2023 Japanese GP: Post Race Analysis

Cota is one of my favorite tracks to race on.

 

Perez out RIC in, plainly obvious to the non-haters

Dan is the only one that can push Max

 

Ricciardo couldn’t handle Norris…

 

You have short memory : Ricciardo was pushed out by Verstappen !!
Ricciardo did zilch at Renault, and was schooled by Norris at McLaren.
That boat sailed long time ago: Ricciardo is a "has been" now.
He is only good at making toothpaste commercials...

 

I do hope for Perez to be dropped as well.

Everyone can have a bad race here and there but the amount of absolute howlers Perez has had this season alone is just embarrassing.

That "overtake" on Albon last week, and just to do the same boneheaded move on Magnussen in Japan...I mean especially Japan of all places where he could've waited just half a lap and pass him cleanly anyways, I just have no words. Max is on course for doubling Perez's point tally by the end of the season. It's happened before with Barrichello but at least Barrichello had the excuse of 4 out of his 5 retirements being not at fault.

There's another possibility that RB just wants to evaluate Ricciardo a little bit more when he comes back. Maybe they'll just move him up at the end of the season anyways (****, a few more of these Perez races and Ricciardo may do a race or 2...). Though that said I don't know why they announced him for AT. Lawson seemed surprisingly at ease with it all, possibility is that Ric and Lawson both know a lot more about Perez's fate already.

 

Looks like your memory is even shorter as Ricciardo left on his own accord. Verstappen and Ricciardo remain very good friends, so why would Max want to push him out?

 

He may have left of his own accord, but the fact remains that Ric couldn't suffer Red Bull putting their weight behind Max.
By then both Horner and Marko had realised that Verstappen was a better prospect than the Australian.
Ricciardo knew the score: he himself had completely eclipsed 4-time WDC Vettel in 2014, forcing him to leave.
Playing #2 wasn't what he wanted to do so he elected to leave; it would be ironic if he came back 5 years later to play that same role !!!
Don't be fooled about drivers "friendship"; that's for the media ...

 

That move on Magnussen might have been the worst attempted overtake of the season.

 

I agree

 

I, for one, hope Checo stays for at least one more season. His driving opens up another podium spot for other teams. Let it continue.

 

My favourite track in the US. I fully agree!

 

A good point

 

You're probably aware they repaved Road America last October, True to it's 1955 beginnings, it remains 30' wide. F1 minimum is 40'. Or is it? Do some old F1 tracks get grandfathered in?
Some runoff areas are lacking and can't be easily fixed...from the Carousel to 12 is right on the edge of the property, which borders a creek. Paddock/pit was upgraded, too, and is nowhere close to F1 standards. The hospitality failings(for F1, anyway) are not likely(I say never) to be fixed, either.

 

Zandvoort is very narrow as well and that's on these days again

 

His time at Renault was pretty good given the awful car, he got Renault's only podium during that season (something Alonso could only do once in two seasons) and beat Hulkenburg, his mistake was going to Mclaren who (per Sainz) had an odd handling car. When they got the car right he still managed to win Monza. He wasn't pushed out by Verstappen, they were very evenly matched, but he could tell Marko and Horner were not going to set any boundaries when Verstappen quite obviously took them both out at Azerbaijan and then Horner apportioned blame equally. I'm not a big Ricciardo fan but other than his year and a half at Mclaren in a messed up car, he hasn't looked bad in any other car or situation. I certainly think he'll do better than Perez at this point who can barely get the car into q3 half the time. I don't think he'll beat Max, but I don't know that any other driver would in that car that's obviously been finely tuned to his liking.

 

Lawson to Redbull. He’s clearly got the speed. Ric can stay in AT as he’s had his day and is on the way down. Perez should be pensioned off pronto.

Has anyone calculated how much Aston are paying in lost WCC constructor cash to have Stroll in the second seat? What a waste. In fact it’s virtually corporate fraud.

Very impressed with Piastri - he’s the real deal. Poor Sargent though - he’s become this years Latifi.

 

My, oh my ...

 

That''s my other theory...that Lawson already has a pretty much agreed deal with RBR already. They''re just waiting for the Perez **** up (can''t be long), post Mexico presumably, to make the announcement.

 

Is AMR owned by Aston Martin the publcily traded company? If so, a publicly traded companies' requirement is to have the shareholders' best interest at heart. Fielding an incompetent driver because he's the son of the Chairman is pure nepotism.

 

I don't think it is. Lawrence Stroll bought Force India, and renamed it Racing Point, a few years before getting involved in the car company.
In any case, I haven't heard about dissent among the shareholders.

 

Of course not. Lawrence Stroll wants to keep it that way.

 

And that's perfectly fine with me ! That and immigration, your other bugbear!!

 

Yes.....as long as it's legal under the current laws.