It is being reported that Hartley in the TR Honda had a bird strike on his rear wing and that put pay to his quali session! If that is the case then he could have been in top 10 as well! It would be great for Honda to show some decent power, they can work on reliability. McRenault must be a bit miffed at Renault and Red Bull both being ahead of them by quite a margin! Seems like Merc isn't very good on tyres in the heat. they have had that issue for a few years now but I suspect previously it didn't matter as they had so much more power and better fuel consumption. Hopefully it will be a good race tomorrow, really hoping that we don't get a big shunt at first corner. I want to see Lewis and Max trying to pass.
Very odd session for Merc and McLaren. I actually fancy Ricciardo to really cause a problem for the Ferrari boys IF he can get a good start. Bottas could be a road block for him though so that’s key.
Bloody hell Perfect storm I suppose . A radical change in car design for the team , and just when they NEED at least one experienced driver to provide feedback.........
I really think RBR are the ones to watch today, but they need good starts and to avoid trouble. Ricc Hamilton also has the right tyres to start with and he’ll blast past the Renaults and TR Honda and can then run longer than the front 4. If he’s faster on the softs he could force them to pit earlier and on a 2 stop, and run long to take track position? I like Hamilton and Riccis chances.
Vertsappen trying too hard, he may not be a rookie, but let's not forget how old he is. the power in that merc then 3 in one down the straight, so much for not being able to follow.
Sounds like Riccy had gearbox issue. Seems like lots of teams with gearbox issues so early in season. Have they all done something different in the boxes?
