2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Baku, April 26-28

[selvam_e2002]

If ferrari doing these kind of mistakes, they cannot win WDC WCC for next 3 years till Lecrec matured. Because it will take years to take matured in F1 in different situation for Lecrec. Let see how Lecrec cope up with Ferrari pressure and politics.

I am not surprised with Vettel because He was narrowly beaten by Daniel Ricciardo in RB and now with Lecrec. I hope if Vettel does not shows up any talent this year, he will be terminated by ferrari end of this year. I don't think he will around next year in ferrari. He may end up with retiring or go back to RBR is the only choice.

It is really frustrating ferrari to lose races by mistake made by team and their drivers.

Lesson Learned: Don't get any driver from RBR those are all overrated. Don't trust on Rookie Young drivers in F1. They prone to make mistakes.

Hope Ferrari will correct them self in coming years.

[Javert]

Anyone knows if Verstappen fan with less rear wing but more rake? Both RB drivers were happy about their Low rear wing setup, but speed trap was not exceptional, so I Wonder if they highened the rake

[NathanOlder]

So where was Vettel showing his cards when it mattered in Q2 on the medium tires and was forced to run again? Leclerc was faster all weekend, i find it quite a stretch to assume Vettel would have been faster in Q3 when all indications are implying something else.

Plus Vettel wasn't holding much back considering he hit the wall before Leclerc did, while lapping considerably slower than Leclerc.

[Schuttelberg]

Leclerc though was 2 tenths up on Vettel in S1 on his second run and I'm sure Vettel could do similar times but is it worth to push that hard in Q2 and start the race with flat spotted tyres when you know an average lap is more than enough to guarantee a spot in Q3?

Sorry to say, but Vettel looked mediocre on pretty much every lap he did throughout the entire qualifying session. There was not one lap he did that made me think he is holding back something or was the guy to be beat. A street circuit such as Baku is a large part confidence. You build up to it or you dont. If you dont and make mistakes, then you usually lose time as a result of it. Even Vettels first Q3 time wasnt quick enough to beat the RedBull. When was Leclerc ever slower than a (legal and not tow assisted) RedBull this weekend?

May be, take a look at his final Q3 lap? He clipped every apex on entry and exit and absolutely aced the slippery section where two drivers of great calibre ended up in the wall. I am also of the belief that Leclerc had the edge all weekend but it was also evident from on boards that he was risking more. That Q3 Vettel lap is about as good as it gets. But, I guess the bloke can't do much right and just lucked into 4 titles.

[Schuttelberg]

So where was Vettel showing his cards when it mattered in Q2 on the medium tires and was forced to run again? Leclerc was faster all weekend, i find it quite a stretch to assume Vettel would have been faster in Q3 when all indications are implying something else.

As we both know that it would have been difficult to switch on the medium tyres for both Ferrari's in just 1 lap, they were sent out to do 2-3 fast laps.

On top of that Vettel was stuck behind a Toro Rosso till S2 which compromised his warm up lap, the commentators did mention that some parts of the track had lower track temp due to shade which I believe would have made it even more difficult to get the tyres upto temperature after he passed the Toro Rosso, which is why Vettel didn't go all out on his first run probably because he didn't want to end up crashing knowing his tyre temp is not optimum.

Leclerc on the other hand thought his tyres were probably in the right temp on his second run so he took the risk, locked his front wheels and ended up in the barrier which ruined Vettel's second run too, so we really don't know if Vettel had more pace up his sleeve or not.

Leclerc though was 2 tenths up on Vettel in S1 on his second run and I'm sure Vettel could do similar times but is it worth to push that hard in Q2 and start the race with flat spotted tyres when you know an average lap is more than enough to guarantee a spot in Q3?

Vettel nearly crashed at the exact same spot the lap before. He even hit the wall with a wheel.

As did Hamilton, before going straight on.

[NathanOlder]

Doesn't explain why Vettel was so far off in Q2 on the mediums. They both would have been pushing 100% to try and get into Q3 on the mediums. Charles time blew Seb away massively.

And Lewis never hit the wall. He ran down the escape road. Not hit the wall.

[Schuttelberg]

Rosberg's potty mouth is at it again.

[NathanOlder]

Just read that Rosberg has been banned from the paddock in Baku and Barcelona. He gave his World Champion Pass to his camera man. Strictly forbidden apparently haha.

[search]

Doesn't explain why Vettel was so far off in Q2 on the mediums. They both would have been pushing 100% to try and get into Q3 on the mediums. Charles time blew Seb away massively.

from the mini-sector times, it looks like he had problems getting heat into the tires at the beginning of the lap:



(screenshot from just before the red flag came out)

[Phil]

But, I guess the bloke can't do much right and just lucked into 4 titles.

That really has nothing to do with anything we are discussing here. My point was always and foremost that the judging the gap between Mercedes and Ferrari is difficult because the quickest driver all weekend (Leclerc) binned it in Q2. That’s all.

Could very well be that with the tow games Mercedes played, they’d still end up on the front row. RedBull seems to think the tow on the straight is worth 5 tenths; judging by Gassly i think it’s at least 3 tenths. Maybe it’s worth more if you can get a tow on the outlap as well as on the lap itself. Maybe we are all buying into Totos mind games, but i dont believe Mercedes was the fastest car. Perhaps close enough and the temperatures sort of played into their hands too and then that tow that made the difference.

If we assume that Vettel did the perfect lap in Q3 without any tow, one that even Leclerc wouldnt have beat, then it would have still been quicker than both Mercedes without a tow?

[Sevach]

ham vs vet q3 - so much for ferrari's straight line advantages. with proper prep on the outlap hamilton would wipe the floor in q3, probably even leclerc couldn't match his time.
https://youtu.be/jkrouUjuXbU

Hamilton botches S1 and they are dead even when they reach the final corner (not counting the flat out section as corners).
Mercedes had superior top speed on parts of the track where the tow shouldn't be a huge factor, so at least in Baku config they are lower drag, not just toe, though it helped.
And they still creamed Ferrari through the tighter sector(at least a Vettel driven Ferrari).


Ferrari seems lot more letargic to bite into the corners, they need a better front end pronto.

[max_speed]

i am frustrated to see ferrari in this shape. they are blowing away their chances. Lecrec , we can forgive him he is young and mega talented. he will come across fine but Vettel is utterly mediocre not impressed by strategies as well.
i dnt think they can win the championship unless they bring ricciardo or get alonso out of retirement. i hate to see silver arrows taking it home so easy.

[iotar__]

Tbh Leclerc had easily few tenths in pocket on Vettel through this week. As it went further, it actually got bigger. He was 6 tenths faster on M tires in Q2. Kinda hard to see Vettel being closer then 2-3 tenths in Q3, let alone faster.

Leclerc was one with a car until lock up and crash.

- Means nothing, he had "easily" centimeters on walls too and more tenths on Mercedes. Merc practice gaps were not compatible with Q3 or we don't know without the second driver. Race thread is in the phase of making staff up (Australia overtake) as if BS about reality wasn't difficult enough .

- Rosberg's blaming Ferrari is absurd. You have the quickest car using hard tyres is an advantage you do it, no brainer.

- I wonder if Hamilton symphatises with treatment of Bottas who was in front in Q3 on tow friendly track. I suspect his public verbal displays of pureness of racing do not incude team orders he's directly benefitting from.

[Silent Storm]

So where was Vettel showing his cards when it mattered in Q2 on the medium tires and was forced to run again? Leclerc was faster all weekend, i find it quite a stretch to assume Vettel would have been faster in Q3 when all indications are implying something else.

Plus Vettel wasn't holding much back considering he hit the wall before Leclerc did, while lapping considerably slower than Leclerc.

That was down to the tyres not being upto optimum temperature, if he had pushed hard that lap he would have ended up in the wall.

[Capharol]

- Rosberg's blaming Ferrari is absurd. You have the quickest car using hard tyres is an advantage you do it, no brainer.

no it isn't.....
because this means your tyres would be cold at the first few laps which gives you a disadvantage at the start and if you have ppl on the softs behind you, you will be a sitting duck.
And Ferrari has a problem with low track temps (they can't get the tyre to work well at low temp)

Softs are faster tyres easier to get the temp in, so Med. tyres aren't good at all to start with.
the Meds needs higher Track temp. and you need to "work" more to get the temp. in that tyre.

and because this track has a low deg on the tyres the difference between soft and Med are marginal and therefor Meds are good after the first stint on softs.

tyre strategy will be Soft--->Mediums.
and keep in mind SC will be out aswell at least once, which benefits the soft tyres aswell