1618 replies to this topic

[ConsiderAndGo]

Straight onto the next one!

 

Circuit

Tyres

 

 

2021 Qualifying

 

 

2021 Race results

 

 

Circuit & details

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 22 March 2022 - 12:39.

[PayasYouRace]

I’m weirdly excited about this one. We might get a weird result. Can the Red Bulls finish? Will there be high profile crashes? How will the new cars race around here?

Hopefully we can avoid the controversy of last year.

[ConsiderAndGo]

These cars are gonna absolutely glue to this circuit. I think we'll get an impression of much greater speeds with these 2022 cars then we did in Bahrain.

Edited by ConsiderAndGo, 22 March 2022 - 12:55.

[thegamer23]

These cars are gonna absolutely glue to this circuit. I think we'll get an impression of much greater speeds with these 2022 cars then we did in Bahrain.

 

Not sure bout that.

They looked quite slower & tricky to drive in the fast corners as well in Bahrain, compared to 2021 cars.

Not on rails at all.

 

This is a plus, not a malus: could make the weekend even more interesting, i expect lots of mistakes.

 

Hopefully no red flags tho!

Edited by thegamer23, 22 March 2022 - 13:08.

[Beri]

Porpoising in those very fast corners.. I think it will be mayhem.

[F1 Mike]

Max Verstappen pole & victory.

Leclerc fastest lap

[Risil]

Hopefully we can avoid the controversy of last year.

 

Hopefully we'll all get home before 9pm this time.

[Scaboo22]

Max wins this comfortably. 

[MaroF1]

Hoping for another 1-2!, think RB might have to detune their engine a bit, but Max is a demon on this track (sometimes literally) so he won't be an easy guy to beat. Mercs should continue to be 3rd best team, but you can't write them off completely.

[Mat13]

Can’t remember last years race at all. Was it any good?

[TheFish]

Can’t remember last years race at all. Was it any good?

 

Fair to say it had a mixed response!

[balage06]

My gut feeling is the same as last year at the same point, Max may have lost the first battle, but looks to be in the best place overall for the title fight. So another Ferrari victory would probably surprise me more, but let's wait and see. I expect chaos on this track anyway, an Alfa or Haas on the podium does not even sound too far-fetched atm.

Edited by balage06, 22 March 2022 - 14:00.

[Ev0d3vil]

Lewis to win this.

[TomNokoe]

Really don't like this track, and generally fed up of middle eastern night races, but there's still plenty to learn about F1 2022 so I guess the trade-off is worth it. Also glad to get these races out of the way early.

Hoping Alfa and Haas can push closer to the front, and the other midfielders get their act together. Tyre performance will be interesting after negative deg on the Hards last year.

[FLB]

Who will be the Race Director this week? Eduardo Freitas?

[SilverArrow31]

Really don't like this track, and generally fed up of middle eastern night races, but there's still plenty to learn about F1 2022 so I guess the trade-off is worth it. Also glad to get these races out of the way early.

Hoping Alfa and Haas can push closer to the front, and the other midfielders get their act together. Tyre performance will be interesting after negative deg on the Hards last year.

 

This will be the fifth middle east race in a row.... all of which were run under lights, I hate the race in Melbourne normally, but after being off the calendar for two years, its a refreshing change coming soon

[FortiFord]

Max Verstappen pole & victory.

Leclerc fastest lap

 

 

Max wins this comfortably. 

 

 

My gut feeling is the same as last year at the same point, Max may have lost the first battle, but looks to be in the best place overall for the title fight. So another Ferrari victory would probably surprise me more, but let's wait and see. I expect chaos on this track anyway, an Alfa or Haas on the podium does not even sound too far-fetched atm.

 

Am i missing something, or is there a reason why you guys feel so confident of a Verstappen victory? Is Red Bull stronger on the fast corners?

[Peat]

Am i missing something, or is there a reason why you guys feel so confident of a Verstappen victory? Is Red Bull stronger on the fast corners?

 

Street tracks favor the better drivers and Max is clearly the best one. 

[TomNokoe]

Am i missing something, or is there a reason why you guys feel so confident of a Verstappen victory? Is Red Bull stronger on the fast corners?

I think it'll be a breeze for Ferrari and their superior PU. If Merc have to compromise their porpoising even further, because of the higher speeds relative to Bahrain, they'll be under big threat from the midfield.

Although, maybe the lower drag levels, smooth tarmac and softer tyres will have the inverse effect! Lots to learn.

Edited by TomNokoe, 22 March 2022 - 14:11.

[PlayboyRacer]

I'm leaning towards a Leclerc pole, he doesn't mind a spectacular pole lap on a street circuit.

In the race though Red Bull surprisingly might have the better pace.

[ANF]

Like last year, I just hope they stay away from the fences.

[ANF]

Somebody said something somewhere about a barrier being (re)moved for this year. Does anybody know which one?

[FortiFord]

Somebody said something somewhere about a barrier being (re)moved for this year. Does anybody know which one?

 

The final corner is being widened. 

 

The barriers are being moved back on several other corners, but track limits would stay the same. 

 

https://racingnews36... and spectators.

[TheFish]

 

However, in some corners, drivers were sent pushing through high-speed sections of the circuit blind to what may lay around the bend due to the close trackside barriers.

 

The barriers were at their most narrow between Turns 2 and 3, Turn 14 and Turn 21 – and all four corners will see their barriers widened for 2022.

 

 

Excellent news on this front.

[JimmyClark]

With it only being the second race of these new rules, with teams still finding their feet, and drivers being mindful of the chaos of last year, I wouldn't be at all surprised if not much happened this weekend. 

 

Some of the trickier walls have been moved too. 

[Venom]

Firstly, it’s refreshing to have a race just a week after the first race this year. That 3 week gap last season was painful.

Polar opposite track characteristics to Bahrain. Will be very interested to see whether some of the cars which performed poorly last weekend are any better here. And vice versa. On initial inspection I do like Red Bull’s chances.

[SenorSjon]

I wonder if the cars turn or they turn the world to make those tighter bits. Not looking forward to yet another race under floodlighting.

[ARTGP]

Can the Pirellis handle it?

[Beri]

Porpoising in those very fast corners.. I think it will be mayhem.

 

No? Not anyone else's concern?

[ANF]

The final corner is being widened. 
 
The barriers are being moved back on several other corners, but track limits would stay the same. 
 
https://racingnews36... and spectators.

Good thing about the barriers being moved back. Some drivers were pretty vocal about the blind high-speed sections last year.

I'm not sure this sounds like a good idea though: "Saudi Motorsport Company say they will install a steel plate that 'will effectively wrap around the concrete barriers', giving them a smooth surface for drivers to lean on."
Has it ever been tried before?

[Anderis]

 

Fair to say it had a mixed response!

LOL, I wonder if we've ever had another race where two most popular choices would have been 1 and 10.

[PayasYouRace]

Good thing about the barriers being moved back. Some drivers were pretty vocal about the blind high-speed sections last year.

I'm not sure this sounds like a good idea though: "Saudi Motorsport Company say they will install a steel plate that 'will effectively wrap around the concrete barriers', giving them a smooth surface for drivers to lean on."
Has it ever been tried before?

SAFER barrier, basically.

[SenorSjon]

Can the Pirellis handle it?

 

Could they ever?

[cpbell]

Not sure bout that.

They looked quite slower & tricky to drive in the fast corners as well in Bahrain, compared to 2021 cars.

Not on rails at all.

 

This is a plus, not a malus: could make the weekend even more interesting, i expect lots of mistakes.

 

Hopefully no red flags tho!

Do we know how much slower qualifying last weekend was compared with 2021?

[ConsiderAndGo]

Do we know how much slower qualifying last weekend was compared with 2021

1.7 seconds slower roughly.

[MJB5990]

I'm hoping some sort of weird race can bring Mercedes and Lewis closer to the front. 

[Goron3]

Looking forward to this. Last year was the dramatic race with awful racing. It'll be fascinated to see what happens with the new cars.

 

Have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed by the change at the final corner as it's taken away a lot of jeopardy. 

 

Interestingly, the forecast suggests it might be very windy on Friday and Saturday....

[ARTGP]

Looking forward to this. Last year was the dramatic race with awful racing. It'll be fascinated to see what happens with the new cars.

 

Have to admit that I'm slightly disappointed by the change at the final corner as it's taken away a lot of jeopardy. 

 

Interestingly, the forecast suggests it might be very windy on Friday and Saturday....

 

 

Will the wind have much impact with all the walls lining the circuit?

[Cyanide]

I'm hoping some sort of weird race can bring Mercedes and Lewis closer to the front. 

 

Yeah, cause it's been ages since they were at the front. I do miss them already. 

Edited by Cyanide, 22 March 2022 - 15:45.

[ARTGP]

Ferrari PU is OP. I don't know what people are expecting. I expect Ferrari front row lockout. Until Red Bull put on some upgrades that give them an aerodynamic advantage, they'll be trailing Ferrari imo. This is not a 2019 Ferrari. It's a 2018 Ferrari with an OP power unit. 

Edited by ARTGP, 22 March 2022 - 15:49.

[cjm321190]

Is Vettel defiantly back, we know he is not to chuffed to be racing IN Saudi. Maybe he takes longer to recover and Hulk for the second race?

[ARTGP]

Is Vettel defiantly back, we know he is not to chuffed to be racing IN Saudi. Maybe he takes longer to recover and Hulk for the second race?

 

Or in that dog of a car....If i was Vettel, I wouldn't even return Krack's phone calls  .

[jpm2019]

I hate this track. There will be a serious incident some year. Also the race will have plenty of red flags/sc's and be a lottery. 

[milestone 11]

 
Fair to say it had a mixed response!

Well, we know how you voted Fish.

[milestone 11]

Who will be the Race Director this week? Eduardo Freitas?

Not until Australia according to the Sky team

[Jovanotti]

Am i missing something, or is there a reason why you guys feel so confident of a Verstappen victory? Is Red Bull stronger on the fast corners?

Yeah I don't understand it either. Leclerc has to be the heavy favourite.

[ARTGP]

I hate this track. There will be a serious incident some year. Also the race will have plenty of red flags/sc's and be a lottery. 

 

Racing was extremely clean in Bahrain. 

[jpm2019]

Racing was extremely clean in Bahrain. 

 

Accidents can and will happen. This track is just to dangerous. It's a ticking timebomb. 

[tourister46a]

I am expecting a Ferrari 1-2 both in qualifying and race. The pressure's going to continue to mount on Sainz.

 

Max might even put it in the wall like last year. Very interested to find out how the Mercedes handles another track.

[MJB5990]

Yeah, cause it's been ages since they were at the front. I do miss them already. 

 

I said closer to the front. I didn't say three tenths clear so calm down. 

 

I wasn't aware it was so bad wanting to see Lewis fighting with Max and Charles rather than in no mans land in P5/P6.