Agreed. After all the drama in the Practice and Qualifying sessions, was expecting a much more exciting race. Like you, I caught myself
quite a few times.
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I missed the race but seems like it was a good thing I did? Watched the beginning and the end and nothing changed.
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Weâve been spoiled by the unexpected results of previous years. This time, there were no spectacular crashes, no barriers being hit, and only one top six car retirement. Itâs a pity Leclerc started out of position; he could perhaps have fought a bit harder with the Mercs.
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Never realized Ricciardo was a mediocre driver until noe
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I thought he was doing well until that mistake. He was getting closer and closer to the two McLarens before him. Looking at how bad Hulkenberg did, it really shows how difficult the Renault is to drive currently.
And we know itâs not the engine if you look at McLarens.
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Yeah, Renaultâs pace is very worrying for a team with top three ambitions. They are nowhere near Red Bull and are getting soundly whipped by their own customer. Iâm delighted that McLaren are in fourth; if not for Sainzâs torrid luck theyâd be leading the rest of the midfield by a big margin.
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Championship Standings after Round 4 of 21
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Now, bring on Barcelona and those big upgrade packages!
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I think no matter what Ferrari does, it is already to late. They will have to fight the Redbulls for 2nd place
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Yeah, I donât really care what Ferrari does at this point. Theyâve been poor and deserve to get beaten. Iâm more interested in the midfield battle, and how it shakes out after everyone bolts on their new parts.
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I hope Sainz improves and shows the upper teams he is worth it. I really like him, would love to see him in a top team.
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Or he could stick around at McLaren and hopefully ride the wave of improvement back to the top. If their Barcelona upgrade works well, theyâll be in line for a podium this year in a race where the top teams get it wrong. Fingers crossed. Also, Lando Norris is a proper talent. Cool under pressure and very, very quick.
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I agree with this. I really want him to do well.
Well folk, the race might not have lived up to the hype, but it wasnât really too bad. I wouldnât say it was the worst race, certainly better than China.
I think it is safe to say that Mercedes now has the fastest car in Formula 1. Perhaps not on paper, but the overall package is far superior than any other team in the sport at the moment. Their drivers are on fire and driving the best theyâve ever did, their team is running like a well oiled German machine, and the car is a perfect blend of speed and down force. I suspect that the constructors championship will be won miles before the end of the season
Ferrari is their own worst enemy. Vettel looks like a wet rag on track, Leclerc is quick but hampered by mistakes and pressure, the strategy department is the most useless itâs ever been, and the team is in bad shape. And after 4 races, I highly doubt this claim now that Ferrari has the faster car. I believe that to not be the case anymore.
Verstappen must be bored out of his mind this season. Like seriously, his races are just being quick but not as quick as the front 2 teams. So he sits firmly in the 3rd fastest car, somewhere in limbo, not doing anything stupid on track because he never gets the chance to fight anyone. Gasly is finally showing some pace, but still far off Verstappen.
Wel done to the Maccas. Those McLaren cars are coming along nicely this season. With Renault being the slowest Renault powered car (ironic), Haas been in terrible shape, it seems like McLaren might be poised to take that âbest-of-the-restâ spot this year. Hopefully their car keeps on getting upgraded and goes from strength to strength.
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Good summary. Agree 100%, with one additional note: Red Bull have said they have some flaws in the car that need correcting. Assuming they correct those, and Honda keep making improvements, the Bulls will be beating Ferrari consistently before the year is out.
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thatâs assuming Ferrari doesnât find pace or the FIA deems major Aero components on the Mercedes illegal
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Possible but unlikely. Merc arenât winning because theyâre two seconds a lap faster than anyone else, theyâre maximizing the pace of the car and operating much more efficiently as a team. It would be very difficult for the FIA to do anything unless Merc are blatantly breaking the rules somehow, which I very much doubt. Also, Ferrari have seemingly regressed to their former âItalianâ persona, and are making silly mistakes instead of capitalizing on the opportunities that come their way.
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I think the only good thing Ferrari did this weekend was pull Charles in for the fastest lap point. That was their first clever strategic move in over a year
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See now, how do you take these guys seriously?
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