F1 2021 Season

Is DRS still on the cars next year with the new regs?
It would be great if it wasn't and the cars could just naturally pass each other easier. On this track, in particular, DRS makes overtaking look so manufactured
 
Yes his car is going to be far superior to a lot of the grid, but take nothing away from Hamilton there. What a drive that was. Ominous form heading into tomorrow if he can replicate anything even close to that.

It would be a very on brand for this crazy season for Hamilton to do a madness and win the race tomorrow.
 
Is DRS still on the cars next year with the new regs?
It would be great if it wasn't and the cars could just naturally pass each other easier. On this track, in particular, DRS makes overtaking look so manufactured
I believe the plan is to keep it at the start but to potentially get rid if it moving forwards depending on results ...
 
Yeah see now that race highlighted if you do a reverse sprint race they would be mega fun.
 
The key for Hamilton is getting past the Aston’s, Alpha Tauri’s, and McClarens ASAP. He has a significant straight line advantage over the Ferrari’s I think so he should be in a good position to pass those, but tomorrow when he also has to think about tyre management, if he gets stuck in a DRS train with those guys that’ll potentially be a problem.
Ferrari aren't slow down the straights anymore. Look at how Perez struggled with Sainz while he had no DRS.
 
The reason I asked (and thanks for so politely putting up with my clearly stupid questions) is there a suggestion that Max was simply trying to bring it to stewards attention.

(though I'd have thought such things would be checked regardless?)
Apparently Adrian Newey spoke to the stewards minutes before they went to check Lewis's DRS. Mercedes were saying that Max may have altered the DRS by messing with it but the stewards wouldn't accept that.
 
A few comments on the reverse grid now after that from Hamilton.

Not saying it couldn't work, but it's a different ball game. This was a sprint, Hamilton didn't really have to worry about tyre wear for one. And you also need to remember he has a new engine, he doesn't have that every single race.
 
Yeah see now that race highlighted if you do a reverse sprint race they would be mega fun.

Not so sure about that. In most reverse grid sprints the ones at the back aren't going to have brand new engines and ridiculous speed advantages.
 
Did Mercedes replace Hamilton's engine with a space shuttle rocket? I know they're able to occasionally find some good one lap pace, but how on earth was the car suddenly so fast for the entire sprint?
 
Was that with drs...
Drs is worth up to 15mph.... slipstream another couple of mph... 17mph would be the 27kph

Yeah, he had DRS.

Teams also have the option of different engine modes, which they select for quali and have to keep all race thereafter. Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Hamilton’s Merc engine was dialled up pretty high compared to everyone else’s, given its brand new & he‘s got 2 in his pool to use in 4 races.

Barring shenanigans, I think it’ll be a Bot-Ham-Ver podium. No idea which order though!
 
Great drive from Lewis. No matter how his engine was set-up and how much faster car he has some of those moves were incredible and to risk all of this in sprint race was a real sign of how competitive and hungry he is.
 
Yeah, he had DRS.

Teams also have the option of different engine modes, which they select for quali and have to keep all race thereafter. Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Hamilton’s Merc engine was dialled up pretty high compared to everyone else’s, given its brand new & he‘s got 2 in his pool to use in 4 races.

Barring shenanigans, I think it’ll be a Bot-Ham-Ver podium. No idea which order though!
Yes I think Hamilton will have his engine turned up full for the rest ofthe season as he really need to be winning races ... if he blows an engine and gets a dnf then his title hunt is totally over but it over if he does not start taking chunks out of Verstapens lead anyway
 
The difference in pace today was unreal. Tomorrow will be interesting. It will also be interesting to see if Mercedes can keep this up till the last race without blowing the engine. If they can, I think Hamilton could win the lot.
 
He was 4 tenths quicker than Max yesterday. And with the new wing today didn't look any slower. Yes I would put it down to a fresh new unrestricted engine. But even then you need a ballsy driver to complete the overtakes. Brilliant drive and Lewis is on one this weekend.
 
He was 4 tenths quicker than Max yesterday. And with the new wing today didn't look any slower. Yes I would put it down to a fresh new unrestricted engine. But even then you need a ballsy driver to complete the overtakes. Brilliant drive and Lewis is on one this weekend.
I mean he knows it’s do or die this weekend especially now with the DQ and the engine penalty. I am a Lewis fan, but I would mind Max winning this year because he’s so good. But I’m hoping we see Lewis just back to the wall absolutely turn it on and show why he’s the best for the next 4 races.
 
The difference in pace today was unreal. Tomorrow will be interesting. It will also be interesting to see if Mercedes can keep this up till the last race without blowing the engine. If they can, I think Hamilton could win the lot.
Think they will need to get a new engine for bottas as well and hope that they can pull off a few 1-2 finishes
 
They might as well just build three more new engines and take 5 place penalties for the next 3 races as well.

Their car with a new engine is half a second a lap quicker than the Red Bulls on Interlagos, the advantage in Qatar or Yas Marina will be even bigger.
 
Horner's comments were interesting, he said on Sky they know what it is. Everything points to the rear wing and Max said he was checking how much it was flexing. Horner also said it isn't possible on horsepower alone to make that difference.

Whatever Merc have been doing since Turkey (it was reported in Mexico they had to reduce top speed due to the bumps damaging the rear wing and Red Bull also had some cracks) it is an absolute beast on the straight.

Fair play to them, they've consistently been the best and most innovative team in this era. Add one of the best drivers around it was almost unfair today!
 
who cares he got dq'd?

What kind of answer is that? So no one knows what "damage" Toto is talking about then? He just talking out of his ass? If there were no damage to Lewis' car, why was the wing off by whatever millimetres they found? Because cheating maybe?
 
What kind of answer is that? So no one knows what "damage" Toto is talking about then? He just talking out of his ass? If there were no damage to Lewis' car, why was the wing off by whatever millimetres they found? Because cheating maybe?

There is genuinely zero evidence to suggest that there was any form of cheating involved. The stewards said so themselves and even Horner said that he didn’t think that it was intentional. Horner said that he didn’t know how much they were over by but it was unlikely that it has any impact on the pace so to suggest that a 0.2mm breach was intentional to cheat is pretty hilarious
 
What kind of answer is that? So no one knows what "damage" Toto is talking about then? He just talking out of his ass? If there were no damage to Lewis' car, why was the wing off by whatever millimetres they found? Because cheating maybe?
Bit hard for him to say if they haven’t had the wing back to look into it yet.

Doesn’t sound like cheating as I thought it had passed pre qualifying (?) and apparently it’s not “millimetreS”, it’s 0.2 of a millimetre or 0.23% outside the 85mm allowed. Doubt that makes much of an impact.
 
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There is genuinely zero evidence to suggest that there was any form of cheating involved. The stewards said so themselves and even Horner said that he didn’t think that it was intentional. Horner said that he didn’t know how much they were over by but it was unlikely that it has any impact on the pace so to suggest that a 0.2mm breach was intentional to cheat is pretty hilarious

I am not saying I am convinced Mercedes cheated, I am simply asking if they claim the discrepancy comes from damage, please elaborate where that damage came from. If he can not, then his rationale for the wing being off by 0.2mm is invalid, no? FIA are very strict when applying the rules, all the teams knows this, and yet time and time again they get charged for something.

Bit hard for him to say if they haven’t had the wing back to look into it yet.

Doesn’t sound like cheating as I thought it had passed pre qualifying (?) and apparently it’s not “millimetreS”, it’s 0.2 of a millimetre or 0.0023% outside the 85mm allowed. Doubt that makes much of an impact.

Of course, a bit harsh telling everyone to feck off as well then? If they haven't got the wing back to make sure it wasn't their error that caused the punishment? I have no idea if this is how it works, but just for fun - if the wing improved the top speed by 0.0023% more than anyone else on the track at 200mph that would be 0.75km/h. Which is definitely an impact, considering DRS gives what? 12-14 km/h? Potentially, almost a full km/h on top of everyone else. And if the wing was up by 0.2mm the entire race, that's not just short of 1 km/h gain in DRS zones, but the entire track.
 
I am not saying I am convinced Mercedes cheated, I am simply asking if they claim the discrepancy comes from damage, please elaborate where that damage came from. If he can not, then his rationale for the wing being off by 0.2mm is invalid, no? FIA are very strict when applying the rules, all the teams knows this, and yet time and time again they get charged for something.

Of course, a bit harsh telling everyone to feck off as well then? If they haven't got the wing back to make sure it wasn't their error that caused the punishment? I have no idea if this is how it works, but just for fun - if the wing improved the top speed by 0.0023% more than anyone else on the track at 200mph that would be 0.75km/h. Which is definitely an impact, considering DRS gives what? 12-14 km/h? Potentially, almost a full km/h on top of everyone else. And if the wing was up by 0.2mm the entire race, that's not just short of 1 km/h gain in DRS zones, but the entire track.
This feels like talking to someone in a cult. Clearly made your mind up.… you want Wolff to elaborate without having the piece back to inspect? You can’t see the catch 22 in that?

And you think saying ‘feck them all’ is equivalent to having a driver put to the back of the grid for qualifying?

Then you use the 0.0023 and multiply by the top speeds to get 0.75kmh (ok), then round it up to 1kmh (why??) then say that’s 1kmh for “the entire track” … they don’t go round the entire circuit at 200mph :lol:

On top, the stewards have said they’re happy there was no intent.

Im fine with rules being rules and teams getting penalised… Mercedes have, Wolff (despite the decision) took it in good grace and explained a lot more than was being bandied around. One expletive when his driver had made 15 places in 20-odd laps is surely to be expected, almost… human?