2024 Formula 1 Season thread

[Glideslope]

Well, Sergio only 0.66 off Max was a surprise. Allot can happen in a race. LeClerc is certainly in a rut, and Carlos continues the Appendectomy Tour 2024.

Both McLarens looked quick, and Fred got quite a bit more out of the AMR24 upgrade package than Lance. I was hopeful Mercedes had found their soul after their FP2. However, business as usual.

While not ideal, I can see some good racing between Max and Sergio tomorrow. it's looking more like Max and Sergio in the RB21 for 2025, IMO.

Hefty fine for Mercedes......

 

[Apple fanboy]

Well, Sergio only 0.66 off Max was a surprise. Allot can happen in a race. LeClerc is certainly in a rut, and Carlos continues the Appendectomy Tour 2024.

Both McLarens looked quick, and Fred got quite a bit more out of the AMR24 upgrade package than Lance. I was hopeful Mercedes had found their soul after their FP2. However, business as usual.

While not ideal, I can see some good racing between Max and Sergio tomorrow. it's looking more like Max and Sergio in the RB21 for 2025, IMO.

Hefty fine for Mercedes......

For that unsafe release?

 

[Glideslope]

For that unsafe release?

Correct. It was a Team Fine. Was $5,000 Euro. Not much in F1. Hopefully George lets them have it.

 

[CWallace]

Yeah debating whether to stay awake for the race since it starts at 10PM local and it seems a foregone conclusion Max and Sergio are going to dominate. Probably just catch the VOD in the morning like I did qualifying.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Yeah debating whether to stay awake for the race since it starts at 10PM local and it seems a foregone conclusion Max and Sergio are going to dominate. Probably just catch the VOD in the morning like I did qualifying.

The highlights are on around lunchtime tomorrow which is fine by me.

 

[headlessmike]

Here’s an interesting insight into the tools used by the F1 (and F2) teams for anyone who’s interested.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

So third place was the only race happening in Suzuka as predicted. Ferrari must be loving that the driver they’ve let go is dominating the one that is staying for yet another race. Carlos is racing for his future and really deserves a drive at a good team next year. I have a feeling he’ll have a Red Bull seat sooner rather than later.

 

[headlessmike]

So third place was the only race happening in Suzuka as predicted. Ferrari must be loving that the driver they’ve let go is dominating the one that is staying for yet another race. Carlos is racing for his future and really deserves a drive at a good team next year. I have a feeling he’ll have a Red Bull seat sooner rather than later.

There wasn't much between them this race to be fair (ignoring qualifying). Charles started 8th and did a good job making his way up to 4th. But I agree that Carlos has been excellent so far this year and proves that he deserves a seat at a top team.

 

[Glideslope]

So third place was the only race happening in Suzuka as predicted. Ferrari must be loving that the driver they’ve let go is dominating the one that is staying for yet another race. Carlos is racing for his future and really deserves a drive at a good team next year. I have a feeling he’ll have a Red Bull seat sooner rather than later.

The 2024 Appendectomy Tour Continues.

There wasn't much between them this race to be fair (ignoring qualifying). Charles started 8th and did a good job making his way up to 4th. But I agree that Carlos has been excellent so far this year and proves that he deserves a seat at a top team.

Agreed. It’s just becoming difficult to think of where. I don’t believe he wants Mercedes. His jovial banter back and forth with Max after the race and in the cool down room looked like a textbook PR Pitch.

 

[Apple fanboy]

RBR 1-2 tells you all you need to know about this weeks race. They were well down the track from their rivals.
Sainz again showing who is the best driver at the team. I do hope he gets a good drive next season.
Max wont want him at RBR. He doesn’t want a rival and truth be told neither does the team.
Any other move is a downgrade. McLaren don’t need him back.
Mercedes still seem to be the 4th or 5 th best team.
Where else can he go?

 

[Glideslope]

RBR 1-2 tells you all you need to know about this weeks race. They were well down the track from their rivals.
Sainz again showing who is the best driver at the team. I do hope he gets a good drive next season.
Max wont want him at RBR. He doesn’t want a rival and truth be told neither does the team.
Any other move is a downgrade. McLaren don’t need him back.
Mercedes still seem to be the 4th or 5 th best team.
Where else can he go?

Sort of like Lewis and George..... I would not rule out RBR yet. However, if Sergio keeps up his pace he will be extended 1yr if he accepts that. Personally I'd like to see Carlos at AMR in 2025 with a multiyear. I'm optimistic about the AMR26 and it's Honda PU.

 

[CWallace]

I think LeClerc did magnificent considering he stopped less than any other driver and was able to effectively make use of his Mediums for longer than any other driver. Yes, Sainz beat him, but he had much fresher tires at the end and qualified better. It is clear now that both Ferraris were set up for long-distance runs, which explained their qualifying pace. For me, Charles was Driver of the Day with Sainz second and Lando third.

As for Sainz, I am sure he would love to go to Red Bull, but Perez so far is making a strong case to be re-signed in 2025. And as noted, Max and Carlos had a rough time of it at Torro Rosso - in no small part due to their fathers. Will Sainz want to go to Mercedes? Not sure considering they still look to be off the pace. But Mercedes in 2026 will probably be better than Audi. Maybe a move to Aston if Stroll hangs up his hat or Alonso somehow gets into Mercedes?

 

[Glideslope]

I think LeClerc did magnificent considering he stopped less than any other driver and was able to effectively make use of his Mediums for longer than any other driver. Yes, Sainz beat him, but he had much fresher tires at the end and qualified better. It is clear now that both Ferraris were set up for long-distance runs, which explained their qualifying pace. For me, Charles was Driver of the Day with Sainz second and Lando third.

As for Sainz, I am sure he would love to go to Red Bull, but Perez so far is making a strong case to be re-signed in 2025. And as noted, Max and Carlos had a rough time of it at Torro Rosso - in no small part due to their fathers. Will Sainz want to go to Mercedes? Not sure considering they still look to be off the pace. But Mercedes in 2026 will probably be better than Audi. Maybe a move to Aston if Stroll hangs up his hat or Alonso somehow gets into Mercedes?

Agreed. I voted for Charles in DOD. I was surprised it was his choice to do a one stop. I had a feeling Ferrari's Race Pace would be good. I think the gap could have been closer if FP2 hadn't been wet.

Good points on Carlos. It will be interesting. Whatever happens it needs to be a done deal sooner than later, IMO. I don't think we can really know how 2026 will be until we get a feel for the new PU reliability. I'm concerned that PU's will be an issue. Hopefully not. I'm confident Mercedes and AMR/Honda will be strong at the start. RBPT/Ford is a huge question mark for me. All this nostalgia over Fords history in F1 is nothing more than that as far as I can see. I would not want Ford designing the ECM for my 2026 PU. I have no informed opinion on Audi's PU. Not allot of information out there that I can read.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

Nice consistent race again for Max, just lovely.

Impressed by Checo, he seemed to remain awake for most of the race. But a few small mistakes, despite a good race, just highlight the different level. But he seem to be stepping it up this year and it will be hard to get rid of him when he achieves 2nd place. I mean what else can they expect from him?

Loved Sainz's pace and driving, so glad he got on the podium. Its crazy how the chap is unemployed next year, but all part of a cat/mouse game of negotiations and strategies.

Mercedes who? I must admit I'm surprised, I get that they be behind one season, but a second, and now a third. They look so weak.

Daniel, ah bless Daniel. Unlucky on the track, and unlucky in timing. This is not what he needs right now. I'd be surprised if he finishes this season...

 

[JustinePaula]

At this point I would question the mental health of anyone in F1 in regards this season, how can anyone place any value in 2024? It has no meaning, after all this is the last season of the current regulations, next year, new drivers, new cars, new team line ups, brains moving from team to team, drivers will retire, maybe we see one of the F2/F3 hot shots make it to F1, hoping for at least 5... but 3 would be brilliant...

Who cares who is 1st, 2nd, I would be pretty certain, in 13 months from today, no one, not a single F1 driver, team manager, head of design will know who came 4th, or what happened to cause the red flag.. Or what happened in FP2..

2024 is a pointless waste of time, just filing contract commitments..

 

[Glideslope]

At this point I would question the mental health of anyone in F1 in regards this season, how can anyone place any value in 2024? It has no meaning, after all this is the last season of the current regulations, next year, new drivers, new cars, new team line ups, brains moving from team to team, drivers will retire, maybe we see one of the F2/F3 hot shots make it to F1, hoping for at least 5... but 3 would be brilliant...

Who cares who is 1st, 2nd, I would be pretty certain, in 13 months from today, no one, not a single F1 driver, team manager, head of design will know who came 4th, or what happened to cause the red flag.. Or what happened in FP2..

2024 is a pointless waste of time, just filing contract commitments..

2025 will be no different than 2024. No new cars until 2026.

 

[Don Quixote]

1	1	Max Verstappen	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	53	1:54:23.566	26
2	11	Sergio Perez	RED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT	53	+12.535s	18
3	55	Carlos Sainz	FERRARI	53	+20.866s	15
4	16	Charles Leclerc	FERRARI	53	+26.522s	12
5	4	Lando Norris	MCLAREN MERCEDES	53	+29.700s	10
6	14	Fernando Alonso	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	53	+44.272s	8
7	63	George Russell	MERCEDES	53	+45.951s	6
8	81	Oscar Piastri	MCLAREN MERCEDES	53	+47.525s	4
9	44	Lewis Hamilton	MERCEDES	53	+48.626s	2
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB HONDA RBPT	52	+1 lap	1
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	HAAS FERRARI	52	+1 lap	0
12	18	Lance Stroll	ASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES	52	+1 lap	0
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	HAAS FERRARI	52	+1 lap	0
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	KICK SAUBER FERRARI	52	+1 lap	0
15	31	Esteban Ocon	ALPINE RENAULT	52	+1 lap	0
16	10	Pierre Gasly	ALPINE RENAULT	52	+1 lap	0
17	2	Logan Sargeant	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	52	+1 lap	0
NC	24	Zhou Guanyu	KICK SAUBER FERRARI	12	DNF	0
NC	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB HONDA RBPT	0	DNF	0
NC	23	Alexander Albon	WILLIAMS MERCEDES	0	DNF	0

Note - Verstappen scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race.

😍

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

At this point I would question the mental health of anyone in F1 in regards this season, how can anyone place any value in 2024? It has no meaning, after all this is the last season of the current regulations, next year, new drivers, new cars, new team line ups, brains moving from team to team, drivers will retire, maybe we see one of the F2/F3 hot shots make it to F1, hoping for at least 5... but 3 would be brilliant...

Who cares who is 1st, 2nd, I would be pretty certain, in 13 months from today, no one, not a single F1 driver, team manager, head of design will know who came 4th, or what happened to cause the red flag.. Or what happened in FP2..

2024 is a pointless waste of time, just filing contract commitments..

I think fans just adjust their expectations and have done for the past 2 seasons due to the predictability factor at the front. There is some decent racing further down the field and one advantage is those drivers are getting more air time. While Max is cruising at the front with a turned down engine and the odd meltdown on the radio, the likes of Carlos, Charles and Fernando are reminding us that they are also very good racing drivers. You have another 1 3/4 seasons of this btw, as the regs change again for 2026.

My approach is, look at the result of a race, scan through whether others thought it was worth watching or if there were instances being talked about, and then watch the highlights. I was doing that during Hamilton's dominance too though as once I had children ten plus years ago, watching F1 became less of a priority anyway.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I saw this picture from Suzuka and it really demonstrates the performance gulf between Red Bull and Mercedes this season. Shocking, and I’d imagine Lewis can’t wait to see this season dead and buried. The situation seems to have gotten worse.

 

[Glideslope]

I saw this picture from Suzuka and it really demonstrates the performance gulf between Red Bull and Mercedes this season. Shocking, and I’d imagine Lewis can’t wait to see this season dead and buried. The situation seems to have gotten worse.

Yikes!!!!

 

[CWallace]

At this point I would question the mental health of anyone in F1 in regards this season, how can anyone place any value in 2024?

Some of us do not watch Formula One because we only care about who wins.

Suzuka had a number of interesting strategies going on through the entire field and we saw some great drives: LeClerc on a one-stop and Sainz pushing his Mediums deeper than most in order to set up advantageous pit stops so he was always on fairly fresher rubber than those around him.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Some of us do not watch Formula One because we only care about who wins.

Suzuka had a number of interesting strategies going on through the entire field and we saw some great drives: LeClerc on a one-stop and Sainz pushing his Mediums deeper than most in order to set up advantageous pit stops so he was always on fairly fresher rubber than those around him.

When I used to watch full races 10 years ago, I used to follow the strategies and live timing and really be into it. Now with highlights much of that is lost, so fans these days not paying for PPV have to settle for the more simple outcomes and the winner is harder to ignore. Unfortunately the drivers who put in the more impressive drives are forgotten almost immediately as the result will always look better in black and white. I think in seasons like the last two where the huge performance advantage Red Bull have delivered is apparent, fans not cheering for their number one driver will take bittersweet satisfaction in those drivers demonstrating their skills and it soon gets forgotten in the fickle world that is F1.

 

[CWallace]

So Albon’s crash in Suzuka required his chassis to be air-shipped back to Grove in the UK. It is expected that they will have the chassis back in China in time for the GP. The costs believed to be around $1 million each and with factory time being spent on fixing the cars, development upgrades are falling behind as well as producing a spare chassis being pushed back to Miami.

 

[Glideslope]

So Albon’s crash in Suzuka required his chassis to be air-shipped back to Grove in the UK. It is expected that they will have the chassis back in China in time for the GP. The costs believed to be around $1 million each and with factory time being spent on fixing the cars, development upgrades are falling behind as well as producing a spare chassis being pushed back to Miami.

Really unfortunate for Williams. I wouldn’t be surprised if Miami is optimistic.

 

[JustinePaula]

OK, if Williams are spending over $1m on each chassis's, then please explain to me like I am 5, how sprints are a good idea? So far we have had no sprints and quite a few big crashes, take that same level of competition into a stupid Saturday sprint, and there is a write off, or a fatal, and for what?

That is why I question the mental health of anyone in F1, there is simply no rationale reason behind this season, and really what is the point? We could end up with having 10 cars on the grid, certain teams out due to costs.. I just really truly just don't get it.. The only way this makes any sense is that all teams get funding, some stupid amount to cover the costs of chassis rebuilds..