2017 ABU DHABI

[Sakae 0]

24 November 2017   11:50 (CET)

Last race of this season. FP1 is over, and its like an old record played over and over in terms who is up, and who is down. 

I do not understand that great love for Ricciardo. He is really getting his rear whipped in that team, and one wonders what's his excuse for those results. One is in P3 (again), the other one in P10 (again far down).

F1 Live comments: When Hamilton is in P1, than we read how he whipped Vettel. Today Vettel is in P1 (in lesser car, mind you), so we get - there is nothing between those two. Oh, OK then.

Honda has made some strides, and surely they are moving forward with their development.

IMHO regarding Williams, I think it should be Stroll leaving, and Massa continue for a year or so. Is anyone convinced that under Lowe's management the team will get back where they were 20 years ago? 

How much we should read into FI benching Ocon in FP1. He is a MB's prospect, is there then an outside chance Ocon will replace Bottas next season and FI is running contingency plan?

[Sakae 0]

24 November 2017   16:33 (CET)

I didn't see FP2, but it looks like DR has decided to prove me wrong and advanced, whilst his teammate dropped. Bottas has to hope for Vettel to suffer DNS or DNF, otherwise his chances for P2 in WDC are just mathematical, and unrealistic. Kimi on race pace looks competitive. I thought RB would be taking this race, and they still can. This could be last Friday with team executing FPs for many years to come, if Brawn gets his way.

[Ruslan 0]

Ricciardo seems to be very good at proving people wrong. I love his pluck and his attitude.

[Sakae 0]

Speaking of attitudes, I am hoping you realize that flipping a bird to someone (as DR has done yesterday, and that mind you is not first time for him), is more or less equivalent, if not much worse than calling someone a "cucumber". (A word you have founded so objectionable in the past, that you bring it back from time to time). 

[Sakae 0]

Vettel needs only P8 or better to secure P2 in WDC run, regardless whether Bottas wins this last race.

[Sakae 0]

25 November 2017   15:14 (CET)

Last qualy this year and Ferrari is once again 0.5 sec behind MB. How often we have seen this movie? Anyone who wants to claim that MB is not by far a best car four years in a row must be seen something that I have missed. Race has found convergence with three teams in a game, but Saturdays belong to one team only.

Race is tomorrow, but all Seb has to do is to finish on a lead lap, and than he can go shopping for Christmas with his family, knowing he has finished this season as WDC runner up. Lets hope he will be able to pull away from Kimi and Verstappen in time before crazy things happen between those two.

[lipstick79 0]

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 11:05 AM, Sakae said:

 Is anyone convinced that under Lowe's management the team will get back where they were 20 years ago? 

William's are currently powered by the BEST power unit (Mercedes). Lowe is not doing anything NOW,  why would he in the future. 

[Sakae 0]

6 hours ago, lipstick79 said:

William's are currently powered by the BEST power unit (Mercedes). Lowe is not doing anything NOW,  why would he in the future. 

25 November 2017   16:41 (CET)

I tend to agree with you. Lowe has graduated from very good and respected university, but I have difficulty to recall anything worth to remember what memorable he has done after that, especially during his tenure with McLaren. Pat Symonds, in contrast, as much as I didn't like him sometimes, yet one had to respect him. That Singapore-gate might have been not totally explained story, however Pat was under normal conditions a guy worth his money, I think.

I was under impression that his departure from Williams was blow to the team. Admittedly I was never a fan of Williams either, because they somehow managed always to employ drivers who were Michael Schumacher's adversaries, not to mention that their treatment of some drivers (for example Hill, Frentzen and others) I have found actually upsetting.

[radical-one 0]

15 hours ago, Sakae said:

Vettel needs only P8 or better to secure P2 in WDC run, regardless whether Bottas wins this last race.

It's a walk in the park for Seb.

[Sakae 0]

3 hours ago, radical-one said:

It's a walk in the park for Seb.

He has to finish the race first.

[radical-one 0]

1 hour ago, Sakae said:

He has to finish the race first.

He will finish ahead of Bottas  

[Sakae 0]

4 hours ago, radical-one said:

He will finish ahead of Bottas  

26 November 2017   12:44 (CET)

Is it time to speculate about conspiracy, involving strategy in MB camp and their convenient (alleged) out of balance Hamilton's car? That's how LH explained his P2 spot in qualy on Saturday. Miracles are hard to believe and even harder to come by, but this miracle effectively nudged Bottas on a path to win the last race of this season, whilst undoubtedly Hamilton's car will grow in width during race-start. Finn needs 25 points for P2 in WDC column, just in case Vettel ends up without any points. (Needs 3 min).

[Sakae 0]

26 November 2017   16:13 (CET)

Its over for my adopted team and a driver. Crossing line 19 and 45 sec respectively behind the lead car is not something anyone has expected, and now we all have to live with that crushing defeat a few long winter months. It was painful to watch, but I am relieved its over for now, and I don't think this was assignable cause to drivers. Car was simply not good enough when it mattered. Kmi almost lost his position to RB with a weaker engine, whilst MB is already on next year setup (to limited extent), and they are ahead of the whole field. People behind homologation and all those other idiotic regulatory restrictions of past 4 years should have their heads on the stump for the mess they created.  #Sad.

[Sakae 0]

12 minutes ago, Sakae said:

26 November 2017   16:13 (CET)

Its over for my adopted team and a driver. Crossing line 19 and 45 sec respectively behind the lead car is not something anyone had expected, and now we all have to live with that crushing defeat a few long winter months. It was painful to watch, but I am relieved its over for now, and I don't think this was assignable cause to drivers. Car was simply not good enough when it mattered. Kmi almost lost his position to RB with a weaker engine, whilst MB is already on next year setup (to limited extent), and they are ahead of the whole field. People behind homologation and all those other idiotic regulatory restrictions of past 4 years should have their heads on the stump for the mess they created.  #Sad.

 

[Publius Cornelius Scipio 0]

3 hours ago, Sakae said:

People behind homologation and all those other idiotic regulatory restrictions of past 4 years should have their heads on the stump for the mess they created.  #Sad.

Mercedes had put a lot of money into F1 over the years, it's only natural that they had to come up with some rules that meant a good return for their investment. In 2012 in all probability we will have another engine manufacturer take all, that's what f1 has become, sad but there's not much that we can do 

[Publius Cornelius Scipio 0]

Today's race wasn't a clssic for the top 5 positions, luckily we got to see some decent action among the backmarkers

Bottas - he didn't do any mistake, I can't say if he was under pressure from Hamilton, it looked as if their engine was on a different league from anyone else (fuel consumption figures? missing in action!), I'm surprised that he looked so much faster than Hamilton on the 3rd sector

Hamilton - I'm not 100% convinced that he really tried today, I guess that he had other things on his mind

Vettel - not much to say about him, I barely saw him, from his inconsistent lap times it looks as if he was pushing harder than the car could take and had to slow down every now and then to cool the brakes (and maybe the tyres)

Raikkonen - that was a close shave, he nearly lost 4th to Verstappen, despite a faster car and Verstappen rather clearly not on his best form. If I think about Kimi back in 2005 and then at what we have to witness these days it makes me want to cry 

Verstappen - what was wrong with him? was he tired?

Hulkenberg - great race from him

Perez - he deserves something better than a Force India

Ocon - good but still can't match Perez (when they are allowed to race each other)

Alonso - another great race from him, his dice with Massa was epic, because he had a huge power deficit and because it lasted so long, very few drivers would have fought so hard for 9th. I also think that he showed what makes a team leader we he asked the pit wall about Vandoorne and if there was anything that could be done to bring him into the points

Massa - in the last few races he humitiliated Stroll, one has to wonder if that's the reason why he's being shown the door

Grosjean - IMHO he's not WDC material but today he showed to Stroll what makes an F1 driver, despite a significantly slower car he managed to pass him and stay in front of him

Wehrlein - his move on Magnussen was IMHO the best move of the day, please remember that on the back of his car was a 2016 PU, IMHO the driver of the day

Stroll - what a disaster, is this the same guy that finished 3rd at Baku or has he got a twin brother? today he was embarassing despite what looked like a very decent car

[Publius Cornelius Scipio 0]

Apparently the Ferraris had to save fuel from lap 14 onwards

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/retroscena-ferrari-fuori-dalla-finestra-dei-consumi-dal-14esimo-giro-983223/

I wonder why we no longer get the fuel consumption data

[Sakae 0]

Seb had issue with the car (slow) since lap 5 - he said after race. That was a point for him when he decided just to bring it home in P3, because Merc was too fast.

[Ruslan 0]

1 hour ago, Publius Cornelius Scipio said:

Hamilton - I'm not 100% convinced that he really tried today, I guess that he had other things on his mind

Raikkonen - ...If I think about Kimi back in 2005 and then at what we have to witness these days it makes me want to cry 

Verstappen - what was wrong with him? was he tired?

Perez - he deserves something better than a Force India

Massa - in the last few races he humitiliated Stroll, one has to wonder if that's the reason why he's being shown the door

Grosjean - IMHO he's not WDC material but today he showed to Stroll what makes an F1 driver, despite a significantly slower car he managed to pass him and stay in front of him

Wehrlein - his move on Magnussen was IMHO the best move of the day, please remember that on the back of his car was a 2016 PU, IMHO the driver of the day

Stroll - what a disaster, is this the same guy that finished 3rd at Baku or has he got a twin brother? today he was embarassing despite what looked like a very decent car

I fast forwarded through half the race today. Not very exciting and no one was really fighting for anything.

As always, a lot of "I agree" after reading Scipio's comments.

Hamilton: I am not sure Hamilton really gave it is all today, although in the post-race interview he rather convincingly claimed that Bottas was just too quick. Still not convinced.

Raikkonen: And I wonder when the Raikkonen fans are going to realize that for whatever reason, he is not the driver he was a decade ago.

Verstappen: Whenever I am close to finally putting Verstappen in the same category as a Hamilton/Alonso/Vettel, he comes up with a  performance less than stellar. I still wonder if he really up to their level yet. There seems to be some inconsistency, perhaps a result of youth, inexperience, or some emotional or intellectual failing. Still have not gotten a good feel for this driver. On the other hand, Ricciardo looked great today. It is clear that for next 2 to 4 years we are going to see the top 4 teams each with their steady #1 driver (Mercedes/Hamilton, Ferrari/Vettel, Red Bull/Verstappen, McLaren/Alonso). So I gather Ricciardo's decision is which #2 seat does he take in 2019 (I gather his options are Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari).

Perez: Agreed that this guy deserves to be in a top team, but he will never be a #2. I gather he can be very difficult also (McLaren replaced him with Magnussen after one year !!!).

Massa: There are times he looks like the real deal.....but, in the end he has been racing for a long time and we kind of know what we get. Kubica is a more interesting and exciting choice (and is bringing in $10 million I gather).

Grosjean: One of my favorites. Great racer but agree that he is probably not WDC material.

Wehrlein: This guy is going to be out of F1 for next year. A real shame (or should I say sham).

Stroll: I think his father did him a disservice to bring him into F1 so young. Has some talents but lacks any consistency.

Anyhow, nice wrap up race for the season. Most of the teams are keeping their drivers for next year (only one seat at Williams and one or two seats at Sauber are changing). I think this will be close to the look for next year......except, the Renault engine will be improving (advantage Red Bull, McLaren and Renault), someone has to use the Honda (disadvantage Toro Rosso) and Kubica will be at Williams (I expect improvement). Will Red Bull, McLaren, and Renault being much more of a force next year, we may be in for one of those rare classic seasons (like we used to have almost every season back in the early 1980s). More likely, we will see another Hamilton stomp, but a great multi-team battle for second place.