Funny to watch, but Merc did at least realize that putting Ham on another set of slicks wasn't a good idea, so they rushed the slicks back to the garage and pulled out Inters. If only Leclerc's pit crew were as on the ball, maybe he wouldn't have wound up in the barrier.
There was absolutely a danger of having what was left the front wing folding under the car or cutting a tire and so littering the track with debris.
I could ask you why so many self-confessed tifosi on this forum are so vociferous against Ferrari ? Most of the criticism I read here against the Ferrari management, engineers, drivers and else come from people who claim to like Ferrari ! That always puzzled me !
Yes, as a F1 follower since 1961, not a specific team supporter. I am only interested in the racing; who wins doesn't matter to me.
That was more of a case of "mind's made up": Once they made the call to bring Charles into the pit, they shifted from "planning" to "execution". (And, apparently, stopped looking at the radar.) Ham's crew was still evaluating, even while struggling with the nose.
Everybody else can drive off the race line and back to the pits... but obviously that does not apply for Lewis. That is why he parked on track last year after spitting his hydraulic fluids to the race line at the same venue because he is so concerned about track security It is absolutely hilarious how you guys come up with excuses....not only that crashing was not the same as Sebs mistake last year but also different rules apply for the rainmaster when limping back to the pits..And while running headless around the car the Mercedes crew is actually smart for having a 30 second brainstorming about the optimum tires. Unfortunately Lewis did not get the memo what the conclusion was to be the optimum tire as he spun soon after flat-spotting this carefully selected special set But actually this was a really great weekend because one race more done and the points difference remains the same, maybe one should give him driver of the day for this exceptional performance. Let´s hope he can perform at the same extraordinary level in the next races.... PS: the weekend is even more extraordinary for Lewis as he even gained two more points on Bottas after being promoted to 9th....
From my point of view, everyone on the podium deserved to be there. Rain gave all the teams an drivers a chance to show how fast they can dance. Max made the most of his chances and won decisively and deservedly. Vettel showed the form we've been hoping for over the last two years, and earned my respect. If he keeps this up he will earn his spot on next year's team. Lots of drivers made mistakes and paid the price. Not because they were stupid or untalented but because they wanted to win and they took the chance, Bottas and Leclerc among them. For the most part the drivers outperformed their teams. I would have given Max driver of the day but the fact is that Vettel had a higher mountain to climb, and he did it. All the drivers who made it to the finish had their share of drama. Luck and timing touched them all. It was a wild and crazy and honest race. I enjoyed it fully.
Oh I did enjoy watching Merc struggle for a change. 60 seconds of schadenfreude. Outside the tyre strategy dynamic, I was just speculating how close Seb might have been with crisper pits.
Yes, I figured the slower engagement was better in the wet. Can't see how that could be unintentional, but I'm not a systems engineer.
Well said. Has ZERO to do with hating LH, or Vettel or Stroll LOL, who the FIA favors etc. We were given a superb and fun experience today. Was a race worth experiencing on all levels. Happy to be with the experience of F1 today. We should savor the moments today given. Next race will possibly be less of this calibre today.
And..... as ALWAYS.... the FIA looks for ways for LH44 to ALWAYS get points in a race. https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/27276355/lewis-kubica-elevated-points-finishes-alfa-penalties
Great race,rain proving to be the great leveler. Well done to anyone that finished in one piece,and thanks to Mercedes for proving that that they are far from invincible,that pit stop was pure Gold! I'm not really sure what happened ,just glad it's over.LH
Didn't know Ham and Kubica got promoted to point finishes! Cool! Goes to show if you can bring it home, it could pay off
Lewis won today in his pursuit for a sixth championship, as his primary goal was to widen the gap on the one man who can still beat him. Bottas could have drawn within 21 points. Instead, Lewis has extended to 41 points with 10 races to go. More importantly Vettel and Max showed they could win again. If either man can win 6 of the next 10 races they might beat Lewis for the championship ( if Lewis plays it conservative or falls off his string of first and second finishes). My guess is Lewis will win 2 races, Bottas will win 2, Max will win 2 more, and each Ferrari driver will win 1 or 2. Its to Lewis’s advantage if F1 has a lot of different winners for the next ten races.
Porridge must be kicking himself ,and yes the team pushing him to go faster in those conditions was a mistake, just let the drivers get on with it.No distractions.
Wow that was FUN! What a fun race to watch. What weird stuff! Alfa leading Ferrari. Toro Rosso leading Red Bull. Lance Stroll running in first place and almost getting a podium. Hamilton shows he's human. Bottas blows it as does Leclerc. You have to think Leclerc could have won this race. Congrats to Vettel for finishing 2nd. Pretty amazing.
Honestly this fries me. The guy has been 1-2 all season and he's anguished over one bad race? Seems like a DRAMA QUEEN. I understand wanting to always win but this just looks silly.