FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA 2021: RACE *** SPOILERS ***

This!

 

Lots of Bottas bashing here (and deserved for his Sunday performances), but the guy has some speed if he can qualify with or out qualify HAM on Saturday’s.

 

Probably by people who don't understand team strategy.

 

Chuck is doing as well as one can realistically hope for.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Again I don't think there's much evidence of that...Webber yes he often got upgrades parts later when only 1 was available, but for a driver that's behind in the WDC that's to be expected. I don't think there was anything of that with Ricciardo/Max, but Ric left after he saw that Max ''clicked'' early in 2018 and became nigh on unbeatable. A lucrative offer sure helps ease the decision. Gasly/Albon both drove so ****ing slowly it's no wonder they often got parts later. Perez...well so far they've been receiving their parts at the same time but no back to back races/upgrades that stopped them from creating enough anyways.

It's not different from just about any team, the top contender tends to get upgrades earlier when few parts are available.

I also think why no top drivers have gone for the 2nd seat is because who is driving in the #1 seat. If there is one sure fire way to kill your career is to be over half a second a lap slower than your teammate consistently.

 

Yep. Horner/RB Strategy aren't stupid. Mistakes can be made but none where made. Nothing RBR could have done this race.

Had the pitted Max before lewis' 2nd stop, he'd give Lewis track position (and Max would be behind Bottas). Lewis could then simply keep going as his tyres where relatively young and the Mercedes was epic on the Mediums. Had he pitted the lap (or any lap) after Lewis, he'd still fall behind Lewis.

The biggest problem once again was with their 2nd driver. Perez messed up his qualifying P8, this track isn't great for overtaking so he found himself way back on top of that. This allowed Mercedes to play strategic games without any loss of position, the worst that would happen after pitting was finishing P2....a position they already where in! Max could have lost as many as 2 places.

 

Very simplistic way of looking at it and grasping at straws from tabloid F1 press to structure an argument. There is no way Red Bull brass would go along with a long term deal and all the stuff with it simply because Jos willed it. After MC 2018 when Max messed up (crashing in practise meaning he missed quali), he stepped up his game. He gave away going for 100% all the time that resulted in costly offs/clashes/crashes. After this...he left Ric in his mirrors. Renault offering Ric 30 million per season, with RBR switching to Honda (at the time still very questionable), it was an easy choice. There was no bad atmosphere after Baku (of course, immediately after there was, but no long term lasting), Max and Ricci always got on well and still do (not for appearances either). An opportunity simply presented Ricciardo that would allow him to talk away without doing lasting damage to his own career.

Red Bull aren't idiots, they know full well how important it is to get a quick 2nd driver in there so that they can use him to prevent Mercedes from having strategic options. Gasly was very impressive at STR and got destroyed by Max. Albon, whilst fairing slightly better, got annihilated. Perez is still a way off. This isn't Red Bull sabotage, preferential treatment, anything like that. Red Bull and Max know how important a quick teammate is to get better results. It goes completely against their goal to have Max be a second ahead of his teammates. There are no prizes for that.

 

There are subtle ways for a team to enforce a priority among its drivers.
Let's say that Max has enjoyed immense team support compared to his team mates since he joined RB.
I can understand Red Bull, but Horner and Marko should stop pretending all the time.

 

It goes against Red Bull's target to not support their other driver. Of course Max gets full support, he's the only one capable to consistently place the car where no one else can. Who says the 2nd driver doesn't get any or is neglected?

 

Come on !!
Red Bull's policy is to put all its effort behind the "annointed one"; it used to be Vettel, and it became Verstappen.
The rest of the drivers are treated like cannon fodder, both at RB and STR/AT.
Anyone pairing Max us supposed to deliver very quickly, and get immediatly publicly criticised if he doesn't.
For several what followed was public humiliation in the media orchestrated by Marko, being relagated to the junior team, or simply sacked.
I don't blame the Red Bull organisation for having a Number One, but for being so blatantly ruthless with their drivers

 

Any proof?

 

Proofs? Such bad faith you have !!

You just have to look at their track record in the last 10 years.

 

This right here.

All the ridiculousness of Max getting preferential treatment to the detriment of Checo, or Albon, or Gasly just doesn't hold up.

It was absolutely in RBR and Max's best interest for Checo to be running strong. It's what Horner has stated he wants multiple times.

 

Yes, Toto likes the subtle and the not so subtle.

 

Hamilton holds off Max on older tires to win in Bahrain. Max failed to hold off Lewis with older tires.
To echo Nico Rosberg: "Max is starting to see how good Lewis really is"

 

Please just think for a moment. It's not rocket science. Does Red Bull have an advantage or a disadvantage by having the 2nd driver inside the strategic pit window?

 

Red Bull invests millions of euros every year in its F1 programme and deliberately choose to sacrifice its second driver? It doesn’t make sense.
Ricciardo left the team at the end of 2018 because with the experience Max became impossible to beat.

 

Drivers know the real hierarchy between them.
At the time of the Vettel titles, most openly acknowledged that Alonso and Hamilton were better drivers.
Today even if he will never recognize it, Lewis would not want to be confronted with Max in the same car.
Because he perfectly knows it will be very very difficult.

 

I bet you believe in Father Christmas too ;->

 

Not sure I get the debate about who the best drivers are. It’s obvious. Ham, Max and Lec are proven tier 1 drivers. Put them in the best car and they will win. It’s not hard to work this out.

But to win the championship you need more than the just the best driver, or the best car. You need the best team. Fortunately, this year we at least have a contest between Merc and RB. Probably the first time in the hybrid era that any team has been able to take the fight to Merc. It’s a great prospect. Loving it actually.

 

all true....but you also need 2 drivers to make the many different strategies and tires work for you and RedBull does'nt have it. It's been 2 Mercedes against 1 RedBull.

 

Image Unavailable, Please Login


Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Pointless to discuss with you: you are of bad faith and keep moving the goal post.

I am talking about the way drivers are treated at RB (Ricciardo, Kvyat, Gasly, Albon, + Bourdais, Buemi, Vergne, etc...) you bring nonsense about pit window!

Have it your way !

 

Skill is truly a factor. You think Merc would have trusted Bottas to pit and run down Verstappen? No. Hamilton is a proven driver, wich gives Mercedes confidence to go for these strategies.

 

Bottas is truly hopeless! With a very dominant Merc, he couldn't even get passed Lec which should have been a breeze given the car comparison. And his crash at Imola WHILE FIGHTING A WILLIAMS pretty much sums him up for me.

In other news, Lec is just ****ing awesome. The kid is a superstar.

Hard luck to Max, he was brilliant, but the Merc is just on a different level.