2022 - Race 18 Japan

[F1nKS]

I am hoping that Max doesn't clinch in Japan, I will be going to my first F1 race in Austin. Like to see him do it there.

So now, the rumor that Toto was pushing that RBR was in major breach of the budget cap is being walked backed.

Both Mail Sport and Sky F1 are now reporting there has been no 'major breaches' of the #F1 cost cap

Moreover, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner would also be vindicated, feeling wrongly accused and calling the statements made by rivals Mattia Binotto and Toto Wolff "defamatory". According to Horner, his rivals made their accusations in an attempt to undermine the success of Red Bull, which, with Max Verstappen, is on the eve of capturing a second drivers' title in a row.

We shall find out tomorrow [maybe]. Also a rumor that the FIA will delay to show they are not beholden to Toto Wolff deadlines.

Rumors still floating that Gasly to Alpine and Devries to Alpha Tauri. Still don't understand what RBR sees in Devries.

[Bagwan]

I am hoping that Max doesn't clinch in Japan, I will be going to my first F1 race in Austin. Like to see him do it there.

I hope you get your wish granted , but Suzuka is Honda's home , so you know they'll be trying hard to win it there .

Mind you , they do tend to sell rather a lot of the fizzy stuff in the US , and the race does bring in a load of Mexican money , too , with Checo on board .

Let's remember , also , that master marketers like Red Bull , who can get people to drink such a revolting beverage in massive amounts worldwide might be able to see the advantage of drawing out the suspense by allowing opponents to get within sight , much like Merc tried last year , but do it with a touch more finesse .

His pole and win were looming , and they ran out of gas and went straight into the pit lane .


First race . How exciting ! Have big fun , and dish us some juicy paddock gossip when you return !

[Tazio]

'ainz

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[The Black Knight]

A little bit if rain and it's red flagged again. F1 has become so pathetic.

[Tazio]

And then the rains came

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[N. Jones]

He Is The Champion.... Again!

[sgr]

Brilliant championship this year. After winning last year in a car slower than the dominant Mercedes, max has shown just how untouchable he is with a car that's competitive.

[airshifter]

They really need to sort out wet weather driving, this is beyond insane. Better wet tires and new procedures could allow most of these races to start on time easily.


As for the race itself, other than Max having to work hard to keep Charles at bay for the first couple of corners, he had the race soundly under control. With the advantage he had most likely he could have got by him even if Charles made the better start stick.

Sainz tosses it yet again, and it's amazing how many times he has done it this year. To score you have to finish Carlos.

I wasn't at all pleased to see the recovery stuff on track with cars still not all lined up behind the safety car. Have we learned nothing? Gasly was rightly penalized in my opinion, but we can still do much better. Any SC event should immediately put all cars under some type of VSC limit appropriate to the conditions on track, at least for the sector where the accident is.

Great to see some action as a result of the pit timing. Haas tried to make it stick on the wets but it didn't pay out, but at that point had no real option. Once everyone else started diving in it was clear that the intermediate tire was the choice, and some more cars shuffled. It was still tricky to pass, but it gave us all a chance to see attacking and defending skills unique to the conditions. George made great use of an unorthodox line to score a couple of passes, though the defending drivers didn't cover all that well either. Esteban didn't make that mistake and no doubt frustrated Lewis to race end. With Perez hounding Leclerc and Lewis hounding Ocon, we didn't get to see Alonso pass George, though with the newer tires probably not all that exciting. I was watching the gap go down, down, down on timing and they never showed us the pass!

As for the races end, I thought the penalty for Leclerc was legit. And I'll count myself among the apparent millions who thought the race would result in reduced points, but didn't. Though it makes me wonder how they made the rule that way, most of us missed it and they at least followed their own rule.



I thought the "WDC room" was really cheesy at best, and even Max didn't seem to care for the idea. The fact that nobody seemed 100% sure on the WDC for a while shows just how crazy the rules are. To be honest, I thought the lack of hype was fitting, as in the past when a great driver in a dominant car wins they act as if it were superhuman, when we all know better.

Ferrari had the chance to make this season much better I think, and they kept blowing it. Max and RB might have still come out on top, but at least there would have been a battle worth watching.





I'm sure with the "minor breach" overspend, many will rebuild their shrines to Hamilton and declare him and Merc the winner of every year for a decade or so. Ferrari will say they both cheated, so they should be 2022 champs. And the FIA will remain clueless as to why they should have set absolute limits with breaches resulting in absolute penalties, instead of leaving it grey area. I guess it will keep them in the headlines.

[gm99]

After all the criticism (including from myself), I just wanted to point out that Latifi has done really well yesterday to score his first points of 2022.

[Zico]

Rumors still floating that Gasly to Alpine and Devries to Alpha Tauri. Still don't understand what RBR sees in Devries.

Hmm.. F2 champion 2019, Formula E champion 22 and a recent impressive display in the Williams filling in for Albon... I'd say he has put forward a decent case to be offered a seat. Why do you not think he is deserving of the chance?