2019 F1 challenge R21: Discussions thread, Abu Dhabi, Dec 1

This could get interesting... as currently Leclerc is under investigation for a fuel infringement I will wait a while before calculating the scores... however at the moment, Sav has the top 6 all correct so is on course for a bumper crop of points


What happened to Gasly, finishing 2 laps down on the winner?
Well, apparently he lost one lap in the pits following an early collision not long after the start.
I suppose lack of pace resulted in the loss of anothre lap over race distance.

Hamilton's winning margin was 16.77s, a pretty good domination of proceedings that included pole, fastest lap and leading every lap of the race.

... and in our competition, johnc  correctly predicted that Ricciardo would be the last person to take a pit stop this season

Did Vettel fail to have any incidents this race?

Discrepancy of about 4.8kg between what Ferrari told the officials was in the car, and what was apparently actually in the car.

50,000 Euro fine in lieu of disqualification

Vettel spun out in qualifying when preparing for a hot lap in the final corner. He just didn’t have the confidence to hustle this year’s Ferrari. When he tried to push, he either spun out or tangled with someone else. On the opening lap he cleared Verstappen in the brake zone approaching turn 11, but didn’t immediately move to the left to claim the position. It was a bit like a Tiger catching its prey, then deciding to let it go. Fundamentally, the hybrid cars have not suited Vettel’s driving style. He doesn’t enjoy the slightly looser rear end on either corner exit or entry, courtesy of the energy harvesting and extra torque from the engines. It’s something that Leclerc could live with; perhaps the inexperience of Charles helped with that, having a more adaptable driving style, because he’s had no choice but to adapt in the past few years.

F1 in 2019 has been a surprise. I’ve enjoyed the battles at the front, the midfield was good as ever, the rookies were very impressive, but the tyres were the biggest surprise. The drivers could push harder for longer, and finally, the dreaded overheating wasn’t so prevalent in 2019. I think it helped drivers mount sustained attacks, which is surely the whole spectacle of motor racing. There was enough degradation to allow different strategies, but it didn’t dominate proceedings like in the past. F1 in 2019 wasn’t just good for F1; it was good motor racing in its own right.

Which is complete contrast to F2, it still frustrates me like anything. The amount of tyre degradation is extreme; it looks ridiculous seeing the supposed up and coming drivers not even trying to defend, sitting there so helplessly. It’s almost impossible to tell who could be the best drivers in F2, because the tyre saving dominates everything. Saturday’s race had a lot of passing, but merely drivers passing one another with very few battles. It was almost confusing watching Saturday's race, from the opening lap cars were shuffling positions like it was wet, that was how bad the tyres were.