re: 2022 Formula 1 Season Thread

Some thoughts after today's race:

- Russell looks like a future world champion. He reminds me so much of Lewis circa 2007. He fought Max harder in a slower car than the current Lewis ever would have in that first stint, Max's malfunctioning DRS notwithstanding.

- Speaking of Lewis, he just seems out of it mentally and ready to give up at any sign of adversity (clash with KMag on that first lap and falling down the order). But hopefully the 5th place finish from last rekindles some of the fire in his belly and he starts believing his car more. The Merc is solidly the 3rd fastest car on the grid and with more upgrades, maybe they will start challenging the top 2 teams even more as the season goes on.

- Hope Ferrari can figure out their reliability issues. They will have a hard time as it is trying to keep up with Red Bull in the development race and they don't need additional challenges with reliability.

- Max will start as a favorite to win every grand prix the remainder of the season I think. Dude is just at a different level compared to others. Only Leclerc comes close in equal machinery.

- Red Bull in the hands of Max looks like the fastest car on the grid every race. There is a reason he has won every race he has finished this season. Leclerc/Ferrari really need to be at 100% every race or else Max will run away with the title and the season which started with so much promise, will end up being boring in latter half.

- Max is real whiner, isn't he, especially when things don't go his way. He was so childish with his mashing of the DRS button, and opening and immediately closing his DRS flap and getting even more frustrated instead of listening and following his race engineer's instructions.

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I fully expect McLaren to compete, especially if they get the right drivers.

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Someone mentioned that Lando might be in line for MB if Ham retires.

If HAM leaves this year Gasly has to be heir apparent.

I don't believe I have heard any sort of falling out.

Ocon is in place to be the #1 at Alpine unless someone like Gasly comes available. French drivers and all. Driver market always ends up with surprises though.

Whether he could or whether he couldn't have overtaken Russell for the lead (I think he would have if he'd been left alone), it has to suck for the competitive spirit of Checo to have to give away to Max in the closing stage of the race. Had Perez won, he'd be sitting on 92 points, only 12 points behind Leclerc. Max, if he had finished third behind Russell, would be sitting at 100 points, only 8 ahead of Checo.

I get it, though. Had I been Horner, I'd probably have made the same call, but it has to grind Checo's gears that if not for that decision by Horner, Perez could very well be in the thick of the Championship discussion. He could be the lead driver for any team, except RBR.

I don't think Checo's problem was the second pass, or really even the first.

He didn't like waiting behind Max when he likely would have passed George.

schumi view of mag/ham

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Like I said, Ham clearly slides out into Mag.

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A whole 4"

KMag had terrible positioning and angle there. No doubt HAM was loose, but that slide was extremely minimal. KMag played a game of "not touching you" and lost.

Horner crying about the budget again. I like the Alfa dude's response;

When the budget cap was introduced in Formula 1, all the teams agreed, in the name of cost containment. In May 2020, however, no one could foresee the war in Ukraine and the consequences it would bring around the world. The inflation generated by the conflict has also put the Formula 1 teams in crisis: especially the big names, who were already 'pulled', are seriously in danger of breaking the ceiling of 140 million dollars, and now they would like to loosen the purse strings.

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According to Red Bull team principal Chris Horner , even the majority of the teams risk not being able to participate in the final GPs if they want to fall within the current limits of the budget cap: " Seven of the ten teams would probably have to skip the last four races to get back into the cap of spending this year. It's not just about the big teams, but there is the whole scrum package that is struggling with the problems derived from inflation “, these are the words reported by the BBC . “ The FIA ??has a duty to take care of the problem. I know they are taking it seriously, but it is worth remembering that the cost of living is increasing exponentially for everyone, and F1 is not exempt from it. The cost of freight has quadrupled and this is not something we can control ".
Horner does not mention names, but in recent weeks it has emerged that the teams that have opposed a seven million dollar increase in the budget cap have been Alpine, Haas and Alfa Romeo . Teams that have everything to gain if the richest competition has their hands tied on the expense front. And in fact Otmar Szafnauer , boss of the Alpine wall, replied to Horner, in what is a simple party game: "When transportation costs increase by two or three million, but the development budget is 20 million, you can invest less in development and stay within the parameters. The problem is that this limits development. So it's a lot easier, if you have the money, to go to the FIA ??and press for a bigger budget cap . "


https://www.formulapassion.it/motorsport/formula-1/f1-team/horner-aumento-budget-cap-alpine-618912.html

Will Seb be preaching to the Monegasques this week that their race will be under water in a few years?

Drake put $230K on Charles Leclerc to win the Spanish Grand Prix.