Topic: Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM..... - page 192. (Read 137874 times)

Pole position for Max but he is under investigation.

He deserves a penalty for impeding to Norris but as we already know, RBR is basically immune and he will keep the 1st position.

^  So third driver, meaning he gets a seat when Hamilton retires?  It could be a hint that Hamilton's current contract will be his last.  Happy for Ricciardo if he gets a drive at Mercedes.  He's been in a rut since leaving Red Bull.  The guy deserves a big break for once as he is a talented driver.

Anyway here's the results for quali.  Verstappen let out the big guns and came out first from Q1 to Q3.  

2022 F1 Japanese GP Qualification Results

1   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m30.224s   1m30.346s   1m29.304s
2   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m30.402s   1m30.486s   1m29.314s
3   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m30.336s   1m30.444s   1m29.361s
4   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Bull Racing   1m30.622s   1m29.925s   1m29.709s
5   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m30.696s   1m30.357s   1m30.165s
6   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m30.906s   1m30.443s   1m30.261s
7   Fernando Alonso   ESP   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m30.603s   1m30.343s   1m30.322s
8   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m30.865s   1m30.465s   1m30.389s
9   Sebastian Vettel   GER   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m31.256s   1m30.656s   1m30.554s
10   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m30.881s   1m30.473s   1m31.003s
11   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m30.880s   1m30.659s   
12   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m31.226s   1m30.709s   
13   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Scuderia AlphaTauri    1m31.130s   1m30.808s   
14   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m30.894s   1m30.953s   
15   Mick Schumacher   GER   Haas F1 Team   1m31.152s   1m31.439s   
16   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m31.311s       
17   Pierre Gasly   FRA   Scuderia AlphaTauri   1m31.322s       
18   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   Haas F1 Team   1m31.352s       
19   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m31.419s       
20   Nicholas Latifi   CAN   Williams Racing

I think his plan could be to be 3rd driver for 2023 but in 2024 when the contract with Hamilton will expire he could aim to be the second driver after Russell (who will be probably the 1st driver of the team).

This is really interesting news indeed. I was expecting him to find a team for himself but it looks like things aren't going well in that way. Alpine has been speculated with him quite much but then this isn't happening. Ricciardo has been a talented driver and he's been shown as one of the best drivers on the grid. But after his performance in this season he dropped to this level. Being the third driver for any team is a big decline in his career. He won't take any seat at Mercedes for a long time obviously.

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The performances of Mercedes drivers in FP2 were really impressive. But we'd see the real deal in qualifying.    Bookmakers are favouring Verstappen very highly by 1.54. But if we take the rain probability into account too, Verstappen might not take the win that easy. I might even try my luck with Hamilton @10.00 just for fun. 

Without the raid should be an easy pole-position for Max Verstappen.

This track is similar to SPA so at the high-speed RBR has a big advantage

Red Bull will need a partner as I don't think the engineers they acquired when Honda was originally set to move out isn't  doesn't really have the resources either.  Imagine going against Mercedes and Ferrari who's been in the business of making engines for more than 50 years.  Lol.

Anyway, here are the results for FP2.  The wet track is making things really unpredictable

2022 F1 Japanese GP FP 2 Results

1   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m41.935s
2   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m42.170s
3   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m42.786s
4   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m42.834s
5   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   Haas F1 Team   1m43.187s
6   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m43.204s
7   Fernando Alonso   ESP   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m43.533s
8   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m43.733s
9   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m43.884s
10   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m44.525s
11   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m44.709s
12   Nicholas Latifi   CAN   Williams Racing   1m44.962s
13   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m45.039s
14   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Scuderia AlphaTauri    1m45.257s
15   Sebastian Vettel   GER   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m45.261s
16   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m45.885s
17   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m46.030s
18   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m46.776s
19   Pierre Gasly   FRA   Scuderia AlphaTauri   1m47.109s
20   Mick Schumacher    GER   Haas F1 Team   No Time Set


Hamilton 15.00 to be finish on top at FP3 could make for an interesting bet...  What do you guys think?

The MotoGP race schedule for next season has been issued a few days ago by Dorna and I see that there are two new circuits in it so that the number of MotoGP races next season will be 21 races on different circuits. For the time being, this schedule has been considered fixed although there can still be changes again before next season starts, because Dorna can change everything if there is a better option for racing. But for the time being, I see that this schedule has been very fixed and there is no news for a change.

It is nice seeing Alonso there in the top spot with a not that good car like Alpine.What is making me wonder is also not seeing in the top 5 any Redbull but most probably Redbull does not care much about such sessions so I need to see the other practice in order to have a clear view.

It is encouraging seeing two Ferraris near the top as most probably this track favors them with low speed corners and technical ones but as I said in order to make a conclusion I need to see the final practice session.

1st hour of test has been concluded, there the results

1   Fernando Alonso   ESP   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m42.248s
2   Carlos Sainz   ESP   Scuderia Ferrari   1m42.563s
3   Charles Leclerc   MON   Scuderia Ferrari   1m42.634s
4   Esteban Ocon   FRA   BWT Alpine F1 Team   1m43.022s
5   Kevin Magnussen   DEN   Haas F1 Team   1m43.258s
6   Max Verstappen   NED   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m43.362s
7   Mick Schumacher    GER   Haas F1 Team   1m43.761s
8   Lando Norris   GBR   McLaren F1 Team   1m43.889s
9   Valtteri Bottas   FIN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m43.969s
10   Sergio Perez   MEX   Oracle Red Bull Racing   1m44.234s
11   Zhou Guanyu   CHN   Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen   1m44.429s
12   Daniel Ricciardo   AUS   McLaren F1 Team   1m44.486s
13   Lewis Hamilton   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m44.558s
14   Lance Stroll   CAN   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m44.570s
15   Alex Albon   THA   Williams Racing   1m44.791s
16   Pierre Gasly   FRA   Scuderia AlphaTauri   1m44.878s
17   Nicholas Latifi   CAN   Williams Racing   1m45.424s
18   George Russell   GBR   Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team   1m46.103s
19   Yuki Tsunoda   JPN   Scuderia AlphaTauri    1m46.192s
20   Sebastian Vettel   GER   Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team   1m48.090s

Source: https://www.crash.net/f1/results/1013927/1/f1-2022-japanese-grand-prix-free-practice-results-1

As predicted, rainy day.

So, return to Suzuka for the first time since 2019, and potentially wet race. I missed this track. IIRC, last time when we had race here, there was typhoon or something and both qualifying and race were held on Sunday after qualifying got postponed. I hope this time such things wont happen.
Only thing I hate about Japanese GP that I will have to get up early on weekend to watch it

So, even Haas or Williams don't want to sign him or he don't want to go there? 3rd driver maybe is better than nothing, but I doubt that's good step.

Riccardo is rumored now to become the 3rd driver of... Mercedes!

He will probably not be an official driver the following season but only a back up driver.

source: https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/f1-piloti/nuova-indiscrezione-ricciardo-terzo-pilota-mercedes-636068.html

The problem is none of these, the problem was the fact that it didn't worth the money they were getting, and even though it was also marketing (we give engines to formula cars is a good sale point) it still wasn't enough.

If it would drop the cost, and increase the price, then they could have done it, but seeing how formula wants to drop the cap, and make the teams closer, so that they could all be close to each other and not have dominant cars like we have right now, that means Honda can't be getting a huge raise in the price. What we should do instead is let Red Bull create their engines, and maybe Honda could supply some engineering help at best to them for a price, instead of directly build them.

Another race under rain, I see.  

I think that we can see many accidents on this track also as Suzuka track is really difficult for the drivers normally already. I wonder what Verstappen will be able to do this time. In the previous race, he had significant individual mistakes which blocked the way for him to fight for the win. This is an important race for Red Bull also in terms of their bond with Honda as you've added. Verstappen must race more focused this time to get the win otherwise this is another race that is likely for him to finish at an unwanted position. I don't think Perez can win two times in a row. Leclerc must have learned his lesson after mistakes while he was just behind Perez in Singapore also.

In addition to these, maybe Hamilton might be able to fight harder for getting a surprising result. He had a terrible race in Singapore and it was his fault also as he lacked concentration in some part of the race and had an accident.

Another week with rain in f1?



Source: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=sukuka+meteo


Meanwhile FIA postponed the sentence about RBR money cap 

This is a shorter track compared to Singapore so most probably in such tracks Verstappen shines,Redbull was not the favorite for such tracks with twisty turns but seeing that they did great even in such tracks and they won a lot of races in a consecutive way in such tracks means they most probably are going to win this too.Ferrari has not yet the capability to win and since Leclerc could not overtake at Singapore here is even more difficult to overtake despite being some places especially in the first corner after you have build up after the narrow ending corners which puts into straight.

I see Verstappen as world Champion here and most probably Honda would be forced to make a statement then.

Very hard to see what Honda will do in the future, the new engine specification should be easier and RedBull is now building the powertrains themselves at RedBull Powertrain, maybe Honda will just do the combustion engine as they are doing now (I think I read) and they might have the resources for that. But we will see in 2026.

The coming race is very difficult for me to predict but I expect Verstappen to be world champion this weekend, but we'll see how qualifying goes and what the weather is like on race day.

They haven't really laid anything concrete in the last two years. Their exit from F1 doesn't feel like anything at all, because they are still in the sidelines helping the development of Red Bull's engine actively while not establishing their presence in the F1 scene. Hopefully with the change in leadership in Honda, they can start re-establishing the HRC and be more involved in a lot of aspects in the race. I guess they only called it quits in 2020 because this is the height of the pandemic, and it will make the image of Honda look bad since they laid off a lot of workers in their main lines whilst keeping the rather "side hobby" of the company active, and that speaks volumes to workers that were removed from their jobs.

And as far as I know, Honda is leaving F1 because of their lack of resources and technical capability on the new engines after the change.  So their fate as far as their run in F1 is prolly already written.  Red Bull wouldn't look for a new engine partner if Honda was still keen on staying aboard to continue development.  But we'll see.  They're having a good partnership with Honda and continuing would mean more stability...  And more world titles.

Anyway, wet track and a track with not really many straights are bad for Red Bull's cars.  Ferrari could prolly have the advantage here.  Dunno...

Redbull will do the maximum to win the title in Suzuka as the deal with Porsche is not going well so they need this partner alongside them for the coming years and what better timing than winning the F1 title in front of the home crowd in Japan.That would surely make Honda rethink their leaving of F1 in the end of this season or the next one and most probably extend their deal for several years to come.I believe Honda will continue as I think they can only benefit if their engine name is shown across the Redbull as winning car of F1 both in constructors and drivers Championship.

The next fight which will take place in Australia, precisely at the Phillip Island circuit will be a very interesting fight if the weather conditions are good. Due to the Phillip Island circuit being very close to the coast, there are often strong winds blowing into the circuit. Likewise when it rains, it will obviously be difficult for all riders because the grip is different in dry conditions.


Mentality does have an influence on all drivers, but what you need to know is that they (Bagnaia and Quartararo) both have experience in handling everything in the face of racing. So I still see this as a problem, except for environmental conditions such as the weather during the race, because making predictions becomes more difficult and choosing the right tires when conditions are dry or cloudy.


In my personal view Marquez is still having a bit of trouble in the race because he doesn't just keep himself fit. But also have to look at his bike which in this season did not get a big development so Marquez is still difficult to fight and until now he has not got a single podium. And the pole position he got at Motegi Japan was helped by the wet circuit conditions so he didn't have to push to the limit to get first place.