quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
Great picture with Clark and Stewart.

You mean Sir John Dunlop, James Dunlop and John Young Dunlop?

Teams agree in principle to $30M cap on combined driver salaries starting in 2023. Interesting.

Link

I had also missed where they are able to exclude the top three non-driver employees compensation from the $145M cap. That seems a pretty big deal for some. I've never seen any mention of how much a top team principal or technical director like Toto or Newey is paid. I assume it's a lot!

https://www.formula1.com/en/la...eYMNPYp8SQ3zTC1.html

Gasly confirmed to AlphaTauri for '21

Albon is toast, IMHO. Watched a few interviews with Horner and he stated that Albon needed a good Portuguese and Imola showing, and is not off to a good start. Also when asked about Gasly, sounded like they had written him off for every getting a drive with them and sending him back down was a mistake for them but good for Alpha Tauri. They will bring in the F2 Japanese driver Tsunoda to Alpha Tauri IMHO and Albon won’t have a home - they won’t repeat what they did with Gasly. So Albon would have to go to another team - and Max has already said he thinks Hulkenberg should be driving along side him. Horner said they would have no option but to look outside of the Red Bull program for Max’s companion driver...so looks like a tough road for Albon.

RBR definitely needs a top tier driver that can keep up with Max.

The VET/RIC & RIC/VER pairings were both strong.

Seems no one since has been able to match the pace or get the most out of the car like Max can.

Read a long-ish article yesterday with comments from Horner about why they aren't going to swap Gasly & Albon (pretty much that it would net the same result).

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
RBR definitely needs a top tier driver that can keep up with Max.

The VET/RIC & RIC/VER pairings were both strong.

Seems no one since has been able to match the pace or get the most out of the car like Max can.

Read a long-ish article yesterday with comments from Horner about why they aren't going to swap Gasly & Albon (pretty much that it would net the same result).

Are you sure that you don’t mean Vettel/Webber combo? Danny Ric and Vettel were only together for one season in 2014 before Vettel left.

This years car seems to be built for Max and I don't think any of the options people have mentioned will do any better than Albon.

How long until Chinstrap gets knighted?

Yawn.
F1 returns to Imola & only get a 2 day race weekend.

According to the map, it's roughly 2,500km (24hr drive) from Portimao to Imola, but due to the distance, they reduced the race weekend to 2 days to give the teams sufficient time to transport & set up.

Looking at the schedule for '21, they're saying that Australia & Bahrain are going to be 1 week apart.
That's a distance of 12,100km (and an 18hr flight).

Apart from blaming it on Covid, not sure why the reduction.

Poor, poor Lance. . Perez proves how bad he is v Feel bad for Max.

Hopefully Albon can find some enjoyment in the last few races, because they’ll be his last in F1.

quote:

Originally posted by HuskySig:
Hopefully Albon can find some enjoyment in the last few races, because they’ll be his last in F1.

Not sure about that. AT is going to have a spot open because they are almost certain to dump Kvyat, and I can’t see Red Bull filling two slots in their teams with outside drivers. Think it’s as likely they will just move Albon back to AT, where he will probably do better, just like Gasly has done.

Have to wonder about that VSC call. Less than 30 seconds, and timed absolutely perfectly to help Hamilton. Sketchy as hell.

So can anyone explain how the VSC was timed to let Chinstrap into the pits and shave 10 seconds off his pit stop.

Stage managed race?

Stroll needs to be given a race or two sit down to think things over. No pressure, after his unforced error he was running at the back towards the end, and he hits the front jack man. We already know his seat isn't under threat for obvious reasons.
Vettel was finally having a decent race and they botch the tire change on two different corners of the car at once.
Albon needs to go back to Alpha Tauri and Perez could keep the seat warm next year. Let Albon and Gasley sort it out there.
I don't think the yellow was fixed at all. If anything they need it to benefit someone else to make the show better like NASCAR would do.
The DRS zone could have easily been made longer and the exit of the pits where the speed is limited made much shorter.
A slightly different issue. Why have the FIA not discovered leaf blowers and why continue to have an army of workers that take forever to broom the track clean? Lower carbon footprint or something ridiculous?
I'd be curious to know if Max got a debris puncture or destroyed it on the curbing.

All good points. I think Max got a puncture from debris.

Chaotic finish & crazy how hard overtaking was.

MB locks up the WCC & WDC, just have to wait to see who the WDC will be.
Going to take something catastrophic to knock HAM off the top.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
...just have to wait to see who the WDC will be.

You’re either seven months late or five months early for April Fool’s Day...

Cautiously optimistic.

Bottas needs to outscore HAM by 8 in Turkey to keep in the fight.

Probably the last time for Imola on the F1 calendar. Too bad, like Portugal, cars look fast there so there's that at least. Otherwise, F1 is a waste of my time. That's sad and I hate feeling that way.

Racing can be pretty good from second place on down..