FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Nothing unusual in FP1, Red Bull 1-2 and Sargeant crashing again. Not gonna be able to participate in FP2 while the chassis is repaired. Also cracked the gearbox.
2024 Japanese Grand Prix
- Thread starter FLRacingFan
- Start date
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
And people wonder why Albon got his car at Melbourne...
Kiante
Team Owner
Sargeant's seat is scorching.
Ngl, Williams should look at a safer hand behind the wheel next year if they a struggling like this financially.
Maybe someone like Magnussen or a Zhou Guanyu. Bring in some additional sponsorship dollars on top of being fairly safe, but quick hands.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
A Zhou move to Williams would make for good timing with Audi taking over the team for the build up to 2026 and he’s a pretty steady pair of hands as well.
It still bothers me on principle because I don’t think you should get the better stuff if you tub your own car. But Sargeant clearly isn’t cut out for this. Now he has to revert back to previous-spec parts as well.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
While I'm aware that the Sauber is far from a great car, I think both Joe Guanyu and Bottas just haven't been very impressive.
After a silly season without any changes, it's time for some new blood in F1. Mid-pack drivers can't keep getting rides forever.
I think Kimi Antonelli is a likely candidate for the second Williams seat, I don't see Merc promoting him straight to the big team.
Kiante
Team Owner
Reck
Team Owner
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Logan is low tier but that doesn’t excuse how he’s been treated. He’s driving with zero confidence and now on top of that you give him spare parts that are not only old but also heavy. Think he said he’s 3 tenths slower than what the car would usually be.
At this point, it would be better to cut him off completely. Williams is embarrassing. Somehow, they’re worse off than Haas?
At least Haas can compete with two cars..
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Checo gave it a good effort, +.066 to Max in the final run for pole.
Stroll didn’t make it out of Q1 while Alonso starts P5.
Stroll didn’t make it out of Q1 while Alonso starts P5.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
I feel you, we are definitely due for some turnover. I think with the need for funding, though, Zhou would be a good bridge to the new regulations for Williams or some other team. I think Antonelli has further to go than initially anticipated (although F1 teams have made it apparent they don’t care too much about F2 performance anyways). I’m not sure anyone else in F2 really screams must-have next year either. There’s a solid amount of talent and depth but there’s still a lot of room for some guys to elevate themselves above everyone else the rest of the season.
I really wish we had two more seats on the grid because some new blood is badly needed. These guys graduate from F2 and spend a year (or more…looking at Drugo) cosplaying in the garage and simulator the next season hoping for something to open up. I do think, at the least, Ricciardo and Sargeant will probably open up spots for Lawson and someone else.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
I don't disagree. Based on the first three F2 rounds, neither he nor Ollie will be on the F1 grid next year. I keep reading that Merc wants him to succeed Hamilton if the Verstappen deal doesn't work out though. Toto is reportedly afriad to lose Antonelli after losing Max to Red Bull 10 years ago. (God, time flies. I remember watching Max race in European F3.)
If this is gonna be the third year in a row the F2 champion doesn't move up, something is wrong. Drugovich hasn't raced anything in '23 and this year and is pretty much forgotten by now. Theo is at least keeping his name around by driving in Super Formula.
Doc Austin
Back From The Dead
The best hope we have is Checo jumping Max at the start. From there everyone else is so close there is no telling how it could go.
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F1 coverage on TV at 9pm Pacific.
Saturday night.
Saturday night.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Williams couldn’t have dreamt up a more catastrophic start to the season in their worst nightmares.
At least there’s a week in between now and China, but jeez…
At least there’s a week in between now and China, but jeez…
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
Still think they shouldn't be allowed to change tires under a red flag.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
Pretty much every overtake in this race was an Alpine getting passed.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
The gyroscopic cam on Magnussen’s car is really cool. Much better sense of speed.
Bold pass by Yuki in the esses.
Bold pass by Yuki in the esses.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
Watching Ocon getting passed by three drivers every lap makes me feel like HRT has rejoined F1.
The Alpines are taking a brutal beating.
The Alpines are taking a brutal beating.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Sure the draft and tire advantage helps, but you always gotta be bold to stick it up the inside at 130R. Solid passes by Perez.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
Lmao, I thought five cars in the pits at once was an error in the ticker.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Seemingly the whole midfield pits at once and TV direction misses it live.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
You do see them pass in places where it would've been next to impossible with the old generation of cars.
Dirty air definitely has been less of an issue since 2022.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Yuki on the outside through the esses again. That’s a tough place to get it done.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
Logan once again proving why Alex got his car at Melbourne.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
They're able to pass in the esses at Suzuka and people say this car sucks...
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
The racing is so much better when all three tire compounds are viable and there are multiple strategies playing out. Need this more often.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Half a minute behind the last remaining car that isn’t driven by Sargeant. I’m actually dumbfounded by how much they fell off.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
Fun race, fantastic track with great fans. I’m glad Suzuka’s future is secured long-term with the series.
Ferrari are getting their ducks in a row in a big way. Good car, good strategy, and good stops. Vasseur has done a great job there so far. And Sainz is driving up his market value so far this season.
Nice to see Yuki point on home soil for the first time.
Ferrari are getting their ducks in a row in a big way. Good car, good strategy, and good stops. Vasseur has done a great job there so far. And Sainz is driving up his market value so far this season.
Nice to see Yuki point on home soil for the first time.
donthaveanickname
Team Owner
This one was fun to watch.
There are too many races where Pirelli brings rock tires. Otoh, tire wear probably gives an even bigger advantage to Red Bull as they don't seem to wear their tires at all but it's the job of the other teams to catch up.
.
Doc Austin
Back From The Dead
Carlos was a little over 30 seconds behind Max, so Ferrari still has a lot of work to do. I know we were all hoping Ferrari could put up a fight, but they just didn't have the pace. I'm not saying the season is as good as won, but it's hard to imagine anyone catching up or Red Bul falling off.
I'm about ready to give up on Mercedes. They know their problem is wind tunnel correlation, and they can't seem to fix it. If one of your tools is giving you bad info, you either have to decipher it or try another tunnel and see how the results compare. They have had over two years to fix their tunnel program. As far back as the W13, the tunnel showed how great the Zero pod was, even though it wasn't. Now Mercedes will go back to the same tunnel, which might (probably) will lead them down another blind alley. How long are they going to trust a tunnel that's giving them bad info?
I'm about ready to give up on Mercedes. They know their problem is wind tunnel correlation, and they can't seem to fix it. If one of your tools is giving you bad info, you either have to decipher it or try another tunnel and see how the results compare. They have had over two years to fix their tunnel program. As far back as the W13, the tunnel showed how great the Zero pod was, even though it wasn't. Now Mercedes will go back to the same tunnel, which might (probably) will lead them down another blind alley. How long are they going to trust a tunnel that's giving them bad info?
Doc Austin
Back From The Dead
The worst part of the tire game is how difficult it is to get these tires to work. The tires wouldn't switch on, they wouldn't get in the right window, the tires were finished after half a lap, the deg was horrible. We all have no grip.
Doc Austin
Back From The Dead
Meanwhile, Otmar smokes a fat stogie and wears a big grin. Maybe next time Alpine will listen when someone tells them the team needs time to turn around. The new management has simply taken the team backwards. If it were not so sad, it would be comical how bad they have gotten.
Meanwhile, we didn't hear a thing about Horner's troubles the entire weekend.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
He said he picked up some damage from Leclerc on the restart and gained some big understeer, especially in the first stint.
Merc strategy was bad today anyways.
FLRacingFan
Team Owner
20 seconds, tbf. Which was about as much as the gap from Max to Lando as the best of the rest at Japan last fall. The Ferraris finished 44 and 50 seconds back in that one. So far in each race this season the best finisher excluding Red Bull have been from Ferrari, so they’re headed in the right direction.
Doc Austin
Back From The Dead
I failed math.