Official 2023 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix Thread ***SPOILERS***

[PhilAsia]

Siao said:

GiantCardboardPlato said:

honda_exige said:

Jos is a piece of st but again, tabloid bks has no place here.

Jos clasping hands with Checo:

you can really see their hands in that.

Apart from joking, there was a video in instagram showing them actually clasping hands. The angle is terrible[, but you can see it happening.

......armlock?

[Siao]

PhilAsia said:

Siao said:

GiantCardboardPlato said:

honda_exige said:

Jos is a piece of st but again, tabloid bks has no place here.

Jos clasping hands with Checo:

you can really see their hands in that.

Apart from joking, there was a video in instagram showing them actually clasping hands. The angle is terrible[, but you can see it happening.

......armlock?

Sure! Just see the link from EmailAddress above.

[HardtopManual]

Mark-C said:

there is nothing "vague" about "working on a car". I'm sure before the season we'd all have roughly agreed on what that meant!

Nothing vague about rough agreement.

[PhilAsia]

Siao said:

PhilAsia said:

Siao said:

GiantCardboardPlato said:

honda_exige said:

Jos is a piece of st but again, tabloid bks has no place here.

Jos clasping hands with Checo:

you can really see their hands in that.

Apart from joking, there was a video in instagram showing them actually clasping hands. The angle is terrible[, but you can see it happening.

......armlock?

Sure! Just see the link from EmailAddress above.

Funnily enough I have just seen the video from the opposite angle.

Jos.....fk me loosen up mate!


My comment was meant to be mildly amusing (due to Jos' past violent history) - I had not seen this til now

[Siao]

PhilAsia said:

Funnily enough I have just seen the video from the opposite angle.

Jos.....fk me loosen up mate!


My comment was meant to be mildly amusing (due to Jos' past violent history) - I had not seen this til now

I think it literally switches camera when he is about to clasp hands with Jos.

Jos's face is hilarious in fairness!

[NRS]

mat205125 said:

ChocolateFrog said:

The RBs are so far ahead I'm surprised they burn through so many new sets of tyres in quali. They could literally do the whole thing on one set.

Less than two tenths to Ferrari in Q3 in Saudi Arabia, and less than three tenths to Ferrari in Q3 in Bahrain ........ That's not THAT far ahead at the end of the day, considering what we've been used to during the last decade of Mercedes dominance.

Race pace for RBR, with the ability to hold so much in reserve, is truly outstanding though.

There’s a big difference these days between race pace and quali pace. Quali pace is much more similar, race pace has a huge difference. Presumably due to tyre degradation. Ferrari look to be second best for quali but burn the tyres too much in the race.

[PhilAsia]

Siao said:

PhilAsia said:

Funnily enough I have just seen the video from the opposite angle.

Jos.....fk me loosen up mate!


My comment was meant to be mildly amusing (due to Jos' past violent history) - I had not seen this til now

I think it literally switches camera when he is about to clasp hands with Jos.

Jos's face is hilarious in fairness!

Yes, I am aware it switches then. Perez extends his hand to Jos, so there was little Jos could do (if he seemingly did want nothing to do with the celebration)

[PhilAsia]

NRS said:

mat205125 said:

ChocolateFrog said:

The RBs are so far ahead I'm surprised they burn through so many new sets of tyres in quali. They could literally do the whole thing on one set.

Less than two tenths to Ferrari in Q3 in Saudi Arabia, and less than three tenths to Ferrari in Q3 in Bahrain ........ That's not THAT far ahead at the end of the day, considering what we've been used to during the last decade of Mercedes dominance.

Race pace for RBR, with the ability to hold so much in reserve, is truly outstanding though.

There’s a big difference these days between race pace and quali pace. Quali pace is much more similar, race pace has a huge difference. Presumably due to tyre degradation. Ferrari look to be second best for quali but burn the tyres too much in the race.

Additionally, Red Bull seem to have enough of an advantage to concentrate on race pace and less on qualifying

[Maxdecel]

Mercedes snitch on Aston Martin - https://thejudge13.com/2023/03/21/fia-consider-ban...

Oh dear - PEREZ EXPRESSES HIS SUSPICION OF VERSTAPPEN - https://thejudge13.com/2023/03/20/perez-expresses-...

[TheDeuce]

Maxdecel said:

Mercedes snitch on Aston Martin - https://thejudge13.com/2023/03/21/fia-consider-ban...

Oh dear - PEREZ EXPRESSES HIS SUSPICION OF VERSTAPPEN - https://thejudge13.com/2023/03/20/perez-expresses-...

TJ13 'understands' that the FIA are considering banning teams snitching on each other. Come on now... That means nothing, they haven't even confirmed a source.

They seem to justify it by referring to race control and the stewards as the equivalent of a referee - but really they're more like Police - give them evidence that suggests wrong-doing and they're duty bound to investigate if the evidence is plausible. F1 has always worked that way as does pretty all motorsport.

As for comparing the Hamilton/Rosberg saga to the two RB drivers.. Hamilton and Rosberg was quite unique because they were able to do battle at a team that genuinely would not favour either driver. Even when the team was ripping it's hair out dealing with resultant stress and tensions, they held fast and said they had to sort it out on track, which they eventually did. That is a very different to Sunday just gone where RB clearly manipulated space for Max to easily take fastest lap to ensure he remained just ahead of Checo id the WDC. They obviously want Max to feel like a winner but it was too early in the season for it be forgivable to ask Checo to let Max pass - so they found a way to hand a small but meaningful benefit to Max without actually resorting to team orders and pissing off their (actually very good) no2 driver right at the start of a long season. That was quite smart of RB but it does also show that they back Max and due to that, Checo will never really be in a genuine battle for the title.

[Cold]

[Bowser87]

Says a lot about the state of F1 at the moment that the post race conversation is about how a drivers dad congratulates another driver….

[TheDeuce]

Bowser87 said:

Says a lot about the state of F1 at the moment that the post race conversation is about how a drivers dad congratulates another driver….

Or that, as per the above post, the drivers are stuck making jokes about getting a trophy, losing it, then getting it back again.

But I suppose it's all drama and drama sells. Motorsport, even when all is fair and professional, is still ultimately just drama.

It's not very 'pure' but I suspect Liberty with their new design for F1 and DTS are onto something when they conclude that the average viewer that laps up on track motorsport drama will also heavily invest and enjoy the off track shenanigans too. Even the FIA's routine cock ups make for some interest/drama.

Ferrari hardly ever do a good job these days but watching them constantly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is... mesmerising in it's own way.

Max is a hothead son of a reportedly violent father. That's outrageous in many ways of course yet it adds more drama - will Max ever flip out to a greater extent than 'perhaps' causing a collision or shoving another driver off the weighing scales in frustration?

Drama drama drama... The sports pressure sets up the potential for drama and when drama results, it's celebrated.

[Sandpit Steve]

Cold said:

Ha ha, so it did go home with George!

The younger drivers can be quite funny on the social media banter. Don’t they actually live around the corner from each other in Monaco? Or perhaps George will take it all the way to Melbourne to hand it over.

[PhilAsia]

EmailAddress said:

Sandpit Steve said:

Cold said:

Ha ha, so it did go home with George!

The younger drivers can be quite funny on the social media banter. Don’t they actually live around the corner from each other in Monaco? Or perhaps George will take it all the way to Melbourne to hand it over.

He should so do that. In some sort of, standing on Yellow Pages faux ceremony.

Maybe get Mick and Daniel involved too. All handing something back

......and Max

[JulietRomeo]

PhilAsia said:

......and Max

Simply simply lovely.

[NRS]

TheDeuce said:

Or that, as per the above post, the drivers are stuck making jokes about getting a trophy, losing it, then getting it back again.

But I suppose it's all drama and drama sells. Motorsport, even when all is fair and professional, is still ultimately just drama.

It's not very 'pure' but I suspect Liberty with their new design for F1 and DTS are onto something when they conclude that the average viewer that laps up on track motorsport drama will also heavily invest and enjoy the off track shenanigans too. Even the FIA's routine cock ups make for some interest/drama.

Ferrari hardly ever do a good job these days but watching them constantly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is... mesmerising in it's own way.

Max is a hothead son of a reportedly violent father. That's outrageous in many ways of course yet it adds more drama - will Max ever flip out to a greater extent than 'perhaps' causing a collision or shoving another driver off the weighing scales in frustration?

Drama drama drama... The sports pressure sets up the potential for drama and when drama results, it's celebrated.

Reportedly? Isn’t it proven in court?

[HustleRussell]

Sandpit Steve said:

Cold said:

Ha ha, so it did go home with George!

The younger drivers can be quite funny on the social media banter. Don’t they actually live around the corner from each other in Monaco? Or perhaps George will take it all the way to Melbourne to hand it over.

They've done a little vid on Twitter of George handing the trophy to someone at the Mercedes F1 base and someone driving it 15 minutes up the A43 to Aston Martin

[Cold]

EmailAddress said:

Do they just drop it on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and then run off!

The leave it on a shelf in the trophy cabinet.

[thegreenhell]

Cold said:

The leave it on a shelf in the trophy cabinet.

Aston Martin F1 has a trophy cabinet?