Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM..... - page 345.

tokeweed

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Quote from: Cnut237 on December 03, 2021, 10:41:01 AM

Practice 1 for the Saudi grand prix is done... Hamilton edged Verstappen by a tiny amount.
Can we read anything into this? Is Max closer than expected?
I know it's only first practice, and it's also earlier in the day than qualifying or the race will be, so the conditions are probably unrepresentative... but are there some signs here that it could be closer than the Hamilton steamroller that we might have expected?

^ It’s weird that Hamilton is trying to be fast at FP1. The Mercs usually sand bag at FP1 and FP2 then shows their real pace at FP3 or they even wait til qualifying.

I think Hamilton is starting to play mind games against Verstappen.. Not sure why but it’s the impression I got when he said that beating Verstappen would be his most significant F1 title. Grin

Ouch. So yeah.. expecting FP2, FP3 and quali to be all Hamilton here.

Turbolinea

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We have left the FP1 behind and it was really exciting. There was a very close gap between Hamilton and Verstappen. Hamilton ended it as the leader by only a 0.056 second gap. This even proves that we are gonna watch a very exciting qualifying session and race. But on the other hand, it is still early to talk like this. There are still two more Free Practice sessions.

Cnut237

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Practice 1 for the Saudi grand prix is done... Hamilton edged Verstappen by a tiny amount.
Can we read anything into this? Is Max closer than expected?
I know it's only first practice, and it's also earlier in the day than qualifying or the race will be, so the conditions are probably unrepresentative... but are there some signs here that it could be closer than the Hamilton steamroller that we might have expected?

CLS63

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The excitement rate is increasing after every day we leave behind. The end of the season is down to only 2 races and the next race weekend is starting tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. Verstappen are still maintaining their lead by an 8-point gap with Hamilton. But Hamilton's incredible performance in the last two races helped him drop the gap to this level. As he is in a great form, Verstappen has a very hard job in this GP. But he is aware that he can even announce his championship by this race. So, I expect him to do his best. Still, I think that we will see the title competition going on in the last race.

Koal-84

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Quote from: fullhdpixel on December 02, 2021, 01:32:10 AM

Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 30, 2021, 04:48:46 PM

So I followed the news.

Even it will be a citizen track, it will be probably the fastest track in the F1 even as the median speed.
Also, it will be 79% of the time at max throttle.

Maybe it will be interesting after all.

Considering the top speed of Mercedes being faster than anyone else on the track and how Hamilton is coming with his Brazil new engine, I believe that max throttle level being high helps Hamilton more than anyone else. I still believe that Lewis will win this, not get the fastest lap and the championship will be decided on the very last race. It is not something that rarely ever happens, we have seen it happen before but since e have been in Mercedes domination for so long, it has been a long time since we have seen any other team ever challenging Mercedes to the last race in a long time.

I would say Mercedes and Lewis still has a better chance, but that doesn't change the fact that there is at least a chance. Like if Lewis just has his engine blown and get unlucky then suddenly Max is the new world champion, even bringing it to that level, it is awesome for Max.

After the last two races, Mercedes feels it has a better starting position than RedBull, but it will still be very close. An accident, break down or technical defect could decide the world championship prematurely. But that would be a pity if that would be the case, also a Corona infection could decide the world championship, Hamilton has last year also missed a race at the end because of a positive test.

fullhdpixel

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Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 30, 2021, 04:48:46 PM

So I followed the news.

Even it will be a citizen track, it will be probably the fastest track in the F1 even as the median speed.
Also, it will be 79% of the time at max throttle.

Maybe it will be interesting after all.

Considering the top speed of Mercedes being faster than anyone else on the track and how Hamilton is coming with his Brazil new engine, I believe that max throttle level being high helps Hamilton more than anyone else. I still believe that Lewis will win this, not get the fastest lap and the championship will be decided on the very last race. It is not something that rarely ever happens, we have seen it happen before but since e have been in Mercedes domination for so long, it has been a long time since we have seen any other team ever challenging Mercedes to the last race in a long time.

I would say Mercedes and Lewis still has a better chance, but that doesn't change the fact that there is at least a chance. Like if Lewis just has his engine blown and get unlucky then suddenly Max is the new world champion, even bringing it to that level, it is awesome for Max.

Koal-84

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Quote from: aesma on November 30, 2021, 12:40:04 PM

Quote from: waelov on November 30, 2021, 08:29:36 AM

In Milton Keynes, the headquarters of Red Bull, there are talks between Red Bull and Honda, where the Japanese will suggest that the Red Bull team replace Max Verstappen's engine for the Jeddah race and put a new engine that will cost him 5 penalty spots on the grid, and the idea does not look very interesting to Red Bull.
There are concerns about the engine. as it did between 2000-3000 KM which made the internal combustion unit unreliable for the remaining 2 races.

Usually 5 grid spots would seem OK, and with the pace of Max and Lewis vs everyone else it's 2nd place guaranteed, but I guess Red Bull would like Max to be in front from the start to have a chance (either from qualifying or by jumping in front at the start).

It's also possible they're bluffing, even if the plan is to change the ICE, it's better to do it at the last minute, otherwise Mercedes might also do the same.

The mind games are getting bigger and bigger between RedBull and Mercedes, with Wolf currently claiming the W12 is better than it has been all this season. RedBull is thinking about changing the engine or is this just a bluff? I think RedBull will only change the engine if the qualifying doesn't go well, but wait and see, the weekend is coming soon.

coinlocket$

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So I followed the news.

Even it will be a citizen track, it will be probably the fastest track in the F1 even as the median speed.
Also, it will be 79% of the time at max throttle.

Maybe it will be interesting after all.

darewaller

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I do believe that these turns are definitely favoring Red Bull a lot, they have the power to underbreak and then still have the fast speed whenever they want to which is a great advantage in a track like this. But the straights are still there and Mercedes is bringing Hamiltons new engine with them as well. So, it is definitely going to be something very confusing for them, I can't say what is going to happen for sure but it looks like they are definitely going to be having a bit of a problem in the end.

What I really wonder right now is that if Hamilton actually manages to win this race, then what will be the last races situation and how teams will approach it. Like you can't bring in a brand new engine and get grid penalty and risk everything in that case,.. or could you? I mean what would the strategies with the second drivers will be like? It is really confusing and definitely whole lot of fun.

aesma

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Quote from: waelov on November 30, 2021, 08:29:36 AM

In Milton Keynes, the headquarters of Red Bull, there are talks between Red Bull and Honda, where the Japanese will suggest that the Red Bull team replace Max Verstappen's engine for the Jeddah race and put a new engine that will cost him 5 penalty spots on the grid, and the idea does not look very interesting to Red Bull.
There are concerns about the engine. as it did between 2000-3000 KM which made the internal combustion unit unreliable for the remaining 2 races.

Usually 5 grid spots would seem OK, and with the pace of Max and Lewis vs everyone else it's 2nd place guaranteed, but I guess Red Bull would like Max to be in front from the start to have a chance (either from qualifying or by jumping in front at the start).

It's also possible they're bluffing, even if the plan is to change the ICE, it's better to do it at the last minute, otherwise Mercedes might also do the same.

skscengeng

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The last two races will be really exciting indeed. Because the title race is going on very heatedly between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton. And in the recent times, Hamilton was performing better than Verstappen. It was like Verstappen had no chance to beat him for two race weeks. This is another new track in F1 after the one in Qatar. Red Bull need to get prepared really well to this race to be able to help Verstappen beat Hamilton this time. Otherwise, the gap will be even lower between these two drivers before the last race in Abu Dhabi.

Jackl87

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Quote from: waelov on November 30, 2021, 08:29:36 AM

In Milton Keynes, the headquarters of Red Bull, there are talks between Red Bull and Honda, where the Japanese will suggest that the Red Bull team replace Max Verstappen's engine for the Jeddah race and put a new engine that will cost him 5 penalty spots on the grid, and the idea does not look very interesting to Red Bull.
There are concerns about the engine. as it did between 2000-3000 KM which made the internal combustion unit unreliable for the remaining 2 races.

Quite funny how the momentum has changed in that regard. I still remember that before the mexican grand prix everyone was talking about how sensible the engine of mercedes is especially in this high altitudes and that it is very risky for hamilton there to suffer an engine failure, but he did managed to finish the race in the second place which was probably the best he could do back then. Now after his engine change his car seems way stronger than he one of Verstappen and in the last race in Doha Hamilton completely dominated Verstappen. It is a difficult decision to make now for Red Bull, change the engine and receive a 5 postion penalty but being able to completely release all available engine power for the last 2 races or trying to finish with the current engine. I would prefer if they would change it, as it seems that Verstappen has no chance against Hamilton with his current engine.

waelov

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In Milton Keynes, the headquarters of Red Bull, there are talks between Red Bull and Honda, where the Japanese will suggest that the Red Bull team replace Max Verstappen's engine for the Jeddah race and put a new engine that will cost him 5 penalty spots on the grid, and the idea does not look very interesting to Red Bull.
There are concerns about the engine. as it did between 2000-3000 KM which made the internal combustion unit unreliable for the remaining 2 races.

tokeweed

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Quote from: aesma on November 30, 2021, 04:00:21 AM

The last two races will be exciting unless they collide. Then it will be very exciting, but not necessarily in a good way.

I just hope Max would rather lose the championship than win it dirty.

I have a very bad feeling there will be one... Mercedes has the momentum behind them and both Red Bull and Mercedes have been pushing their engines to the limit with Merc having slightly better performance.

Hamilton is lined at 1.46 rn. That’s more than 2 to 1. Lol. Verstappen is at 3.30. Does anybody know what’s going on behind the scenes to justify those lines? What do the books know?

jakdanyel

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The new track in Saudi Arabia seems really interesting. But it is not interesting in a good way, I meant in a bad way. Grin

Because I found the turns on the track really weird. And I don't know what team would have the biggest advantage here. I have heard a statement from the Mercedes side like their cars would be fit for this track. But we never know what happens in reality. I'm waiting for seeing a very determined Verstappen also. He will do his best against a very determined Hamilton to win this race. He can even announce his title at the end of this race under some circumstances. I can't wait to see the race and I'm going to watch the whole events of the weekend.

aesma

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The last two races will be exciting unless they collide. Then it will be very exciting, but not necessarily in a good way.

I just hope Max would rather lose the championship than win it dirty.

AndySt

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Quote from: sana54210 on November 29, 2021, 01:35:36 PM

Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 28, 2021, 03:50:19 PM

We also have 2 possibilities to get Max and Lewis tie before the last GP and one it is not so hard.
If Hamilton will win and does the fastest lap with Max second and the second one is very improbable almost impossible and I forgot it.
It will be epic if they both have the same amount of points before the last race.

Which is what most likely what will happen. I am not sure about the fastest lap, I am pretty sure that if Hamilton is at first, Max won't be too far behind enough to give Hamilton a tire change chance, and that means we are going to see Hamilton being first, and someone like perez taking his fastest lap as usual.
However, the difference will be simply just 1 points after this race if that happens. We are going to see an amazing race at the last race. I am actually worried about a crash, because I rather watch both races and both racers finishing without any crash deciding on the winner of the championship.
I am sure both of them will be extra careful because if you crash into someone and you are DNF but other person continues then you are going to be losing the championship for sure. Whereas if you end up with no crash, worst would be just being around the person in championship. Let's see what happens but next race will be just insane, it is going to be last race and it is going to be incredibly entertaining.

Actually, besides Perez, there is Valtteri Bottas, who is also quite able to make the best lap Wink

But I agree that both Red Bull and Mercedes will do everything possible so that neither Hamilton nor Verstappen won an extra point for the best lap. In theory, with a favorable combination of circumstances, an exciting race with an unpredictable plot can be expected, at least all the prerequisites for this are available. I think that Bottas and Perez can play their direct role in this tournament fight, and I have more expectations in this matter from Bottas, whose technical condition of the car should allow him to impose the fight on the leaders in the person of Hamilton and Verstappen and wedge into the tournament positions in the race directly between the leaders.

Pulsar77

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Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 28, 2021, 09:31:33 AM

Quote from: Koal-84 on November 27, 2021, 04:31:03 PM

Thanks for the assessment, it's very difficult to say in advance (there are many variables and the setup is also difficult on a new track) but that would basically speak for Verstappen if the new engine and DRS of Mercedes is not so decisive there. We'll know more in a week's time, but it's still a long time. The new track is ready in the meantime?

Feel free to puke...

you can see the track here, an easy bet.

IT WILL BE BORING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYeehKlekao

and if it will have the same layout it has on the videogame it will be very dangerous in the pit box entrance

It seems to be a really awful track. I didn't see the track of this new place until you shared it here. I don't expect an exciting race from now on especially for the spectators. There is not even a hard turn on this track. It is like driving on autobahn. Cheesy

The track of the Qatar GP is much better than this one for sure. I think that they need to make some changes for this track to attract people's attention to it more.

sana54210

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Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 28, 2021, 03:50:19 PM

We also have 2 possibilities to get Max and Lewis tie before the last GP and one it is not so hard.

If Hamilton will win and does the fastest lap with Max second

and the second one is very improbable almost impossible and I forgot it.

It will be epic if they both have the same amount of points before the last race.

Which is what most likely what will happen. I am not sure about the fastest lap, I am pretty sure that if Hamilton is at first, Max won't be too far behind enough to give Hamilton a tire change chance, and that means we are going to see Hamilton being first, and someone like perez taking his fastest lap as usual.

However, the difference will be simply just 1 points after this race if that happens. We are going to see an amazing race at the last race. I am actually worried about a crash, because I rather watch both races and both racers finishing without any crash deciding on the winner of the championship.

I am sure both of them will be extra careful because if you crash into someone and you are DNF but other person continues then you are going to be losing the championship for sure. Whereas if you end up with no crash, worst would be just being around the person in championship. Let's see what happens but next race will be just insane, it is going to be last race and it is going to be incredibly entertaining.

LTU_btc

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Quote from: coinlocket$ on November 28, 2021, 09:31:33 AM

Feel free to puke...

you can see the track here, an easy bet.

IT WILL BE BORING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYeehKlekao

and if it will have the same layout it has on the videogame it will be very dangerous in the pit box entrance

Yeah, when track layout was announced, it already looked boring. On simulations it also don't look better. Maybe it's not boring to drive with so many turns, but I don't see many places for overtaking. It's bad idea to put such boring tracks like Jeddah or Abu Dhabi on the end of calendar, but money matters.
It's very likely that we will see some safety cars and it may be big factor in whole fight for title.

Topic: Motosport General discussion tread --- Formula1, MotoGP, WTCC, ETCC, DTM..... - page 345. (Read 141891 times)