Sakhir Grand Prix 2020 - Practices and Qualifying

[ntukza]

Great lap, if Vettel had scrapoed through he could have done similar very close all sessions between them until Q2.

Russel shows Merc will be 1 2 no matter the line up BUT never no what future holds in terms of performance gaps, Hamilton maximises the gap to the rest, Merc .maximise every part of the team so they stick with Hamilton so win by larger marginsvor if becomes tight he gets the maximum points. I really think Russel is special though and in a few years the new era is shaping up to be a 3 way battle of LeClerc, Russel and Verstappen.

Yeah what happened to Vettel anyway? I Missed Q1 and Q2 but I saw the times.

[ntukza]

A Russell, Verstappen, Leclerc podium would be a dream!

This is the standard podium of the future. The near future.

[Brembo]

This is the standard podium of the future. The near future.

Great podiums to look forward to !! Even throw in whoever is Charles' team mate on occasion. They will have plenty of records to work for, pole, wins, in the 100s. There could even be WDCs in the teens. Lewis the GOAT will be a tough act to follow ! F-1 is and will be great. Hopefully there will always be 3 practices for the drivers to be at there best come quali. and race time. And 20 or more races!

[Tifoso Svedese]

Great podiums to look forward to !! Even throw in whoever is Charles' team mate on occasion. They will have plenty of records to work for, pole, wins, in the 100s. There could even be WDCs in the teens. Lewis the GOAT will be a tough act to follow ! F-1 is and will be great. Hopefully there will always be 3 practices for the drivers to be at there best come quali. and race time. And 20 or more races!

Fancy a go at the Goat Simulator? You sure as hell talk a lot about them...

[Brembo]

Poles & wins will be in the 100s !! WDCs possibly 10 or more! I wish it on Charles! Meanwhile we 2020 F-1 fans have A GOAT in Lewis. Calling Merc and the car the greatest ever is trolling against Ferrari here !! Drivers come and go. Seb finger in the air and all was welcomed @ Ferrari.

[ntukza]

Great podiums to look forward to !! Even throw in whoever is Charles' team mate on occasion. They will have plenty of records to work for, pole, wins, in the 100s. There could even be WDCs in the teens. Lewis the GOAT will be a tough act to follow ! F-1 is and will be great. Hopefully there will always be 3 practices for the drivers to be at there best come quali. and race time. And 20 or more races!

The future sure looks bright! Much to look forward to!

[Brembo]

The future sure looks bright! Much to look forward to!

Seb get's $50 million + to spin his Ferrari around the track, while the GOAT get's paid to do the poles , wins . And the WCC for the team.

[stefa]

Poles & wins will be in the 100s !! WDCs possibly 10 or more! I wish it on Charles! Meanwhile we 2020 F-1 fans have A GOAT in Lewis. Calling Merc and the car the greatest ever is trolling against Ferrari here !! Drivers come and go. Seb finger in the air and all was welcomed @ Ferrari.

Can you PLEASE stop worshiping LH here!?

[Rob]

Seb get's $50 million + to spin his Ferrari around the track, while the GOAT get's paid to do the poles , wins . And the WCC for the team.

Seriously brembo. I got no problem with discussion about other drivers. But to keep bring up lewis all the time, goat this, goat that, max, max, team orders etc etc. Give it rest. You want to worship these drivers and talk about all lewis and mercs achievements. Go find merc forum or lewis fanboy forum. Being a mod have to read posts. And this gets tiring and boring.

And what does it show for the merc if Russell jumps in and bangs out the laps and speed already? Shows bottas is an average driver. Russell good driver. The car makes lewis looks other worldly yes, but, as i read on news site, imagine if all the cars were equal. We would see alot more racing, alot more moaning from your goat as he has to race amd race his team mate.

[20000rpm]

Seriously brembo. I got no problem with discussion about other drivers. But to keep bring up lewis all the time, goat this, goat that, max, max, team orders etc etc. Give it rest. You want to worship these drivers and talk about all lewis and mercs achievements. Go find merc forum or lewis fanboy forum. Being a mod have to read posts. And this gets tiring and boring.

And what does it show for the merc if Russell jumps in and bangs out the laps and speed already? Shows bottas is an average driver. Russell good driver. The car makes lewis looks other worldly yes, but, as i read on news site, imagine if all the cars were equal. We would see alot more racing, alot more moaning from your goat as he has to race amd race his team mate.

Well said... it was about time.

[SilverSpeed]

Seriously brembo. I got no problem with discussion about other drivers. But to keep bring up lewis all the time, goat this, goat that, max, max, team orders etc etc. Give it rest. You want to worship these drivers and talk about all lewis and mercs achievements. Go find merc forum or lewis fanboy forum. Being a mod have to read posts. And this gets tiring and boring.

And what does it show for the merc if Russell jumps in and bangs out the laps and speed already? Shows bottas is an average driver. Russell good driver. The car makes lewis looks other worldly yes, but, as i read on news site, imagine if all the cars were equal. We would see alot more racing, alot more moaning from your goat as he has to race amd race his team mate.

Big 2nd here!

[stefa]

Seriously brembo. I got no problem with discussion about other drivers. But to keep bring up lewis all the time, goat this, goat that, max, max, team orders etc etc. Give it rest. You want to worship these drivers and talk about all lewis and mercs achievements. Go find merc forum or lewis fanboy forum. Being a mod have to read posts. And this gets tiring and boring.

And what does it show for the merc if Russell jumps in and bangs out the laps and speed already? Shows bottas is an average driver. Russell good driver. The car makes lewis looks other worldly yes, but, as i read on news site, imagine if all the cars were equal. We would see alot more racing, alot more moaning from your goat as he has to race amd race his team mate.

Amen!

[Brembo]

Nothing is worse for me than reading all the posts here on our Ferrari Forum over and over stating without a doubt Merc built the greatest car of all time. Ferrari will take years to catch up. Fans here say they don't watch the races because of the unbeatable rocket car Merc built. They are the best team ever and on and on. The Ferrari seat is IMO still the most sought after by all the drivers even today! I believe Lewis, Max and Charles are the 3 best drivers in F-1 . Fans should as suggested to me; find a Merc forum to praise their car and team as unbeatable. Not here. Time to watch the race!! Charles on the podium !!!

[jgonzalesm6]

Nothing is worse for me than reading all the posts here on our Ferrari Forum over and over stating without a doubt Merc built the greatest car of all time. Ferrari will take years to catch up. Fans here say they don't watch the races because of the unbeatable rocket car Merc built. They are the best team ever and on and on. The Ferrari seat is IMO still the most sought after by all the drivers even today! I believe Lewis, Max and Charles are the 3 best drivers in F-1 . Fans should as suggested to me; find a Merc forum to praise their car and team as unbeatable. Not here. Time to watch the race!! Charles on the podium !!!

Ferrari just does'nt have to build the car.....they need to get tire strategy in check and pit stops have to be sub 2secs like RedBull did 5 or 6 times in 2020,

[Brembo]

Binotto's on the case!! From home!

[aroutis]

Nothing is worse for me than reading all the posts here on our Ferrari Forum over and over stating without a doubt Merc built the greatest car of all time.

Unless you can produce such a post, you are trolling, or you have some issue understanding what is written in this forum.
People just state the obvious, which is simply that Mercedes has utilized leverage and has the best car in this era (mainly in the engine dept) and they use that advantage to get championships.
It is so simple, even a 10 yold can understand this.

It is now painfully displayed by George,who would have won, after jumping in a car NOT made for him, wearing shoes smaller than what he has to wear, being in a cockpit smaller than he should be in,
and YET, destroying Bottas who know this car like the back of his hand.

George is a great driver, mind you, but what we saw is simply that this car is THAT good.
And since you may lack the memory, when Fisci for example was called to do this, who was not some useless driver, he just could not adapt in this pace.

So , yes, it IS the car in Lewis' case, as everyone tells you. Yes, it's advantage Mercedes.
Yes, if you're so tired as you say to listen to the truth,or people calling you off about how we complain (to put it really mildly) about Max and Lulu, you can go elsewhere.

@Rob,thank you Mate, long overdue.

[stefa]

Unless you can produce such a post, you are trolling, or you have some issue understanding what is written in this forum.
People just state the obvious, which is simply that Mercedes has utilized leverage and has the best car in this era (mainly in the engine dept) and they use that advantage to get championships.
It is so simple, even a 10 yold can understand this.

It is now painfully displayed by George,who would have won, after jumping in a car NOT made for him, wearing shoes smaller than what he has to wear, being in a cockpit smaller than he should be in,
and YET, destroying Bottas who know this car like the back of his hand.

George is a great driver, mind you, but what we saw is simply that this car is THAT good.
And since you may lack the memory, when Fisci for example was called to do this, who was not some useless driver, he just could not adapt in this pace.

So , yes, it IS the car in Lewis' case, as everyone tells you. Yes, it's advantage Mercedes.
Yes, if you're so tired as you say to listen to the truth,or people calling you off about how we complain (to put it really mildly) about Max and Lulu, you can go elsewhere.

@Rob,thank you Mate, long overdue.

Eveey single word right on spot! Bravo

[Brembo]

Isn't stating the wins, poles WDCs just stating the obvious also? Those numbers are real. Be it the car & driver, the driver & car you can't have one without the other on the track race time to reach those numbers. Your post for the most part is spot on. Merc this era has the best car & the best driver. I also learned from your spot on post that along with engine , down force, tires , shoes also are in the mix!!! .

@ Aroutis , thank you mate. Meinte Asfalis !

[Greig]

I would like to see Russell again in the Merc but at a bit more of a technical track, this race was hardly much of a test of a drivers ability.

[jgonzalesm6]

I would like to see Russell again in the Merc but at a bit more of a technical track, this race was hardly much of a test of a drivers ability.

Well, Russell had 2 days in the car vs. Bottas 4 years in the car.

Also:

Toto Wolff: "One must not forget, George Russell actually does not fit into this car. If you look at the pictures from above, you can see how he is squeezed in the cockpit. He had bloody fists, he was hitting his knees everywhere."

Toto Wolff: "He can't build up enough brake pressure. During hard braking he was always 20% too little because he can't press the leg at the right angle. He had to wear smaller shoes to fit in there."

Toto Wolff: "But also with the clutch pedal, the drivers' fingers fit exactly into the clutch pedal so that they can release it correctly at the start and George Russell hands and fingers are too big for the clutch pedal."


as opposed to Bottas car which is "tailored" made for him. Imagine Russell sitting in an uncomfortable car for 87 laps. He did'nt even complain about it.


Take into account both drivers never raced this circuit layout before......Russell IMO did extraordinary given the circumstances. Russell pressured Bottas.

Russell is definitely WDC material....again given the circumstances.

Of course, I would like to see Russell race again in a Mercedes that is tailored made for him.

[Redfive]

Russell with a car made to fit would beat Lew lew, there I said it.

[JPZ]

Russell with a car made to fit would beat Lew lew, there I said it.

A pity he probably won’t be racing next year at Mercedes before the rule changes, but a good chance for 2022.

And I doubt Hamilton could even now veto this.

Mercedes would have to start focusing on someone to eventually take over from Hamilton and Russel has already proven himself.

[tifosi1993]

Nothing against George, I do believe he's quite talented. But people, especially the British media, painting him as the next big thing, based on his performance in a micky mouse track with the best car, is quite shortsighted. Lec and Max have proven their mantle, George still has a long way to go. Charles dominated Vettel, Max got the better of Ricciardo, George needs to prove that he can handle and convincingly beat someone like Vet/Ric.

And if people, after all this year, still think that Hamilton is going to be a walk in the park for Russell, then are in for a reality check. Just like their qualifying prediction based on practice 1 and 2. Hamilton sometimes get beaten by Bottas in qualifying, but in races he utterly dominates him.

Sure, Russell will be a tougher teammate than Bottas. But I would still put my money on Hamilton.

[tifosi1993]

A pity he probably won’t be racing next year at Mercedes before the rule changes, but a good chance for 2022.

And I doubt Hamilton could even now veto this.

Mercedes would have to start focusing on someone to eventually take over from Hamilton and Russel has already proven himself.

Russell still has a long way to go. And no matter what Toto says, if Max is available, he will sign him up in a heartbeat. Max is in the prime position to replace Hamilton in either 2022 or 2023, Toto may replace Bottas with George.

[MSC Fan]

Russell still has a long way to go. And no matter what Toto says, if Max is available, he will sign him up in a heartbeat. Max is in the prime position to replace Hamilton in either 2022 or 2023, Toto may replace Bottas with George.

Why would they want Verstappen? He is like Alonso, a great driver, no doubt about that but he is far from being PR friendly and already has angered some people by his comments. Just look at him in Mugello, he outright cursed the engine, while his anger was understandable, a factory team generally doesn't like that. Russell is cheaper, is potentially just as good as Verstappen or Leclerc judging by their junior careers and a well mannered lad. I mean, he even thanked the team for the opportunity to race there when Mercedes completely **** the bed. It gave me a lot of flashes about Charles in Bahrain 2019. There is a reason why everyone speaks highly of Vettel despite not being that great of a driver while Alonso, although respected as a driver, his ex mechanics look down upon him (read Marc Priestly's book).

[Brembo]

Nothing against George, I do believe he's quite talented. But people, especially the British media, painting him as the next big thing, based on his performance in a micky mouse track with the best car, is quite shortsighted. Lec and Max have proven their mantle, George still has a long way to go. Charles dominated Vettel, Max got the better of Ricciardo, George needs to prove that he can handle and convincingly beat someone like Vet/Ric.

And if people, after all this year, still think that Hamilton is going to be a walk in the park for Russell, then are in for a reality check. Just like their qualifying prediction based on practice 1 and 2. Hamilton sometimes get beaten by Bottas in qualifying, but in races he utterly dominates him.

Sure, Russell will be a tougher teammate than Bottas. But I would still put my money on Hamilton.

Great Post. Right on the $$ money. I don't understand how fans think Russell proved himself anywhere close to Charles , Max, Alonso. Dan or Lewis in one race? His fault or not, he finished 9th behind Bottas. He didn't win the race. Bad pit & puncture was not his fault, he drove well ,but not right up to be with the top boys so fast. Ferrari's pits are not the drivers fault either.

[stefa]

Great Post. Right on the $$ money. I don't understand how fans think Russell proved himself anywhere close to Charles , Max, Alonso. Dan or Lewis in one race? His fault or not, he finished 9th behind Bottas. He didn't win the race. Bad pit & puncture was not his fault, he drove well ,but not right up to be with the top boys so fast. Ferrari's pits are not the drivers fault either.

It doesn't! But it proves that it is JUST THE CAR!!!

[Brembo]

It doesn't! But it proves that it is JUST THE CAR!!!

In this case I have to agree 100% . There are races where Lewis does not pit when the pit wall tells him to. That & the car is a big reason for some of the wins.

[Alakshendra]

Before i write my takeaway from the race, my sincere apologies if anyone get offended

One thing was very clear from the season start that our PU has issues and lacks the power and everyone accepted it as mistakes happen and so be it.

Now comes the aero, and from years this aero is not working for us with exception of 2018 season but 2nd part of season was a big **** up with merc beating ferrari in singapore , makes me wonder how we are not getting aero right, even this year with such low power our car keeps on wobble around , 2019 again car was not turning and 2020 again same story so what is the aero head doing? where is all the money going? I dont think ferrari is out of money so why aero is so wrong everytime?

Coming to pitstops even the equipment's are not proper and we are coming to race and compete , seb himself commented the same thing , i never knew that ferrari will be using some **** equipment's.

Simon resta raised questions on Binotto and now Resta is leaving to HAAS , can someone please tell me things on this, honestly my knowledge is just based on news and forums and these forums and news seems to indicate that everything is ****ed up in the legendary team.

[Alakshendra]

In this case I have to agree 100% . There are races where Lewis does not pit when the pit wall tells him to. That & the car is a big reason for some of the wins.

Lewis is their ace driver, he have to power of not to pit, i dont think Russel had same authority, he was asked to pit and he pitted.