F1 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Race Weekend Thread

[Gak Attack]

Imagine the carry on when he retires.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Credit to Lewis for ditching the interview in favour of hanging out in the garage.

 

[juice t]

Also Gasly finished 10th in the Championship in a car that was the 9th-fastest for most of the season and dragged them kicking and screaming into 6th in the Constructors

Might just about be the drive of the year

 

[MKMatty]

Thanks to Lando's kindness Piastri officially completes every single lap of the season (1386), and with the 24 races has the record for most laps completed in a season

Only the fourth driver ever to complete 100% of laps in a season

Verstappen 2023
Hamilton 2019
Schumacher 2002

Only driver of the four not to be the respective WDC of that year too.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Oscar has been completely MIA since the race ended.

 

[juice t]

Only driver of the four not to be the respective WDC of that year too.

Correct
And all four were in the Constructors' champion car of that year

 

[Eaglette01]

In the garage - loved it !!!! Wild Boys....

Carlos - 2nd - loved it too !!!

Goodbye 2024 - bring on 2025

 

[juice t]

Ted Kravitz is not quite correct that this is McLaren's first non-Ron Dennis Constructors' championship

1974 (When Teddy Mayer was the managing director) with Emerson Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme is the only other one

Dennis and Project Four didn't join until 1980

 

[Cromulant]

Ted Kravitz is not quite correct that this is McLaren's first non-Ron Dennis Constructors' championship

1974 (When Teddy Mayer was the managing director) with Emerson Fittipaldi and Denny Hulme is the only other one

Dennis and Project Four didn't join until 1980

Ted is rarely right in general.

Shame for Piastri tonight, he did squeeze Max who was ALWAYS going to put his nose up the inside. 10 seconds was a bit harsh really.

Epic drive by Charles, and of course Lando

And well done to Jack for getting through his first race unscathed

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Don't know if I see him in a top team again

Sent from my SM-A556E using Tapatalk

Will be in 2027 i reckon.

 

[Festerz]

Shame for Piastri tonight, he did squeeze Max who was ALWAYS going to put his nose up the inside. 10 seconds was a bit harsh really.

Nah - as the stewards found and Brundle agreed on watching the the playback - Max was totally at fault for causing the collision. The fact he does those late runs up the inside so often does not place the shift the blame away from him, especially on the first corner at the start of the race when the pack is so bunched up.

Could Oscar had gone wide and avoided any chance of contact? Sure, but that is not what you expect a driver sitting on P2 of the grid with the constructors championship on the line to do at the start of the race - there was plenty of room given for Max but he just barged through going wide as a result . No way Oscar gets any blame for that contact simply because he refused to be bullied out of the corner and wave Verstappen through.

Stewards notes on the penalty explains it best:

 

[Tiger_Of_Old]

Imagine the carry on when he retires.

Agree.I mean he's going to another team ffs.

 

[Jatz]

Imagine the carry on when he retires.

It'll be warranted when he retires.

I'm a massive Hamilton fan, I understand the end of an era thing but it should've been more for Mercedes than the rest of the world last night.

 

[Cromulant]

Nah - as the stewards found and Brundle agreed on watching the the playback - Max was totally at fault for causing the collision. The fact he does those late runs up the inside so often does not place the shift the blame away from him, especially on the first corner at the start of the race when the pack is so bunched up.

Could Oscar had gone wide and avoided any chance of contact? Sure, but that is not what you expect a driver sitting on P2 of the grid with the constructors championship on the line to do at the start of the race - there was plenty of room given for Max but he just barged through going wide as a result . No way Oscar gets any blame for that contact simply because he refused to be bullied out of the corner and wave Verstappen through.

Stewards notes on the penalty explains it best:


View attachment 2184365

I think he still needed a penalty for sure, and I think Oscar did the right thing as well. There wasnt a whole heap between being far enough up and not, so 10 seconds is too much IMO. You're also right in mentioning the Constructors but drivers dont think about that. Every time they go out they want to do the best they can.

It might not seem like much but Oscar closing the door could very well be the first sign of just how ruthless this kid is. Max might not have said it in the heat of the moment, but he'll respect him more for doing what he did rather than opening the wheel and letting him in.

To me there isnt much in it, penalties are handed out like lollies at Christmas pageants now and its getting a bit ridiculous.

 

[Jatz]

As for the race, didn't regret staying up for it.

No one will ever convince me Max is a good wheel to wheel racer. He's ****ing lightening quick but when he has to race someone, it rarely ends well.

Oscar was a bit naive at turn 1, should've probably closed the door on him. Absolutely stuffed up running up the back of Colapinto.

It's been lost a bit with the other narratives but Oscar has had a really poor (by the standards set earlier in the year) end to the year. Since the Texan GP, he's gone 5, 8, 8, 7, 3, 10. I think last night will go a long way to keeping Lando as the unofficial number 1 driver next season. He was flawless from the outset.

Poor old Perez. Not really his fault but qualifying where he did, you're always opening yourself up to more trouble. Bottas didn't have a much better night either.

 

[Festerz]

To me there isnt much in it, penalties are handed out like lollies at Christmas pageants now and its getting a bit ridiculous.

The string of stop/go penalties (which can effectively ruin a drivers race) in the last couple of races has seemingly come out of nowhere and signals a step up in punishing deliberate/poor/unsafe driving - especially if it costs another driver positions.

But as Brundle said, these are professional drivers at the pinnacle of global motor sport. Handing out stiffer penalties under such circumstances is not without merit, especially if it leads to a moderation in behaviour.

 

[Festerz]

I think he still needed a penalty for sure, and I think Oscar did the right thing as well. There wasnt a whole heap between being far enough up and not, so 10 seconds is too much IMO. You're also right in mentioning the Constructors but drivers dont think about that. Every time they go out they want to do the best they can.

I know I quote Brundle incessantly but I think what he said about Max's behaviour on that first corner was a good assessment:

“It’s so unfair of Max, wasn’t it,” he said. “They are not in the championship. He’s won his championship. To put such a risky move, I know it’s the first lap of a grand prix, there was a gap, Piastri, would he know he [Verstappen] would lunge like that?

“It just wasn’t necessary and hasn’t done Verstappen any good either.”

In the post race interview Piastri said that Versappen came up to him immediately after getting out of his car to apologise for crashing in to him so it's all good on that front. But we're left wondering what would have happened if Piastri hadn't been punted to the back of the pack at that first corner. My thinking is he certainly wouldn't have been harried into making a rookie mistake with a back marker that cost him the race ending penalty

 

[Burningleviathan]

Look where the contact occurs. How much space does Max need?

The Sainz onboard is the most telling

https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/s/Fk6fQ0XeVi

 

[happy_eagle]

I'm glad that Verstappen owned the mistake at least. He apologised to Piastri after, and in post race interviews admitted that he got it wrong.

Progress.

 

[Jatz]

I'm glad that Verstappen owned the mistake at least. He apologised to Piastri after, and in post race interviews admitted that he got it wrong.

Progress.

Easy to apologise when the season is over and there's nothing at stake for him.

Happens again in race 1 next season and I doubt he'll be as polite.

 

[Not Important]

i mean, the never-ending adulation heaped on lewis was nauseating. then he appears in a ferrari red outfit.

 

[Not Important]

great 2nd year for oscar, but there must be a bitter taste at how it ended. particularly as the big head will be c**k-a hoop at the way it ended and get most of the kudos.

 

[Not Important]

Easy to apologise when the season is over and there's nothing at stake for him.

Happens again in race 1 next season and I doubt he'll be as polite.

true, but still, he didn't have to do it. not sure many others would have.

 

[Cromulant]

Easy to apologise when the season is over and there's nothing at stake for him.

Happens again in race 1 next season and I doubt he'll be as polite.

Like every other driver......

Seriously, the belting that Max gets particularly from Hamilton fans is weird.

 

[Not Important]

I know I quote Brundle incessantly but I think what he said about Max's behaviour on that first corner was a good assessment:

“It’s so unfair of Max, wasn’t it,” he said. “They are not in the championship. He’s won his championship. To put such a risky move, I know it’s the first lap of a grand prix, there was a gap, Piastri, would he know he [Verstappen] would lunge like that?

“It just wasn’t necessary and hasn’t done Verstappen any good either.”

In the post race interview Piastri said that Versappen came up to him immediately after getting out of his car to apologise for crashing in to him so it's all good on that front. But we're left wondering what would have happened if Piastri hadn't been punted to the back of the pack at that first corner. My thinking is he certainly wouldn't have been harried into making a rookie mistake with a back marker that cost him the race ending penal

martin is one of the more listenable commentators