Qatar GP Race Report

It was an absolutely shambolic start to the race with last minute penalties being handed out.  All grid place.  With very hard-to-see waved yellow flags here and there, Verstappen, Bottas and Sainz went before the stewards with Verstappen being given a five place demotion, Bottas three places and Sainz nothing.  Horner blamed a rogue marshal.  That Paw Patrol can't be trusted.

This all led to a higgledy-piggledy grid, with four top placed drivers starting on softs which would give them a starting advantage over Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen.  Gasly second, Alonso third and Norris fourth.  The grid was also shambolic, plenty of slebs, with the new Brundle Mandate that they must give interviews.  They didn't.

Alonso made a champion's start and it looked good.

On the first couple of laps, I realised Aston Martin really need to consider their paintwork next year as they look exactly like Mercedes at night races.  Or Mercedes could go silver again.  What if McLaren give up the papaya though...  Then I realised that it was Bottas' Mercedes I was looking at back in 10th place.

By Lap 4, Verstappen had made third place from seventh.  Really, you just had to consider the real race, the race for third place.  By contrast, it was a poor opener for Bottas, in eleventh and out of the points, Wolff had to call him and tell him to "take these cars".  By half way through both him and Perez had recovered themselves and made it to the sharp end of the action.

Then Bottas got a puncture.  He was a good boy and went into the gravel trap and then brought a lot of gravel back onto track to spice things up a bit.  The points haul for Mercedes disappeared.  He did manage to get back to the pit for both tires and a new nose and came out in 14th having lost all he'd made up.

With Perez moving up through the pack, Alpine called Ocon to hold off Perez.  Just as his team mate did for him to get his maiden win.  I think he lasted a couple of seconds.  If Alonso got on the podium, it would be all his own work.

With seven laps to go, everything heated up again.  Norris came in for new tires as he suspected a puncture.  He reported "a strange feeling" and his engineer replied that was just puberty. So the driver who started fourth became eleventh.  David Beckham gave the McLaren pit stop a "wow".   Gasly did two stops and ended up tenth, having started second.  Bottas retired.  Russell had to come in after losing his front wing and tires over the big curbs, was it worth the cost of a new front wing for the number of laps left.  Just as he came out, his team mate also had a hard tire failure.  Latifi radioed in to say that it gave no warning.  I held my breath whether Alonso, a one stopper, could hold onto his third place and stand on the podium, with three laps to go he was 9 seconds ahead of Perez.  Vestappen was holding fastest lap, for a point, and Bottas could no longer steal it from him.  

With two laps to go, a Virtual Safety Car was brought out to clear Latifi's car off the track.  This greatly helped Verstappen to hold onto fastest lap.  He also pitted for new tires.  Alonso didn't have to risk riding the curbs with his old, old tires.  The pressure on Ocon in fifth from Stroll and Sainz was eased.

Lots of positive messages to Hamilton on his winning in lap.  Toto telling him: "Let's go to Saudi Arabia".  Yes.  Most of the track will be doing that.  For Alonso it was: "Ole, ole ole ole."  Vestappen and Alonso clearly enjoyed racing in Qatar, perhaps they lose less sleep over human rights issues than Hamilton.

For a moment it seemed dubious whether the aged Alonso would remember the podium procedure.  Cue Brundle and Crofty discussing geriatric podiums of the past.  What could have been a very dull race was actually quite a hot one, the punctures and diverse tire strategy helping greatly.  Two races go and it's all to play for.  Apart from Ricciardo, who is now just playing for laughs.

Qatar GP Qualifying Report

As we head to the Middle East, all the talk is of Sportswashing.  Should we be visiting these countries?  Should we be viewing sports being held in these countries?  Should I be writing about sports taking place in these countries?

Still, the circus rocked up and put on a show.  It didn't take long in Qualifying for Mazepin to lose his front wing.  Despite this being a brand new circuit for every driver, there were no surprises in Q1.  Both Alfa Romeos out, both Haas and Latifi in his Williams.  So that was a pointless 15 minutes.

The Alpha Tauris and Alpines shook things up in Q2, running the soft tires and looking like they would easily get through to Q3.  LeClerc felt he couldn't find any more time in the lap, sitting in last place with Norris, Perez and Ricciardo also with him.   Ultimately, when the flag fell, Gasly finished second to Hamilton, Ocon was sixth, Tsunoda seventh and Alonso third!  Meaning Stroll, LeClerc, Ricciardo and Russell were out with, shock of the session, Perez in 11th place.

Hamilton looked set to take pole position and was secured in that with Gasly getting a puncture and bringing out the yellow flag, obliging drivers to go slower (he still got 4th though).  The puncture was caused by his front wing coming off on a curb, something to watch out for in the race.  Vestappen split the Mercedes.  I predict that they will end in that order too.  Possibly with Bottas falling back.

Going into the race, everyone with an even number was going to have a poor start with a very dirty side of the track.  Ricciardo suggested that he complain to the stewards about someone and have them penalised, so everyone move one place up the grid.

If you don't want to discuss sportswashing or dirty tracks or racing, the other main topic of conversation is rear wings and gaps and front loads.  Perhaps someone will fail scrutineering over night?

Brazil GP Race Report

A full crowd in Brazil as the world gets back to normal.  The lights went out very speedily, which caught out some of the drivers.  Norris immediately went into a space that wasn't there and had a big off, giving himself a puncture from a Ferrari.  The corners kept catching the drivers out, including the leader of the start, Bottas.  Having already let Verstappen past, this let Perez past too.  In one lap, Hamilton went from 10th to 6th.  Even Sainz was an easy pass for him on lap 3.  It wasn't long before he was past LeClerc and then Bottas let him through to third position.  Whilst this was happening Stroll crashed full on to Tsunoda, who had to pit for lots of new bits.

With a Safety Car out to clear up all of the Alpha Tauri's old, smashed bits, Hamilton cheered Bottas on by telling him over the radio to stick with him.  Although, I don't think he could hear him.

At the restart, Verstappen bunched the pack up dangerously close.  He had Perez as a buffer between himself and the Mercedes.  Suddenly Schumacher's front wing was under his car after tangling with Raikkonen.  Somehow he was able to keep going but there was a Virtual Safety Car.

Lap 17, Hamilton was on the tail of Perez, took him and immediately lost him to a DRS pass.  Both drivers were thinking quickly and cleverly.  Lap 19 saw Hamilton take him on a different corner and made it stick.  With Hamilton in second and heading after Verstappen, it was up to Bottas to now take Perez, although his engine was not as new and shiny.

A third into the race, the pitstop window opened.  Hamilton went aggressively for the undercut with Red Bull responding immediately.  It didn't get him past Verstappen but it did close the gap.  Perez then went for the undercut on Bottas, who didn't respond.

Before you could take a breath, out of nowhere shards of carbon fibre flew off Stroll's Aston Martin following it's earlier contact with Tsunoda.  A Virtual Safety Car was ordered and Bottas took his stop, earning him 3rd position.

Then the second pit stop window opened after no time at all.  I could see we were barely half way through the race with a long time to go but all the action seemed to have happened.  Hamilton was asked over the radio about which tires he would like.  Red Bull panicked about the undercut and brought Verstappen in.  Bottas was brought in to cover that.  Verstappen was now behind Hamilton and Perez, Bottas behind LeClerc.  The undercut worked.

Two thirds through the race and the battle was finally underway.  Hamilton had caught Verstappen on the track with no more pitstops to go.  As Lewis went for the overtake they both went wide and through a run off area.  Did Max push him off the road?  We waited to see if he would get a penalty.  After being "noted" by the stewards, "no further investigation necessary."  #LetThemRace

The crowd went wild as Hamilton finally made it, finishing the race 10 seconds ahead with Perez taking new tires to steal Fastest Lap.  He was clearly overjoyed, stopping to collect a Brazilian flag.  Red Bull put it down to "damage limitations".

Brazil GP Qualifying and Sprint Report

So it seems that when you lack any kind of personality outside of your job you grow a moustache...Verstappen, Ricciardo...

It was a poor first qualifying session for Williams with both drivers out alongside Stroll and the Haas.  With Latifi outqualifying his team mate (who is shortly heading for the Mercedes seat).  Then there were no shocks in Q2 with the remaining Aston Martin out, Ocon, Tsunoda and both Alfa Romeos.

Thank heaven it is a sprint weekend as the final Qualifying session was equally as dull.  Hamilton easily came in first with his championship rival, Verstappen behind him.  Followed by the other Mercedes and then the other Red Bull.  Gasly got 5th again, he is showing strong as best of the rest.  Two Ferraris, then two McLarens and then Alonso.  Very predictable.

Into the Sprint and there were two shock announcements.  Verstappen had been seen poking at the Mercedes rear wing in Parc Ferme and was handed €50,000 fine.  Which Red Bull will pay anyway because he now gets a bonus for being on pole because...Mercedes rear wing was a little to big and a ball on a stick went through it.  So he was disqualified from Qualifying and starts the Sprint at the back of the grid.

Bottas got the better start over Verstappen with the softer tires.  Sainz also got up to second quickly, tripping the Dutchman into going wide and over the curbs.  Raikkonen had a lovely big spin too, being tipped by his team mate and giving Alonso, who had a front row seat a leg up.

Hamilton carved his way through the pack, at half way through he was half way through, ending up in 5th place.  Sainz qualified his Ferrari in 3rd, which is good for them and with LeClerc in in 7th, they are dominant over McLaren again (6th and 11th).

To finish the day Felipe Massa gave the top three a laurel wreath.  Sainz promptly gave his way and no one dallied on the "podium".

Mexico GP Race Report

Yet another first lap full of action, bringing out the safety car.   Ricciardo made contact with pole-sitter Bottas, Tsunoda went out, as did Mick Schumacher.  Ricciardo and Bottas had to go to the pits.  Vestappen was the winner, going into this pause in the lead.  Bottas, losing out going from the front to the back, had a scary moment as he sat facing the oncoming traffic.  Ocon also had a hairy time with an Alpha Tauri and Haas simultaneously going over top of him.

During the first stint, there was lots of overtaking through the field.  Particularly past the Williams who did not have a good package this weekend.

Having not pitted, Perez led his home track race briefly.  The crowd was quite excited.  There was further bad luck for Bottas with a 12 second pitstop.  Mercedes will be hoping that Russell generally has a better time of things.

With a confident lead, Verstappen did what he always does and started to hunt for potential problems, radioing in to inquire about tires and vibrations and other little niggles.

At the tail end of the race, certain drivers were frantically chasing others.  Perez was hot on the heels of Hamilton, who was beginning to sound very nervous on the radio.  LeClerc was told to move over and give Sainz a go at getting past Gasly, who had a very quiet yet successful race in 4th.  At the bottom of the points was a trio of champions, Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso.  In a move that some might consider petty, Mercedes pulled Bottas into the pits for fresh tires to attempt a fastest lap.  In P14, he wouldn't get to keep the point but Verstappen wouldn't either and in the end, he didn't even manage it.  So the team  brought him in again for new tires, kept him in longer to position him better relative to others.  Sainz also didn't manage to get past Gasly so gave the place back to LeClerc.   Everyone was still confident that Perez would still be able to get past Hamilton on the final lap.  He couldn't manage it.  Bottas did scrape Fastest Lap in the end.

As the flag was waved by an "internaional DJ", the Williams pair were plum last.  Verstappen parked his car on the tongue of some Mexican Heineken dragon.  Perez' dad was allowed out to the stadium section were the podium was held and went bananas running around with the Mexican flag.

Mexico GP Qualifying Report

There were only two talking points going into the weekend: would Perez be asked to move over to let Verstappen through at his home race and which engine will the altitude effect the most?  It seemed that the Honda would be slightly superior.  And would Perez be ahead of Verstappen at any point anyway?

Stroll, who was destined for tor the back of the grid anyway, brought out the red flag half way through the first Qualifying session.  Times have changed for the broadcasters, who didn't show a replay of the accident until Stroll was out of the car and clearly well.

For some reason Kimi Raikkonen nearly went into the pit lane and then came back out again when the flag came out was investigated.  As the drivers went out again, Sainz lost power to his engine.  This looked good for the Williams drivers getting a clean sheet through to Q2 but the engine came back to life.

The stewards were going to be busy after the session as they decided to investigated both Williams drivers on the pit lane entry as well.

So out went Latifi, double world champion Alonso, Schumacher and Mazepin with Stroll.

At the end of the second qualifying session, Giovinnazi spun himself out of contention, Ocon joined his team mate for an early bath, Raikkonen qualified well, Russell too and Vettel participated.

In the final session, the first set of runs saw Bottas put in a stellar lap to finish quickest followed by his team mate.  Norris took a dusty detour and gave the advantage to Ricciardo and Gasly was best of the rest behind the Red Bulls and Mercedes.  In the end, Tsunoda left the track, distracted Perez and brought out a Yellow Flag to compromise Verstappen's lap.  So, despite all the misgivings about the engine, the Mercedes locked out the front row.  With Bottas stamping his mark on the race by qualifying on pole, we all know he will have to give up that place (Hamilton was "very proud" of him).  Both Red Bulls on the second row.  Then Ricciardo outqualified Norris and seems to have finally found his mojo at McLaren.  Gasly's performance continues to dominate over Tsunoda.  Sainz also seems to have found his place at Ferrari and outqualified LeClerc.

Tsunoda, Stroll, Ocon and Norris are all headed to the back of the grid for taking an engine change penalty and Russell is moving 5 places back for a gear box change.  Really we could do away with qualifying and just ask the teams what they want to change on the cars.