2021 Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya, May 07 - 09

[jgonzalesm6]

Way to go Max!!!

[JChan]

don't celebrate!!!

[ferrari1.8t]

Nice start from Max and Charles!

[Greig]

Nice job Charles.

[20000rpm]

Max and Charle good starts...
Sainz got down...

[Ferrarichamp]

hopefully Bottas will ruin his tyres.

[JChan]

for 8 laps we are behind by 10 seconds from RB!

[JChan]

What a crap it's SC! helping LH again?

[20000rpm]

Sky commentators are so bloody biased... Always speaking in favour of Mercedes. :paranoid

[PURE PASSION]

Ooh not SC again!!!
Our nightmare in 3 previous races!!!
We lost places every time!!!

[Greig]

What a crap it's SC! helping LH again?

Why does it help Lewis?

[JChan]

Why does it help Lewis?

LH get close to MV by means of SC! he was behind by 1.5sec already before SC! r u PRO-LH?

[paneristi]

Neturally, as we used to trash their heroes (McL mostly)
Sky commentators are so bloody biased... Always speaking in favour of Mercedes. :paranoid

[Greig]

LH get close to MV by means of SC! he was behind by 1.5sec already before SC! r u PRO-LH?

But he loses a 8 second gap to Charles? not sure it really helped him at all.

[JChan]

But he loses a 8 second gap to Charles? not sure it really helped him at all.

Yes even when we start again CL is no match to LH! CL is good for P3 only if gets lucky! there's BOT at his back with the party mode engine do you think CL can last that position till end?

[JacKy]

Leclerc 0.5sec faster than other cars at sector 3. ( Except ham and vers ) This is why Bottas can't get close to him.

[elnano14]

We're currently faster than both Alpine and McLaren

[Ferrarichamp]

Ham waiting for the undercut i suppose.

[JacKy]

We're currently faster than both Alpine and McLaren

Yeah both Leclerc's and Ocon's running with clean air. Leclerc 0.9 faster than him

[Greig]

Blistering for Lewis

[DJTaurus]

Unfortunate Max can’t open the gap :(

[JacKy]

You have to be at least 1.0 Sec faster to even considering an attack to oppenent.

[elnano14]

I think Sainz is in a bad spot. Lando is only 2-3s behind

[JChan]

Blistering for Lewis

are not you sick of LH? even with blister MV can't pull away! like LH always said my tire is dead but keep on FL over over..

[JacKy]

Sainz in pit [2.2 sec]

[JacKy]

Sainz ahead of Ocon

[Greig]

are not you sick of LH? even with blister MV can't pull away! like LH always said my tire is dead but keep on FL over over..

Just saying he has blistering on his rear tyre?

[Ferrarichamp]

max blinked first

[Greig]

Well done Red Bull :rotfl

[elnano14]

Why let Leclerc stay out ?

[gump1480]

Why let Leclerc stay out ?

Our fight is not with Bottas...but with our own tire wear.

[JChan]

Just saying he has blistering on his rear tyre?

okey, with that blistering drama he got even close to MV at .4sec before MV pitstop.

[Ferrarichamp]

how long is a pit stop on this circuit?

[DJTaurus]

Ham going for one stop ?

[gump1480]

I think we are looking at gap to Perez

[JChan]

If CL pi he'll lose a place to BOT! some miracles please

[Greig]

Nice stop for both our drivers.

[elnano14]

Charles is now in one man land, free air

[JacKy]

Leclerc could've go until bottas come close if we're on 1 pit stop. This is not gonna work

[JChan]

NO MORE SC please let the gap from MV to LH at that! it's ok for me for CL at P4 just don't let the devil win this GP!

[JChan]

GB aka Golden Boy of Great Britain eating MV margin!

[Ferrarichamp]

oh well, Charles started P4 and that's where he'll end most likely.

[paneristi]

Why is LEC 12s behind BOT?

[Lesky]

Mercs best tyre is the Medium one, so Max will not have a chance. He had done well to keep that mighty Merc behind thus far. Max brilliance is creating a show that really is not there. The Merc is the best car.

[gump1480]

Why is LEC 12s behind BOT?

BOT was about 2-3s/lap faster than LEC after pitstop

[elnano14]

Sainz can't go into the end with that tyre

[JacKy]

looks like everyone on 1 stop strategy

[hakanabi]

Mercs best tyre is the Medium one, so Max will not have a chance. He had done well to keep that mighty Merc behind thus far. Max brilliance is creating a show that really is not there. The Merc is the best car.

I have been saying this year after year. That Merc engine is alien tech. They have so much in reserve. They simply turn it up when they need to. Put MV and LH in same car and I have no doubt Max even Leclerc will best him in equal machinery. They have been toying with everyone year after year.

[JChan]

I have been saying this year after year. That Merc engine is alien tech. They have so much in reserve. They simply turn it up when they need to. Put MV and LH in same car and I have no doubt Max even Leclerc will best him in equal machinery. They have been toying with everyone year after year.

I'm not considering GB as 7x WC not even 1x because of the hidden party engine mode!

[JChan]

P4 and P7 is the maximum pts we can achieved this GP! without SC interference.

[DJTaurus]

Amazing strategy from merc. Kudos to them. But you can do anything with such faster car…..

[JChan]

I hope Crashtappen will bump or collide with GB just for the sake of irritating Mercedes cheat engine! zzero pts for both of them!

[Greig]

Interesting by Merc....

[elnano14]

It's Hungary 2019 again

[DJTaurus]

Now Max is forced not to pit

[Hornet]

So glad we have some real competition at the front this year.
Love watching this

[elnano14]

So glad we have some real competition at the front this year.
Love watching this

If it's another track Lewis with that rocket will eat Max alive. It's not even close

[JChan]

So glad we have some real competition at the front this year.
Love watching this

What competition? MER will have to take this fake fake WDC and WCC, the competition is between Ferrari and Mclaren only.

[Tifoso Svedese]

Cute manner of disobedience from the Bottler there :rotfl

[Greig]

Nice job Carlos.

[JChan]

another tire drama! i'm sick of hearing it!

[Greig]

Easy for Lewis.

[Tifoso Svedese]

Plucky underdog winning in a Minardi :lol

[JChan]

hahaha RB has been playin fooled by MER! RB is thinking this would be the year!

[Lesky]

Every race Max has grabbed the lead Lewis has been comfortably sitting behind him, having lots of pace. All this nonsense of Red Bull being the quickest car is such rubbish. They might have had the fastest car in Q once or twice but race pace Merc is dominating. I am so tired of this fake drama about Merc being the underdogs etc, its a complete farce.

Look at where Perez is, its Max that created "excitement" that should not exist. Max would have lost this race whatever he did, especially when Red Bull botched his pitstop as well.

[stefa]

American wrestling...

[JChan]

SAI last chance overtake RIC for max pts we have!

[Ferrarichamp]

just 1 stop for Charles.

[elnano14]

Can't overtake that McLaren

[stefa]

RB and MV don't stand a chance on WDC!

[paneristi]

SAI last chance overtake RIC for max pts we have!
Do we have the speed/power?

[JChan]

6-4-6-4 place for LEC for the 4th race of the season not bad at all...

[Ferrarichamp]

RB and MV don't stand a chance on WDC!

nope, might as well give Lewis the title already.

[JacKy]

Well we're clearly 3rd fastest car on the track.

[tifosi1993]

Well done Charles and Carlos. :thumb

[nani_s23]

RB and MV don't stand a chance on WDC!

RB should have reacted, but they didn’t. Repeat of Hungary 2019.

[patrese86]

Good performance from our boys

[Greig]

Good job by our boys :ferrarifl

[nani_s23]

Good race by Charles & Sainz. :thumb

Awesome strategy by Mercs again. Pulling it at the right time. Didn’t expect that

[Ferrarichamp]

at least Carlos beat norris.

[Tifoso Svedese]

Charles did an amazing job today. Carlos OK.

Hopefully Charles can nail Monaco's qualifying and get within 0.2 s from pole since that is purely about bravery and corner speed.

[jgonzalesm6]

Good race by Charles & Sainz. :thumb

Awesome strategy by Mercs again. Pulling it at the right time. Didn’t expect that

+1

[JChan]

RB should have reacted, but they didn’t. Repeat of Hungary 2019.

should they reacted I think LH will eat him alive for the 20 laps remaining, but who knows what if RB reacted.

[PURE PASSION]

Very good results for both our drivers ,and finally very good performance on race pace !!!!!! This was what I was expecting from 1st race and with this performance and ,let's say happy, for this year !!!!:clap

[elnano14]

RB should have reacted, but they didn’t. Repeat of Hungary 2019.

They had no choice, if they pitted Max Mercedes would just let Bottas stay out. It's a lose-lose situation for Max and RBR, and a win-win situation for Mercs because they had 2nd car to create a 2vs1

[alfaromeo]

Good race ferrari leclerk very good, sainz good, ferrari good… this year we can also see the podium on some track. Next year, however, I expect a title fight. Forza Ferrari ����

[Tifoso Svedese]

Both Monaco and Baku are now must-win for Max. He'll likely get pole on both.

[tifosi1993]

"McLaReN iS fAsTeR tHaN fErRaRi" :rotfl

Well done to Ferrari. Barcelona is an ideal track to test cars and it showed how good the SF21 chassis is. Unfortunately for Sainz, Ricciardo got the track position at the start, otherwise he would've smoked him as well.

Mclaren and Alpine either need luck or great start to get track position ahead of us. When they can't they are nowhere.

SF21 was good in every sectors, but particularly good in the final sector. Bottas with the Merc couldn't get close to Charles.

Strategy was solid. When under pressure every team makes mistakes, as we've seen today with Red Bull.

Well done to Ferrari again and on to Monaco.

[Ferrarichamp]

Both Monaco and Baku are now must-win for Max. He'll likely get pole on both.

you really believe he can still win this wdc?

[nani_s23]

Charles did an amazing job today. Carlos OK.

Hopefully Charles can nail Monaco's qualifying and get within 0.2 s from pole since that is purely about bravery and corner speed.

Nope. Everyone will go for high DF set up. I think there’s a chance we can beat mclaren there.

[jgonzalesm6]

Both Monaco and Baku are now must-win for Max. He'll likely get pole on both.

Not Baku.....that's a power street circuit.....T16 thru T20 is flat out.

[Tifoso Svedese]

you really believe he can still win this wdc?

If he's 100 % flawless and the trash get some reliability problems yes. If he finishes every race 1st or 2nd there's always a chance. Then he needs to win Monaco, Baku, Hungary, Holland, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil plus probably another two-three races on top of that.

[Hornet]

At a point I did thought we could have taken the podium from Bottas, but I think regardless of what we did, Bottas would had the pace to respond.
Regardless, it was a good race for us all things considered. Hopefully we can take the podium spot few races down the road.

[tifosi1993]

We need to bag another good haul of points at Monaco.

Drivers can make all the difference in Monaco, and with Charles and a good chassis like the SF21, who knows.....maybe we can produce a pleasant surprise there.

[458 Italia]

oh.

[nani_s23]

Both Monaco and Baku are now must-win for Max. He'll likely get pole on both.

Don’t think it will be easy for max. LH-Mercs in race pace have more engine modes than in quali. We saw last two races.

[Tifoso Svedese]

Nope. Everyone will go for high DF set up. I think there’s a chance we can beat mclaren there.

You have it backwards, it's normally that we have to go for lower DF because of power shortage whereas the other two set up their cars 'almost like Monaco' to get lap time. Since you can't get overtaken there we are free to go for maximum DF.

[FerrariF60]

Wow
At a point I did thought we could have taken the podium from Bottas, but I think regardless of what we did, Bottas would had the pace to respond.
Regardless, it was a good race for us all things considered. Hopefully we can take the podium spot few races down the road.

Good job by our boys and the team today

But frankly I think it’s gonna be hard for us to get onto the podium this year....especially since this car won’t be developed much this year....all our efforts are now pretty much shift d to 2022....

But if we beat McLaren I’ll be a happy camper

[nani_s23]

you really believe he can still win this wdc?

To win against such Mercs-LH, you need to be perfect in all departments. Pit strategy/2nd driver support/Car.
RB has both strategy & car. If 2nd driver would have been there in pit window of LH, Mercs wouldn’t have triggered this strategy.

[jgonzalesm6]

You have it backwards, it's normally that we have to go for lower DF because of power shortage whereas the other two set up their cars 'almost like Monaco' to get lap time. Since you can't get overtaken there we are free to go for maximum DF.

Nope. Monaco is a high DF track.....usually suits RB's WB as well. Merc's have a longer WB.

[jgonzalesm6]

Wow

Good job by our boys and the team today

But frankly I think it’s gonna be hard for us to get onto the podium this year....especially since this car won’t be developed much this year....all our efforts are now pretty much shift d to 2022....

But if we beat McLaren I’ll be a happy camper

agreed

[tifosi1993]

Wow

Good job by our boys and the team today

But frankly I think it’s gonna be hard for us to get onto the podium this year....especially since this car won’t be developed much this year....all our efforts are now pretty much shift d to 2022....

But if we beat McLaren I’ll be a happy camper

Agreed. We'll need luck to get on to the podium. But Bottas and Perez aren't invincible even with a better car. And neither Mercedes or Red Bull will have solid reliability every time.

[jgonzalesm6]

To win against such Mercs-LH, you need to be perfect in all departments. Pit strategy/2nd driver support/Car.
RB has both strategy & car. If 2nd driver would have been there in pit window of LH, Mercs wouldn’t have triggered this strategy.

+1

[MSC Fan]

We had a pretty good race today. If Ferrari really is as strong as it appears right now in the corners, we will definitely beat McLaren in Monaco.

[FerrariF60]

To win against such Mercs-LH, you need to be perfect in all departments. Pit strategy/2nd driver support/Car.
RB has both strategy & car. If 2nd driver would have been there in pit window of LH, Mercs wouldn’t have triggered this strategy.

Mate, no other team mate driver can come even close to Max performance, Max IS THAT GOOD....he’s over delivering what that car is capable of, kind of like the old Alonso over delivering in Ferrari back in the day....

That’s why no matter who they out in that second red bull, that driver gonna look mediocre compar3 to Max....so Max is let out there all by himself with 2 mercs to fight.....

I hope that Max can put out a good fight throughout the season with Lewis (if Ferrari can’t ) but at this stage Merc seems to have the edge as well as looking bett r after tires...better tire wear

[nani_s23]

Nope. Monaco is a high DF track.....usually suits RB's WB as well. Merc's have a longer WB.

Yes

[MSC Fan]

you really believe he can still win this wdc?

He can. He could've won today's race if either Perez was in position or if Bottas hadn't jumped Leclerc in the pits. Bottas is hardly as good of a wingman as he was in 2019 or even 2018 thanks to the fact that this year's Merc is EVEN more sensitive to dirty air than every other Merc he has driven so far (he is pretty awful in such conditions, anyway). It will be close.

[jgonzalesm6]

Mate, no other team mate driver can come even close to Max performance, Max IS THAT GOOD....he’s over delivering what that car is capable of, kind of like the old Alonso over delivering in Ferrari back in the day....

That’s why no matter who they out in that second red bull, that driver gonna look mediocre compar3 to Max....so Max is let out there all by himself with 2 mercs to fight.....

I hope that Max can put out a good fight throughout the season with Lewis (if Ferrari can’t ) but at this stage Merc seems to have the edge as well as looking bett r after tires...better tire wear

agreed

[MSC Fan]

Mate, no other team mate driver can come even close to Max performance, Max IS THAT GOOD....he’s over delivering what that car is capable of, kind of like the old Alonso over delivering in Ferrari back in the day....

That’s why no matter who they out in that second red bull, that driver gonna look mediocre compar3 to Max....so Max is let out there all by himself with 2 mercs to fight.....

I hope that Max can put out a good fight throughout the season with Lewis (if Ferrari can’t ) but at this stage Merc seems to have the edge as well as looking bett r after tires...better tire wear

He's pretty amazing but he's far from carrying the car here like he had to last year, let's be real. Mercedes has an equally good car, Hamilton is an equally good if not a better driver but Mercedes is a MUCH better team than RB ever was. That's the reason he's getting screwed over.

[RicRac]

That Mercedes needs to be striped down and investigated.. That car is not right

[jgonzalesm6]

He's pretty amazing but he's far from carrying the car here like he had to last year, let's be real. Mercedes has an equally good car, Hamilton is an equally good if not a better driver but Mercedes is a MUCH better team than RB ever was. That's the reason he's getting screwed over.

Max last year scored 18pts on said track. Max scored 19pts in 2021 on the same track. So, as you say, Max is "far from carrying the car here like he had last year." Please elaborate.

How is Max getting screwed over??

[MSC Fan]

Max last year scored 18pts on said track. Max scored 19pts in 2021 on the same track. So, as you say, Max is "far from carrying the car here like he had last year." Please elaborate.

How is Max getting screwed over??

He's driving a much better car as confirmed by himself, Horner, Marko, Albon and possibly everyone else on the team? He was super close to winning too, this time.

As for why Verstappen is getting screwed, if RB didn't get baited yet again for Hungary 2019 Merc strategy and if Perez was close enough Hamilton wouldn't have attempted the Hungary 2019 strategy in the first place, he would've won the race.

[jgonzalesm6]

He's driving a much better car as confirmed by himself, Horner, Marko, Albon and possibly everyone else on the team? He was super close to winning too, this time.

As for why Verstappen is getting screwed, if RB didn't get baited yet again for Hungary 2019 Merc strategy and if Perez was close enough Hamilton wouldn't have attempted the Hungary 2019 strategy in the first place, he would've won the race.

He's is driving a much better car this year but Mercedes is on another level. Max did fine compared from last year to this year.

Agree, on Perez coulda-shoulda-woulda been better for Max IF Perez wuuld have qualified better yesterday BUT Perez had a shoulder issue and had to see the doctors after quali.

So again, Max's all-alone strategy against Mercedes was the only avaliable option RedBull had when it came to tire strategy. Max was a sitting duck compared to the pace of that Mercedes.

[MSC Fan]

He's is driving a much better car this year but Mercedes is on another level.

Agree, on Perez coulda-shoulda-woulda been better for Max IF Perez wuuld have qualified better yesterday BUT Perez had a shoulder issue and had to see the doctors after quali.

So again, Max's all-alone strategy against Mercedes was the only avaliable option RedBull had when it came to tire strategy. Max was a sitting duck compared to the pace of that Mercedes.

I disagree with the bolded part. The Mercedes car of 2021 is a shadow of what the 2020 Merc was, when it comes to the dominance and the overall performance of the car. The RB and Mercedes are near equal IMO. The RedBull had the pace to win the 3 of the 4 races we've had so far, ON MERIT (and it has won only one so far), let's not forget that.

I wasn't aware of Perez's injuries so apologies for that. But, assuming that hadn't happened and Perez did just as good as if he was well, say, as he did in Portimao (taking this example because Portimao's design was derived out of Barcelona, so in a way, they're really similar), RedBull would've won on merit.

I'm not saying Verstappen's hype is undeserved but he certainly isn't anywhere near as vulnerable as he was last year.

[DJTaurus]

Even Max was astonished on the team radio how good Mercs grip is. It’s not only the engine. There must be sth special with their innovative this years floor.

[stefa]

There is no need for arguing, that Mercedes is by HUGE margin better car in every area, and they are just dosing as much as needed when needed toying with all of us.

[tifosi1993]

Beautiful car. (Super high res: 5000x3334)

https://i.imgur.com/olEVDwC.jpg

[paolo lalli]

100% correct that merc is really something legally or illegally.Thats the difference between merc and other teams there top brass really know how to present any grey areas of there car to the fia.They are just better than the rest better barristers at arguing there case simple.Team that up with lewis and bang another pork knuccle Sunday.

[jgonzalesm6]

I disagree with the bolded part. The Mercedes car of 2021 is a shadow of what the 2020 Merc was, when it comes to the dominance and the overall performance of the car. The RB and Mercedes are near equal IMO. The RedBull had the pace to win the 3 of the 4 races we've had so far, ON MERIT (and it has won only one so far), let's not forget that.

.

No, Max just needs a faster car to fend off the Mercedes juggernaut.

[tifosi1993]

TBH, I'm surprised with Red Bull's strategy. In the past, we've always praised their strategy. But they haven't had championship pressure back then. But now their fighting for the WDC and under pressure, and making strategic mistakes.

Hamilton would've never ever overtaken Max without huge advantage. When Hamilton pitted his tyres were 18 laps fresher than Max and it was just the advantage Hamilton needed. All Red Bull had to do was cover Hamilton.

[MSC Fan]

No, Max just needs a faster car to fend off the Mercedes juggernaut.

I agree. Mercedes is simply a much better team. If you face them with equal cars, they're pit wall will have several tricks under their sleeves, then there's Hamilton to deal with. You need a much better car than Mercedes and maintain the development of the car to beat Mercedes.

[paolo lalli]

Any way congrats to Charles and carlos great result.Charles can fight bottas and he finished in front of the 2nd red bull so that's pretty grand.Charles is special no doubt and every team principle knows this.He is the pin up guy in f1.I would be wrapped if we can get third this year, remembering ferrari had to come from the back of the mid field to where they are now in under 6 months, a remarkable turn around would be fair to say.It can take years for teams to achieve this.This is an illustration as to how big ferrari really is good job keep pushing keep the *******s honest.

[jgonzalesm6]

TBH, I'm surprised with Red Bull's strategy. In the past, we've always praised their strategy. But they haven't had championship pressure back then. But now their fighting for the WDC and under pressure, and making strategic mistakes.

Hamilton would've never ever overtaken Max without huge advantage. When Hamilton pitted his tyres were 18 laps fresher than Max and it was just the advantage Hamilton needed. All Red Bull had to do was cover Hamilton.

This was'nt a strategic mistake by RedBull.

First and foremost, Max needed Perez as a buffer during the race....unfortunately that did'nt happen.

Second, If RedBull mirrored Lewis, Lewis would have jumped Max during the pit strategy NOT TO MENTION, Mercedes had Bottas as back-up as a Plan B. Yes it was a mirror image of Hungary 2019.

Either way you look at, without the absence of Perez, Mercedes would have won this race either by Lewis or Bottas.

[wisepie]

Any way congrats to Charles and carlos great result.Charles can fight bottas and he finished in front of the 2nd red bull so that's pretty grand.Charles is special no doubt and every team principle knows this.He is the pin up guy in f1.I would be wrapped if we can get third this year, remembering ferrari had to come from the back of the mid field to where they are now in under 6 months, a remarkable turn around would be fair to say.It can take years for teams to achieve this.This is an illustration as to how big ferrari really is good job keep pushing keep the *******s honest.

Ha ha, you've said everything I wanted to say, great job for sure given our shortage of ultimate power, car looked stable and controlled and Charles delivered, Carlos also good but wish he'd got Ricciardo, even the pit crew are improving. Not a bad day at all, beat Mclaren and I'm happy.;-)

[Ferrari312T4]

That Mercedes needs to be striped down and investigated.. That car is not right

I heard the FIA will investigate every engine more thoroughly this year. So if they discover something it should come to light then. On the other hand it's true that when Merc is chasing for the lead they miraculously seem to have amazing pace after a pitstop It might be that they work the tires better. Today I saw similar blistering patterns on both Lewis and Verstappen. Yet Hamilton just had more speed on his second stint tires compared to Verstappen. Is Mercedes illegal? I don't think so. But it's for sure more exciting this year. I bet there are many who are tired of the Hamilton and Mercedes show.

[Silent Bob]

TBH, I'm surprised with Red Bull's strategy. In the past, we've always praised their strategy. But they haven't had championship pressure back then. But now their fighting for the WDC and under pressure, and making strategic mistakes.

Hamilton would've never ever overtaken Max without huge advantage. When Hamilton pitted his tyres were 18 laps fresher than Max and it was just the advantage Hamilton needed. All Red Bull had to do was cover Hamilton.

How? If Max pitted after Lewis he would have probably come out behind Lewis and Bottas. Lewis would have had the undercut plus wing man in the mix.
Think this race was Mercs right from the start. They probably had a few different strategy options and they probably could have won with a few of them.

[jgonzalesm6]

How? If Max pitted after Lewis he would have probably come out behind Lewis and Bottas. Lewis would have had the undercut plus wing man in the mix.
Think this race was Mercs right from the start. They probably had a few different strategy options and they probably could have won with a few of them.

agreed. Mercedes most always has a plan b or a plan c ahead of the race.

[Greig]

agreed. Mercedes most always has a plan b or a plan c ahead of the race.

As do most, Carlos was plan C today and Charles plan B.

[Tifoso Svedese]

100% correct that merc is really something legally or illegally.Thats the difference between merc and other teams there top brass really know how to present any grey areas of there car to the fia.They are just better than the rest better barristers at arguing there case simple.Team that up with lewis and bang another pork knuccle Sunday.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[tifosi1993]

Pretty sure Mercedes and Red Bull garages are located side by side. Also pretty sure Red Bull pitwall saw that Mercedes crews were getting ready for second pit stop. And even if Mercedes duped them with fake pitstops it wouldn't have mattered. Max's tyres would've been 13 laps younger than Hamilton's.

Track position is key in Spain, every one from pundits to fans to team strategists knew that. And what would you do in a circuit where track position is key? always go for the undercut and always mirror your close competitor. If they pit, you pit as well on the same lap. Letting your rival to pit for 18 laps fresh rubbers with 24 laps still remaining is a strategic blunder.

[Forza Rosso]

Beautiful car. (Super high res: 5000x3334)

https://i.imgur.com/olEVDwC.jpg

Just wondering how good our car would be with the 2019 engine...
Probably right up there with RB and Merc.
Chassis wise it looks like we are clearly third best.
Can't wait for Monaco :-)

[Aziz]

It looks like we had better tire management

[jgonzalesm6]

Track position is key in Spain, every one from pundits to fans to team strategists knew that. And what would you do in a circuit where track position is key? always go for the undercut and always mirror your close competitor. If they pit, you pit as well on the same lap. Letting your rival to pit for 18 laps fresh rubbers with 24 laps still remaining is a strategic blunder.

This race was against the 2 fastest cars and 1 not so fast car.

Nothing RBR could've done. Nothing.

Had they pitted Max before Lewis, Lewis would simply stay out and retain track position (merc was mighty on mediums). Had Max pitted a lap later, Max had lost track position instantly.

Did you not see Lewis's pace after he pitted and gaining 1.8sec per lap and with just 10 laps to go, Lewis caught up to Max and passed him. Max knew he was in trouble when Lewis pitted and had more than 22sec lead on Lewis.

[FerrariF60]

People still don’t seem to realize that no other team could get a sniff of Merc during the turbo era. Yes we got close, but let’s be realistic and understand that Merc always have more when needed. We are seeing that again this year with “Red Bull is the team to beat”, yet we all know that’s not the case. This year is mercs to win again.

With regards to Binotto, give him a chance. With the freeze on developments, engines, restrictions etc. his hands have been tied. Only so much that he could have done. Next year is our only chance to start fresh and be competitive from the start. If Binotto fails with the regulation changes then we can talk about replacements. I am optimistic that he has been working behind the scenes quietly to give us a good shot next year.

Forza Ferrari

you prolly didn't watch 2019 then....when Merc and Merc engine had ABSOLUTELY NO ANSWER about our strong engine performance (let it be a loophole Ferrari found in the rules book) and Totto and Co. were their pants and started crying to the FIA.....we had a dominant engine in 2019 PERIOD.....and had it not been for Merc crying we would have been that much better in 2020 as the sf1000 was designed with the SRONG and powerful engine in mind.....

but MAFIA again jumped in to save Merc and gift them TWO more championships.....

boy do i love to see Ferrari come next year with a BEAST of an engine as well as beast of a car from the get go and wipe the smile off TOTTO once in for all

[paolo lalli]

Once hamilton pulls out 1 race victory over max that will be it game set and 8th title to lewis.Max must finish in front of lewis next race and behind charles who wins.

[FerrariF60]

Once hamilton pulls out 1 race victory over max that will be it game set and 8th title to lewis.Max must finish in front of lewis next race and behind charles who wins.

i liek your spirit of optimism....unfortunately Max is also really good around Monaco....so me thinks that will be NO win for Charles....although its nice to dream, NO??

[TTRSMAD]

Take it easy guys, championship is far from over. Many races left to go and Red Bull are very close to Mercedes performance. Hamilton is going to have fight for it. Anything can happen.

Ferrari performance was great today. The car is very much improved. This was one of are worst track last year. I hope Ferrari come out next year with an engine equal or superior to Mercedes and Red Bull.

[Rishu]

RB should have reacted, but they didn’t. Repeat of Hungary 2019.

I swear to god, I was yelling at RB to box Max when he was about 26s clear to Charles, only problem was Bottas would've not made easy to Pass, I knew Mercedes would play Hungary 2019 game again and they did

[KimiBot]

1 Lewis Hamilton GBR MERCEDES 94
2 Max Verstappen NED RED BULL RACING HONDA 80
3 Valtteri Bottas FIN MERCEDES 47
4 Lando Norris GBR MCLAREN MERCEDES 41
5 Charles Leclerc MON FERRARI 40
6 Sergio Perez MEX RED BULL RACING HONDA 32
7 Daniel Ricciardo AUS MCLAREN MERCEDES 24
8 Carlos Sainz ESP FERRARI 20
9 Esteban Ocon FRA ALPINE RENAULT 10
10 Pierre Gasly FRA ALPHATAURI HONDA 8
11 Lance Stroll CAN ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES 5
12 Fernando Alonso ESP ALPINE RENAULT 5
13 Yuki Tsunoda JPN ALPHATAURI HONDA 2
14 Kimi Räikkönen FIN ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 0
15 Antonio Giovinazzi ITA ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 0
16 Sebastian Vettel GER ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES 0
17 George Russell GBR WILLIAMS MERCEDES 0
18 Mick Schumacher GER HAAS FERRARI 0
19 Nicholas Latifi CAN WILLIAMS MERCEDES 0
20 Nikita Mazepin RAF HAAS FERRARI 0










1 MERCEDES 141
2 RED BULL RACING HONDA 112
3 MCLAREN MERCEDES 65
4 FERRARI 60
5 ALPINE RENAULT 15
6 ALPHATAURI HONDA 10
7 ASTON MARTIN MERCEDES 5
8 ALFA ROMEO RACING FERRARI 0
9 WILLIAMS MERCEDES 0
10 HAAS FERRARI 0

[tifosi1993]

This race was against the 2 fastest cars and 1 not so fast car.

Nothing RBR could've done. Nothing.

Had they pitted Max before Lewis, Lewis would simply stay out and retain track position (merc was mighty on mediums). Had Max pitted a lap later, Max had lost track position instantly.

Did you not see Lewis's pace after he pitted and gaining 1.8sec per lap and with just 10 laps to go, Lewis caught up to Max and passed him. Max knew he was in trouble when Lewis pitted and had more than 22sec lead on Lewis.

Verstappen pitted on lap 24, Hamilton on lap 29. Verstappen's first lap on new mediums was 1:21.632, Hamilton's 1:21.276. Hamilton caught up to Max on lap 33, the gap was 1.036 seconds. When Hamilton pitted on lap 42 again, the gap was 0.916 seconds.

So it was pretty much a stalemate between Hamilton and Verstappen, before Hamilton pitted on lap 42. Max couldn't shake off Lewis and Lewis couldn't get Max even with the DRS for 9 laps. And the more Hamilton would've stayed on the dirty air, the more he would've destroyed his tyres.

So when Lewis pitted and re-joined the track, his tyres were 18 laps younger than Verstappen's. With new tyres Hamilton was doing low 1:20's, Max with old tyres was still doing high 1:21's to mid 1:22's, sometimes 1:23's.

When Hamilton caught up on lap 57, Max had already done 33 laps on those mediums, compared to Hamilton's only 15 laps older tyres.

If you still can't comprehend the advantage of having fresh rubbers, both Ricciardo and Carlos were pitted on lap 46 for softs. And on lap 48, Carlos did 1:22.095 compared to Max's 1:23.039, 0.944 seconds faster.

Had Red Bull mirrored Mercedes and pitted him on the same lap as Hamilton, Max would've won. The advantage of having fresh tyres over worn out old tyres was substantial.

And your 2 cars vs 1 car theory was wrong. Bottas wasn't even in a fight with Max. He was 10 seconds behind before the first pit stop and was stuck behind Charles and couldn't even attempt to overtake Charles. And before his second pit stop he was 9.8 seconds behind Max and had to let Hamilton go.

[jgonzalesm6]

Verstappen pitted on lap 24, Hamilton on lap 29. Verstappen's first lap on new mediums was 1:21.632, Hamilton's 1:21.276. Hamilton caught up to Max on lap 33, the gap was 1.036 seconds. When Hamilton pitted on lap 42 again, the gap was 0.916 seconds.

So it was pretty much a stalemate between Hamilton and Verstappen, before Hamilton pitted on lap 42. Max couldn't shake off Lewis and Lewis couldn't get Max even with the DRS for 9 laps. And the more Hamilton would've stayed on the dirty air, the more he would've destroyed his tyres.

So when Lewis pitted and re-joined the track, his tyres were 18 laps younger than Verstappen's. With new tyres Hamilton was doing low 1:20's, Max with old tyres was still doing high 1:21's to mid 1:22's, sometimes 1:23's.

When Hamilton caught up on lap 57, Max had already done 33 laps on those mediums, compared to Hamilton's only 15 laps older tyres.

If you still can't comprehend the advantage of having fresh rubbers, both Ricciardo and Carlos were pitted on lap 46 for softs. And on lap 48, Carlos did 1:22.095 compared to Max's 1:23.039, 0.944 seconds faster.

Had Red Bull mirrored Mercedes and pitted him on the same lap as Hamilton, Max would've won. The advantage of having fresh tyres over worn out old tyres was substantial.

Your forgetting Max ONLY had 1 set of mediums going into the race. Merecedes had 2 sets of mediums.

Max used his mediums in the race WHCH IS WHY Max went to hards.....that was his only option.

It was game over for Max.

Also, Lewis was cutting the margin to Max by doing 1.5sex margin to Max per lap.

I suggest you read the following article:

Mark Hughes: The many reasons Red Bull lost the Spanish GP

https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-the-many-reasons-red-bull-lost-the-spanish-gp/

[tifosi1993]

Your forgetting Max ONLY had 1 set of mediums going into the race. Merecedes had 2 sets of mediums.

Max used his mediums in the race WHCH IS WHY Max went to hards.....that was his only option.

It was game over for Max.

Also, Lewis was cutting the margin to Max by doing 1.5sex margin to Max per lap.

I suggest you read the following article:

Mark Hughes: The many reasons Red Bull lost the Spanish GP

https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-the-many-reasons-red-bull-lost-the-spanish-gp/

Persistent one, aren't you?

https://i.imgur.com/JwIe2Ts.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2f2edWB.jpg

So two stops was the fastest strategy, as it was in 2020. And Max had one set of brand new soft tyres. According to Pirelli, Mediums are good enough for 28-30 laps max. But Red Bull attempted to do 44 laps on them, an uphill task.

If Red Bull committed to faster 2 stops over 1 stop, they would've won. Only after getting overtaken by Hamilton, Red Bull pitted Max for the 2nd stop.

It was a strategic blunder, there's no two-ways about it.

[Greig]

If we had lost the race like that yesterday I can bet the guys sticking up for Red Bull would be tearing Ferrari's pitwall apart for being stupid :-)

[paolo lalli]

Well iam going to turn the tables iam going to call the redbull pitfall stupid not only once but twice this race stupid mistake with strategy last race more stupidity cost max.stupid score redbull 2 ferrari 0 amen to stupidity and the redbull pitfall keep up the good boys.

[tifosi1993]

If we had lost the race like that yesterday I can bet the guys sticking up for Red Bull would be tearing Ferrari's pitwall apart for being stupid :-)

Exactly. Now Red Bull under the pressure of WDC fight with the Mercedes, they are making strategic blunders. Making excuses for their bad strategic calls while always bashing Ferrari's strategy is downright trolling.

[jgonzalesm6]

So two stops was the fastest strategy, as it was in 2020. And Max had one set of brand new soft tyres. According to Pirelli, Mediums are good enough for 28-30 laps max. But Red Bull attempted to do 44 laps on them, an uphill task.

If Red Bull committed to faster 2 stops over 1 stop, they would've won. Only after getting overtaken by Hamilton, Red Bull pitted Max for the 2nd stop.

It was a strategic blunder, there's no two-ways about it.

Okay, you cover Lewis pitstops. Max pits pits a lap later, Lewis pits on lap 28 so Max pits on lap 29....both put mediums. Lewis pits on lap 42 and PUTS ANOTHER SET OF MEDIUMS......what does Max put on??? Hards or softs??

[jgonzalesm6]

If we had lost the race like that yesterday I can bet the guys sticking up for Red Bull would be tearing Ferrari's pitwall apart for being stupid :-)

There were a number of factors for Max losing this race:

1 Max needed a faster car.
2. Max needed Perez
3. Max needed another set of mediums.

Mercedes plays Chess while RedBull played checkers at this race.

[Greig]

There were a number of factors for Max losing this race:

1 Max needed a faster car.
2. Max needed Perez
3. Max needed another set of mediums.

Mercedes plays Chess while RedBull played checkers at this race.

3. Is there own doing and they could have pitted before Lewis did and then Merc had no chance to undercut.

[tifosi1993]

Okay, you cover Lewis pitstops. Max pits pits a lap later, Lewis pits on lap 28 so Max pits on lap 29....both put mediums. Lewis pits on lap 42 and PUTS ANOTHER SET OF MEDIUMS......what does Max put on??? Hards or softs??

His available brand new set of softs. Both Charles and Hamilton did 29 laps on softs with more fuel, Max can do 24 laps on softs with less fuel. His first stint was 25 laps on softs, after all.

Max's own engineer said "it's going to be a repeat of Hungary 2019". Since they already knew the outcome but sill didn't respond, it was a text book strategic error.

Red Bull had the track position over Hamilton, Bottas was out of the picture. Simply following Pirelli's 2 stopper would've been enough to win the race.

[jgonzalesm6]

3. Is there own doing and they could have pitted before Lewis did and then Merc had no chance to undercut.

Max pitted on lap 24 and went from softs to mediums. Lewis pitted on lap 28 and went from softs to medium. Are you talking about the 2nd pitstop and if so WHAT TIRE WOULD YOU HAVE PUT MAX ON??? Hard or soft tire??? because that's the only choice tires you have.

[jgonzalesm6]

His available brand new set of softs. Both Charles and Hamilton did 29 laps on softs with more fuel, Max can do 24 laps on softs with less fuel. His first stint was 25 laps on softs, after all.

Max's own engineer said "it's going to be a repeat of Hungary 2019". Since they already knew the outcome but sill didn't respond, it was a text book strategic error.

Red Bull had the track position over Hamilton, Bottas was out of the picture. Simply following Pirelli's 2 stopper would've been enough to win the race.

Do you honestly think Max would have lasted 24 laps on new softs against Lewis's Mercedes on new mediums given Mercedes race pace??

[tifosi1993]

Do you honestly think Max would have lasted 24 laps on new softs against Lewis's Mercedes on new mediums given Mercedes race pace??

Do you honestly think Ham would've been lapping 1.2-1.5 seconds faster/lap with his new mediums over Max on new softs?

[jgonzalesm6]

Do you honestly think Ham would've been lapping 1.2-1.5 seconds faster/lap with his new mediums over Max on new softs?

yep, at this point in the race, it's all about tire management. Max would have pushed hard on the soft tires to keep up and would have exhausted the softs in less than 24 laps.

[RicRac]

3. Is there own doing and they could have pitted before Lewis did and then Merc had no chance to undercut.

Not really, their options were nil. if they brought Max in, Bottas just would have stayed out

[nhiepka]

Come on guys, this room belong things to Ferrari. I think Admin should ban any accounts which debate information not about Ferrari. Besides, it would be good if we have a
Gossip topic for accounts to discuss anything not belong to Ferrari there, outsite this topic should be banned.

[RicRac]

Come on guys, this room belong things to Ferrari. I think Admin should ban any accounts which debate information not about Ferrari. Besides, it would be good if we have a
Gossip topic for accounts to discuss anything not belong to Ferrari there, outsite this topic should be banned.

The thread is called 2021 Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya, May 07 - 09 So whats the issue with discussing a key part of the race regardless of the driver or team? I personally don't see an issue with it, i just see someone making an issue out of nothing to be honest

[Greig]

Not really, their options were nil. if they brought Max in, Bottas just would have stayed out

And what is Bottas going to do lol

[jgonzalesm6]

Come on guys, this room belong things to Ferrari. I think Admin should ban any accounts which debate information not about Ferrari. Besides, it would be good if we have a
Gossip topic for accounts to discuss anything not belong to Ferrari there, outsite this topic should be banned.

:-E :-E :-E.................:ouch


The thread is called 2021 Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya, May 07 - 09 So whats the issue with discussing a key part of the race regardless of the driver or team?

+1000

[Greig]

Max pitted on lap 24 and went from softs to mediums. Lewis pitted on lap 28 and went from softs to medium. Are you talking about the 2nd pitstop and if so WHAT TIRE WOULD YOU HAVE PUT MAX ON??? Hard or soft tire??? because that's the only choice tires you have.

You really don't read much before you post do you? It was their own fault they did not keep 2 new sets of mediums for the race, they were free to do so just like Merc did.

[jgonzalesm6]

You really don't read much before you post do you? It was their own fault they did not keep 2 new sets of mediums for the race, they were free to do so just like Merc did.

Well that is obvious. Please look at post #397 before making accusations about "You really don't read much before you post do you?"

[tifosi1993]

yep, at this point in the race, it's all about tire management. Max would have pushed hard on the soft tires to keep up and would have exhausted the softs in less than 24 laps.

Are you being deliberately obtuse?

One stop was the slowest race strategy, period. Had Max mirrored Ham and pitted on the same lap as Ham he would've won. Verstappen did 25 laps on used softs with heavy fuel loads, he would've easily done 24 laps on new softs with less fuel load and more rubbered track.

[RicRac]

And what is Bottas going to do lol

Hold up Max so enough to ruin his soft tyres? Lewis could have just stayed out and nursed the tyres + Merc were undoubtedly the quicker car which would have been in their favour to run this strategy. It was a lose-lose situation the way i see it

[jgonzalesm6]

Are you being deliberately obtuse?

One stop was the slowest race strategy, period. Had Max mirrored Ham and pitted on the same lap as Ham he would've won. Verstappen did 25 laps on used softs with heavy fuel loads, he would've easily done 24 laps on new softs with less fuel load and more rubbered track.

Obtuse....really?

Tire management and Mercedes was the faster car....period. The beginning of the race teams were managing their soft tires. Towards the end of the race, Mercedes was lapping faster than at the beginning of the race.

[tifosi1993]

Obtuse....really?

Tire management and Mercedes was the faster car....period. The beginning of the race teams were managing their soft tires. Towards the end of the race, Mercedes was lapping faster than at the beginning of the race.

Hamilton and Mercedes gone for 2 stopper and won the race period, as instructed by the tyre manufacturer. Alpine committed one stopper got swalloed by the two stoppers toward the end.

"Mercedes was lapping faster than at the beginning of the race", because tanks are almost empty and cars are much lighter. It's not rocket science.

Max's best lap was 1:18.1 on new softs, that's only 1.4 seconds slower than pole time. Again outlining the pace advantage of new tyres over old tyres.

You can be as persistent as much you want, but it doesn't matter. Bottas needed to pit first to clear Charles. Same thing for Hamilton, he needed 18 laps fresh tyres to overtake Max. Two stops was the fastest strategy, as it was in both 2020 and 2019.

[jgonzalesm6]

Ross Brawns analysis:

Verstappen and Red Bull doing everything they can

I’m not sure Red Bull could have done anything other than what they did in terms of strategy in Spain. Had they boxed the lap after Lewis’s second stop, they would have conceded track position. Whether or not that would have meant a closer contest to the end of the Grand Prix is simply speculation.

Max did everything right at the start to impressively take the lead. He’s not afraid to take the fight to Lewis. The reality is he knows he unlikely to beat Lewis if he’s second at the end of the first lap so. And that gives him the commitment to go for a pass when it’s 50-50.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.ross-brawn-on-hamiltons-historic-weekend-ferraris-turnaround-and-ricciardo.2rfWrOEh906UZnLMIGwDyB.html

[Brembo]

Anyone's chance to win till the end between R Bull & Merc. 98 wins and 100 poles! Charles just missed a podium. And another finished race for Mick. A great race to keep the 2021 season exciting.

[tifosi1993]

I mean....Red Bull's strategists must have known that Mercedes saved 2 mediums for the race and going for 2 stops. Mercedes is their true competitor, it's their job to keep an eye on their closest competitor.

Red Bull themselves also saved one set of softs for Max. I just can't realistically believe that Red Bull thought they could make a one stop work in Spain. "Could be Hungary all over again"...yet they didn't try anything to counter Mercedes.

It was a strategic blunder and not going to be the only one. We shall see how Red Bull plays their strategy this year. With the championship pressure lingering over their head, they are going to make mistakes. Max has already made couple of costly mistakes and now his team is doing the same.

[MSC Fan]

If we had lost the race like that yesterday I can bet the guys sticking up for Red Bull would be tearing Ferrari's pitwall apart for being stupid :-)

Totally agree with this. When it's someone else who messes up, it's just another opportunity for them or some reason that they tried the best they could but when we make a mistake it's because we're clowns. Can't wait to see RB mess up even more.

[jgonzalesm6]

I mean....Red Bull's strategists must have known that Mercedes saved 2 mediums for the race and going for 2 stops. Mercedes is their true competitor, it's their job to keep an eye on their closest competitor.

Red Bull themselves also saved one set of softs for Max. I just can't realistically believe that Red Bull thought they could make a one stop work in Spain. "Could be Hungary all over again"...yet they didn't try anything to counter Mercedes.

It was a strategic blunder and not going to be the only one. We shall see how Red Bull plays their strategy this year. With the championship pressure lingering over their head, they are going to make mistakes. Max has already made couple of costly mistakes and now his team is doing the same.


Totally agree with this. When it's someone else who messes up, it's just another opportunity for them or some reason that they tried the best they could but when we make a mistake it's because we're clowns. Can't wait to see RB mess up even more.


I have yet to see a reputibale article saying that RedBull made a mistake at this race.......let alone the race in Hungary in 2019.

Yet, I have given or posted 2 articles, and there are more, that say it was not RedBull's mistake or blunder.

[Silent Bob]

Wouldn't have mattered what Red Bull did. Merc had them covered. No way Max would have made up that much time on Hamilton if the roles were reversed.