It is really impressive that these guys can be racing balls to the wall, wheel to wheel on a new track that is physically and mentally demanding and still have the mental bandwidth to strategize about the DRS detection line. Lewis and Max, even with their mistakes, are the best drivers in the world.
Its a tactic thats been used before and is what the team meant when they instructed Max to let him by "strategically". But I agree, the best drivers are capable of thinking ahead of whats in front of them, like a chess player thinking 2 or 3 moves ahead. Only they are doing it while flying by the seat of their pants. I think Max is better at this than Lewis. This contact was an example. It took a moment for Lewis to realize what was happening and he mucked it up by inadvertently running into the back of Max. The FIA may have determined that Max was mostly at fault, but I believe he was unfairly penalized for what was Lewis's screwup. If I was king, I'd eliminate the teams from all radio communication with their drivers unless they are stationary in the pits. The FIA can communicate safety, penalty and general instructions to everyone while on track. Let the drivers strategize on their own and decide when to pit like it used to be. If they need additional team instructions it can come at the cost of additional time in the pit.
I think the stewards are very concerned about safety and seeing someone stepping on the brake with 69 bar or 1000 psi pressure to decelerate his car at 2.4g while another car is behind him made them give Max the penalty he deserves. Too bad the 15 seconds penalty didn't make any difference to the final outcome so Max got away with it and will probably do it again or worse in the future.
Suggestion to F1 rules makers:: If a driver+car are forced to give a position back to another driver+car, then the next DRS determination line is ignored.
Based on the stewards' determination, Max's sudden and forceful braking is the reason for his penalty. They have not considered any of the other stuff surrounding the incident. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Horner is not always objective but for once he said the Truth : Horner: "I don’t think people actually realize what Max is doing in that car. I don’t think people recognize that we haven’t had the best car all year. Max has lifted this. He deserves all the credit."
What? The only thing Max is good at is being fast. He's not much of a tactical racer. It doesn't take much brainpower to dive bomb your opponents every corner.
Sorry, but if you saw the Q3 lap of Max he is really the best, and in the race finding the right place to let Lewis pass he is not only fast but also a good strategist. I really hope he will beat Lewis as the latter is a complete opportunist and has a much better car. The Q3 lap of Lewis, that was cruising, Max was in full attack. Ciao Oscar
Absolutely means nothing in Formula one. Everything could happens all the time depending the situation.
But 'To finish first, first you have to finish.' He was over the limit and that's why he didn't deliver the complete lap. So he's fast, but he doesn't always exhibit good judgement.
Of course, it’s impossible to know, but do you honestly think that another driver could have had the same results at the wheel of this Red Bull this year? I don’t believe it.
I think HAM and VER are in a class of their own ATM - swapping cars would be fun, but it's not going to happen. Maybe LEC, RUS, ALO or NOR could be up there in the right machinery.
Merc have been boosting their speed just towards the season end. It's kept things interesting through the season and Liberty are happy. AFAIK keeping some speed in your pocket is not against the rules.
Agreed Reminiscent of the Hare and the Tortoise! Spoiler alert for those that don't know the story: The hare didn't win.
F1 racing has become increasingly much more complicated and sophisticated team sport that speed alone can't win anymore. Can get you points but no WRCs. James Hunt wouldn't get a seat in today's F1. To get to the top a driver needs to be mentally stable and disciplined. Max could've had this season in the bag had he been selectively less aggressive, more calculating and disciplined. By contrast Lewis is a lot more calculating and mentally strong. He seems to be able to summon laser focus speed and determination on demand. Never been one of his fans until I saw what he did in Brazil a few weeks ago. That takes a lot of sustained mental strength that many drivers particularly Max lack.
When driving behind a unpredictable loose cannon, I reckon you could be hesitant, tentative and be prone to making a mistake, you'd never know how that loose cannon will act in any given situation. And I'd say Max likes that dangerous moniker. So if he wants to win a WDC that gets decided over a board room table, then he is certainly playing it the Jos Vergraveltrappen way, in this case making a mockery of the rules, with his DRS way of trying to give a place back penalty.
The way Max responds when beaten to a turn two or three turns ago like he was by Lewis by the time they got to turn 4 in Brazil Max’s tendency is to lunge and cut the corner or push his opponent off the track in a late recovery attempt. Of course by then it’s fair accompli and all he has left is cutting the corner, pushing opponent off track or crashing. He should try to learn from Checo how to race wheel to wheel without crashing, pushing opponents off track or just bombing turns out of control. Giovinazzi had a really nicely done pass in Saudi Arabia round the same corner that Max bombed and took a 5 seconds penalty for. I don’t see him planning and setting up attacks in advance like the great drivers tend to do.
Notice that Max had this happened to him at Brazil in T2 a few years prior:: pass-lunge back-contact--time lost
