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F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: Jericoke on June 27, 2021, 04:39:26 PM

Title: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: Jericoke on June 27, 2021, 04:39:26 PM
Heroes
Max Verstappen.  Great race weekend, dominant win.  If he'd needed more pace, I'm sure he'd have been able to dial it up.

Lewis Hamilton.  Got all he could out of his car.  A lonely second place.

LeClerc.  Even though he's a bit of a zero for his first lap, he put on a fantastic recovery drive to get more points than I'd have thought he'd get even with a good first lap.

A lot of drivers could fit the 'hero' category today.  A lot of solid drives for everyone.  Some good midfield action over all.

Zeroes
LeClerc had a great race, but he really screwed over a few other drivers en route.

Perez/Bottas  they're settling into a classic 'rear gunner' fight.  They're driving the two best cars, and they're not really challenging for wins.  It's nice to see them battle, but they both should be doing more.

Mercedes doesn't seem to know how to fight back in 2021.  Hamilton is doing his part to keep the championship close, the team needs to find something to support him.

I don't know what Russell has done to anger the gods of motorsport... but clearly he's not meant to have success in F1.  He looked like a top ten was possible (he does tend to fade later in races so who knows...) and then he developed pneumatic problems?  When was the last time anyone suffered pneumatic problems?!
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: Monty on June 28, 2021, 08:33:53 AM
A good summary Jeri.
I am really disappointed that RBR have found this incredible straight line speed. Don't get me wrong, it is clearly a good car with good drivers but I wanted to see wheel to wheel racing on the corners. At the moment the Red Bull just disappears on the straights (faster that any other car on the long straights and gaining over a quarter of a second on Mercedes!). It is similar to when Ferrari had a massive straight line speed advantage a couple of years ago - it just becomes impossible for anyone to overtake them.
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: John S on June 28, 2021, 10:05:00 AM
A good summary Jeri.
I am really disappointed that RBR have found this incredible straight line speed. Don't get me wrong, it is clearly a good car with good drivers but I wanted to see wheel to wheel racing on the corners. At the moment the Red Bull just disappears on the straights (faster that any other car on the long straights and gaining over a quarter of a second on Mercedes!). It is similar to when Ferrari had a massive straight line speed advantage a couple of years ago - it just becomes impossible for anyone to overtake them.

Unlike the Mercs being untouchable and disappearing into the distance for the last 8 years.  :-* 
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: Scott on June 28, 2021, 10:52:52 AM
I’ll give Perez more credit.  He’s doing exactly what they hired him to do - take the battle to Bottas and be there to pick up the slack and grab a bunch of points if Max’s race doesn’t work out.  To be fair, Spielberg only has effectively one passing zone, and although the Red Bull seems to be able to dominate on the straights when they are alone, when DRS is open, their advantage seems to be less good than others.

Zero:  The A-Ring is a railroad ring with very few exciting opportunities.
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: cosworth151 on June 29, 2021, 01:08:27 PM
Jeri did a pretty good job of it. I do want to mention Lewis again for getting the best out of the Merc.

My hero of the week is Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LRwiNDnels
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: Willy on June 29, 2021, 06:58:01 PM
Enough said above.
I find it interesting that Merc does not have a reply to the RBR setup.  How can they be caught so back-footed after the last 8 seasons' results?
There was a time not too long ago where we watched Ferarri run away with everything then Merc took over that position and now we may be on the cusp of RBR domination.
If you are a Lewis fan you still hope for a solid response and some good racing to come.
Max's fans are looking forward to seeing him run away with the 2021 season and championship.
I want some great racing and close finishes and can be okay with whatever occurs.
I still would really like to see Lewis replace Schumacher's name from the top step of # of championships.
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: Jericoke on June 29, 2021, 08:25:17 PM
Enough said above.
I find it interesting that Merc does not have a reply to the RBR setup.  How can they be caught so back-footed after the last 8 seasons' results?
There was a time not too long ago where we watched Ferarri run away with everything then Merc took over that position and now we may be on the cusp of RBR domination.
If you are a Lewis fan you still hope for a solid response and some good racing to come.
Max's fans are looking forward to seeing him run away with the 2021 season and championship.
I want some great racing and close finishes and can be okay with whatever occurs.
I still would really like to see Lewis replace Schumacher's name from the top step of # of championships.

Caps on testing, limiting number of engines per season, those rules were put in to stop Ferrari. The cap was put in to disrupt Mercedes.  They've had to change how they work, I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually, but they were really caught up with a cap and a car that doesn't suit the 2021 rules and nothing to really do about it.

I hope that with the 2022 'reset' mated with the cap we won't see teams dominate like Mercedes has.  I am still worried that with a cap in place if you show up with the wrong car day 1, you're stuck with the wrong car all season.

I do think that Lewis supplanting Schumacher is a good thing.  I think that Lewis is a conscientious champion who really wants to use his platform to change the world. (I can appreciate people who want athletes to shut up and compete, but Lewis seems to be capable of being a top athlete AND a top human being)

Maybe Max is a good guy on the down low.  Not all people doing good things like to call attention to it. (For example, Mike Illitch, the owner of a huge American pizza chain anonymously paid Rosa Park's rent.  It was never reported until after he passed away)
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on June 30, 2021, 01:26:42 AM
Red Bull is working the diffuser harder and so can run less wing which equals higher straightaway speeds. Merc has been pursuing a different philosophy and can't imitate the Bull in this area. I think they've mostly given up on 2021, which is why Lewis is talking new contract.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-shark-tooth-diffuser-helping-red-bull-inch-ahead-and-why-theyre-finding.1RONVzLifG2jt2RuuL6CbT.html (https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-shark-tooth-diffuser-helping-red-bull-inch-ahead-and-why-theyre-finding.1RONVzLifG2jt2RuuL6CbT.html)
Title: Re: 2021 Styrian Grand Prix Heroes and Zeroes
Post by: lkjohnson1950 on July 01, 2021, 01:49:28 AM
Here's another possible reason R/B is quicker than Merc on the straights, New oil formulation from Exxon-Mobil. Or is Christian just winding Merc up?

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/982312/1/new-oil-has-boosted-red-bull-s-f1-title-charge?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Int&utm_source=Newsletter-64352 (https://www.crash.net/f1/news/982312/1/new-oil-has-boosted-red-bull-s-f1-title-charge?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Int&utm_source=Newsletter-64352)
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