2019 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix (Sochi) | Sept 27-29

mellowtiger83 said:Despite starting P3, Vettel will be on pole tomorrow because his car is simply superior on the straights. He’ll likely just reel in those two cars ahead of him.
It would be quite a shock if he isn't sitting in P1 after the opening lap.

Yesterday, Leclerc and Vettel were discussing finding a compromise between qualifying pace and race trim. It seems to me that Vettel leaned much harder into the race setup, which explains the gap.

In short, Vettel is the heavy favorite to win tomorrow. If he gets clean air, we all know what happens when he's in control of a race.

You all wrote him off far too early.

God, I occasionally have to admire my own foresight. Pure vision.

mellowtiger83 said:Starting on Mediums is only viable for Lewis Hamilton if he manages to seize P1 right at the lights; otherwise, it’s a total failure.

In this scenario, Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel will pit for fresh rubber much earlier, allowing them to run significantly faster than Hamilton. Once he finally boxes, he'll face an uphill battle trying to overtake both Ferraris on a track dominated by long straights.🙂

No fucking way. Unless we see a perfectly timed Safety Car, a VSC, or perhaps some rain, I’m worried I won't get my hands on a Ferrari tomorrow—neither the car nor Vettel himself.

I am fairly certain Vettel will blow past Hamilton at the start, and in doing so, might even pull away from Leclerc due to the slipstream effect.

Ultimately, it could be quite intense between the two Ferraris during the race.

Good grief, who even is this forum user??

It’s a somber realization, but since I don't suffer from any particular fanboyism or tribal loyalty, I have to conclude that Sebastian Vettel was simply the superior driver today compared to Charles Leclerc. Once the Ferrari engineers realized who actually possessed the true race pace, they were forced to pivot their entire strategy to accommodate him.

Compromising on tactical decisions is easily the most idiotic blunder within the Ferrari pit wall.

Even if there was some sort of agreement regarding the start, it became impossible to honor once Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari got involved; by then, Vettel had already pulled too much distance to respect such an arrangement.

He set a very straightforward condition: he would let the other driver through once the gap closed sufficiently. Not only did that gap fail to close, but Vettel’s advantage actually ballooned to 4.5 seconds.

In the end, what else is there to say? The black catholic executed the tactical opportunity perfectly, outmaneuvering the remaining Ferrari driver with total precision.

mellowtiger83 said:But seriously, look—since I’m not one of those die-hard fanboys who blindly cheers for anyone, I have to conclude that Sebastian Vettel was actually the better driver than Charles Leclerc today. Once the Ferrari crew realized he was the one with the superior race pace, they really should have started building their strategy around him.

Honestly, messing with the tactics like that was probably the dumbest move the Ferrari pit wall could have made.

Even if there was some sort of agreement regarding the start, it couldn't be honored because of Lewis Hamilton and how Ferrari played it, and by then, Vettel was already too far gone to even bother following orders.

He set a pretty simple condition: "let me through once I'm close enough," but not only did Charles fail to close the gap, the lead Vettel had actually stretched out to 4.5 seconds.

At the end of the day, what more can you say? The black catholic executed the perfect tactical play and completely outmaneuvered the rest of the Ferrari squad.

Around lap 8, Ferrari tells Vettel to let Charles through, and his response is basically, "make me." At that point, Leclerc was trailing by 1.5 seconds.

It’s clear Seb knew exactly what he was doing. When you have that kind of gap in clean air, it is simply IMPOSSIBLE to catch up to the same car. He knew it, and he used it to his advantage.

And now we have geniuses like Tibi claiming that when Seb was at -3.5s in Singapore, he was just "saving tires" before the pit stop. Their logic is always, "Oh, Seb was fast anyway, of course he wasn't going to wait."

Of course he wasn't waiting! He held off the kid for about 7 or 8 laps at a ~1.5s interval just to burn off a bit of tire and pull away in clean air. And he did all this AFTER flat-out rejecting the team orders he had agreed to before the race even started.

I’m reading all this nonsense about pre-race agreements at Ferrari, but what kind of agreement could they possibly have? They didn't need to coordinate anything.

Even yesterday, from my vantage point over 622 miles miles away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I was certain Sebastian Vettel would overtake them right at the start.

With that car, anyone could have been overtaken if you factor in a double tow plus a perfect launch.

Honestly, the people running Ferrari are nothing but crooks.

+ They park Sebastian Vettel's car at the exact right moment to give Mercedes a free pit stop. Pure genius.

stormybadger8 said:Look, Tibi isn't some toddler you can just troll with these pathetic, bottom-of-the-barrel attempts at being funny...

Seriously, maybe go practice your skills at a local preschool first, and honestly, I’d suggest starting with the nursery cribs because even those little kids would be running circles around you and making you look like an idiot...

🤣

copperdrifter26 said:In lap 8, Ferrari tells Vettel to let Leclerc through, and he just replies, "let him catch me." At that point, Leclerc was 1.5s back.

Basically, Seb knew perfectly well that trying to close the gap in clean air is damn near impossible. He knew it, and he used it.

Then we have geniuses like Tibi claiming Seb was saving tires in Singapore because he was 3.5s back before the pits, as if being fast means you won't manage your rubber. Pure nonsense.

Leclerc wasn't even in Vettel's DRS zone once. If catching him was impossible in the DRS zone, then forget about it.🤦
You can talk in circles all you want, but the fact remains: Leclerc didn't have Vettel's pace by a long shot...

Sure, he dialed in the qualifying setup, even if it totally screwed him for the race. But hey, no big deal—he can just cry on the team radio, and little manager Jean Todt will pressure the crew, maybe even call his daddy to fix it...🙂

And what the hell does Singapore have to do with this?
If Vettel had pitted the lap right after Leclerc (like happened in Singapore) just to get ahead, Leclerc wouldn't have even seen him...
But Vettel pitted four laps after Leclerc, Ferrari gave him a pit stop that was only 0.5s slower than Leclerc's, and he still came out right on his tail...

No matter how much of a mess Ferkan has been in the past, I honestly don't think they would have asked Vettel to let the kid pass unless there was some underlying reason or an actual agreement in place.

What they discussed before the race or how far their intentions went doesn't really matter—though we could argue about it forever. I'm just convinced there was a reason for that request.
The fact that Leclerc didn't even flinch when it came to defending first place proves my point.
Please, don't start with the whining about how he couldn't do anything. We know Leclerc well enough by now; there's no way he’d just watch Vettel go by without something happening behind the scenes.

If there wasn't an agreement—like some forum users claim they wish there wasn't—then that would be a nightmare scenario for Vettel.
For a multi-time champion and a driver paid as much as he is to be told to move over for no reason? It could only mean one thing: Vettel has been written off and the kid is being promoted to No1.

stormybadger8 said:Charles Leclerc wasn't even within Sebastian Vettel's DRS zone once, and if it was impossible to get close enough to even hit the DRS zone, then honestly, what are we even talking about? 🤦
You can play philosopher all you want, but the reality is Charles didn't have even a fraction of Vettel's pace...

He dialed in a qualifying setup at the cost of absolutely wrecking his race, but hey, who cares? He’ll just have a little cry over the team radio and then Jean Todt will start leaning on the crew—maybe even calling in some favors from his old buddies if he has to...🙂

And I have no clue what Singapore has to do with this?
If Sebastian Vettel had pitted the lap right after Charles (like what happened back in Singapore) just to jump him, Charles wouldn't have even seen him...
But Vettel pitted four laps after Charles; Ferrari gave him a pit stop that was only 0.5 seconds slower than Charles's, and he still came out right on his tail...

It’s basically impossible to pull up into the DRS zone on this track; I don't know why you're playing dumb. You need at least a full second just to have a minimal chance of an overtake. It was crystal clear that Charles didn't even have 0.02 or 0.03 seconds, let alone a full second advantage. But it's also certain that Sebastian wouldn't be able to do much in dirty air, which is probably why after lap 8 he said, "No, no, let's hang in there a bit longer and see."

And THEN Ferrari's pit wall tells Charles, "We'll do the
change later." Which is exactly what happened, but in the pit lane. Sebastian was being sneaky, trying to show he wasn't going to let the kid pass while simultaneously ignoring the agreement.

I bring up Singapore because you're being so loud about that 4-second gap here, even though Charles was actually right on his bumper within 1.5 seconds until lap 10. Back then, when Sebastian was 3.5 seconds behind after the first stop, everyone was saying "he was just saving tires."

Yeah, sure, saving them just to put them in a display case...

Sebastian knew exactly what he was doing, and that's why Ferrari left him out two laps too long—to teach him a lesson. Nothing more. Just like that Multi 21 incident... He apologized back then, but deep down he knew he'd secured that No1 status and authority. Today, he's sitting at -9 in a row and -21 in the standings.👍

Anyone actually know what broke on Vettel's car?

If they end up tearing down the engine during the inspection, he’s probably looking at a grid penalty for the next race, right?

copperdrifter26 said:It’s basically impossible to get into the DRS zone on this track. I don't know why you're playing dumb. You need at least a full second just to have a fighting chance at an overtake. It was obvious Charles Leclerc didn't even have a couple of hundredths, let alone a one-second gap. But it’s also clear Sebastian Vettel wouldn't be able to do anything in dirty air, which is why after lap 8 he said, "No, no, let's go a bit longer and see."

And THEN Ferrari's pit wall tells Leclerc, "We'll do the
swap later." Which is exactly what happened, but in the pit lane. Vettel was being sneaky, trying to show he wasn't going to budge, all while ignoring the team agreement.

I bring up Singapore because you're making such a big deal about a 4-second gap here, even though Leclerc was right on his tail within 1.5 seconds until lap 10. Back in Singapore, when Vettel was 3.5 seconds behind after the first stop, they claimed he was just "saving tires."

Yeah, saving them so he could put them straight in the trophy case...

Vettel knew exactly what he was doing. That’s why Ferrari left him out two laps too long—to teach him a lesson. Nothing more. Just like Multi 21 back in the day... He apologized then, but he knew he had secured No1 status and authority. Today, he's down nine laps in a row and 21 points behind.👍

Sure, you could draw some parallels. Only problem is, this isn't Red Bull run by Marko and Christian Horner, and Leclerc isn't Mark Webber.

All the "new" players in this equation are total wild cards. The only thing we know for certain in this equation is that Vettel has broken a team agreement at least once before. Amen.

cosmiccyclist8 said:anyone know what actually killed Vettel's engine?

then he’s automatically getting hit with a grid penalty at the next race if they mess with his motor, right?

Nah, not if they just swap in some old parts.

“We've hit a snag with the power unit—specifically the hybrid components—and there's an insulation failure on the car,” explained Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto.

“We had to call him in immediately for safety. It’s a damn shame, really, since the pit lane was only 100 meters away, but prioritizing Sebastian Vettel's safety was the only move to make.

If the issue had just been about the car itself, they might have picked a different spot to pull over, but this was a direct order to stop the second possible because of the risk involved.”

They would've been better off if they'd avoided the VSC—which they clearly could have—but they chose to pull him in to protect Sebastian Vettel from a potential electric shock. Honestly, props to them for not gambling with his life just to reach the pits; even if it cost them the race. 👍 Safety First.

wiredseal7 said:They probably would’ve had a much better run if they’d managed to dodge that VSC—and let's be honest, they could have—but they had to pull the trigger and bring him in because of the safety risk with Vettel's car (that whole electric shock hazard situation). Honestly, hats off to them for not playing chicken with the regulations; trying to limp back to the pits was likely too much of a gamble, even if it basically handed the race away. 👍 Safety First.

So, what’s your take on this?

It all came down to Piquet and Prost—with the Frenchman basically having to outrun the Brazilian just to keep his crown. After seeing what happened with those tire failures from Rosberg and Mansell—total nightmare scenarios—the Williams team decided to play it safe and pulled Piquet in for a precautionary tire change. ...leaving him 15 seconds behind. He managed a late-game surge to claw that gap down to 4.2 seconds—but ultimately, Prost snatched the victory, securing the second of his four titles.

Precautionary tyre change—just when you think things are finally settling down, the pit crew has to step in. It’s always that fine line between being proactive and just being paranoid, isn't it? One minute you're cruising, and the next, you're staring at a potential blowout. Tightrope walking at 200 mph. Man, what a price he had to pay for that title—especially since it was the season finale. 👍 Safety First. 👍 The stakes back then were honestly so much higher than they are today—way more on the line, if you know what I mean. 👍

Watching the footage now. 👋

fadedwalker18 said:But look, everything just fell apart for the Italian squad again today. At the start, things were actually looking solid; Charles Leclerc let Sebastian Vettel slip into his dirty air and move ahead; that move catapulted the German into first place while Leclerc kept Lewis Hamilton pinned in third.

Yeah...
Then Binotto goes on about the start strategy and how Charles and Sebastian were playing with the slipstream: "We told Charles to give Seb the tow because it was the best way to be out front on lap 1, but honestly, it was just a natural slipstream , since Seb had already cleared Hamilton and had no choice but to follow Charles, though maybe we should have been clearer with them before the race started. We didn't swap their positions immediately because with a car this fast, it probably wouldn't have been ideal, but there would've been other chances later to switch things up. Talking to them again will help us review the start: it's not even like Charles gave him the tow, it's more like Seb just snatched it.

And you guys didn't even know what was happening or how they totally screwed it up. Classic.🙂

And I’m still sticking to my guns about the halfway point—after today's race, it’s probably best if Sebastian and the red cars just split up, because like another user pointed out, whether he realized it or not, one of them has become completely useless.

p.s.

Not for you, but sorry, I don't see how any local news site could possibly be relevant when talking about stuff that happens outside our own backyard.

Maybe provide a translation once in a while... 😉

coastalwolf6 said:Maybe throw in a translation once in a while... 😉

It's all good—doesn't really matter what language it is anyway...

Sebastian Vettel really shouldn't have agreed to let Charles Leclerc tow him like that, and honestly, that was the whole problem. If you just look back at how Valtteri Bottas started last year, everything becomes crystal clear.

If Charles had just lunged toward the inside right at the start, he would’ve given Lewis Hamilton the tow while simultaneously stripping that advantage away from Sebastian Vettel. Now, since Vettel was likely on those Mexican-spec tires, he probably could have pulled off a move on Hamilton right there—but would he have gotten that same kind of acceleration, or would Charles have even let him through at Turn 1? I highly doubt it...

Actually, I think it's great that this all went down, because it means we're going to see some absolutely brutal racing through the end of the season. Ferrari certainly won't be foolish enough to pull these kinds of nonsense moves again.

Just wanted to share this to avoid any unnecessary back-and-forth.
https://maxf1.net/binotto-explained-the-situation-at-the-gp-of-russia/

It felt a bit strange seeing so many self-proclaimed experts—sorry, "commentators"—suddenly go silent after the races, but I guess it all makes sense now.