That's great news!
Lando doesn't get enough credit because he didn't come through the Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull pipeline.
F1 2021 Season
- Thread starter pauldyson1uk
- Start date
That's great news!
Lando doesn't get enough credit because he didn't come through the Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull pipeline.
Yes very strong driver. The UK is a hotbed for sport talent right now. The Football team has a lot of young talent and there is Williams / Norris coming up to replace Hamilton. Somebody there is doing something right when it comes to sports / talent development
Not sure, I think he has the skills to compete for a championship but not convinced McLaren is the place to do so.
This weekend has RedBull win all over it. RBs are better than Mercs on the Softs.
Though I agree with lewis, Monaco needs a change, its the dullest race in the calender. Impossible to overtake. Personally id like it gone from the calender. Its a dinosaur of an old era and stomping ground for the rich.
Though I agree with lewis, Monaco needs a change, its the dullest race in the calender. Impossible to overtake. Personally id like it gone from the calender. Its a dinosaur of an old era and stomping ground for the rich.
Beaten by Button, robbed by Rosberg.
Yeah it's a procession rather than a race, whoever gets pole takes the win, unless something goes horribly wrong in the pits.
I imagine it makes too much money to be removed from the calendar, but it would be nice if they could add a straight somewhere.
They only go there to have a party and keep up tradition.
It's probably a fun track to drive as it's still testing the drivers massively, but as a spectacle it's flat out boring these days. The cars are just too wide and heavy for a tight street circuit.
I think if they want to keep it they should introduce their own monaco spec cars, something along the lines of an F3 car. Smaller and more nimble, cars they can actually overtake with.
Its the Blue Ribbon of the F1 calendar, it will never be removed, hard to see where the track could be changed.
I dont mind this race, but its always better when it rains.
Monaco produces the worst races for entertainment, always a procession.
Interesting point for reference, cars that were strong in sector three look to be strong in Monaco. Think Ferrari might surprise a few this weekend too.
Interesting point for reference, cars that were strong in sector three look to be strong in Monaco. Think Ferrari might surprise a few this weekend too.
Monaco GP FP
Max Verstappen pumps in the fastest lap of the morning to go fastest in the Red Bull on medium tyres. A 1:12.648 from the Dutchman.
And he's followed into the top positions by team-mate Sergio Perez. Perez is on the softer tyre and was 0.169s slower on that last lap.
And he's followed into the top positions by team-mate Sergio Perez. Perez is on the softer tyre and was 0.169s slower on that last lap.
Gasley is 0.393 and Sainz is 0.429 behind
Lewis and Bottas are 0.459 and 0.595 behind the Red Bulls
Lewis and Bottas are 0.459 and 0.595 behind the Red Bulls
Wouldn't say Ferrari would be a surprise, they've looked great in downforce all season, even last year they were good on the higher downforce tracks.
They lacked pure horsepower and had traction issues, but they've now sorted the traction issues + gained some power back. I think they're the 3rd best team in terms of pure speed, but on certain tracks with big straights they will struggle.
Perez tops opening Monaco session
Sergio Perez finishes the opening session fastest - and does so by lowering his benchmark again, down to a 1:12.487 although the Red Bull man was on the softs, while many drivers stayed on the mediums or hards.
That's his first P1 for Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz moved back into second late on for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third in the second Red Bull. Both ran medium tyres.
Mercedes ended up fifth and sixth behind AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly.
Sergio Perez finishes the opening session fastest - and does so by lowering his benchmark again, down to a 1:12.487 although the Red Bull man was on the softs, while many drivers stayed on the mediums or hards.
That's his first P1 for Red Bull.
Carlos Sainz moved back into second late on for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third in the second Red Bull. Both ran medium tyres.
Mercedes ended up fifth and sixth behind AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly.
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dont really take much notice of times in any FP, they are not pushing it, FP1 is all about getting a feel for the track even more so after no race last year, a few new to the track.
Red Bull and Ferrari look fast, the Mercs are down a bit, but not reading much in to it.
Red Bull and Ferrari look fast, the Mercs are down a bit, but not reading much in to it.
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Monaco GP FP1 times
| Pos | Driver | Team | time | Laps |
| 1 | Sergio PerezPER | Red Bull | 1:12.487 | 36 | |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz JnrSAI | Ferrari | 1:12.606 | 32 | |
| 3 | Max VerstappenVER | Red Bull | 1:12.648 | 39 | |
| 4 | Pierre GaslyGAS | AlphaTauri | 1:12.929 | 37 | |
| 5 | Lewis HamiltonHAM | Mercedes | 1:12.995 | 34 | |
| 6 | Valtteri BottasBOT | Mercedes | 1:13.131 | 36 | |
| 7 | Lando NorrisNOR | McLaren | 1:13.236 | 31 | |
| 8 | Sebastian VettelVET | Aston Martin | 1:13.732 | 33 | |
| 9 | Yuki TsunodaTSU | AlphaTauri | 1:13.746 | 39 | |
| 10 | Kimi RaikkonenRAI | Alfa Romeo | 1:14.081 | 31 | |
| 11 | Lance StrollSTR | Aston Martin | 1:14.090 | 33 | |
| 12 | Antonio GiovinazziGIO | Alfa Romeo | 1:14.106 | 27 | |
| 13 | Fernando AlonsoALO | Alpine | 1:14.205 | 37 | |
| 14 | Nicholas LatifiLAT | Williams | 1:14.268 | 41 | |
| 15 | Daniel RicciardoRIC | McLaren | 1:14.281 | 36 | |
| 16 | Esteban OconOCO | Alpine | 1:14.320 | 37 | |
| 17 | Nikita MazepinMAZ | Haas | 1:14.616 | 33 | |
| 18 | Mick SchumacherMSC | Haas | 1:14.801 | 33 | |
| 19 | George RussellRUS | Williams | 1:14.840 | 35 | |
| 20 | Charles LeclercLEC | Ferrari | 1:19.618 | 4 |
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Good shout. He is terrible.
RB were running a new floor in FP1. Mercedes werent running anything new apparently. Monaco is a weird one as a track. The teams bring monaco specific downforce packages and steering rack for this race. That cant be cheap to do and keep spares just for one race. Ok i guess they can reuse the steering rack and possibly the downforce package at Singapore but still not cheap to do.
Haha I love Seb, would love to see him back to his best, class driver in his prime.
Probably not as expensive as you think, most will be wing based in which they're producing multiple for every races. Steering rack is a given, it's the tightest circuit on the calendar. Probably more elements of cooling is required as it's a much slower circuit.
I don't think anything for Monaco will be reused though, as I doubt that Singapore will host a GP this year.
Charles Leclerc, who only managed four laps with a gear box issue earlier on, is one of the first out there looking to catch up after a ruined first session.
Brundell at turn 16, looks like a stunning place to watch and the grandstand in front of him.
Sainz is having a good FP2 1.11.796
FP 2 has been Red Flagged.
M Schu in to the barrier
Monaco GP FP2 times
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles LeclercLEC | Ferrari | 1:11.684 | 30 | |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz JnrSAI | Ferrari | 1:11.796 | 32 | |
| 3 | Lewis HamiltonHAM | Mercedes | 1:12.074 | 28 | |
| 4 | Max VerstappenVER | Red Bull | 1:12.081 | 27 | |
| 5 | Valtteri BottasBOT | Mercedes | 1:12.107 | 32 | |
| 6 | Lando NorrisNOR | McLaren | 1:12.379 | 24 | |
| 7 | Pierre GaslyGAS | AlphaTauri | 1:12.498 | 28 | |
| 8 | Sergio PerezPER | Red Bull | 1:12.708 | 24 | |
| 9 | Antonio GiovinazziGIO | Alfa Romeo | 1:12.746 | 28 | |
| 10 | Sebastian VettelVET | Aston Martin | 1:12.982 | 26 | |
| 11 | Kimi RaikkonenRAI | Alfa Romeo | 1:13.065 | 31 | |
| 12 | Fernando AlonsoALO | Alpine | 1:13.175 | 27 | |
| 13 | Lance StrollSTR | Aston Martin | 1:13.195 | 26 | |
| 14 | Esteban OconOCO | Alpine | 1:13.199 | 28 | |
| 15 | Daniel RicciardoRIC | McLaren | 1:13.257 | 26 | |
| 16 | George RussellRUS | Williams | 1:13.509 | 32 | |
| 17 | Nicholas LatifiLAT | Williams | 1:13.593 | 31 | |
| 18 | Nikita MazepinMAZ | Haas | 1:14.407 | 26 | |
| 19 | Mick SchumacherMSC | Haas | 1:14.416 | 25 | |
| 20 | Yuki TsunodaTSU | AlphaTauri | 1:14.829 | 11 |
A Ferrari one-two, with Mercedes and Red Bull also looking fast.
This is going to make qualifying very, very interesting on Saturday.
This is going to make qualifying very, very interesting on Saturday.
After those practice results I've gone all-in on Red Bull in the Fantasy League for the weekend, subbing in both Verstappen and Perez for Hamilton and Norris. Hope it works out, and for the sake of the overall championship too.
Ferrari look legit quick, that could be fun.
Monaco is the worst race every year unless you've cars crashing and you just hate to see anyone out of the race. Except Mazepin, cuz feck that prick.
No rain is forecast , just cool and cloudy, pity normally rain brings a bit of excitement.
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My least favourite race of the year Monaco,
I have been once in person and it was exciting to be there but to watch on TV it's sh*te , virtually no overtaking, loads of crashes and safety cars and who ever qualifies on pole on Sat has won the race.
It was nice last year not having it in the calendar tbh
I have been once in person and it was exciting to be there but to watch on TV it's sh*te , virtually no overtaking, loads of crashes and safety cars and who ever qualifies on pole on Sat has won the race.
It was nice last year not having it in the calendar tbh
If the has a car capable, definitely. As we know with F1 it's all about timing and a sprinkle of good luck. He definitely has the talent though!.
It'll be interesting to see how the sport changes with the 2022 regs, and If it gives the power back to the drivers rather than the cars. I still suspect we will see the big 3 (merc,ferrari,red bull) at the front most of the time, but hopefully the likes of Mclaren, Aston Martin and Alpine can get amongst them a lot more often.
Not with Mclaren , if he moves to one the top teams , Mercedes , Red Bull or Ferrari, then he has a chance.
Maybe 2022 will bring the mid table teams a bit closer.
He could win a GP with mclaren under the right circumstances this season. If we have a crazy race where max and lewis take each other out then who knows? Could win GP with McLaren under the new regs for car next season, who knows again.
Abit early to tell if hes future WC material. Needs to show the consistency this season that hes gone up a level.
McLaren are very much on the up and I expect them to challenge for titles within the next 5 years.
Make no mistake, they will not struggle to attract big sponsorship dollars when they start winning races again and they have a name that will attract top line drivers. The demise of Ron Dennis and his decision making set them back a few years, but they are just as big as any other top 3.
Funnily enough, unless Max wins the title this season, I dont ever see him winning a title, or he'll be like Mansell and only win it when he has far and away the best car... and he'll only win one.
My prediction for the next few drivers titles are:
2021 Hamilton - Max - Runner Up
2022 Russell - Max - Runner Up
2023 Russell - Leclerc - Runner Up
2024 Leclerc/Schumacher (make no mistake, he'll sign for Ferrari at somepoint) - Norris/Ricardo - Runner Up.
Why you counting out Hamilton from 2022 onwards? He’s indicated he wants to keep going.
And why does Russell suddenly go from two championships running to nothing in 2024?
Btw - I agree about McLaren, they're a big team and could overtake Red Bull again long term.
Btw - I agree about McLaren, they're a big team and could overtake Red Bull again long term.