[Official] Spanish Grand Prix 2020: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 6

[chillibowl]

The track was really dirty though. I feel like more marbles then i have seen in a long time. I also don't know how long Perez had been getting blue flags for?

Is it possible that he was seeing the warning on his steering wheel for a couple of corners prior?

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

Agreed. I didn't see anything wrong there at all....

I am guessing, but I presume the replay we say wasn’t the actual offence. As pointed out that was Lewis going by, presumably the problem was the several corners beforehand that maybe he caused a problem for Lewis? More than three blue flags, or whatever it is.

Interesting that we got a couple at Barcelona. Is there something about the circuit that makes it more likely? Or in this case just a coincidence?

[chillibowl]

Yeah there were a few of them.

Given the typically processional nature of the race and likelihood of lapping, probably something discussed during the drivers briefing?

[S griffin]

We need footage from the first blue flag Checo. Checo himself doesn’t feel he did much wrong.

It is hard at times, but at least we aren’t seeing the backmarkers behaving like the likes of de Cesarais, Arnoux and Grouilard anymore

[chillibowl]

That said, we should be talking more about Grosjean's racecraft imo...or lack of it.

With each race he looks more and more dangerous...or at least from the footage they show.

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by P38 in workshop

it involves a bit more than just a throttle stop, Mercedes might tell you exactly what and Ferrari would tell you that the FIA had greed to say nothing specific on the topic.

I'm not suggesting screwing a bit of wood to the floor under the pedal, or even a hi-tech version of the same. But I would be surprised if Mercedes can't find a mechanical arrangement falling outside the definition of a "mode" that at least goes part way towards recovering what has been taken away.

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

I'm not suggesting screwing a bit of wood to the floor under the pedal, or even a hi-tech version of the same. But I would be surprised if Mercedes can't find a mechanical arrangement falling outside the definition of a "mode" that at least goes part way towards recovering what has been taken away.

The pedal map must be 1-dimensional from 0% to 100%

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by chillibowl

That said, we should be talking more about Grosjean's racecraft imo...or lack of it.

With each race he looks more and more dangerous...or at least from the footage they show.

It’s funny how leaders of the GPDA don’t always set the best example. First Schumi, now Romain

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

It’s funny how leaders of the GPDA don’t always set the best example. First Schumi, now Romain

The irony. I was surprised to find out Grosjean was a director, considering his on track antics.

[S griffin]

Yeah and he doesn’t have success to back him up either

[Taxi645]

Too bad Verstappen started on the softs. Lewis was driving slow enough to keep MAX in the tyre killing 1.1-1.6s window. Had he started on mediums it would have been easier to keep a healthy gap to Lewis and try to make the mediums go as long as possible.


I don't like the rule that you need to use at least 2 different compounds. It limits alternative strategy options and gives other teams more security on what your options are, making the racing unnecessarily predictable and the strategy battle less interesting. I don't see the upside to the rule.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by S griffin

Yeah and he doesn’t have success to back him up either

He's had a couple of 2nd places at Canada in 2012 and COTA in 2013, which was his best season finishing 7th in the WDC. His last podium was 3rd at Spa in 2015 and since then he's been slowly going backwards, finishing 18th last year. He is currently 21st.

[chillibowl]

he has had an up and down career and it is pretty awesome how he managed to work his way back into F1. i cant think of too many drivers who would have gone back down to GP2 rather than just move on to a different series all together...so much credit and respect to him.

but now they only show him going off track, colliding with his team mate, close calls with other drivers, getting flags i have never heard of before, and always with pieces of carbon hanging off of his car.

he is either completely past it or is sleeping with the tv director's wife.

[djinvicta]

Love the last comment Chillibowl..
Mind you, his team mate K Mag is not a lot better. Both very aggressive, I hope we don't see a big accident. Why don't the stewards act on them?

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by Taxi645

I don't like the rule that you need to use at least 2 different compounds. It limits alternative strategy options and gives other teams more security on what your options are, making the racing unnecessarily predictable and the strategy battle less interesting. I don't see the upside to the rule.

I'm with you there Taxi. F1 is full of sticking plaster rules that have been layered one on top of another when the original rule didn't quite work out as the rulemaker intended. I'd like to see the whole F1 rulebook consigned to the bin and then start again with something much simpler. But until we get to Utopia, just ditching the two compound rule would be a good start.

[steve_r]

Thank goodness for Mercedes building such a brilliant car, otherwise this season would be a Verstappen dominated snooze-fest

[S griffin]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

I'm with you there Taxi. F1 is full of sticking plaster rules that have been layered one on top of another when the original rule didn't quite work out as the rulemaker intended. I'd like to see the whole F1 rulebook consigned to the bin and then start again with something much simpler. But until we get to Utopia, just ditching the two compound rule would be a good start.

I’m with you guys too, as I explained in another thread. And you are right about the stick plaster rules in F1, always seem to use the quick fix solutions rather than tackle the problem head on, which is why we’ve got gimmicks like DRS. Also this two compound rule is a hangover from the refuelling era. When it was introduced in 07, it was to try and spice up the pitstop strategies a little bit, seeing as we were getting little action on track at the time. So when refuelling was banned for 2010, they should have dropped the two compound rule, as it wasn’t needed anymore

[Born Racer]

The blue flag penalties were the result of a new approach and a 'crackdown': https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...on-blue-flags/

[S griffin]

Checo himself said he felt it was easier to let by Lewis on the straight rather than let him through the twisty bits. So I can understand while he’s upset with the penalty

And have backmarkers really been a problem lately? As I said before it’s not like we’re seeing the days of people like Arnoux hardly using their mirrors

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

Think you both need to take your tin foil hats off

Again WHY would they sabotage their own driver? What would they gain from it.

It screams of desperation and incompetence not sabotage

Obviously not sabotage, but gross incompetence at best. Now imagine him racing wheel to wheel up front, and getting those communications from his team. The first where he asks what he should be doing to protect his tires, meaning he's thinking it through already. Getting a short "you're good" basically. Then laps later being asked if he thought they could last???? The exasperation alone wouldnhe enough to cause a mistake in a wheel to wheel battle up front....

Originally Posted by S griffin

Yet another uneventful affair. Merc and Verstappen are on another level atm.

Ferrari did the right thing keeping Seb out till the end, it was the only way they were ever likely to get a decent result

Racing Points still going strong, shame Checo got that penalty. Hardly ever see penalties for blue flags these days

Ferrari did not do the right thing. They let vettel use up the tires expecting another stop, then came on after he had used them up and asked if he thought they could go to the end... after he asked about targets long ago.... just embarrassing.

Originally Posted by S griffin

It’s funny how leaders of the GPDA don’t always set the best example. First Schumi, now Romain

I mentioned this in another thread, but I've been listening to david samson podcast, the former president of the miami marlins baseball team. He said the players representative for the union were either the least liked guys or one of the junior guys that got stuck with it after the vets passed on it. So looking at it in that way, you could definitely see grosjean being one of the less popular driver in the paddock. Not a junior, but sort of a "pulling his weight" in whatever way he can to stick around. So that's how I view grosjean having that position now.

[S griffin]

GPDA is about driver safety, therefore Grosjean should not be increasing risk to others by driving dangerously. He's not setting a good example to others

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

The exasperation alone wouldnhe enough to cause a mistake in a wheel to wheel battle up front....

Especially if you’re the kind of driver who has a disease where the main symptom is that you are more likely to make a mistake.