2025 Race 22 - Las Vegas

[Bagwan]

I don't think anybody is going anywhere until they all see what the pecking order is after they sit in the new cars next year .
Leave all the toys in the pram for now .

The "chatter head" curse hit hard and helped Max here , and , with the "burger deal" curse already having killed Oscar's chance at the win , the end of the season is set up for a nail biter .

[F1nKS]

I wonder if McLaren has shot itself in the foot with the change in direction they have made to their car. It is slower and quite different from the car they started the season with. You could say the other teams have caught up rather than them being slower, but l doubt that. It would be ironic if they lose the driver's championship as a result.

If they get DSQ, my money would be on Verstappen to win the 2025 driver's championship. This is a demonstration of how to mess up a sure thing with meddling, don't you think?

They do indeed get DSQ. Max said they would need a miracle and some luck. He got the miracle.

1. Norris 390
2. Max 366
3. Piastri 366
4. Russell 294

[airshifter]

I'll be the first to admit I didn't have much hope for the Vegas track. But to date it had given us some good racing, and this past weekend was no exception.

Lando did well to qualify in front, but tossed it away by being aggressive off the line when really he had no need to do so. I understand he's trying to show his hand, but he should have been thinking long game. And let's face it, if anyone gets in his head some it seems to be Max. I appreciated Coulthard's comment after the first turn. "Lando Norris tried to play Max at his own game. The problem is he doesn't know the rules."

Between Lawson and Bortoleto both doing a little bowling, some drivers got lucky and others did not. Oscar was put on the back foot, while some towards the rear gained advantages. From there out most of the race stayed fairly clean, though Albon managed to screw it up against Lewis. But at least no major drama or red flags during the race.

I have to say that overall I really think a LOT of drivers, through the entire pack, had really solid races overall. George managed to work through whatever steering problems he had. Leclerc, Sainz, and Hadjar all stayed in the hunt towards the front, and both Lewis and Ocon made the best of things to stay up in the points. Kimi was an absolute monster with that long stint, and was fighting hard to make it work. He threw a spanner in a lot of races with that strategy, and made it work when he needed to.

Up front, I don't think Max really ever felt any pressure. From the first turn forward he seemed to have things well under control. Lando and Oscar did what they could, but TBH I don't think they had the pace advantage hey usually do. They had good races, but the team let them down in the end.



Lando should still have an easy run to the WDC. IF he just plays the long game. Even with the double DQ, he has a big enough lead to essentially play it safe and short of another DQ or some type of DNF life should be easy. He's come back towards year end and is headed towards beating Oscar and Max without any drama needed. But his poor start and the team issues are surely in his head. He just needs to clear that mess and get on with things.

[N. Jones]

I disagree, that race sucked.

[Used to be Starter]

I disagree, that race sucked.

A lot of fun in the middle of the field though.

[F1nKS]

A lot of fun in the middle of the field though.

Yeah, there was a lot of midfield action to keep things interesting through the race.

[airshifter]

Yeah, there was a lot of midfield action to keep things interesting through the race.

A lot of fun in the middle of the field though.

I disagree, that race sucked.

I thought it was an interesting race. Maybe N. Jones is just salty because his FGP hopes got DQ'd! Cut me some slack, another race podium isn't even going to get me to the top half of the FGP field!

Sure, most of the action was towards the middle, but wondering if George could hold on, could Leclerc get Kimi.... all good watching IMHO.

[Nitrodaze]

You know that's not the worst prediction you could make. I can easily see Hamilton retiring and moving on to other things. Leclerc I believe is under contract for next year so is stuck, but very probably eager to make a change. Sainz has found a good home and will stay there. Piastri? Who knows. This year how much was the car and how much him?

I would say abit of both. It was bound to be a tough season, moving teams and driving a different type of car. But we all expected a steady progression and for Ferrari to be good enough to win races. This is becoming a winless year for Ferrari, which was a strong second-place team last year.

Hence, the car plays a greater role in how bad things have turned out. If Hamilton can drive that car from 20th into the top ten, that is evidence that he could work wonders with that car if it was good enough.

The SF25 was terrible at all tracks that they were strong at last season, that alone speaks volumes. It has been a failed season for Ferrari. Seeing how bad it has turned out, it can only get worse if they do not make some radical changes. One thing is certain: they do not have a championship-winning mindset in the team at the moment. Hence, there is a vast gap between the winning mentality of Hamilton and the bureaucratic mentality of Ferrari. They look very comfortable losing. That kind of mindset is very difficult to change without some very hard changes.

[Nitrodaze]

From where Verstappen now finds himself after the McLaren disqualification and how well that Redbull is now going, l think it is increasingly likely that Verstappen would snatch the 2025 drivers' championship from Lando. It would be an incredible achievement if he could pull it off.
It would be a serious egg in the face for Brown and Andreas. I cannot see Piastri staying in this eventuality. McLaren would effectively become a team where nobody can win the driver's championship.