FORMULA 1 2018 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX: RACE *** SPOILERS ***

It's my opinion that time penalties, such as Perez's, should not be allowed to be served under safety car. I know this is the case in IndyCar. "Stop-and-go" penalties my only be served under green.

 

https://sniffpetrol.com/2018/04/30/d-i-blundell-done-report-from-the-2018-azerbaijan-grand-prix/

 

Thanks Robert
I just love this bit...........
Some time later another incident done be observed in which a purple Red Bull vehicle driven by an IC1 male, one Mr. D. Ricciardo of Smiling, done collide with the rear of an identical Red Bull vehicle, driven by an IC1 child, one Mr. M. Verstappen, of Creepy Dad. This done be an unfortunate occurence what done should remind motorists of the importance of leaving a safe gap to what be the vehicle in front, especially if that vehicle done be swerving about like a ****.

 

I'm still so pissed about this race. With the grid made up of a handful of stooges who can't or won't drive within their capabilities causing safety cars, how and the method they're deployed needs to be overhauled. We've had 3 races now that have been completely changed due to the safety cars or virtual safety car. Theirs no issue with a team taking a strategic advantage of the deployment, but the ability to do so needs to be equal. Seb's advantage came when everyone could've have dove in. The next one mysteriously came out after he went by and didn't have a chance to go in like the Merc's did. That's just BS and shouldn't happen no matter who ends up on the winning end.

Personally, I'd rather close the pit lane, until they all come around. I just can't believe Lewis was handed another box full of points. It seems every time he should fall further back, he actually gains. it's great for him, I don't begrudge him those points... that's racing... but I think this season has totally highlighted some weaknesses in F1 and the grid for the matter,that haven't been shown in the past few seasons.

 

I can't feel sorry for him because he would have "lucked" into the win, rather than actually winning the race.

Without the first safety car, he would have been @ 7 seconds behind Seb and fighting Hamilton for 2nd place.

In the same way, in Melbourne I felt a bit sorry for Hamilton because he lost out on an easy win due to the VSC ( Seb "lucked" into the win that day, so I didn't feel too sorry for Hamilton, but the truth is, he should really have been the winner that day).

 

Baku leaves us with a boat load of "coulda, woulda, shoulda!" I'm sure it's tough driving over 300km/h on the main straight, but shouldn't drivers be looking to avoid running over debris (Bottas)? I've never driven an F1 car, and I'm a Haas fan, but this one's on Grosjean for throwing away 6th place. He said that he accidently hit a brake bias switch on the steering wheel, and that was part of the reason he locked up and hit the wall UNDER THE SAFETY CAR. Ouch.

From my point of view, if what Max did wasn't a double move in the braking zone, then it was a racing incident, but it sure looked like Ricciardo sold him a dummy to the right, cut back left, but Max moved twice. Stewards didn't see it that way, so be it.

I've read criticism of drivers this year for not being aggressive enough, so I can't fault VET for his lunge on the re-start, since he did get into 1st place for a fraction of a second, but of course it was too late and he didn't make the turn, so lost 3 positions. It's easy for us to watch on TV and advise patience, but for the driver in the seat at the time, they're going to do what they think is right.

Haven't heard anything more about the Red Bulls having electrical or charging issues early in the race, but holy smokes they were well off the Ferrari/Mercedes pace, so whether they were slow or the Renaults were on fire is hard to tell. Spain could be a totally different situation.

And holy smokes, Williams scored some points, and Sauber has scored points twice!

It's a long season, and far from over.

 

Sniff Petrol is painfully unfunny

 

Pretty amazing how we have the best car and get screwed the last 2 races and actually lose ground in the championship. Ferrari needed to get it done while their car had an advantage. Now Merc will outdevelop them the rest of the year and that will be all she wrote.

Hamilton is the luckiest driver of all time. Guy is born with a horse shoe up his ass. Drove a garbage race, running wide, locking up, teammate with better strategy and wins somehow. He needs to GET HIS soon.

 

We usually see eye to eye but Max has been a complete joke this year. You can keep apologizing for him but wherever Max goes, there's trouble. Simple as that.

 

Vettel missed out --- or was it (red) mist out?

I'm still getting used to this.
I left the DVR in "live pause" for almost a half hour before I remembered: I don't have to skip over commercials.

 

I said the exact same thing a couple pages ago. I totally agree. Merc will sort their issues out and continue to develop. Ferrari doesn't historically do that well. Ferrari should be banking points now. They got lucky one race, blew another all on their own, and got shafted the last two. Something needs to change on the safety car and pit lane. It's arbitrary. I don't like conspiracies theories. So let's eliminate that altogether and refine the process so that teams all have the same strategic chance. It's not a failure by the team if they can't take advantage of the VSC when others can. It's different in Merc's one case where they could have and just didn't.

 

Grosjean wins this weeks Roberto Guerrero award.

 

+1 Emphatically agree.

 

I think this was a race lost by Ferrari from the Pit wall. strategy wise they made terrible decisions. coming out behind Bottas was totally inexcusable. Vettle drove a great race, controlled it perfectly. The last pit stop timing - was a disaster. I feel for him for the desperate lunge ... as for the Red Bulls - they both need a smack.

Riccardo did not have the pass ready... and Verstappen is too aggressive ... my sense is Riccardo is gone ... and if Verstappen does not get control of his emotions and start thinking right - he'll end up in Torro rosso.

 

just watched a bunch of replays, will have to give some blame to RIC as well as VER, racing incident and RB failure on the "don't hit your team mate" rule

Edit to add: One other thing that I'm not sure of on the replays, Max was so far inside the approaching turn 1, maybe going 320KPH, I'm not sure how he was going to brake and make the corner, then when there was contact it was all over.

 

No denying that, and I'm not excusing Max at all here...Both drivers are guilty, not solely the fault of one or the other. China was 100% Max. Bahrain was Hamilton steering in to him...Australia spin driver error, but took no one out but himself.

He's having a poor year so far, but imo he gets unfair treatment here, to me because he has fought very closely with Seb quite a few times with Seb ending up the loser, and this being Ferrarichat that's not the done thing.

He gets blamed for things here that aren't his fault (singapore), as it's easier for people here to blame others. People here don't like him, fine...but least I hope that people won't just blindly blaming him for everything that happens. It's childlike.

To make it clear again for others, Max was not innocent here, but neither was Ric. 2 to tango in this case.

 

So at the very least you would eliminate the conspiracy theorists that said they deliberately let Seb go by then pulled his VSC so Lewis could pull in to make up for Seb's win due to the VSC the other race. The difference is, in that race they both could've pulled in, Merc did not. That race, Seb had no chance. That's changing the outcome of a race unfairly. Keep the pit lane closed. The top 10 should all have the chance to come in.