this is kinda a sad news...

https://www.planetf1.com/news/honda-to-leave-formula-1/

Sadder still if you are Christian Horner! What's he going to do - go crawling back to Renault (who actually finally have an engine worth buying and no customers, and who have already publicly ruminated about leaving the grid)? And he's shopping for 2 teams. Is there a limit on how many customer teams can run a certain engine, so it doesn't become a spec series?


Honda reportedly sunk $1billion into F1 engine development. And with the rules changing again for 2021, I guess they have had enough.

From last year:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2.../#5eee4b3a2755

Aside from $$$, it is not the future. Another symptom in the slow death of F1. But for now, a MB/RB combo is really appealing. MB may not be around as a team and will just be an engine supplier in a few years anyway. There is nothing else to prove, nothing challenging, and with the money cap suppressing progress, why stay?

what a joke this safety car period,,, they bunched up all the car, very NASCAR Like

Yep, the one thing that F1 lacks is consistency!! :tup:

Definitely. I don't really understand the rule, but hear that it is not "required" to allow cars to un-lap themselves.

If it is a "safety" situation, then why is it safe for some cars to pass and others not?

Agree with God-Speed that this needs to be applied consistently.

Honestly, when something happens on the track, it shouldn't really be only the leaders who are punished. But it does make for more exciting racing (when the rest of the field is otherwise so far behind the two or three lead cars that they might as well be in the previous week's race), when you get essentially 40 laps qualifying and then a 20 lap sprint race to the finish.

The teams and FIA need to get together to re-do the rules. The safety cars are driven by very specific rules. It is not driven by strategy or entertainment. Appears so at times. Many are complaining but that is for the rules group to address. I think we might see some changes.

Stroll tested positive for COVID-19 after the Eifel Grand Prix, once returning home...
talk about a crock of sh*t, I think I have finally lost any respect for RP.
to me it was just stupid, if you have been following this...

The team should have isolated him from the beginning... and reported him.... but they didn't. And the FIA should have step in once they found out he was sick....

Hopefully this opps, puts in place a new process, if your sick, your isolated...

Father positive as well. So much for protocol. Useless owner. Perez saves team for him to buy etc. Bollocks!

Mix Billionaire ego who has a short temper with being in the paddock with 'his' team and you get the normal = rules dont apply to me or my lame driver son!!

P A T H E T I C !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haas dumps both drivers....
https://the-race.com/formula-1/haas-...ne-up-in-2021/

will be interesting to see what they do now
2 rookies
paid drivers
proven / rookie line up

The time HAAS come for both drivers. The future is bright.

"That's why I said to Guenther when he called me that I was expecting one of us, and he said, 'No, for financial reasons, I need both of you out.'

"So fair enough, I fully understand. I know it's been a tough year with COVID in a lot of industries or companies that suffer from it.

"The team is going a different path, and I wish them luck and the best for the future."

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...ancial-reasons

That is interesting, not sure if it makes sense... some sort of change was needed...

Whatever the real reason was (as opposed to the one announced publicly or to the current drivers), it's likely the right decision. At least we'll find out if it was the drivers holding the team back, or the other way around. Fighting for last place with Williams (and occasionally Alfa, waaaaa!) has got to get old after a while. Especially when you pay that much money for the privilege.

I don't see either one getting another F1 seat again though. Wonder what they will do?

Let's face it, HAAS is doing what many American companies are doing. Cut where you can and preserve cash flow. I'd be shocked if they pick up someone who will make more than the two.

Agree, but the team is in the driver seat (pun intended) as to bargaining. More drivers and wannabe's than uncommitted seats right now, and any other team still looking to fill a seat will be in a similar situation - cutbacks are worldwide. I just hope they don't do a Lattifi and let someone who shouldn't be in F1 drive a car because he brought a suitcase of cash with him.

Will make for interesting watching. I don't know who they will choose But I'm calling this much right now: whoever they do pick, there will be lots of armchair team mangers on the interwebs offering criticism of how "Steiner had the opportunity to transform Haas into a podium challenger and blew it". LOLOLOLOLOL

Functionally Haas serve to assist Ferrari with respect to development. Data points are gained from the tech and equipment Haas buy from them. Additional to this is the fact that now Haas will take 1 driver for Ferrari development and gain a discount on the cost of the motors. 11million is the figure Im aware of. Will be interesting if that is true and what drivers take the seats. No matter that, Haas are slow and I expect ZERO increase in position or speed lol. :)

Oh well, it’s looking like another boring Mercedes 1,2 race for tomorrow! I love how the commentators today tried to sound so excited when Hamilton achieved pole. They take us for idiots. F1 needs to seriously consider reverse grid qualifying or at least do something to make all teams more competitive and evenly matched. I am trying to keep my interest up but this is ridiculous.

yes, it was a Mercedes 1,2, but it was a bit exciting

-- kimi at 41, put on a show getting to 6th place by the end of lap 1... Thou he faded. He was the show
-- Sainz was leading the race by lap 2, for a while...
-- Hamilton had a poor start, Bottas took the lead...
-- there was an actually pass for the lead, Hamilton on Bottas.
-- Stroll well not sure why he is there.
-- Albon I think with this race lost his seat, Max lapped him......

It was a bit entertaining

Stroll is simply an idiot. Period!!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/15...ollowing-crash

Lando Norris hit out at Lance Stroll following their crash in the Portuguese Grand Prix, saying the Racing Point Formula 1 driver "doesn't seem to learn with anything he does".

Norris had run as high as third for McLaren in the opening stages of Sunday's race at Portimao, and was in contention for a points finish prior to his collision with Stroll on lap 18 of the race.

Stroll looked to pass Norris around the outside at Turn 1 despite being out wide on the kerb, and turned into the McLaren driver on the inside, resulting in contact.

It left Norris with damage that had to be repaired at a pitstop soon after the collision, ruining his race, while Stroll received a five-second time penalty for causing the crash.

Norris ultimately finished the race down in 13th, after later struggling with a slow puncture, while Stroll retired with 15 laps to go after dropping to last and receiving a second five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits.

Speaking about the collision after the race, Norris expressed his confusion over Stroll's move and why he tried a similar pass to the one which resulted in contact with Max Verstappen in practice on Friday.

"I don't know what he was doing really," Norris said.

"I don't know where he was really. He went to the left, which I was quite surprised by when he easily could have gone to the inside. I was easily halfway alongside, and he just turns in.

"He obviously didn't learn from Friday, but he doesn't seem to learn with anything he does. It happens a lot, so I just need to make sure I stay away."

Agree!

F1 friends we have a race this weekend!

Here is the schedule for the US broadcast - Nov. 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari 7:10 a.m. ESPN TBD

Also 2 day format - Practice and Qualy tomorrow.
Race on Sunday

Formula1.com schedule here - https://www.formula1.com/en/racing/2...iaRomagna.html

a bit of exciting race, given a safety car and the last 6 laps

-- Albon is all but gone, did nothing for himself or red bull
-- Max and a rear tire that went away along with the 2nd place
-- Ricardo finishes 3rd
-- George Russel, through away a point finish, on too much right foot warming tires
-- Raki, finishes 9th on first long stint on his tires...
-- RP blew a 3rd place for Perez on bad pit stop call
-- Stroll, keep scratching my head more on more on the decision to keep him...
-- MB 1/2 and a 7th construction championship...
-- Bottias must be wondering how to a please the racing gods...

Hindsight is 20/20 but Red Bull pitted Max too early. They should always stay close to Lewis' strategy. Btw, kudos to his mechanics for fixing his car and getting it ready for his one run in Q2. As for Alex Albon, he is pretty much done.

I forgot to mention. Stroll for a moment was a Mustang owner, mowing down his jackman. Poor guy landed on his arse and went into limp mode back to the infirmary.

If yesterday's race is any indication of what the last few races will be like, then I will treat it like a college basketball game. No need to watch the race until the last 5 minutes of the race. That is when all the excitement happens. :tup:

What a coincidence that the VSC happens several minutes AFTER Ocon retires his car, and just as Lewis is approaching the pit entry - only to end as he is leaving the pit lane. He probably had the margin for the pit stop even under green flag conditions (though Mercedes pit stops were far from fast this weekend - sadly not long enough to dislodge Seb's wing end plate from the side of # 77 though). But Bottas needs to pray facing the same direction as Hamilton in the future. Of course, being Italy, there is no possibility of bribes or anything untoward going on here....

And the Bottas incident just goes to prove that Ferrari aero is sh!t! :-D

Lance! We're ready for you!

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8d650f01_b.jpgStroll Jackman by Raf, on Flickr[/IMG]

POST of the century!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :bowrofl::bowrofl::happydance:

For Hamilton to not win the championship this Sunday, Bottas needs to finish first with the fastest lap, or Lewis finishing worse than 2nd (or combinations and permutations of placings that preserve a 78 point (or less) gap between the two drivers.

Want to place your bets now, gentlemen? LOL

Its wet!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy qualy lol

Yepper, hope the race tomorrow is dry. If not it will be a crazy one. :roflpuke2:

I was bummed to see Charlie going from a great P1 and P2 to not making it into Q3. Hopefully dry track tomorrow with just enough drama to make the race interesting.

Hat tip to Alfa Romeo. If Max is going to be behind anybody on poll, I’m sure he hates for it to be Stroll.

Max is quite upset to have been denied pole. Some by his own doing and the teams. He will make ends meet on the start. This will be crazy maybe LOL :stirthepot:

Was a MB weakness exposed? Big questions TotoW must answer. It got so bad the Alfas made it through with Giovannazzi in the top 10 mix lol.

I would say so.... not the tight car / setup for the conditions......

Race filled with plenty of drama to be entertaining. Got to love Ferrari picking up pace. Was bummed that Charlie grabbed P2 and let it slip in the final corners. Awesome for Vettel to be on podium though.

Love races in these conditions because it does show who the real badasses are out on the track. Hamilton’s tires looked wild at the end! Major hat tip to Perez for showing Stroll how it’s done!

:iagree: However for me the highlight of the race was Vettel placing 3rd. :tup:

What a great race and again some great drives by the best in the world. Please tell me again how it is all about the superiority MB car and that Lewis skills are less than those before him. He is the best of all times period!!!

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