Formula One ( F1 )

Yeah. Pretty pedestrian with enough poor driving for a seasons worth. Difficult to see any positives for anyone except Leclerc, maybe Russel, maybe Bottas and Albon.

I'm really intrigued as to how Mercedes (and others) can mitigate the porpoising - looks like a very tough technical problem which they have to resolve with testing in (largely) race conditions.

I don't doubt that's it's a big issue for them, but I do find it interesting that Ferrari are also suffering (well, experiencing might be a better word) a similar level of bouncing, without the performance hindrance that Mercedes seem to be seeing.

Seeing Leclerc bouncing his way into turn 9 while setting pole seems to be a bit at odds with Mercedes blaming their lack of speed on the same issue.

Well, exactly - fascinating watching all of this develop, with some teams more affected than others (at this point).

What happens if Merc fix it? Would it just flush out a new problem such as their engines reaction to the E10? Or do they go back to the front?

It's all speculation of course, but in my mind they've just got an overall problem with the balance of the car, and while the bouncing may be contributing to that, the fact that the fastest car (and I'd argue a pretty damn stable one too) is also showing the same signs.

Sub-par engine is also a likely candidate IMO, Ferrari definitely seems to be class of the field, and RB/Renault are hard to place due to only service 1/2 teams respectively. Though that's also skewed by supplying Williams & AM, probably the two weakest teams this year.

I hate to agree with Christian Horner, but his point about rather being in a position to make an unreliable car reliable over a slow car fast seems on the money. While Mercedes are doing quite well at the moment due to consistently scoring with a mid-level car, I'd be betting that RB swiftly retake 2nd place in the constructors and hold it for the season.

Just a damn shame it's only a race every two weeks for the next few races, so it'll be nothing but speculation until then. Hoping for some interesting developments once we get into the European portion of the season (which seems to now be split by quick jaunts to Miami and Montreal for some reason). Though hopefully not so interesting that Ferrari pull a Ferrari and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, again...

Looks like chaotic weather incoming, this'll be fun!

Sainz binned it again.

Frustrating for sure, needs to focus more on getting solid points and not trying to beat Leclerc

Feel a bit bad for Leclerc not being able to take the (sprint) victory in front of the home fans, but good to see Red Bull back up at the sharp end of the grid. Let's hope they can last more than 21 laps tomorrow!

Yeah, that was good. Lots of good racing, circuit could do with more than one opportunity I think, but nice and tense.

Also, when was the last time Vettel beat Hamilton in a straight up race?

Yeah, even without these massive cars Imola has always been a tricky place to pass (check out the Alonso vs Schumacher battle from 2005 if you haven't seen it already). Do think it's a great track though, definitely hope it stays on the calendar.

Well that was a frustrating watch, RB pretty much the only driver pairing delivering. Hope Ferrari bounce back, Merc look like they've already thrown the towel in

Didn't get to watch much beyond the first few laps (enough to see Sainz DNF again, fun times!) Can't believe Leclerc binned it how he did, but good news for the championship at least!

Feel bad for Russel having been waiting in the wings for so long and when he finally gets into a Merc it's a (relative) shitbox. He's doing a fairly good job with it though, reminiscent of Alonso bringing that early 2010s Ferrari up to positions it really had no place being.

I thought that was good. Great driving from Albon, Bottas, Tsunoda and points for Aston Martin and Haas. That's good for the sport I think.

Shit day out for Ferrari but some you win, some you lose. It's good for the season for them to be beatable.

Hamilton getting lapped though...

Hamilton getting lapped though...

Also, Hamilton getting lapped while Russell gets P4. Personally, I'd rather have Hamilton up at the front fighting (Alonso too for that matter), but I can't help but enjoy seeing the (IMO) excessively pro-Hamilton folks fumbling to make excuses for this season's performances (don't get me wrong, I'm sure pretty much every driver has their fawning fanbase who'll defend their driver to the end, but I don't have to listen to them as pundits/commentators every race).

Big season for Hamilton, if he manages to get back on top it'll look great for his status (a performance like MSC getting pole in Monaco in the mid-tier Mercedes, or his 1996 Spanish GP win in a shitbox Ferrari). If not, I struggle to see how he can be remembered much different from Vettel (#teamVettel), untouchable given the right car, but unable to properly lead otherwise (he did put in some decent performances in the McLaren alongside Button, though maybe none as strong as Button's 2011 win in Canada).

Will be an interesting one for sure, good to see all teams able to score points and some tight fights throughout the field (especially at the front).

Now if only Sainz can fecking finish a race...

Yeah it's a shit result for him. I think he's in a league above Vettel TBH though, and I really hope he finds what he needs as the season progresses.

I think, had he won the championship last year, he would have quit (edit, at the end of last year, before this season). Knowing when to leave the party etc.

Poor Sainz, yes.

I think it's interesting that Wolff came on the radio at the end in a way which he knew was going to be broadcast and apologised for the car to Hamilton - that's not, I think, the behaviour of a team thinking "this guy's ten places behind his team mate, should have someone else in the car".

Honestly I don't see it, he's just been fortunate enough (#blessed) that his team's lead lasted twice as long as Vettel's.

I think he'll stick around longer as despite what he may try to convey, I think he does care about how he's perceived. And leaving the sport as soon as he no longer has a championship winning car would be a bad look. Though maybe he'll pull a Schumacher and come back after a few years of being bored off-track.

If he'd have won the WDC last year, I wouldn't have been surprised if he cashed out there. Would've been a very different story indeed.

If he'd have won the WDC last year, I wouldn't have been surprised if he cashed out there.

Yeah, this is what I meant. Edited my post to clarify. He's in the worst possible situation now; he can't leave because of his legacy, but staying is agony because he's having his ass handed to him. I hope he and Merc finds something that gets him back to the front asap.

I think Merc threw everything in to getting him to win last year, possibly so he can leave...and it looks like it's at the expense of this year.

It's an interesting one for sure, historically the Merc has suffered when in traffic, but I'd be surprised if they built this year's car from the ground up and still managed to keep hold of that characteristic. I guess it's more just that they no longer have the massive power advantage that they once had and of course Imola is not an easy place to overtake. Russell qualified better so didn't have to fight that much compared to Hamilton.

But considering they were nearly knocked out in Q1, you've gotta give props to Russell for finishing with a P4 (granted, making use of cars in front having issues perhaps, but still in a good place to pick up the pieces) compared with Hamilton who's obviously no slouch.

I don't think Hamilton has to fear getting the boot, I think Wolff's comments are more an attempt to do some damage-limitation for Hamilton so he's less likely to leave the team.

I don't think Hamilton would leave - legacy is important.

I think that he probably would have left last year if Masi hadn't won the championship for Max, but now as Howard says he has to leave a winner.

So put the above two things together and I'm sure Wolff was doing some driver mental state/health management, but I also think it's interesting that he's stated in public that the car is the problem.

Of course, that level of publicity ups the level of encouragement for the drivers, but it's airing dirty laundry in public about the engine and aero package in a way that has to be very considered.

Could it be to get Lewis to stay? Maybe, but I doubt it - if Lewis was a Vettel style one-trick pony when it comes to the type of car he could drive then why try to keep him? Chuck everything at Russell and allow Lewis to run a football team.

Could it be to get Lewis to stay? Maybe, but I doubt it - if Lewis was a Vettel style one-trick pony when it comes to the type of car he could drive then why try to keep him? Chuck everything at Russell and allow Lewis to run a football team.

On paper it's one of (if not the) strongest pairing on the grid. Given Hamilton's salary likely isn't factored into the cost-cap, it's not like they're sacrificing the team budget to keep him. Let's be honest, no one really cares who wins the WCC so having a 7x WDC on your team is great for PR too.

I don't think he's a one-trick pony btw (nor do I think that for Vettel), and it's not like there's a better option waiting in the wings. Not even sure who Merc would have earmarked for his replacement. From what I can see all the promising upcoming talent is either Red Bull, Ferrari or Alpine.

I do think those sorts of statements are there to take the heat off the driver and I'd say it's what any decent manager would be doing (though you likely wouldn't see that sort of thing at Ferrari!). Can't really think of any other possibility for it.

i wonder if Hamilton will quit mid season if the car and or his lack of performance doesn't improve, especially in relation to Russel?
kind of a 'fuck it, i'm out' scenario. maybe better to leave like that than to fade into frustrated obscurity?
i read somewhere that the budget cap and limit to wind tunnel access means that the car is unlikely to be competitive for the next couple of seasons...

i do think the race would have been a bit more interesting had the DRS been enabled much sooner as well.

I think it would have been more exciting, but I also think that the sooner DRS is removed the better.