F1: 2020 Austrian Grand Prix

Reck said:
Not quite.

Hamilton coughed up a penalty pre race that saw him dropped from 2nd to 5th. He was actually the quicker car. Caught Bottas from like 7 seconds back just to have his team put out team orders in place. They wouldn’t let him by.

By the end both Mercs were having some sort of issue with the curbs.
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Thanks. I only saw the last 11 laps, but it sound like it's worth seeing it all.

At the end I don't think Hamilton would have caught Botas because Albon would have been between them without the shunt. After that it looked like the gap stayed the same. The commentators were talking about team orders but I don't know if Mercedes was. The last 10 laps were so cray I may have missed that though.

But, we'll see next weekend. They get a chance to do it all over again. I doubt it will be as crazy as today though, but what a way to start the season.!
 
Doc Austin said:
Yes you did. Chico might be the second dirtiest driver on the grid.

Hey cut him a break. At least he didn't take out his own teammate again.
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I just like to give Checo a hard time, he has a tendency to either truly rise to occasion or fall completely flat at times.

Fantastic driver, just we see sometimes as to why he hasn't left Force India/Racing Point for all of these years. Competitive enough for the front of the mid-field and the occasional podium or just has a tendency to just throw great opportunities to really separate himself.
 
Kiante said:
I just like to give Checo a hard time, he has a tendency to either truly rise to occasion or fall completely flat at times.
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He crashed Ocon twice in the same race at Spa a few years ago (at a pretty damm fast part of the circuit) and crashed him again in Singapore, then in the same race crashed a Williams (Sirotkin, I believe) for absolutely no reason. He just simply turned into him on a short straight, apparently on purpose. Add to that the 50/50 crash he had with Ocon at Baku, and the guy simply wigs out when he's challenged or frustrated.

If my memory serves me correctly, Force India banned him and Ocon from racing each other, and I never recall a time in history that's ever happened. Sure, there have been team orders based off #1 status, but never because two teammates were magnets for each other. Ocon had never had a collision of any sort before moving to Force India, so it's reasonable to say none of this was his fault, especially when you consider each clash with Ocon looked deliberate.

That, and he absolutely took Massa out big time in Canada one year. The guy is just a bowling ball.

Some people believe he was pushed out of McLaren by Button (one of the cleanest guys ever) because he couldn't trust him wheel to wheel.

Fantastic driver, just we see sometimes as to why he hasn't left Force India/Racing Point for all of these years.
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I believe he was given a long contract as a result of forcing Force India into administration after they couldn't pay him. I mean, I wouldn't keep a guy who kept taking out both cars unless there was no way out.

Competitive enough for the front of the mid-field and the occasional podium or just has a tendency to just throw great opportunities to really separate himself.
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Probably pretty close to accurate. He's the kind of driver who is good enough to get results on merit, but when pressured feels the need to drive dirty. I have no tolerance for that kind of thing in a sport where you can kill people.

Good to be agreeing with you again. Sorry about the previous clash on the nascar forum.
 
Doc Austin said:
He crashed Ocon twice in the same race at Spa a few years ago (at a pretty damm fast part of the circuit) and crashed him again in Singapore, then in the same race crashed a Williams (Sirotkin, I believe) for absolutely no reason. He just simply turned into him on a short straight, apparently on purpose. Add to that the 50/50 crash he had with Ocon at Baku, and the guy simply wigs out when he's challenged or frustrated.

If my memory serves me correctly, Force India banned him and Ocon from racing each other, and I never recall a time in history that's ever happened. Sure, there have been team orders based off #1 status, but never because two teammates were magnets for each other. Ocon had never had a collision of any sort before moving to Force India, so it's reasonable to say none of this was his fault, especially when you consider each clash with Ocon looked deliberate.

That, and he absolutely took Massa out big time in Canada one year. The guy is just a bowling ball.

Some people believe he was pushed out of McLaren by Button (one of the cleanest guys ever) because he couldn't trust him wheel to wheel.



I believe he was given a long contract as a result of forcing Force India into administration after they couldn't pay him. I mean, I wouldn't keep a guy who kept taking out both cars unless there was no way out.



Probably pretty close to accurate. He's the kind of driver who is good enough to get results on merit, but when pressured feels the need to drive dirty. I have no tolerance for that kind of thing in a sport where you can kill people.

Good to be agreeing with you again. Sorry about the previous clash on the nascar forum.
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No need to apologize at all. I wholeheartedly appreciate it though, but its no need.

All of that is water under the bridge, we are discussing what we love at the end of the day and we all have different perspectives. That's why I enjoy this message board.

Perez was a scrappy driver coming up, but his consistency along with the Carlos Slim money... He's really hard to move, I feel as if he's had many blunders in the past. Yet he continues to just get it done for Racing Point. I just wonder about Kamui Koboyashi's sudden demise, as I thought he was a much better all-round racer at Sauber. Just Perez was so good at tire management at the time of the cheese grater Pirelli tires and the money behind him basically forced him out of F1.

Kamui on a team like Racing Point would have been great to see, but once again money talks and Perez has had it from the start.
 
Am I the only one who thinks the new Mercedes livery looks really ugly?
 
Kiante said:
No need to apologize at all. I wholeheartedly appreciate it though, but its no need.
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Excellent. I simply mistook you for another guy who was trying his best to make it personal. I'm not normally a mean guy, so again, sorry you got caught up in that, and I'll be more careful.

I just wonder about Kamui Koboyashi's sudden demise, as I thought he was a much better all-round racer at Sauber.
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He's certainly become a world class sportscar ace though, hasn't he? A lot of good talent falls through the cracks in F1, like say, Alexander Rossi.

You also have to wonder what's going to happen to Vettel. No doubt you can't win four championships as a scrub, but he doesn't seem to have that magic any more. I don't think there's an available car that's good enough for a four time champ. Hopefully he either just goes home to be a dad, or give Indy a crack. Wouldn't kill me to see him in IMSA either.

Speaking of which, it's criminal F1 let Nasr get away, but he's sure done well in IMSA. It's another discussion, but I think if the sportscar brass play it the right way, the time is right for another renaissance.

Just Perez was so good at tire management at the time of the cheese grater Pirelli tires and the money behind him basically forced him out of F1.
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Especially since Sauber was always a week or so away from going bust. On this side of the pond, money drives everything. It's astonishing that guys like Hinch (who is the face of Honda here) can't land a decent full time gig, and he's not the only one. Like, why is Bourdais out? That's just crazy.

Kamui on a team like Racing Point would have been great to see, but once again money talks and Perez has had it from the start.
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As a sportscar fan, I'm never offended when that kind of talent comes our way. As an IndyCar fan I love Sato, who good or bad is always entertaining.
 
Marcingak said:
Am I the only one who thinks the new Mercedes livery looks really ugly?
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Hamilton gets what Hamilton wants, which is probably correct seeing as how he's going for a seventh.

Backing up a bit, I think the Perez clash with Lando was 50/50, or at worst 60/40 Perez. It was a late divebomb, but if you close the door on that the consequences are self enforcing. Still, what's a top line driver doing being involved in so many senseless collisions? I can't recall Lando ever running into anyone.

I think Hamilton's clash was just hard racing gone wrong. If you discount the Nico silliness, Hamilton has a history of racing too hard for his own good, but someone you could trust. Also toss out the Massa feud because most of the time Massa was asking for it. Usually when you pressure Hamilton that's when he really delivers, but this time he just messed it up. I don't see any malice or poor sportsmanship. I'm tired of the domination, but I admire the guy.

I need to watch the whole race before I say too much, but it does look like it's going to be a hoot to watch. Just imagine how exciting it could have been if Verstappen had not dropped out. It might be a little early to make many predictions, but I think we're going to have a wildly unpredictable, entertaining year.
 
Doc Austin said:
I thought the same thing and calling Albon out was very fake news. Are those people over there so "nationalistic" that it makes them utterly blind?

Yeah, be patient with ten laps left, like that's gonna happen. Hell, 10 laps left on a circuit that shot and it's time to go.

If you are up against someone less skilled maybe, but you should be able to trust a six time world champion not to punt you off every time you go wheel to wheel. I'll bet you they have wisked Albon off before he says something regrettable. This is got to be getting real old for him.
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I’ve seen a lot of people saying he should’ve backed out or given more room because he would’ve passed Hamilton anyways. It makes no sense, when you have soft tires and an opportunity to pounce on Lewis you take it; and then you have to catch and pass Bottas too. He was mostly clear at the moment of contact, no reason for him to give up once he was forced to the outside.

I’m sure he’ll get his eventually but it must hurt because you only get so many opportunities with Mercedes still the cream of the crop.
 
FLRacingFan said:
I’ve seen a lot of people saying he should’ve backed out or given more room because he would’ve passed Hamilton anyways. It makes no sense, when you have soft tires and an opportunity to pounce on Lewis you take it; and then you have to catch and pass Bottas too. He was mostly clear at the moment of contact, no reason for him to give up once he was forced to the outside.

I’m sure he’ll get his eventually but it must hurt because you only get so many opportunities with Mercedes still the cream of the crop.
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Lol give king Hamilton all the space. That’s such a ridiculous argument to be making.
 
Heat of the moment and over the radio instead of in an interview. Still everyone heard it, but I don't think this will be his Kyle Larson moment or anything.

That and calling someone a sort loser is pretty tame compared to some of the things Kimmi and a few others have said over the radio.
 
U.S. viewership of the Austrian GP hits an all-time high with 752,000 viewers on ESPN.

2019 - 646,500 (ESPN2)
2018 - 431,000 (ESPN2)
2017 - 330,000 (CNBC)
2016 - 314,000 (CNBC)
2015 - 525,000 (NBCSN)
2014 - 413,000 (NBCSN)

espnpressroom.com

ESPN Opens Delayed Formula 1 Season with Event Viewership Record

After a four-month delay to start the 2020 season, Formula 1 kicked off with an event viewership record for the Rolex Austrian Grand Prix.
espnpressroom.com
 
So I just watched last Sunday's race on DVR. My, that was sloppy little devil, wasn't it? And I though Indy's return at Texas was a mess. The attrition was unholy. For the money spent and the time for preparation, I assume these cars aren't normally that prone to failure.

Before I forget, what's 'Exceeding Track Limits' mean (or something like that) and why is it a penalty?

This is the first complete F1 race I've seen other than Monte Carlo. With that circuit being my only previous experience, It was more entertaining than I expected. I was disappointed we didn't get to see if Verstappen's (sp?) tire strategy would have worked out. Thankfully, Hamilton's late penalty meant team orders weren't going to come into play. But what's with slapping on a pit road speeding penalty several laps after racing had resumed? Does it take that long to process the pit road timers for only 20 cars?

Sky's coverage was pretty darn good. I didn't understand a couple of the graphics but that didn't get in my way. The booth team went Gerbil a couple of times but not too often to be annoying. For some reason I had less trouble telling who was who than I have in the past. It may be a Stupid American question but how can they (Sky or ESPN) do complete coverage and make any money?

With all that said, I don't think I'll make it a habit. I'm following too many series already (I'm letting the ARCA race today slide by me too).
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Before I forget, what's 'Exceeding Track Limits' mean (or something like that) and why is it a penalty?
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Drivers may get an advanteage by leaving the track with all four tires exiting a corner. F1 and MotoGP penalize that, IndyCar and NASCAR don't.
Charlie Spencer said:
It may be a Stupid American question but how can they (Sky or ESPN) do complete coverage and make any money?
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Sky makes money by selling subscriptions.
 
Charlie, Sky F1 is a pay TV channel in the UK, I think you can buy it both individually and as part of larger Sky packages these days. ESPN got the US F1 rights a few years ago after a falling out between NBC and F1, and as a former ESPN exec was the F1 commercial leader at the time ESPN got the rights for free. They just extended from 2020 through 2022, and while I’m not sure if there are rights fees now ESPN’s coverage is presented by Mothers car products which allows them to go commercial-free.

Penalties of all kinds are subject to some form of review by the stewards first, but I’m not sure why that particular one took so long.

All four wheels off can both be a competitive advantage and a detriment to safety (runoff area is intended to be runoff, not part of the racing line).
 
FLRacingFan said:
They just extended from 2020 through 2022, and while I’m not sure if there are rights fees now ESPN’s coverage is presented by Mothers car products which allows them to go commercial-free.
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That is interesting that 1 sole sponsor is carrying the load for commercial free. I wonder how much that is costing them.

Obviously way less than having their own broadcasters. That very first F1 race was brutal. Those commercials cutting mid sentences were a disaster.
 
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