1299 replies to this topic

[milestone 11]

Sorry all, this Race Day Thread will have to be a very succinct version of the build up thread. Indycar beckons.

After what looked likely to be a disastrous qualifying day, we had one of the best hours of F1 television seen in a long time. Hamilton and Verstappen, like blow by blow prize fighters but fighting over milliseconds for supremacy.

The Styrian Grand Prix. Enjoy the race all.




The Grid after applied penalties

 

 

Tyres

As there was no dry running today, all drivers have a full complement of Pirellis. C2, C3 and C4. Pirelli's projected favoured strategy,

 

 

Weather

 

Qualifying Highlights
 

 

The Pole Lap

 

Enjoy all and don't forget the poll. Bear in mind that your votes are outed.

Edited by milestone 11, 12 July 2020 - 00:56.

[KevR]

It'll be a walk in the park for Mercedes.

Sainz a surprise podium finisher.

[pacificquay]

It'll be a walk in the park for Mercedes.

Sainz a surprise podium finisher.

 

Not sure that Sainz finishing on the podium would be a surprise

[Jordan44]

Anyone lingering in the top 4 can win. They will use any excuse they can to throw a conveniently timed Safety Car again as it provided so much spice last week.

Edited by Jordan44, 11 July 2020 - 21:05.

[BertoC]

If there's the same rate of dnf's of last week, anyone can win really.

[Atreiu]

It'll be a walk in the park for Mercedes.

Sainz a surprise podium finisher.

You jinxed it.

[ARTGP]

Anyone lingering in the top 4 can win. They will use any excuse they can to throw a conveniently timed Safety Car again as it provided so much spice last week.

 

 

Did we watch the same race last weekend? 

[Jordan44]

Did we watch the same race last weekend?

Let's be honest, Lewis contact saved Bottas bacon.

Safety Car is likely to happen again, and the timing could make anything happen, especially if it's right after Mercedes already pit or something.

[KevR]

You jinxed it.

If I jinxed the Mercedes part, then I don't mind at all

[pitlanepalpatine]

Has no one who watched the last decade of racing caught this?

Hamilton might nap for 1 race.

You beat him and piss him off.

He flounders around in practice trying to find the worst way to destroy you for ruining his zen.

He destroys you in qualifying.

He destrous you in the race.

 

Unless Verstappen crashes into him in the first corner Lewis wlll take the win coz we ruined his last weekend. 

 

Rosberg won in 2016 because he won and kept things close in the first 2 races and sucker punched him in the third(points wise). Then belgium and malaysia he dropped form because you can't win everything and the malaysia retirement sealed it. Lewis made that mistake once...and you ruined his last weekend. I hope you're happy. The big question this weekend is, is the merc compromised and is DragonballZ Lewis gonna break it. How calm can a furious angry lewis be. My money is on racing having a bad day. Coz if It's dry, Lewis will show us just how fast that merc is.

Edited by pitlanepalpatine, 11 July 2020 - 22:56.

[goldenboy]

I've kinda stopped being concerned about merc winning all the time now.

With so many great characters so close in the midfield, the surprise podium finisher is really exciting for me.

[krapmeister]

Track is gonna be pretty green - any chance that may throw a curveball for any teams?

( clutching at straws here I know...)

[Goron3]

Anyone lingering in the top 4 can win. They will use any excuse they can to throw a conveniently timed Safety Car again as it provided so much spice last week.

This is quite the hot take.

It's quite exciting that we don't know what tyres the leaders are going to start on. I've got no doubt that they'll be trying to pre-empt each other.

[PlayboyRacer]

I'm looking forward to seeing what Leclerc can do from 14th on the grid.

In amongst the Hamilton/Verstappen wet weather heroics, it's been a little forgotten how brilliant Charles was last race. In a car that is clearly gutless and sub par.

No doubt some opportunities will come in the race.

[ArrowsLivery]

Despite all the BS about reverse grids, I am very excited about this race. I hope we finally get a titanic 1v1 battle between Max and Lewy on equal footing.

[THEWALL]

What settings were they using for qualifying? The only one I heard about, LeClerc, said he was on complete dry settings. It could make a significant difference (not for LeClerc, he's farked), but for the top 5-6?  

[krapmeister]

I think they would have all been on dry settings tbh, as no rain is forecast for Sunday

[KevR]

What settings were they using for qualifying? The only one I heard about, LeClerc, said he was on complete dry settings. It could make a significant difference (not for LeClerc, he's farked), but for the top 5-6?

You mean Leclerc? I'd be surprised if anyone used a wet setup, as everyone knew the race would be bone dry.

The current forecast for the afternoon is 20 deg. C., partly cloudy and a light breeze of 2m/s.

Edit: yeah, krapmeister beat me to it

Edited by KevR, 12 July 2020 - 02:31.

[PlayboyRacer]

What settings were they using for qualifying? The only one I heard about, LeClerc, said he was on complete dry settings. It could make a significant difference (not for LeClerc, he's farked), but for the top 5-6?

Ferrari are running less wing, to try compensate somewhat for their gutless PU. Perhaps that's what you mean, as that would have been far from optimal for a wet qualifying session.

[keshav]

Anyone with a new set of soft boots after a late SC can win!

[gillesfan76]

Track will be green so should negate some of the dirty side starting disadvantage for Max, and a long run to T1. After last weekend’s no points race for Max, I wonder if he will be in the mindset of taking big risks in order not to slip further behind in championship points, or conversely he will think about taking less risk lest another DNF will put him behind at a big deficit, and that too if the DNF comes against a clash with Lewis who is far from the points leader at the moment.

 

Lewis will likely be thinking the same. For Valtteri, his dream would be that both of them clash, putting him in a very strong position for the championship.

[BRK]

Want Max to win, though I know the Mercs are going to run off into the distance (only a matter of time before Bottas climbs to P2). I hope Ferrari's 'upgrades' work in the dry and Seb is at least not fighting the car all the way through, this time. 

[CoolBreeze]

I hope its a wet race throughout. And unpredictable. Otherwise, it's gonna be a Merc parade. 

[Piif]

Verstappen and Hamilton will take each other out in the first corner, then it'll be Bottas cruising to the win.

[jjcale]

I've kinda stopped being concerned about merc winning all the time now.

With so many great characters so close in the midfield, the surprise podium finisher is really exciting for me.

 

Was looking forward to the race between Macca and TRacing .... but sadly TRacing didnt perform in the wet yesterday .... but that should be for us an all season long struggle to keep us entertained.  

Edited by jjcale, 12 July 2020 - 06:04.

[jjcale]

Despite all the BS about reverse grids, I am very excited about this race. I hope we finally get a titanic 1v1 battle between Max and Lewy on equal footing.

 

If last week is anything to go by, I dont see that at all ... the Merc looks a rocketship this year.

[w1Y]

Lewis will get screwed by a safety car along the way. It went so well yesterday it will go disastrous for him today. Its Austria!

[Ali623]

If Merc have really fixed their sensor issues expecting them both to rocket off into the distance

[FullOppositeLock]

If last week is anything to go by, I dont see that at all ... the Merc looks a rocketship this year.

In qualifying trim yes, but in race trim I didn’t you see anything last week to suggest the Mercs will just cruise away from Max. I’m quite optimistic that we’ll see a good battle for the lead/win between Lewis and Max this race, although I’d say Lewis is the favourite.

[Lights]

If Hamilton and Max are still 1 and 2 after T4 then I'd expect Max to keep up somewhat, but not seriously threaten Hamilton.

 

The other way around I'd say Hamilton can attack Max either on track or through strategy.

 

Safety cars (sort of inevitable nowadays) can also be interesting if it turns into a game of the driver behind doing the opposite.

 

I guess it might also depend on which car is told to stay off the kerbs the most. Verstappen retired through it last week and Mercedes was seriously worried about suffering the same fate.

 

Ah who are we kidding. Sainz leading after lap 1.

[Beri]

In qualifying trim yes, but in race trim I didn’t you see anything last week to suggest the Mercs will just cruise away from Max. I’m quite optimistic that we’ll see a good battle for the lead/win between Lewis and Max this race, although I’d say Lewis is the favourite.

This 👍🏻

[TheMidnight]

I'm expecting multiple SC's today, last week they forgot they had this thing called the virtual safety car.

Any chance to condense the pack or punish the leading drivers, race control will take any chance they can get.

[Requiem84]

In qualifying trim yes, but in race trim I didn’t you see anything last week to suggest the Mercs will just cruise away from Max. I’m quite optimistic that we’ll see a good battle for the lead/win between Lewis and Max this race, although I’d say Lewis is the favourite.

To specify: Bottas’ racepace was comparable to Verstappen. Hamilton however was much faster.

[Nemo1965]

To specify: Bottas’ racepace was comparable to Verstappen. Hamilton however was much faster.

 

But Verstappen was on the mediums and Lewis on the softs, right? And I also think (and hope he was that sensible!) that Verstappen did not try to be as fast as or even faster than Bottas, but keep him at just the right arm's length to preserve his tires?

Edited by Nemo1965, 12 July 2020 - 07:32.

[Ultraviolet]

In qualifying trim yes, but in race trim I didn’t you see anything last week to suggest the Mercs will just cruise away from Max. I’m quite optimistic that we’ll see a good battle for the lead/win between Lewis and Max this race, although I’d say Lewis is the favourite.

Well, what I saw was both Mercs having to tiptoe round, and still being comfortably quicker than anyone else. If they don't have the tech issues or any incidents, yes, they will disappear into the distance out front.

[Beri]

Well, what I saw was both Mercs having to tiptoe round, and still being comfortably quicker than anyone else. If they don't have the tech issues or any incidents, yes, they will disappear into the distance out front.

When they started tiptoeing, Albon was the only real threat. Imagine it being Verstappen.. now that would have been actually fun

[Kleli]

This will be an easy dominant win for Hamilton and Mercedes. They still have at least 0.5 second advantage over Verstappen at this sort track. I can't see Merc being any less competitive than last weekend. Only difference is Hamilton in front instead of Bottas this time around.

[shure]

It would have been a race if the 1-2 had been reversed, but as it is I don't see the RB has the pace to keep up with, let alone pass, the Merc.  Most of the interest will probably happen further down the pack I fear.  Easy win for Hamilton.  Keen to see whether McLaren can keep their momentum and Vettel claims to be more comfortable with this week's car so let's see if he can do anything.  

[ForzaFormula]

If it’s raining it’s not going to be an easy win for anyone. The most skilled drivers who can keep it on track and show their car control wet will come out best, hope it rains all race and we can se drivers skill come into play, Max has a great chance if its wet against Hamilton. Even if it’s mixed conditions max has a great chance to win if he keeps his composure and don’t drive to aggressive. Strategy could also come into play.

[Beri]

It would have been a race if the 1-2 had been reversed, but as it is I don't see the RB has the pace to keep up with, let alone pass, the Merc. Most of the interest will probably happen further down the pack I fear. Easy win for Hamilton. Keen to see whether McLaren can keep their momentum and Vettel claims to be more comfortable with this week's car so let's see if he can do anything.

A win from pole position has only occurred 5 times iirc since 1997 on this track. This includes Bottas' win last week.

[shure]

A win from pole position has only occurred 5 times iirc since 1997 on this track. This includes Bottas' win last week.

well SCs could mix things up of course but that's hard to predict.  On pure performance it's a slam dunk

[ForzaFormula]

A win from pole position has only occurred 5 times iirc since 1997 on this track. This includes Bottas' win last week.

They just like to make it sound like the car drives for Hamilton and it’s easy for him, don’t like to give him credit even before a race they are doom and gloom and very negative. As seen in practice redbull could have the pace here to win this weekend.

[renzmann]

I may have overanalyzed the s*** out of this, but I think it's reasonable to assume RBR has made a huge step this week. Lots of improvements aero-wise as well as a more balanced car. In race pace, this might give them at least two tenths.

 

I agree with those who point out that Verstappen keeping up with Bottas on mediums may have been a flattering picture. It could be that Verstappen drove too aggressive, while Bottas was cruising.

 

Still, my guess (!) is Verstappen doesn't rely on winning the first corner. Hamilton may be quick enough to get him out of DRS range, but I'd be surprised if Hamilton will cruise away. Verstappen will have chances whenever something unusal happens. If RBR and Merc won't have technical difficulties, I give Verstappen a 30% chance of winning.

[ForzaFormula]

well SCs could mix things up of course but that's hard to predict. On pure performance it's a slam dunk

No it’s not redbull already shown they got the pace in practice this weekend. It’s mostly going to come down to driving ability, stop being so negative and trying to down play Hamilton all the time even before the race has started, this is f1 and anything can happen. Try be a bit more positive eh

[276159]

Expect a boring race, as Toto already began the sandbagging in the media.

Lewis p1
Max p2 +25sec
Bottas p3 +5sec
Sainz p4 +1lap
Albon p5

Merc is still a rocketship for the seventh year in a row. If only Toto wouldn't cry about issues and problems so much in the media like if they have a Williams car.

[shure]

They just like to make it sound like the car drives for Hamilton and it’s easy for him, don’t like to give him credit even before a race they are doom and gloom and very negative. As seen in practice redbull could have the pace here to win this weekend.

Or it's simply a realistic acknowledgement that he's a top driver in clearly the best car starting from the front so only a mishap will likely prevent that combo from winning.  

[Pete_f1]

Hard to see past a Hamilton win, BUT you never know

[BRK]

Looks like no rain for the race? https://www.myweathe...ng-Circuit.aspx

[shure]

No it’s not redbull already shown they got the pace in practice this weekend. It’s mostly going to come down to driving ability, stop being so negative and trying to down play Hamilton all the time even before the race has started, this is f1 and anything can happen. Try be a bit more positive eh

They. haven't shown themselves to be quicker than Mercedes, let's get real.  I think I'm not being negative, just realistic.  On paper it would need some external influence to prevent Lewis from cruising to victory.  I don't think we should pretend we believe something different?  

 

You seem to think it's a knock on Hamilton: it's not.  He's a top driver.  But if he couldn't beat Bottas last weekend at the same track, despite IMO being better than Bottas, then I don't see a high probability of Max beating Hamilton in an inferior car.  Of course a SC or two could mix that up but since that's hard to predict I'm not including it.

[Beri]

It's clear that Red Bull were fast in the free practices. If anything, the qualifying was not saying anything. Hamilton wasn't 1.2s faster than Verstappen. He only was timed perfectly on track position and Verstappen made his mistake. I think it would have been a deficit of 0.3s maximum. Which, in the rain, doesn't tell anything.

If Verstappens car remains intact, the race could be a strategic and interesting one.