Formula One

it is the Constructors Championship which brings in the money.

and the bonuses.

peedee

A bit of a nail-biter yesterday and an incredible drive by LH. I'm still not putting money on the final result though. Points-wise, the flying dutchman is going to take some catching.

Didn't he do well  what a driver, must have been the best race of this season.

Fingers and everything else crossed for him to take another Championship. 

It will be hard though as I think there are those that are out to stop him one way or another.

Max didn't look to happy. 

A lot of questions being asked about the Mercedes at the moment. An engine change in itself wouldn't produce such a massive increase in straight line speed? What I found interesting was that the whole persona of LH seem to change this weekend even before the racing started which made me suspicious. I hope Max is still in with a chance. 

David

If I were Bottas, I would be asking why my new engine did not give the same power improvement. 

Fantastic drive and commitment, but the car was so much better than everything else in the race, it was very surprising.

The season has been kept closer by the red flag early in the season when Hamilton was allowed to restart on new tyres along with every one else, but also allowed to unlap himself so that by the end he managed to score good points.

I see the need for the safety car and safety in general, but should it have such an impact on the results, or just the safety  of drivers and marshalls.

Evening

Personally I think both mercs are about equal in performance. It's all about the set up on the day, maybe LH has a better feel for things than Valteri? I don't know but remember when Russell took the seat when LH had covid? He was a country mile quicker than his team mate.

Constructors at the top like merc and Redbull don't scrimp on the second drivers car and set up. I just think Valteri isn't as hungry as Lewis in an equal car.

On the safety aspect, the safety of everyone trackside is paramount. If that means drivers lose points to ensure no one gets hurt then so be it. I spent a lot of the 80's heavily involved in quarter mile drag racing. It was a different world in motorsport then and a lot of folk especially marshalls would get hurt in the name of the sport.

It will be an exciting end to the season but I think RBR will snatch it.

JK

Safety is paramount and as I spent 20 + years photographing the British Grand Prix from inside the catch fencing, I was more than grateful a few times. 

Once the situation has been contained by either a safety car or a red flag, why is it necessary to allow cars to unlap themselves. It not only gives a great advantage to the lapped drivers, it also holds up the restart. Simply allowing the lapped cars to drop back under the safety car or pushed to the back of the queue in the pit lane after a red flag. This would speed up restarts significantly.

From the Auto Scuderia web page, the top speed of Lewis Hamilton along the start finish straight was 348 kph Bottas was 308 kph 40kph difference

verstappen 326 kph   Perez 332kph  only 6kph difference

These figures were from the sprint race which Bottas was winning with Max chasing hard, which probably explains his speed being close Bottas as he was getting DRS from him.

Bluemalaga said:-

From the Auto Scuderia web page, the top speed of Lewis Hamilton along the start finish straight was 348 kph Bottas was 308 kph 40kph difference

The interesting thing about the difference in speed on the straight that if the cars were the same there should be no difference. Whatever we think about Bottas he is a very competent driver and recently seems to have got his mojo back, perhaps the relief of leaving Mercedes!! Clearly he is not as good as LH but I reckon all drivers at that level are capable of driving the same car at virtually the same speed on the straight, or thereabouts? A 40kph difference suggests something else. Some have suggested that as the engine has only needed for 4 races they have tuned it to a level that would eventually destroy the engine if it had to last the average 7 races? That strategy is not without risk as it could let go at a crucial point in the championship, but of course Mercedes have all the stats. One suggestion is that they have done something to the car to reduce the drag on the straights perhaps by  reducing the downforce. 

David

Just heard there is another investigation into the incident with Max and Lewis where they both went off track.

The outcome may have an affect on grid positions this weekend which may make Lewis favourite for the next race. Given the extra pace in the Merc with this surprising speed increase, the 10 points Lewis achieved after the red flag in Turkey where he was permitted to un lap himself could be the title deciding points given they are only 14 apart rather than 24 with the remaining tracks apparently suiting the merc better.

Love to see fair wheel to wheel racing, which Max probably exceeded last weekend with the weaving, the jury still out on the corner manoeuvre, nothing Lewis has not done a few times (Mr Rosberg would probably agree).

However safety cars and red flags should be for safety only, and not make a major change to the outcome of races or championships, surely, exciting though.

It seemed a bit of a swings and roundabouts day at the Qatar Grand Prix yesterday (what a dull track!). Max lost a bit of his lead in points but Red Bull narrowed the race for the Constructors Championship. Difficult to say if Max would have won had he not had the 5 place penalty? Tyre problems seem to have resurfaced which could be a worry for the last two races. Good to see the old warhorse Alonso on the podium.

David