2022 - Race 5 Miami

[airshifter]

I'll have to dig again, but I saw news that Lewis removed all but the welded in nose stud, and was given a deadline by the FIA on that. Several sources reported that he removed all that he could.

Personally I think it's just a distraction and if the rule exists they should enforce it. It exists only for safety reasons, and if Lewis thinks that he is above the regs tell him to go pack sand. I'd have no problems if they just don't allow him to race. It's petty crap like this that sets a poor example for other drivers and makes him feel like he is above the regs.



As for qually, a fairly good session overall, with Ferrari keeping the upper hand but it seemed ever so slightly. Without the bobble Max might have got close to Leclerc, but I don't think he would have had a better time. Either way it's clear that Ferrari and RB are still the class of the field.

The swap in performance between Lewis and George makes me wonder if the car just runs that fine on a knife edge that the slightest setup issue makes the car hard to drive. It's not normal to see that much of a swing between the two cars and drivers on a team, and this is now two races it's happened. Either way, it seemed tough for Lewis to get up there to P6, and maybe George will do better with race pace and make up some positions. But Merc still seem to be in trouble either way.

I'm sure Valtteri is grinning ear to ear being ahead of Lewis in the Merc, and he put in a really solid performance to do it. The AR seemed decent, but that was unexpected. Then again, having both AT cars in the top 10 wasn't something I expected either. Norris made a good showing of the cars potential, and I hate to say it but I'm losing hope for Danny Ric, things just aren't working for him at the moment.

The track seemed to be getting faster and faster, so the race might give us some solid lap times. It still seems to have some tricky sections, and mistakes will be easy to make. It looks like it has the potential to be an interesting race.

[Zico]

I'll have to dig again, but I saw news that Lewis removed all but the welded in nose stud, and was given a deadline by the FIA on that. Several sources reported that he removed all that he could.

Personally I think it's just a distraction and if the rule exists they should enforce it. It exists only for safety reasons, and if Lewis thinks that he is above the regs tell him to go pack sand. I'd have no problems if they just don't allow him to race. It's petty crap like this that sets a poor example for other drivers and makes him feel like he is above the regs.



As for qually, a fairly good session overall, with Ferrari keeping the upper hand but it seemed ever so slightly. Without the bobble Max might have got close to Leclerc, but I don't think he would have had a better time. Either way it's clear that Ferrari and RB are still the class of the field.

The swap in performance between Lewis and George makes me wonder if the car just runs that fine on a knife edge that the slightest setup issue makes the car hard to drive. It's not normal to see that much of a swing between the two cars and drivers on a team, and this is now two races it's happened. Either way, it seemed tough for Lewis to get up there to P6, and maybe George will do better with race pace and make up some positions. But Merc still seem to be in trouble either way.

I'm sure Valtteri is grinning ear to ear being ahead of Lewis in the Merc, and he put in a really solid performance to do it. The AR seemed decent, but that was unexpected. Then again, having both AT cars in the top 10 wasn't something I expected either. Norris made a good showing of the cars potential, and I hate to say it but I'm losing hope for Danny Ric, things just aren't working for him at the moment.

The track seemed to be getting faster and faster, so the race might give us some solid lap times. It still seems to have some tricky sections, and mistakes will be easy to make. It looks like it has the potential to be an interesting race.

Agreed.

The Merc went from looking like they had made a big step forward in P2 to absolutely nowhere in P3 then back to around where they were before in Qualy. Also as the track rubbered in they seemed to get worse instead of better, it's bizarre indeed... and they still don't seem to have a handle on where their main issue lies which is quite unexpected for a team that has produced such a dominant car for so many years. I guess losing some key engineers must have hurt them and the budget cap will not have helped either.

Has to be one of the lowest grip tracks I've seen in many years, the layout is also a bit meh, which is a disappointment... With grip so low off the racing line I'm expecting a race of attrition with a few crashes for those brave enough to attempt moves for anything other than big mistakes by their opponents.

Might pass on watching this one live but hopefully it will be better than I'm expecting. I think I'm expecting LeClerc to comfortably take this one barring any big errors. Will either be snorefest boring or utterly chaotic.

[Bagwan]

I expect many safety car periods , and perhaps a surprise podium .

Utter mayhem could be approaching , and I hope nobody gets hurt .

[airshifter]

I expect many safety car periods , and perhaps a surprise podium .

Utter mayhem could be approaching , and I hope nobody gets hurt .

With the cars at the front so close, a new track, and a green track from the rain, you are probably right.

The long race strategy could be interesting with the track starting from green as well.

It's only a few more minutes and we'll start finding out.....

[gm99]

This track makes Jeddah look good...What a random lay-out.

[F1nKS]

This track makes Jeddah look good...What a random lay-out.

There was a method to their madness - it was meant to challenge a car in all aspects.

Pretty clean race compared to practice. Enjoyable race with 10 lap shootout. There were some good battles in the midfield.

I feel sorry for Mick - should have had points. Albon sneaks in and gets points for Williams.

The only annoying thing was the old guy they had doing color analysis for F1. He couldn't keep up and was lost half the time.

[N. Jones]

Crap track, complete boring weekend. Good racing as always for this year.
I hope we never come back. "New Monaco" HAHAHAHAHAHA!

[airshifter]

I didn't think it was a bad race at all. Though the track isn't great to look at, it seemed to test the car and setup aspect fairly well, and we saw some good racing through the field. Things got a bit crazy and messy back in the pack some with a lot of contact and such, but really the one red flag was kind of a freak of miscalculation and not the type of thing I was expecting.

With the timing of the red flag it let a few drivers benefit from the long stints on hard tires, and it woke the race up all through the pack really. For a couple laps I thought Leclerc might get Max, and thought for sure Sergio would get Sainz. Bottas did well to hang in there as long as he did, but as usual race pace and pressure often get the best of him. George manages another top 5 in the Merc, who seemed to be the 3rd best car again this weekend.

I think the variety of the track caught quite a few drivers out with mistakes, and with the cars only being able to compromise to a certain point on setups that is a good thing IMHO. Seven different manufacturers in the points this race. That's not bad at all!



ETA: I just have to ask, how many other people are aware of the background of Willy T. Ribbs? I'd have to assume those of us in the US know of him, but I'm not sure people in other countries do.

[Mia 01]

I liked the race, very good race from George!

[Gordini]

Track needs more places to overtake, and loose the slow tecnical section.
But I guess they will adjust the carpark track for next year.