2016 F1 Race Thread (Potential Spoilers, Watch the Race First!)

[Insomniac]

Ferrari looked strong, but in the end reliability and race strategy got them. It was crazy seeing Alonso get out of that car. It was pretty well destroyed and thankfully didn't hit the wall at the end of the barrel roll. Verstappen his usual entitled self, but the announcers love the 18 year old. Haas with 8 points already. For sure they finished higher based on the strategy, but there were good cars behind that couldn't do much at all to get in front. They couldn't tell Hamilton how to shut off an alarm. Did he have to put up with it the rest of the way?

[cameraman]

Alonso said that the reason he got out of his car as fast as he possibly could was that he knew his mother was watching the race on TV :eek:

[NismoZ]

Well sure...nobody wants to worry there mother...OR a few million others watching!

[dando]

Jeebus! :eek:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B71x5M2nC6A

[cameraman]

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeBesGYUMAAv7vN.jpg:large

[dando]

Relax. I can fix it....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN_Nod65e7o

;)

[Hard Driver]

Good race.. Haas did really well. Can't expect an attrition rate like that to help all the time. But then again, if they get rid of the idiotic qualifying rules, they may start mid pack, instead of at the rear of the field.

Pretty basic tire strategy decision seemed to baffle announcers. Yup, when they all get to change to a free set of tires at the red flag, the Ferrari on the super soft was obviously was going to make one stop and the Mclaren on the harder tires were going to no stop the rest of the race. Ferrari just wasn't able to open up a gap on the red tires they needed for their stop.

[Insomniac]

Ferrari just wasn't able to open up a gap on the red tires they needed for their stop.

I think even if he did, it's doubtful he would've made it past Rosberg. I think being the leader, they should've matched the strategy of their competition to ensure they stayed in front.

[WickerBill]

That mistake was not very Alonso-like. It sure seemed like he had room on his left to not have to get so close to GUT - and he obviously had a speed advantage.


1. McLaren 14th in a race with that much attrition? Son of a.... going to be another long year.
2. Hamilton was quite gracious, hugging Rosberg and not screaming at his team. Write that down, won't happen much.
3. The McLaren tub did its job, but that was perilously close to a top-first wall impact. I guess I'll concede it's halo time. I'm amazed at the rigidity of the air intake.
4. I'm becoming a Sainz fan, not because of anything he's done or said, just because I want to see his teammate beaten repeatedly. Insomniac said it right - the announcers are massively in love with him, especially Matchett (who is a complete self-important #&%$). How can the announcers not mention VES refusing team orders last year when SAI was faced with the same in this race?
5. I was pretty sure Matchett was going to need a cigarette after the Ferraris ended up 1-2 on lap 1.
6. I liked seeing Webber and Vettel at least pretending to be friendly on the podium. The interviewer should always be a fairly recent former driver.

[SteveH]

Possible explanation for Alonso's crash. Makes sense to me
https://mobile.twitter.com/tgruener/status/711504007483686912

[SteveH]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDNnh3LBml5/

[Elmo T]

http://i67.tinypic.com/160ssjr.jpg

[Insomniac]

That mistake was not very Alonso-like. It sure seemed like he had room on his left to not have to get so close to GUT - and he obviously had a speed advantage.


1. McLaren 14th in a race with that much attrition? Son of a.... going to be another long year.
2. Hamilton was quite gracious, hugging Rosberg and not screaming at his team. Write that down, won't happen much.
3. The McLaren tub did its job, but that was perilously close to a top-first wall impact. I guess I'll concede it's halo time. I'm amazed at the rigidity of the air intake.
4. I'm becoming a Sainz fan, not because of anything he's done or said, just because I want to see his teammate beaten repeatedly. Insomniac said it right - the announcers are massively in love with him, especially Matchett (who is a complete self-important #&%$). How can the announcers not mention VES refusing team orders last year when SAI was faced with the same in this race?
5. I was pretty sure Matchett was going to need a cigarette after the Ferraris ended up 1-2 on lap 1.
6. I liked seeing Webber and Vettel at least pretending to be friendly on the podium. The interviewer should always be a fairly recent former driver.

I think Lewis knew he was the only one to blame for the poor start and the team got him to 2nd. They did seem to get along better on the podium, but it's the first race. The announcers hinted at Singapore but they can't pass up any opportunity to gush over him. And it's all of them. Webber and Vettel seemed genuine. With the competitiveness out of the way it makes it a lot easier to reminisce.

[indyfan31]

2. Hamilton was quite gracious, hugging Rosberg and not screaming at his team. Write that down, won't happen much.


If gracious includes leaving your trophy on the podium and walking away then . . . ok. :\

[WickerBill]

If Alonso's car had the halo, how does he get out of the car so quickly?

Pros and cons to everything, I suppose.

[SteveH]

https://mobile.twitter.com/F1/status/711957099924697088

[Insomniac]

If Alonso's car had the halo, how does he get out of the car so quickly?

Pros and cons to everything, I suppose.

Similar problem to landing upside down, right? Marshals need to flip the car.

[Hard Driver]

That mistake was not very Alonso-like. It sure seemed like he had room on his left to not have to get so close to GUT - and he obviously had a speed advantage.


6. I liked seeing Webber and Vettel at least pretending to be friendly on the podium. The interviewer should always be a fairly recent former driver.

Alonso misjudged the speed difference. Maybe Gutierez braked a bit early and Alonso was thinking they were going to have a late braking duel, but Alonso moved left a fraction too late.

Wonder what Kimi thinks of Vettel saying he wished Webber was his teammate?

[cameraman]

I saw a post online somewhere stating that Gutierez's harvesting system had just kicked in hard and it was the equivalent of him standing on the brakes. The insinuation wasn't set properly & it was collecting too much, too fast and slowing the car a ton at some of the corners. Who knows.

[NismoZ]

Saying sorry for this ahead of time...did/does F-1 have a standard for car numbers? That "14" is about the ugliest one I've seen! We can't have drivers or teams showing a bit of personality can we? Or art...or independence? Also, perhaps NO comparison, but seconds after that crash all I could think of was Michael Andtetti getting "nudged" (at SPEED!) on the back straight at MidOhio...Thanks to the biggest sand trap I have ever seen in racing he, like Alonso, just got out and walked away! If that big mound of dirt was still there the story would have been VERY different. The instant Alonso stopped rolling, an overhead view showed his crumpled car up against the WALL. I was momentarily filled with terror...looked like he found the ONE spot where the padding was at it's slightest! Question...how many of you have watched from the outside of Canada corner at RA as cars approach at 200+ mph? (Indy/Champ etc.) That "runoff" is way better than it used to be, but...I cringe when I think of an Alonso/Andretti like "incident" happening there.

[SteveH]

Lucky for Alonso the sand trap was rather large. Definitely more traps at Albert Park than at a 'traditional' street course and this accident could have occurred on any track that F1 races on.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/01_Australia_E_300DPI-886x498.jpg

[WickerBill]

Wonder what Kimi thinks of Vettel saying he wished Webber was his teammate?

Webber was definitely more of a challenge than Kimi has been, sadly. Webber went into the last race one year - maybe 2011 - with a chance to win the title. Kimi just doesn't look that kind of driver anymore.

[Insomniac]

Lucky for Alonso the sand trap was rather large. Definitely more traps at Albert Park than at a 'traditional' street course and this accident could have occurred on any track that F1 races on.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/01_Australia_E_300DPI-886x498.jpg

But he was also sent rolling because the car hit the grass to sand transition sideways.

[NismoZ]

BUT...wasn't that a good thing because he "scrubbed off" a LOT of speed and MAY have hit the barriers at a square angle going MUCH faster....but I know what you mean. Who ended his career at Long Beach taking to an escape road only to find a parked car in the way from an earlier incident. Ferrari, I believe. Regazonni? Screwed up his legs, moved over to offshore boat racing. REALLY screwed that up too...I think?:( A most incredible escape road incident took place last year in Toronto, in Indy Lights...if you are a mind to, all you have to do is punch in "RC Enerson, Indy Lights Toronto Crash" on Youtube. If you decide to look at it tell me if you think his nose-cone ticked the bottom of the walkover bridge (!)...if it DID I think it helped him out! No injury, walked away, 18 yrs old! I may have mentioned this before on this forum, suggesting he take up soccer or something.

[SteveH]

I'm not sure how much speed he scrubbed off as he flew half the way to the wall. ;)

[Insomniac]

BUT...wasn't that a good thing because he "scrubbed off" a LOT of speed and MAY have hit the barriers at a square angle going MUCH faster....but I know what you mean. Who ended his career at Long Beach taking to an escape road only to find a parked car in the way from an earlier incident. Ferrari, I believe. Regazonni? Screwed up his legs, moved over to offshore boat racing. REALLY screwed that up too...I think?:( A most incredible escape road incident took place last year in Toronto, in Indy Lights...if you are a mind to, all you have to do is punch in "RC Enerson, Indy Lights Toronto Crash" on Youtube. If you decide to look at it tell me if you think his nose-cone ticked the bottom of the walkover bridge (!)...if it DID I think it helped him out! No injury, walked away, 18 yrs old! I may have mentioned this before on this forum, suggesting he take up soccer or something.

It's hard to say IMO. I was just pointing out the for the same reason there was that much space for the roll, it also caused it. Gutierrez came to a stop in the middle. CART started to pave areas instead of having grass around the time of Greg Moore's death.

[Insomniac]

So-so race. Most of the action was behind the front and involved pit stop reshuffling putting cars together. Vettel loses his engine on the warm up lap. Rosberg has a better start and Hamilton/Bottas collide in turn 1. A little mix-up there to start that eventually got sorted out. Rosberg had it under control from start to end. Haas (Grojean) is doing better that I expected as a new team. Verstappen love fest at a minimum. Tire strategy worked itself out and barely any caution flags despite the debris flying. Has anyone figured out what what the tire symbol means if it's solid color vs just an outline? I was kind of thinking maybe new vs scrubbed? They were constantly messing up tire graphics today so who knows. Be interesting to see if Rosberg keeps this rolling. He seems to have the confidence. Mercedes already with a 50 point lead in constructors championship. 1 more win for Rosberg and he will have a whole race victory of points on #2 already.

[cameraman]

outlined is used tires, solid is new set

[Insomniac]

Did everyone enjoy the Max show?

[cameraman]

Meh. The Mercs were out because Rosberg configured his car wrong at the start. Rosberg was far slower than he realized and closed the door a bit too late as Hamilton was far faster at that moment. That's racing. As for Max, the car was faster than either Ferrari and you can't pass on that track without a significant speed advantage. Red Bull split the strategies and Max's 2-stop was the better choice than Daniel's 3-stop. Max drove a clean race but that doesn't make him Senna-reincarnate despite what the yammering idiots on the tv claim.

[Insomniac]

Meh. The Mercs were out because Rosberg configured his car wrong at the start. Rosberg was far slower than he realized and closed the door a bit too late as Hamilton was far faster at that moment. That's racing. As for Max, the car was faster than either Ferrari and you can't pass on that track without a significant speed advantage. Red Bull split the strategies and Max's 2-stop was the better choice than Daniel's 3-stop. Max drove a clean race but that doesn't make him Senna-reincarnate despite what the yammering idiots on the tv claim.

I really enjoyed their reach for superlatives and commendations.

I mean, where was this one at? Kimi Raikkonen was the oldest person to finish in the top 2 since Mark Webber in 2013.

[WickerBill]

I thought Kimi might pip him to the line as Max veered toward his pit board on the last lap. Now that would've been fun.

[Insomniac]

I thought Kimi might pip him to the line as Max veered toward his pit board on the last lap. Now that would've been fun.

Someday, someone will do it, and it'll be hilarious.

You missed the US commentators, but they actually said there was no need to change the technical regulations because that race was great. Well, Mercedes isn't going to take itself out every race and it would be nice if the faster car could pass. Even DRS isn't enough. They need to get just to that point where DRS is enough. They really need to be at a point where they don't need DRS at all.

On Nico's bad setting, is that also why he was able to go around the outside like that after Hamilton had the better start?

[WickerBill]

Someday, someone will do it, and it'll be hilarious.

You missed the US commentators, but they actually said there was no need to change the technical regulations because that race was great.

I didn't miss them, per se, at all. :)

That's really stupid commentary. "I've just eaten, so world hunger must be solved!"

[Gopeddle]

I got a kick out of the NBCSN commentators, after Hamilton went on the grass, came back on and took himself and his teammate out, his car went skidding across the sand trap and as his hands went up to cover his face. Hobbo and crew commented that Hamilton was covering his face for safety. I think he was covering his face in an "Oh F**k, what did I just do!?!?!?" gesture. Which would have been appropriate.

[WickerBill]

They said that? Are you kidding?


Yes, let me put my fleshy appendages on the outside of this hard-shell device; that'll save me. I'm sure that's what he was thinking.

[mapguy]

Someday, someone will do it, and it'll be hilarious.



6R43mBWirio

[SteveH]

I got a kick out of the NBCSN commentators, after Hamilton went on the grass, came back on and took himself and his teammate out, his car went skidding across the sand trap and as his hands went up to cover his face. Hobbo and crew commented that Hamilton was covering his face for safety. I think he was covering his face in an "Oh F**k, what did I just do!?!?!?" gesture. Which would have been appropriate.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFcFY3vzA7G/

[Hard Driver]

I got a kick out of the NBCSN commentators, after Hamilton went on the grass, came back on and took himself and his teammate out, his car went skidding across the sand trap and as his hands went up to cover his face. Hobbo and crew commented that Hamilton was covering his face for safety. I think he was covering his face in an "Oh F**k, what did I just do!?!?!?" gesture. Which would have been appropriate.

Not sure how Nico screwing up the mode of the car, and then steering right, right into Hamilton is anyone's fault but Nico... I read Nico was in low power mode, rather than race mode. And if you analyze the in car video, like this guy, you see Nico drove him onto the grass after Hamilton was up next to his rear wheel and going a LOT faster. Mistake was Nico's at the start which then cause him to make another mistake messing with his wheel and driving into Hamilton.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAJXvJMYglc

[Pilgrims Drop]

Not sure how Nico screwing up the mode of the car, and then steering right, right into Hamilton is anyone's fault but Nico... I read Nico was in low power mode, rather than race mode. And if you analyze the in car video, like this guy, you see Nico drove him onto the grass after Hamilton was up next to his rear wheel and going a LOT faster. Mistake was Nico's at the start which then cause him to make another mistake messing with his wheel and driving into Hamilton.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAJXvJMYglc

Nicos move was within the rules of the sport. He is allowed to use the entire width of the track as they're not in a braking zone. And you really think Sky Sports are unbiased in this??

Louise put himself on the grass because his gigantic ego... had he been a smart driver he'd gone to the outside as soon as he saw Nico move to cover the inside line... he'd passed him for sure then... and hadn't Nico left his engine in the harvest mode there hadn't been a chance anyway... both drivers effed up

Racing Incident... end of

Now all we need is to have them both DNF or DQ before the race starts and we'll have more great exciting racing instead of the snoozefests sponsored by Merc

[cameraman]

Hamilton was committed before Nico moved right, it was the clearer side when he made the decision. There's was no going back on that given the speed differential, Hamilton would have rear-ended Rosberg if he had tried.
Ultimately I see it as more Rosberg than Hamilton because:
1. Nico screwed up and set the switches wrong at the start, that is 100% his fault alone and he has yet to admit that. "We need to determine what happened" screw you Nico, you and you alone set the switch wrong, full stop.
2. Nico's chop was way too aggressive for the first 30 seconds of the race, Hamilton was there and far, far faster.

And I'm quite sure Hamilton really wishes he had gone to the outside. Nico would have gone wide to block and the speed differential would still have been 17 kph but there would have been more room for Hamilton to avoid him.

I'm not too fond of Nico...

[Pilgrims Drop]

Hamilton was committed before Nico moved right, it was the clearer side when he made the decision. There's was no going back on that given the speed differential, Hamilton would have rear-ended Rosberg if he had tried.
Ultimately I see it as more Rosberg than Hamilton because:
1. Nico screwed up and set the switches wrong at the start, that is 100% his fault alone and he has yet to admit that. "We need to determine what happened" screw you Nico, you and you alone set the switch wrong, full stop.
2. Nico's chop was way too aggressive for the first 30 seconds of the race, Hamilton was there and far, far faster.

And I'm quite sure Hamilton really wishes he had gone to the outside. Nico would have gone wide to block and the speed differential would still have been 17 kph but there would have been more room for Hamilton to avoid him.

I'm not too fond of Nico...

Way too aggressive and Louises move isn't?? He isn't even close to have anything alongside until he is on the bloody grass!! He should grow a braincell and stop thinking he is Senna(whom by the way would've given Nico the dummy and lured him to the inside line and then gone outside)

And of course Nico turns later as his is a reaction to what he sees in his mirrors... and he is within the rules to use the full width of the track...

Should he just roll over and let him pass?? Is THAT the kind of racing you want??

[chop456]

Hamilton's fault. the car has 2 pedals, one of which would have prevented that from happening.

[opinionated ow]

Basically Rosberg Senna'd Hamilton. Martin Brundle once described racing against Senna and said that his tactic with a rival was to put them in a place where they had a choice-relent or have an accident. If the opponent relented he was psychologically broken for good. If the opponent ran into him he lost the chance to beat Senna and was psychologically broken too.

Hamilton has shown time and again this year that he can't handle being beaten by Rosberg. You'd think an astute Senna fan-like Hamilton is-would be aware of these sort of tactics. Rosberg was in front, Hamilton was behind. Hamilton's fault.

[gjc2]

Not sure how Nico screwing up the mode of the car, and then steering right, right into Hamilton is anyone's fault but Nico... I read Nico was in low power mode, rather than race mode. And if you analyze the in car video, like this guy, you see Nico drove him onto the grass after Hamilton was up next to his rear wheel and going a LOT faster. Mistake was Nico's at the start which then cause him to make another mistake messing with his wheel and driving into Hamilton.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAJXvJMYglc

I really don't like the hybrid drive on GP cars. Race cars aren't supposed to be "socially responsible" they're supposed to be fire breathing monsters.

[gerhard911]

Put blame where you want but more evidence that Mr. Hamilton is not a very astute racing driver.

Comparing Rossberg's tactics to Senna is pretty accurate. Schumacher learned them and made them his own. Hamilton, not so much.

[Insomniac]

Racing incident, but if it was a civil trial I'd apportion more blame to Rosberg. Hamilton made a move and Rosberg tried to block it. It appears late because of the speed difference which is Rosberg's fault. I don't even know why they allow blocking like that, it's so blatant and off the racing line. Hamilton had room until he didn't. I don't know how you expect him to let off in that space of time. I don't think feet or the car react nearly as fast as it does to hands/steering. Then add they're team mates.

[WickerBill]

But they *do* allow the blocking, so I don't see how Rosberg can be blamed for using the rulebook to the fullest. Hamilton absolutely, without question, was faster, and as is ALWAYS the case, had the responsibility to make the pass as the trailing driver.

The racing line was left wide open.

[Tifosi24]

But they *do* allow the blocking, so I don't see how Rosberg can be blamed for using the rulebook to the fullest. Hamilton absolutely, without question, was faster, and as is ALWAYS the case, had the responsibility to make the pass as the trailing driver.

The racing line was left wide open.

Not to mention the fact that the racing line (outside) will lead into the inside line for the next corner. Rosberg was aggressive in his block but Hamilton was drowning in red mist.

[indyfan31]

If you watch the steering wheel on Rosberg's in-car you'll see that he never straightened the car after coming out of turn 2. In fact, by the time he's done correcting the dial and pushing the overtake button the car is already pointing at the grass, that's when he straightens the wheel and corrects a little to the left.

When Rosberg came out of 2 he was in no-mans-land, right in the middle of the track with Lewis slightly outside of him. The "gap" was about the same on either side of the Rosberg, why Lewis chose to go the inside is known only to him. Hamilton chose poorly.

[Hard Driver]

My take, if you set the switch wrong at the start and screw up... then when you are exiting a fast corner you car start regenning power and you slow significantly and have to start messing with switches.... Then you see your TEAMMATE with at full speed, much faster than you closing in on the right, you don't slam him into the grass....

Because Nico screwed up the engine setting, this was not a normal pass. Lewis didn't have time to jink back to the left when his closing speed was so much faster. Nico was way too aggressive blocking after his own screw up was getting him passed....

[Insomniac]

But they *do* allow the blocking, so I don't see how Rosberg can be blamed for using the rulebook to the fullest. Hamilton absolutely, without question, was faster, and as is ALWAYS the case, had the responsibility to make the pass as the trailing driver.

The racing line was left wide open.

I just feel like it's the messed up setting, not the action, which was legal. I can see the logic to pick the longer way around / off-line to pass since you generally have to do it the hard way. However, Rosberg forced Hamilton off the road, Hamilton didn't panic and drive off on his own. Being in front or not, blocking or not, Hamilton was still on the track and it wasn't a corner.

I also restate, they're team mates. This is different if it's not team mates. The actions between them are supposed to be less aggressive.

[dando]

Got Halo?

http://www.foxsports.com/motor/story/f1-2017-cockpit-protection-halo-aeroscreen-052816

[cameraman]

It is raining hard at the moment so the track will be green at best.

[WickerBill]

Did Riccardo come in a lap earlier than his crew expected? Of course the announcers placed all the blame on the crew but I just wonder...

[gerhard911]

Daniel said post race that the team had called him in.

[cameraman]

The exact cause is complicated and hasn't been publicly announced. The pit wall at Monaco is on the second floor above the pit itself. The pit crew was ready to go with two sets of tires waiting, softs and supersofts. They knew he was coming in but the message that told them what tires to use never arrived on the electronic messaging wall that controls everything that they do. Why the message never appeared is the question. So the crew was left standing there with no instructions on which tires to use and they are not allowed to just pick one on their own. With no direct eyesight between the pit wall and the pit the people on the pit wall were not aware that the crew had no instructions. Normally there would have been much hand-waving and other signalling. The people on the pit wall thought the message had gone through.

[Hard Driver]

My understanding is that since the Monaco garages are so small, and you have wet, intermediate, and three types of slicks, that all the tires can not be in the garage. So some are stuck in the back somewhere. When Hamilton went on the ultra soft, Red Bull reacted by changing from the soft to the super soft... But the guys making the call didn't know what tires were in the garage and could not see as usual from their perch above the garages.... So the team scrambled to some other storage location to go get and unplug the super softs that were not staged in the garage.

Definitely cost him the race, and the soft tires would have won it for him anyway. They over thought themselves.

[datachicane]

Wow, that was a challenge finding a way to see that race at all. Good race, though.

[WickerBill]

If it's possible, Hamilton intentionally didn't take the apex to cause Rosberg problems, *and* it was purely a racing thing. He did an absolutely amazing job of making it look like "just racing".

Red Bull supposedly paid Ricciardo a $1M win bonus for Monaco because he should have had it... but this race was pretty bad for him too.

Rosberg HAS to be a better racer / passer. Vettel, Hamilton, etc would have made it past Verstappen, IMO.

[Insomniac]

Wow, that was a challenge finding a way to see that race at all. Good race, though.

I checked in on my DVR before the race started. I assumed it would be on NBCSN.

How slow do they have to lap under the VSC? If it lasted 30 seconds longer would it have allowed Vettel to come out in front of the Red Bulls or was it purely that Ferrari felt it was a 3 stop race? They weren't even sure if DRS was enabled which was funny. The graphic was on screen and Matchett is trying to explain sometimes they don't show it for his confusion. That start from Vettel was even better than the one from the beginning of the year. Watching the video, it really seemed like such a big difference in such a small amount of time. He seemed to react faster, but the car also just launched. Hamilton bounced Rosberg saying it was understeer. The camera in the post race room was cool. Max definitely made a second move on Rosberg at the end. I think Hobbs noticed it but was quickly corrected by Matchett. Saint Max would not do that, Rosberg was already past him. These tires are odd. Last year we saw them just not last and this year they last forever without a cliff. Then it seemed like the soft was better than the super soft for lap times.

[datachicane]

If it's possible, Hamilton intentionally didn't take the apex to cause Rosberg problems, *and* it was purely a racing thing. He did an absolutely amazing job of making it look like "just racing".

Red Bull supposedly paid Ricciardo a $1M win bonus for Monaco because he should have had it... but this race was pretty bad for him too.

Rosberg HAS to be a better racer / passer. Vettel, Hamilton, etc would have made it past Verstappen, IMO.

:thumbup: Agreed on all points.

Our original 11AM broadcast on NBC was preempted for news coverage from Orlando, and the scheduled 5PM rebroadcast on NBCSN was preempted for some NBC LPGA coverage. I ended up streaming the race from the NBCSN website, turns out they'd broadcast it at 2PM instead of 5, bumping the Earl off to CNBC in the process. That's a big TV salad.

[Insomniac]

Rosberg HAS to be a better racer / passer. Vettel, Hamilton, etc would have made it past Verstappen, IMO.

He did have fuel conservation issues. What else could he do? Just get closer out of the hairpin?

[WickerBill]

Max blocked the inside, but not all the way. Vettel would have gone inside. Even without that, Max conceded the racing line to Rosberg, meaning Max was on the marbles. And Nico still couldn't outbrake him?

This also stems from my belief that Nico is average unless he's out front. Too bad, I like him 25x more than Lewis.

[chop456]

This also stems from my belief that Nico is average unless he's out front. Too bad, I like him 25x more than Lewis.
All Rosberg had to do was hold his line, stay within track limits and let Hamilton crash them both. Maybe get a grid penalty for the next race, too. He has to get that through his pretty little head.

Not a Rosberg fan, but I don't see how anyone can be a Hamilton fan except maybe 13 year old girls.

[opinionated ow]

All Rosberg had to do was hold his line, stay within track limits and let Hamilton crash them both. Maybe get a grid penalty for the next race, too. He has to get that through his pretty little head.

Not a Rosberg fan, but I don't see how anyone can be a Hamilton fan except maybe 13 year old girls.

Rosberg needs to be shown video of Senna. Force Hamilton to have the crash. Use Lewis' tactics against him essentially.

[Insomniac]

Max blocked the inside, but not all the way. Vettel would have gone inside. Even without that, Max conceded the racing line to Rosberg, meaning Max was on the marbles. And Nico still couldn't outbrake him?

This also stems from my belief that Nico is average unless he's out front. Too bad, I like him 25x more than Lewis.

But then he made a move back out to the outside after that. That's all I'm saying. He clearly did it and Matchett declared he didn't. It wasn't enough to draw anyone's ire.

[Insomniac]

Not a Rosberg fan, but I don't see how anyone can be a Hamilton fan except maybe 13 year old girls.

I like Hamilton and I'm not a 13 year old girl!

[WickerBill]

I like Hamilton and I'm not a 13 year old girl!

Let's dive in to that a little bit. Do you like the petulance most, or the pouting? Bieber or Mayweather? :)

[Insomniac]

Let's dive in to that a little bit. Do you like the petulance most, or the pouting? Bieber or Mayweather? :)

I think once I liked him (when at McLaren), it's hard to not like him. He certainly hasn't done anything to make me want to turn on him. I can see why he bothers people, but he has been better this season IMO. Definitely don't care about Bieber. Mayweather, I can respect the skill, but I don't care about him either to probably dislike him given the domestic violence.

[WickerBill]

I think once I liked him (when at McLaren), it's hard to not like him. He certainly hasn't done anything to make me want to turn on him. I can see why he bothers people, but he has been better this season IMO. Definitely don't care about Bieber. Mayweather, I can respect the skill, but I don't care about him either to probably dislike him given the domestic violence.

Eh, I'm just teasing. If you liked him at McLaren, so be it. Your fandom precedes the jet-setting pretty-boy attitude and other stuff that I despise so much.

[Insomniac]

Eh, I'm just teasing. If you liked him at McLaren, so be it. Your fandom precedes the jet-setting pretty-boy attitude and other stuff that I despise so much.

I figured. :) I did like him there, I have the hat to prove it. :D All the off track stuff never bothered me because it doesn't seem to affect his day job. It's kind of like Gronk. He has a good time, but the work is most important. Like I said, he seems the most level this year. I'm not sure how it would be if Rosberg kept winning, but at least through the initial adversity he stayed level.

[cameraman]

Ya really should watch this, all of it. Some of the best F1 TV ever

cpYeiQmgq70

[datachicane]

Hamilton hooked me his rookie year. I couldn't care less about the off-track stuff, the guy can flat drive.

[opinionated ow]

Well Azerbaijan was kinda crap. Lots of "overtakes" although none were actually legitimate, just DRS nonsense.

[Insomniac]

Well Azerbaijan was kinda crap. Lots of "overtakes" although none were actually legitimate, just DRS nonsense.

And mostly early during commercials. The drivers are clearly more responsible/mature that their US counterparts. They fell in line quick and didn't force any passes. Interesting problem for Hamilton, but differing reports on how long it affected him.

[WickerBill]

I read opinionated ow's post before looking at who posted it - and after I read it I didn't need to look. :) Hater.


It is very interesting that Mercedes were super quick to point out that Nico had the same issue as Lewis, but Nico immediately fixed his. For you old guys, does this remind you at all of Senna/Prost? One blindingly fast, one more studious and precise?

[indyfan31]

Sounded like Hamilton abandoned the responsible/mature scenario and opted for Meltdown/HissyFit.

[Insomniac]

I read opinionated ow's post before looking at who posted it - and after I read it I didn't need to look. :) Hater.


It is very interesting that Mercedes were super quick to point out that Nico had the same issue as Lewis, but Nico immediately fixed his. For you old guys, does this remind you at all of Senna/Prost? One blindingly fast, one more studious and precise?

They expounded on that a bit more saying that Lewis started out the race with the switch there and Rosberg put the switch there to cause the problem. They also said they screwed up the programming so what the drivers knew was wrong.


Mercedes then provided a fuller explanation. They said that Rosberg was in the wrong mode because he changed the switch, and then changed it back. Hamilton's was a different issue.

A spokesman said: ""Nico had made a change during the race that caused the issue. So when told it was an issue with the mode, as permitted by the FIA, he switched back out of it.

"Lewis had the setting from the start of the race and it was not obvious that this setting was causing the problem.

This information is interesting because it implies that the engine software is dynamic over time. It's not a simple setting in terms of what actually is happening.


Sounded like Hamilton abandoned the responsible/mature scenario and opted for Meltdown/HissyFit.

Did I miss something or are our definitions of meltdown/hissyfit different?

[cameraman]

I read opinionated ow's post before looking at who posted it - and after I read it I didn't need to look. :) Hater.


It is very interesting that Mercedes were super quick to point out that Nico had the same issue as Lewis, but Nico immediately fixed his. For you old guys, does this remind you at all of Senna/Prost? One blindingly fast, one more studious and precise?

Turns out further analysis by the Mercs has the problem being different. Nico flipped a switch with immediate ill effects and sensibly switched it directly back. That wasn't rocket science.

Hamilton's was stranger, his car was in a different configuration from the start and the car reacted oddly to the setting changes and it took forever to figure out.

Comparing the two issues is apple and oranges. Toto Wolff said today that all the simulator time in the world would not have helped Hamilton. Because both cars were misconfigured any simulations were moot. The feedback to Hamilton's changes were only seen on the pit wall, Hamilton was blind to it except car response in a couple of corners.
This is where the radio thing is idiotic:

1. the car was screwed up from the start,
2. the wall could see what was happening and knew how to fix it,
3. the driver was reduced to guessing randomly because feedback only happened at 2 corners
4. it took a dozen laps of permutations to finally get it right
5. by then it was too late and he turned the engine down to save it for later in the season and cruised the rest of the race

So because of the idiotic racing rules we didn't get to see Hamilton try to drive thru the field. The long awaited battle with Sebastian and Rosberg never happened. It is just idiotic, we are not paying to watch people debug config settings while driving.

[gerhard911]

If he would have pitted they could have fixed it. You know, just like the good old days! ;)

[WickerBill]

If he would have pitted they could have fixed it. You know, just like the good old days! ;)

Well that's just it. He knew about the problem before he pitted, right? I mean, he DID pit, didn't he? They didn't take one extra second to stick a hand in the cockpit and move a switch?

[Insomniac]

Well that's just it. He knew about the problem before he pitted, right? I mean, he DID pit, didn't he? They didn't take one extra second to stick a hand in the cockpit and move a switch?

Hamilton pit on Lap 16, started to report problems on the radio around Lap 28 and set the fastest lap (at the time) on Lap 43.

[cameraman]

Well that's just it. He knew about the problem before he pitted, right? I mean, he DID pit, didn't he? They didn't take one extra second to stick a hand in the cockpit and move a switch?

They didn't even know when they pitted, the problems for both happened later.

[indyfan31]

Did I miss something or are our definitions of meltdown/hissyfit different?

Well, how would you define this?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuHtDmVAeo0
When your engineer is trying his best to give you the answer without GIVING YOU THE ANSWER and you won't stop complaining long enough to listen. I say Hissy Fit.

[Hard Driver]

So because of the idiotic racing rules we didn't get to see Hamilton try to drive thru the field. The long awaited battle with Sebastian and Rosberg never happened. It is just idiotic, we are not paying to watch people debug config settings while driving.

Agreed. I can see not giving driving instruction, brake 20 ft deeper into turn 3, or something. But technical instruction about car settings, seems too much.

[indyfan31]

(I guess I'm the Devil's advocate today :\ )

I am by no means a purist in this sport, but I rather welcomed the rule.
The rule applies the same to everyone. That said, the "rule" didn't keep Hamilton from cutting through the field, his own stubbornness did.

[Insomniac]

Well, how would you define this?

When your engineer is trying his best to give you the answer without GIVING YOU THE ANSWER and you won't stop complaining long enough to listen. I say Hissy Fit.

I'm an apologist I guess. That's not real time. I'd define it as frustration.

[Insomniac]

Agreed. I can see not giving driving instruction, brake 20 ft deeper into turn 3, or something. But technical instruction about car settings, seems too much.

I'd say that it's a shame that Charlie didn't OK it. This was something that was unknown and unexpected for the driver. The team did something to the car and didn't inform the driver. To some extent it could've been a safety issue. Seems like a reasonable exception. What's the penalty if they just said on the radio "we misprogrammed the switch and the setting you're looking for is at position 8, not 9" or something to that affect. I suppose they may have difficulty proving that was the case, but with all the data they have, maybe not. Or, maybe as gerhard911 said, the team messed up and they could've pitted him to fix it like if they set the wing wrong. And another alternative, has any of this made any difference to improve the on track product as it was intended?

[WickerBill]

None that I can tell. It has only reduced the cool in-car audio for TV.

[WickerBill]

Well, the curbs/kerbs at A1 Ring are brutalizing everyone's suspension. Cast your ballot: kerbs shouldn't break cars, or drivers should stay off the kerbs?

[gerhard911]

Driver's should stay off the curbs!

In the bad old days, driving off course had consequences. Oftentimes you crashed, broke or beached the car. Best case, you lost a lot of time getting back on track.

With the advent of massive paved runoff areas, driving off course now has little to no negative consequence and often seems to even provide an advantage. Penalties from race control are too infrequent and not uniformly assessed. Drivers have learned to take advantage and the racing has suffered.

Unless they implement a GPS based system that applies penalties whenever a car goes 4 wheels off the racing surface, curbs that take a toll on the car's well being are fine by me.

[opinionated ow]

Well, the curbs/kerbs at A1 Ring are brutalizing everyone's suspension. Cast your ballot: kerbs shouldn't break cars, or drivers should stay off the kerbs?

I'm with Ricciardo
http://www.speedcafe.com/2016/07/03/ricciardo-drivers-must-respect-raised-kerbs/

[Mary]

I got caught up watching the Isner vs Tsonga match at Wimbledon and didn't switch back to the Austrian GP until the cool down lap! Ooops! Thought the race was a done deal :saywhat:! BTW, the tennis match is epic, but.....

Mary

[opinionated ow]

If Hamilton did that to Rosberg it would be called Rosberg's fault. Such is the bias of the commentary.

[Insomniac]

I say stay off curbs and build better parts. :)

Just to be clear, if Hamilton barely bothers to take a turn we'd be blaming Rosberg? I'm sure there's bias, but this isn't the incident to claim it.

That tire failure was spectacular. I don't think Vettel wins a 1 stop race, but I was definitely surprised they went. That happened to him before as well, right? Good qualifying and drive by Wherlein. Max did a good job holding off Vettel to start and getting past the guys in front to secure a good result. I wonder why Williams struggled so much? That race seems too short.

[WickerBill]

Look, I hate Lewis more and more every day, but Nico:

- had better tires
- had a two second lead
- had the inside line

... and he blames Lewis for having the audacity for, you know, trying to make the corner? Nico got what he deserved.

[datachicane]

Look, I hate Lewis more and more every day, but Nico:

- had better tires
- had a two second lead
- had the inside line

... and he blames Lewis for having the audacity for, you know, trying to make the corner? Nico got what he deserved.

+1

[opinionated ow]

Just to be clear, if Hamilton barely bothers to take a turn we'd be blaming Rosberg? I'm sure there's bias, but this isn't the incident to claim it.
I'm not saying Rosberg was right just that if the roles were reversed they woul still blame Rosberg

[Hard Driver]

If Hamilton did that to Rosberg it would be called Rosberg's fault. Such is the bias of the commentary.

So you are commenting on an imaginary scenario as a fact. Sounds more like you are projecting your own bias.