68 replies to this topic

[FirstnameLastname]

So Hamilton has won again... obvz

But what interesting scraps are there still available to watch for over the final 2 rounds. 3rd in the champ? Can seb beat Charles in his first Ferrari year.... Will Russell having trounced Kubica all year, end up ‘beaten by him’ at the bottom of the standings.

[Risil]

I guess Renault could still snatch fourth place in the constructors' championship from McLaren? It would take two awful weekends from Team Woking of course.

[Joseki]

Almost nothing realistically.

 

3rd in the WDC (Leclerc/Verstappen/Vettel)

 

9th in the WDC (Ricciardo/Perez/Norris/Hulkenberg)

 

15th in the WDC (Stroll/Magnussen)

 

6th in the WCC (Racing Point/Toro Rosso)

 

 

 

I'm gonna be on the edge of my seat for those last 2 races of this incredibly thrilling F1 season.

Edited by Joseki, 07 November 2019 - 17:31.

[loki]

Plenty to be settled when it comes to the dough for the mid packers Jordan and Minardi Racing Point and Toro Rosso.  There is a slim chance for Haas to catch Alfa Romeo if they have issues (more likely Haas has issues) but other wise it seems everything else is mostly wrapped up.

[Claymore25]

So Hamilton has won again... obvz

But what interesting scraps are there still available to watch for over the final 2 rounds. 3rd in the champ? Can seb beat Charles in his first Ferrari year.... Will Russell having trounced Kubica all year, end up ‘beaten by him’ at the bottom of the standings.

 

I don't think so. His dnf in Sochi and Austin hurt him a lot.

[HeadFirst]

I'm hoping for another first time winner. Albon, or Sainz perhaps.

[eibyyz]

I'd like BOT to keep winning...and then pick right back up in 2020.  Do a Rosberg, win seven races in a row or similar to keep Lew Samilton on his toes.

[ElectricBoogie]

In a 25 race season with the same points system, theoretically most or all positions could be locked in before the last race

[PayasYouRace]

I suppose there's plenty of play for in the group from Ricciardo in 9th to Raikkonen in 14th, as there's no gap larger than 4 points in there. Albon, Sainz and Gasly are pretty close too but they are now in car pecking order so a swing would be unlikely.

 

I guess there's still two chances for Russell to not be the only driver not to score this year, and if there's any justice in the world he'd score two points and finish ahead of Kubica in the championship.

[TomNokoe]

Racing Point vs Toro Rosso is pretty good. It'll be a nice redemption for Gasly if he can help secure that.

Both have a very slim chance of snatching P5 from Renault as well, although Ricciardo did his best to put them out of contention in Austin.

[NixxxoN]

Almost nothing realistically.

 

3rd in the WDC (Leclerc/Verstappen/Vettel)

 

9th in the WDC (Ricciardo/Perez/Norris/Hulkenberg)

 

15th in the WDC (Stroll/Magnussen)

 

6th in the WCC (Racing Point/Toro Rosso)

 

6th in the WDC aswell (Sainz/Albon/Gasly)

[Atreiu]

We need to settle whether Abu Dhabi is horrible or just terrible.

And then see what can be done to improve upon that abomination.

 

edit: the chincane between both long straights should be made a quick left-right flick, as Albert Park's turn 1 and 2.

Edited by Atreiu, 07 November 2019 - 21:21.

[Klauzer]

We need to settle whether Abu Dhabi is horrible or just terrible.

And then see what can be done to improve upon that abomination.

 

edit: the chincane between both long straights should be made a quick left-right flick, as Albert Park's turn 1 and 2.

 

It's all subjective. I consider Albert Park the worst track on the calendar whilst Abu Dhabi is alright. I wish Adelaide would return, tbh. 

 

As for this season's remaining two races, we've known Hamilton was going to be WC since before the summer break so the situation hasn't changed much, i.e. the main questions are who wins the teammate battles & who finishes 3rd. 

[Beri]

It's depressing realizing that if Williams wins one race and finishes outside the points the other three times (both cars counted), they'd still be last in the championship.

[RacingGreen]

These may be dead rubbers in terms of the WDC but not at Ferrari where Seb has lots to drive for unless he is as happy just being the veteran no2 like Kimi was.

 

Also there are seats for 2020 yet to be confirmed so...

[FirstnameLastname]

If hulk can overhaul Danny Ric then it’ll make the decision for F1 to jettison him look even more of a shame.

[ARTGP]

Power unit bragging rights.

 

 

Russel vs Kubica.

Edited by ARTGP, 07 November 2019 - 23:19.

[Myrvold]

I'm hoping for another first time winner. Albon, or Sainz perhaps.

 

Hülkenberg! That would've been something!

[SilverArrow31]

6th in the WDC aswell (Sainz/Albon/Gasly)

Barring any freak retirements that one is already done with Albon finishing 6th.

[KLF1F]

The legality of Ferrari's car

[Atreiu]

It's all subjective. I consider Albert Park the worst track on the calendar whilst Abu Dhabi is alright. I wish Adelaide would return, tbh.

As for this season's remaining two races, we've known Hamilton was going to be WC since before the summer break so the situation hasn't changed much, i.e. the main questions are who wins the teammate battles & who finishes 3rd.

Adelaide is the best street circuit ever, IMO. But Abu Dhabi being okay is a bridge too far for me.

[NixxxoN]

Barring any freak retirements that one is already done with Albon finishing 6th.

Albon's had amazing luck and amazing reliability so far. He could perfectly lose it with a single DNF

[Flyhigh]

Will Vettel be beaten straight up by a rookie in the team? That is a pretty significant point, Leclerc is currently 19 points ahead, so he would need a miracle or a DNF with a win. 

[NixxxoN]

Will Vettel be beaten straight up by a rookie in the team? That is a pretty significant point, Leclerc is currently 19 points ahead, so he would need a miracle or a DNF with a win. 

Would not be the first time

[ARTGP]

Will Vettel be beaten straight up by a rookie in the team? That is a pretty significant point, Leclerc is currently 19 points ahead, so he would need a miracle or a DNF with a win. 

 

I don't think it's a significant "point". Charles is a good driver. Vettel should not be ashamed to lose to him or Hamilton.  They should all (Max, Seb, Charles) be ashamed losing to Bottas though....

Edited by ARTGP, 08 November 2019 - 02:25.

[PlayboyRacer]

I don't think the points standings is the crucial factor between Seb and Charles now. It's pretty close there and they're only battling for 3rd anyway.

More significant is the wins, poles and ability under pressure/in combat imo. On those 3 fronts - Charles has him covered. Not bad from a second season kid at Ferrari.

Edited by PlayboyRacer, 08 November 2019 - 04:34.

[Huffer]

Would not be the first time

 

Ouch. Sad, but true.

 

I'm wanting to see if Ferrari's perf drop off is consistent for the rest of the season. If so, then it would be fairly safe to make the claim that the TD has hurt them. 

[JeePee]

Definitely rooting for Max to finish in front of both Ferrari's. He was the better driver this year and was punted off by both (Vettel in Silverstone and Leclerc in Japan). Vettel vs. Leclerc will be fun too. Don't think they'll oblige to teamorders these two rounds.

[KrisHr]

RB and Max combo is usually very very strong in Brasil, but the last round is questionable ... But if that new TD is the reason behind Ferrari struggles, my money are on Max for 3rd. Also hope Sainz will do a miracle and take 6th.

[shure]

I don't think it's a significant "point". Charles is a good driver. Vettel should not be ashamed to lose to him or Hamilton.  They should all (Max, Seb, Charles) be ashamed losing to Bottas though....

No doubt you're being somewhat tongue-in-cheek but the fact that have all lost quite handily to Bottas just demonstrates how utterly superior the Mercedes has been over the whole year.

[messy]

I don't think this season will live long in the memory, so a feelgood win for someone like Alex Albon would make all the difference really and end things on a positive. 

Edited by messy, 08 November 2019 - 08:23.

[PayasYouRace]

I don’t know about that. The run of excellent races we had mid season is already making it a much more memorable season than the last two.

[KrisHr]

No doubt you're being somewhat tongue-in-cheek but the fact that have all lost quite handily to Bottas just demonstrates how utterly superior the Mercedes has been over the whole year.

Well, lets see - lost win in Bahrain, Canada, Austria - after the break Ferrari had like 5 or 6 consecutive pole positions and had both cars in top 3 for all races bar USA + couple of 1-2, and they somehow managed to win 3 races total ... Mercs is a very good car, but all these mistakes and lost opportunities clearly flattered them IMHO.

[Steve99]

What's to be settled? The results of two races!

[george1981]

I would really like to see Russell score a point. I think he deserves it, I think he's as good a driver as the other rookies this year Albon and Norris but is in an awful car. There have been comparisons with Alonso's first year in the Minardi which might be a bit extreme. 

A wet/dry race in Brazil with Williams getting the tyre changes just right would be needed in my opinion. 

[shure]

Well, lets see - lost win in Bahrain, Canada, Austria - after the break Ferrari had like 5 or 6 consecutive pole positions and had both cars in top 3 for all races bar USA + couple of 1-2, and they somehow managed to win 3 races total ... Mercs is a very good car, but all these mistakes and lost opportunities clearly flattered them IMHO.

Bahrain is a car issue, not a driver one.  Superior reliability is part of it.

 

Not trying to say the drivers have been flawless by any means.  But the fact that Bottas is beating them all by so much isn't down to driver superiority IMO

[messy]

I don’t know about that. The run of excellent races we had mid season is already making it a much more memorable season than the last two.

 

The run of Ferrari wins and Leclerc's breakthrough were nice, albeit quite brief - personally I was more hooked by the Hamilton/Vettel head to head of 2017/18 even if it only lasted so long before Lewis waltzed into the sunset with Seb spinning in his wake.

 

Hamilton vs Bottas 2.0, realistically, was never going to sustain the season. 

Edited by messy, 08 November 2019 - 15:01.

[noikeee]

Yeah I can only speak for myself but when looking back I tend to think of seasons more about the championship battles, rather than how good the races were. As such I don't think from a distance I'll remember 2019 very fondly because it was the only season since Mercedes started dominating that there didn't feel like there was any championship battle at all - Bottas is not Rosberg. Even if 2019 actually had quite a few entertaining races and I've probably enjoyed watching it more than some previous years. The one thing I think will stay as memorable from 2019 is Leclerc's emergence.

 

As for the 2 remaining races, there really doesn't seem like there's much to be racing for apart from honour and the thrill of racing itself. Which again, makes it very likely it won't be very memorable, but isn't a bad thing - with drivers mostly free of "points collecting" maybe we'll have 2 fun races. Very hard to get excited about Abu Dhabi in these conditions though.   I think even the teams and drivers can't wait for the Abu Dhabi GP to be over, after a 21-race-long calendar...

Edited by noikeee, 08 November 2019 - 17:04.

[Flyhigh]

I don't think it's a significant "point". Charles is a good driver. Vettel should not be ashamed to lose to him or Hamilton.  They should all (Max, Seb, Charles) be ashamed losing to Bottas though....

Is the illusion that drivers been paired against someone like Hamilton gives, just like with Alonso, I bet if Bottas was in a Ferrari beating Vettel, after beating Massa, the vision would be quite different,a champion in the making,  we don´t know exactly how good Leclerc is. He is good no doubt, but how good, we don´t know. 

[FirstnameLastname]

Yeah I can only speak for myself but when looking back I tend to think of seasons more about the championship battles, rather than how good the races were. As such I don't think from a distance I'll remember 2019 very fondly because it was the only season since Mercedes started dominating that there didn't feel like there was any championship battle at all - Bottas is not Rosberg. Even if 2019 actually had quite a few entertaining races and I've probably enjoyed watching it more than some previous years. The one thing I think will stay as memorable from 2019 is Leclerc's emergence.

As for the 2 remaining races, there really doesn't seem like there's much to be racing for apart from honour and the thrill of racing itself. Which again, makes it very likely it won't be very memorable, but isn't a bad thing - with drivers mostly free of "points collecting" maybe we'll have 2 fun races. Very hard to get excited about Abu Dhabi in these conditions though. I think even the teams and drivers can't wait for the Abu Dhabi GP to be over, after a 21-race-long calendar...

Yeah. Everything is decided so the last 2 races just seem like uneccesary expense. Gets to the point where you just want it over and done with, the winter to be gone + the new cars to start being unveiled. But that’s wishing life away which you should never do!

[tourister46a]

In a 25 race season with the same points system, theoretically most or all positions could be locked in before the last race

Not even close. There are 92 points available per race, for a total of 2300, and if my math is right, you would need at least 4940 points to get 26 points between each of the 20 drivers.

[Reddington]

The legality of Ferrari's car

It could have 6 wheels, a double diffuser, active suspension, no halo and an atmospheric V12, they would still be asked friendly not to do that in the next race again, but there would never be any FIA enforced consequences...

[alainsfoot]

Is the illusion that drivers been paired against someone like Hamilton gives, just like with Alonso, I bet if Bottas was in a Ferrari beating Vettel, after beating Massa, the vision would be quite different,a champion in the making,  we don´t know exactly how good Leclerc is. He is good no doubt, but how good, we don´t know. 

agree completely.  hamilton is a freak, so any team mate of his is bound to suffer (so full credit to alonso and button)   all the grief about bottas' renewal amazed me, so he has fallen short of hamilton, big deal, who wouldnt? i see the same about ric vs verstappen. ( i suspect that vers too, is a freak) Again, agree about leclerc, he has shown to be a tough opponent for vettel. (especially when vettel didnt have a car that suited him(not that this an excuse for vett)), but i will wait for more evidence before i see him at hamiltons level.

[Risil]

I'd like BOT to keep winning...and then pick right back up in 2020. Do a Rosberg, win seven races in a row or similar to keep Lew Samilton on his toes.

Lew Sawmillton? Is he lined up to drive the Arkansas Chug-a-bug?

[Jvr]

If Hulk would finally get the podium.

[noikeee]

If Hulk would finally get the podium.

Would be glorious if it happened in Abu Dhabi.

[THEWALL]

Anyone but merc and ham winning the last two...

Edited by THEWALL, 09 November 2019 - 14:28.

[Kalmake]

Looking to settle if Ferrari can win again or if they were cheating fuel meter.

[paipa]

I'm also looking forward to the Ferrari mystery, although if their car is legit, they'd be stupid to prove it. Better make the opposition think they caught them. Lay low and bring back whatever their trick is next year.

[Alfisti]

We need to settle whether Abu Dhabi is horrible or just terrible.

And then see what can be done to improve upon that abomination.

 

edit: the chincane between both long straights should be made a quick left-right flick, as Albert Park's turn 1 and 2.

It's horrendous, absolutely horrendous. It makes pink floyd blush with how much needless noodling this track has. So many corners, nearly all of them pointless. 

 

Dreadful.