[Formula One & motorsport] Round 18, Singapore: Clearly you've never been to...
Jazz
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Welcome one, welcome all, to a thread for discussion of Formula One, past, present and future. (And feel free to discuss other motorsport as well, should you feel like it - any is welcome!) If you're joining us for the first time, please say hi! We don't bite. 
Previous threads:
April 2015 to October 2019
October 2019 to August 2021
August 2021 to May 2023
- - - - -
Why are there loads of spoiler tags in this thread?
For various reasons, some people in the thread have to catch up on F1 events after they happen rather than being able to see them live. In order to not force those people out while an F1 event is going on, we came to the compromise of spoilering things directly relating to a current F1 event until the Tuesday after a race. After that it's open spoiler territory. Anything else can still be posted outside of spoiler tags in that time, and this only applies to F1 and not other motorsport events.
Who are the teams and drivers, and where will they be racing?
The 2024 teams and their starting line-up of drivers are:
Unusually, the driver line-up remains the same across all teams from the end of 2023. The AlphaTauri team was renamed Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (aka RB or VCARB depending on who you ask), and the Alfa Romeo team (named after its title sponsor but run by Sauber as it had been for many years) was renamed Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Yes, they're both idiotic. Somehow they found a way to make it worse than when we had two teams both called Lotus a few years ago.
The 2024 World Championship is set to comprise 24 Grand Prix races, a new record if all go ahead.
China makes its return after being absent for 2023. Several races have shifted their positions in the calendar, such as Japan moving to early in the year and Azerbaijan moving later.
Will there be an F1 2024 video game?
Yes, F1 24 from EA Sports was announced just before the start of the 2024 season.
Are you doing a Fantasy F1 league?
It's over at https://fantasygp.com/ , and the league code is:
Are there any good movies about F1?
Yes, and there was a flurry of brilliant ones a few years ago. All of these are essential viewing even if you only have a passing interest in F1:
Senna (2010) is a documentary history of arguably the sport's greatest-ever driver, triple world champion Ayrton Senna, who started in F1 in 1984 and died tragically in 1994.
Rush (2013) is a biopic of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1970s, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl as Hunt and Lauda respectively, and culminating in their titanic battle for the 1976 world championship.
Grand Prix: The Killer Years (2011) is a BBC documentary that tells the story of F1 in the 1960s and 70s where mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence led to the deaths of many young drivers. Among the interviewees contributing to the film are world champions Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, and John Surtees.
And if you like older movies too:
Grand Prix (1966) is a film that follows several drivers through a fictionalised 1966 season. It stars James Garner and features some astonishing footage captured at the real races, which won it three Oscars.
And outside F1, the fantastic Le Mans (1971) depicts Steve McQueen's character taking part in a fictionalised 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours race, again using some amazing footage captured at the real-life 1970 event. McQueen was an avid racer himself, and the Porsche camera car (which McQueen had previously co-driven to a second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring) was actually a full-fledged entry in the real 1970 race.
What about TV shows (aside from the races themselves)?
Check out Drive to Survive on Netflix. Then pick your jaw up off the floor. Seriously, this show is amazing and has proven to be an extraordinary gateway drug into the world of F1, focusing on stories within the season rather than just being presented chronologically, and has a huge amount of behind-the-scenes access we just don't see on the live weekend broadcasts. It's a fascinating insight into the sport.
- - - - -
2020 OP archive
2020 PA Forums Hot Laps
2020 Official Virtual F1
The saga of the 2020 season: how to F1 in a pandemic, part 1
Previous threads:
April 2015 to October 2019
October 2019 to August 2021
August 2021 to May 2023
- - - - -
Why are there loads of spoiler tags in this thread?
For various reasons, some people in the thread have to catch up on F1 events after they happen rather than being able to see them live. In order to not force those people out while an F1 event is going on, we came to the compromise of spoilering things directly relating to a current F1 event until the Tuesday after a race. After that it's open spoiler territory. Anything else can still be posted outside of spoiler tags in that time, and this only applies to F1 and not other motorsport events.
Who are the teams and drivers, and where will they be racing?
The 2024 teams and their starting line-up of drivers are:
- Alpine - Pierre Gasly (France), Esteban Ocon (France)
- Aston Martin - Fernando Alonso (Spain), Lance Stroll (Canada)
- Ferrari - Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain), Charles Leclerc (Monaco)
- Haas - Kevin Magnussen (Denmark), Nico Hulkenberg (Germany)
- McLaren - Lando Norris (United Kingdom), Oscar Piastri (Australia)
- Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom), George Russell (United Kingdom)
- Red Bull - Max Verstappen (Netherlands), Sergio Perez (Mexico)
- Sauber - Zhou Guanyu (China), Valtteri Bottas (Finland)
- VCARB - Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), Yuki Tsunoda (Japan)
- Williams - Logan Sargeant (United States), Alex Albon (Thailand)
Unusually, the driver line-up remains the same across all teams from the end of 2023. The AlphaTauri team was renamed Visa Cash App RB F1 Team (aka RB or VCARB depending on who you ask), and the Alfa Romeo team (named after its title sponsor but run by Sauber as it had been for many years) was renamed Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber. Yes, they're both idiotic. Somehow they found a way to make it worse than when we had two teams both called Lotus a few years ago.
The 2024 World Championship is set to comprise 24 Grand Prix races, a new record if all go ahead.
- Sakhir, Bahrain (night race) - 2 March
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (night race) - 9 March
- Melbourne, Australia - 24 March
- Suzuka, Japan - 7 April
- Shanghai, China - 21 April
- Miami, Florida, United States (Miami GP) - 5 May
- Imola, Italy (Emilia Romagna GP) - 19 May
- Monte Carlo, Monaco (street race) - 26 May
- Montreal, Canada - 9 June
- Barcelona, Spain - 23 June
- Spielberg, Austria - 30 June
- Silverstone, Great Britain - 7 July
- Budapest, Hungary - 21 July
- Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium - 28 July
- Zandvoort, Netherlands - 25 August
- Monza, Italy - 1 September
- Baku, Azerbaijan (street race) - 15 September
- Marina Bay, Singapore (night/street race) - 22 September
- Austin, Texas, United States - 20 October
- Mexico City, Mexico (Mexico City GP) - 27 October
- Interlagos, Brazil (São Paulo GP) - 3 November
- Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (Las Vegas GP, night/street race) - 23 November
- Lusail, Qatar - 1 December
- Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (evening race) - 8 December
China makes its return after being absent for 2023. Several races have shifted their positions in the calendar, such as Japan moving to early in the year and Azerbaijan moving later.
Will there be an F1 2024 video game?
Yes, F1 24 from EA Sports was announced just before the start of the 2024 season.
Are you doing a Fantasy F1 league?
It's over at https://fantasygp.com/ , and the league code is:
41387310
Are there any good movies about F1?
Yes, and there was a flurry of brilliant ones a few years ago. All of these are essential viewing even if you only have a passing interest in F1:
Senna (2010) is a documentary history of arguably the sport's greatest-ever driver, triple world champion Ayrton Senna, who started in F1 in 1984 and died tragically in 1994.
Rush (2013) is a biopic of the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda in the 1970s, starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl as Hunt and Lauda respectively, and culminating in their titanic battle for the 1976 world championship.
Grand Prix: The Killer Years (2011) is a BBC documentary that tells the story of F1 in the 1960s and 70s where mechanical failure, lethal track design, fire and incompetence led to the deaths of many young drivers. Among the interviewees contributing to the film are world champions Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipaldi, and John Surtees.
And if you like older movies too:
Grand Prix (1966) is a film that follows several drivers through a fictionalised 1966 season. It stars James Garner and features some astonishing footage captured at the real races, which won it three Oscars.
And outside F1, the fantastic Le Mans (1971) depicts Steve McQueen's character taking part in a fictionalised 1971 Le Mans 24 Hours race, again using some amazing footage captured at the real-life 1970 event. McQueen was an avid racer himself, and the Porsche camera car (which McQueen had previously co-driven to a second place in the 12 Hours of Sebring) was actually a full-fledged entry in the real 1970 race.
What about TV shows (aside from the races themselves)?
Check out Drive to Survive on Netflix. Then pick your jaw up off the floor. Seriously, this show is amazing and has proven to be an extraordinary gateway drug into the world of F1, focusing on stories within the season rather than just being presented chronologically, and has a huge amount of behind-the-scenes access we just don't see on the live weekend broadcasts. It's a fascinating insight into the sport.
- - - - -
2020 OP archive
2020 PA Forums Hot Laps
PA Forums F1 Hot Laps
While the F1 season, like everything else, is was on hold, we have a PA Forums Hot Lap game/event/thing going on (credit to @oldmanken ). In the F1 2019 game, in Time Trial mode, we are simply aiming to do the fastest lap we can on whatever the currently selected track is, in whatever the currently selected car is. These may be 2019 cars or classic cars.
Round 1, Australia, 20-25 March: 2019 McLaren
Round 2, Bahrain, 26 March-1 April: 2004 Ferrari
Round 3: China, 1-8 April: 2019 Mercedes
Round 4: Azerbaijan, 8-15 April: 2019 Williams
Round 5: Spain, 15-22 April: 2019 Renault
Round 6: Monaco, 22-29 April: 1988 McLaren
Round 7: Canada, 29 April-13 May: 1979 Ferrari
Round 8: France, 13-20 May: 2019 Alfa Romeo
Round 9: Austria, 20-27 May: 2019 Red Bull
Round 10: Great Britain, 27 May-10 June: 1992 Williams
Round 11: Germany, 10-24 June: 2019 Toro Rosso
Round 12: Hungary, 24 June-8 July: 2019 Ferrari
Round 13: Belgium, 14 July-28 July: 2019 Ferrari
Round 14: Italy, TBD
There are restrictions on which driver aids can be used for your time to count; these are different depending on if you are using a controller or a wheel/pedals setup.
There is a Google doc/spreadsheet here with relevant rules and leaderboards: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wNoRoewUeHxKZSrAj0iYE8ydSzHI6WpB-Zj7Fl5v1aA/edit?usp=sharing
If anyone feels like having a go, we'd love to have you join in! You are also welcome to join in using F1 2018 and F1 2017 if you only have those available, but the relative speed of the cars may make that more challenging!
PA Forums Assetto Corsa Competizione Hot Laps
There is now also a Hot Lap event for Assetto Corsa Competizione, if sportscar racing is more your thing (or you just feel like a change of scenery).
There is a Google doc for the ACC event here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jle4BTRUsRFQqb_JagX6QvXpVGhp8Eaj40h3HFUnuEc/edit?usp=sharing
While the F1 season, like everything else, is was on hold, we have a PA Forums Hot Lap game/event/thing going on (credit to @oldmanken ). In the F1 2019 game, in Time Trial mode, we are simply aiming to do the fastest lap we can on whatever the currently selected track is, in whatever the currently selected car is. These may be 2019 cars or classic cars.
Round 1, Australia, 20-25 March: 2019 McLaren
Round 2, Bahrain, 26 March-1 April: 2004 Ferrari
Round 3: China, 1-8 April: 2019 Mercedes
Round 4: Azerbaijan, 8-15 April: 2019 Williams
Round 5: Spain, 15-22 April: 2019 Renault
Round 6: Monaco, 22-29 April: 1988 McLaren
Round 7: Canada, 29 April-13 May: 1979 Ferrari
Round 8: France, 13-20 May: 2019 Alfa Romeo
Round 9: Austria, 20-27 May: 2019 Red Bull
Round 10: Great Britain, 27 May-10 June: 1992 Williams
Round 11: Germany, 10-24 June: 2019 Toro Rosso
Round 12: Hungary, 24 June-8 July: 2019 Ferrari
Round 13: Belgium, 14 July-28 July: 2019 Ferrari
Round 14: Italy, TBD
There are restrictions on which driver aids can be used for your time to count; these are different depending on if you are using a controller or a wheel/pedals setup.
There is a Google doc/spreadsheet here with relevant rules and leaderboards: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wNoRoewUeHxKZSrAj0iYE8ydSzHI6WpB-Zj7Fl5v1aA/edit?usp=sharing
If anyone feels like having a go, we'd love to have you join in! You are also welcome to join in using F1 2018 and F1 2017 if you only have those available, but the relative speed of the cars may make that more challenging!
PA Forums Assetto Corsa Competizione Hot Laps
There is now also a Hot Lap event for Assetto Corsa Competizione, if sportscar racing is more your thing (or you just feel like a change of scenery).
There is a Google doc for the ACC event here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jle4BTRUsRFQqb_JagX6QvXpVGhp8Eaj40h3HFUnuEc/edit?usp=sharing
2020 Official Virtual F1
Official Virtual F1
As so many of the early races of the season have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, F1 are now going to be holding Virtual Grand Prix in lieu of the actual races. These will take place on the same weekends as the cancelled races, and will be held remotely on the F1 2019 game, with all the actual F1 drivers invited to take part; seats are also being filled by esports drivers, ex-F1 drivers and other celebrities/sportspeople. These will be held purely for entertainment purposes and will not count towards the real life season, should it still go ahead.
More information can be found here, at www.racefans.net (and other fan sites), and of course in this thread itself!
As so many of the early races of the season have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, F1 are now going to be holding Virtual Grand Prix in lieu of the actual races. These will take place on the same weekends as the cancelled races, and will be held remotely on the F1 2019 game, with all the actual F1 drivers invited to take part; seats are also being filled by esports drivers, ex-F1 drivers and other celebrities/sportspeople. These will be held purely for entertainment purposes and will not count towards the real life season, should it still go ahead.
More information can be found here, at www.racefans.net (and other fan sites), and of course in this thread itself!
The saga of the 2020 season: how to F1 in a pandemic, part 1
Who are the teams and drivers, and where will they be racing?
The 2020 teams and their starting line-up of drivers are:
There are few changes from last year. The Toro Rosso Team has changed name to AlphaTauri. Nicholas Latifi is the only rookie driver this year, and Esteban Ocon makes his return to an F1 race seat, replacing Nico Hulkenberg at Renault.
The 2020 World Championship was originally to be comprised of 22 Grand Prix races. Several at the start of the season were cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The original schedule was:
The German Grand Prix was dropped again for this year. The Dutch GP was going to return to the calendar for the first time since 1985, and Vietnam was to make its debut with a new partial street track in Hanoi.
The 2020 calendar was originally intended to be 22 races; the Chinese Grand Prix (intended to be on 19 April) was indefinitely postponed on 12 February due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but was considered cancelled as there was nowhere else left where it could realistically fit into this year's schedule. On 13 March it was officially cancelled.
On 9 March, Bahrain banned all fans from attending their race because of coronavirus fears. On 13 March the event was officially cancelled.
On 12 March, the Australian Grand Prix was reportedly cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was officially confirmed on 13 March.
Also on 13 March, what would have been the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix was cancelled.
On 19 March, the Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix were officially postponed, and the Monaco Grand Prix was cancelled outright (in part due to the setup time; it takes the principality of Monaco six weeks to set up for the race, so an indeterminate postponement was impractical).
Also on 19 March, the announcement was made that the new technical rules for the 2021 season would be delayed until 2022; the 2021 season will be contested with the 2020 cars regardless of how much of the 2020 season eventually goes ahead.
On 23 March, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was officially postponed.
On 7 April, the Canadian Grand Prix was officially postponed.
On 27 April, the French Grand Prix was officially postponed.
The season is now tentatively scheduled to begin with the Austrian Grand Prix on 5 July, subject to any further cancellations or complications. The current idea is for two races to be held in Austria, on 5 and 12 July, followed by two races in Great Britain at Silverstone, on 19 and 26 July, with the rest of the calendar rewritten to ultimately create a season of 15 to 18 races. Early races would likely be held behind closed doors without spectators, with the hope that restriction could be eased later in the year.
- - - - -
On 28 May, a new European calendar was tentatively reported. Austria will still host the opening two rounds on 5 and 12 July, but the two races at Silverstone would be pushed back into August following the UK government's new quarantine restrictions for people entering the UK (with Germany filling in if the British races don't go ahead). Hungary and Spain would fill in around Austria and the UK, with Belgium and Italy retaining their previous dates and further races outside Europe to follow. Also on 28 May, the Dutch Grand Prix was officially cancelled.
On 10 July, Mugello in Italy (new to F1) and Russia confirmed dates for September.
On 24 July, the US, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix were cancelled. Canada was also confirmed to be cancelled. Also, the Nurburgring in Germany, Imola in Italy, and Portimao in Portugal (the latter new to F1) confirmed dates to expand the season.
On 26 August, four more races at three venues - Istanbul Park in Turkey (returning after nine years off the calendar), Sakhir in Bahrain, and Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, were confirmed to conclude the season. Bahrain will host two races using two different layouts of the track.
The new season so far looks like this:
The 2020 teams and their starting line-up of drivers are:
- Alfa Romeo - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland), Antonio Giovinazzi (Italy)
- AlphaTauri - Pierre Gasly (France), Daniil Kvyat (Russia)
- Ferrari - Sebastian Vettel (Germany), Charles Leclerc (Monaco)
- Haas - Romain Grosjean (France), Kevin Magnussen (Denmark)
- McLaren - Lando Norris (United Kingdom), Carlos Sainz Jr (Spain)
- Mercedes - Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom), Valtteri Bottas (Finland)
- Racing Point - Sergio Perez (Mexico), Lance Stroll (Canada)
- Red Bull - Alexander Albon (Thailand), Max Verstappen (Netherlands)
- Renault - Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), Esteban Ocon (France)
- Williams - Nicholas Latifi (Canada), George Russell (United Kingdom)
There are few changes from last year. The Toro Rosso Team has changed name to AlphaTauri. Nicholas Latifi is the only rookie driver this year, and Esteban Ocon makes his return to an F1 race seat, replacing Nico Hulkenberg at Renault.
The 2020 World Championship was originally to be comprised of 22 Grand Prix races. Several at the start of the season were cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The original schedule was:
- Melbourne, Australia - 15 March - cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak
- Sakhir, Bahrain (night race) - 22 March - fans banned from attending and subsequently cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak
- Hanoi, Vietnam (street race) - 5 April - cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak
- Shanghai, China - 19 April - postponed indefinitely pre-season and subsequently cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak
- Zandvoort, Netherlands - 3 May - postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus outbreak
- Barcelona, Spain - 10 May - postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus outbreak
- Monte Carlo, Monaco (street race) - 24 May - cancelled outright due to coronavirus outbreak
- Baku, Azerbaijan (street race) - 7 June - postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus outbreak
- Montreal, Canada - 14 June - postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus outbreak
- Paul Ricard, France - 28 June - postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus outbreak
- Spielberg, Austria - 5 July
- Silverstone, Great Britain - 19 July
- Budapest, Hungary - 2 August
- Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium - 30 August
- Monza, Italy - 6 September
- Marina Bay, Singapore (night/street race) - 20 September
- Sochi, Russia - 27 September
- Suzuka, Japan - 11 October
- Austin, United States - 25 October
- Mexico City, Mexico - 1 November
- Interlagos, Brazil - 15 November
- Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (evening race) - 29 November
The German Grand Prix was dropped again for this year. The Dutch GP was going to return to the calendar for the first time since 1985, and Vietnam was to make its debut with a new partial street track in Hanoi.
The 2020 calendar was originally intended to be 22 races; the Chinese Grand Prix (intended to be on 19 April) was indefinitely postponed on 12 February due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but was considered cancelled as there was nowhere else left where it could realistically fit into this year's schedule. On 13 March it was officially cancelled.
On 9 March, Bahrain banned all fans from attending their race because of coronavirus fears. On 13 March the event was officially cancelled.
On 12 March, the Australian Grand Prix was reportedly cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was officially confirmed on 13 March.
Also on 13 March, what would have been the inaugural Vietnam Grand Prix was cancelled.
On 19 March, the Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix were officially postponed, and the Monaco Grand Prix was cancelled outright (in part due to the setup time; it takes the principality of Monaco six weeks to set up for the race, so an indeterminate postponement was impractical).
Also on 19 March, the announcement was made that the new technical rules for the 2021 season would be delayed until 2022; the 2021 season will be contested with the 2020 cars regardless of how much of the 2020 season eventually goes ahead.
On 23 March, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was officially postponed.
On 7 April, the Canadian Grand Prix was officially postponed.
On 27 April, the French Grand Prix was officially postponed.
The season is now tentatively scheduled to begin with the Austrian Grand Prix on 5 July, subject to any further cancellations or complications. The current idea is for two races to be held in Austria, on 5 and 12 July, followed by two races in Great Britain at Silverstone, on 19 and 26 July, with the rest of the calendar rewritten to ultimately create a season of 15 to 18 races. Early races would likely be held behind closed doors without spectators, with the hope that restriction could be eased later in the year.
- - - - -
On 28 May, a new European calendar was tentatively reported. Austria will still host the opening two rounds on 5 and 12 July, but the two races at Silverstone would be pushed back into August following the UK government's new quarantine restrictions for people entering the UK (with Germany filling in if the British races don't go ahead). Hungary and Spain would fill in around Austria and the UK, with Belgium and Italy retaining their previous dates and further races outside Europe to follow. Also on 28 May, the Dutch Grand Prix was officially cancelled.
On 10 July, Mugello in Italy (new to F1) and Russia confirmed dates for September.
On 24 July, the US, Mexican and Brazilian Grands Prix were cancelled. Canada was also confirmed to be cancelled. Also, the Nurburgring in Germany, Imola in Italy, and Portimao in Portugal (the latter new to F1) confirmed dates to expand the season.
On 26 August, four more races at three venues - Istanbul Park in Turkey (returning after nine years off the calendar), Sakhir in Bahrain, and Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, were confirmed to conclude the season. Bahrain will host two races using two different layouts of the track.
The new season so far looks like this:
- Round 1: Spielberg, Austria - 5 July
- Round 2: Spielberg, Austria (Styrian GP) - 12 July
- Round 3: Budapest, Hungary - 19 July
- Round 4: Silverstone, Great Britain - 2 August
- Round 5: Silverstone, Great Britain (70th Anniversary GP) - 9 August
- Round 6: Barcelona, Spain - 16 August
- Round 7: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium - 30 August
- Round 8: Monza, Italy - 6 September
- Round 9: Mugello, Italy - 13 September
- Round 10: Sochi, Russia - 27 September
- Round 11: Nurburgring, Germany - 11 October
- Round 12: Portimao, Portugal - 25 October
- Round 13: Imola, Italy - 1 November
- Round 14: Istanbul Park, Turkey - 15 November
- Round 15: Sakhir, Bahrain - 29 November
- Round 16: Sakhir, Bahrain (outer circuit) - 6 December
- Round 17: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi - 13 December
Jazz on
+2
Posts
Steam | XBL
The helicopter in particular really transformed the coverage. Fascinating viewpoint of that crazy place.
Steam | XBL
D3 Steam #TeamTangent STO
I remembered this time!
I'm sure it won't help my now relatively lowly position that much... seems a long time ago now that I was up in second!
Steam | XBL
Nissany is as bad as ever, punted another driver off the track in a no hope move.
I dunno, I was slightly amused.
As I type this it turns out it was for gravel on the track apparently?
Post Q1:
Perez is also lucky to just about survive into Q2.
Track seemed to be ramping up fast towards the end of the session.
What is going on with Perez these past 2 races? Monaco was a desaster and this quali too.
And Russell getting hit by Hamilton too. What is going on here?
Russell also took Hamilton’s front wing off. No idea what was happening there.
I saw a comparison picture between the Red Bull floor (as seen in Monaco) and the Williams floor (as seen in Barcelona), and the contrast is remarkable. The RB19 floor is such a work of art compared to the competition, no wonder they are destroying the competition so badly. I would very much like to see what Aston Martin's floor looks like, because the Williams, Mercedes and Ferrari look so much simpler than Red Bull and performance clearly shows who has it right who does not. I wouldn't be surprised if Aston Martin had a floor nearly as interesting as Red Bull.
Nice drives by Perez and Russell so far. Domination by Verstappen, which everybody expected I think. Better race than I was expecting, and if the Red Bull wasn't so ridiculously ahead of everybody I think it could have been the race of the year.
-edit-
The biggest result has to be for Mercedes. Going into the race things didn't look great. They'd looked slow in practice and had a poor qualifying. It looked like they'd fallen futher behind into the back with Ferrari, Aston and even Alpine showing comparable pace. In the race though, every one of their direct rivals fell back and Merc looked relatively unchallenged (ignoring RB). The points from today put them 18 ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors. Merc have really been showing what two top class drivers can do for a team, especially when compared against AM. Both drivers were excellent today.
Of course it did help that their rivals were busy tripping over themselves. Alonso damaged his car, Leclerc's car couldn't turn left and Gasly landed himself a 6 place penalty for impeding twice. I don't think any of this would have changed the outcome though. Mercedes were just plain faster and easier on the tyres than their rivals.
He finished 3-3-3-4-3-2-7 this season so far.
Stroll finished 6-DNF-4-7-12-DNF-6 so far - so he did actually ok coming in 6th.
Overall thoughts
- too bad Alonso had a bad day
- strange to see the 2nd of the last 3 races with nobody retiring and no "drama"
- feel bad for Lando, that his race went from 3rd to nowhere in like 2 corners
- Ferrari doesn't seem to improve at all this season, sure Sainz came in 5th, but LeClerc was lost the whole race
- Even though there are still 15 races left, we might as well hand the trophy to RB and Verstappen - there is nobody on the grid, who could seriously challenge him, not even Perez in the same car
- Really hope Merc, Aston and even Ferrari can challenge for some wins this season, so that Verstappens isn't running too far away with it.
I love F1, I hate F1.
My limited knowledge tells me Merc at least a couple times since Rosberg and Lewis were racing together.