2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Imola, Oct 31 - Nov 01

[Hoffman900]

Depends on the track. This year the cape is new at RBR, I think it is not easy to incorporate.

It reminds me if Honda in MotoGP. Only M. Marquez can do anything on that bike and it’s so unforgiving that is has caused him to crash and receive a list of injuries that may jeopardize his career at this point.

Other manufacturers focus on ride ability and they have both bikes in play and aren’t injuring their riders. Same in MA/FIM WSBK.

So do you think the teams have shot themselves in the foot by making the car/bike so focused on 1 driver/rider?

For constructor points? Yes absolutely. It also hurts development of the package. Mercedes has two fast cars that are close speed wise, which allows them to use data from both cars. If in a team one is holding on for dear life and the other isn’t, then your data isn’t going to make both stronger to the same degree.

It also makes it so all your cards aren’t in one basket. Look how the Mercedes is easy to drive and allows Valteri, who is a very good driver, be competitive enough with a generational great. This allows them to lock out the podium and create a good PR aura around the team.

Redbull feels like it’s a one car team / development exercise, and much of the media discussion is how it’s a one horse team. Not exactly a good look. Mercedes also wouldn’t be having the PR disaster that is finding a no. 2 driver because the car is more forgiving. They’re able to put a good 8/10 driver like Valteri in the car and be done with it.

[TAG]

Wonder what Seb will be worried about. The pit stop or Racing Point's strategy for Perez today.

He should be worried about just being faster than Stroll.

Maybe Ferrari isn’t giving him all the goods, but I also think Vettel isn’t up to his old self, whether intentional to make Ferrari look bad (or at least to try to make more excuses for why Charles beats him) or he’s in a mental rut. Once you lose it, it’ll tell you the type of guy he is if he can get it back. He doesn’t seem to be the fighter, grit it out, type. Lewis is, seems to be the guy who internalizes it and comes back stronger. Vettel appears to be mentally fragile.

It's hilarious that people said the same things about Lewis in 2011-12 and the opposite for Seb.

Difference being that in 2011 and 2012 Lewis was winning races and getting poles, and in 2012, the team was actively undermining him, Spa being a topic of much discussion if I remember correctly. I'd certainly believe it if there was telemetry tweeted. In this case though it's clearly a disillusioned Seb coupled with a car completely unsuited to his liking.

[TAG]

Hahahahaha Albon thinks someone hit him. I feel sorry for him really.

He was slightly touched on his rear wheel. Just enough to upset the car.

Did you watch the race on the radio?

[Hoffman900]

He should be worried about just being faster than Stroll.

Maybe Ferrari isn’t giving him all the goods, but I also think Vettel isn’t up to his old self, whether intentional to make Ferrari look bad (or at least to try to make more excuses for why Charles beats him) or he’s in a mental rut. Once you lose it, it’ll tell you the type of guy he is if he can get it back. He doesn’t seem to be the fighter, grit it out, type. Lewis is, seems to be the guy who internalizes it and comes back stronger. Vettel appears to be mentally fragile.

It's hilarious that people said the same things about Lewis in 2011-12 and the opposite for Seb.

Difference being that in 2011 and 2012 Lewis was winning races and getting poles, and in 2012, the team was actively undermining him, Spa being a topic of much discussion if I remember correctly. I'd certainly believe it if there was telemetry tweeted. In this case though it's clearly a disillusioned Seb coupled with a car completely unsuited to his liking.

Lewis is also 8-9yo older now and seems to have worked a lot on his mental game. He even has talked about this. Seb is a 33yo man, he should know how to play these mental battles by now. He might, I think he tries to play the media, and subsequently his fans, on the narrative that Ferrari is under minding him. I think he plays it better than Binotto, but I don’t think he plays it better than other team principals who likely would call him out on it and with past Ferrari principals, I think they would have canned him by now.

[Mogster]

I seem to remember Rosberg complaining that development was focused on Lewis’s needs and his requests were mostly ignored. Bottas just seems to get on with it, I do wonder how fast Bottas could be with a team focused entirely on him though.

[Hoffman900]

I seem to remember Rosberg complaining that development was focused on Lewis’s needs and his requests were mostly ignored.

And we don’t know what is true or not.

Again, the drivers try to play the media and shape the narrative that it’s -insert excuse- and not them getting beat. Drivers at this level have huge egos, not only will they not admit they’re getting beat but they may not even recognize it.

You have a paddock of eager journalists who want the inside scoop. The drivers and teams know this and exploit their ambition and them wanting to be “in” on the inside.

I think Mercedes treats both drivers as equal as any top team has in recent history.

[NathanOlder]

Hahahahaha Albon thinks someone hit him. I feel sorry for him really.

He was slightly touched on his rear wheel. Just enough to upset the car.

Did you watch the race on the radio?

[Sieper]

Hahahahaha Albon thinks someone hit him. I feel sorry for him really.

He was slightly touched on his rear wheel. Just enough to upset the car.

Did you watch the race on the radio?

I clearly heared it

Look, it can happen. It isn’t easy on the cold tires. But he is struggling. Last year when he came in the car he did better then Gasly (for who’s blood people were screaming at the time) and who could have stayed from my point of view. Now the perogative is Albon has to leave. For me he can stay just as well.

[tangodjango]

I seem to remember Rosberg complaining that development was focused on Lewis’s needs and his requests were mostly ignored. Bottas just seems to get on with it, I do wonder how fast Bottas could be with a team focused entirely on him though.

Probably more a case of the team looked into both their requests and decided that what Lewis wanted would build a faster car and went that way. In any case this is a myth that teams develop a car for one driver, within the constraints they build the fastest possible car and then try to adjust setup according to driver preferences (Rosberg's exact words not mine). This happened in 2018 with Mercedes (the diva W09) and with RedBull this year : one driver can live with it and one can't but they continue to develop the car for more speed and work on stability not make the car stable at the expense of speed - it's just an unfortunate consequence that Max can live with it and Albon can't but teams will develop to where the laptime is not towards the slower drivers request for driveability (again Horner's words not mine)

[mkay]

This hasn't been the first time either. He botched it somewhere else as well. Maybe he can't handle the pressure ?

I'm not jumping on anything btw. You mention 'pace', but pace compared to what, who ? Your team mate is your most important benchmark, and the fact is, he hasn't had a half decent one yet. Let's see him someone alongside like Perez or Hulkenberg. Or maybe if he can pull the rabbit out of the bag on a wet track, like the best of the best can.

I'm not necessarily Russell's biggest fan, but it's funny you mention the quality of his teammates when Alonso who started his F1 career in similar circumstances (Minardi 2001 vs. Williams 2020) was paired with Alex Yoong and Tarso Marques in his maiden F1 season, and didn't particularly fare well against the latter.

We all know what Alonso was able to accomplish once he moved out of Minardi...

[Hoffman900]

It can go both way. F1 is rife with examples of both.

Time will tell!

[nacho]

Ericsson hit Albon from behind.

[Mogster]

As long as it’s agreed with the team Russell may as well go for it like he did today. Before the accident he was running mid top 10.

There doesn’t seem much point being conservative to finish 15th other than to save the car if the team are struggling financially.

[Deadpool]

Ericsson hit Albon from behind.

You are joking, right?

[Just_a_fan]

Man of the day: Michael Masi

1st reason:

MM: Michael Masi
TW: Toto Wolf

MM: I am going to set VSC
TW: Not now, Lewis has missed pit entry
MM: Ok, waiting till he will be on the right posiotin
TW: Now, go go go
MM: VSC for no reason, just for 15s - to be sure that Hamilton will be safe
TW: Good job

2nd reason:

We have SC on track. About 12 laps to go. Another accident happened. What Masi could do? Set red flag and let them fight for 12 laps?

NO!

Let SC stay on track and waste another 8 laps for riding behind it like donkeys. /facepalm

You'll need a hundred weight of chips for all of that salt...