OT: 2018 Formula One Season

[marino]

 

Because Kimi is Kimi!!

 

[video:youtube]

[Joe Muscara]

I've been following Kimi on instagram, and it's hilarious. It's really reflective of him (though sometimes with his kid it's cute or whatever) when you read his caption. For example

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmz-dVShl_F/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmqQq1ghpeO/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

 

 

[zephonic]

After Singapore my conclusion is that this is Hamiltons championship to lose. The Ferrari may still be a marginally faster car all around, but Mercedes is firing on all cylinders and the Scuderia will need to bring their A game every time if they want to have a shot at it.

 

Curious to see Ricciardo almost neutered after announcing his departure.

 

[marino]

Probably, at this point Hamilton couldn't lose this championship even if he tried.

[Tomkeen]

Curious to see Ricciardo almost neutered after announcing his departure.

 

He's trying so hard not to say anything negative about the Renault engine. Poor guy

[KorgyPorky]

Curious to see Ricciardo almost neutered after announcing his departure.

 

He's trying so hard not to say anything negative about the Renault engine. Poor guy

 

That, but also Max seems to have outgrown him in almost every way(except humor)...

 

We will see next year who laughs last, Honda still might be a step down from Renault..

And he might end up battling Max again for 5th next season...

[FJR]

 

That Max is just too funny, sometimes!!

 

"Unfortunately, Kimi chose the wrong line, he also could have just waited for me!"

 

 

[zephonic]

This championship is pretty much over; Ferrari are in disarray and Mercedes is bringing their A game every time.

 

Apparently, since Marchionnes passing there has been a power struggle between Arrivabene and Binotto at the Scuderia.

 

Or at least I read that is what is being reported in the Italian media. Carlo, have you read/heard anything specific about that?

 

 

[Synthoid]

there has been a power struggle between Arrivabene and Binotto at the Scuderia.

 

Is that anything like Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

 

 

[Joe Muscara]

there has been a power struggle between Arrivabene and Binotto at the Scuderia.

 

Is that anything like Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra?

 

Vettel says he wasn't desperate when he made the move on Max. I thought it looked like the Red Mist to me.

 

I'm hoping the Scuderia turn it on these last few races and make it a championship again. Merc has been unbelievable the past few events and if they win it all they deserve it, but it kind of sucks that this will go down as another season where Hamilton&Merc/Vettel&Ferrari started out competitive but Ferrari slid as the season went on (that happened before, right?).

[marino]

Apparently, since Marchionnes passing there has been a power struggle between Arrivabene and Binotto at the Scuderia.

 

Or at least I read that is what is being reported in the Italian media. Carlo, have you read/heard anything specific about that?

I have read something about it, but I've also read every other kind of speculations, and I just don't know where the truth is.

What's obvious is - either something strange is going on at Ferrari, or simply, in the last month or two, Mercedes have developed their car at a level and pace that Ferrari haven't been able to match.

[zephonic]

I just read an article by Mark Hughes about post-Marchionne Ferrari in the November issue of Motorsport Magazine.

 

The name of the article is "Scuderia's succession scramble" and I'll leave a few quotes here:

 

[about Arrivabene] "His job was to carry out Marchionne's instructions regarding the running of the team. He wasn't empowered in the same way as other team principals, he was there to keep the ship steady."

 

[about Binotto] "Increasingly, Marchionne was taking his readings from Binotto - and not Arrivabene - of how things were going and what was needed."

 

"The rumors strongly suggested that for 2019 Marchionne planned on replacing Arrivabene as team principal with Binotto."

 

"With the technical group re-energized and now consistently the most creative and effective of all, outstripping even Mercedes, now Marchionne needed to get the team operation running to a similar level. These were going to be his first moves towards achieving that. But he died before they came to be. So Arrivabene gets to stay and Binotto's promotion to team principal is delayed indefinitely - probably for as long as Arrivabene is there."

 

"In the emergency restructuring following Marchionne's death, he wasn't replaced by one man, but two. John Elkann was named chairman. Louis Camilleri was appointed CEO. Camilleri and Arrivabene have a relationship going back more than 15 years and are said to be close.

 

"Camilleri seems not to be planning the sort of hands-on approach of Marchionne. Asked at Monza about driver choice, he said "That's a matter for Maurizio [Arrivabene]."

 

"It seems pretty clear the alliance with Mercedes forged by Marchionne is a thing of the past. Arrivabene seems to be trying to block anything Toto Wolff is suggesting and appears to be trying now to align Ferrari more with Red Bull."

 

"There is a part of the [Agnelli] family that resented the power Marchionne had. He had radically restructured things and worryingly there seems to be a mood among them of the need to fix what they perceive he did wrong."

 

https://shop.motorsportmagazine.com/product/backIssueView/backIssue/MSM9411/november-2018

 

 

I did suspect that Marchionne's untimely death would have a profound effect on Ferrari (and the FIAT group). That seems to have come to pass.

 

 

 

[Markay]

Well given Ferrari have the largest budget and team members in F1 there is something seriously wrong with their driver management.

 

The poor on track decisions from Vettel and Raikkonen seem to be made against a background of desperation. Doesn't bode well for Leclerc being nutured and developed to his full potential.

 

Maybe Kimi took all this into account in deciding to move to the junior Ferrari team, Alfa Romeo Sauber.

 

Aligning with Red Bull in FIA negotiations? Christian Horner has already said he is ambivalent about remaining in F1 post 2020. A poor Honda powered 2019 season might help him make up his mind.

 

[marino]

I just read an article by Mark Hughes about post-Marchionne Ferrari in the November issue of Motorsport Magazine.

Thanks. There seems to be some truth in that, as well as some debatable statements. Also, Ross Brawn recently spoke about the same subject.

However, I'm more inclined to consider a more mundane hypothesis:

 

Mercedes spent 30 million extra-budget to beat Ferrari

 

It's from the Italian Motorsport.com site, and it goes into rather precise details. Add to this the stellar financial bonus that has been promised to Toto for winning a fifth consecutive title, and you will have a rather convincing scenario.

Unfortunately, the article is in Italian only; it's not on the International version of Motorsport.com.

 

I'm not bashing Mercedes for doing that; all the money in the world can't help you if you aren't able to do a great job, and they obviously did it.

 

 

[JohnH]

I am starting to lose interest as F1 is returning back to the 2000-2004 days, as Nigel Roebuck says- "when you left the house certain of the outcome of the weekend. " All Louis all the time. Not sure why I'm even bothering with qualifying also- same thing every week and no surprises. Indy Car is climbing and getting more exciting with terrific competion-the new car that looks like the old one and nobody is winning every session and race. There's no stopping Louis any time in the near future.

[zephonic]

I'm super-happy about Raikkonen's win yesterday! He deserved that.

 

Fun fact, since Ferrari informed him at Monza he would be let go after this season, he has outscored Vettel 75 to 62.

 

[Joe Muscara]

Kimi's instagram feed is awesome. It's very him.

 

I was glad to see him pull out the win. As we've been discussing, it's a bummer watching Vettel screw up by pushing too hard.

[marino]

Always loved Kimi. "Winner is always better than second". and "It's not going to change my life."

I think a bit of it is acted, though... or at least exaggerated.

 

Btw, some new light has been shed on the recent Merc/Ferrari unbalanced performance levels:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mercedes-wheel-rims-protest-ferrari/3200594/

 

That article is quite sketchy, though: On the Italian version of the site, a much more in-depth (and clear) account of the facts.

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/caso-mercedes-hamilton-in-crisi-perche-sono-stati-chiusi-i-fori-nel-mozzo/3200232/

 

"Limited illegality"... there are a few really creative minds at FIA.

[KorgyPorky]

I'm super-happy about Raikkonen's win yesterday! He deserved that.

 

Fun fact, since Ferrari informed him at Monza he would be let go after this season, he has outscored Vettel 75 to 62.

 

Yes great ride...

 

But i was even more impressed by Max...

What a ride... starting 18th... and comming so close to victory

[zephonic]

So Hamilton is statistically the second most successful F1 driver ever. Congrats to him and Mercedes.

 

I think Marchionne's passing affected Ferrari more than expected; by all accounts, he was a formidable man.

 

Interesting how Danny Ric has completely "run out of luck" since he announced his defection to Renault.

 

Alonso has been my favorite driver since he dethroned Shu, and I'm sorry to see him leave F1, but these days he doesn't look like he's even trying anymore. Not that I blame him, just would have loved to see him win another WDC, and join the likes of Senna, Lauda, and Piquet. As it stands, he is up there with Hakkinen, which is still not bad at all, of course.

 

Two more races, but this season is done and dusted. Ferrari still has a mathematical chance to win the Constructors' title, but realistically not so much.

 

[marino]

So Hamilton is statistically the second most successful F1 driver ever. Congrats to him and Mercedes.

Absolutely. The Hamilton/MB combination has been unbeatable. Hats off.

 

I think Marchionne's passing affected Ferrari more than expected; by all accounts, he was a formidable man.

Yeah. many people - me included - thought that he knew nothing about racing, but he proved everyone wrong.

 

Interesting how Danny Ric has completely "run out of luck" since he announced his defection to Renault.

Yes. Right. "Interesting".

 

Alonso has been my favorite driver since he dethroned Shu, and I'm sorry to see him leave F1, but these days he doesn't look like he's even trying anymore. Not that I blame him, just would have loved to see him win another WDC, and join the likes of Senna, Lauda, and Piquet. As it stands, he is up there with Hakkinen, which is still not bad at all, of course.

Yes. Alonso was/is one of the greatest drivers, but he wins the award for being in the wrong team at the wrong time. Also, he's not the best team player, and not the best test driver... these things count too.

 

Two more races, but this season is done and dusted. Ferrari still has a mathematical chance to win the Constructors' title, but realistically not so much.

*No* chance for Ferrari to win the Constructors'. To hear Arrivabene talking about fighting for it in the last two races has been kind of sad. Sense of reality, anyone?!

 

Also, it was really strange to see Seb so depressed and even crying in that last interview in Italian. He said several times "I feel empty". I guess there are some things not going well in his personal life too... maybe, at this point, seeking professional help could be a good move. I like this guy and I like his driving, but I have always suspected that he lacked that merciless hunter instinct, that you can recognize on the most successful drivers: Senna, Schumi, Mansell, Alonso... *maybe* Hamilton...

[Joe Muscara]

that merciless hunter instinct, that you can recognize on the most successful drivers: Senna, Schumi, Mansell, Alonso... *maybe* Hamilton...

I get the impression that Hamilton's success isn't so much that but more of a cool confidence or something like that. It's an interesting difference. I don't recall seeing the other champions you mention look that genuinely *happy* like Lewis does. It's like a normal happy and amazement, vs. their smile but with intense eyes. Does that make sense?

 

As far as Alonso, I generally agree. He's become a better teammate I think (he seemed supportive of Stoffel) but I would have loved to see him in the fight for the championship more. Oh well, he still has two, which is more than most F1 drivers can say.

[zephonic]

So the internet is ablaze with feuds over who was to blame in yesterday's collision between Verstappen and Ocon.

 

Having watched Ocon's onboard camera several times, I can't find fault with him.

 

https://streamable.com/0bynn

 

[Losendoskeys]

So the internet is ablaze with feuds over who was to blame in yesterday's collision between Verstappen and Ocon.

 

Having watched Ocon's onboard camera several times, I can't find fault with him.

 

https://streamable.com/0bynn

 

Completely agree - Verstappen turned across him and didn't even look.

[Joe Muscara]

Both complaints are sort of correct. Max was the leader and that should be considered, but Lewis' comment (which Max didn't seem to understand, I'll explain in a bit) was right too. Just let the guy go, it wasn't for position and Max was saving tyre at that point.

 

Max's comment about what Lewis said was something about, well, Lewis was in second so how would he know? But Lewis was talking about times that he was leading a race. Lewis has led a few, and let some guys by on the few occasions it happened. Someone should have been on the radio to Max and told him not to worry, let him by.

 

The two drivers were running different races and for Ocon to continue with his, he needed around Max.

[Tomkeen]

I've read a lot of comments from former F1 drivers the last few days and everyone seems to agree that Ocon was at fault (I fully agree too. I fact, I would've done much more than push him after the race.. ). Even Ross Brawn agreed that it was Ocon's fault, even though he made some comments about Max being unprofessional with him pushing Ocon.

 

Lewis is just worried about Max. He knows that Max is the only driver right now that can challenge him. Didn't you guys notice how many times during the race he asked his team about where Max was driving, about his lap times and tires?

[CountFosco]

The only thing Lewis would be worried about is: In 10 years, will Max end up with more championships than me? Right now, nah, he's just a quick kid, and this year's done and dusted. Whether Lewis was giving advice, or trying to get in his head, it's all just fun by-play.

 

Max needed that incident. He just has no way of tolerating another car going past him, or being beside him, without making contact. I think he might have touched someone in just about every one of the last 10 races. Other incidents have cost him podiums, and potential wins, in this incident he threw away a definite win. Maybe he'll learn from it?

[Losendoskeys]

So the internet is ablaze with feuds over who was to blame in yesterday's collision between Verstappen and Ocon.

 

Having watched Ocon's onboard camera several times, I can't find fault with him.

 

https://streamable.com/0bynn

That video shows it perfectly.

It's clear Verstappen backed right off and Ocon had the speed to pass, in fact it almost seemed too dangerous for him not to pass - he is perfectly allowed to unlap himself.

Verstappen then cut across him - obviously at fault.

[Joe Muscara]

The other week when Sky had Hamilton driving Brundle in the pre-race piece, Brundle asked him something about "if Max is to your left" and Hamilton was like, "if Max is to my left, I go WAY to the right! "

 

[paraphrasing]

 

 

[marino]

Max needed that incident. He just has no way of tolerating another car going past him, or being beside him, without making contact. I think he might have touched someone in just about every one of the last 10 races. Other incidents have cost him podiums, and potential wins, in this incident he threw away a definite win. Maybe he'll learn from it?

That's right - but technically, I think Ocon was still at fault, because he wasn't ahead when they touched. That's technically; with a bit of good sense, however, it's clear that both drivers acted *really* stupid.