Grand Prix 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

i had a bit of time so i thought i would give it ago.

the 1st ever Saudi Arabian GP, it feels weird to be this far into the year & we still arent into the finale. into context lewis debut season in 2007, the penultimate race was on 6th october. but we are on the final leg for what has been 1 of most enjoyable seasons for many a year (to be fair its a low bar) & arguably the best rivalry since Hakkinen/Schumacher 23 years ago. some cracking racing between the 2 title contenders. alot of controversy along the way. the momentum like a rollercoaster as at times Hamilton & Verstappen have looked like they were heavy favourites only for it to swing the other way by the next race or in space of 24 hours. really looking forward to see which way it swings again.

Saudi Arabia like the middle east is trying to move away from their reliance on oil to generate income & are using sport to rebrand themselves or as some critics call it sportwashing but for legal reasons i may leave that alone. but they have spent big hosting Joshua V Ruiz heavyweight rematch, Formula E, Dakar Rally, Spanish + Italian Super cups, Fifa World Club Cup, the worlds richest horse race, Golf, Asian games in the future & the F1. then surrounding areas hosting the 20/20 cricket world cup , potential bids for both the world cup & Olympics

it will be the 1st time that F1 has raced at back to back new venues outside of Europe as prior 2 times 1959 Germany/Portugal & 1970 Germany/Austria. its a miracle that their is a race on at all because it has been a race against time to say the least. 5 weeks ago it looked more like the pictures of 1 year to go not 1 month go

1st November 2021

1st December 2021

the circuit looks like a real challenge, its high speed, imagine baku without the twisty middle sector. it could be carnage because you make a mistake your hitting the wall at 150mph. i would expect safety car or 2 & that unpredictability not good for Lewis Hamilton at the moment because is imperative that he finishes ahead of max verstappen otherwise the title would get very tough

Finally the 1st GP since Frank Williams passing what a man what a motorsport icon. who will be missed & hopefully they will have a moments silence for him. before the race

 

[Hamberg]

David Coulthard: Formula 1 has become 'F1 UFC', anything goes

David Coulthard feels that Formula 1 has been 'redefined as F1 UFC' with 'pretty much anything' being allowed on track.

www.planetf1.com

I was confused when I first saw this article and quote. I thought, “surely Coulthard isn’t going to sound remotely on Hamilton’s side?!” I was correct.

 

[Brogan]

He really doesn't like Hamilton, does he?

How anyone can claim Verstappen deserved the win is beyond me.

 

[gethinceri]

He’s a Red Bull shill and has been for years.

 

[sobriety]

iirc he/his company are still retained by Red Bull for "consultancy"

 

[F1Brits_90]

I was confused when I first saw this article and quote. I thought, “surely Coulthard isn’t going to sound remotely on Hamilton’s side?!” I was correct.

true it is like halfway through the article he remembers thats he is still employed by red bull

but he makes a good point on all drivers not just verstappen, The FIA needs to get these rules in order because it gets worse, because the drivers are annoyed at penalties because they think everything is legal

 

[The Artist.....]

I think the biggest problem is that there are lots of grey areas in F1.

• If you cut a chicane when another driver is pursuing you, do you get a penalty? What about if the other driver is alongside you, and you then don't get overtaken.
• Do you get a penalty for easing another driver off the circuit when they have an overlap on you going into a corner?

I know that most of this thread has been about Verstappen, but Verstappen's actions are just a step on from what many drivers have been doing for quite some time. The idea that the car which is (marginally ahead) going into the corner can choose their racing line with no thought given to the other car seems to be one that has become embedded with many, but often, this leads to the other driver being pushed off the track.

Verstappen was (rightly) blamed for hitting Hamilton at Monza, but Hamilton was also to blame as he forced Verstappen off the track. Personally, I'd have given them both penalties for the next race (Verstappen's bigger than Hamilton's).

In Saudi, Verstappen's moves were impetuousness, but either all misdemeanors need to be penalised, or you let everything go.

 

[Bill Boddy]

That is what Mercedes Ron Meadows said to Mike Masi why they were not told in advance that Verstappen was going to let Hamilton by . They only got the message as the incident occurred

Like I said to Brogan earlier then.