[Official] Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019: Grand Prix Weekend Thread - Round 4 of 21

[Compromised]

Originally Posted by Taxi645

In retrospect after 4 Merc 1-2's it was perhaps not the best deciscion to this year permanently switch to the thinner tyre thread that last year Mercedes clearly worked best with. In a season where getting the tyres switched on is quite difficult and critical that's quite the advantage to have.

Mate the Mercs need all the help they can get - that Ferrari engine is SO powerful

[Taxi645]

Originally Posted by Compromised

Mate the Mercs need all the help they can get - that Ferrari engine is SO powerful

When was the last time a season started with 4 consecutive 1-2's from one team? Right, not what I would call a team in desperate need of help.

Take a look in what parts of the race the Merc's made the difference. Exactly those parts where you need your tyres to switch on and switch on quickly.

The Ferrari is strong for sure, but even on a track with this many straights that didn't make the difference.

[F1Pete]

Yep, Toto barely broke a smile. I'm glad I'm not the only one beating the drum. Ocon can't be too pleased either. It is still an even playing field in terms of points and it's a long season.

Ocon can't be too pleased either. Where would he go if Bottas wins the championship?
Replace Hamilton?

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

[F1Pete]

Toto was also on the team radio to allow Hamilton to attack Bottas in the closing stages. To me that is expected.

What if it was Bottas attacking Hamilton? Would Toto have been seen hitting the radio button?



Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

[TrapezeArtist]

I'm unconvinced by the "Toto favours Lewis" camp. Toto is a racer, as well as a hugely competent manager (better than anyone at Ferrari). The racer in him wants his drivers to be free to race, but it would suit the manager if the same one just shaded the other every time. If they keep sharing the limelight, they'll be taking points off each other and could let another driver through to the WDC.

At the moment I'm delighted to see the Toto Racer holding sway over the Toto Manager. It's in complete contrast to the traditional Ferrari approach of favouring one driver even if that is at the expense of the team (and F1) as a whole.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mercedes and Ferrari are spending their hundreds of millions in F1 in order to build a better public image for the company. For me at least, it's Mercedes that is succeeding. Much as I would like to claim complete objectivity, F1 probably did contribute to me abandoning Jaguars and becoming a Mercedes owner, even though I know (now!) that the Jaguar is the better car.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

I'm unconvinced by the "Toto favours Lewis" camp. Toto is a racer, as well as a hugely competent manager (better than anyone at Ferrari). The racer in him wants his drivers to be free to race, but it would suit the manager if the same one just shaded the other every time. If they keep sharing the limelight, they'll be taking points off each other and could let another driver through to the WDC.

At the moment I'm delighted to see the Toto Racer holding sway over the Toto Manager. It's in complete contrast to the traditional Ferrari approach of favouring one driver even if that is at the expense of the team (and F1) as a whole.

Well put, but obviously if you are a fan of one driver and not the other, you’re going to interpret the situation to suit your own ‘agenda’....

The closing laps of the race, with LH chasing down Valtteri before making a small error, were the highlight of the rather boring race for me. Apart, that is, from Mark Webber’s comments (on C4) about Ferrari when they didn’t pit Leclerc for tyres sooner....

[Peter Mallett]

I understand it can be misread as being for/against a driver but I confess the pit garage response to Bottas winning did appear to me, to be somewhat muted compared to previous winning celebrations.

However I also think Lewis played the race with a straight bat and did all he could to legally take the lead at the beginning. That he failed was purely due to Bottas' determination, so we have two good solid racers duking it out at the front, what more could we ask? If nothing else at least they provide some entertainment.

Ferrari are running scared at the moment. Being too cautious with their second driver's tyre strategy trying to cover off gawd knows who. They need to be more aggressive and let Leclerc loose. I don't think he would have won yesterday but he would have put on a good show trying.

[gert]

I don't think Ferrari could have done anything else to get Leclerc higher up.
An earlier stop would have put him on a 2-stop strategy and that wouldn't have got him any closer to Max.

Maybe something they could have tried was to pit Charles under the VSC and put him back on the medium compund if they had any new left.
An eventual safety car would have opened up a few possibilities then.

[P38 in workshop]

Originally Posted by F1Pete

Yep, Toto barely broke a smile. I'm glad I'm not the only one beating the drum. Ocon can't be too pleased either. It is still an even playing field in terms of points and it's a long season.

Ocon can't be too pleased either. Where would he go if Bottas wins the championship?
Replace Hamilton?

Sent from my SM-G955W using Tapatalk

Maybe he was just reflecting on the much lower cost of Bottas and the great value he represents.He certainly seems able to cope with pressure.


Has anything emerged about Gasly's engine trouble yet?It sounded very sick when he left the circuit.

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by P38 in workshop

Maybe he was just reflecting on the much lower cost of Bottas and the great value he represents.He certainly seems able to cope with pressure.


Has anything emerged about Gasly's engine trouble yet?It sounded very sick when he left the circuit.

RBR is saying drive shaft failure.

Richard

[greentrumpet]

The drive shaft at the end of the conrods?

[ApexTurtle]

Originally Posted by gert

I don't think Ferrari could have done anything else to get Leclerc higher up.
An earlier stop would have put him on a 2-stop strategy and that wouldn't have got him any closer to Max.

Maybe something they could have tried was to pit Charles under the VSC and put him back on the medium compund if they had any new left.
An eventual safety car would have opened up a few possibilities then.

Exactly, thanks for putting it so clearly. And Leclerc did not have any new medium sets anyway. The simple truth is he burned up his tyres during his glory run in the first stint. Anyone calling for Ferrari to pit him early was very clearly not paying attention or had some other agenda.

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

RBR is saying drive shaft failure.

Richard

Reminiscent of the time when Martin Bumble’s McLaren Peugeot erupted in a ball of flame (not for the first time) about 100 yards after the start at Silverstone. “Oil leak”, said Peugeot. “Yes”, said Martin, “Leaking out through the ___king great hole in the side of the block.”

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by greentrumpet

The drive shaft at the end of the conrods?

Maybe? The actual wording from Honda and RBR is "suspected driveshaft issue". So nothing definitive yet.

My guess is that its something after and not before the clutch. But who knows... they could be lying. But why would they? They gain nothing. If the engine is toast, we will know as it will not be used again.

Richard

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by greentrumpet

The drive shaft at the end of the conrods?

Maybe crankshaft and driveshaft got mixed up in translation...

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

Maybe? The actual wording from Honda and RBR is "suspected driveshaft issue". So nothing definitive yet.

My guess is that its something after and not before the clutch. But who knows... they could be lying. But why would they? They gain nothing. If the engine is toast, we will know as it will not be used again.

Richard

Gasly:

"Things in the race went pretty well and we got to P6 but unfortunately we didn’t make it to the end as I had a driveshaft failure."

[peebee2]

Engine sounded normal when he stopped so always suggested something drivetrain.

[VIVA GT]

I've been watching F1 races on TV and at the circuits now for over 50 but on Sunday, I learned something new. Thanks do Danny Ricciardo's little incident, I know know that the cars are fitted with reversing lights!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

I've been watching F1 races on TV and at the circuits now for over 50 but on Sunday, I learned something new. Thanks do Danny Ricciardo's little incident, I know know that the cars are fitted with reversing lights!

First time I’ve seen those lights working, but everything points towards them being used in conjunction with rain light, so a bit confused......

https://www.racefans.net/2018/10/12/...ights-in-2019/

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

First time I’ve seen those lights working, but everything points towards them being used in conjunction with rain light, so a bit confused......

https://www.racefans.net/2018/10/12/...ights-in-2019/

That article refers to the end-plate lights - not a reversing light.
I didn't notice a reversing light, but that seems to be what is referred to by VIVA GT.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

That article refers to the end-plate lights - not a reversing light.
I didn't notice a reversing light, but that seems to be what is referred to by VIVA GT.

What I saw were flashing end plate lights- unless my eyes deceived me.....

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

What I saw were flashing end plate lights- unless my eyes deceived me.....

They were first tested and evaluated in May 2018 by Mercedes, and introduced as a requirement for 2019.
They are a replication of the centre light - used in wet weather, when pit lane limiter is applied, when harvesting and also if the driver chooses to use them.

It is almost certain that the car was not deploying any KERS at the time, so harvesting was taking place.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Watching this replay of the incident, the lights on the end plates start flashing after the Renault hit the TR and has stopped moving.

https://youtu.be/01Z9RkUBctQ

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by crmalcolm

That article refers to the end-plate lights - not a reversing light.
I didn't notice a reversing light, but that seems to be what is referred to by VIVA GT.

When I watched my recording of the race highlights early on Monday morning before coming to work, I *thought* the endplate lights came on when he selected reverse. I didn't re-play the footage, so only saw it once and briefly. I am more than happy to accept that I am mistaken.

[Mike Bell]

We may both have come to that conclusion, as that’s how it looked on C4 prog!