Formula 1 2021 season thread

[bvandegraff]

Really enjoyed the discussion of the British GP, and, since it looks like the second half of the season will be as wild as the first, I thought it might be good to have a catch-all F1 thread. Did anyone see the Hungarian GP today?

My thoughts: 1. What a wild race!

2. Very happy for Ocon, happy then gutted for Vettel, also happy for Williams to have both drivers finish in the points.

3. While it's obvious that Bottas didn't intentionally take out both Red Bulls (though some on social media think otherwise), Leclerc, Lando, and himself with that big shunt in Turn 1, could Red Bull have any worse luck? Of course RB's bad luck equals good luck in the way of no damage for Hamilton. I said in an earlier post that Hamilton had Auburn-at-Jordan-Hare luck, but I think Auburn gets Lewis Hamilton luck at Jordan Hare. That said, Hamilton drove a phenomenal race after the major gaffe at the start to go from the back to P2 at that track.

4. Alonso was brilliant keeping Hamilton (his old teammate) at bay for enough laps to help Ocon to the win, all in a much slower car. Just a great duel there, even if Hamilton was whining unnecessarily about Alonso's defending.

5. Felt awful for Verstappen - how frustrating must it be for him to get taken out by Mercedes in 2 straight races? 69 laps in essentially half a car and struggling to pass Schumacher and Ricciardo. Kudos to him for eking out a point. Hope he can regroup over the break and refocus on taking the fight to Hamilton.

6. Will Mercedes go with George Russell for next year? I hope so.

7. The championship is basically a dead heat despite two straight miserable races for Red Bull. Here's hoping for a good break for all teams and drivers and a fight to the finish for both titles.

Would love to hear others' takes.

 

[OakMtn4Bama]

Watching Alonso hold off Hamilton reminded me of years gone by. The races are more competitive this year. You actually see guys passing! While I admire what Mercedes has accomplished, it is good to see more action on the track. The field is full of major manufacturers which is nice, but I don't know (other than money) why some of them don't build their own motors. Fun season.

 

[bvandegraff]

Watching Alonso hold off Hamilton reminded me of years gone by. The races are more competitive this year. You actually see guys passing! While I admire what Mercedes has accomplished, it is good to see more action on the track. The field is full of major manufacturers which is nice, but I don't know (other than money) why some of them don't build their own motors. Fun season.

I think that Alonso/Hamilton duel was my favorite part of the race. While I generally like all the drivers except maybe Mazepin, I have a real soft spot for the wily old veterans like Alonso, Kimi, and Vettel. They may not have the fastest cars, but it's so cool to see them use their experience to squeeze the most out of their cars. Here's to an exciting second half!

 

[bvandegraff]

Incredible qualifying today at Spa! Congrats to George Russell on making the first row - wonder if Bottas is feeling a little nervous. If George doesn't get the 2d Mercedes car next year, one would have to assume it would be Lewis Hamilton's doing.

I do love the unpredictability caused by wet weather - it becomes more about the drivers than the cars.

Glad to see Max on pole - hope he can make it through this race without incident after the last 2....

 

[DogPatch]

As long as Hamilton doesn't win, I'm good.

 

[bvandegraff]

As long as Hamilton doesn't win, I'm good.

Verstappen's a great driver in the wet, so pray for more rain tomorrow. And that he can get far enough in front of the Mercedes cars that they can't take him out.

 

[bvandegraff]

Well, too much rain I guess - talk about a damp squib. Glad I wasn't streaming this race live - 4-hr broadcast, a grand total of 2 laps led by safety car, and whole lot of fast-forwarding. At least George ended up with a podium and Max gains some points on Lewis.