2022 Formula 1 Season

[g-magoo]

You know, I dislike Max the driver, but looking back at last season, race by race, removing the dumb moves that Max made to intentionally crash, I think Horner and Red Bull out maneuvered Wolff and Mercedes a number of times. They also managed to keep Bad Max to a minimum the last two races and keep him in a position to win. Did Masi contribute to some of the Wolff failures in the final minutes? Yeah, but I really think that in total, RB and Max winning last year feels better than if Ham had been allowed to parade around for six laps with no actual racing.

I remain a huge Schumi fan and part of me doesn't want Ham to get to eight championships, but I've also learned to appreciate the sportsman that Ham is and would like to see him get it and then retire. It will be fun to watch the younger set compete with Max and see who comes out as the next challenger.

Leclerc is definitely the favorite at this point, but I feel like Sainz and Pérez could very realistically throw some wrenches into this. Especially if Max makes things a little aggressive in later races, i.e. crashouts -- Sainz and Pérez will be right at the heels to clean house. Merc is also not out of the equation yet, imo, and I do believe we'll still see them on the podium in later races. And if I'm feeling hopeful, maybe even Alpine on the podium too. Haas might even make it to the podium too if KMag stays in the front half of the grid.

As far as last year, I very much agree that Hamilton got robbed of the Saudi GP win, but I don't think he was robbed of the championship. If that makes sense.

Did Ham get robbed and subsequently lose the title because of the Masi decision, for sure. Was I fuming because of the decision, hell yes... But, Max and Redbull (questionable moves aside) were far more consistent over the course of last season and deserved at least the WDC.

Merc not developing the front aero of their car from the 2020 car and then taking time getting on top of the car after the rule change to reduce the floor size/dimension put them on the back foot. Add to that, Honda pushed hard on the PU development and Redbull was able to make the better strategic moves a majority of the time during races. Opportunity met preparation... amongst other things.

Either way, was a good race Sunday. Lots of action, some good luck for certain people, bad for others. Curious how/if they address the whole "no, you go. no, after you..." brake test at the DRS detection zones, oh well, it was still fun to watch.

 

[torga]

F1 needs changes to stop DRS "cat-and-mouse games" - Horner · RaceFans

Why, Horner? Because your driver got tricked four times in a row? It's just drivers being clever -- it's a tool in the racecraft belt.

 

[Dents27]

F1 needs changes to stop DRS "cat-and-mouse games" - Horner · RaceFans

Why, Horner? Because your driver got tricked four times in a row? It's just drivers being clever -- it's a tool in the racecraft belt.

It does become dangerous when people are braking way earlier than expected. The accordion effect can be brutal when a pack is bunched up.

 

[torga]

I would hope drivers would know when it's safe to use tactics like this. But some drivers get lost in the heat of the moment.

 

[g-magoo]

They either need to change the DRS detection point or reduce one of the DRS zones at the tracks where this is advantageous. Although it really only matters if this applies to multiple tracks throughout the season.

 

[bentin]

Vegas! So happy they finally made this happen. I’m turning 50 next year and one of my college roommates was a prof at UNLV for years, so we’ve spent lots of time in and around Vegas, reallly looking forward to this one.

 

[torga]

Same here! Racing in Vegas feels like the spectacle it's meant to be. Is it too much to hope for an American Monaco GP?

 

[3rdOne]

Liberty Media is really stepping up their media presence. They even have a 30 minute show on ESPN making the announcement
I just hope that it doesn't become a spectacle like NASCAR has become a spectacle. Las Vegas certainly has the bones to make it super kitch and tacky.

 

[g-magoo]

Lol, we have so many awesome tracks in the US..... and we get a Vegas street course. What a joke.

 

[3rdOne]

Agreed, but Vegas and Miami have the money, infrastructure of hotel rooms, close proximity of an airport etc. Not that many tracks in the US with the kind of infrastructure that F1 requires. Would love to see Watkins Glen back but growing up within 30 mins of that track I know there is no way the area could support the influx of spectators that an F1 race would bring, not enough hotel rooms, roads in the area don't have nearly enough capacity. And I doubt the track could be made to meet the safety standards of a modern F1 circuit. I would bet money that Laguna Seca would have the same problems.

 

[bentin]

Agreed, but Vegas and Miami have the money, infrastructure of hotel rooms, close proximity of an airport etc. Not that many tracks in the US with the kind of infrastructure that F1 requires. Would love to see Watkins Glen back but growing up within 30 mins of that track I know there is no way the area could support the influx of spectators that an F1 race would bring, not enough hotel rooms, roads in the area don't have nearly enough capacity. And I doubt the track could be made to meet the safety standards of a modern F1 circuit. I would bet money that Laguna Seca would have the same problems.

Watkins is such a great track but a total dump of a facility. It’s also like Silverstone in that it’s hard to get into and out of.

Indy was the worst track I’ve been to, just all around a bad idea.

I still wish they’d done Weehawken instead of stupid Miami, but Vegas will go a long way to fixing that.

 

[g-magoo]

Agreed, but Vegas and Miami have the money, infrastructure of hotel rooms, close proximity of an airport etc. Not that many tracks in the US with the kind of infrastructure that F1 requires. Would love to see Watkins Glen back but growing up within 30 mins of that track I know there is no way the area could support the influx of spectators that an F1 race would bring, not enough hotel rooms, roads in the area don't have nearly enough capacity. And I doubt the track could be made to meet the safety standards of a modern F1 circuit. I would bet money that Laguna Seca would have the same problems.

I literally agree with all of that, it makes complete sense. I'm just being obtuse and don't want another street/night race. Would rather watch them at Watkins Glen, Road America, or even Sonoma.

 

[bentin]

I literally agree with all of that, it makes complete sense. I'm just being obtuse and don't want another street/night race. Would rather watch them at Watkins Glen, Road America, or even Sonoma.

Why do you hate red flags for every minor shunt so much? Lafiti deserves camera time as much as anyone.

 

[g-magoo]

Why do you hate red flags for every minor shunt so much? Lafiti deserves camera time as much as anyone.

He better soak up his time on camera; he's binned the car 3 times in the last three race weekends, he's probably caught the attention of the team management and not in a good way.

 

[torga]

I remember the first track proposal for Miami had them actually weaving through the city instead of using some highways and parking lots on the outskirts of town, making it technically a street circuit. When I saw that initial track proposal, I immediately bookmarked some hotels that would be facing the track -- the idea of being perched up on a 4th floor balcony watching the cars whizz by made my pants real tight. But instead, we get to watch the cars drive laps around a football stadium...

So yeah, out of the two new US tracks, Vegas definitely takes the cake.