Max has to clear Lewis on the 1st lap. I got a feeling these 2 are going to clash again...especially on the first lap. Updated starting grid. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Mercedes modifies F1 cars to avoid “massacre” on Austin’s bumps By:Adam Cooper Oct 24, 2021, 4:57 AM Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolff admits that his cars risked not finishing the US Grand Prix had it not taken measure to deal with the Austin circuit’s bumps. Image Unavailable, Please Login Following concerns raised by MotoGP riders over the circuit's bumps earlier this month, circuit boss Bobby Epstein said before practice that “bumps aren't an issue for the [F1] cars”. But Wolff explained that the team was obliged to take steps not to “massacre” its cars after they bottomed on the Circuit of the America's aggressive bumps during practice. A similar situation arose at rivals Red Bull Racing, where a cracked wing was spotted on Max Verstappen’s car. With the permission of the FIA, the Milton Keynes outfit was able to strengthen parts on both of its cars ahead of Saturday’s qualifying session. “The car was bottoming out quite heavy, and that breaks the car,” said Wolff. “So we took some mitigating steps to not break it, or massacre it that hard, in order to survive the race. "Definitely [it was] a compromise for going faster on the track, but maybe a necessity to actually finish.” In Saturday’s qualifying session Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to pole by 0.209 seconds, while his team-mate Valtteri Bottas was only fourth. The Finn carries a five-place penalty for a power unit change, and will start Sunday’s race from ninth. Wolff conceded that Mercedes had lost out in comparison with its main rival after setting the pace in Friday practice with Bottas, but insisted that the team hadn’t come to a conclusion as to why. Image Unavailable, Please Login Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes AMG Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images “We have lost performance from Friday to qualifying, clearly, relative performance,” Wolff said. “We don't know yet where that is. And we haven't got the right explanations yet, but clearly, we haven't met our expectations.” However, Wolff doesn't think that Hamilton's qualifying deficit will necessarily be representative of race performance and expects that, as on other occasions this year, fortunes could wing either way. "If you look at the pure performance picture, both Red Bulls look very strong, and probably on paper, they are the cars that are ahead,” he said. "But we've seen many Sundays that took a very different direction because of the start scenario, or DNFs. And that's why anything goes tomorrow. “Even though I tend to always say, 'Well the qualifying result is the result at the race', thank God it's not the case, and there is ground we can still conquer tomorrow. “And hopefully get Valtteri back to sharp end of the grid.”
Same feeling over here… I expect an Prost-Senna type of incident between Max and Lewis again. I also expect a very “unexpected” winner, like Ricc, Lando or one of our boys.
On paper, Checo should be a consideration given his pace, the heat and his delicate touch - naturally he won’t take the win unless Max gets in trouble. I believe Hammy is in for a struggle given his car isn’t overwhelmingly dominant. I don’t expect him to whine with all those Americans listening in. Bottles won’t be offering assistance because he’ll be wary of working the tires too quickly trying to get through this lofty pack. Should be a terrific race, hoping for a win from Saints or Landy as a special bonus for those attending. Nothing like a first win to make it truly memorable. Everyone wants that stetson.
Carlos is unfortunately going to be comprised by having to start on the softs—unless there’s a safety car at some point to reduce the cost of an early first stop. Charles, though, with a good start is in a good position to take advantage of a class at the front. Max needs to be careful to not allow HAM to take him out with no consequence to HAM himself. If they eliminate each other Max stays ahead in the standings.
Bottas: Ferrari and McLaren F1 drivers will be hard to pass in US GP By: Adam Cooper Oct 24, 2021, 6:44 AM Valtteri Bottas admits that the Ferrari and McLaren drivers will be hard to overtake in the United States Grand Prix, meaning he may struggle to recover from his grid penalty.
Scarbs Under the car is a plank. This is,a tell-tale to prevent teams running the car too low. BTW its not wood anymore. To prevent teams flexing the floor to lower the car, there is a FIA deflection test, this beam support resists the loads. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
AMuS RB made the FIA take a closer look at the rear suspension of Mercedes. Nothing came out of it. Depending on the type of track, Merc lowers the rear of the car when the DF increases. 7 other teams do it too. Ferrari: "This has been a normal setup tool for us for years." Mercedes has also had this system for years. And since the start of the 2020 season, the rear axle of the car has not been changed. Mercedes: "It was one of the homologated parts for us. We could not change it at all. So the effects have always remained the same." After the top speed difference in Austin was at 5 km/h and Mercedes only gaining just 0.16s in S2, Horner said: "The advantage varies from track to track. Here it is less because there are enough fast corners where you can't lower the rear too much without losing downforce" Horner: "That‘s why they can't benefit that much on the straights. In Sochi and Istanbul it was possible. Mercedes took 0.7s off us on the straights."
Max had this title in the bag a long time ago, but Mercedes played as it usualy does, they eliminate opposition, they've been doing it for years in DTM, and in f.1, once they realized they were losing, they resorted to the same strategy...i guess they figured that after some noise, everything eventualy calms down and they can claim another title. Red Bull must be prepared to either accept that or play acordingly. I for once think they are fully entitled to send elton into the weeds for a couple of times if they need to to win the title. If mercedes decided to play dirty, the others should play the same game. They've been doing it for far to long without any consequences, and it's time for someone to put an end to their cheating ways.
The race will be on ABC in the U.S. Will this mean a return to commercials? Will they still use the Sky feed?
Yes but they’ll likely just show a direct recording of the live coverage, so if there are commercials they’ll probably be included on ESPN.