Baku 2019: Race

[chinmay]

Yes it would have! Better than what they did kept him out like a sitting duck hoping they would help vettel? Cmon pit him put the white tyre or hell even put him on another medium then pit him last 10 laps for the fastest lap point he would still have been under 25 seconds to bottas in the end with that strategy.

I believe all they had were 2 new set of Softs because Charles didn't make it to Q3.

[WS6TransAm01]

Mercedes has actually won 5 races in a row with 1-2 since Abu Dhabhi haven't they?

LOL true!

[PURE PASSION]

We can talk about strategy etc when we have an equal car in every race and the results will depend on them.Right now we clearly lack on pace compare to Mercs.We sometimes (depending on track/temperatures etc) manage to come close and then we make mistakes, all a of them (team, drivers, strategy etc). This is happening because we dont have the confidence of a fast car so we desperately try to do everything we can for a good result.
And in all of this I cant really understand how the team works in in season development. We are on the 4th race with so many problems in our car from the beginning and only now we brought some parts that (as the team say) if was a general upagrade for Spain that they just brought it 1 race sooner. I am expecting this from a team that has dominate the previous races and are confident about their package and only what to keep it on the top.Or even like last year that it proved to have a very good car so not needed tremendous upgrades!!
What about this year?? We where very good in Spain ok but then you come to Austrslia and have massive problems ,what do we do?? Nothing, just waiting to see what happens to Bahrain. We where preetty good there so we seat comfortably like we have the fastest car period.(meanwhile Merc have done 2 1-2 s with one way or aonother) So we go to China just waiting if we can repeat Bahrain performance, and us we all know we lose dramatically once again !!!! And now this. For the record let we never again look FPs to make any(even minors ) predictions. Its it 1000% confirmed that Mercs are running with much lesser engine modes not to full us or anything like that ,but because that's their haw they operate to protect the engines.
What I want to say is that I truly dont understand what the team is doing to fix the cars problems and attack to Mercs . They one the other hand from the 2nd test already keep developing their car in every single way you can imagine.You see a team the the are fighting we everything they have to be on top and stay there.We do not. I had huge faith on Binoto (I remember that on launch he had emphasized the role of the development of the car and that we had design it in that prospect!!) WHERE is this prospect???!!! We are looking more and more like we are powerless to react and we are accepting our defeat.
This year I feel more hopeless then any ather year in this 35+ years I'm following the team.
I will never gonna say anything bad about the team (swear, bashing team members/drivers etc) but I just expect the team to saw I little more effort (I know they dont just sitting down in the factory drinking cappuccino)

[sxviper698]

Season is over i hate to say it. They should let seb and lec race now.

[Ed Harley]

Can only admire how well Mercedes do their job.

Perhaps firing/not renewing Arrivabene's contract was not the all correcting move after all. On the other hand season is still young and who knows how it will end.

[Louisa Fortuna]

is it possible Bottas could win wdc this year? at least it wouldn't be Ham getting his 6th.

Mercedes want to break Ferrari records and Lewis with 5 WDC's is closer to do it than Bottas, let's be honest..

[Vettel165]

Its all the tyres Seb struggling on Softs then much faster in mediums. Was again put on the worse strategy, he had the oldest tyres of the all front runners and could nearly keep up with mercedes. Leclerc also had a bad strategy.Mediums were the best tyres today much better. Leclerc did the max, happy for Seb on podium. Nothing more Mercedes clearly again faster.

How hard is for pirelli to make tyres that are pretty good. Its a absolute lotery with the tyres this year.

[Greig]

Seb was the better driver this weekend and got the podium.

[Louisa Fortuna]

Don't Blame FERRARI, Look at RB right now, they have Newey for the Chassis, Horner for the Strategy (4x Champion at their belt) look at them now (but not an engine manufacturer like us), they can only match up with us but not MERC, so MERC has the perfect secret formula its the FIA... its just only my opinion.

Your opinion is garbage. You do realize our man Jean Todt is head of the FIA right ?

[Schumir9]

Leclerc said "tbh there is nothing wrong with the Ferrari just myself for yesterday" think he could have won had he started 3rd instead of vettel. Just my opinion.

[nani_s23]

Leclerc said "tbh there is nothing wrong with the Ferrari just myself for yesterday" think he could have won had he started 3rd instead of vettel. Just my opinion.

So you mean vettel wantedly held back behind mercs???
If Lec was there, he would have taken pole easily not 3rd.

[Ed Harley]

He wasn't so he didn't.

[Schumir9]

So you mean vettel wantedly held back behind mercs???
If Lec was there, he would have taken pole easily not 3rd.

No he didn't we will never know what could have been but Leclerc did have about 0.2tenths on vettel all weekend the race doesn't count as both didn't have the same tyres or strategy at the same time. Just saying Leclerc had the confidence in him he doesn't get too worried about merc.

[Vettel165]

Seb did his job today. That was max.

[Stormsearcher]

I think in todays race, we just didnt have an answer to the merc pace. The mercedes team is a very very well oiled machine.
What made it worse is our driver who did have the pace to trouble the mercs was starting 8th. Then we effectively botched his strategy and put his race in the toilet.
Apart from that, not that bad a result, in that both car finished in the top 5 with one on the podium. It can always be worse.

[nani_s23]

Seb did his job today. That was max.

Yup...!! Not the best but I still feel he’s not comfortable with the car.

[Stormsearcher]

Had charles started third would he have made a difference? I imagine he would have troubled hamilton more, but ultimately would still be at 3.

[nani_s23]

Had charles started third would he have made a difference? I imagine he would have troubled hamilton more, but ultimately would still be at 3.

Charles had the pace to take pole, not that he would have started at 3.
But both cars suffered on Soft tyres to get them working.

[Stormsearcher]

What would be disturbing is did Ferrari leave Leclerc out too long so that when he came back he could not be a threat to Sebs position? It would effective remove any uncomfortable "move aside for your faster, much younger teammate" radio and the repercussions of it.
I cant see a good reason why his race was botched in this manner.

[chinmay]

Yup...!! Not the best but I still feel he’s not comfortable with the car.

Yes, he isn't comfortable with the car yet but has maximized the points in almost all races till now. Hopefully, he will be one with the car in Barcelona where according to him, a couple more upgrades are coming.

[nani_s23]

What would be disturbing is did Ferrari leave Leclerc out too long so that when he came back he could not be a threat to Sebs position? It would effective remove any uncomfortable "move aside for your faster, much younger teammate" radio and the repercussions of it.
I cant see a good reason why his race was botched in this manner.

[chinmay]

What would be disturbing is did Ferrari leave Leclerc out too long so that when he came back he could not be a threat to Sebs position? It would effective remove any uncomfortable "move aside for your faster, much younger teammate" radio and the repercussions of it.
I cant see a good reason why his race was botched in this manner.

You still found a way to think that Leclerc's strategy was devised in a way to help Seb.

[nani_s23]

Yes, he isn't comfortable with the car yet but has maximized the points in almost all races till now. Hopefully, he will be one with the car in Barcelona where according to him, a couple more upgrades are coming.

Wtever upgrades come.... already the lead is huge. Mercs with their consistency can’t be catched.

[wisepie]

Damage-limitation this early in the season is all we seem to be able to do, we just don't have the race pace on the softs and there have been some dubious strategy calls for both drivers, but the current tyres are making every race a lottery and only damn Mercedes seem to be able to get away with it because they usually lock out the front row. It's soul-destroying being a Ferrari fan just watching our hopes go down the plug-hole, and Seb and Charles must be wondering what the hell they can do about it. Both drove well today given the tools they had but this season is proving to be another let-down and we should never assume that Barcelona testing and FP times show who will be quickest on race day, we all know the answer to that when Merc turn their engines up another notch. God help us.

[chinmay]

Wtever upgrades come.... already the lead is huge. Mercs with their consistency can’t be catched.

Something is always better than nothing.

[PURE PASSION]

It's almost nothing when Mercs also brings something in almost every single race!!!!So the gap remains.

[Greig]

Yes, he isn't comfortable with the car yet but has maximized the points in almost all races till now. Hopefully, he will be one with the car in Barcelona where according to him, a couple more upgrades are coming.

Maybe he will be more at ease in the car when he accepts no2 role

[chinmay]

Maybe he will be more at ease in the car when he accepts no2 role

Only if Leclerc starts beating him, at the moment it's 3-1 in favor of Seb.

[tifosi1993]

What would be disturbing is did Ferrari leave Leclerc out too long so that when he came back he could not be a threat to Sebs position? It would effective remove any uncomfortable "move aside for your faster, much younger teammate" radio and the repercussions of it.
I cant see a good reason why his race was botched in this manner.

Surely not...I mean why would Ferrari do that...they already ruined Charles's race in China for Vettel, ordered him to not overtake Vettel in Australia, told to stay behind Vettel for 2 laps, even when he was faster by a mile and Hamilton was only a second behind...

Looking at the lap times, Charles was doing low 1m46's, and when he was been overtaken by Mercedes his lap times dropped in to 1m49's...wouldn't be surprised one bit if Ferrari indeed kept Leclerc out for Vettel.

[stefa]

Can only admire how well Mercedes do their job.

Perhaps firing/not renewing Arrivabene's contract was not the all correcting move after all. On the other hand season is still young and who knows how it will end.

I will tell you. With another WDC and CWC for Mercedes