FORMULA 1 JOHNNIE WALKER BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 2019: RACE *** SPOILERS ***

If you look at the footage, Max was trying to pass by going completely off-track (which is strictly forbidden by the rules, believe it or not) at the beginning of the corner and then hit Kimi's car which was still in front and on its line.

 

It's plainly visible that Max Versappen drove off track limits coming to La Source. Drivers aren't supposed to do that, don't you know ?

Even if you don't crash, the rules say that you are not supposed to gain advantage by driving off limits. Easy to understand, no?

If you do, you must surrender your place immediatly or face a time penalty. Verstappen was saved from that humiliation since he wrecked his car.

It was another "red mist" driving error from Mad Max, and a repeat one of previous years, at exactly the same spot.

I cannot see how Kimi could be blamed in any way for being hit by Verstappen.

 

Enuff kiddies.

On to Monza.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/145737/red-bull-drivers-went-back-to-prefrance-engine


Red Bull's Formula 1 drivers went back to Honda's pre-France engine during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, ahead of the latest upgrade's race debut at Monza.

Honda introduced its new Spec 4 engine in Friday practice at Spa in Alex Albon's Red Bull and the Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.

However, while Kvyat continued with the new unit for the rest of the weekend, Albon joined team-mate Max Verstappen in using an older than expected engine for qualifying and the race.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner revealed after the race that Albon and Verstappen used Honda's Spec 2 engine, not the Spec 3 that had been in use since the French Grand Prix.

Honda will not disclose how it swaps between engines, though F1 technical director Toyoharu Tanabe stated the Spec 4 worked as expected and said Honda is managing the mileage across its engines.

Verstappen had suffered some engine issues at Spa that Horner said was down to running "very aggressively in previous races, one being Budapest to try to get the race win".

"We couldn't run the engine quite as aggressively in performance modes as previously," said Horner.

"That's just due to the amount of mileage of the engine and how hard it has been run, nothing outside of its parameters."

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As Verstappen was using his Spec 2 engine over the race weekend, any issues with the Spec 3 must have occurred on Friday.

That suggests the plan was to run the Spec 3 over the whole weekend and that the change to the Spec 2 was done out of precaution.

Honda's reliability record with Red Bull has been very strong this season.

Tanabe would not disclose specific information on the specs of the engine, but said Honda needed to "analyse in more detail" the issues Verstappen suffered.

"It [is] maybe the condition or some other calibration," he said. "It's not only a degradation-style problem."

Albon is expected to use the Spec 4 engine he introduced into the pool at Spa, at the expense of grid penalties for last weekend's race, at Monza this week.

Verstappen is almost certain to join him in using the Spec 4, which means the Austrian/German GP winner will take his first grid penalties of the season.

That will put both drivers on a low-mileage, upgraded engine for the Singapore GP, which represents a strong chance at a third win of the season for Red Bull-Honda.

"The Spec 4 has started without any serious issues in terms of driveability or calibration and it worked properly," said Tanabe.

"We already put a fourth engine in for some drivers. "We need to manage the rest of the season based on the mileage and degradation."

 

And remember he was strongly schooled by Leclerc in silverstone after the Austrian Grand Prix last lap episode.

Leclerc is not Vettel , he won't lose his nerves against verstappen.

And verstappen perfectly knows that ..

 

"There was no "squeezing" , . . "

Your first time watching the start of an F1 race?

 

I thought the racing line was clipping the apex, the exact same place they collided. Surely MV knows that. So why go for a gap knowing full well the driver in front will take that very route. It was usual MV, punt others out of the way and cry wolf when it goes wrong. Is only chance was to leave the track and pray - time penalty imo and he would have got one had KR not clipped his front wheel.

He is loosing respect fast and severely limiting his choices to move into a top team. Would TW or MB take him, I doubt it.

 

Lol... talking about speculative....
And looking at the replies in this thread you look very solo with your "speculative, tainted opinion"...

 

What the heck was Max up to, anyway? There was no way that move was going to work. If not a crash, then a fat penalty.

 

Bollocks.

 

Keep your sarcasms to yourself.
I Watch F1 since 1961, and my first attendance was the Belgian GP at ... Spa.
Can you match that ?

 

Hasn't it all been said?

On to Monza.

 

Max's move was opportunistic. Had he passed Kimi would it be allowed? Absolutely. But by braking late he was putting himself at risk to Kimi, who had already begun picking his line. I fully understand the move from Max's part, as when he wasn't braking yet he saw a huge gap. An opportunistic move that would've paid off big time if it wasn't for Kimi's tight line.

I love how people keep saying ''Kimi has mirrors''...they are ****ing useless as everyone well knows. The mirrors are purely there for regulation reasons, not to see out off.

Max took a chance and it didn't pay off.

No reason for Max to be vilified as he is, mind you.

 

Really puts Albons performance in perspective. Great drive

 

You are right but another driver would have been penalized the next race , not max .

 

Max has been on the receiving end of plenty of penalties...

 

Tend to agree but in my book and when I raced karts many years ago you had to first size up the opposition to see there lines and braking points etc and learn a pattern. For me it showed poor judgement and timing, especially at the first corner.

Best

Tony

 

Corrected

 

Corrected

 

Every driver on the grid would know that that 'gap' would close down. Everyone. Max was just being delusional thinking he could somehow force or intimidate his way through. He got what he deserved, but not enough since he ruined another drivers race.

edit: and the fact that he had to drive completely off the track to get to the 'gap' only proves the point.

 

Had he survived the first lap, in all probability Max would have finished at worst behind the 2 Mercedes and the 2 Ferraris last Sunday.
Instead he missed that 5th place and the 10 points went to his new team mate Albon who kept a cool head and didn't make mistakes.
When you are already 3th in the championship, and with a slight chance to finish runner-up, you try to avoid silly mistakes.

 

He's channeling his 'inner Vettel'.

 

Well said, that's the difference in becoming a world champion, play the game not the man!

 

Here's the truth

If it was Hamilton's car Max took out you better believe there would have been penalties.

Kimi and Alfa? Meh. Just Max "racing".

 

Exactly ! Verstappen cannot see yet the big picture, and only thinks about instant gratification.
He reminds me very much of Giles Villeneuve in that, who couldn't see further than the next corner.
You damage your chance to be a WDC if you cannot understand that it's a constant effort and not won at the first corner.
Very entertaining for the crowd, of course, but not the way to go.