I don't see Red Bull doing anything other than promoting one of their own. Colapinto probably goes to Mercedes if something goes wonky with Antonelli.
I don't see Red Bull doing anything other than promoting one of their own. Colapinto probably goes to Mercedes if something goes wonky with Antonelli.
Mark Hughes had an interesting article up the other day about how F2 is increasingly useless as a barometer due to all the cost-cutting done in it and the randomness of the results. Colapinto and Bearman both done nothing in that series but are clearly shit hot.
Checo out in Q1 please.
F2 is also in a weird flux because they changed chassis for this season and loads of teams didn't get their heads round it, notably Prema who are usually one of the big guns.
Piastri and McLaren have shat it there rather.
Oof. Time's up, Checo.
Piastri has been pretty average since the summer break aside from his win.
Excellent drama already. If Checo isn't retiring he really needs punting now.
I'd sack him now and only run Max in the race, why waste the fuel and mechanics' energy.
Piastri was woeful on all 3 runs. Embarrassingly slow when Lando was that quick at the top.
What more can be said on Checo... He's just not got it.
Piastri looked like he was understeering and struggling to get it pointing straight on the exits, not sure why that would be.
Sector 3 here is one of the worst bits of racetrack in the history of F1, up there with the old 'Singapore Sling' complex and some of the mid 90s chicane crimes.
I maintain this is the worst track on the calendar. Sector 3 is just a hastily conceived shit stadium section just so the star-struck Mexicans can view their hero pootling around at the back behind the Sauber and VCARBs.
Let's not forget the second slow corner complex with a ridiculous chicane into double-apex hairpin, before opening out to the "Eses", where these boats cannot follow within a second.
Definitely getting Zandvoort and Singapore vibes here where Norris will pretty much dominate everyone in the race and Verstappen lols up in 2nd and basically no dent happens again
Haas have been quality this year. More q3 appearances here
Presumably the venue will die when Perez is done in. Maybe we can go back to Buenos Aires at last if Colapinto makes it.
That's why Tsunoda will never get a top drive, too many unforced errors. Can't rely on him.
It's just a hot Zandvoort this. Both shit obviously.
That’s a corker of a lap from Sainz. I’m not sure anyone beats that.
Norris really needs to capitalise here, so obviously he chucked in a stinker.
Tsunoda not only costing both RBs a Q3 place but also costing Max a free tow, as the Ferraris received on demand from Haas. Such a costly error.
Norris really only needs P3. Front row is definitely a worse place to be, what with the ridiculously long run down to T1.
That'll be Max P3 or 4 then.
Woof, that lap was nuts from Sainz.
Meh. Lando doesn't want to start ahead of Verstappen anyway. He'd only lose it on the first lap.
Carlos motherfucking Sainz.
Yeah, p3 behind Verstappen isn’t exactly a terrible start at this track.
Sainz loves a random weekend of looking great before falling behind Leclerc in the pecking order
Maybe this second row better theory explains Leclerc turning into Sakon Yamamoto in the final three corners.
Zandvoort is a great track, but a shit F1 track. This version of Mexico is just ass. The stadium ruined the track, really. Should go back to the sixties layout or just nuke it and build a giant oval.
Has there ever been a fall from grace as bad as the one Perez is having? He went from solid Sainz-like driver to completely inadequate in the span of a season.
Its been since Baku last year really. We were having the very conversation of should he be replaced at the end of last season. The answer seemed to be as long as the constructors is in the bag, there's no need.
Well Red Bull have gone from Max being able to win it all by himself, to now being lucky if they finish in the top two. I think that will prompt the change, if it's not already been decided.
I do not mean this season. First few races last season, he was good. Then about halfway he became atrocious.
He definitely isn't driving the same car as Verstappen, but he's also just gone over the hill I think. I would have had him older than 34. He's been trundling around since 2011.
Drivers just hang around for way too long these days and they start so early. Lance Stroll is only 25.
He's always been wank but the car was so far ahead of everyone else that it hid his shitness.
He hasn't always been wank. He wouldn't have played his way into the Red Bull/Mercedes seats if he was wank. He has a level, like a Fisichella or Trulli where they don't quite sustain it at the top.
I haven't discounted the possibility that he's still sort of doing an OK job, the car is a dog and Verstappen is performing miracles every week. That might account for Red Bull's unwillingness to get rid of him, if they think or know that to be the case.
Doesn't he bring in MAD sponsorship money?
As we as significant merchandise sales as well I think.
How does that work? Are you suggesting he has a worse car? Surely building a good car and a bad car is as expensive as building two good cars (assuming you know what makes a good car, of course), unless Perez has an underbody made of cardboard or something. Or do you mean that each car is meant to please each specific driver? If that were the case, surely Perez should be doing better than if they were on identical cars, no?
I thought that for a time, but it really has gotten too bad. No way the car is worse than the French cars, for example.
I think the car is right on that edge of performance. This is how Max likes it because he is masterful at controlling it and dominating with it. Perez I do not think has that ability.
Perez shone in those times he had a stable car and could treat those tyres to 10 laps longer than others, to make that 1 stopper work. A lot of his best drives are those. If I remember right it was his kind of calm keep out of trouble race, that got him the win in the Tracing Point and ultimately the RB seat to begin with.
The problem for Red Bull is that while Max will excel in such a car, he’s a freak of nature and pretty much everyone else will fail. Lots of drivers fell by the wayside before Perez and really he only had that good spell because it was during the time their DRS was insanely overpowered. Once other teams figured it out, Perez basically ended up looking like every other number 2 they’ve had since Ricciardo left.
Albon said Max likes the car setup with maximum sensitivity. Think about increasing your mouse pointer to max on CS Go or putting the thumb sticks on 20 while playing COD on PS5
Verstappen is just so good. At everything. Was never in doubt he’d be in first at the end of the straight
Perez.
Genuinely looks like he doesn't belong in the sport.
Worst imaginable start.
Any sort of first corner with a 'bail out' is just the worst.
"Nope, it was a great start."