Carl!

 

Very happy for Charles, he's doing really well at the moment. I really hope that Verstappen can challenge them and get one of the first two places.

 

Ricciardo to the back.
https://www.espn.co.uk/f1/story/_/id/27668283/ricciardo-excluded-qualifying-car-breach

 

Not bad for Vettel! Very good for someone that apparently should retire. Max tried hard, and I didn't see how he could have done much better, so P3 is good.

 

Whether or not it was "fair" for LEC, VET needed that...
I wasn't able to watch the whole race, so I don't have any real opinion of the matter, but it seems that Ferrari did VET a favor, intentional or not.
But hey, you gotta be in the right place at the right time and I guess he was, racing isn't always purely driving...

 

OK, I'm very loyal to Vettel, especially because he was such a sunny, straightforward personality when he broke into the scene, and I like that he is interested in the history of the sport, whereas quite a few of today's drivers have no knowledge of/appreciation of it. That he has had some problems resulting from his intense competitive approach, agitated by cars that haven't always suited his style, and surfacing emotions, does not make him any the less a very high achiever. The recent quick-to-write-off criticisms have often seemed to me so much sheep-talk. And for those who pronounced from their armchairs that he is much too mistake-prone, just ponder on how well you would have done under the pressure yesterday of THREE safety car restarts - he managed them all beautifully. Post race reviews have tended to be quite downbeat (because I guess most favour Leclerc as the new wunderkid) but that's OK as too big a media swing to proclaim Seb king of the world again would represent unwanted renewed pressure. Both these are great drivers, and the Ferrari car and engine are good, but it's a sport and 'you can't win them all.'

 

Definitely fair. I am sure Leclerc had first dibs on pit lane priority. The undercut was massive, and caught Lewis out too.

@davy26 I don’t think anyone doubts Seb’s speed, but the amount of mistakes this season have been astonishing. Even yesterday his overtake on Stroll Gasly could have ended in disaster. An very unnecessary risk when you have such a car advantage under you.

 

I love how GRO never dissapoints.

 

How did he keep his seat???

 

Maybe he agreed to s*ck KMag's balls? Hulk declined the offer, and he did not get the seat...

 

This is for me the miracle of the century.

 

Sponsorship / advertising $$ ??

 

True. Everybody was bimbling around preserving rubber (because the pit time at Singapore is huge and leans towards a 1 stop) so the undercut was a nailed on cert.

 

He doesn't bring any susbantial money to the team. Neither does Hulk, but the latest was apparently asking too much. Should have been way more than Grosjean given how much Romain costs in points and repairs... He's nearly back to his Lotus days when even with the 20M he brought thanks to Total, the amount of repairs were more than what Total was giving to the team

 

How do you know this?

 

Sounds like payback for what he did during the Monza qualifying. Ferrari doesn't care. 1-2 either way.

 

I'm looking forward to ground effects and 18 inch wheels. Hopefully shake up the status quo.
My luck will have Red Bull make another 4 yr run. They do have Adrian Newey, you know <sigh>

 

He told it himself on some interviews

Total were the only big players he ever had and they left him when Romain signed with Haas. He still have some small partnerships but he acts like an ambassador to the brands and gets paid in return. Haas get nothing from them

 

So you really dont know.... Rich energy was a sponser at some point.