Monaco GP - May 29, 2022 @ 3:00 PM

stormybadger8 said:Leclerc was carrying way too much fuel yesterday...
You could really see it when he messed up his weigh-in. When he missed the scale and those Ferrari mechanics had to push him back, you’d naturally expect them to just shove him straight into the garage to top off the tank. Instead, they swapped his tires and sent him right back out!

Basically, he had enough extra fuel during that first lap to cover at least three more laps (the out-lap, the flyer, and the in-lap), which is a massive amount of reserve to be lugging around...

Let’s run the numbers. If we assume an average consumption of 186 miles, and they are carrying 100kg of fuel (let's say roughly 110 liters), then that breaks down to 110 / 3 = 36.6 l/62 miles
The track is slightly shorter than 2.5 miles, so let's call it 4, meaning 3 laps equals 7.5 miles
Essentially, they had about 0.366 x 12 = 4.39 liters in the tank, which we can round to 4 kg.

Now, how much does an extra 4 kg of weight actually cost in terms of time (tenths of a second) per lap?

Technically, one should apply an exponential function here since the fuel load decreases with every single lap, but I won't bore you all with the heavy math... 🙂

Anyway, I am just sitting here bored while waiting for the race to start... 🙂

Eight years later and they've finally thrown in the towel😵

If Mercedes-Benz actually had a car worth fighting with, Lewis Hamilton would be the one leading the charge.
That’s not even a debate at this point...

I’m feeling pretty bored myself
I really ought to head out to see the Indy500, but I just don't have the cash right now
—basically, my budget is headed in a different direction.
For now, I'm watching Monaco from my armchair.
All I can do is laugh at these "Formula 1 experts" and self-proclaimed gurus who spend all their time debating which driver is going to clip the barrier next...
It would be much more productive to ask who *won't* hit it.
Honestly, over the last 20 or 30 years, almost every driver has spent some time brushing up against those walls—whether it was during practice, qualifying, or the actual race...

Though, if you ask me, the most notorious move is that little "parking job"right against the wall...

Any real Formula 1 fan knows exactly what I'm talking about; only the absolute fanatics would try to defend that kind of driving....

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Eight years later and they've finally thrown in the towel😵

If Mercedes-Benz actually had a car worth fighting with, Lewis Hamilton would be the one leading the charge.
That’s not even a debate at this point...

It depends; psychology is a brutal thing. I honestly believe he's still dwelling on what happened in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, George Russell is hungry—he’s absolutely desperate to prove himself.

I still remember back when Nico Rosberg intentionally caused a yellow flag situation just to make sure Lewis Hamilton couldn't snatch pole position from him... 🙂

Congrats to the winner, though let’s be honest, this track was never meant for F1. It’s basically a parking lot. Alonso is clearly driving three seconds slower per lap just to create a massive train all the way to the back, leaving absolutely zero chance for anyone to overtake. Ha. Bravo, Ferrari. Only they could find a way to squander a 9-second lead Charles Leclerc had over Sergio Perez, only to land him in 4th place instead of right behind him. Truly impressive work.🙂

Looks like the forecast finally took a turn for the better... yesterday they were calling for rain the entire race, but now it looks like we might actually get a break until after 5 PM... Maybe we'll actually get a dry race after all!

stormybadger8 said:Leclerc was carrying way too much fuel yesterday...
You could really see it when he messed up his weigh-in. When he missed the scale and those Ferrari mechanics had to push him back, you’d naturally expect them to just shove him straight into the garage to top off the tank. Instead, they swapped his tires and sent him right back out!

Basically, he had enough extra fuel during that first lap to cover at least three more laps (the out-lap, the flyer, and the in-lap), which is a massive amount of reserve to be lugging around...

He certainly had plenty; you could see it in that second fast lap where he was down by about 1.175 in the first sector if I recall correctly. He likely would have clocked a 1:10.900, or at worst a 1:11.100, which would have been an untouchable pace for anyone else, even the second Ferrari. Carlos Sainz finished second, though he probably has more sense in his head and is driving slower than his potential due to previous errors.

By the way, I wouldn't wish rain on this race. Not because it isn't exciting, but because we won't actually get to watch a proper race; every single drop of rain results in a red flag, making actual racing impossible due to the danger.

Any shifts in the standings will come down to pit stops, tactical maneuvering, or perhaps during a Virtual Safety Car or a Safety Car, of which there will undoubtedly be two or three.

On another note, I have to give credit to Sebastian Vettel. He extracted far more from the Aston Martin than the car is actually capable of, though since this is Monaco, one shouldn't get too carried away.

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Eight years later and they've finally thrown in the towel😵

If Mercedes-Benz actually had a car worth fighting with, Lewis Hamilton would be the one leading the charge.
That’s not even a debate at this point...

Spot on, you nailed it. 🙂

There’s zero doubt he'd be leading the pack because, let's face it, he needs a dominant car just like the ones from previous seasons to really do his thing.

But when that kind of car isn't there? Others step up and consistently finish several spots ahead of Lewis, which honestly says everything you need to know about him as a driver.

How exactly does one manage to extract more performance from a car than its inherent design should allow? 🙂

I’d probably scrap that idea. You can't really make any meaningful overtakes here unless there's a massive gap in pace, like what we saw with Pierre Gasly where the difference was a solid three or four seconds.
The real issue is that you don't even have to work to position your car on the track. It's just too narrow for anything tactical to happen.
The layout doesn't reward raw speed, and it doesn't help defensive drivers either, because there’s honestly nothing to defend when the guy behind you doesn't stand a chance of making a move. 😬

It’s freaking pouring rain out there right now.

He basically just threw money at them—total overkill

Linda Peterson43 said:How exactly does one manage to extract more performance from a car than its inherent design should allow? 🙂

If you’re driving near-perfectly—or just straight-up perfect—hitting your marks exactly when everyone else is busy blowing it...

Let’s be real—Aston Martin didn't stand a chance at breaking into the top 10. But looking at Alfa Romeo, AT, McLaren, and especially Ricciardo, Alpine, Bottas, and Gasly? Yeah, they definitely had business being up there.
Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if Aston Martin even had the pace to make it into Q2.

I guess Sergio Perez really messed up with that Safety Car situation in Saudi Arabia, and now it seems like Ferrari's pit wall—and maybe even a little bit of Nicholas Latifi—has handed him a gift just to make up for that unfairness.

Then there’s the amateurish part, phase two:

Carlos Sainz was more than two seconds ahead of Sergio Perez when he pitted for dry tires, and Charles Leclerc was about four and a half seconds ahead of Max Verstappen.
After the double stack, where I suppose Charles Leclerc might have lost a second waiting, Carlos Sainz comes out onto the track right alongside the slowest driver in the race—Nicholas Latifi. He’s getting flooded with blue flags, and they're even telling him over the radio to watch out for Carlos Sainz because of all those blue flags.

The guy just ignores the radio and the flags, cutting in front of Carlos Sainz and refusing to budge until the tunnel, despite being hit with blue flags at every turn and hearing "blue flag for Sainz" constantly on the radio. What's even sadder is that a lap earlier, Mick Schumacher, who was actually fighting for position at that moment, overtook him after Mirabeau, yet Carlos Sainz couldn't get past him despite the blue flags until they reached the tunnel. 🙏

Red Bull executes their double stack pit stop, and suddenly Sergio Perez comes out a second and a half ahead of Carlos Sainz, while Max Verstappen is right in front of Charles Leclerc.
They pitted a lap too early, though it seems they called Charles Leclerc in first, only to tell him not to come in after he had already entered the box. 🤣

stormybadger8 said:If you’re driving near-perfectly—or just straight-up perfect—hitting your marks exactly when everyone else is busy blowing it...

Let’s be real—Aston Martin didn't stand a chance at breaking into the top 10. But looking at Alfa Romeo, AT, McLaren, and especially Ricciardo, Alpine, Bottas, and Gasly? Yeah, they definitely had business being up there.
Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if Aston Martin even had the pace to make it into Q2.

The laws of physics simply don't allow you to "squeeze more out of a car than its actual potential"...
That is exactly what I am getting at... 🙂

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Eight years later and they've finally thrown in the towel😵

If Mercedes-Benz actually had a car worth fighting with, Lewis Hamilton would be the one leading the charge.
That’s not even a debate at this point...

Isn't it kind of lame if he can only perform when the car is actually decent?

It could be a decent race... especially if we get some rain.
Before the start, I might just watch a movie and soak in those intense drives in MC

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3504226/

one of the better documentaries about Formula 1

Ferrari basically just embarrassed themselves by protesting those track limits.
They didn't get anywhere with Sergio Perez:
https://twitter.com/FanaticsFerrari/...Co0ciSpVMSC3WA

As for Max, yeah—there’s actually something there. He pushed a bit harder and might catch a penalty—even if the wet track and slicks make things a little more complicated. Honestly, let them penalize him; it makes the gap to Checo a little smaller anyway. 🤣