FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA PIRELLI 2017: RACE ***SPOILERS***

Massa had nowhere to go with Kimi and Max back on track....he HAD to go wide. Alonso was unsighted but just an unfortunate casualty. Massa's other option was to clatter into the back of Kimi.

As for the Vandoorne incident, Massa came up to lap him IIRC. Vandoorne didn't pay attention and admitted he didn't see him. Even if it was a pass for position, Vandoorne just completely turned in on him. Vandoorne received a 10p grid penalty.

Massa had a great comeback IMO, was dead last after having to drive entire lap with a flat, damaged the car somewhat....still finished ahead of stroll!

 

Driver of the season: Kimi Raikkonen!

That has got to be be one of the most fabulous things that I have ever seen in F1!

Made the kids year? - I bet it's made his lifetime! He will never forget how great both Kimi and Ferrari were for as long as he lives!

Actually, yes I can! - Because Bernie Ecclestone isn't quite the bastard that you seem to think he his!

There are several teams (Jordan for one), who would not have survived in F1 without unofficial "pay it back when you can!" loans from Bernie, and several drivers who were injured in F1 races, for whom Bernie not only personally covered their medical bills, but also paid all of the expenses, and arranged all of the travel plans to ensure wives and family members could get to the hospital that the driver was in.

Bernie liked to portray himself as an uncaring bastard, but the reality was, certain things had a profound effect on him, and I suspect this little boy crying his eyes out would have melted his supposedly ice cold heart, and he would have personally seen to it that the boy got to meet his hero!

You carry on thinking Bernie was an uncaring c:censored:t if you want, but I've heard from people inside F1 that in many ways, Bernie is a big softie at heart when it comes to certain things!

 

The kid said in the mic: "What the F## was up with Bottas!"

 

Little Max should be in for a hiding after coming back onto the middle of the track after his turn 1 contact. He was busy waving around showing he was not at fault and caused dire consequences for other races. An entirely unnecessary event.

 

I've heard the stories before of Bernie helping teams, and helping drivers/families, and can fully believe them - but the little kid was a fan, and Bernie would have tried to charge the kid and his parents for access to the paddock, or just had them turned away for not having the right passes even when Ferrari tried to bring them in.

 

With all due respect, I disagree - Bernie had a (secret) heart, and that kid would have broken it!

Added to which, Bernie was a master a spotting what would be great publicity for F1 to steal headlines around the World, and this kid was PR gold! (Saying that, he would have probably pretended that he tried to stop the kid getting into the paddock area, just to keep up his hard as nails, uncaring image! )

Anyway, regardless of what might or might not have happened with Bernie still in charge, fair play to Kimi for not ignoring this kid, and showing instead that he is a true F1 hero!

I defy anyone to say "Kimi sucks!" after making this kids day! (and lifetime probably!)

 

So three drivers go into turn one alongside and everybody knows that this will never work out..It might be labeled as a "race incident" but someone of the three (if not all of them) thought it might be a good idea to try to squeeze three cars through there...one of them needed to back off and it was certainly not Raikkonen in the middle. So it is either Bottas or Verstappens fault, you choose...

I thought it was great when the boy was shown in the Ferrari box and this would have been a great story. Now everybody wanted to participate in that story and a piece of the PR cake including an interview...This leaves a pale taste over that story IMO as it now looks selfish rather than cute

 

I was wondering about Renault trying to horn in on the Kimi fan story, until I heard that the family was French, so I can cut them some slack since they're the only French team on the grid.

From James Allen's account of the Kimi fan: https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2017/05/f1-does-the-right-thing-as-ferrari-fan-thomas-danel-cries-when-hero-crashes-out/

"Asked by a TV crew what the taciturn Finn had said to him, Danel said, “He said something but I didn’t understand.” Some in the F1 paddock wittily observed that he was in good company there.

The family remained in the paddock until long after the race and met many drivers and others, overwhelmed by how friendly everyone was. A highlight for the youngster was meeting his fellow countryman Romain Grosjean. I spoke to them and the mother still had tears in her eyes, quite overwhelmed by what had happened to them.

It was a small, but symbolic gesture of bringing the fans closer to the sport, which showed how much F1 has changed in a few short months since Liberty Media took over from Bernie Ecclestone. Another was the extensive fan festival area behind the main grandstand
A further example was a dancing robot which entertained the paddock a few hours before the race.

I saw Ecclestone walking between the Red Bull and Mercedes motorhomes and looking with bemusement at something he would never have allowed on his watch.

Ecclestone loves kids and has donated huge sums to Great Ormond Street hospital over the years, but it’s doubtful he would have sanctioned the Danel family being brought across from the stands.
It has sent out a powerful signal that F1 has changed. And, talking to the principals in the new F1 management, there’s plenty more where that came from."

 

You really think the vandoorne incident was Massa's fault? Lmao

 

+1 on all fronts!

LOL!

Mehj, completely disagree...if it wasn't for Bottas and Kimi would just edge wide, Verstappen could've gotten out of it at any moment. Start of the race, no issue. We saw drivers in lower classes making passes round the outside and not colliding.

As I said above, no issue from Verstappen/Kimi IMO. At best Bottas was to blame. Kimi/Verstappen, if edged wide, could've gotten out of it. Bottas didn't. But first corner etc.

+1, but it also made the kids day/month/year/life. Looking at social Media, it's Kimi and the kid painted everywhere, other teams trying to capitalize are barely mentioned.

 

You can also argue that without Max opening a third lane Raikkonen could have driven more to the left letting more room for Bottas...Max was the one entering the corner last so he was the one who saw both other cars being where they were...and still decided there must be enough room for three. As in Spa with Vettel and Raikkonen he thought it might be OK if both others drive to his favour It could have worked out but it was not very likely...

 

Team Strategy Gurus: Niki Lauda vs Maurizio Arrivabene. Adv Mercedes.

 

Really? No, but where's the fun in that? I did wonder about the Alonso punt until they showed the helicopter angle and only then was it apparent that Massa was angling to the right to avoid the cars of Kimi and Verstappen as they coasted back toward the track, and Alonso was just in the wrong place.

 

Heck, Alonso has been bashing into Massa since they were teammates.

And Alonso's teammate causing problems for Massa goes back to Singapore 2008.


The funny thing is that the kid probably wasn't even crying about Kimi -- just the timing and camera selection lined up.
But it got his family the VIP treatment.

Although rewarding a tantrum is probably not the reinforcement we want to give millennials.

 

Vsc cost Vettel the race, Hamilton was able to pit and only lose 15 seconds instead of the normal 23 seconds, eliminating Vettel's 8 second lead once he pit in normal racing conditions. Without the vsc Vettel has an 8 second lead instead of coming out alongside Hamilton after his 2nd stop. Maybe Hamilton catches him up anyway but probably doesn't have anywhere near enough tire left to pass Vettel on 30 lap old softs.

 

Nope, Ferrari strategists cost Vettel the race, if you want to blame the VSC. Ferrari could have brought Vettel in for a tire change under the VSC just as Mercedes brought Hamilton in, even on the same lap - not the VSC's fault, the opportunity was available to all.

 

Third and fourth lane if you ask me. Max had enough room to his left for yet another car. If he'd have taken a wider line, I think all three would have gotten through without contact.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed this race. Being a Mercedes fan, and a Hamilton fan that would be obvious. It was nice to see a battle for the lead, even though here in the US we actually missed the live pass for the lead because we were looking at the Ferrari pit box. Meh caught it on the replay.

Tough luck for Kimi. Even as a MB fan I'm always pulling for Ferrari to do well as well. Especially Kimi. Turn one was well played as a racing incident. Contact happens in tight racing and I'm glad no one was penalized.

Also want to mention I was super happy not to see Shoey make an appearance on the podium. That was gross last year LOL.

 

Merc took a gamble, they pitted Hamilton right before the end of the vsc so there was no way for vettel to match as by the time he came around again it was over.

Ferrari could have also gambled on it as well but they were thinking it would be a long stint and the tires might go off allowing Merc to do a 3 stop. Merc were correct and the gamble paid off.

However, no vsc and vettel has an 8 second lead and probably a fairly straightforward victory.

 

We win some, we lose some. I just feel really bad because i really thought we had this in the bag, till the VSC. But i'm just happy at the progress overall we made. When Merc showed up at Barcelona, it was practically a new car.

Yet even with physically minimum upgrades, we pushed them all the way till the end, and they got a lucky win. Kimster was really really unlucky, but good thing no penalties was dished out. Racing incident. Also, probably the best Spanish GP in years, probably better than F1 legend Maldonado's historic win.

 

I don't think he was screwed. Bottas didn't unsportingly hold up Vettel, assuming he was a lap down. They were both racing for position, and Bottas was obligated.

 

You misread me. The contact happened and was a race incident.
What I found extremely poor sportsmanship was Max after contact returning to the track. He destroyed the races of Massa and Alonso.

 

Loved Vettel's aggressive pass of Bottas. I think that is the first on track pass I have ever seen him do and it was a beaut!

He is a racer after all.
Pete

 

It must be very disheartening for the mechanics, designers, fabricators and engineers who put in a massive effort to create a winning car, only to lose a race to very questionable strategy ( or "stragady" as Curly would say). I seem recall similar episodes with Hamilton calling in on his radio something to the effect of " what just happened guys" when his team blundered. Seems with the huge sums spent on cars and drivers, they would put more effort into not making boneheaded decisions that negate all the work they've done. Maybe one of those cascade charts :
if your driver is ahead and turning great lap times, should we gamble and bring him in for a tire change to see if we can confuse the other teams?
" Hey guys, this here chart says "no"! Gosh!"