The pleasures of F1!

Great Race in Bahrain yesterday!

The McLaren's are still at or near the top of the charts and the RedBull of Max Verstappen took a real hit this weekend IMO.

Qualifying on Saturday saw the "perceived" second McLaren of Oscar Piastri take pole position.  He was in command the whole practice session to this qualifying session.  The Mercedees of George Russell took in a great lap to finish second with the lead Ferrari of Charles LeClerc coming in 3rd.  Of note, the second McLaren of Lando Norris finished a Team Low P6 on the grid for Sunday.  Max Verstappen the reigning World Champion could muster no more than 7th place on the grid.  But his teammate Yuki Tsunoda came in a Team high for the second Red Bull at 10th.  Nice effort.

On to the Race,  Piastri led out front with George Russell settling in behind the orange car for second, but Lando Norris smoked his way all the way up to 3rd after about the 3rd turn in the race.  BUT he was out of his grid box on the start so he got a 5 second penalty, which he served on his first pit stop.  The Ferrari's for once had great strategy overall and pitted early to the most reliable tyre - the mediums.  And in the middle of the race were a threat to everyone but Piastri likely.  Their problem - they put on the hard tyres for the last stretch and they were vulnerable.  LeClerc held off Norris as long as he could but was passed with about 12 laps to go.  This meant Norris could not track down Russell who was on a decent soft tyre, but Russell had to make it last like 25 laps - not ideal.  It was a great duel between Russell and Norris and on the last lap down the main straight they battled, but Norris had to pull out in the turn allowing Russell much more momentum into the final DRS zone and Russell escapes with P2 and Norris P3.  Then came the Ferrari's of Leclerc (P4) and Hamilton (who drove a very good race in P5).  Verstappen was lucky to be able to pass a Great effort from Alpine's Pierre Gasly for 6th.  Esteban Ocon also drove a great race and this was easily Haas' best race of the season with Ocon in 8th and his impressive teammate Oliver Bearman in 10th the last points spot.  Yuki Tsunoda battled his way to 9th on the grid.  That's a great result for him and Red Bull considering where they are now.

But really Oscar Piastri was pretty much perfect this weekend and carries a lot of momentum into this week's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!

On to Jeddah!

On 4/14/2025 at 8:01 AM, Purple88 said:

Great Race in Bahrain yesterday!

The McLaren's are still at or near the top of the charts and the RedBull of Max Verstappen took a real hit this weekend IMO.

Qualifying on Saturday saw the "perceived" second McLaren of Oscar Piastri take pole position.  He was in command the whole practice session to this qualifying session.  The Mercedees of George Russell took in a great lap to finish second with the lead Ferrari of Charles LeClerc coming in 3rd.  Of note, the second McLaren of Lando Norris finished a Team Low P6 on the grid for Sunday.  Max Verstappen the reigning World Champion could muster no more than 7th place on the grid.  But his teammate Yuki Tsunoda came in a Team high for the second Red Bull at 10th.  Nice effort.

On to the Race,  Piastri led out front with George Russell settling in behind the orange car for second, but Lando Norris smoked his way all the way up to 3rd after about the 3rd turn in the race.  BUT he was out of his grid box on the start so he got a 5 second penalty, which he served on his first pit stop.  The Ferrari's for once had great strategy overall and pitted early to the most reliable tyre - the mediums.  And in the middle of the race were a threat to everyone but Piastri likely.  Their problem - they put on the hard tyres for the last stretch and they were vulnerable.  LeClerc held off Norris as long as he could but was passed with about 12 laps to go.  This meant Norris could not track down Russell who was on a decent soft tyre, but Russell had to make it last like 25 laps - not ideal.  It was a great duel between Russell and Norris and on the last lap down the main straight they battled, but Norris had to pull out in the turn allowing Russell much more momentum into the final DRS zone and Russell escapes with P2 and Norris P3.  Then came the Ferrari's of Leclerc (P4) and Hamilton (who drove a very good race in P5).  Verstappen was lucky to be able to pass a Great effort from Alpine's Pierre Gasly for 6th.  Esteban Ocon also drove a great race and this was easily Haas' best race of the season with Ocon in 8th and his impressive teammate Oliver Bearman in 10th the last points spot.  Yuki Tsunoda battled his way to 9th on the grid.  That's a great result for him and Red Bull considering where they are now.

But really Oscar Piastri was pretty much perfect this weekend and carries a lot of momentum into this week's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix!

On to Jeddah!

Good recap as always, 88.

The McLaren's are tops to me until proven otherwise.  And what is wrong with the Red Bulls?

From F1, the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which takes place over 50 laps of the 6.174-kilometre Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Sunday, April 20.  I am glad F1 is running this weekend, NASCAR is on Easter Break, at least Cup. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is, you won’t be surprised to hear, a temporary street circuit (albeit adorned with some permanent sections), located on the Corniche – a 30km coastal resort area of the ancient Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. Designed by the Tilke company, in conjunction with Formula 1’s own Motorsports team – who used Google Earth for their initial investigations into potential layouts – the aim was a fast, sweeping circuit that really challenges the drivers. 

Qualification is about ready to start.

Another terrific race, this week in Saudi Arabia. 

Max Verstappen and his Red Bull pulled off a tremendous lap in Qualifying after playing a little "cat and mouse" during the 3 practice sessions.  But the World Champion should NEVER be counted out as Red Bull continues to work and they have an improving car and he beat both McLaren's for Pole Position.  A factor in so many of his 64 F1 wins.  George Russell, the lead Mercedes man, also had a very good qualifying session and started on the second row with Charles LeClerc (Ferrari).  The other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton ended down in 7th in qualifying.  I'm getting rumblings that the Italian press are getting tired of just running in the Top 10 from Hamilton.  That is a tough window to be viewed through.  But the 7-Time World Champion was hired to be at the very top.  That has not happened.  BUT if you drive a Mercedes for 12 years, certainly it will take some time to get acquainted with his new team and car.

On to the race!  When the lights went out, Verstappen lost a few feet to Piastri blazing towards the first turn.  Piastri broke as late as he could and he was side by side with Verstappen into the first turn.  Verstappen was on the outside of the turn and Piastri more towards the middle and as they both carried their speed towards the second turn Verstappen was forced to cut the corner while Piastri made Turn 2.  Verstappen kept the lead, but the stewards ruled that Verstappen gained an advantage from cutting the corner and therefore levied a 5 second penalty to Verstappen.  So, Piastri pitted ahead of Verstappen by 2 laps and when Verstappen came out of the pits, having served his 5 second penalty, he found himself behind Piastri by roughly 4 seconds.  Piastri would hold on to that lead and win the race with Verstappen in second.

Notice I didn't say anything about the racer who entered this race in first place - the McLaren of  Lando Norris.  Norris would crash on his first flying lap of the Q3 Qualifying round.  That would drop him all the way to 10th place.  The McLaren driver would climb the grid all the way to 4th place, but again would leave alot on the table.  He has to be in his own head right now having given up so much to start the Season.

George Russell just couldn't get much traction today as he kept slipping.  First from 3rd down to 4th (LeClerc passed him) and then 4th to 5th (when Lando Norris passed him) where he finished.   His stellar rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli took 6th. And Lewis Hamilton stayed in 7th.  That won't make the Tifosi (the passionate/rapid Ferrari/Italian fan base) super happy.

Williams had a great showing with Carlos Sainz coming in 8th and his teammate Alex Albon in 9th.  Racing Bulls rookie Isac Hadjar drove a great race to get the last Championship point in 10th.

There was a wreck on Lap 1 between Yuki Tsunoda (2nd Red Bull) and his former (Alpha Tauri) teammate Pierre Gasley.  They roared into Turn 4, a really tight corner and simply hit each other and caused both to hit the wall.  They were done for the day and that is a shame.  Gasley has been in great form of late and Tsunoda has been making gains each week.  Both drivers declared the crash a racing incident.

The Global Racing Group will now pick up and transport EVERYTHING about 7,400 miles to Miami in ONE WEEK!  Wow!  For someone who loves logistics, this is truly an incredible feat!  On to Miami!!!!

Here are the current standings as of 5/1/25.

We have the Miami Grand Prix this coming weekend, here is the track!

Miami Gardens - When was the track built?

Having made its F1 debut in May 2022, the Miami International Autodrome is a temporary circuit, but one designed to have a permanent feel. Set in the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, home to the NFL’s famous Miami Dolphins franchise, the track is the culmination of a development process that simulated no less than 36 different layouts before settling on a thrilling, 19-turn lap that provides a street circuit vibe, not dissimilar to Melbourne’s Albert Park.

On 4/20/2025 at 6:21 PM, Purple88 said:

Another terrific race, this week in Saudi Arabia. 

Max Verstappen and his Red Bull pulled off a tremendous lap in Qualifying after playing a little "cat and mouse" during the 3 practice sessions.  But the World Champion should NEVER be counted out as Red Bull continues to work and they have an improving car and he beat both McLaren's for Pole Position.  A factor in so many of his 64 F1 wins.  George Russell, the lead Mercedes man, also had a very good qualifying session and started on the second row with Charles LeClerc (Ferrari).  The other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton ended down in 7th in qualifying.  I'm getting rumblings that the Italian press are getting tired of just running in the Top 10 from Hamilton.  That is a tough window to be viewed through.  But the 7-Time World Champion was hired to be at the very top.  That has not happened.  BUT if you drive a Mercedes for 12 years, certainly it will take some time to get acquainted with his new team and car.

On to the race!  When the lights went out, Verstappen lost a few feet to Piastri blazing towards the first turn.  Piastri broke as late as he could and he was side by side with Verstappen into the first turn.  Verstappen was on the outside of the turn and Piastri more towards the middle and as they both carried their speed towards the second turn Verstappen was forced to cut the corner while Piastri made Turn 2.  Verstappen kept the lead, but the stewards ruled that Verstappen gained an advantage from cutting the corner and therefore levied a 5 second penalty to Verstappen.  So, Piastri pitted ahead of Verstappen by 2 laps and when Verstappen came out of the pits, having served his 5 second penalty, he found himself behind Piastri by roughly 4 seconds.  Piastri would hold on to that lead and win the race with Verstappen in second.

Notice I didn't say anything about the racer who entered this race in first place - the McLaren of  Lando Norris.  Norris would crash on his first flying lap of the Q3 Qualifying round.  That would drop him all the way to 10th place.  The McLaren driver would climb the grid all the way to 4th place, but again would leave alot on the table.  He has to be in his own head right now having given up so much to start the Season.

George Russell just couldn't get much traction today as he kept slipping.  First from 3rd down to 4th (LeClerc passed him) and then 4th to 5th (when Lando Norris passed him) where he finished.   His stellar rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli took 6th. And Lewis Hamilton stayed in 7th.  That won't make the Tifosi (the passionate/rapid Ferrari/Italian fan base) super happy.

Williams had a great showing with Carlos Sainz coming in 8th and his teammate Alex Albon in 9th.  Racing Bulls rookie Isac Hadjar drove a great race to get the last Championship point in 10th.

There was a wreck on Lap 1 between Yuki Tsunoda (2nd Red Bull) and his former (Alpha Tauri) teammate Pierre Gasley.  They roared into Turn 4, a really tight corner and simply hit each other and caused both to hit the wall.  They were done for the day and that is a shame.  Gasley has been in great form of late and Tsunoda has been making gains each week.  Both drivers declared the crash a racing incident.

The Global Racing Group will now pick up and transport EVERYTHING about 7,400 miles to Miami in ONE WEEK!  Wow!  For someone who loves logistics, this is truly an incredible feat!  On to Miami!!!!

I thought this race was a bit boring and of course it was decided at the start with Piastri getting the jump on Max and then Max getting the five second penalty.

We may have a four way race for the championship this year which is a pleasant surprise. 

15 hours ago, theguru said:

I thought this race was a bit boring and of course it was decided at the start with Piastri getting the jump on Max and then Max getting the five second penalty.

We may have a four way race for the championship this year which is a pleasant surprise. 

I can see the bolded above, but I had Piastri in my Fantasy League so I was good with it.  Laughing!

@theguru who is your 4th guy in the championship fight besides Max, Piastri and Norris?

 

15 hours ago, theguru said:

We have the Miami Grand Prix this coming weekend, here is the track!

Miami Gardens - When was the track built?

 

They started building this temporary circuit in April 2021 and raced on it the following year.

I'd say that's quite a bit of pressure to get it right.

Oh and I saw where I think you meant Russell in the top 4.  I suppose that's fair.  He is driving well, just doesn't quite have the car to stay above that level though.  Still good effort!

Didn't get a chance to watch this race, but from what I hear it was an eventful weekend.  The weather was poor down in Miami like it was for most of the Commonwealth and that always produces challenging F1 circumstances.

Kimi Antonelli, the young Mercedes Rookie has done a splendid job to not only hold his own but to also make his mark on this young F1 season.  And he came out of nowhere and stunned the field to a pole position for the Sprint Race.  Well done.  

The McLaren's were on point as well with points leader coming into this week Piastri getting second and his teammate Norris third.  Reigning World Champ Verstappen got to Miami late due to the arrival of his first child, a daughter, Lily.  Congrats!  And the Dutchman was fourth with the other Mercedes George Russell in 6th with the Ferraris bringing up the rear in 6th and 7th.

The Sprint Race (and 18 lap, pre-quel of the main event) was entertaining with poor conditions prevailing.  Antonelli would be passed in the first turn by Piastri, Norris and Verstappen.  And track conditions were changing, so teams were pitting to change tyres to the slicks.  Piastri came in and got mediums while Norris stayed out (he couldn't come in and not lose time in the pits due to his teammate in front of him).  So when Norris was ready to come in the pits 2 laps later, Liam Lawson made a dumb move IMO and wrecked a hard charging Fernando Alonso and the yellow flag came out.  This was around lap 15 of 18 so if Norris could come out of the pits first he would win the sprint And he did.  Bad luck for Piastri, but that's racing.  But Lewis Hamilton was flying at the end and made it all the way up to 3rd.  Well done. With Russell 4th and Lance Stroll 5th.

Qualifying was intense as well.  Verstappen and the 2 McLarens dueled in the first 2 of 3 rounds and when they got to the final qualifying round (Q3) they battled again and this time Verstappen came out on top by about 6 100ths of a second over Lando Norris.  But Antonelli pulled a great lap out and pushed Piastri back to 4th.  Antonelli came in only 2 1/1000ths of a second behind Norris.  With George Russell in 5th.  

I will say the Williams cars showed up this weekend with Carlos Sainz qualifying 6th and his teammate Alex Albon qualifying 7th.  And Ferrari were way down in 8th (Leclerc - he hit the wall in qualifying and had a tough weekend) and 12th (Hamilton - just a tough weekend for the paceless red cars).

On to the race, the first turn was really interesting with Verstappen cutting Norris off down the main straight but they would continue to battle through the turn with Norris running wide and falling eventually all the way down to 6th.  But Kimi Antonellis pressed Verstappen early as the reigning world champ would need to get his elbows out to continue to lead and he did.  On lap 4, Piastri passed Antonelli, and he caught up to the leader by lap 9 (and Norris was back up to 3rd by this point).  And after some tough defending by Verstappen, Piastri overtakes Verstappen on Lap 14 out of the first turn.  Great stuff! 

Then Norris and Verstappen began to battle around Lap 16 and by Lap 17 he went around Verstappen but did so off track, so he had to give the place back.  But on Lap 18, he made it stick and passed Verstappen for good.  And George Russell would beat Verstappen in the final pit stops to earn the 3rd place podium spot with a Great run by Alex Albon in 5th and Antonelli a strong 6th.  

And are the Ferrari's destined to remain down in 7th and 8 where they finished?  Not sure, but they are really frustrated at this point.  And this is the most storied team on the F1 circuit with a HUGE following and input and drivers.  They won't wait long to make moves, but what can they really do?  Not sure, but will be fun to watch in 2 weeks as they come home to Imola.  One of two Ferrari Home races.  So do you think the pressure will be ratcheted up?  It certainly will, but Ferrari have pulled some rabbits out of the hat here at Imola, finding pace they had not seen earlier in seasons.  Charles LeClerc used perfect strategy in 2019 and stole the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.  Here is a great short video of that race.  It's worth your time I think.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-xqDd9qOuA

Next race is at Imola.  A legendary race course named after the founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari.

The track was originally built for motorcycle racing and had its first race in 1953.  It would go on to host many "non-championship" F1 races.  But safety concerns were raised in the 80s and 90s and in particular the very high speed "Tamburello corner", where legendary driver Ayrton Senna sadly passed away in 1994.

And as an indirect result of this F1 stopped racing here in 2007 forcing the track owners to undertake a major renovation project.  And the track returned to F1 in 2017, but legal disputes was not allow this and the race didn't officially return to the F1 calendar until 2020. 

It is a great track and one of the better venues on the F1 calendar IMO.  

On 5/5/2025 at 10:13 AM, Purple88 said:

Didn't get a chance to watch this race, but from what I hear it was an eventful weekend.  The weather was poor down in Miami like it was for most of the Commonwealth and that always produces challenging F1 circumstances.

Kimi Antonelli, the young Mercedes Rookie has done a splendid job to not only hold his own but to also make his mark on this young F1 season.  And he came out of nowhere and stunned the field to a pole position for the Sprint Race.  Well done.  

The McLaren's were on point as well with points leader coming into this week Piastri getting second and his teammate Norris third.  Reigning World Champ Verstappen got to Miami late due to the arrival of his first child, a daughter, Lily.  Congrats!  And the Dutchman was fourth with the other Mercedes George Russell in 6th with the Ferraris bringing up the rear in 6th and 7th.

The Sprint Race (and 18 lap, pre-quel of the main event) was entertaining with poor conditions prevailing.  Antonelli would be passed in the first turn by Piastri, Norris and Verstappen.  And track conditions were changing, so teams were pitting to change tyres to the slicks.  Piastri came in and got mediums while Norris stayed out (he couldn't come in and not lose time in the pits due to his teammate in front of him).  So when Norris was ready to come in the pits 2 laps later, Liam Lawson made a dumb move IMO and wrecked a hard charging Fernando Alonso and the yellow flag came out.  This was around lap 15 of 18 so if Norris could come out of the pits first he would win the sprint And he did.  Bad luck for Piastri, but that's racing.  But Lewis Hamilton was flying at the end and made it all the way up to 3rd.  Well done. With Russell 4th and Lance Stroll 5th.

Qualifying was intense as well.  Verstappen and the 2 McLarens dueled in the first 2 of 3 rounds and when they got to the final qualifying round (Q3) they battled again and this time Verstappen came out on top by about 6 100ths of a second over Lando Norris.  But Antonelli pulled a great lap out and pushed Piastri back to 4th.  Antonelli came in only 2 1/1000ths of a second behind Norris.  With George Russell in 5th.  

I will say the Williams cars showed up this weekend with Carlos Sainz qualifying 6th and his teammate Alex Albon qualifying 7th.  And Ferrari were way down in 8th (Leclerc - he hit the wall in qualifying and had a tough weekend) and 12th (Hamilton - just a tough weekend for the paceless red cars).

On to the race, the first turn was really interesting with Verstappen cutting Norris off down the main straight but they would continue to battle through the turn with Norris running wide and falling eventually all the way down to 6th.  But Kimi Antonellis pressed Verstappen early as the reigning world champ would need to get his elbows out to continue to lead and he did.  On lap 4, Piastri passed Antonelli, and he caught up to the leader by lap 9 (and Norris was back up to 3rd by this point).  And after some tough defending by Verstappen, Piastri overtakes Verstappen on Lap 14 out of the first turn.  Great stuff! 

Then Norris and Verstappen began to battle around Lap 16 and by Lap 17 he went around Verstappen but did so off track, so he had to give the place back.  But on Lap 18, he made it stick and passed Verstappen for good.  And George Russell would beat Verstappen in the final pit stops to earn the 3rd place podium spot with a Great run by Alex Albon in 5th and Antonelli a strong 6th.  

And are the Ferrari's destined to remain down in 7th and 8 where they finished?  Not sure, but they are really frustrated at this point.  And this is the most storied team on the F1 circuit with a HUGE following and input and drivers.  They won't wait long to make moves, but what can they really do?  Not sure, but will be fun to watch in 2 weeks as they come home to Imola.  One of two Ferrari Home races.  So do you think the pressure will be ratcheted up?  It certainly will, but Ferrari have pulled some rabbits out of the hat here at Imola, finding pace they had not seen earlier in seasons.  Charles LeClerc used perfect strategy in 2019 and stole the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.  Here is a great short video of that race.  It's worth your time I think.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-xqDd9qOuA

Decent review considering you didn't watch the race. ?

On 5/5/2025 at 10:23 AM, Purple88 said:

Next race is at Imola.  A legendary race course named after the founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari.

The track was originally built for motorcycle racing and had its first race in 1953.  It would go on to host many "non-championship" F1 races.  But safety concerns were raised in the 80s and 90s and in particular the very high speed "Tamburello corner", where legendary driver Ayrton Senna sadly passed away in 1994.

And as an indirect result of this F1 stopped racing here in 2007 forcing the track owners to undertake a major renovation project.  And the track returned to F1 in 2017, but legal disputes was not allow this and the race didn't officially return to the F1 calendar until 2020. 

It is a great track and one of the better venues on the F1 calendar IMO.