5.38-kilometre Qatar Losail International Circuit. I think it will be about 57 laps? 19th November Practice 1 10:30 - 11:30 19th November Practice 2 14:00 - 15:00 20th November Practice 3 11:00 - 12:00 20th November Qualifying 14:00 - 15:00 21st November Race 14:00 - 16:00 All times are UK times Poll closes before Quali.
Maybe we need another poll I wonder how much engines cost? I think its a set fee but do merc have the budget for new ones? Actually they must all be at the end of their budgets so 1 big crash will probably wipe out their spares. So a second could push them over the budget cap? How does that work?
You might be right there. I can't seem to find any info on PU costs. Lots of suggestions about $10 to $12mill but I'm not sure if that's per season or per PU.
I think McLaren will have a better weekend here you know. Not an awful lot of slow stuff to hurt them. Think this will play out similar to Bahrain though overall- Red Bull will have a slight edge in the twistier bits but Merc to claw back the time on the long bits to hang in the fight.
Hamilton's first new engine lasted well enough, we dont know that he needed to change it at brazil, just that wolff said it might be marginal by the last race. Brazil seemed an easy track to pass at so they went for it and just the 5 place penalty. I would assume Hamilton has two engines to go between but the main thing is he took no other components so he could have a different failure which would be highly ironic. In other news verstappen is made wait for info on what happens so I take that to mean they are figuring out what punishment to apply based on what they did with the dq for hamilton. Delaying tactic to avoid the red bull whinge for as long as possible.
The main question for me today is not anything to do with penalties but how much quicker after one race is Hamilton's engine down the straights here. We saw a significantly better red bull in the twisty bits in brazil and an unbeatable mercedes along the two drs zones. This track has.nowhere for verstappen to hide as the main straight is followed by a tight turn one and another drs zone after nothing corners. The last drs I presume is not useful bar catching up as the corners before look at least to be aiding the car in front. Overall this looks like purely a question of merc 1/2 and how they achieve that with engines.
I remember an interview where Wolff said they weren't concerned about the other parts, they could last and make the cut, it was only the ICE they were having issues with, so it could be all the other parts are fine and they just take another ICE at some point for a 5 place penalty. I can't find the article or interview now, so maybe I just imagined that? xD
Should be an easy Verstappen win this weekend. Can't see any other outcome being allowed this time round.
Damon hill engages in some casual racism with a joke about chinese drivers name then says hope that doesn't offend How many people will complain about that one on twitter i wonder. Can't believe anyone thought wolff's whinging was ever going to get anything. threatening to start acting up is just childish. just go race hard and stop whinging and I'll be much happier. Ram the guy out of it as long as it looks good.