Eifel GP 2020 - Practice and Qualifying

[jgonzalesm6]

Looks rainy and misty this morning.....and cold.....has been like this the last couple of days.

[KimiBot]

mini schumi driving today ?

[jgonzalesm6]

Mecical chopper cannot take off due to low visibility hence FP1 will update in 30min. from start time.

[jgonzalesm6]

mini schumi driving today ?

yep.....weather depending.

[KimiBot]

maybe no driving at all today, okey

[jgonzalesm6]

FP1 has cancelled.

[Redfive]

tbh I enjoyed FP1 and 2, there was more action there than in the last two races. ;-)

[jgonzalesm6]

The day looks good for FP3 and quali.

[phsyklone]

Ferrari looking a bit better.

[Tifoso Svedese]

Like I said before, I think we have a great chance of a second row with Leclerc here. Maybe even fighting Verstappen on merit.

[tifosi1993]

Has the floor upgrade really changed our fortune as it did in both 2017 and 2018? too early to tell. But that's a nice lap time from Charles. Better than our usual position this year.

[MSC Fan]

That was a brilliant lap by Charles. Would've been a tenth faster if it wasn't for the traffic. I wonder if the changes he suggested before the final run played a role.

[tifosi1993]

FP3 top 10:

Bottas: 28.220--35.788--22.209--1:26.225

Hamilton: 28.010--35.847--22.226--1:26.361

Leclerc: 28.093--36.083--22.505--1:26.681

Verstappen: 28.201--36.037--22.527--1:26.896

Vettel: 28.335--36.073--22.521--1:27.038

Norris: 28.391--36.212--22.497--1:27.167

Perez: 28.383--36.175--22.504--1:27.245

Ricciardo: 28.416--36.551--22.425--1:27.392

Albon: 28.367--36.302--22.636--1:27.449

Gasly: 28.396--36.552--22.415--1:27.528

[Tifoso Svedese]

Has the floor upgrade really changed our fortune as it did in both 2017 and 2018? too early to tell. But that's a nice lap time from Charles. Better than our usual position this year.

Maybe a little bit, but our car isn't that bad in the corners anyway. It's just that the past four tracks have been very high-speed with long flat out parts and have skewed that. This year has been the most power-dependent calendar in memory. Even in Melbourne, Baku, Montréal, Austin and to some extent Paul Ricard you can circumvent that a bit through the hairpin/90-degree parts, but impossible to do so at Spa, Monza, Mugello and Sochi.

[Rishu]

Nurburgring is a challenging track and covers all bases of testing a good car. If we do well here, certainly bodes well for rest of the season as well as 2021

[jgonzalesm6]

Hulk tests negative for COVID-19 to take over for Stroll whom is not feeling well.

Hulk drove from Cologne in a GT2RS whom bought the car from Keke Rosberg.

[chinmay]

Leclerc is running the new upgrades here. Only enough parts for 1 car.

[KimiBot]

:ferrarifl

[Brembo]

Wow ! A cover left on a tire ! 10 sec penalty for sure !!:rotfl

[tifosi1993]

Vettel needs to improve his sector 1, he has lost 6 tenth their compared to Charles.

[Rishu]

Looking good, are we back?

[tifosi1993]

2nd lap, Vette PB sector 1 and 2, but lost time in the final sector. But he's not safe, 1:27.7 is not a safe delta.

[tpe]

Has anyone a working link for live stream?

[tifosi1993]

Impressive from Charles and Max, considering neither of these have ever driven a f1 car here before today. Even more impressive from Charles, considering his team has won here, and he's currently 0.9 sec ahead of Vettel.

[jgonzalesm6]

Lap record was set by Takuma Sato in 2004...a 1:26.691

Max beat that already with a 1:26.319

[KimiBot]

Has anyone a working link for live stream?

https://www.totalsportek.com/formula1-hungary/

[KimiBot]

Looking good, are we back?

I dont think so,just some magic from Charles I think

[tifosi1993]

Q1 (Verstappen, Mercedes, Leclerc)

Verstappen: 28.135--35.822--22.362--1:26.319

Bottas: 28.284--35.909--22.198--1:26.573

Hamilton: 28.168--36.113--22.300--1:26.620

Leclerc: 28.195--36.138--22.524--1:26.857

[tifosi1993]

Well done GIO. :thumb

[gump1480]

Looking good, are we back?

Well we are back to where we were...1 sec slower than Merc on same tire

[tpe]

Thank you!

[tifosi1993]

Leclerc P5 :thumb

Vettel P11 :-ZZ

[jgonzalesm6]

Charles into Q3.....well done.

[KimiBot]

bad lap from RIC IMO, and P4 :-E

[tifosi1993]

Ferrari's weakest sector is the final sector, understandable. Probably giving away 3-4 tenths on that long straight.

[Rishu]

We have definitely improved considerably, maybe I overestimated but still happy to see

[Ferrarichamp]

Max is fast today.

[tifosi1993]

Said it before and will say it again, this car and Charles would've fought for poles and wins with last years engine. Ferraris aero gain this year has been masked by the weak engine.

[phsyklone]

Demon lap by Charles. We've never been under a second in qualy whole season if I remember correctly

[jgonzalesm6]

Max is fast today.

Plus the track suits the car.


Also, modes on the cars are limited.....Mercedes.

[tifosi1993]

Leclerc is going out very late.

[tifosi1993]

Charles P4. Incredible. What a Star. :thumb

[drax]

Charles !!!

[KimiBot]

Charles P4. Incredible. What a Star. :thumb

:clap

[PURE PASSION]

:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow

[Warp]

Well done Charles!

[gump1480]

Superb lap by Charles...bravo !!
Proves how disappointing Albon is in that RedBull.

[Ferrarichamp]

no pole for Ham :-D

[jgonzalesm6]

Very nice P4 for Charles.

[phsyklone]

Massive development improvement by Ferrari in decades

[jgonzalesm6]

Massive development improvement by Ferrari in decades

It's the track.

[tifosi1993]

Q3 (top 10 and their respective best sectors):

Bottas: 27.811--35.453--22.005--1:25.269

Hamilton: 27.829--35.490--21.902--1:25.525

Verstappen: 27.804--35.478--22.120--1:25.562

Leclerc: 27.908--35.742--22.350--1:26.035

Albon: 27.964--35.712--22.371--1:26.047

Ricciardo: 27.996--35.901--22.170--1:26.223

Ocon: 27.981--35.961--22.228--1:26.242

Norris: 28.020--35.935--22.270--1:26.458

Perez: 28.084--35.920--22.326--1:26.704

Sainz: 28.156--35.961--22.222--1:26.709

[nani_s23]

Great lap by Leclerc...:thumb

Ferrari upgrades got some improvements :-). Hope next year engine gives enough boost, rest Leclerc will take care.

[Aziz]

Lec to fast, FIA should put some sensors on his car ASAP

[Redfive]

If Charles had a decent car he'd dethrone Hamboy.

[Ferrarichamp]

if Bottas wins this race, the championship will be a bit more interesting.

[Ferrarichamp]

Lec to fast, FIA should put some sensors on his car ASAP

:rotfl

[nani_s23]

if Bottas wins this race, the championship will be a bit more interesting.
He’s got the chances to do it, but his race starts are awful. Else championship would have been interesting.

[nani_s23]

Massive development improvement by Ferrari in decades

Singapore GP 2019?

[Warp]

Ferrari confirms that both Vettel & Leclerc are driving identical cars - same upgrades

[h3ro]

What a lap by Charles!

[patrese86]

Charles is a beast. He lost four tenths in sector 3 and I can guarantee most of that was leading uphill to the chicane. Such a shame we messed up with the engine this season.

[tifosi1993]

Qualifying maximum speeds:

Perez 321

Bottas 318

Hulk 318

Hamilton 317

Ocon 317

Norris 317

Sainz 316

Ricciardo 315

Gio 314

Russell 314

Gasy 313

Kvyat 313

Max 312

Albon 312

Latifi 312

Leclerc 311

Vettel 310

Magnussen 310

Raikkonen 310

Grosjean 309

[nani_s23]

It's the track.

With a good engine I think Leclerc would have smashed Bottas/Max.

Sky F1 are just mentioning Lewis & Max best drivers on the current grid. They are underestimating Leclerc. :-D
In one way it’s fine, next year with a good engine. He will take on those so called best drivers.

[jgonzalesm6]

With a good engine I think Leclerc would have smashed Bottas/Max.



most likely

[h3ro]

I think I'd rate Max, Lewis, Charles and Fernando once he's back as the best on the grid, not in any order. I think these 4 are capable of maximizing what a car can do at all times.

Charles is doing now what Lewis did in those trash early 2010's Mclarens and what Fernando did in the off pace Ferrari's when fighting RB.

[MSC Fan]

With a good engine I think Leclerc would have smashed Bottas/Max.

Sky F1 are just mentioning Lewis & Max best drivers on the current grid. They are underestimating Leclerc. :-D
In one way it’s fine, next year with a good engine. He will take on those so called best drivers.

In raw pace, I think he is the best. He needs to make less mistakes, which I guess you get with experience. Having to drive a box would only help in that regard.

[jgonzalesm6]

In raw pace, I think he is the best. He needs to make less mistakes, which I guess you get with experience. Having to drive a box would only help in that regard.

It's a shame his talent is wasted this year and possibly next year.

Stats, in this regard when comparing drivers ahead of Leclerc, don't always tell the truth IF one follows F1 religiously.

[MSC Fan]

It's a shame his talent is wasted this year and possibly next year.

Stats, in this regard when comparing drivers ahead of Leclerc, don't always tell the truth IF one follows F1 religiously.

It is often the years with bad cars where drivers become special. Villeneuve in '80, Mansell and Berger in '89, Alesi in '94/'95, Schumacher in '96, Raikkonen in '09 and Alonso in '14, all of them are good examples of such a thing happening. Ferrari has always fought back to the top after the toughest of times. I don't see why it won't happen with Leclerc. We have a top 3 driver and a top 3 chassis. All we need is a great engine, a well disciplined pit crew and at least decent strategy team.

[jgonzalesm6]

It is often the years with bad cars where drivers become special. Villeneuve in '80, Mansell and Berger in '89, Alesi in '94/'95, Schumacher in '96, Raikkonen in '09 and Alonso in '14, all of them are good examples of such a thing happening. Ferrari has always fought back to the top after the toughest of times.

+1


I don't see why it won't happen with Leclerc. We have a top 3 driver and a top 3 chassis. All we need is a great engine, a well disciplined pit crew and at least decent strategy team.

I don't see it happening next year.

We have some up-coming drivers from F2 that are'nt bad. All 3 are actually quite good but not like Leclerc when he raced in F2 whom stood out and dominated the race...very consistent.

It's frustrating for me to see a talented driver with a crappy car......and even more so when these 3 F2 drivers make their F1 debut and get a Ferrari seat. By then, the Ferrari car will be competitive up front.

[Brembo]

I just can't believe that Bottas and Lewis are not racing each other for the wins. A #2 driver taking pole when Lewis really wants to win just doesn't fit a #2 drivers orders.

[JPZ]

Leclerc is phenomenal!

In my opinion, the fastest driver on the grid.

[PURE PASSION]

Leclerc smiles: "We are going in the right direction"

The Monegasque hit an unexpected fourth time in qualifying at the Nurburgring and praised the Scuderia's work for the small updates that are making the SF1000 progress.
That Charles Leclerc was a real qualifying animal is nothing new and today the Monegasque once again showed all his qualities on the flying lap.

Charles had already made it clear in the only free practice session that took place, this morning, that he found a good feeling with the SF1000 by hitting the third time behind Bottas and Hamilton, but in qualifying he pulled a rabbit out of the hat .

After passing Q2 with the fifth time trial, and thus becoming the only Ferrari driver present in Q3, Leclerc made the most of the last available lap to stop the clock at a time of 1'26''035 and precede by only 12 thousandths the Red Bull of an Albon revitalized by the new chassis.

At the end of qualifying Charles did not hide all his happiness for a result that finally brings a smile back to his face after the difficulties suffered in the last rounds.

“I'm happy, we didn't expect it. At the beginning of the weekend we brought a small update for the car, but seeing the result confirms that we are going in the right direction. We have to take small steps at a time to get where we want ”.

Leclerc said one of Ferrari's advantages came not only from the small updates adopted on the SF1000, but also from Friday's cancellation of free practice which complicated the rival teams' plans.

“I had a good lap. I certainly benefited from the fact that FP1 and FP2 did not take place. We started with a good balance and then we did a good job ”.

Leclerc was not only surprised by today's fourth time trial, but above all by how his Ferrari managed to adapt perfectly to the low temperatures of the Nurburgring asphalt.

“Being competitive in these temperatures was a surprise. Usually we struggle with the cold, while today we went strong ”.

Tomorrow's race is likely to be held in the rain, at least according to the weather forecast, but for Leclerc the biggest unknown for all derives from the lack of knowledge of the behavior of the tires with a full tank of petrol.

“I don't know how the race will go. We will all start blindly because we don't have data on long runs with a lot of fuel. I hope to have a good start from the clean side of the track, then everything will be possible ”.

[Tifoso Svedese]

It is often the years with bad cars where drivers become special. Villeneuve in '80, Mansell and Berger in '89, Alesi in '94/'95, Schumacher in '96, Raikkonen in '09 and Alonso in '14, all of them are good examples of such a thing happening. Ferrari has always fought back to the top after the toughest of times. I don't see why it won't happen with Leclerc. We have a top 3 driver and a top 3 chassis. All we need is a great engine, a well disciplined pit crew and at least decent strategy team.

Gilles way way before my time, but those in bold aren't really compatible. Kimi was being outscored by Massa in 2009 before Hungaroring, Alesi was soundly showed up when he and Michael swapped cars and don't get me started on Berger and Mansell in relation to Senna and Prost as drivers. All those seasons we'd done a lot better with better drivers (Prost '89, Schumacher '94-95 and Alonso '09). Given the power advantage we had through KERS in 2009 and with development to the end of the season, I think Alonso would've taken Button to the wire in our car that year and would've won Monaco, then swept Hungary, Valencia, Spa and Monza in a row once the KERS system got properly sussed out.

[paolo lalli]

Seb has lost his way charles is today's Numero uno no question.Even at Aston martin seb will struggle.I really wonder what on earth he is really thinking.Ferrari chipping away problems nicely.

[Rishu]

Seb has lost his way charles is today's Numero uno no question.Even at Aston martin seb will struggle.I really wonder what on earth he is really thinking.Ferrari chipping away problems nicely.

Struggle in F1 is primarily highlighted by how you perform against your team mate. Most here thought Vettel was going great against Kimi, and it was Kimi who was struggling. Perception changed completely when Charles arrived. Maybe Seb is still performing at same level, it’s just that we compare him against Charles.

So, I don’t think Seb will struggle at RP. I expect him to roll over Stroll

[wisepie]

Great job from Charles, hope it can work for him in the race. Seb in his usual place, sadly, and well done again for GIO to get to Q2. Avanti ragazzi!:pray

[330 p4]

Charles is a beast. He lost four tenths in sector 3 and I can guarantee most of that was leading uphill to the chicane. Such a shame we messed up with the engine this season.

Didn't mess up the engine with poor design, forced changes very late, no time to change anything until they froze the engine. Next years engine will be much better. Hell they probably already have a new engine they could use right now but the stupid FIA rule stops it, like that would help poor teams like Willuams and McLaren.

[PURE PASSION]

Didn't mess up the engine with poor design, forced changes very late, no time to change anything until they froze the engine. Next years engine will be much better. Hell they probably already have a new engine they could use right now but the stupid FIA rule stops it, like that would help poor teams like Willuams and McLaren.

Binotto
“Next year we will have a completely new engine that has been running on the bench for months providing good feedback.

[ntukza]

I just watched the quali highlights. INCREDIBLE! I'm super-happy about Charles (obviously), I'm glad the "useless" Bottas beat Lewis (wouldn't it be great if Lewis stayed stuck on 90 the rest of the season?) and I'm totally baffled about Vettel (I really hope the team are not messing him around).

[ntukza]

Binotto
“Next year we will have a completely new engine that has been running on the bench for months providing good feedback.

Lovely! 2021 couldn't come sooner!

[nani_s23]

In raw pace, I think he is the best. He needs to make less mistakes, which I guess you get with experience. Having to drive a box would only help in that regard.

Agree. He needs to work on Wet race skills, but he will learn it gradually with the time moving on.

[nani_s23]

Binotto
“Next year we will have a completely new engine that has been running on the bench for months providing good feedback.

That’s a good. But still I don’t have any hope it’s a Merc beater.
May be a near match up to them & driver pulls off something special.

[nani_s23]

Struggle in F1 is primarily highlighted by how you perform against your team mate. Most here thought Vettel was going great against Kimi, and it was Kimi who was struggling. Perception changed completely when Charles arrived. Maybe Seb is still performing at same level, it’s just that we compare him against Charles.

So, I don’t think Seb will struggle at RP. I expect him to roll over Stroll

Well said. :thumb

He’s not at all in that great driver category. Neither ordinary driver too.
When he has a fastest car only, will disappear else we see him struggling/spinning etc.

[Warp]

That’s a good. But still I don’t have any hope it’s a Merc beater.
May be a near match up to them & driver pulls off something special.

There are rumors that Mercedes redesigned their 2021 engine and they will have a good performance boost.

[nani_s23]

There are rumors that Mercedes redesigned their 2021 engine and they will have a good performance boost.

Let them carry their performance. It’s their era & no one’s stopping them.
It was always ferrari in the radar for FIA.

[MSC Fan]

There are rumors that Mercedes redesigned their 2021 engine and they will have a good performance boost.

Redesigning the engine this late into the era is risky though. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

[Warp]

Redesigning the engine this late into the era is risky though. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Engine development will be frozen from 2023 until 2025. FIA is planning to introduce new power units in 2025.

Mercedes wants to be sure they will dominate all the way to 2025.

[MSC Fan]

Engine development will be frozen from 2023 until 2025. FIA is planning to introduce new power units in 2025.

Mercedes wants to be sure they will dominate all the way to 2025.

Yes but redesigning such a successful model will be risky. If they fail, there is no going back because the engine development will be frozen.

[Warp]

Yes but redesigning such a successful model will be risky. If they fail, there is no going back because the engine development will be frozen.

I'd love to see that but lets be realistic. When it was the last time that Mercedes failed to provide something good ?

[MSC Fan]

I'd love to see that but lets be realistic. When it was the last time that Mercedes failed to provide something good ?

This could be their first in a while. They're playing with fire here though.