F1 2023 - Watchalong thread

[LookItsMeAgain]

At the moment it's pre-season testing and they are in Bahrain as that is where the first race happens

Is anyone watching the preseason testing at the moment?

Anyone follow the WTF1 personnel change over the past few weeks (social media channel) and that Tommy & Matt have set up P1 with just Matt & Tommy as co-owners?

I'm really looking forward to seeing what progress the other teams have been able to make since RBR had their wind tunnel time reduced due to their overspend in 2022 (that was their punishment for doing that).

It's a joke and disgusting that they threw all the spectators out. How much have they paid for tickets and then they don't get to see anything

The grid penalty is bloody ridiculous - even the stewards have admitted that they only gave it to him because the current regulations don’t allow them any discretion not to. Also appalling that the teams weren’t warned by race control about the drain cover problem and debris, leading to Ocon hitting the same drain when returning to the pits after the red flag was shown for the Sainz issue. It’s just embarrassing.

I am not a fan of Max Verstappen at all, but I do have to give him kudos for not being afraid to voice his honest views about the plastic shitfest that is the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The whole shebang is so cringeworthy.

Part of the issue is that there have been other tracks where a drain cover or something similar has damaged cars and the rules were applied. Yes, I feel sorry for Ocon and Sainz, but it is part of the cruelty of sport. Nigel Mansell lost a world championship due to a burst tyre - there are lots of examples. AD21 was so different which is why it stands out so much.

The big mistakes they have made is the original ticket prices were just ridiculous and then not factoring in delays, which frequently happen. I really feel for the fans, those who turn up for free practice are quite often really big fans of F1 but also those that may not be able to afford tickets for qually or race day. So being asked to leave before FP2 is really unfair.

Paddock club tickets were c$20k (c£16k) vs £5-6k for Silverstone. That’s a heck of a mark up.

Honestly the whole thing was an embarrassing shit show and so far away from what F1 is supposed to be all about.

You can accept the cruelty of the sport if it's a puncture due to a crash or whatever, but a 10-place grid penalty for a new engine that was damaged as a direct result of a sub-standard track is absolute garbage. No wonder Ferrari are apocalyptic about it!

@jennywasafriendofmrbrightside this has happened at other tracks e.g . Baku, it’s not unique to Las Vegas. Was it fair the planks of all cars were not measured after Austin GP? Was Spa 2021 fair to Lando who crashed in undrivable conditions or to fans who stood in the soaking rain for hours to see a race consisting of 2 laps behind the safety car?

Remember F1 do not always apply their own rules as written. They are very much under scrutiny for consistent application of the rules and there is a limit on new engines and gear boxes. What if by giving Carlos a “free” new engine you alter the championship by giving Ferrari an advantage in the last 2 races?

Lewis was given a 25 second penalty in Spa 2008 for breaking a rule that was only written after the race. A rule that was subsequently very quietly withdrawn.

RB spent $2.2 million more than any other team on their car and didn’t receive a racing penalty - was that fair?

@jennywasafriendofmrbrightside I suppose you could give all the teams a right to use a new engine without penalty. That would be fair.

Why couldn't it happen to a RBR car???

@LookItsMeAgain 😂

@LookItsMeAgain hahaha!!!

Truth be told, even with the 10 place penalty, they would probably still end up in the points lol

Jenson looks like a Kingsman 😍

Well we have got a more mixed grid but Max still on the front row. McLaren’s had a dreadful qually.

That was fairly dull, hoping for a more exciting race!

Poor Checo though. And the McLarens!

Would have liked to see Nando sitting higher than 10th as well.

ok who's bought a Bottass calendar 😁

We actually have a race.

I have to say it. Bias towards Red Bull all weekend again. Starting with the incident with Occon yesterday.

Piastri or Occon for driver of the day for me. Great drive from both of them.

I think Oscar as he had the clash with Lewis.

Sick of it now. Verstappen should have been made to give the place back when he pushed LeClerc off at the start. A 5 second penalty was pathetic. Why is he always treated so leniently?

The penalty was consistent with the rules, sometimes it’s fair sometimes it is not. As George Russell said when you are winning the luck goes with you when you are not it doesn’t.

At least we had a race with lost of overtaking. I would like to have seen what Lewis and Oscar could have done had they not touched as they were both flying through the field even though there was a DRS train. Sad for Haas going backwards, plus the Alpha Tauri’s looked awful.

I’ve not seen the buildup, but they did Miami style intros which are unfair on the drivers and teams as they are still working on last minute details.

That was an interesting one. It was great to see a really good mix of teams up in the points early in the race, but ultimately it's the same big teams who make up the top ten in the end.

Piastri had a great race again, Nando and Stroll both did well to sit tight in the points. Charles' overtake at the end was pretty smooth.

I'm with Jenson Button on the Verstappen/Russell one, that's it's more of a racing incident.
It was more the incident with Occon the day before that bothered me with Red Bull.

I'm glad Norris is okay, I was a bit worried when they said he had been taken to hospital after his crash.

What did everyone think of the track itself? I have seen people saying it's better than Miami, but I think the cold temperatures made it more exciting.than it might be normally. If the cars had been able to get heat into the tyres easily it might have been a much duller race. Las Vegas has been given a ten year contract (I think?).

One race left, I feel pretty done with what has been a fairly boring year in F1. Hopefully next year other teams will be closer to Red Bull.

I did enjoy the bit at the end where they drove in a limousine, but I wondered what Kimi Raikkonen would have made of it all if he had been on the podium 😂

Yeah I think the cold temp made it a bit more interesting @Sulusu - always good to have more variables during The Max Era.

I do think they need to look at the timings for next year. I can’t see how finishing at 4:30 am local time after FP2 is healthy for anyone.

In Singapore they try to stay on UK/Europe time but it’s not logical to do that in LV.

So this would mean qually and the race in early hours of the morning for us, but we had this in the past. Plus Aussies nearly always have to watch in the early hours.