2018 Brazilian Grand Prix - Interlagos, 9-11 November

[Unc1eM0nty]

Could we conclude after this race that:
1.Merc and (at a much lower degree) Ferrari are tyre limited
2.RB knowing they are PU limited just focused solely on race pace
3.RB chassis is focused more on being kind to the tyres hence make a longer stints
4.RB chassis seems to be optimised for SS tyres bearing in mind Mexico race

That's a lot to conclude from just one race, a different points of the season Ferrari and Merc have looked better on tyres.

Horses for courses, I guess the track and temps just suited Red Bull

[NathanOlder]

1 thing that will be interesting is next year when Lewis starts to fight Max fully. These last few seasons has been more of Lewis letting Max go as if he's a back marker (as thats what he is in the WDC) so Lewis hasn't put up much of a fight. Next year could be very different and I feel Max may be in for a shock when Lewis, Seb , Valterri and Charles all start to fight back a whole lot harder.

[Sierra117]

1 thing that will be interesting is next year when Lewis starts to fight Max fully. These last few seasons has been more of Lewis letting Max go as if he's a back marker (as thats what he is in the WDC) so Lewis hasn't put up much of a fight. Next year could be very different and I feel Max may be in for a shock when Lewis, Seb , Valterri and Charles all start to fight back a whole lot harder.

It'll easily become hard to really figure out as experienced drivers have a lot different mindset. Lewis will probably be a bit like Prost, playing long games; I suspect Vettel would do the same. Max and those who haven't won yet will be predictably aggressive. I suspect it depends on how the tide turns - if later on in the season Max has reliability issues, then Lewis' earlier patience may pay off. Otherwise they'll ask themselves if they should have let him by or whatever. So yeah, spins the mind pretty quickly lol.

[sosic2121]

I haven't seen Verstappen's push just finished watching the race.. But I can't believe people here are saying it somehow is max fault for being hit by a backmarker. Get your act together people, it's a cardinal sin. Ocon should be happy not to have a one race ban, just terrible.

Video of Ocon hunting down Verstappen

https://streamable.com/0bynn

Dear lord!

I think penalty was appropriate, but they gave it to the wrong guy

Max even defend the inside against a lapped car! ROFL

[Sierra117]

I haven't seen Verstappen's push just finished watching the race.. But I can't believe people here are saying it somehow is max fault for being hit by a backmarker. Get your act together people, it's a cardinal sin. Ocon should be happy not to have a one race ban, just terrible.

Video of Ocon hunting down Verstappen

https://streamable.com/0bynn

Dear lord!

I think penalty was appropriate, but they gave it to the wrong guy

Max even defend the inside against a lapped car! ROFL

Those cornering speeds were especially painful.

[Godius]

No 100% false. The rule that you are stating counts for either the straight or a braking area. Senna s is not a straight and not a braking area. Therefore Ocon is completely at fault by the rules. The stewards are not morons like you are suggesting.

I want a poster of this fake-rule of the year

Yea I have yet to come across said rule as well.

Godius can you please clarify which article addresses this?

The false rule you stated is not in the sporting regulations any more since a few years. My comment was based on your false statement. It was 27.7 of the sporting regulations btw: Any driver defending his position on a straight, and before any braking area, may use the full width of the track during his first move, provided no significant portion of the car attempting to pass is alongside his. Whilst defending in this way the driver may not leave the track without justifiable reason.

please keep up to date

[turbof1]

I haven't seen Verstappen's push just finished watching the race.. But I can't believe people here are saying it somehow is max fault for being hit by a backmarker. Get your act together people, it's a cardinal sin. Ocon should be happy not to have a one race ban, just terrible.

Video of Ocon hunting down Verstappen

https://streamable.com/0bynn

Dear lord!

I think penalty was appropriate, but they gave it to the wrong guy

Max even defend the inside against a lapped car! ROFL

That was indeed strange. Either it is a defensive move, or he wanted to let Ocon pass by. Either way, he moved off the racing line and really gave Ocon an invitation for an overtaking attempt. It's still Ocon's responsibility to unlap himself in a safe way, but this is another element speaking into his favour.

[Fulcrum]

Raikkonen continues to get more competitive as his time at Ferrari draws to a close.

Vettel has now outscored Raikkonen by only 14 points, if you exclude Australia and Bahrain. Raikkonen has scored more points since (and including) Round 8. Correcting for retirements, their average points per finish, across the season, are within 1 point of each other.

Also interesting that Leclerc finished on the lead lap, 44 seconds down on Hamilton, 17 behind Vettel, and ahead of both Haas-Ferrari's. Vettel might encounter Ricciardo 2.0 next year.

[NathanOlder]

1 thing that will be interesting is next year when Lewis starts to fight Max fully. These last few seasons has been more of Lewis letting Max go as if he's a back marker (as thats what he is in the WDC) so Lewis hasn't put up much of a fight. Next year could be very different and I feel Max may be in for a shock when Lewis, Seb , Valterri and Charles all start to fight back a whole lot harder.

It'll easily become hard to really figure out as experienced drivers have a lot different mindset. Lewis will probably be a bit like Prost, playing long games; I suspect Vettel would do the same. Max and those who haven't won yet will be predictably aggressive. I suspect it depends on how the tide turns - if later on in the season Max has reliability issues, then Lewis' earlier patience may pay off. Otherwise they'll ask themselves if they should have let him by or whatever. So yeah, spins the mind pretty quickly lol.

I'm also looking forward to the mind games, It appears Vettel has suffered badly with all the mind games over the last 2 years and Seb is/was much more stable than Max. I can see Max going mental and throwing punches after each race

[turbof1]

I can see Max going mental and throwing punches after each race

Dear lord please, no. Please no . I can't keep up the effort keeping everybody in check here .

Imagine the hammertime memes when Verstappen and Hamilton throw down .

For the record:

[Just_a_fan]

Verstappen is a mad man, and Horner is feeding the monster. I think he is a redbull experiment.

It reminds me of Seb and the way that Horner and RedBull defended him when he did things like crashing in to Webber etc. I think Seb's thought process is still tainted by that, even now.

Max will win Horner another title, but at what cost to Max?

[Just_a_fan]

Lewis had the pace to delay the overtake till after the pitstops. Good win. He managed to win in the 3rd fastest car today. Max binned it.

Which is what Hamilton was trying to tell him, in a roundabout way, in the cool down room. Also why Max should listen and not say that it's easy to say things when you're second. You win races and then titles by being quick and by controlling risks. The repass by Ocon was a risk, the way to win the race is to let him go and get on with your own race. Risk removed, win assured. Everyone would say "mature drive by Max, future world champion" - instead, they're saying "hot head", "immature", "stupid".

[turbof1]

Lewis had the pace to delay the overtake till after the pitstops. Good win. He managed to win in the 3rd fastest car today. Max binned it.

Which is what Hamilton was trying to tell him, in a roundabout way, in the cool down room. Also why Max should listen and not say that it's easy to say things when you're second. You win races and then titles by being quick and by controlling risks. The repass by Ocon was a risk, the way to win the race is to let him go and get on with your own race. Risk removed, win assured. Everyone would say "mature drive by Max, future world champion" - instead, they're saying "hot head", "immature", "stupid".

Outside that incident, he actually did a marvelous race. He had the right amount of agression with the correct amount of risk assessment the whole time, exceeeppptt for one moment.

[Just_a_fan]

BTW can we all just take a moment and appreciate Lewis finally winning a race after the WDC has been won? xD

Oh that's a nice statistic.

And it only took him 5 titles (9-10 years since his first championship o_O)

Difference this year is that the Constructors' Title was still up for grabs, previously it was already won and the last races had no importance. Bear in mind also that 2 of the 5 titles went down to the last race so he couldn't win afterwards anyway.

Just shows that the guy does what needs to be done for his team as well as himself.

[Just_a_fan]

Might not be so absurd if you go back and fact check the number of races he's had an incident with another car? No doubt he's talented, but he's also made some bad decisions on several occasions. Ocon was no where near battling for points. That he didn't have the presence of mind to cede to a front running car speaks volumes. At least it does to this matured, level headed fan of three decades.

Ocon's intentions, skill level, attitude or whatever is irrelevant. The relevant fact is that Max did not need to race him and the mature, level headed thing to do was to let him go and get out of the way. Then Max wins and everyone falls at his feet in admiration. Now, instead, they're all falling on the floor laughing at his immature attitude and petulance.

Max's failure to win the race was his own fault, pure and simple. He was in a position to cruise to the victory. He chose instead to tangle with a back marker. Doesn't matter who the back marker is, or why they were doing what they were doing. He made his choice and it bit him in the arse.