FORMULA 1 2018 VTB RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX: QUALIFYING *** SPOILERS ***

Let's be fair here, the financial penalties usually dished out don't hurt drivers who get millions.
But grid penalties punish them, and their team.
When a team loses grid places because of an unruly driver, they will put pressure on him to calm down.

 

Not harsh. Drivers need to be dropped on their head for safety infractions. Especially someone like Max who thinks the rules should not apply to him.

 

Merc are long gone this year. Arise Sir Lewis, 5 x wdc.

What has happened to Ferrari? Rarely has a team imploded so spectacularly. Second only to McLaren in the embarrassment stakes.

As for Stroll - 4seconds off the pace is absolutely disgraceful. How is he allowed a super license?

 

Future potential LOL ???????????????????????????

 

No way can I watch the race tomorrow without Guinness to lean on.

 

Yep, he's got that " Why even try attitude".....I've got a seat next year in a better car. He's "driving" even less now.

 

Sorry if it's been discussed but what do you think is going to be the tire strategy for tomorrow?

Mercs will prob stop once for Softs and that's it. Vettel only has 1 set of Softs, I think, and if he uses them it'll be for the first time all weekend, yes?

The way Ferrari have been operating lately, they'll probably come in too early--to undercut-- and then go on to the Hypers and run out of tire with 20 laps to go.

 

A DNF is more than the engine disassembling itself at 12000 RPM. All it would take is MadMax trying for the same space of track as HamBone, sliding off the track taking a corner wide, Etc, after all Mercedes hydraulics have been proven to be a weak link this season... The law of averages will catch up to Mercedes and HamBone.

I myself have been down 2 races in a championship racing motocross and with some inner drive and bad luck from my competition I managed to bring the championship down to the final corner of the final race. I ended up 5 feet short of the championship but i never gave up.

Seems to be to many quitters in here the last few years.

 

I think tomorrows race will be quite exciting. You got both RedBulls and Renaults at the back advancing to the front but especially the RedBulls....not to mention what happens up front too. We might even see a double stack pit stop from RedBull. LeClerc and Max duel maybe??

 

I hope you are correct. Sochi is not known for a super exciting race.........

 

To quote My cousin vinny " Dead on balls accurate"

 

Kimi brought 2 sets of softs, and ran 1 set in FP. The Scuderia will use that data and formulate whatever strategy/setup they feel best based off of that. Last year, everyone that mattered went Ultra, then Supers. My guess is that 2018 will be a Hyper, then Soft. 2-stopper. Whomever can make the Ultras work best for the most laps will win, and I'm afraid Mercedes has the upper hand at the moment with respect to rear tire deg.

The only chance for the Scuderia is to make it past HAM and/or BOT, and into P1, by T2. Then we must control the pace from there. With the short run to T1, but being a quick right-hand kink, it will be best to make the run between T1 and T2. No easy task. And it has to be clean. A safety car in lap 1 will not help us. We must have 1 car out-front by T3, or it's game over, IMO.

 

Today.... nuf said.
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Sadly I was correct.

 

Probably stop for Softs and try to go to the end and if 2nd stop needed put on another set of US or gamble with HS, no?

 

I don't think Hyper/Ultra will get anyone through to the finish line. So, Hyper/Soft is really the only 2-stop option. I believe a planned 3rd stopper will not work for anyone. Unless there's a late-race full-course yellow allowing a "free stop", none of the front runners will employ a planned 3-stopper.

 

Monza pt 2

 

You are not alone.

 

Sorry, are you saying 2 stops or 2 stints? Merc and Ferrari are starting with the US they went through Q2 on. Merc will prob go to Softs at their first and only stop. Ferrari, like I said, who knows. Will prob pit too early and gamble on HS at some point.

 

Correct. I believe all of the front runners will stop once only, for Softs, then go to the end. I don't think anyone that makes the podium will stop twice, unless there is an odd incident towards the end of the race that brings-out a safety car and gives somebody a "free" stop for Hypers.

Edit: When I say 2-stopper, I guess I really mean 2-stint. Sorry for the confusion. I believe the podium finishers will start on Hypers, then pit for Softs, and finish on that set of Softs. A late-race incident that brings-out the Safety Car may provide an opportunity for someone to come-in for a second stop and put-on Hypers - or Ultras, depending on the lap - again. This would provide the Scuderia with a "Plan B", should Plan A (getting in front of the Mercs come T3) not go well.

 

Ferrari burns hypers rapidly. Only chance they really have (safe for the Mercs to crash and burn) is to gamble a 2 stop: US, S, US/HS.

 

Bas, I don't think anyone has ever won, nor made the podium, at Sochi on a 2-stopper. I'm afraid we have to go for a 1-stopper, as Merc will inevitably choose, and hope to get to T3 in-front on lap 1. It's really the only way. And it doesn't look promising, unfortunately.

 

Does that mean Max will start in the car park?

 

Unfortunately the WHOLE Ferrari team has no one to blame but themselves for their current predicament.

 

Ferrari should go for the one stop. However this may be too simple for them. They seem to like really complex strategies that don’t work.