F1 German GP Thread - Contains Qualifying & Race Spoilers as usual

[Fernando]

First topic message reminder :

Ain't doing it no one reads it anyway

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Doesn't look like Vettel can puncture the 1 second window with the dirty air. Bottas' to lose

[Guest]

Dirty air has killed Vettel's momentum.

The racing is crap this year

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Wonder if Merc burned a lot of fuel in the first stint. Ferrari have been massively faster than both cars in the 2nd half.

[Guest]

Bottas wins

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Bottas' attire might be slightly less white in a minute

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Massa

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Bottas wins it on the start. Ferrari slow at the start but underlined their pace after that. Impressive that Vettel could sit in the dirty air that close for so long. Hamilton absolutely nowhere here.

Not a great sign for this formula or track though. Spain likely to be similar so Merc will need to address their Quali pace sharpish

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But overall, if you didn't watch that race and are planning to watch the highlights, don't bother.

[dyrewolfe]

Wow - what a race! Haven't been riveted like this for a long while.

Congrats Valtteri on his maiden win (did it in fewer races than Hakkinen took to get his first).

I said it would need something special to prevent a Ferrari 1-2 and he did it with that brilliant start and great defensive driving over the last few laps with Vettel chasing him down. Decent damage limitation exercise from Hamilton who had issues with engine overheating, plus whatever setup problems he was dealing with.

Don't think Ferrari have too much to be disappointed about. They were only beaten by a pretty inspired performance from Bottas...and even then Vettel nearly clawed it back at the end.

Good race for Force India with 6th and 7th. Hulk picking up points for Renault and Sainz getting a point for Toro Rosso.

[nathan]

Massa

He didn't do much wrong. Of course Vettel will have a different opinion when in fact he lost it by his crappie start and Ferrari leaving him out too long

[nathan]

Really didn't think it was a great race, I want to see wheel to wheel action not I can catch you at a second a lap and then have to sit behind why the car overheats

[Guest]

All in all, you can't look beyond Vettel for the title now. It's the best overall package & its operating window is considerably larger than the Mercedes.

The racing is pretty crap. Vettel was never going to overtake Bottas, we haven't seen a Ferrari overtake a Mercedes this season, everything is decided by which car suits the track & the use of an undercut or overcut in the pitlane.

[Jermaine2015]

I fully expect Alonso to race at Indianapolis and then quit McLaren. Button assuming would replace him until the end of the year. Then Alonso would assuming return to team Enstone when they use their brain and sack the trash can Palmer

[Jermaine2015]

As for Sochi worst race of the season.

[Fernando]

I fully expect Alonso to race at Indianapolis and then quit McLaren. Button assuming would replace him until the end of the year. Then Alonso would assuming return to team Enstone when they use their brain and sack the trash can Palmer

Wouldn't surprise me to see Fernando in the Renault before end of season.

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I don't think he'll be in the Renault, but I can't see him finishing this season with McLaren.

[dyrewolfe]

Really didn't think it was a great race, I want to see wheel to wheel action not I can catch you at a second a lap and then have to sit behind why the car overheats

Well you're not going to get that until they reintroduce under-floor aero and drastically cut back the monstrous front and rear wings.

Within the current limitations, it was a pretty decent race...at least the first few and last 10 laps or so were. Middle section was pretty forgettable.

But remember we're lucky to get any kind of close-run finishes or high-risk overtaking these days.

[dyrewolfe]

I fully expect Alonso to race at Indianapolis and then quit McLaren. Button assuming would replace him until the end of the year. Then Alonso would assuming return to team Enstone when they use their brain and sack the trash can Palmer

Wouldn't surprise me to see Fernando in the Renault before end of season.

This was mentioned during the post-race discussion. Given that Palmer is proving a massive disappointment, it would seem Alonso's best option for a decent race seat.

[Guest]

Not sure why Alonso would settle for more mediocrity at Renault. He's too old now & he knows time is running out. He's more focused on the 'Triple Crown'. Taking on the Indy 500 & Le Mans, is the start of him transitioning away from the demanding season-long series, towards a more specialised, one-day event driver.

As for this Vettel/Hamilton duel, this could be such an anti-climax this season. It might end up reasonably close between them in points, but actual racing between them or any kind of wheel-to-wheel racing, looks unlikely. The Mercedes can't follow a Ferrari & the Ferrari can't overtake a Mercedes.

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Onto Spain which will most likely be more of the same in terms of on track action. Hope will be that drivers can follow in the final sector which is more mechanical grip than downright aero with the new cars, but I doubt it.

Better news is Spain's typically one of the hardest tracks for tyre wear which should open up some strategy variation as opposed to Russia which was a one stop on the softest compounds for everyone. Which is also good for a Ferrari car which has superior tyre wear opening up more strategy options than Merc have.

First time we'll see the hardest compounds, so will be interesting to see if Merc can get them in the right window for performance, which has been an issue for them on the softer tyres this season. On the face of it Spain should be a good track for the Ferraris, so will be interesting to see if Merc can claw back their quali advantage.

Red Bull have a major package coming for this race, Spain is typically well suited for them, but they have a big margin to make up to be really competitive. Ricciardo needs a performance, here and with Max typically struggling in Monaco he can make up some ground.

Not buying into the Bottas hyperbole just yet, he had a mega start but aside from that, he didn't really do anything all that special given overtaking was impossible. Expecting Lewis to bite back here, ill predict Vettel - Hamilton - Kimi on the podium.

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Merc also bringing a package to Spain that among other things will save them 6kg by ditching last year's gearbox for this year's intended model.

[Fernando]

[Guest]

Pretty pointless, but guess it's just to please the casual fan

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To be fair, I did spend most of the Russian GP staring at the cars and trying to work out what nationality Ocon was.

[Guest]

Mega upgrade for Merc. Pivotal weekend, you feel.

[Jermaine2015]

Alonso hinting at a return to the Scuderia...think Sebastian eats him alive, it's the German's team now

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Doubt very much Ferrari will sign him unless Seb refuses to resign.

Speaking of Alonso, the Honda engine has already blown up.

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Mercs a second clear in P1 albeit with Seb losing most of his session with car issues and Kimi making mistakes on his best lap

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Alonso completes a lap, but is slowest of all. Alonso: "The engine feels good, much slower than before. Amazing." https://t.co/PlYOmTo7iY

Welp, he ain't coming back after this race

[Guest]

Mercedes upgrade certainly effective, quicker during long runs too. Interesting to see if Mercedes completely out-develops Ferrari over the season. That will ultimately make Vettel's mind up.

[GSC]

Not a great day for Ferrari. Off the pace and problematic throughout.

But not the first time this season theyve been off on Friday and turned it around. Praying its not the case, was looking forwards to an actual good season.

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Kimi heads Vettel in FP3. Both Bottas Bottle and Vettel with engine problems

[Jermaine2015]

Alonso into Q3. Still driving like an animal

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Vettel told to stop on track by Ferrari, asks for clarification and continued into Q2.

[Guest]

Hamilton pole, Vettel second & Bottas in 3rd

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Suspect Vettel may well take that given the issues this weekend

[Jermaine2015]

Ferrari struggling in sector 3. Vettel had Hamilton on toast until the final sector.

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Also Alonso in 7th is result of the season.

He might be kicking himself for missing Monaco

[dyrewolfe]

Yeah - the Mercs do seem to have a distinct advantage in the last sector.

Hamilton and Vettel on the front row should make for an interesting start tomorrow, with Kimi and Valtteri in the mix behind them.

Fantastic effort by Alonso to drag his McLaren into 7th. Fingers crossed for him, for a decent points finish.

[Jermaine2015]

Kimi piss poor again. Bottas fluffed his last lap and still Kimi can't get ahead

[dyrewolfe]

Also Alonso in 7th is result of the season.

He might be kicking himself for missing Monaco

Probably not. While Monaco is undoubtedly more McLaren-friendly, it really would have been one of very few high points in an otherwise miserable season. Barcelona is Nando's home race and he always wants to perform well for the fans.

Obviously I'm chuffed for him and the team, but I'm not taking it as a sign they're on the road to recovery yet.

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No one is taking it as that, but on circuits where the power loss is minimised, that chassis is very competitive.

[dyrewolfe]

No one is taking it as that, but on circuits where the power loss is minimised, that chassis is very competitive (when the car doesn't break down).

Fixed it for you.

Even so, in Alonso's shoes, what would you rather take? A shot at winning the Indy 500 or a points finish in Monaco?

Just wondering when he's going to line up a drive at Le Mans...

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Indy car racing bores the piss out of me even more than Monaco so I may be biased; )

[dyrewolfe]

Yeh. Have to say watching cars driving round in circles doesn't really appeal to me either. On the other hand, they can race far closer together, which creates more opportunities for overtaking.

Don't really like the look of modern Indycars either. Its like somebody sawed a F1 and Le Mans car in half, then stuck the back of the Le Mans car onto the front of the F1 car.

[Guest]

Kimi needs retiring, useless now. Vettel looks good for the win

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Kimi and Max battled for the lead last year, neither completes a lap 12 months later.

Ferrari should blitz clear of the Merc in dirty air through the middle sector. Last sector is lower speed so not as bad but Lewis has to close up.

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Kimi tagged Bottas turning into t1 and got bumped into Max. Racing incident.

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Bottas kinda lucky to get away with that tbh, on another day he's pretty easily facing the wrong way at turn 1.

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Merc threatening a one stop?

The hards will be very slow by the end though

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