2020 Turkish Grand Prix - Instanbul Park, Nov 13 - 15

[zibby43]

They took our advice and are "adding grip"

Peak 2020.

[zibby43]

Isn't it the same asphalt for everyone? Its an evolving situation, it is a challenge, and in the end the combination of the fastest and the most skilled and adaptable team/driver should win. Why are we whining? Wasn't impredictability a good thing? This is not a random SC, this is now open for everyone to see on friday.

I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said, with one (albeit slightly significant) caveat.

I want to see the cars going fast and not tip-toeing around Turn 8. I want to see the cars going fast, period. Or we may as well just have a karting event this weekend, so we can at least see some machinery being used to full potential.

But if the cars just go as fast as they can all the time, there is not so much skill in that is there.
Like being a train driver on the bends (not having a go at train drivers lol)
That is one of the skills they are supposed to have.

Car control in slick conditions definitely takes skill. I agree with that. Where I disagree is that driving these cars fast requires less.

It takes just as much skill to drive the car right on the limit in terms of extracting raw pace from the car. However, unlike when the cars are running several seconds slower than their potential, the consequences for a mistake at higher speeds is much more severe (as opposed to one of the several lazy, slow-speed spins or off-course excursions we saw today).

Perfect example of the difficulty in extracting raw pace out of the car is the qualifying situation with Albon vs. Max. Max is taking a leery RB beyond its limits in maximum attack mode in qualifying. Albon is trying to do the same thing, and is oftentimes half a second slower.

The difference is Max's skill in terms of being able/having the guts to do things with the car that Albon perceives the car is saying it cannot/will not do when all the car has in the fuel tank is the "sniff of an oily rag."

[Moore77]

Car control in slick conditions definitely takes skill. I agree with that. Where I disagree is that driving these cars fast requires less.

It certainly takes less skill (relative terminology) to drive fast in perfect conditions. Lots of downforce, grippy track, car behaving as expected. Having practiced breaking a few thousand times in practice. It becomes subconscious driving. A driver need to have elevated skills to drive in unknown, constantly changing conditions. You suddenly see fast talented drivers like Rosberg and Riccardo being nowhere in wet/changing conditions.

[zibby43]

Car control in slick conditions definitely takes skill. I agree with that. Where I disagree is that driving these cars fast requires less.

It certainly takes less skill (relative terminology) to drive fast in perfect conditions. Lots of downforce, grippy track, car behaving as expected. Having practiced breaking a few thousand times in practice. It becomes subconscious driving. A driver need to have elevated skills to drive in unknown, constantly changing conditions. You suddenly see fast talented drivers like Rosberg and Riccardo being nowhere in wet/changing conditions.

By that logic teammates should be dead even in qualifying in perfect conditions. No matter how many times they practice braking points, getting them right/wrong in a few corners is the difference between pole and the third row. These sorts of skills are literally what differentiate drivers.

Also, there's a huge difference between water everywhere on a track, and a track surface that's inconsistently oily with tire compounds that are, admittedly by Pirelli, far too hard for the occasion.

[search]

apparently the track has been washed again this morning. Mercedes looked pretty much hopeless yesterday in those low grip conditions, so I guess it means we can hope for an interesting day

[Wouter]

Less grip, thanks to Pirelli!

[LM10]

Get ready for some figure skating.

[Moore77]

Get ready for some figure skating.

I bet you are over estimating it. We might a see a different day today.
[Edit]Ok. It's going to rain! So that changes what I was thinking.

[Wouter]

[Just_a_fan]

Get ready for some figure skating.

I bet you are over estimating it. We might a see a different day today.

We'll be lucky to see anything meaningful in FP3. It's cold, it's damp and the track is already slippery. There's little to be gained for the teams in running the cars.

[nzjrs]

This is so great! A chaotic race to break up the normal procession at the front. Hanging out for the drivers to be on the limit!

[blastdoman]

It is a shame that the FIA ​​has not done its homework and allows racing on this ice track. Looking at this, I think it would not be unreasonable to wonder if this gp should not be canceled.

[F1NAC]

So even though he didn't gain any time and skid out of T1 they still deleted Vettel's time. Haha.

Will be fun in Q if the conditions stay same.

[nzjrs]

For 20 million a year these guys can drive a car on a low grip track.

Imagine not canceling the season because of a pandemic but canceling a race because it's slippery.

[djos]

So even though he didn't gain any time and skid out of T1 they still deleted Vettel's time. Haha.

Will be fun in Q if the conditions stay same.

The track is amazing, Pirelli brought the wrong tires.