In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, but he sure made the best of it with a P2 time.
In reply to crankwalk (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, but he sure made the best of it with a P2 time.
So, then. Two weeks where Max didn't dominate. Has McLaren really improved that much, or did RB just miss the boat twice? Next week in Monaco won't tell us anything, just based on the track.
I don't have to ignore first place to make the race interesting now, which is a benefit.
Max, I think, is really happy to have some competition. He's way more animated post race.
Maybe Red Bull has already started on the 2025 car which allowed Mclaren to catch up, however, I don't know even if they caught up if a pass would have been possible. I guess we will see after Monaco, as that is a terrible track for passing.
Love or hate Max (and I know there's a lot of hate for him here), you have to appreciate his genuine love of racing. Only a few hours after qualifying on pole, he went back to his custom-built RV with a built-in sim rig, raced a stint in the iRacing 24 hours of Nurburgring overnight, then woke up and won an F1 race. He's constantly on the sim rig between race weekends too. The man lives for racing, puts in the work to stay on top, and I respect the hell out of that.
In reply to maschinenbau :
Good points. I think pre 2021 Max was a very different driver and personality than post 2021 Max. It will take some time to change the opinions. The sim racing deal and his personality that he shows during those events is pretty likable. Also the whole Max and Lando bro fest shows he can be cool to people he likes. He really seems to dislike Lewis and I think that shows in how he races him and how he interacts with him.
I don't think Lewis was nearly as likable early in his career either.
F1 tabloids have Valtteri Bottas going back to where it all began at Williams https://www.planetf1.com/news/valtteri-bottas-williams-signing-report-f1-2025-seat
In reply to NY Nick :
Agree 100% on all points made. :)
Btw how nice was it see a race on an old school track with grass and gravel vs painted asphalt or concrete/armco barriers :)
In reply to NY Nick :
We'll see how it works when Max has to fight for position in a car that's not 2s/lap faster than the rest of the field. That's something he hasn't had to do since 2021, so we don't know how much he's evolved there.
Wanted to throw this hot take into the atmosphere:
Carlos to Red Bull.
why? Well most are saying that due to his dads ties to Audi, he is a shoo-in for that seat. However, Carlos Sr recently signed a contract with Ford for his rally career, and ford is also part of the Red Bull engine plan. So is this the first sign of stars aligning for a RB deal? If this happens...does he take Max or Checo's seat?
In reply to Hoppps :
I can see Carlos to RB,they need a stronger driver pairing across a season not just occasionally....and Checo looks like he's starting to follow last yrs trend of losing his mojo.
Despite the turmoil at RB over the short term I don't see Max being lured away to Merc like suggested anytime soon unless he sees the '26 RB engine as a dud.
Red Bull says it isn't going to happen. Audi has laid a suitcase full of cash on the table.
https://us.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-says-it-cant-match-very-lucrative-audi-offer-to-sainz/10600095/
I might actually cough up the money to go to a GP if Seb always brought out a vintage car and did high speed demo laps.
So nice with no commentary, just the car and crowd noises.
Can't embed the video but here's a link to his laps in Senna's 93 McLaren
Classy.
Some breaking/braking news from Brembo:
THE EIGHTH ROUND OF THE FORMULA 1 SEASON
Just seven days after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Formula 1 moves to the Principality for the Monaco Grand Prix. The inaugural edition in 1929 was an invitation-only race with 16 cars participating, but only 3 were able to complete the scheduled 100 laps. The first Monaco Grand Prix that counted for the Formula 1 World Championship took place in 1950, but due to regulatory issues, the second one had to wait until 1955.
GP data
According to Brembo technicians, the 3.337-kilometer-long Circuit de Monaco is classified as a medium difficulty track for brakes. On a scale from 1 to 5, it has earned a difficulty rating of 3 because, despite having 12 braking points per lap, not a single brake application lasts longer than 90 meters. Each driver uses the brakes for more than 17 seconds per lap, which is equivalent to 24% of the race duration.
• Brembo Identity Card- PDF format: Brembo - Formula 1 - archive
• Hardest Braking Point video-.mp4 format: https://we.tl/t-SWaq6GQaZz
• Hardest Braking Point YT link: https://youtu.be/BIqIexThRgk
• Web news link: https://www.brembo.com/en/company/news/2024-formula1-monaco-gp-brembo-brakes
F1 VS Formula E
Since 2015, Formula E has also raced on the Circuit de Monaco, but in the first three editions, the electric single seaters did so on a shortened version of the track, measuring just 1.765 km and covering distances between 47 and 51 laps, for a maximum of 90 km. In 2021, Formula E used the full circuit, but with a modification that reduced the lap distance to 3.318 km. Since 2022, the layout has been identical to that of Formula 1.
Compared to Formula 1, Formula E uses 18mm thick carbon discs at the front, while the rear discs are made of steel and are 4mm thick. On the other hand, F1 discs are 32mm thick. Regarding ventilation, Formula E discs are not drilled, whereas F1 discs have between 840 and 1050 holes at the front and between 540 and 900 holes at the rear, depending on the specific choice of the team.
The Toughest Corner
The toughest corner for the braking system on the Circuit de Monaco in Formula 1 is the one after the tunnel, Turn 10, where the cars go from 283 km/h to 93 km/h in 1.91 seconds, covering 86 meters. The effort required from the drivers is considerable: they experience a maximum deceleration of 4.7 g and need to apply a 148 kg load on the brake pedal. The braking power is 2,265 kW.
The Last Ligier
Ligier competed in Formula 1 from 1976 to 1996, achieving 8 victories before the advent of turbo engines. However, after winning the 1981 Canadian GP with Jacques Laffite, victory seemed elusive. The curse was broken by Olivier Panis, who won the 1996 Monaco GP, which ended early due to the 2-hour time limit: that day, Panis drove the JS43 powered by a Mugen Honda engine and equipped with Brembo brakes. This would be Ligier's last victory, as the French team left Formula 1 at the end of the year.
The Three Monégasques
Despite being the second smallest country in the world, the Principality of Monaco has been represented in Formula 1 by three drivers. The most famous is Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who has started 130 GPs with 5 victories and 23 pole positions. The first Monégasque to stand on the podium was Louis Chiron, at his home race in 1950: he finished 3rd with Maserati, behind a Ferrari and an Alfa Romeo. Lastly, Olivier Beretta competed in 9 GPs in 1994, with his best result being 7th place in Germany.
Took in the F1 experience that opened this week in Toronto,it 
was allright.
Still blows me away that Grosjean escaped from this.
More news from the F1 tabloids
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/williams-in-advanced-talks-with-sainz-over-2025-f1-deal/10614477/
If Williams can pull this off it will be the driver move of the century. Meanwhile Hamilton on top of FP1, Max and Sergio in P11 and P12 respectively, with Max complaining to his race engineer that the car is too loose. I think that's a first.
06HHR (Forum Supporter) said:Max complaining to his race engineer that the car is too loose. I think that's a first.
To be fair Max always complains his car is undrivable then knocks out a P1 qualy and race win.
Sainz to Williams just feels so...underutilized.
maschinenbau said:06HHR (Forum Supporter) said:Max complaining to his race engineer that the car is too loose. I think that's a first.
To be fair Max always complains his car is undrivable then knocks out a P1 qualy and race win.
Sainz to Williams just feels so...underutilized.
Not if they snag Newey, too!
In reply to maschinenbau :
Right now it does but perhaps not so much for '26 with the massive injection of cash,people and leadership Williams has had lately.
maschinenbau said:Love or hate Max (and I know there's a lot of hate for him here), you have to appreciate his genuine love of racing. Only a few hours after qualifying on pole, he went back to his custom-built RV with a built-in sim rig, raced a stint in the iRacing 24 hours of Nurburgring overnight, then woke up and won an F1 race. He's constantly on the sim rig between race weekends too. The man lives for racing, puts in the work to stay on top, and I respect the hell out of that.
This really makes me wonder how close this is to real racing. I know Max has a big budget for that sort of thing, but can the average guy build something even close to that? I have a cousin who flies for Southwest and has a very nice flight simulator in his extra bedroom paid for by his employer. They seem to think it is worth it.
The track simulations are about as close as you can get and the physics engines aren't far behind. The serious guys all either have access to sim rigs or their own now. Robb Holland did an article about his https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/32881/i-spent-8085-to-build-my-pro-sim-racing-rig-heres-what-i-bought
On pole for home race, let's see if Ferrari can make it happen!
Hass team cars disqualified from quali for a DRS wing infraction. Will start from the back of the field tomorrow
Coming to the green, two questions. How will Charle screw this up? Second, what does it cost to moor your yacht in the middle of the row backing up to the chicane?
That is one E36 M3 ton of Red Bull scattered all over the track.
K Mag into Checo, I bet he gets to sit out a race now.
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