3470 replies to this topic

[TomNokoe]

Jeopardy in Jeddah! After a thrilling qualifying session, the title fight is balanced on a knife-edge.

Hamilton and Mercedes lock out the front row as they look to retake the championship lead and force a winner-takes-all decider in Abu Dhabi.

 

Verstappen - perilously quick all weekend, but starts P3 with a gearbox-shaped cloud hovering over him. A win today will give him one hand on the trophy.

Leclerc from P4, a dark horse should the leaders hit trouble.

 

Elsewhere, Alpha Tauri's forlorn hopes of P5 in the constructors have reignited after a 6-8 qualifying. A double top 8 finish today may put them in touching distance of another Abu Dhabi Decider.

 

Race start 5:30pm GMT / 6:30pm CET (1 hour from this post)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HerbieMcQueen]

The Mosque of Speed? The Minaret of Motoring? It certainly won't be boring, will it?

[Okyo]

Had an itching feeling since yesterday that we might have a Monza for the two important boys. 

[TheAviator]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

[TomNokoe]

The Mosque of Speed? The Minaret of Motoring? It certainly won't be boring, will it?

The Mecca of Motorsport!

(Mecca is only 50 miles away, funnily enough)

[Scaboo22]

Max will be in the lead by lap 10.

[OneAndOnly]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

Kimi wasn’t on fast lap.

[RogerStone]

This race has the potential of carnage...  I hope all drivers will be safe.   

[sheSgoTthElooK]

I'd better eat now then later during the race. It's just me, or does it feel like this will be a crash-fest? 

 

They'd better drive safely around. 

[joaoheitor]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

 

Don't worry. Max will pass him in the first corner. 

[OvDrone]

Good evening y'all.

Quite delightful to change the cursed demonic feeling from F2 to a feelgood transition with Damon Hill and Martin Brundle enjoying those gorgeous white and viridian Willaims cars.

[theblackangus]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

Why do you think he deserves one?

It not like he suddenly changed direction or anything.

[sniper80]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

Because Lewis & Mercedes have to win both championships, no matter what :-)

[Grayson]

Surprised to see all of those “someone else” votes…

Is that a serious expectation? Is it a prediction that Hamilton and Verstappen might somehow take each other out?

[prty]

They just showed on Spanish TV the side-by-side comparison between Hamilton's pole and Verstappen first Q3 lap, with time differences. Verstappen was on pole until the last corner, where Hamilton/Mercedes pulled away. Now I can understand why Verstappen risked so much in that last corner in his second Q3 run.

Edited by prty, 05 December 2021 - 16:51.

[JimmyClark]

I'm saying it now - it will be a benign, predictable race with very well behaved drivers.

[TomNokoe]

Pit lane open ...

[r4mses]

I'm saying it now - it will be a benign, predictable race with very well behaved drivers.

 

This... or absolute chaos.

[sniper80]

When is Max driving out?

[sniper80]

This... or absolute chaos.

Pirelli hold all the cards. Have they made a good tyre or a Baku / Qatar flop?

[FLB]

Surprised to see all of those “someone else” votes…

Is that a serious expectation? Is it a prediction that Hamilton and Verstappen might somehow take each other out?

I hope not, but Suzuka was the penultimate race in both 1989 and 1990... 

[yolo]

They just showed on Spanish TV the side-by-side comparison between Hamilton's pole and Verstappen first Q3 lap, with time differences. Verstappen was on pole until the last corner, where Hamilton/Mercedes pulled away. Now I can understand why Verstappen risked so much in that last corner in his second Q3 run.

He didn’t need to push. He was up 0.25s on HAM and over 4 tenths on his own PB with one corner to go.

[carlb5253]

Max Wallslappen to crash into Lewis in T1 i reckon. I can see it.

[HerbieMcQueen]

Max Wallslappen to crash into Lewis in T1 i reckon. I can see it.

 

"Doctor! He's doing it again!"

[alframsey]

As always, the nerves and butterflies arrive bang on schedule. I think the oil and cement dust for Lewis and Bottas has done for them

[sheSgoTthElooK]

Bernd will be in action today, that's almost sure. He seems on fire 

[flyboym3]

Rubbish practice start from that merc lots of wheel slip, good one for max.

[TomNokoe]

As always, the nerves and butterflies arrive bang on schedule. I think the oil and cement dust for Lewis and Bottas has done for them

I'm very worried, bloody typical

[HerbieMcQueen]

I think the start will give a clue as to how the race will unfold. Careful or chaotic? How will the driver's psychology be? We'll see.

Edited by HerbieMcQueen, 05 December 2021 - 16:56.

[Requiem84]

Max Wallslappen to crash into Lewis in T1 i reckon. I can see it.

Another quality post, congrats.

Edited by Requiem84, 05 December 2021 - 16:57.

[Showty]

My money this time is on Verstappen.

 

If that qualifying pace translates to race pace, there is no way Mercedes can keep him behind for 50 laps.

 

I don´t expect major incidents, they´ll be careful during the first laps.

Edited by Showty, 05 December 2021 - 17:11.

[TomNokoe]

Bundles of understeer for Max on the recon laps

[IrvTheSwerve]

I'm saying it now - it will be a benign, predictable race with very well behaved drivers.

Yep, wouldn’t be surprised. Saying that, all it’ll take is one mistake by one driver and it’s very likely that a SC will be out.

[prty]

He didn’t need to push. He was up 0.25s on HAM and over 4 tenths on his own PB with one corner to go.

 

He lost more than 1 tenth in the first Q3 run there, and didn't know how much advantage he would have. He needed to push.

[flyboym3]

What pdr is saying with Perez undwrxut won't work because Merc just need to cover max, Lewis does not need to win the race.

[TomNokoe]

Mercedes recon laps on their spare set of Mediums

[sheSgoTthElooK]

I believe Valtteri will have a good one and be useful today. 

[yolo]

He lost more than 1 tenth in the first Q3 run there, and didn't know how much advantage he would have. He needed to push.

The delta is on his steering wheel. He knew he probably had a very good lap and could have been more conservative in the last corner.

The lengths some go to gloss over a pretty basic mistake by Max…

[JonathanProc]

Asking again, why didnt Bottas get penalty for that Kimi incident?

Because Kimi was on an outlap.

[Rumblestrip]

The delta is on his steering wheel. He knew he probably had a very good lap and could have been more conservative in the last corner.

The lengths some go to gloss over a pretty basic mistake by Max…

 

To be fair he actually braked 6 meters earlier for the last corner than before. There's a whole article on it over at the-race.com.

[OO7]

He lost more than 1 tenth in the first Q3 run there, and didn't know how much advantage he would have. He needed to push.

Are you saying the pressure got to him?

[Requiem84]

The delta is on his steering wheel. He knew he probably had a very good lap and could have been more conservative in the last corner.

The lengths some go to gloss over a pretty basic mistake by Max…

He didn’t knowhow much time he had or didn’t have on Hamilton AND Bottas.

[le chat noir]

Bundles of understeer for Max on the recon laps

Brundles of underwater, surely

[IrvTheSwerve]

Brundle bumps into Tilke on the grid...

 

*Star Wars Imperial march theme plays*

[Mila]

Bold prediction:

 

No more than ten cars finish the race; and we get a shock winner. 

[TheFish]

He didn’t knowhow much time he had or didn’t have on Hamilton AND Bottas.

He knew the gap to Lewis, he said so after qualifying.

[HerbieMcQueen]

Bold prediction:

 

No more than ten cars finish the race; and we get a shock winner. 

 

I could do with a Monaco '96 type race!

[TomNokoe]

Nothing gets me more excited for a race than the grid walk

[joaoheitor]

Forces went into the gearbox it wasn't designed for,

but as far as we can see everything is okay."

 

— Newey

[wookles]

Its Reema !

 

Got to love her