2019 Bahrain Grand Prix (March 29-31)

I mean, look, if Max Verstappen had come in just a tiny bit slower, and if Carlos Sainz hadn't taken such a wide line on the exit, they probably could have avoided the contact altogether. As it stands, though, I’d say it’s pretty much a 50-50 split on who's actually at fault here. 😉

Carlos Sainz was being way too optimistic. He didn't really leave much breathing room before the whole thing turned into a total crashtapena

Notgonnahappen just came flying in like a V2 Rocket. XD

Charles Leclerc just blew right past the orders from Scuderia Ferrari to hold position behind Sebastian Vettel

https://www.racefans.net/2019/04/01/...behind-vettel/

I’m not sure if this has been mentioned yet—but it looks like Charles might have had some engine issues, given how much they've throttled him back compared to what we saw in Australia. I caught a few comments on Reddit suggesting as much, which seems plausible enough based on what was happening on track. I just hope we don't run into these kinds of setbacks for the rest of the season.

Here’s the Paddock Pass—for anyone who missed it, I’m just heading out now:

crimsonhawk23 said:...
After the first two races, Charles Leclerc is trailing by 18 points, and Sebastian Vettel is 22 behind.
Last year around this time, Lewis Hamilton was only 17 points back after Bahrain. By the end of summer, Ferrari will be in total shambles, just like every other year.

It’s not quite as grim as it looks at first glance.
They actually had a decent racing car after Australia. Whether they can keep it up remains to be seen.
That’s the million-dollar question for me: do they actually have the tools to fight?
Plus, Charles Leclerc is breathing down Kimi Räikkönen's neck. We've suddenly got two drivers who look capable of winning.
You can also see the difference with the new boss. The communication style is totally different now. Hopefully, that change is happening inside the garage too, not just for the cameras.

Mechanical reliability has been solid so far. Yesterday’s breakdown could be a massive red flag if it turns out to be a systemic issue, but it might just be a fluke.
It’s not saying everything is perfect, but there are enough good signs to keep us interested.
Both issues from yesterday (both Seb and Charles Leclerc) might just be one-off headaches.

crimsonhawk23 said:Carlos shut Max down. Max had to move all the way to the very edge of the track to make it work (and per the rules, he doesn't HAVE to use the entire curb to defend, plus Max was basically on top of it with his whole car here), his only option was to go off track—which would've made you haters happy, lol—so Carlos just turned right like nobody else was there:



Anyway, let me grab a comment from Reddit that breaks this down perfectly:

"When you aim for the apex with a car inside of you, it's your fault. Therefore it's 100% Sainz's fault.
Max Verstappen was lucky he didn't take any damage from an incident where he was totally innocent."

Who is Max even supposed to blame this time? 🤷

At best, this is a racing incident. In reality, Sainz is the one at fault here.
If it had been Max Sainz who messed up during that duel, he definitely would've taken a penalty, and rightfully so.

Honestly, it’s pretty obvious what happened. The reporters jumped on Sainz immediately to ask if Max was to blame, and he just played it off saying he hadn't seen the replay yet, blah, blah, blah...
Look, if a driver actually believes the other guy is in the wrong, they say it right then and there. If they stay quiet and play the diplomat, it's because they know they screwed up. ☕

Roger Wright94 said:It’s not quite as bad as it looks at first glance.
After Australia, they actually had a decent racing car on their hands. Whether they can keep it up remains to be seen.
For me, the million-dollar question is whether they have the raw material to actually fight for wins.
On top of that, Charles Leclerc is miles ahead of Kimi Räikkönen right now. We basically have two drivers capable of winning races.
You can also see the difference with the new boss. The communication style is totally different—hopefully, that shift is happening inside the garage, too, not just for the cameras.

Mechanical reliability has been excellent so far. Yesterday's failure could turn into a massive headache if it's a systemic issue, but it might just be a fluke.
It's not saying there aren't problems, but there are plenty of good signs to point to.
Both issues from yesterday (both Seb and Charles Leclerc) might just be one-offs.

I 100% agree with that bolded part! 🙏

Regarding the deficit, I'd much rather they deal with this now than during Spa-Francorchamps or Monza when the championship is on the line. If you ask me when you want your problems to start hitting, the answer is always at the start of the season.

mellowtiger83 said:Is it actually unbelievable to you that a 1,000hp turbo engine in a 700kg rear-wheel-drive car without any traction control would spin out?

I find it unbelievable that anyone could even write that!

Every tiny tap on the throttle sends over 400nm of torque straight to the wheels, and you think that's shocking?

Ferrari has been pulling insane spins all through this hybrid era... and they definitely do it more than any other team or Power Unit.

And no, it wasn't just Vettel. Kimi had those crazy spins too, I think a few times in Canada across several seasons, usually in the slowest corner on the track.
I'm pretty sure Alonso had some unexplained pirouettes as well.

Plus, there were plenty of them from other drivers using the Ferrari PU.
One of the most memorable ones was when Lewis Hamilton inexplicably snapped and slammed into the wall under the SC...

Basically, it's like their rear end just decides to dance whenever they touch the gas...

Though what happened with Vettel was probably a mix of wind, cold tires + losing grip because of Lewis Hamilton's car + losing grip due to a dirty track...
all topped off by Vettel's massive blunder of not realizing it and just smashing the throttle way too early...
Since they aren't allowed to use tire warmers the same way they did last year, this isn't even that weird... we might see plenty of this throughout the season.

At the end of the day, there were tons of these crazy spins during FP's. For Vettel to pull one first in a crucial race duel like this... damn.

Roger Wright94 said:Mechanical reliability has been rock solid up until now. Yesterday’s breakdown could be a massive headache if it turns out to be a systemic issue, but honestly, it might just be nothing.
Look, I'm not saying there aren't issues, but there’s definitely enough good stuff happening to be optimistic.
Both of yesterday's headaches—both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc—can stay exactly where they are. Yesterday's problems are yesterday's problems.

I honestly think yesterday’s breakdown might have been what happens when Charles Leclerc pushes things just a little too hard.
He was clearly driving in full qualifying mode right after the start. He obviously wanted to claw his way back into first place as fast as possible.
Another thing—his pace was way better the whole time. He was clearly running some kind of high-performance mode the entire session.
Even after the pit stops, when Lewis Hamilton slashed that gap through an undercut—going from about 14 seconds ahead before the pits to just 6 seconds behind when Charles Leclerc exited his box—you’d think he would've seen him in the mirrors. He definitely saw him. But instead, he just hammered it. He stayed pinned, running full gas in maximum mode for five more laps, only for his Power Unit to just give up the ghost three laps later. Poof. Gone.

I can't believe I'm actually looking at this. Apparently, there's some massive drama brewing regarding Lewis Hamilton. Honestly, at this point, I feel like I need a drink just to process the constant chaos. It’s getting ridiculous.

The Power Unit was pushed to its absolute limit. Honestly, the real question is just how long it can take that kind of abuse before it snaps again.
Look, I wouldn't go calling this a systematic failure just yet. It’s more like they haven't even tried running this many laps at full tilt. I bet they haven't tested that combo once in their lives.
This is their first real test facing that kind of sustained load, and let's be honest—it’s not exactly business as usual for them...

If they’d actually nailed the strategy, this probably wouldn't have even happened.

Unfortunately, they were reactive again. They missed their pit windows, and let’s be honest—their strategy and driver management were pretty much a disaster.
Look, if you're gonna let them race, just let them race. What's the point of all this fuss about being a lap or two behind? Or three? Or five? Just get out of the way. 🙄
Take it or leave it. Peace.

crimsonhawk23 said:Well, I totally missed this yesterday!

https://streamable.com/ej1ac

Charles went straight against team orders—absolutely ignored them—and went right after Sebastian Vettel. Honestly, I love seeing that. Hehe.

Why are you so sure that was even a violation of team orders?
The radio was pretty clear: stay behind him for two laps. It didn't say "hang onto his gearbox until the pit stops" or "stay there until the checkered flag." Just two laps. That's it.

Team radio is always lagging behind by at least a lap in the broadcast, if not two. It’s honestly ridiculous.
It’s always been like this. Team radio is censored anyway, so you're only hearing the snippets they actually let through. You're basically getting the edited version.

Look, I'm not saying Charles Leclerc was being deaf or anything...
He just sat there listening to orders to stay two laps back, and then instead of asking "what now?", he just slammed the DRS and vanished.

Well, there you have it..
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...stian%20Vettel
Charles Leclerc was glued to Sebastian Vettel's gearbox for three laps—two of those inside the DRS zone—only to finally clear him the next lap. 😉

Look, the order itself was a total joke. I hate this kind of manufactured nonsense. 🤦
If you're going to let someone through, just let them through. You told the drivers they could fight, plain and simple.
If not, then just say NO! Tell him, "Kid, stay behind Vettel and move on."
Or if you want Charles Leclerc ahead, tell him, "Sebastian, stay behind Charles and move on."

All this dancing around just shows how much the boss lacks any real backbone...
And honestly, it’s terrible for the team. It looks like even Binotto doesn't have the guts to make a call.

crimsonhawk23 said:By the end of summer, Ferrari will be in shambles, just like every other year.

Given how this season started, I’m worried it’ll happen even sooner. By summer, we might already be hearing the usual excuses about how they're focusing all their energy on next year's car while doing absolutely nothing for this one...

stormybadger8 said:I mean, who can even blame Max this time? 🤷

It’s kind of his own fault, really—he’s built up such a reputation that now he gets blamed for every single little touch, whether it was intentional or not, or even if it wasn't even a contact at all. 😁

cosmiccyclist8 said:And honestly, can you blame him? He’s built such a reputation that he’s the scapegoat for every single damn contact, whether it's even questionable or not. 😁

You aren't wrong about that. 😁

Though I genuinely have no clue who crimsonhawk23 is trying to defend this time. 🤷
I didn't even notice anyone calling him out. 😕

@Tibi Just a layman's question here: is it actually possible to build a car or design components from the engine up so they can stay in high mode longer? I mean, sure, it’s totally plausible that someone pushed it way too hard, but would it really be okay if we just dialed back the mode two or three laps before the issue even popped up?

cosmiccyclist8 said:do you really think he's the little heir to Alain Prost?

I was actually thinking today—Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are essentially the modern-day Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. One is wild, impulsive, and insanely fast; the other is less flashy, quietly rapid, and clinically precise.

copperdrifter26 said:Sebastian Vettel spun because of the "dirty" track. He didn't stay on the racing line; instead, he hit the gas while on the dirty part, causing the rear left tire to lose traction. That can only mean one thing—a spin.

When an F1 car is tucked directly behind another, it loses about 50% of its downforce. Since Seb was being impatient, he tried to reclaim his position immediately by flooring it while he was still mid-corner. And, well... there you have it.

Kevin Cox said:When one car is trailing directly behind another, you lose about 50% of your downforce. Since Seb was impatient, he tried to reclaim the position immediately, pinning the throttle while still mid-corner. And well... there it is.

Exactly that. He was impatient. You have an immense amount of force acting on those rear tires, plus he likely hit that specific speed and RPM range where the engine delivers Max Verstappen's full power, and just like that, everything goes sideways.
He probably had too much steering input and lost grip in the rear, and that was that.

But Lewis Hamilton fascinates me again; honestly, he was pushing that Mercedes to the absolute limit, yet he overextended himself. At one point, right near the safety car, he left his teammate over 25 seconds behind, if I recall correctly.

Regardless, credit to both Seb and him for that duel. I am convinced that if Seb hadn't spun, he would have reclaimed the spot.

Seb has been struggling with the car all weekend. Clearly, something isn't clicking; the setup isn't working for him. He’s going to need a lot of mental grit to get through this race and come back stronger, though I am certain he will.

Declaring Charles Leclerc the champion and Seb the second driver is pure nonsense from the Vettel haters—of which there seem to be far too many lately. I can only hope Vettel gives them a reality check soon.

But damn, he really needs to work on his patience. This isn't the Lewis Hamilton from 2008 or 2009; this is a driving machine now that hardly makes mistakes.

Seb has the pace and he has everything else, but sometimes his head just isn't cool.

Guys, I don't know about you, but I’ve reached a point where I just don't care anymore. Watching this modern era of F1... maybe it's just a generational shift, a change in mindset, upbringing, or habits. Who knows!

Lewis Hamilton winning isn't even a thrill for me anymore; the excitement just isn't there. I find myself sympathizing more and more with Sebastian Vettel. I put Charles Leclerc on my avatar just for the sake of it; that ridiculous guy can actually impress me, even if he is a bit of an idiot by nature, I suppose.

God, there's no drive left! No passion for the arguments on this forum! Suddenly, I'm finding myself drawn to other types of racing sessions instead.
Am I losing it? I feel like I'm missing something from the past, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It's hard to define.

The only reason I enjoy being here is because of the unique characters, like Pilatus, The Bright One, Tbf, Maminjo, cosmiccyclist8, and neonfox65. That sort of thing.

Who actually gives a damn about these F1 drivers anyway? Take these top five, for instance—they are so talented that arguing over who is better feels pointless. Any one of them could beat anyone else, or lose to anyone else.
So go ahead, keep spouting your nonsense.

mellowtiger83 said:Who actually cares about comparing these F1 drivers anymore? Honestly, the top five are so far ahead of the pack that debating who's better feels pretty pointless. At this level, anyone can beat anyone. You could walk away with a win against any opponent, or you could lose to just about anybody.
And now you guys are just spreading nonsense.

I assume you need to shake that idiot out somewhere else—or maybe just somewhere different. If you’re planning on doing it in your usual spot, I’d say that might be a bit much.

mellowtiger83 said:Sebastian Vettel has the speed and everything else, but his head just isn't in the right place sometimes!

His head's been a mess ever since he joined Ferrari; clearly, all that nonsense they've dealt with has left its mark...

Though honestly, this weekend wasn't even that surprising.
Let's break it down...

1. A massive team blunder - Q2
- A totally moronic decision to send him out and get him stuck in a massive traffic jam at the back of the midfield group while they were on their flying laps, all while a bunch of other drivers were flying past them on the fast lane during their in-lap...
Of course, there was the issue of warming up and prepping the tires, not to mention having to deal with Grosjean playing games and ruining a lap completely...
The fallout? Obviously, a disaster for Third Quarter because they're short a set of tires and can't squeeze out two laps in Third Quarter...
And then, predictably, they're short on tires for the race too, so you're starting with a handicap there as well...

2. A potential team blunder - handling the driver after Vettel's fantastic start.
- We heard the message sent to Leclerc—was it actually live and he just tuned it out, or was the team radio delayed by a lap or two, or maybe not even sent...?
But the huge question is what kind of messages were being sent to Vettel...
Who's to say he wasn't told that Leclerc had cleared Bottas/Hamilton and that his tail was covered, or that they were switching to tire-saving mode in the first stint to stretch it out to the pits?
If that's what happened—which is the only logical explanation for telling Leclerc to "wait two laps" while checking if Vettel could go faster—then we have a problem.
If Vettel was in that tire-saving mode and nobody told him, and then Leclerc pulls up on him in the DRS zone, yeah, he definitely lost his mind.

3. An ugly team blunder - the pit stop.
Once again, reactive tactics. Instead of having a plan, they just wait to see what everyone else does and hope for the best...
Look at this:
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...stian%20Vettel

If Vettel had been the one to pit first (instead of last) among the Ferrari/Mercedes crews—considering how the Goodyear rubber was behaving, it's almost certain he would've come out ahead of Leclerc, if not Hamilton...
Instead, because he pitted a lap later than Leclerc, he lost about 3 seconds to him, and even worse, he lost ground to Hamilton and was practically risking losing a spot to Bottas, who pitted first...

At that point, things clearly went south fast...

4. Maybe the worst blunder of all...
If you screw up once, follow the classic Ferrari strategy and repeat the exact same stupidity a second time so you can fail spectacularly. 🙂

- There's Vettel on track after a massive battle, clearly destroying his tires, passing Hamilton, and then from lap 23 all the way to the pits, he's running basically the same pace as Leclerc; obviously, those mediums suited him perfectly.
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...stian%20Vettel

And then Ferrari screws up again with a late pit stop. 🤦
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...stian%20Vettel

They pulled the exact same stupid stunt they did with the other team and completely blew the 4.6-second lead Sebastian Vettel had built over Lewis Hamilton. 😵
And yeah, of course he lost his mind. Who wouldn't?

Honestly, watching this, the pit wall looks like they have zero backbone. 🤦
First off, they didn't have the guts to tell Charles Leclerc to back off from Sebastian Vettel, or even just tell Sebastian that he was free to race without having to babysit the kid...
Then, they couldn't find the nerve to call Sebastian in for an undercut against Leclerc, because heaven forbid they mess with the kid's strategy and screw him over.
And then, they still lacked the balls to act after the first round of stops, even though they could clearly see what was happening and knew that the undercut was working massively—that even a 5 or 6-second gap isn't a guarantee for anything.

Look, Sebastian definitely messed up his own race, but damn, the team played him for a fool again. It’s no wonder he’s pissed.

fadedpanther51 said:@Tibi Just a layman's question here—is it actually possible to build a car or design components so the engine stays in high mode longer? Sure, maybe someone just pushed it too hard, but if everything was fine for two or three laps before the failure, would lowering the mode prevent the issue?

Who honestly knows? 🤷
Even the folks over at Ferrari probably don't have a clue... honestly, the whole thing might have blown up regardless. 🤷

But yeah, it's pretty safe to say that running in max mode and redlining everything isn't exactly doing wonders for reliability....