit more than ever here. Nico got his lap in seconds before the red flag last year and it wouldn't surprise me if someone messed up their first run in Q3 go out for a final run, Purple...Purple...Red Flag...P10.

[Sevach]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-h ... re-922135/

Hamilton doesn't like the tires in Baku.

[Phil]

I think the tires are ok, but the track poses a challenge. Long straights = tires lose heat. Slow corners = mechanical grip, hard to get heat into tires. In many ways, this track will be similar to Monaco and to some degree Canada. Question is how the car will behave and if they can find the ideal set up...

[i70q7m7ghw]

I'm surprised F1 even came back here, it's a horrid circuit. I don't have high hopes for the race, its so narrow a car in front can park it out of the final turn and then blast off in to the distance, there's no hope of overtaking here. I hope the new F1 owners see sense and dump this GP.

[iotar__]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-h ... re-922135/

Hamilton doesn't like the tires in Baku.

- Tyres don't drive on their own, they are attached to a car, in Hamilton's case top 2 car.
- Tyres are the same for everyone, unlike cars - see above
- Tyres at last and supposedly allow to push 100%, how very impure to complain about them
- Pity we can't see what Rosberg has to say about them. Remarkably Bottas got full Mercedes endorsement ("exceeding expectations", "earned the seat") when he started smiling at two engine failures and finishing meekly behind. That's his role now.

[Jordan44]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-h ... re-922135/

Hamilton doesn't like the tires in Baku.

- Tyres don't drive on their own, they are attached to a car, in Hamilton's case top 2 car.
- Tyres are the same for everyone, unlike cars - see above
- Tyres at last and supposedly allow to push 100%, how very impure to complain about them
- Pity we can't see what Rosberg has to say about them. Remarkably Bottas got full Mercedes endorsement ("exceeding expectations", "earned the seat") when he started smiling at two engine failures and finishing meekly behind. That's his role now.

- Tyres don't drive on their own, they are attached to a car, in Hamilton's case top 2 car.

Everyone give captain obvious a round of applause. Quote of the season?

Hamilton is referring to the fact so many drivers had offs and there were very few clean laps. Not the fact he was in P10. Everyone had this problem.

- Tyres at last and supposedly allow to push 100%, how very impure to complain about them

According to who exactly? Nobody. They've all said these tyres are ridiculously hard. The drivers cannot push 100%, because the tyres don't provide the grip over a single lap. The fact they've had to completely abandon the hard compound just shows this.