2022 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix

That's a great race!! usual shi*** ferrari reliability

I know I might contradict myself sometimes, when:

1- I decide not to say a word about Hamilton because I don’t want replies that attack me personally and one race later I forget it and comment.

2- I say it should be even and fair, and still I defend tight budgets for the teams, because mechanical failures are almost the only unpredictable thing in F1.

3- I say the season is full of surprises and excitement and I say some other times that F1 is the most predictable sport. I mean look at the results EVERY RACE, the fastest two teams are always in the front, then Mercedes in third as a class of its own, Alpine & Mclaren always after Merc. Even when a fast car starts from the back, it naturally makes its way through the grid and finishes second, third or fourth or so…

4- I say that these drivers are the most perfect god-like drivers who don’t do anything that’s misjudged. And I say that it’s almost boring how perfect they are. Then I see races like today, where racing lines are ALL OVER THE PLACE. Some haven’t strategically planned what’s going to happen after they attack in one corner, some others (like Verstappen) don’t think about parking the car at the apex, allowing the other car to do the in-out overtake, and finally all of them don’t ever think about tricking the driver behind out of their toe while contrary, they do half defends that only risks pushing the other driver off-track and only gives him more tow, like who today? Tsunuda?

But so far:

One thing is impressing me while I didn’t use to notice it before. Which is strategy and wisdom, I used to think that drivers push to the max all the time, but after listening to team radios, I learned that a racing driver might slow down to give a DRS to team mate or to keep tires or (you remind me with other reasons).

Also I am impressed how drivers can deal with small nuances like wind and tire wear, and how they feel lack of grip and adapt to it not with spins and F ups, but they only keep driving at the maximum that they have in hand. We don’t see this, we only hear it in team radio.

Sorry wrote this and didn't have time to revise it and make it shorter.

So the stewards went on a complete power trip in the F2 feature earlier; 1st was disqualified on a fuel technicality, 2nd got a track limits penalty, and 3rd was penalised for a petty allegation of his team trying to dry the track surface. 4th was awarded 1st even though he clearly crossed the line 4th.

Fire the stewards.

Zolazem said:

All the hate and booing etc. In F1 Is a result of the unsportsmanlike behavior of the Mercedes team by specially Toto Wolff and Lewis himself last and this season.
Constant crying about everything.

Radio silence by Lewis after last season
Lewis not present at Gala
Flexwing
Flexfloor
Jewelry
Porpoising
Crying on the radio
Etc etc etc buckets full off tears….

Every week there is something.
Most people have enough of it all and show there emotions by this behavior. Is it a good thing? Decide by yourself.

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Other teams (especially the Red Bullerds and creepy Christian, no one cried as much as they did) cried about things from 2014-2020 when Mercedes was steamrolling over all of them. Now it is Hamilton's and Mercedes turn to hurl some accusations around.

The gala, and jewelry issues were just the sporting body trying to control an uncontrollable situation. They can't make an example out of Lewis because he won't have it.

azaralamouri said:

3- I say the season is full of surprises and excitement and I say some other times that F1 is the most predictable sport. I mean look at the results EVERY RACE, the fastest two teams are always in the front, then Mercedes in third as a class of its own, Alpine & Mclaren always after Merc. Even when a fast car starts from the back, it naturally makes its way through the grid and finishes second, third or fourth or so…

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Just have a look at tennis for a while, or darts, or snooker...
Its the same 2 or 3 names in the top spot year after year.
If you're the best, you're the best, and you win a lot.

A well deserved win by Leclerc today. The Ferrari was clearly the faster car today and they would have scored a 1-2 if Sainz‘ Ferrari engine would not have blown up.

DotD was Mick Schumacher scoring his second points finish, just a week after his first, and don’t forget his battle with Lewis yesterday in the sprint race… who would have thought that last year… Mick in a Haas battling it out with Lewis in a Mercedes. I really hope Michael is watching all this somehow and it will put a smile on his face.

F1 is gonna have to look at time penalties some day. If Russel were to blame for the contact with Perez, 5 seconds just doesn't seem fair. I'm pretty sure it took Perez MORE than 5 seconds to escape the gravel trap and get back up to speed. Penalties like that should be an either/or type of penalty. If Perez had merelly run wide and been able to keep running at the race pace, then 5 seconds as a minimum for Russel. If it took 7.5 seconds for Perez to escape the gravel trap AND get back up to speed, then that time should be the price Russel would have to pay. If Perez' car had stalled and took 15 or 20 seconds to restart, rejoin, and get up to speed, then guilty drivers like Russel would have to remain stationary for that same amount of time.

davehenrie said:

If Perez' car had stalled and took 15 or 20 seconds to restart, rejoin, and get up to speed, then guilty drivers like Russel would have to remain stationary for that same amount of time.

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Or just apply Race Department's Golden Rule: if you take out a driver you wait for them until they're back on the track.

JayOTT said:

So the stewards went on a complete power trip in the F2 feature earlier; 1st was disqualified on a fuel technicality, 2nd got a track limits penalty, and 3rd was penalised for a petty allegation of his team trying to dry the track surface. 4th was awarded 1st even though he clearly crossed the line 4th.

Fire the stewards.

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My big problem with the stewards was the matter of the track limits. Vettel reportedly walked out of the drivers meeting because he could not get a consistent answer about it.

At a track like Spielberg, the track limits are not that obvious. My solution has always been the same: if it’s paved, it’s fair game.

Kingkoenig said:

My big problem with the stewards was the matter of the track limits. Vettel reportedly walked out of the drivers meeting because he could not get a consistent answer about it.

At a track like Spielberg, the track limits are not that obvious. My solution has always been the same: if it’s paved, it’s fair game.

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This will be fun next race at Paul Ricard

Zolazem said:

This will be fun next race at Paul Ricard

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OK, if it’s paved and not painted?

Didn't Mario Andretti say something like that? Maybe this: If you don't want us to drive over a space, don't pave it. ????

Zzzzzzzzz..............

I loved the race but i cant stand this track limits BS rule. When a car goes into a turn at speed like that last one the car slides, It is like a gail force wind of the apex of the turn pushing the car sideways. Like on the Holywood mouvies where a clasic sportscar drifts wide on the power of a turn. That is what race cars do. It was penaltys all over and even in F2 race. And sossage kerbs will not help just make car catch air and fly. Verry dangerous we cant have kerbs throwing cars in the air. Hence we have street circits with walls on edge and track limit violations will damage car. And we will no longer have real tracks.

Richard Wilks said:

Are you new to the sport or something? Cheering when a rival crashes out or has a problem has been going on for decades. You can hear over Murray Walker even the cheers of the tiffosi when Senna retired at Monza 88...

Now i am not saying it's right or wrong, but it's hardly anything new.

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Its a pantomime and there are Hero's to cheer and Villans to boo. If you have hit the beer hard as most people do on vacation you might get a little rude.

davehenrie said:

Didn't Mario Andretti say something like that? Maybe this: If you don't want us to drive over a space, don't pave it. ????

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Here is a good idea replace sossage kerb's with spike strips. If you go over track limits you get a puncture and are out.

I don't get these never ending ideas of "modern track limitations". Just put a patch of grass there followed by a proper gravel trap. Topic settled.
The track limit stuff in the race was indeed a joke, the race was still great. If Ferrari don't go over the edge too much with the engine, this could still be a very interesting and thrilling season.

Nice to see Leclerc finally ending his drought and get a much deserved win after so many times that his car and/or his team let him down. Still, it cannot be overstated that Ferrari against made Charles lose crucial points against Verstappen even when the latter had troubles, for the second weekend in succession.

After the strategy blunders at Silverstone, this time we had a team on point with pace, tyre life and strategy calling, but with reliability issues. Sainz's engine failure cost the team a 1-2, and set a final sprint with the VSC it generated. Then, Leclerc's throttle was not enough to cost him the win, but it did cost him the fastest lap against Verstappen. On a weekend he should have taken 10 points from Max, it was a meager 5; right after Silverstone, where he should have taken maybe 19 points and only got 6. Leclerc could have closed almost 30 points in the last two races and gotten into striking distance against Verstappen. Instead, he only took 11 and is still more than a race distance away from Max

Antony Snook said:

Here is a good idea replace sossage kerb's with spike strips. If you go over track limits you get a puncture and are out.

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That sound like a very safe solution. I would propose it if I were you

Antony Snook said:

Here is a good idea replace sossage kerb's with spike strips. If you go over track limits you get a puncture and are out.

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...and if the person on the inside decides to drive dirty on corner exit and runs them wide into the spikes...what then? Do the stewards also order the dirty driver to drive over the spikes as a fair penalty? This is ignoring any turning car going well over 150kph and gets their outside tyres slashed will make Zhou's accident look like a gentle tap.