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Grand Prix thread 2021 Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari - Italy

Discussion in 'Formula 1' started by ched999uk, Apr 15, 2021.

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Will Merc somehow manage to hold off Max????

Poll closed Apr 17, 2021.
  1. Lewis Hamilton

    4 vote(s)
    28.6%
  2. Valtteri Bottas

    4 vote(s)
    28.6%
  3. Max Verstappen

    5 vote(s)
    35.7%
  4. Sergio Perez

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%
  5. Lando Norris

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Daniel Ricciardo

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  7. Charles Leclerc

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  8. Carlos Sainz

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  9. Fernando Alonso

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  10. Any others

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    Bottas seemed unusually off the pace this weekend. Not sure what you put that down to tbh.

    Close title fight brewing here though. This is exactly what we wanted. :)
     
    #161
  2. TopClass

    TopClass Well-Known Member

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    Track position is king in Imola so he was on the back foot. He’s also never been any good in the wet at all. It always finds out the difference between good and great so he had a double whammy today.

    I’d expect him to go well at Portimao and Barcelona
     
    #162
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  3. DHCanary

    DHCanary Very Well-Known Member
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    Even in the dry, Bottas was nowhere in qualifying. It might be a one-off horrorshow of a weekend for Bottas, but it really didn't look good for him.

    Bottas starts 8th, drops to 10th, then spends 30 laps stuck behind Stroll.
    Hamilton starts 8th on the restart, makes passing Stroll look trivial and presses on for a podium - within 30 laps.

    Different conditions, but not a great comparison for Bottas, especially with crashing out in an incident with a Williams - for position!

    On that incident, stewards verdict is no further action, finding that no driver drove erratically. I think without the slight kink at the track at that position, that move would have been fine, the combination of the kink and wet conditions was the real problem.
     
    #163
  4. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    Fair play to Max today. He was almost faultless. That's the kind of measured drive that can deliver a title.

    I still think Merc have work to do to be on par with that Red Bull. It's going to be really tough for them to win this one, especially if Perez pulls his finger out.

    As for the Bottas/Russell incident. I still can't make my mind up on it. Bottas was moving across the track but it felt like Russell overreacted and binned himself. Just one of those things that happenes in racing for me.

    Top drive from Lando! :)
     
    #164
  5. ched999uk

    ched999uk Well-Known Member

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    After seeing lots of replays it looks like Bottas was taking the dry line, but he did move right in a slightly jerky way, maybe he saw Russell at last second. I think Russell panicked a bit and didn't realise track was so narrow in the split second.
    I feel in the end it was 50/50. Both made mistakes.
     
    #165
  6. eddie_squidd

    eddie_squidd Well-Known Member

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    #166
  7. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    I'm just hoping the first race of the Indy season this afternoon is as good as the first two rounds of F1. Been great so far.
     
    #167
  8. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    Bit of an ooops for Russell there with Toto... But not sure the suggestion that he should take it easy when the guy ahead is in a Merc holds much water. The kids going to race what's ahead of him and totally has the right to do so.
     
    #168
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  9. eddie_squidd

    eddie_squidd Well-Known Member

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    I agree, but here’s an interesting thing: while George accused Valtteri of making a move he wouldn’t have made if it hadn’t been George about to pass, I also wonder whether George would have been less gung ho if it hadn’t been Valtteri that he had a golden opportunity to pass. It would have been a hell of a bombshell if he’d pulled it off.
     
    #169
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  10. ched999uk

    ched999uk Well-Known Member

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    I think it boils down to the budget cap and how badly it's hurting Merc. Merc used to spend their way out of issues but now they can't.
    The place where Russell was trying to overtake was the DRS zone which was virtually the only overtaking opportunity on the track. OK so George was making a pass quite early on the 'straight' but that was down to better driving (Bottas slower out of corner due to tyres or just setup?).
    I really don't think Toto would consider it a poor move once he calms down, it was a good move that went wrong. In my opinion just a racing incident.

    Russell was told to impress Toto to get a Merc drive, so what would have been more impressive than him in the Williams overtaking a Merc on merit on the track?

    The interesting thing is that the budget cap maybe starting to bite.
     
    #170
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  11. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    I mean, yeah... It really would have been a statement, but the way he's handled it clearly hasn't impressed. Gotta be careful that his temper doesn't lose him a potential seat.
     
    #171
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  12. eddie_squidd

    eddie_squidd Well-Known Member

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    He can be pretty driven even when on the surface he is careful to say the right things, the same as most of the drivers I suppose. Neither of them behaved in a very seemly way after the crash, but it’s hard to imagine the amount of adrenaline that must be flowing when you have just had a collision at 200mph. There’ll be plenty of time for all concerned to think about what they did right and got wrong over the next few days. Maybe George has had a good lesson in being circumspect on and off the track, and that primarily Mercedes want drivers who are prepared to be team players. All that “we win and lose together” stuff that Hamilton comes out with is what he has had to learn after some of his early outbursts.
     
    #172
  13. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    I like the kid a lot... But he does seem to have a little bit of a temper going on, which I can understand as I have one myself...but probably needs to dial it in just a tad. I totally get the red mist though. Just don't want him to do/say anything that might risk that Merc drive. In the post Hamilton era, he might have real chances at championships. I really think they need him in the car while Hamilton is there and get him conditioned to life at Merc and get him ready to take the helm.
     
    #173
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  14. Justjazz

    Justjazz Well-Known Member

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    I read most of the comments above.
    I agree Lewis's free lap felt a bit like a cheat and not sure Lewis can be proud, but he will be grateful. If Merc want George to calm down, they should offer him a seat. For Lewis to get the fastest lap I suspect Max had tyre wear which may be his archilles heel this year. Second gear start for Max was an advantage, if so why no one else? No meantion of Danny on here who needs to settle in and get on with keeping up with Lando. He had a bit of a slow start at Renault, hope that is all this is. Bottas is struggling with the drivability of the Merc, he has got to be on his way out. Perez - a bad day at the office.
    First two races have been entertaining and thrown up some surprises. keep it up F1.
     
    #174
  15. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    The thing is with the unlap, this isn't unusual or unexpected. It was very fortunate that's for sure... But not unusual.
     
    #175
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  16. Number 1 Jasper

    Number 1 Jasper Well-Known Member

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    I wonder if Valtteri is simply struggling with the car ? If that's it. He needs to sort himself out pdq !
     
    #176
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  17. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    Accidentally posted this on the Indy thread last night.

    Watched some of the replays of the Bottas/Russell incident tonight. Yeah... All Russell really. He's got room, Bottas is pretty much on the dry line. He's just flinched and binned it.

    I think Russell may just need to accept his part in it, hold his hand up and move on.
     
    #177
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  18. Big Ern

    Big Ern Lord, Master, Guru & Emperor

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    I thought Russell'd put it on the grass, but others said it was the white line, wouldn't be the first to lose it like that. If true then I think I'd probably have to blame Russell for not judging the conditions.
     
    #178
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  19. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

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    It's either the line or the grass, but either way there looked to be room..he just seemed to react too sharply to Bottas following the line.
     
    #179
  20. ched999uk

    ched999uk Well-Known Member

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    I think you are right, Bottas moved right and maybe saw Russel so stopped moving right, unfortunately Russell though he was moving further to the right and panicked a bit putting a wheel on the wet stuff and then they were both passengers.
    I would like to see some of the other overtakes as that was the DRS section to see how others had managed it.
     
    #180
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