2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - Imola, Apr 16 - 18

[jgonzalesm6]

Why is he so worthy of all these gifts? His driving abilities has to have something to do with his 2nd. place. The way it looks; Lewis will be needing a ton of gifts the next 20 races with there finally being competition for pole and getting up front from 2nd , 3rd place at the start. The question will be each race; can " The car " continue to be a winner? Putting this race in the past , Charles and Carlos look podium bound for sure. A mix up with Max and Lucky Lewis up front and a careful pass by either Ferrari and maybe even a win or 2 !!!

Of all your posts Brembo, this one has ALOT of substance and agree with most of it.

Aside from 2016, Lewis finally looks to have some competition and it has been a long time coming and alot of F1 fans are excited to see the Lewis vs Max 2021 year.

[20000rpm]

Agreed... Max versus Lewis should be interesting to watch this season.

[paolo lalli]

Max can win the battle a couple more wins under his belt and he will rattle hamilton just like rosberg did.Max like rosberg is mentally tough.

[Redfive]

Agreed... Max versus Lewis should be interesting to watch this season.

I'm not sure. I still think the Merc is the better car and I just don't see Max being able to catch and pass him in races but I'd love to be wrong. I'm sick of the way the FIA do everthing in their power to gift goldenboy another title. boils my blood it does, wouldn't be so bad if his teammate put up a fight but Bottas is only there because he's mediocre and won't challenge him.

[FerrariF60]

I'm not sure. I still think the Merc is the better car and I just don't see Max being able to catch and pass him in races but I'd love to be wrong. I'm sick of the way the FIA do everthing in their power to gift goldenboy another title. boils my blood it does, wouldn't be so bad if his teammate put up a fight but Bottas is only there because he's mediocre and won't challenge him.

Or because he’s got the #2 status, NO?

[20000rpm]

I'm not sure. I still think the Merc is the better car and I just don't see Max being able to catch and pass him in races but I'd love to be wrong. I'm sick of the way the FIA do everthing in their power to gift goldenboy another title. boils my blood it does, wouldn't be so bad if his teammate put up a fight but Bottas is only there because he's mediocre and won't challenge him.

I too have the same feeling. But this time Max is close. So there is a good chance he won't give Lewis an easy time. Which in a way is good because unlike previous years Merc just had it too easy. Atleast this time they are facing a tough time and giving Toto something to blabber whenever his boy is threatened.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this but I feel George has sent a clear message to Merc(Toto) that he won't be playing second fiddle if ever he is promoted to Merc, unlike Bottas who has accepted himself as Lewis's wingman. While there may be disagreements as to who was at fault, from my view Bottas panicked and squeezed GR into grass.

I honestly thought it would be Ferrari that would be giving Merc a tough time after its sheer dominance in hybrid era. But can't complain much when your competitors had already started working back in 2007-08.

[Rishu]

Agreed... Max versus Lewis should be interesting to watch this season.

I have a hunch reliability will decide the title. RedBull are traditionally one of the best in the business in developing a car. Merc reliability will be their trump card

[tpe]

Upgrades will come until June not later.
And I still need to understand how the 1 lap disadvantaged car transforms to a rocket ship during the race, exactly when it's needed.
I don't buy the "tyre temperature" story.
LH was extremely ffast after the restart, a completely different car. Same in Bahrain.

Something is fishy

[From Treviso]

Hi all,

In case it's has not been recently mentioned, it looks like the Ferraris are well up to speed when at full power for qualifying modes but are somehow detuned for the race. Is it their energy recovery and storage getting depleted way before the Mercs or is it that they are trying to finish the race without running out of fuel?

Initially, I thought it would be the latter, but if you go back two years when they had the most power by a long margin, they still managed to finish the races without lifting. So many theories, like are they under much more scrutiny than others that they get away with less or did they pioneer a system that breeched the rules and has been removed?

As said, qualy good, race not as good. Hopefully, this can get addressed sooner than later!

[Brembo]

[QUOTE=Redfive;1042041.
. boils my blood it does, wouldn't be so bad if his teammate put up a fight but Bottas is only there because he's mediocre and won't challenge him.
That sounds very familiar. I think of it as " Rubenization! " The only difference is Bottas says he' s allowed to race to win. Mediocre as you say seems to be the real reason he doesn't beat his team mate. 5 months earlier Bottas took pole @ Emilia Romagna GP. Russell for one couldn't come out ahead of Bottas when in the rocket.

[tpe]

Hi all,

In case it's has not been recently mentioned, it looks like the Ferraris are well up to speed when at full power for qualifying modes but are somehow detuned for the race. Is it their energy recovery and storage getting depleted way before the Mercs or is it that they are trying to finish the race without running out of fuel?

Initially, I thought it would be the latter, but if you go back two years when they had the most power by a long margin, they still managed to finish the races without lifting. So many theories, like are they under much more scrutiny than others that they get away with less or did they pioneer a system that breeched the rules and has been removed?

As said, qualy good, race not as good. Hopefully, this can get addressed sooner than later!

There are no quali modes

[20000rpm]

I have a hunch reliability will decide the title. RedBull are traditionally one of the best in the business in developing a car. Merc reliability will be their trump card

Valid point..And with only 4 engines. Honda pre-poned by bringing 2022 spec engine to 2021. With limited time for testing the engine, it needs to be seen how it pans out with the season progressing.

[Warp]

I too have the same feeling. But this time Max is close. So there is a good chance he won't give Lewis an easy time. Which in a way is good because unlike previous years Merc just had it too easy. Atleast this time they are facing a tough time and giving Toto something to blabber whenever his boy is threatened.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this but I feel George has sent a clear message to Merc(Toto) that he won't be playing second fiddle if ever he is promoted to Merc, unlike Bottas who has accepted himself as Lewis's wingman. While there may be disagreements as to who was at fault, from my view Bottas panicked and squeezed GR into grass.

I honestly thought it would be Ferrari that would be giving Merc a tough time after its sheer dominance in hybrid era. But can't complain much when your competitors had already started working back in 2007-08.

There's no excuse anymore for our power unit performance. Check Honda.

[jgonzalesm6]

There's no excuse anymore for our power unit performance. Check Honda.

Yep, Honda came into theis turbo hybrid era in 2015 with zero help from anyone and did'nt start in advance like most. They, along with Mclaren, were the laughing stock of the whole grid. Now, in 6 years, Honda, along with Redbull managed to turn into a possible WDC contedner and giving Mercedes some possible well deserved competition.

[330 p4]

[QUOTE=jgonzalesm6;1042079]Yep, Honda came into theis turbo hybrid era in 2015 with zero help from anyone and did'nt start in advance like most. They, along with Mclaren, were the laughing stock of the whole grid. Now, in 6 years, Honda, along with Redbull managed to turn into a possible WDC contedner and giving Mercedes some possible well

RB Honda has done nothing close to Ferrari in 2017 and 2018 yet, only 2 races in, Ferrari won opening 2 races in 2018. RB will have to contend with a tyre construction change or wait for Merc mudslinging over the engine and have the garage full of FIA officials at a critical point of the season making it hard to get things done or other elements of their car will be changed mid season by technical updates just like Ferraris floor front and blown axles halfway through 2018.

[Brembo]

[QUOTE=20000rpm;1042043]I too have the same feeling. But this time Max is close. So there is a good chance he won't give Lewis an easy time. Which in a way is good because unlike previous years Merc just had it too easy. Atleast this time they are facing a tough time and giving Toto something to blabber whenever his boy is threatened.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this but I feel George has sent a clear message to Merc(Toto) that he won't be playing second fiddle if ever he is promoted to Merc, unlike Bottas who has accepted himself as Lewis's wingman. While there may be disagreements as to who was at fault, from my view Bottas panicked and squeezed GR into grass.

Before Russell sends out any clear messages to Merc or any other team; he needs to score at least 1 point in his F-1 career with Williams. Zero is a tough number to bring to any future team. Bottas for all 8 yrs. in F-1 has never missed scoring points every season. A few wins; podiums and fastest laps thrown in. Not bad for a supposed Rubens. Meanwhile Ferrari's Charles out raced his 4 x WDC team mate and now is where he belongs, #1 . Crashing into Bottas last race is not out racing him. A driver with zero points against a almost 100 pole setter will only make it more boring to watch . Max will eat Russell alive if he was ever in his way. Ferrari podiums are on the way!!!

[20000rpm]

[QUOTE=Brembo;1042081]

I too have the same feeling. But this time Max is close. So there is a good chance he won't give Lewis an easy time. Which in a way is good because unlike previous years Merc just had it too easy. Atleast this time they are facing a tough time and giving Toto something to blabber whenever his boy is threatened.
I don't know if anyone has noticed this but I feel George has sent a clear message to Merc(Toto) that he won't be playing second fiddle if ever he is promoted to Merc, unlike Bottas who has accepted himself as Lewis's wingman. While there may be disagreements as to who was at fault, from my view Bottas panicked and squeezed GR into grass.

Before Russell sends out any clear messages to Merc or any other team; he needs to score at least 1 point in his F-1 career with Williams. Zero is a tough number to bring to any future team. Bottas for all 8 yrs. in F-1 has never missed scoring points every season. A few wins; podiums and fastest laps thrown in. Not bad for a supposed Rubens. Meanwhile Ferrari's Charles out raced his 4 x WDC team mate and now is where he belongs, #1 . Crashing into Bottas last race is not out racing him. A driver with zero points against a almost 100 pole setter will only make it more boring to watch . Max will eat Russell alive if he was ever in his way. Ferrari podiums are on the way!!!

And I think he was trying to do just that, going for a gap which was there to overtake and score points. And it's an open secret that it take both the driver and the car to get the best performance. Bottas is a mediocre driver, both in Williams and Mercedes. I am pretty sure if both VB and GR swapped their seats, their standing would also change. GR has the potential to wipe out Bottas if both given similar set of cars.
If people are suggesting like Toto and Bottas that you should keep "global standards in mind" before overtaking then GR should politely keep his gear on #2 and race. That way he won't be a threat to any Mercedes car or any of their clients. Why even go that far, just sit out of qualifying, no worries about crashes.
While debates about this incidents can continue, it is laughable that Toto tries to pin the entire blame on GR. He must be gutted, thinking what is he even doing in F-1. Though, not a fan on GR but I know this kid's got talent and there is a need to promote young talent and allowing them to race freely rather than having lame rules like engine freeze or don't compete if your competitor is your engine supplier and crap.

[jgonzalesm6]

[QUOTE=20000rpm;1042082]

And I think he was trying to do just that, going for a gap which was there to overtake and score points. And it's an open secret that it take both the driver and the car to get the best performance. Bottas is a mediocre driver, both in Williams and Mercedes. I am pretty sure if both VB and GR swapped their seats, their standing would also change. GR has the potential to wipe out Bottas if both given similar set of cars.
If people are suggesting like Toto and Bottas that you should keep "global standards in mind" before overtaking then GR should politely keep his gear on #2 and race. That way he won't be a threat to any Mercedes car or any of their clients. Why even go that far, just sit out of qualifying, no worries about crashes.
While debates about this incidents can continue, it is laughable that Toto tries to pin the entire blame on GR. He must be gutted, thinking what is he even doing in F-1. Though, not a fan on GR but I know this kid's got talent and there is a need to promote young talent and allowing them to race freely rather than having lame rules like engine freeze or don't compete if your competitor is your engine supplier and crap.

I don't think Russell would stand for being a #2 at Mercedes against Lewis.....hence why Bottas is good for Mercedes and Bottas fits the bill.

The incident was clearly Russells fault against Bottas at Imola.

[Brembo]

Agree 100% . There's no point in bringing up a driver with no points.

[Silent Bob]

Agree 100% . There's no point in bringing up a driver with no points.

If that was the case for all drivers, Alonso would never have left Minardi

[Brembo]

If that was the case for all drivers, Alonso would never have left Minardi

That's true. He got a chance @ Renault as a test driver 2002 . 2003 his 1st year as a driver; he scored 55 points and finished in 6th place ! I can only wish the same on Russell. He's in his 3rd year with Williams. Where's Flavio when you need him?

[Italiano Tifoso]

[QUOTE=jgonzalesm6;1042083]

The incident was clearly Russells fault against Bottas at Imola.

If you watch the onboards you can see that Bottas runs Russell off the road as he doesn't give him racing room.
This was 75% Bottas fault in my opinion.

[jgonzalesm6]

If you watch the onboards you can see that Bottas runs Russell off the road as he doesn't give him racing room.
This was 75% Bottas fault in my opinion.

Nope, Bottas does'nt run Russell off the road. Bottas is following the dry line on that part of the track....just like Kimi whom is following Bottas and Russell. Later in ther race, Norris is followng the dry line against Lewis whom is passing Norris in that same area. The difference is is that Lewis does'nt run the right side of his car onto part of the grass (wihich is wet) and loose control. Russell runs the right side of his car off the track, picks up some wet, over-revs, and runs into the side of Bottas.

I"ve seen the on-boards.