Grand Prix thread Not606 2016 Belgium Grand Prix Chat and Predictions

...but he gained a massive advantage, just look at the gap after he exits. He has limited losing multiple places at the end of the Kemel straight. I'm not suggesting he should have slowed and agree with you that would have cause more issues, but you can't benefit either.

As you say his wing damage was limited (although obviously problematic) but he left the track numerous times. It's not about busting his balks but just highlighting the numerous things others have been penalised for.

 

His lunge in to the first corner was just plain daft. There was no way he was going to make that corner without contacting people around him. He's got potential to be bloody good but he's certainly a long way from the finished article just yet.

For me the thing that needs to really be stopped is the weaving. I like some nice risky defensive driving, but let's not get stupid about it.

 

That he didn't get a penalty at all during the race is mystifying. If it were a football match, he would have had a yellow card under the totting up procedure even if each offence wasn't deemed a deliberate foul on its own.

They could also have looked to impose points on his licence after the race on the basis of the above, but still chose not to.

The BTCC have recently slapped down the drivers because of bad standards following the debacle of the Snetterton rounds when they said enough was enough. Looking at Belgium, the FIA should do the same. Too many people were flying into each other. Yes we want to see racing, and yes the old penalty system went overboard, but there must be a happy medium somewhere?

 

Race of two halves..
First half was decent, shunts, spins, over takes and thank God a lucky escapr for KMag..
The second half was more processional, very few non-DRS over takes..
Heck, Hamilton made up 18 places only overtook 4 cars, most of which were with DRS assistance..
The boy got lucky with the early race incidents, had it have been clean, Rosberg would still have won and he'd have been lucky to get top 5.
Now with his large pool of PU Units he can go flat out until the end of the season.
He'll have a fresher engine than Nico at Monza, which may help in quali and the race!
Ferrari need to up their game, coming home behind the Mercs AND Redbulls won't go down well at Monza.
FIs and Williams should be in with a shout too.
Most impressive drive and performance for me at Spa was JB getting into Q3 and then Alonso's race from the back to 7th, that for me was standout drive of the day!

 

Starting to dislike him rather than admire his aggression. Nothing likeable about the young chap.

 

He's got some balls though. Let's face it, we complain when it's dull and complain when there's action. There's no pleasing us.

 

Can certainly run comparisons there with a young German fella from the early nineties. His win at all costs mentality made some people love him and others loathe him.

He turned into one of the most successful drivers ever in F1.

Nice guys don't win, Max does not play nice, therefore he has a big future ahead of him in F1!

 

"Mad" Max.. certainly has the ability but still limited in wheel to wheel "etiquette"
He needs to cut out double moves and be a bit fairer in his defensive driving, I'm sure he'd be the first to bitch and whinge if others did that to him.
Hope he learns this before its too late and he causes or is part of a big accident, I like the boys style but he needs to temper that!

 

What happened at the BTCC, I stopped watching it a while ago because it got too much like wacky races for my liking.

 

I'm a bit late with this. Apologies. OK, very late!
Plenty of incident and controversy but I'll just focus on the main discussions.

The first corner collisions were a combination of an over-zealous move down the inside from Verstappen on Räikkönen, and Vettel's apparent unawareness of this, coupled with the latter's very aggressive (foolhardy, in my opinion) move to squeeze his team-mate. Vettel had no right to be making assumptions that all traffic would be making a tight apex. This is Spa. It's a hairpin bend and the run down to it is the shortest on the calendar! All else being equal, it is the least predictable time and place during the whole season. Clearly, Vettel's move was rash but as ever seems the case, he pretty much got away with it.

Verstappen though? What was he on? For the most part, I've been very impressed but I'm wondering if his early success and the (previously positive) attention he's been getting has begun to go to his head. I'm alarmed at his on-track behaviour. I'm alarmed at the disturbing comments he then attempted to justify it with. Very disturbed*. Does he actually want to be known as 'Mad Max'? His first corner tactics were very likely to cause trouble even if Vettel hadn't attempted to chop Räikkönen, since being completely on the kerb – his only route, once committed – compromises the all-important braking to pull off the move and still relies completely on being seen by Räikkönen. And of course, has no chance to work if any driver is doing a Vettel…

And then there was the Kemmel straight. A potentially dangerous move and one straight from someone* else's book which ushered in the era current era of stewarding and penalties so that other drivers would know where they stood. And yet the stewards remained silent. Baffling.

- - -o0o- - -​

*There is one past driver in particular he is beginning to remind me of…

 

Didn't want to clog up the Monza thread with this so put it here.



The irony of making this statement, is that this would have been the result of HIS actions if Kimi hadn't of taken action!

 

Wow... that's some really ****ty response. I hadn't heard about that. I've been fairly neutral on Max, but that's really put me off him for the time being. Seriously knobish.