2019 Formula 1 Season Paddock

The race starts a 1:30 Belgium time so for PST it starts a 4:30am cause they are 9 hours ahead.

 

Only if you want to lose $20

 

F1 abandons plans for Q4 qualifying format change for 2020

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/q4-qualifying-format-change-2020/4379349/

 

Dakar with Toyota

 

LeClerc was screwed by Ferrari not knowing how to handle his circumstances. Two stops might have been the right call but what they did most certainly was not. They knew the red tires degraded quickly so maybe it was a coin flip.

Ricciardo forgot what car he was in when he tried to late brake. Then he forgot everything. He definitely seems off his game, struggling to come to grips with the new ride. Maybe he should go see Bottas' shrink.

 

5 year extension for Monza set to be announced

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/1...-at-monza-moves-towards-new-f1-deal-from-2020

 

Leclerc had to start on the mediums no ? So they ran him a regular length stint for the mediums and then switched him to the softs . At that point , judging by the higher degradation the other teams were seeing on the softs they knew they would need to 2 stop him so the choice then becomes stop him at what they now figured would be the soft tire's lower lap limit and lose 25 seconds or so in the pits or gamble on the safety car coming out which had occurred twice in 3 previous races and only lose about 15 seconds in the pits and bunch up the pack with him now on fresh softs

I can't see Ferrari made a mistake with Leclerc , they just were unlucky that there was no safety car

 

agreed with @OZ-T ...with the amount of wrecks during FP and Quali at Baku this year, why wouldn't Ferrari bank on a safety car in Leclerc tire situation

 

Of course if they would have brought him in anyway, the safety car would have come out two laps later....

 

Every time I see Jacques Villeneuve's name in print I have to peek just to see what he is wrongly bloviating about. Its normally the shit show I anticipated but this time I think he got it. He praises Leclerc, gently identifies Vettel's personal weak spots, and lays the root cause at the feet of Ferrari's management.

Charles Leclerc is "having a negative effect" on Ferrari, because the team wasn't ready to manage a competition between Sebastian Vettel and its ambitious young protege.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/leclerc-negative-effect-ferrari-villeneuve/4379809/

 

I'm doubtful Vettel would be any better this year had Räikkönen stayed. I think Ferrari needs to let them race and support their real #1 driver whoever that may be. It seems to me that Leclerc is the better driver and has a brighter future.

 

Solid read.

 

Very true; it almost seemed like GAS and LEC were going to run their tyres until the other wrecked and yellow flagged...

 

Having issues finding 6hr SPA on FS1/FS2... downloaded the YouTube app and in streaming it live through there.. weather has been interesting!

 

That's a good analysis. Leclerc's quali crash put him in an untenable position for the race, especially due to him having run a fast lap on the yellow tires.

I need to soften my opinion of Ferrari. Maybe this new director is bringing a more balanced approach to the driver situation.

 

Just a bit of moisture on the track

 

Overall Winners

Crashtor FTW

 

So glad it's another race weekend. It's tough when it's not back to back races.

 

Ferrari bringing engine upgrade to Spanish GP

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/919489/1/ferrari-brings-forward-f1-engine-upgrade-spanish-gp

 

Brazillian GP set to move from Interlagos to new circuit at Rio de Janeiro in 2020

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/rio-brazil-president-grand-prix-2020/4383940/