2018 Russian Grand Prix: Race Thread (race starts @ 12:10pm UK time)

[Rishu]

Only positive to come from today is more and more people are starting to see what a classless rat Hamilton really is. He didn’t need the points and should have let Bottas through. Fans are growing tired of this Merc circus F1 has become, not just ferrari fans.

You need to watch Austria 2002, message from JT, MSC & Rubens post race exchange in parc ferme, Podium behaviour & post race press conference. You will find many similarities from yesterday’s race. Don’t be bitter just because rivals did it. This was not the first time & this won’t be the last time, it will keep happening.

[red arrow]

As much as one would like to believe... One has to concede that
When fernando was there, the car wasn't
When the car was there, Fernando wasn't
We have seen that unless the car is half a second faster than the competition, vettel can't win.
I think the Ferrari management should have been able to understand that from all the great battles they had with red bull

[Kingdom Hearts]

As much as one would like to believe... One has to concede that
When fernando was there, the car wasn't
When the car was there, Fernando wasn't
We have seen that unless the car is half a second faster than the competition, vettel can't win.
I think the Ferrari management should have been able to understand that from all the great battles they had with red bull

Ferrari wanted a champion to lead the team, the only champion available was Vettel. Management was and is crap, they hired Kimi to upset Alonso. They kept Kimi for all this years despite him under performing most of the time, just for the sake of keeping Vettel happy, the so called team harmony

[FerrariDave]

It's been questionable but after the Russian GP I think the truth is now out that Merc have figured out our engine "tricks" 100%. We saw in Spa that Ferrari had the upper hand, and we are reminded by Lewis' comments after that race that Ferrari had some "tricks" and Merc had better figure them out (they most likely knew already the solution but just needed to implement) Come Monza they were back on form although it was masked a bit by our qualifying and Seb's 1st lap spin, ultimately Merc won that race. Singapore and now Russia, two very different track layouts, and Merc has taken both with ease. We will need to develop even more but we definitely need to figuring out our tyre deg. At this point if I were management I would say we should probably shift focus even more to next year, maybe introduce some engine upgrades this year even if it means taking a penalty.. not sure if that can be done though.

Further, after our losses where we thought we could have won; Germany, Hungary, Monza, Singapore and now with confirmation of Merc ahead of us in Russia, I feel Ferrari management will have no trouble shifting more to next year. Just like the decision to promote Leclerc, MA has confirmed after Russia by saying he will control the ship with a long term vision. ie. We had our chance, but it didn't work out, we must keep pushing but looking long term and not at the "what ifs"

Lastly, Another dismal day for Kimi in Russia unfortunately. I know this is becoming a bit of an old and controversial topic but it is about time we see Kimi leaving at the end of the season. He has been consistent, respected, entertaining off track, and who knows how much he has contributed to what we have on track. He is also a great name and marketing tool; I have friends who don't know F1 from Nascar but they know the name Raikkonen and even know he drives a Ferrari. He has been good and had a few moments on track where you see the old kimi but he is not the racer he once was. Age, technology, car characteristics, setup, or whatever the reason, he just can't get the job done on race day and it has been many years of seeing this happen every race and every "battle" he is involved in. It also doesn't help that he brings a slight aura of "not so good luck". It's frustrating and I can just imagine trying to strategize with the unknowns he brings on race day. For sure it will be a big change to see him move on but I will not miss the usual excuse of "the tyres just weren't working in the first stint" and with his departure will bring a new life to Ferrari going into the next few years I can assure you that. It's been a long time that we have been on the Kimi bandwagon, it's good to know he will still be around with Sauber that's for sure.

Our team's tried and tested views, visions, and philosophies of how we run as an F1 team have given us many victories, championships, and moments that will last a lifetime. We cannot forget that but at the same time we have gone too long without a championship and seeing some of the bold changes we are making is promising; we need to come up with a hybrid of new and old thinking and make a few policy changes to modernize in this progressively fast moving world. I'm very interested to see what will come about with some fresh thinking.

Still hoping our car dominates in Japan. See you guys soon!

Forza Ferrari

[mwk360]

Rumored:

The CEO of Juventus is leaving the club and Arrivabene is one of the people on the list to replace him.

If that happens: Mattia Binotto is mostlikely becoming team principal and Mekies who recently started his work at Ferrari will become chief technical director

[Super M]

It's been questionable but after the Russian GP I think the truth is now out that Merc have figured out our engine "tricks" 100%. We saw in Spa that Ferrari had the upper hand, and we are reminded by Lewis' comments after that race that Ferrari had some "tricks" and Merc had better figure them out (they most likely knew already the solution but just needed to implement) Come Monza they were back on form although it was masked a bit by our qualifying and Seb's 1st lap spin, ultimately Merc won that race. Singapore and now Russia, two very different track layouts, and Merc has taken both with ease. We will need to develop even more but we definitely need to figuring out our tyre deg. At this point if I were management I would say we should probably shift focus even more to next year, maybe introduce some engine upgrades this year even if it means taking a penalty.. not sure if that can be done though.

Further, after our losses where we thought we could have won; Germany, Hungary, Monza, Singapore and now with confirmation of Merc ahead of us in Russia, I feel Ferrari management will have no trouble shifting more to next year. Just like the decision to promote Leclerc, MA has confirmed after Russia by saying he will control the ship with a long term vision. ie. We had our chance, but it didn't work out, we must keep pushing but looking long term and not at the "what ifs"

Lastly, Another dismal day for Kimi in Russia unfortunately. I know this is becoming a bit of an old and controversial topic but it is about time we see Kimi leaving at the end of the season. He has been consistent, respected, entertaining off track, and who knows how much he has contributed to what we have on track. He is also a great name and marketing tool; I have friends who don't know F1 from Nascar but they know the name Raikkonen and even know he drives a Ferrari. He has been good and had a few moments on track where you see the old kimi but he is not the racer he once was. Age, technology, car characteristics, setup, or whatever the reason, he just can't get the job done on race day and it has been many years of seeing this happen every race and every "battle" he is involved in. It also doesn't help that he brings a slight aura of "not so good luck". It's frustrating and I can just imagine trying to strategize with the unknowns he brings on race day. For sure it will be a big change to see him move on but I will not miss the usual excuse of "the tyres just weren't working in the first stint" and with his departure will bring a new life to Ferrari going into the next few years I can assure you that. It's been a long time that we have been on the Kimi bandwagon, it's good to know he will still be around with Sauber that's for sure.

Our team's tried and tested views, visions, and philosophies of how we run as an F1 team have given us many victories, championships, and moments that will last a lifetime. We cannot forget that but at the same time we have gone too long without a championship and seeing some of the bold changes we are making is promising; we need to come up with a hybrid of new and old thinking and make a few policy changes to modernize in this progressively fast moving world. I'm very interested to see what will come about with some fresh thinking.

Still hoping our car dominates in Japan. See you guys soon!

Forza Ferrari

Well said!

[WRX202]

Why does no one seem to remember that team orders where banned after the Schumacher/Reubens episode? Ferrari got a $1M fine for "podium ethiquette" and later in the years Ferrari were fined again $100K for the Alonso/Massa team order. If it was deemed bad for the sport then why does it seem that everyone wants to justify it by saying that "Ferrari did it so shut up"?!?

What happened yesterday was simply disgusting and even MGP fans fail to see the bigger picture here:

If they are so sure of their team why make Bottas give way when Lewis has a 40 point advantage and was actually IN FRONT of Vettel?
Are they so sure Lewis can deliver if they have to resort to such tactics even with such a huge points margin? Puts Lewis in a bad light if you ask me.
Is their 0.6 lead completely achieved through legal upgrades? One has to wonder as if I had that gap to my closest team I would be bullish not having to resort to such silly team orders.

Right now Formula 1 is a farce: Penalties are not given out according to the offense but rather according to who the driver / team is. Now I can clearly see why Sergio was such a feared personality in the F1 paddock, he took no crap from no one and the F1 heads knew his threats were real. With him gone now Ferrari has become weak at the knees. I just don't get the same vibes from Camilleri that replaced him. I used to think that Arrivabene was strict but seeing how he is letting the team make so many mistakes I'm afraid he is just a wrinkled version of Domenicali. Anyone remember how many heads rolled under Sergio?

[Ferrarichamp]

I don't understand Mercs' team order in Russia either. It's not like Seb was a threat to Lewis.

[KimiBot]

I don't understand Mercs' team order in Russia either. It's not like Seb was a threat to Lewis.

Maybe they want Schumis records

[KimiBot]

We get Mad Max 2020 and he can stop Hamilton. Leclerc or Seb, not a chance.

[tifosi1993]

F1 is team sport and team orders have been part of F1 since the beginning, nothing new in what happened to Bottas. I am sure Ferrari would have done exactly the same thing in the same situation. Winning WDC is far more important than your no.2 driver's morale.

[mwk360]

M.A needs to lose his gentle keep everybody happy equal that he is running with the team. hopefully next year our drivers are forced to work together, dont care who is no.1 and no.2 as long as we can beat the ratboy and his sidekick

[WRX202]

F1 is team sport and team orders have been part of F1 since the beginning, nothing new in what happened to Bottas. I am sure Ferrari would have done exactly the same thing in the same situation. Winning WDC is far more important than your no.2 driver's morale.

I would have agreed in the past but I'm sorry not this time around. We have seen one time too many this year with Arrivabene not acting that way. Monza is one perfect example. With LH having a gap of 40+ points it's shameful. The least they could have done was pre-plan it like they did for the start with Bottas moving to give slip-stream to Lewis hence avoiding the issue of getting Vettel in front of him. A fake turn wide or something.... This was too blatantly obvious and may I remind you that this is equal to match fixing. Bottas had no reason whatsoever to lose his position.

[mwk360]

Why does no one seem to remember that team orders where banned after the Schumacher/Reubens episode? Ferrari got a $1M fine for "podium ethiquette" and later in the years Ferrari were fined again $100K for the Alonso/Massa team order. If it was deemed bad for the sport then why does it seem that everyone wants to justify it by saying that "Ferrari did it so shut up"?!?

What happened yesterday was simply disgusting and even MGP fans fail to see the bigger picture here:

If they are so sure of their team why make Bottas give way when Lewis has a 40 point advantage and was actually IN FRONT of Vettel?
Are they so sure Lewis can deliver if they have to resort to such tactics even with such a huge points margin? Puts Lewis in a bad light if you ask me.
Is their 0.6 lead completely achieved through legal upgrades? One has to wonder as if I had that gap to my closest team I would be bullish not having to resort to such silly team orders.

Right now Formula 1 is a farce: Penalties are not given out according to the offense but rather according to who the driver / team is. Now I can clearly see why Sergio was such a feared personality in the F1 paddock, he took no crap from no one and the F1 heads knew his threats were real. With him gone now Ferrari has become weak at the knees. I just don't get the same vibes from Camilleri that replaced him. I used to think that Arrivabene was strict but seeing how he is letting the team make so many mistakes I'm afraid he is just a wrinkled version of Domenicali. Anyone remember how many heads rolled under Sergio?

100% agreed about Sergio and last paragraph, but the team orders thing is just the smart thing to do imo, they now almost out of reach mathematically and Bot can win in any of the races after that while they're almost a second quicker now, our team is too stupid to enforce that early on rather trying to keep our obvious no.2 happy and equal.

[mwk360]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Graftechw...43383512813571


I don’t understand why they don’t revert. If in development we hit a issue and can’t put up a quick fix, you revert to the last working version.

Lol dang, maybe our correlation between wind tunnel and track is screwed up somewhere, parts are downgrades and we keep bringing the softest tyre that we are the weakest on too, sounds like a williams/mclaren problem, maybe we should ask sauber for some help

[KimiBot]

I would have agreed in the past but I'm sorry not this time around. We have seen one time too many this year with Arrivabene not acting that way. Monza is one perfect example. With LH having a gap of 40+ points it's shameful. The least they could have done was pre-plan it like they did for the start with Bottas moving to give slip-stream to Lewis hence avoiding the issue of getting Vettel in front of him. A fake turn wide or something.... This was too blatantly obvious and may I remind you that this is equal to match fixing. Bottas had no reason whatsoever to lose his position.

and people are betting real money, and games are fixed, that is not right, and it is killing racing, after race interview was painful for every one, every one just did show that this is not right

[tifosi1993]

I would have agreed in the past but I'm sorry not this time around. We have seen one time too many this year with Arrivabene not acting that way. Monza is one perfect example. With LH having a gap of 40+ points it's shameful. The least they could have done was pre-plan it like they did for the start with Bottas moving to give slip-stream to Lewis hence avoiding the issue of getting Vettel in front of him. A fake turn wide or something....F This was too blatantly obvious and may I remind you that this is equal to match fixing. Bottas had no reason whatsoever to lose his position.

F1 isn't playground, teams are here to win at all cost. One DNF and that's a potential 25 points loss for Hamilton and Seb is right back in it.
All teams use team orders, people just have to get over that fact

[Vettel165]

Not a 1% of a chance that Lewis will retire in next 5 races anymore, the cars are to reliable.
And we have no luck this year.

[nani_s23]

We get Mad Max 2020 and he can stop Hamilton. Leclerc or Seb, not a chance.

With Sauber, Leclerc able to deliver consistent top 10 results. But your statement means like Sauber > Renault, Williams, TR, haas, FI. ?????

[KimiBot]

With Sauber, Leclerc able to deliver consistent top 10 results. But your statement means like Sauber > Renault, Williams, TR, haas, FI. ?????

He is a rookie, and he is NOT wiping the floor with Ericsson, and Ericsson is a paid driver.
That is what I am saying.
But we`ll see next year who was right.

[aquaria]

He is a rookie, and he is NOT wiping the floor with Ericsson, and Ericsson is a paid driver.
That is what I am saying.
But we`ll see next year who was right.

So you're not going with your usual "if Leclerc didn't finish 6th in Baku he would be neck and neck with Ericsson on points" thing anymore lol

I hope you're trolling with your bashing of Leclerc, otherwise you're just salty cause he's replacing Kimi

[KimiBot]

So you're not going with your usual "if Leclerc didn't finish 6th in Baku he would be neck and neck with Ericsson on points" thing anymore lol

I hope you're trolling with your bashing of Leclerc, otherwise you're just salty cause he's replacing Kimi

Remember this what you wrote, we talk more end of next year.

[aquaria]

I will, and I'll also make sure to quote your Leclerc-bashing quotes when time comes. Cheers, mate!

[KimiBot]

I will, and I'll also make sure to quote your Leclerc-bashing quotes when time comes. Cheers, mate!

Yeah, people thinks he is gonna wipe the floor with Vettel, and he is not doing that with Ericsson.

[red arrow]

That's exactly the problem with Ferrari
They already had Fernando but god knows from where it struck them
That vettle would deliver them the championship, the same vettle who almost lost 2wdc to alonso, who was driving a car 6tenths slower
Ferrari is great from last 2 years on the technical front but pathetic on the management side.
Let's see what the future beholds
If i had my way,i would sign fernando right away
And have two potential race winners unlike one driver and the other his wingman.

[red arrow]

Yeah, people thinks he is gonna wipe the floor with Vettel, and he is not doing that with Ericsson.

Just as Vandoorne was to wipe the floor with alonso.
One is a world champ for a reason

[Arcana]

Management / drivers aside, we lost the development race. By the way things look, even if Vettel won in Baku, Germany and Monza, Mercedes would still beat us by the end of the season.

[Giallo 550]

Yeah, people thinks he is gonna wipe the floor with Vettel, and he is not doing that with Ericsson.

You're right. Leclerc isn't wiping the floor with him. Leclerc has completely outclassed him and now Sauber has demoted him while Leclerc is coming to Ferrari. Leclerc has nearly four times as many points as Ericsson during his rookie season while Ericsson has four times the experience. Expect the gap to widen even further by the end of the season.

[mwk360]

Management / drivers aside, we lost the development race. By the way things look, even if Vettel won in Baku, Germany and Monza, Mercedes would still beat us by the end of the season.

Have to agree with you

[wisepie]

Management / drivers aside, we lost the development race. By the way things look, even if Vettel won in Baku, Germany and Monza, Mercedes would still beat us by the end of the season.

Sad to say but I thought the same after Singapore, once again it's been a September of horrors for our team. Even if October is better, it would be too little too late.