F1 Racing

[Duncan Glenday]

Steiner on the possibility of booting Grosjean - in his typically funny way. (read the whole article - it's short.)

https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1...021-f1-season/

[Duncan Glenday]

A head-to-head comparison of team mates:

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...279G28DYV_Zcfk

[Hal...]

[Duncan Glenday]

If practices 1 and 2 are washed out - do they still have the full compliment of tires available for qualifying and the race?

[Burley Wright]

No, they had to turn in the sets they didn't use, I think they have the same tires for qualifying and the race as they would have had if P1 and P2 had run normally.

[Duncan Glenday]

No, they had to turn in the sets they didn't use, I think they have the same tires for qualifying and the race as they would have had if P1 and P2 had run normally.

I thought that might be the case.

Pity - I'd love to see fewer restrictions regarding tires. I wish they weren't so central to ... everything.

[Hal...]

After Lewis, the standings have tightened up. Max has gained on Botas and the battle for 4th may come down to the last race. And look at 4th-11th:

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Bottas Max Ricciardo Perez Norris Albon Leclerc Stroll Gasly Sainz

161 147 78 68 65 64 63 57 53 51

Ocon is in 12th but with only 36 points after his DNF, yesterday.

And poor Norris and Albon, both with DNFs, dropped two places each.

-------------------------

The stats that prove Perez deserves a seat in F1 – but why he might still miss out
Lawrence Barretto
06 October 2020

For many, it felt unjust when Racing Point announced they were releasing Sergio Perez at the end of the season, not least because the Mexican is driving at the peak of his career and is arguably one of the most complete drivers on the grid right now.

The timing of the decision wasn’t ideal for the eight-time podium finisher, with most seats already signed for 2021. Haas and Alfa Romeo are the most obvious candidates with openings, but it is believed both are leaning in other directions right now, while Mercedes are set to re-sign Lewis Hamilton and joining the Red Bull family is a long-shot as they look to keep their line-ups in-house.

That means Perez’s 10-year stay in Formula 1 – which includes seven campaigns with Force India/Racing Point – could be set to come to an end. Take a look at the stats, and you'll see why many in the sport believe he deserves to race on in the top flight...

In nine full seasons in Formula 1, racing in machinery that has largely hovered in the mid to lower end of the midfield, the Mexican has finished on average 9.8th in the drivers’ championship, peaking with seventh in 2016 and 2017. Perez is just one point behind team mate Stroll despite missing two races this season.

That average improves to 8.5th when you count the six full years he’s spent with Force India/Racing Point.

When you remove six slots usually occupied by drivers from the 'Big three' teams, that is impressive consistency. He has scored an average of 3.46pts per race, having competed in 188 Grands Prix weekends. That equates to 63.70 per season, which is a score that is good enough for a top-10 finish in the drivers’ championship in nine of the last 10 F1 campaigns.

Qualifying has been the weaker side of his game, but he still has an average start of 11th and his skills on a Sunday afternoon are well known, with an average finish of ninth – that’s an average finish inside the points.

He's as strong off track as he is on track

And it’s not simply his antics on track which are important. He’s a team player. From being brave enough to put Force India into administration himself to ultimately save it and allow the operation to rise from the ashes into its current iteration to the high level feedback he gives the team, Perez is regarded very highly.

He was critical to Force India achieving their best-ever fourth-place finishes in the constructors’ championship in 2016 and 2017, when they were operating on a slender budget, scoring the majority of points in both those campaigns, racing alongside Nico Hulkenberg and then Esteban Ocon. Perez has scored five of Force India/Racing Point's six podiums.

In the last six full seasons – 2014-2019, there have been 381 podiums scored. Of those, only 19 have come from drivers in teams outside the top three. And of those, Perez has scored five of them (26%) – a considerably better ratio than anyone else.

He’s team leader material

His form against team mates has been strong, too, winning the intra-team battle six times in nine seasons, consistently better than Hulkenberg, Ocon and Lance Stroll.

When you stick Perez in the car, you know that he’ll get 100% out of the package, particularly on a Sunday afternoon. His tyre management is up there with the best, his feel for how they evolve and patience in the heat of battle means he can extend stints and ultimately do a faster race time.

It’s why Racing point were so keen to get him back in the car as soon as possible after he tested positive for Covid-19. Silverstone is a track which perfectly suits this year’s RP20. A podium in both races was there was the taking, and Perez was best-placed of their line-up to do that. Missing him hurt their points tally heavily.

Why he will likely still miss out

A driver with this amount of quality deserves a place on the F1 grid. His rivals say it. Respected F1 personnel say it. Analysts say it.

But as we’ve seen all too often in Formula 1 over the years, sometimes that is not enough to keep your seat. Timing hasn’t worked in his favor and while his experience is hugely useful in one sense, it requires a vast expense that will not be as favorable to a midfield team as a cheaper option.

Sure, he comes with significant financial backing through his suite of Mexican sponsors, but from that sum must come his salary. Suddenly, it’s not as attractive a proposition as, for example, a young prospect from a driver academy that will supply financial support.

Of course, there are still seats free – which means it’s not yet over for Perez – but the chatter behind the scenes suggests the door might be closing and Perez isn’t that keen on a seat near the back of the pack. Perhaps a season in Indycar beckons next year, before attempting an F1 return in 2022.

Perez will know that once you’re out of the F1 picture, it’s mighty hard to return. But if there is someone talented enough to do so, it’s Checo.

As I was reading this article, it struck me that there is some irony here. Perez took legal action against his own team to force them into administration. This was done to protect everything else about the team. This enabled the team to survive with new ownership, albeit with a change of name. It also led to Perez remaining in F1. Smart. But now in 2020, Perez will be out because Racing Point has no loyalty to Perez. Had Force India been able to get their ducks in a row and stay solvent, would they have ousted Perez when Vettel became available? I don't know but I doubt it.

So, the question is: should Perez stay in F1 and go to Alfa or Haas (Horner has indicated numerous times that not only will Albon will stay at Red Bull but the drivers in their program will be at Alpha) or go to Indycar?

And which is more difficult: going to a good team after a year with a back marker or going to a good team after a year in Indycar? Good drivers in Indycar have gone to F1: Andretti, Villeneuve, Montoya, Zanardi, and Bourdais. Zanardi even did two stints in F1, starting there, going to CART, back to F1, and finishing in CART. But I don't recall a driver ever going from a good F1 team to a bottom tier team and then back to a good team. Both options seem like the death knell for Perez if he wants to drive for a good team in F1.

Man, Checo got screwed.

[Duncan Glenday]

After Lewis, the standings have tightened up. Max has gained on Botas and the battle for 4th may come down to the last race. And look at 4th-11th:

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Bottas Max Ricciardo Perez Norris Albon Leclerc Stroll Gasly Sainz

161 147 78 68 65 64 63 57 53 51

Ocon is in 12th but with only 36 points after his DNF, yesterday.

And poor Norris and Albon, both with DNFs, dropped two places each.

-------------------------

The stats that prove Perez deserves a seat in F1 – but why he might still miss out
Lawrence Barretto
06 October 2020

For many, it felt unjust when Racing Point announced they were releasing Sergio Perez at the end of the season, not least because the Mexican is driving at the peak of his career and is arguably one of the most complete drivers on the grid right now.

The timing of the decision wasn’t ideal for the eight-time podium finisher, with most seats already signed for 2021. Haas and Alfa Romeo are the most obvious candidates with openings, but it is believed both are leaning in other directions right now, while Mercedes are set to re-sign Lewis Hamilton and joining the Red Bull family is a long-shot as they look to keep their line-ups in-house.

That means Perez’s 10-year stay in Formula 1 – which includes seven campaigns with Force India/Racing Point – could be set to come to an end. Take a look at the stats, and you'll see why many in the sport believe he deserves to race on in the top flight...

In nine full seasons in Formula 1, racing in machinery that has largely hovered in the mid to lower end of the midfield, the Mexican has finished on average 9.8th in the drivers’ championship, peaking with seventh in 2016 and 2017. Perez is just one point behind team mate Stroll despite missing two races this season.

That average improves to 8.5th when you count the six full years he’s spent with Force India/Racing Point.

When you remove six slots usually occupied by drivers from the 'Big three' teams, that is impressive consistency. He has scored an average of 3.46pts per race, having competed in 188 Grands Prix weekends. That equates to 63.70 per season, which is a score that is good enough for a top-10 finish in the drivers’ championship in nine of the last 10 F1 campaigns.

Qualifying has been the weaker side of his game, but he still has an average start of 11th and his skills on a Sunday afternoon are well known, with an average finish of ninth – that’s an average finish inside the points.

He's as strong off track as he is on track

And it’s not simply his antics on track which are important. He’s a team player. From being brave enough to put Force India into administration himself to ultimately save it and allow the operation to rise from the ashes into its current iteration to the high level feedback he gives the team, Perez is regarded very highly.

He was critical to Force India achieving their best-ever fourth-place finishes in the constructors’ championship in 2016 and 2017, when they were operating on a slender budget, scoring the majority of points in both those campaigns, racing alongside Nico Hulkenberg and then Esteban Ocon. Perez has scored five of Force India/Racing Point's six podiums.

In the last six full seasons – 2014-2019, there have been 381 podiums scored. Of those, only 19 have come from drivers in teams outside the top three. And of those, Perez has scored five of them (26%) – a considerably better ratio than anyone else.

He’s team leader material

His form against team mates has been strong, too, winning the intra-team battle six times in nine seasons, consistently better than Hulkenberg, Ocon and Lance Stroll.

When you stick Perez in the car, you know that he’ll get 100% out of the package, particularly on a Sunday afternoon. His tyre management is up there with the best, his feel for how they evolve and patience in the heat of battle means he can extend stints and ultimately do a faster race time.

It’s why Racing point were so keen to get him back in the car as soon as possible after he tested positive for Covid-19. Silverstone is a track which perfectly suits this year’s RP20. A podium in both races was there was the taking, and Perez was best-placed of their line-up to do that. Missing him hurt their points tally heavily.

Why he will likely still miss out

A driver with this amount of quality deserves a place on the F1 grid. His rivals say it. Respected F1 personnel say it. Analysts say it.

But as we’ve seen all too often in Formula 1 over the years, sometimes that is not enough to keep your seat. Timing hasn’t worked in his favor and while his experience is hugely useful in one sense, it requires a vast expense that will not be as favorable to a midfield team as a cheaper option.

Sure, he comes with significant financial backing through his suite of Mexican sponsors, but from that sum must come his salary. Suddenly, it’s not as attractive a proposition as, for example, a young prospect from a driver academy that will supply financial support.

Of course, there are still seats free – which means it’s not yet over for Perez – but the chatter behind the scenes suggests the door might be closing and Perez isn’t that keen on a seat near the back of the pack. Perhaps a season in Indycar beckons next year, before attempting an F1 return in 2022.

Perez will know that once you’re out of the F1 picture, it’s mighty hard to return. But if there is someone talented enough to do so, it’s Checo.

As I was reading this article, it struck me that there is some irony here. Perez took legal action against his own team to force them into administration. This was done to protect everything else about the team. This enabled the team to survive with new ownership, albeit with a change of name. It also led to Perez remaining in F1. Smart. But now in 2020, Perez will be out because Racing Point has no loyalty to Perez. Had Force India been able to get their ducks in a row and stay solvent, would they have ousted Perez when Vettel became available? I don't know but I doubt it.

So, the question is: should Perez stay in F1 and go to Alfa or Haas (Horner has indicated numerous times that not only will Albon will stay at Red Bull but the drivers in their program will be at Alpha) or go to Indycar?

And which is more difficult: going to a good team after a year with a back marker or going to a good team after a year in Indycar? Good drivers in Indycar have gone to F1: Andretti, Villeneuve, Montoya, Zanardi, and Bourdais. Zanardi even did two stints in F1, starting there, going to CART, back to F1, and finishing in CART. But I don't recall a driver ever going from a good F1 team to a bottom tier team and then back to a good team. Both options seem like the death knell for Perez if he wants to drive for a good team in F1.

Man, Checo got screwed.

Totally agree. This season alone Perez has been a constant on the 2nd or 3rd rows on the grid, and finishing well into the points. And - he brings big $$$ to his team. Very weird how the politics of F1 work. I thought of him as an also-ran before, but he's earned my respect over the last 2 years.

I think Horner is being very closed-minded about Albon. I also heard from several articles that as good as Gasly is, he's becoming increasingly UNpopular within the closed bubble of the Red Bull teams - so much so that there are rumors of him losing his drive. So - who knows if Perez and/or Hulkenberg might still be in the running for a 2021 seat.

What's (mildly) interesting to know is which drivers the technical teams respect the most. Among them Hamilton, Albon, and (most particularly) Vettel, apparently pay more attention to their mechanics wellbeing, keep in touch with their families, and help out where they can in other ways.

And in other news - Norris's radio transmissions were - interesting!



BTW - this was the first time that ESPN (in my area, anyway) did not show the race live, and interrupted the race with commercials. I really hope that doesn't become the pattern!

[Duncan Glenday]

No f***ing way!

Russell Out? Williams F1 Reportedly Considering Sergio Perez for 2021
https://www.essentiallysports.com/f1...erez-for-2021/


Typical of Williams in the past several years - they're going with moneyed drivers. Remember Kubica? And Stroll before him? Both brought big bux.

And now - if there's any truth to this report - Perez has big $$$ behind him, and spin-a-lot Latifi has more.

Russell is very talented and deserves a better team than Williams. Heck - I wouldn't mind seeing him replacing Bottas

[Hal...]

BTW - this was the first time that ESPN (in my area, anyway) did not show the race live, and interrupted the race with commercials.

Huh. I streamed it so I saw it live. Strange about the commercials. But let me ask you, did they actually leave out any of the race? I know in the past, when ESPN first started showing Sky's broadcast, they'd cut to a commercial but it was like they also hit the pause button on the feed. Yes, there was a commercial but the viewer didn't miss anything.

And I hate to be that guy, but consider the alternative: NBC having two commercial breaks during the last 10 or 12 laps of the Indy 500. That still pisses me off to no end.

[Duncan Glenday]

Huh. I streamed it so I saw it live. Strange about the commercials. But let me ask you, did they actually leave out any of the race? I know in the past, when ESPN first started showing Sky's broadcast, they'd cut to a commercial but it was like they also hit the pause button on the feed. Yes, there was a commercial but the viewer didn't miss anything.

And I hate to be that guy, but consider the alternative: NBC having two commercial breaks during the last 10 or 12 laps of the Indy 500. That still pisses me off to no end.

No - if there's good news, it's that they continued coverage exactly where it had been left off. MUCH better than a few years ago when the 3 US-based presenters would do the commentary live-in-a-studio, and the cuts to commercials caused us to miss race coverage.

[Hal...]

Here you go Duncan: What's behind the silly season rumors

[Duncan Glenday]

Here you go Duncan: What's behind the silly season rumors

Thanks - most of this, we already knew. But this was a surprise, and explains a lot:

The Red Bull drink is based on a Thai family-owned recipe provided to Mateschitz under agreement. There are imperatives to keep the Thai faction sweet, and perceptions among the media are that the team’s comments about Thai driver Albon...

And I agree with their conclusion:

which surely proves that F1 desperately needs 12 teams, not its current 10

[Hal...]

Yeah, I never knew the story behind Red Bull and once I learned that, Horner's comments now make sense since Albon's family is Thai.

Totally agree about more teams. Maybe once they put a cap on engine costs other teams may join feeling it's not too expensive.

[Hal...]

I saw this on my phone yesterday and forgot to post it: Grosjean surprised that both he and Magnussen were dropped by Haas

$100 says Perez will be on of Haas' drivers next year:

...Magnussen confirmed that, despite bringing backing from sponsors and partners, he wasn’t able to bring the sort of budget that could really make a significant difference to the team’s finances – a situation Grosjean said was similar to his own.

If I'm right, the question is who will be his teammate? The way everyone keeps mentioning Schumacher, I think he has the best chance. But there's also Hulk and some others. Who knows?

[Duncan Glenday]

I saw this on my phone yesterday and forgot to post it: Grosjean surprised that both he and Magnussen were dropped by Haas

$100 says Perez will be on of Haas' drivers next year:

...Magnussen confirmed that, despite bringing backing from sponsors and partners, he wasn’t able to bring the sort of budget that could really make a significant difference to the team’s finances – a situation Grosjean said was similar to his own.

If I'm right, the question is who will be his teammate? The way everyone keeps mentioning Schumacher, I think he has the best chance. But there's also Hulk and some others. Who knows?

If I was Gene or Guenther, I'd hire Perez (money, experience, and talent) and pair him with the best up-and-comer from the minor leagues. (Schumacher, or whoever.)

[NogbadTheBad]

Agreed

[Hal...]

Well, we've all been lamenting Perez's loss of drive and have championed him as one of the best of the rest, so I have to agree, as well. Aside from Schumacher, another I keep seeing as a possible young gun entering the fray for 2021 is Belarussian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin's son, Nikita, whose father is worth ~7 billion USD. Like it or not, how much money a driver brings to his team is now of paramount importance, especially for a struggling team.

[Duncan Glenday]

Well, we've all been lamenting Perez's loss of drive and have championed him as one of the best of the rest, so I have to agree, as well. Aside from Schumacher, another I keep seeing as a possible young gun entering the fray for 2021 is Belarussian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin's son, Nikita, whose father is worth ~7 billion USD. Like it or not, how much money a driver brings to his team is now of paramount importance, especially for a struggling team.

Yah - the reasonably good drivers with rich daddies brings down the overall quality of the field, IMO.

I heard Mazepin's Daddy wanted to buy team Haas.

Mazepin = Stroll Mark-II.

[NogbadTheBad]

Agreed, Hamilton must get on Bottas' nerves. Ahead of him all weekend then pipped for pole on the last run of Q3.

[Duncan Glenday]

Watching Portimao right now.

Future Pink driver Vettel has been outscored in championship points by another pink driver : Hulkenberg.

Albon being lapped by his team mate is a pretty sad performance.

Perez = driver of the day, followed by Leclerc - well-deserved.

Raikkonen did better than expected, in the points for much of the race, Good performance.

Gasly also did well - way way ahead of Kvyat.

[Hal...]

I was going to vote for Perez for DotD but forgot the link. By the time I found it, I saw Gasly & Sainz coming up behind him. In the end, Gasly passed Norris, Sainz, Albon, and Perez so I voted for him because, afterall, he was in an Alpha.

Incidentally, here's probably the most astonishing thing about today's race. Botas finished about 25.5 sec behind Lewis and Max finished 34.5 sec behind. Leclerc? Just over a minute behind! And everyone else was a lap down.

I thought Ocon had a good race. Danny Ric only made up one place.

Norris and Albon both had terrible races.

But Stroll - OMG. He was doing well for a while but then... well, I'm not sure what happened. He was just horrible. Two 5 sec penalties and some questionable driving.

[Duncan Glenday]

I was going to vote for Perez for DotD but forgot the link. By the time I found it, I saw Gasly & Sainz coming up behind him. In the end, Gasly passed Norris, Sainz, Albon, and Perez so I voted for him because, afterall, he was in an Alpha.

Incidentally, here's probably the most astonishing thing about today's race. Botas finished about 25.5 sec behind Lewis and Max finished 34.5 sec behind. Leclerc? Just over a minute behind! And everyone else was a lap down.

I thought Ocon had a good race. Danny Ric only made up one place.

Norris and Albon both had terrible races.

But Stroll - OMG. He was doing well for a while but then... well, I'm not sure what happened. He was just horrible. Two 5 sec penalties and some questionable driving.

Yep - agree with ^^

Bear in mind that Perez was stone last after his lap-1 spin. I was sad that he was overtaken twice at the end, but it's still a great finish after the terrible setback.

Stroll was a f***ing disaster,

[Hal...]

Latest standings; previous standings on the right:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hamilton Botas Max Ricciardo Leclerc Perez Norris Albon Gasly Sainz Stroll Ocon

256 179 162 80 75 74 65 64 63 59 57 40

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hamilton Bottas Max Ricciardo Perez Norris Albon Leclerc Stroll Gasly Sainz Ocon

230 161 147 78 68 65 64 63 57 53 51 36

Everyone else is in the teens or less.

I suspect Ricciardo, Leclerc, and Perez will finish the season 4th-6th in some order.

7th thru 11th is still a battle, too. If he can finish every race for the rest of the season, I don't see why Sainz can't finish 7th; his average (discounting DNFs) is 7.5. He may even be able to work his way into the next group. But I can't see anyone else doing that. Their finishes are too inconsistent and it's usually due to driver error, poor performance, or bad luck. Norris' average finish is 8.18, Albon's is 8.09, Gasly's is 7.8 (due to his win, otherwise it's 8.5), and Ocon's is 8.5. Again, discounting DNFs (the stats only show "Ret(ired)" so there's no way to know at a glance if it was from a wreck or otherwise).

I also can't see Ocon finishing any higher than 10th, if he can even finish that high, since he'd have to overtake the others.

Now, here's the shocker. Stroll had 4 DNFs and 1 DNS (tested positive for the coronavirus). His DNFs were engine failure, tire puncture, hit by Leclerc, and collision damage (i.e. shitty driving today). Including today's DNF, Stroll has an average finish of 7.75. If you include only the races he finished, his average is 6th! That's better than Ricciardo, Leclerc, and Perez whose averages are between 6th and 7th. If he doesn't have anymore bad luck and also keeps his wits about him, Stroll could place as high as 8th or 7th for the season.

You know I just realized Perez has no DNFs and two DNSs. If it wasn't for covid, he'd have an additional 14-16 points, based on an average finish of 6.4. He's finished in the points every other race and has had four top five finishes.

I never make predictions but for once I am going out on a limb and predicting Perez in 4th at the end of the season.

--------------------

BTW, I couldn't quite figure out why Red Bull is so loyal to Albon until I read that it has to do with the fact that the inventor of Red Bull is Thai and of course Albon is half Thai. I don't remember how it all ties together, but it's all about $$ and I guess Albon can bring it, somehow.

[NogbadTheBad]

Stroll isn't really good enough to drive at this level.

Now that Hamilton has the record how does he stack up with the greatest of all-time?

Fangio
Senna
Schumacher
Hamilton
Stewart
Clark
Lauda
Prost