Formula 1 - 2020 Season

As long as the information only relates to Merc's 2019 BD, the information transfer doesn't need to stop. RP would probably have signed a contract that said they're allowed any brake duct designs Merc used during 2019. I saw an interview with Toto that said something along the lines that the 2019 brake ducts were sent because RP needed them for either a media day or pre-season testing and they didn't have their 2020 BD ready to attach to the car. But this wasn't NEW information for RP, it was information they'd had for months. Using "illegal" components in pre-season testing isn't a problem, cars can't be protested until they're actually used at a race event (e.g. Merc's DAS couldn't be protested until the first race of the season). Testing is basically just an opportunity for all the cars to turn up and drive round.

If Merc have a contract that says "RP have access to any brake duct designs used on the W10 during the 2019 season, and they can request physical copies of the brake ducts", then they send them. This doesn't break the rules and it's not up to Merc what RP decide to do with the designs they legally acquired. Saying that supplying BD data after they were made listed for 2020 is like saying that a shop is liable for conspiracy for murder if they sold someone a kitchen knife they then used to attack someone.

The issue in question is just Brake Ducts, and while they do make a difference to performance, it's not the difference between a race winning car and being at the back of the field. The penalty is an estimate of the benefit that RP gained from using those RBD over the course of the season (i.e. maybe 1 position higher every 2 or 3 races than they'd have otherwise achieved), because they got to spend the engineering effort elsewhere to improve the car.

The penalty isn't "15 points + reprimands", it's "an estimated points gain from using the parts they shouldn't have across the season + reprimands". And the reason they got that penalty was because of the change in status of the brake ducts. No other parts underwent the same change from 2019 to 2020. And that one case has definitely been clarified as to be not allowed. They took away the advantage they gained, so I'm not sure how that then results in them coming out better over the year.

 

They took out 7.5 points per car for the whole season, not "advantage they gained". They also get to continue using them and further develop them from those parts instead of ones you actually develop yourself

 

Did you read the stewards decision? The reasoning behind it being 400,000 EUR and then 7.5 points per car for the whole season is what they felt was enough to counter any advantage they gained by not designing the BD themselves. The point I was making is that they didn't decide "The penalty is 7.5 points per car on which you use components you didn't design", it's related to the potential advantage gained by using those parts (i.e. if it had been a part with a different performance benefit, the penalty would have been different).

 

Well we should all be happy Max God is on the grid because he's the only one with half a chance at giving Mercedes a run for their money.

Mercedes screwed over their wingman again but not as bad as Racing Point screwed over Hulkenberg. They gave up 5th just to make sure he wouldn't finish in front of billionaire boy. I guess it would look pretty bad the guy that was just parachuted in defeated daddy's boy.

 

And what would Hulk do with that extra point from his couch next week?

 

Nothing but there is a chance Albon wouldn't have passed Hulkenberg so that would have meant more points (and money) for the team in the constructors championship.

As it stands Hulkenberg dropped back to behind Albon and just to make sure he couldn't do anything they put him on the softs.

 

How is it possible for a team to go so much backwards in one season? Alfa Romeo would be probably doing far better with last years spec car ffs. Kimi said after the race that when they finally found some grip towards end of the race, the car was vibrating so bad he had to slow down on straights to make sure parts wouldn't start falling off

 

Nonsense.

 

Finally Merc screwed up enough to be beaten.
Which is not to ignore Verstappens great performance qualifying 4th on Hard, managed them well -> did not suffer the extreme degradation lots of teams had.

Did not see what went on with RP.

Ricciardo had a rough time.
Albon started out pretty bad with really early pit but clawed back a lot.
Vettel continues embarrassing form, LeClerc did pretty well bumping 8th-4th but got breezed past like a back-marker (by Hamilton?) near the end
Gasly had a bad time too after a great qualifying.

Kvyat managed a bunch of early place gains from poor 16th on grid & a decently long first stint which put him ahead of Gasly after 2nd pits & finished with a point.

Edit: oh Ocon went 14th -> 8th on a 1 stop which is a worthy effort.

 

So who was he blaming for spinning before the first corner?

Ferrari should just sign Hulk to fill in for the rest of the season.

 

I thought it was interesting that someone on tv blamed Vettel for not being aggressive enough but at the same time he spun just for that reason - he had a really great start overtaking almost two cars before him and then I think Albon basically pushed him on to the curbs which was mostly what caused him to spin.

So in other words he had been too aggressive if anything, but he would have crashed into Albon if he had taken the normal line. Which I do think he would have been allowed to do though but finishing is better than not finishing.

And yeah LeClerc seems to manage better with less downforce. He also did a great job managing his tires to only do one pitstop. This is also why it did not make any sense to even try to slow down the much faster Hamilton. He could have never kept him behind him on this fast and wide track where overtaking is considered easy, and he just had to focus on managing his tires to the extreme to get the amazing result he got in the end (4th being amazing considering how bad the car is I mean).

 

Bottas, the Bird Killer...
Both MGPs are ~ one second faster, looks good for Vettel.

 

Yeah Vettel got a new chassis and seemed a lot happier as he was much closer today than ever.



Second Practice

 

BTW, any of you follow MotoGP? What did you think of Brad Binder and KTM winning their first MotoGP?

Very mature in his thinking too.

https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/n...widget&ic_medium=widget&ic_campaign=widget-22

 

Spanish GP Qualifying: Top 10
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
3. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
4. Sergio Perez, Racing Point
5. Lance Stroll, Racing Point
6. Alexander Albon, Red Bull
7. Carlos Sainz, McLaren
8. Lando Norris, McLaren
9. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
10. Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri

Pole number 92 for Lewis by just 0.059.

 

Vettel 11th, .002 out.

I guess the new chassis was too new or something.

 

Still, .3 or whatever he is off LeClerc is an improvement, and hopefully he starts on mediums to make things interesting. Albon still like .7 off Max in quali. Gasly really doing well ATM. Grosjean’s car had the engine replaced and apparently lost his “good front end” that had him fifth in P2.

 

Was a pretty boring race up front.
Vettel had a scorcher somehow managing to 1-stop with really long 2nd stint on Softs & hang on to 7th despite falling off the cliff quite a few laps short of the end.
Leclerc had some weird engine issue & retired.

Lots of fighting in the mid-field but despite it & with 2-stops for most drivers not a lot of movement between start grid vs finishing places.
Looming rainclouds that would have shaken things up near the end never eventuated.

 

Bottas got a terrible start again as Verstappen and Stroll got by him. He caught Stroll fairly quickly.

Leclercs engine shut down in the middle of a corner and he spun. He couldn't restart right away so he took off his restraints, but then got it started. He went to the pit so they could buckle him back in but retired him with electrical issue.

Perez did a 1 stop, but ran through blue flags and got a 5 second penalty. Ultimately didn't affect racing point as it just swapped them. I believe 4th an 5th was their best ever finish. Apparently they planned to 1 stop Stroll as well, but changed him to 2.