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

 

[F1Brits_90]

 

[F1Brits_90]

absoulte cop out from the stewards, so for brake testing hamilton he has been punished & now goes from 2nd 11 secs off the win to 2nd 21 seconds off the win

 

[Il_leone]

There were never going to disqualify him but again it's the incompetent stewarding

 

[Johnny Carwash]

The stewards have bottled it.

 

[Brogan]

Fucking dreadful.
I didn't think it was possible for me to have any less interest in F1 but the stewards proved me wrong again.

And once again Bottas doing what he does best.
If he had been within 10 seconds of Verstappen then the penalty would actually have meant something at least.

 

[F1Brits_90]

actually its scary for verstappen himself because he has such a disregard for his own safety, im starting to think, that he would genuinely rather be in hospital than be overtaken

 

[Jimbob]

Verstappen winning Driver of the Day is just ridiculous. Says more about his supporters than him.

The little shit didn't even have the manners to stay on the podium for the usual celebrations and photographs but ran off for a sulk somewhere.

I had my fingers crossed that he'd either be DQ'ed or receive a significant penalty for the brake testing (or whatever you want to call it) incident. Even the way he spoke about it in post-race interviews struck me as very insincere and cynical. Total disrespect for the sport.

 

[F1Brits_90]

There were never going to disqualify him but again it's the incompetent stewarding

im going to surprise people now. but of the whole picture & he wouldve deserved it, because what i saw today was on a par with prost 89 senna 90 & Schumacher 94-97. but im glad it wasnt disqualified

but we have an epic season & it will be the 1st intra team title decider since 2012. if i remember crofty right through the red mist, 1974 Fittipaldi & Regazzoni the last time 2 drivers headed into the decider dead level. now do we want a damp squib of a ending where all Hamilton has to do is trundle around in 6th or 10th if Bottas is leading.

same thought as Brazil, 3 place Grid Drop as it keep the championship close & is a punishment

 

[Il_leone]

I do wonder if there is a further clash between the two if either would be dqed from the championship..I think Verstappen thinks they won't be brave enough to do it.. the guy has more chances than a cat

 

[P1]

I can't believe Verstappen was voted driver of the day. Who the fuck are these clowns who voted for him?

 

[MarkP2017]

In a way I’m glad Lewis gets to beat him on the track. Not that he’ll get much credit for it.

 

[MarkP2017]

One thing does concern me. This was all about gaining DRS advantage. If slowing to this extent is permitted even with both drivers aware of the instruction, what might have happened if a third driver had come up on them at speed and totally unaware.
The rules need to address this.

 

[The Pits]

I think that the "give the place back" rule needs to be clarified to prevent the "give the place back strategically" tactics. Giving a place up just before the DRS detection point gives the driver ceding position a greater advantage than would otherwise be possible, and as it was, Max was very careful to not be more than a couple of car lengths behind following the switcheroo.

 

[The Artist.....]

The Pits - Agree. Although maybe the rules should be tightened up to say:

• If you overtake another car by leaving the track, you must give the place back before the next corner. You may not then overtake the car for the rest of the lap. Failure to do so will lead to a drive-through penalty.

 

[FB]

There is a simple way to resolve that, the instruction to the drivers comes from either the Senior Steward or the Race Director and the drivers must comply immediately.

 

[The Artist.....]

It did strike me that the 5 second penalty rules need to be re-written as well, as the penalty differs, depending on whether you have a pit-stop to make or not.

• Had Verstappen pitted before the penalty was handed to him, he would have kept track-position over Ocon (and Bottas), and with the fresh tyres would have easily been able to pull out a 5 second lead.
• Had Verstappen pitted with the penalty, he would have had to wait for 5 seconds, and would have lost track position, with no guarantee of being able to overtake again.

In this example, it probably led to the same outcome, but this is far from certain.

I'd prefer a situation whereby, you either get a 5 second penalty (served at a pitstop), or a 25 second penalty added to the time at the end of the race...

 

[Speshal]

 

[Hamberg]

What happened to having to wait three corners before overtaking after giving the place back?

 

[F1Brits_90]

I think that the "give the place back" rule needs to be clarified to prevent the "give the place back strategically" tactics. Giving a place up just before the DRS detection point gives the driver ceding position a greater advantage than would otherwise be possible, and as it was, Max was very careful to not be more than a couple of car lengths behind following the switcheroo.

The Pits - Agree. Although maybe the rules should be tightened up to say:

• If you overtake another car by leaving the track, you must give the place back before the next corner. You may not then overtake the car for the rest of the lap. Failure to do so will lead to a drive-through penalty.

yeah re reading the stewards, that red bull are as implict in this as anyone. give it strategically that was wrong & we want to see a fair fight, thats just smacks of cheating, that would be for everyone. i think they do need a rule to stop, maybe stay behind until the end of the next DRS zone. that goes for everyone

actually Alex wurz agrees

https://twitter.com/x/status/1467784950720212992

 

[F1Brits_90]

also i dont want it to be lost in all this because as i always say i will always praise bottas where its due. he drove very well in such tough circumstances. i fully expect him to give like usual & come home 5th but he never gave up overtook riccardio & then did pushed Ocon all the way to the line