Grand Prix thread ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2023

Christ... Max.... Always salty

 

Max whining that Lewis was too aggressive at the start, oh the irony.

 

I can go back to sleep now…

 

They would have to allow a fuel top up for that to work.

 

Some interesting race control decisions today.

Some good little battles and may even have been interesting at the front if the two Mercs could use the DRS to keep Max honest.

The Red Bull is just miles quicker though. I feel like they didn’t even set up well this weekend and they’ve still cruised it.

Very boring at the front.

Races coming thick and fast after this break until Baku- hugely important opportunity for upgrades but fear it might be too early for anyone to seriously claw away at Red Bull.

 

GP was average.

sky coverage a disgrace.

basically I didn't get up on time so was oh I dunno 8:30. d8dnt set the alarm knowing the race rerun was 9:30am

what do sky have? not the rerun but a massive ****ing spoiler with highlights and after race chat.

you over ran you ****wits. you know your own schedule so cut at 9:25.

nope. let's chat on like nothing happened.

 

Good maturity from Max in the opening laps, I thought, helps when you know you’ll be able to pick your way back through, I guess.

The restart after the second red flag needed to be a rolling start, it was always going to end in tears with so much on the line in such a short space of time. This isn’t hindsight, - it was obvious at the time and I do hope it wasn’t a commercial reason that led to the decision today and lessons are learned. I’m not their biggest fan, but Alpine were really hard done by and whilst it happened early, it was a shame to see Albon go out when running well. The Sainz penalty also shows how context is important in handing out penalties in F1 as the effect of the punishment for sure was far greater than the crime.

A reasonable amount of action through the field again, highlight for me was Sainz’s dummy and overtake on Gasly.

 

i don't agree with rolling starts from a grid position in the dry.

if they can get through corner 1 lap 1 then they can get through again.

if corner 1 is dangerous enough then they should never have had the rave in the first place like that.

it should be 100% grid start if it's dry.

zero reason to puss out.

they had no reason to restart after that as the line up was literally start and finish. just call it as was. that end was a total and utter waste of time.

 

12 hours later.... And I'm still in "Oh Ferrari!" mode.

 

everyone made calls at the time based on best info.

the first safety car then roll to red flag ruined Russell's race but imo there was likely a bit of repair to be done to tyre barrier and red flag was probably OK.

the second red flag was extremely marginal. it seems to be based off some drivers whinging about debris. they celery decided that no way they were putting marshals on track to clear so imo that was a bit marginal.

the third one should have happened but seeing it did, it should just have ended race. that was farcical restart.

imo the drivers that tried to take advantage of a safety car and then got a red flag dropped were unlucky but they were giving a very early Pitstop shot and would be tip toeing around later.

the real issue is that it's a 1 stopper track easily and that creates issues.

 

Well that was fun!! Not in a good way though.
It's a balance between red flagging and using a safety car and we all know what a controversy a late safety car can cause!

I think Albon's gravel situation would have been fine under a full safety car as long as they could bunch them up people could have worked safely on the track to clear the gravel.
The first restart: well was that just bad luck, cold hard tyres or just drivers being desperate to gain a few places after siting waiting in the pits? On the one hand additional starts add a bit of drama but is that what we want to see or should it be a rolling start - would that be fairer?

Not really sure how they should have played it.

Bad day for Ferrari, good/bad day for Merc.

It does still look like Red Bull have an amazing DRS system and no one else is even close. Merc seem to be doing much better in the cooler temps although Red Bull are still 0.5 second ahead in race trim. Aston are clearly doing well but can they develop the concept. Hass where doing quite well and Hulk was doing a great job till the end. Alpine had a disaster with both cars needing a fair few parts but I don't think Gasly really did anything wrong in the heat of the moment.

 

The balance of risk vs reward is so much different with three laps to go though.

 

I for one am fearing the sport is losing its way and heritage under Liberty.
It is good in one way that so many manufacturers are entering the sport soon but not sure that isn't going to change the sport and its direction even further.
Beginning to wonder.

 

Well as all the cars are pretty much filled with the minimum they can get away to complete a race an extra amount to cover off maybe an extra lap is not going to make a difference to a race as a whole.

 

You see JJ .

You are looking at this from a fan of the sports perspective .

I would say it’s an easy mistake to make , but , sadly it isn’t .

this crowd care for nothing but the

 

Does Ted kravitz understand that drs on its own is not "super de duper"

He's got this lame arsed conspiracy theory in his head that it's all down to some dodge by red bull.

If it were that simple every car would be sending an upgrade kit within a week of testing.

The actual truth is verstappen drove away from Hamilton three times with no drs and the parked 10 seconds ahead and cruised.

The reality is the full aero package is the secret.

When some cars now have the buzzword of draggy applied, well that's not drs. That's aero packages. It's not just drs.

 

It's not just Ted that thinks Red Bulls aero package has a big drs advantage in the way the rear wing and the beam wing work. There are quite a few vids on it. I think Anderson did one but I can't find it again, but this one might give some insight in what's being talked about.

.

 

I am looking at it with sadness, it is going to happen. I guess I should be grateful for the years I have enjoyed. Ferrari will lose their grip on the sport, might even exit. Boardrooms will dictate and a new generation of fans won't know what they missed.
Football is the modern gladiator sport, F1 motor racing was similar but is in danger of losing it.

 

Sounds like you're in need of some good racing action.

Dr. Bhaji here prescribes one dose of IndyCar every race weekend until the end of the season. It will perk you right up and put that spring back in your step!

" Side effects include drinking too much while watching, struggling to pick just one favorite driver, and confusion when they change a livery at a random moment. Do not take IndyCar with fizzy seltzer drinks or any other poor excuse for alcohol. Consult your Dr. Bhaji if you develop sudden cravings for more.

 

Already decided to tune in to Indy.