On July 01 2019 04:30 Excludos wrote:
WHAT! A! RACE! This is what F1 is about! Fuck yeah I was hyped. Shame it's so few races a year, but when it's good is EPIC.

My thoughts exactly. Verstappen is a maniac. Sainz and Vettel also drove well.
The race got epic due to three main reasons:
1. Struggling Mercs (won't happen on other tracks / with other weather conditions)
2. Great track (Lots of good overtaking spots, almost no corners where it's hard to follow)
3. Randomized grid (Vet, Ham, Sai starting further back, Verstappen's clutch issue)

So yeah, won't happen that often. But it clearly shows what is possible.

Gasly needs results asap, though. He got lapped by Verstappen. Yes, his strategy wasn't optimal, but he's running out of excuses. Competing against one of the best 3 drivers on the grid is tough, but he has been nowhere for almost the entire season.

I'm also really happy for Honda. Glad, they're back.
McLaren's upswing also deserves a mention. If only Williams were faster...

Excludos

Norway8263 Posts

July 01 2019 21:15 GMT

#289

On July 02 2019 03:39 virpi wrote:

Show nested quote +

I don't get Gasly tho. Wasn't he really good with the Toro Rosso? And suddenly he's a B level driver at Red Bull?

virpi

Germany3599 Posts

July 02 2019 10:45 GMT

#290

On July 02 2019 06:15 Excludos wrote:

Show nested quote +

I don't get Gasly tho. Wasn't he really good with the Toro Rosso? And suddenly he's a B level driver at Red Bull?

He had some nice results, but he wasn't superb by any means. I still think he's a very quick driver, maybe the RB car doesn't suit his driving style. Not getting past an Alfa does raise questions, though.

Greg_J

China4409 Posts

July 02 2019 11:42 GMT

#291

Exciting stuff.

KobraKay

Portugal4335 Posts

July 03 2019 21:45 GMT

#292

I think that 4th place last year raised gasly's hype way higher than he is worth it. To me is like Ocon….quick and dedicated and all….but nowhere near the hype he gets.

I really hope russel gets the Merc seat when available. That or having verstappen in a Merc or a Ferrari would be very good news for the next 2 years (although almost impossible i know

)

MarcoJ

Germany146 Posts

July 04 2019 06:52 GMT

#293

On July 04 2019 06:45 KobraKay wrote:
I think that 4th place last year raised gasly's hype way higher than he is worth it. To me is like Ocon….quick and dedicated and all….but nowhere near the hype he gets.

I really hope russel gets the Merc seat when available. That or having verstappen in a Merc or a Ferrari would be very good news for the next 2 years (although almost impossible i know

)

Well its not almost impossible i would say. Max has a contract with Red Bull until 2020. I think a lot depends on what HAM will allow. Plus Max allegedly has a performance clause to leave RB if they cant produce a championship winning car. Additionally Bottas is on a contract until 2019 with an option for 2020 by Merc.

So the contract situation isn't hindering a transfer of Max to Merc at all, its rather personal preferences by Max and Ham.

virpi

Germany3599 Posts

July 05 2019 13:46 GMT

#294

2021 will shake up things a lot, because then there'll be new regulations. Ham and Vet could retire then, which would open up some top spots.

Excludos

Norway8263 Posts

July 05 2019 14:30 GMT

#295

On July 05 2019 22:46 virpi wrote:
2021 will shake up things a lot, because then there'll be new regulations. Ham and Vet could retire then, which would open up some top spots.

Hopefully. They still haven't agreed to the specifics, and they had to be postponed releasing them from June this year to October. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing gets shoved to 2022.

Aristodemus

England2010 Posts

July 05 2019 17:37 GMT

#296

Lewis wouldn'nt have a problem with any driver joining Merc,he isn't like others in that respect. Whether Toto would want to take the risk of pairing him with Max is another matter entirely. I don't think Hamilton will retire after 2021, he will sign one more multi-year deal imo.

I think it is far more likely that Ferrari lose faith in Seb and try to replace him with Max.

virpi

Germany3599 Posts

July 05 2019 20:00 GMT

#297

It's hard to imagine Max outside of RB. His whole persona fits perfectly with the team. McLaren actually could work IF they manage to get to the top again. I think Hamilton will keep going until he doesn't have a competitive car anymore. If Merc stays as dominant as they are right now, Schumacher's records will fall soon.

Aristodemus

England2010 Posts

July 06 2019 11:09 GMT

#298

On the note of records, slightly sad that Heidfeld just lost his record for Goodwood in the McLaren. Stood for 20 years!

Amui

Canada10567 Posts

July 09 2019 17:57 GMT

#299

On July 06 2019 20:09 Aristodemus wrote:
On the note of records, slightly sad that Heidfeld just lost his record for Goodwood in the McLaren. Stood for 20 years!

I personally thought it would've been a LMP that did it at some point(F1 isn't allowed to make timed runs any more)

Never thought that it would've been an electric car, although it makes sense, for a run as short as Goodwood, the AWD and aero of a closed cockpit definitely crush the course.

Lmui

Canada6223 Posts

July 13 2019 00:44 GMT

#300

That was an interesting fp1/fp2. Looks like gasly with verstappen's setup (red bull forced gasly to use max's setup) is competitively quick. I guess he has no idea how to set up a car to be fast but can drive it fast? Good enough for now I guess as long as they can get him learning how to set up and provide feedback in a useful way