Topic: 🏁🏎️ Sportsbet.io🏁 FORMULA 1 2023 Season🏁🏎️Prediction Pool Discussion Thread - page 32. (Read 20626 times)

I'm glad to see a bit of strong pace from Ferrari but I'm really tired to see Max dominating race after race and to be honest , this dominance of RedBull will be gladly welcomed when it's over and I have a feeling Redbull won't win anything for a very very long period after and that should be the way. We can see how Mercedes are doing after 8 years of dominance right ? They barely can make it into Q3 into qualifiers and they barely have a great race pace to actually overtake a Haas car.

Also , just go on social media and read the comments...because more than 70% are about fans being angry about RedBull dominance because it's literally killing the sport and what is the point for a true fan to actually watch a race where he knows from the start who is going to win ? I've also read that the viewership on some countries are on the lowest that they ever been and it's simply because of RedBull. ( I have nothing against Max and I admit is one unique driver with unique skills and most likely we will never witness a Max 2.0 but winning without competition is like running solo everytime on 100 meters so that's why everyone wants to see Max vs Charles vs Norris/Piastri or even Alonso ).

We also have a problem with F1 stewards that apply the rules for whoever they want in which manner they want and this should not be allowed as it makes F1 very political... ( I'm an F1 hardcore fan and seeing my favorite sport being butchered little by little is not funny at all ).

So nothing really changed in the qualifying with Verstappen doing first again yet I am happy with what I saw from the Ferrari pace during this official qualifying,they are 2nd and 3rd and this upgrade they have made is not final,I will check how they will do in the race and if they manage to be 2nd and 3rd in the race and the distance to Verstappen to not be that big of a distance then most likely I would be really hopeful when the full upgrade they will have at Imola,maybe we can see some other team fighting for victories in the true meaning of a battle and not sporadic wins like that of Sainz in Australia which was due only to Verstappen car failure.

It is good to see Ricciardo on an unconventional level not only because he is in the top 10,(WK), but also because of how he takes the situation, his radio communications are humorous.

I already made my selections based on Sprint practices and they will stay that way.

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^{Darbit, I realized I'm #1 in Arg, really! (Superbru/Arg)}  

Yes it has changed,I just saw that I needed to enter my picks before official qualifying which is tonight at 22 PM European time.It is great that this has changed as I saw the performance of the drivers during the sprint race which helped me decide how to go for my picks for qualification and race to follow tomorrow.I hope we will see a good race as most drivers are performing well,even Ricciardo was so high in top 4 during the race,the small sprint race.Let's see how qualifying will fold out and for the weather no tricks are expected,much different than in Europe where is changing like crazy from 30 degree Celsius to less than 10 degree making us all a bit not OK  .

Man Keving Magnusen is gonna change some rules of the FIA if he still doing this movements, is incredible how he can destroy your race if he wants to defense and make dirty moves, today against Hamilton he do some risky moves and make the car behind lost positions and only receive 10 seconds penalty, the problem is the car behind was clearly disadvantaged and he can recover from that.

Sprint race has also been left behind. It looks like there was a chaotic start at the beginning. The podium didn't change. Ricciardo did a really wonderful job by maintaining his position during the sprint race.    He did a quite good job with keeping Sainz behind for so many laps. However it looks like Ricciardo has a 3-place grid penalty left from the Chinese Grand Prix to be applied in the race tomorrow.



Guys don't forget to make your predictions before qualifying session. By the way in the last season we had to make them before sprint races on sprint weeks. But it looks like this has changed on Superbru this season.

Again, this is no surprise to anyone  
Someone said that drivers are only 20% and care makes 80%, but why than Sergio Perez is not winning every pole position and race when he is driving exactly the same formula car?
There is no doubt Verstappen is best F1 driver in the world, that is the reason why they are offering him so much money to change team.

Leclerc is definitely a surprise for me, as is Riccardo, although I don't think Riccardo can keep up the pace with Ferrari and RedBull. Mercedes a very big disappointment, the many new updates seem to have had the opposite effect, I read in an interview that Mercedes can't get the yellow tyres in the window.

I will now submitted my picks for tomorrow, just wait and see.

Its a fact that in the last Grand Prix contests it was possible to notice a significant evolution in Mclaren cars, which have much better performance in high-speed curves. The Ferrari does better in low-speed curves and straights. So the format of the circuit defines which of the teams will have an advantage in each GP.
But, in general, teams are balanced and even so, after the last two Grands Prix, it was clear that Mclaren will trouble Ferrari in the fight for second place in the Constructors' World Championship.

I think Norris seems to be more confident behind the wheel compared to recent years... he has stood out a lot and is more familiar with the tracks. Piastri also demonstrated a quick adaptation to the car in just two years of F1 and the Mclaren's car is seen as one of the most difficult to drive. At least this was precisely one of Daniel Ricardo's main criticisms when he left the team at the end of the 2022 season. But in fact... Mclaren is not for "every driver"

Yes just seeing the retransmision right now and it was very strange session  at all, in Q2 big problems for Mercedes with both cars out of Q3 and in the Q3 McClaren with problems in the tyres, losing so much grip or balance i dont know with the soft compound.

The surprise? Ricciardo P4 for him. He really need a good result to feel more handsome.

pole position for the spirnt race obtained once again by Max's redbull, with Lecler very close.

It should be noted that Norris' Mclaren set a significantly faster time in the second part of qualifying and with harder tyres.

Mclaren to keep an eye on as he they brought a huge upgrade to the car, we'll see how he competes in the races tomorrow but apparently he could easily fight for the victory.

Having a powerful car is the most important factor surely. For example Verstappen is speculated with Mercedes these days. He is currently one of the best drivers on the grid. But if he drives for this problematic Mercedes even his talent wouldn't be enough to play for championships. This is why I think he would think thoroughly before accepting such offer. 


I couldn't watch the session but I got bad news of Leclerc on the social media. It looks like he had a spin and there was a red flag after. However he looks fast in the sprint qualifying right now.

It looks like Verstappen hit the fastest lap again,and it looks easy from now on,the first qualification which is going to be live just a couple of hours from now and decide the Sprint race starting grid I think other drivers need to do more,in Sprint race they have a small chance here if they manage to out qualify Verstappend and for example he starts 3rd or 4th in the Sprint.I know it will be a different story in the official qualification and in the race but to make him lose even in the Sprint for the first time this season would be a nice change.I am also curious to see how much Ferrari has upgraded their car,I know it is not full upgrade but is this upgrade good enough to be the second best car and pass McLaren and all other teams,that is my question?

Practice 1 passed and all the teams are preparing for the sprint qualy.

Very good practice for neutrals, i see so many drivers between 0.275 seconds gap between the first and the six driver and for various teams, i dont know how real is this but lets see and hope to be real.

But we can expect good qualy for sprints because the teams doesnt have so much data to put the correct set up in the cars.

I can hardly imagine that, maybe for the entire term, but for one year? No driver is worth that, if the car doesn't really work, even the best driver won't help you.

What does it actually look like, is the driver's fee also included in the upper budget limit?

For me in the actual F1 is 80% car and 20% driver, but some romantic people still believe in some magic world where the equation is more like this 50% car and 50% driver, but its really not like that in today F1 more if we think about how good are the drivers today, all the guys even the one which us called worst are really good.

I know he is a great driver and he is dominating in most races, but I think Red Bull have better car this season.
Moving to different team would create big shuffle and we could see much different results.
I heard there are big changes coming from 2025 with F1 regulations.

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 for 55 million a year 

https://racingnews365.com/2024-f1-driver-salaries

If Mercedes are planning to sign Verstappen for the 2026 season then I would say maybe they have something they rely on. As far as I have heard they currently have the best engine data after big changes are made as of that season.    But if they are planning to bring him next season then Verstappen might have to be patient for at least one season to race for the title.

By the way Red Bull are really likely to lose power by really important members' departures. Newey is also leaving by the end of this season (probably he will join Ferrari after that).

I think you can say it loud that the car is not all that matters,put that car into some mediocre driver like Perez is and most likely the motivation of the other drivers and teams would be so high that they would win a Championship against him even if he has the best car.The fact that he has come second in the standings is all because of stupid and amateur mistakes from other drivers and teams,if for example Ferrari would have made no mistakes and their drivers would also made no mistakes last season I am sure he would not got to second like he did.Anyway I would love to see Verstappen switch team after so many years at Redbull.

Kinda sounds like Palermo breaking the bank to get Mbappe. Huge money, but can they offer a sports motive as well?
I mean, Verstappen is a great driver - probably the best one on the grid. But switch places between him and Russell (who I really like as a driver) and I think the standings won't be much different.

Sure, difference between Perez and Verstappen clearly shows that the car is not all that matters - but it's 90% of the puzzle. Going all in on a driver while your car is sub-par doesn't seem like the smartest idea.