Formula 1 2017: Round 8 - Baku Grand Prix

Harika

Round eight of the F1 WM 2017. After the not so optimal race for Ferrari, will they bounce back or will Hamilton take over the championship lead?




TV Times with lights out
Thursday Baku Grand Prix first practice live Channel 4/Sky Sports F1 10:00
Thursday Baku Grand Prix second practice live Channel 4/Sky Sports F1 14:00
Saturday Baku Grand Prix third practice live Channel 4/Sky Sports F1 11:00
Saturday Baku Grand Prix qualifying live Channel 4/Sky Sports F1 14:00
Sunday Baku Grand Prix live Channel 4/Sky Sports F1 14:00

Also will a Force India be on the podium?
Will the Honda upgrade arrive?
Will there be different tactics or a one stop race?

Harika

https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/status/877852348621746176

At least they can turn the power now fully up for the race. :pac:

HigginsJ

Harika wrote: »

https://twitter.com/andrewbensonf1/status/877852348621746176

At least they can turn the power now fully up for the race. :pac:

I know it is done in a sense of fairness but a 15 place grid penalty is bordering ridiculous. Why even bother taking part in qualifying, save everything and start from the pits Sunday with a perfectly set up car.

skipper_G

HigginsJ wrote: »

I know it is done in a sense of fairness but a 15 place grid penalty is bordering ridiculous. Why even bother taking part in qualifying, save everything and start from the pits Sunday with a perfectly set up car.

Good point. Although would they still need to get permission to race from the stewards if not having a time within 107% ?

Charlie-Bravo

What? You mean they were within the 107% rule all this time? Jeepers.

Harika

The 15 grid slot penalties made sense when made, but now with Honda catching up it is more comical than holding them back from gaining an advantage.

Cool_CM

astrofluff wrote: »

What? You mean they were within the 107% rule all this time? Jeepers.

That only counted if you were driving a HRT

AMKC

HigginsJ wrote: »

I know it is done in a sense of fairness but a 15 place grid penalty is bordering ridiculous. Why even bother taking part in qualifying, save everything and start from the pits Sunday with a perfectly set up car.

They need to do some driving to get the car set up the way they like it. But I do agree if I was MClaren-Honda why even bother with Quali? best to save the car for the race.

skipper_G

Jolyon Palmer quick interview with BBC 5 live, awkward

https://twitter.com/5liveSport/status/877995588368949249

skipper_G

LIGHTNING wrote: »

In fairness he does have a point

I thought it was a fairly innocuous question, and his frustration got the better of him. It's the source of the frustration that's really interesting, is it that he has no answer to the question or that it's being asked so much ?

skipper_G

Session red flagged, Perez in the wall Got it wrong headed into turn 9 and ripped the front right off

Joeface

Lap Count for FP1

Pos Driver Team Laps
1 Verstappen NED Red Bull 19
2 Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 21
3 Vettel GER Ferrari 19
4 Perez MEX Force India 16
5 Hamilton GBR Mercedes 16
6 Bottas FIN Mercedes 18
7 Ocon FRA Force India 23
8 Massa BRA Williams 25
9 RÀikkönen FIN Ferrari 18
10 Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso 11
11 Stroll CAN Williams 28
12 Magnussen DEN Haas 23
13 Grosjean FRA Haas 22
14 Hülkenberg GER Renault 20
15 Vandoorne BEL McLaren 21
16 Alonso ESP McLaren 20
17 Sainz ESP Toro Rosso 13
18 Palmer GBR Renault 15
19 Wehrlein GER Sauber 19
20 Ericsson SWE Sauber 20

Pos Driver Team Time
1 Verstappen NED Red Bull 1'44.410
2 Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 1'44.880
3 Vettel GER Ferrari 1'44.967
4 Perez MEX Force India 1'45.398
5 Hamilton GBR Mercedes 1'45.497
6 Bottas FIN Mercedes 1'45.737
7 Ocon FRA Force India 1'45.752
8 Massa BRA Williams 1'45.968
9 RÀikkönen FIN Ferrari 1'46.000
10 Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso 1'46.617
11 Stroll CAN Williams 1'46.649
12 Magnussen DEN Haas 1'46.721
13 Grosjean FRA Haas 1'46.837
14 Hülkenberg GER Renault 1'47.217
15 Vandoorne BEL McLaren 1'47.446
16 Sainz ESP Toro Rosso 1'47.501
17 Alonso ESP McLaren 1'47.551
18 Palmer GBR Renault 1'48.525
19 Wehrlein GER Sauber 1'49.048
20 Ericsson SWE Sauber 1'49.937

Harika

Topspeed was something like
18. Grosjean 330
19. Vandoorne 314
20. Alonso 306

Seems like this engine upgrade is not delivering.

skipper_G

Harika wrote: »

Topspeed was something like
18. Grosjean 330
19. Vandoorne 314
20. Alonso 306

Seems like this engine upgrade is not delivering.

:eek: good lord

AMKC

skipper_G wrote: »

Session red flagged, Perez in the wall Got it wrong headed into turn 9 and ripped the front right off

He certainly left his team with quite a rebuild job not just the front right but also to the rear right and the driveshaft as well. He was carrying to much sped into that turn. Anyone else here think Perez does not like this track? The second time in two years he has hit the wall here.

skipper_G

AMKC wrote: »

He certainly left his team with quite a rebuild job not just the front right but also to the rear right and the driveshaft as well. He was carrying to much sped into that turn. Anyone else here think Perez does not like this track? The second time in two years he has hit the wall here.

Yeah he hit the wall at a more inconvenient time last year but he still qualified 2nd, started 7th because of a gearbox penalty and finished 3rd. I'd say he likes the track, because the car is pretty comfortable around there as well.

Hoping both he & Ocon will have strong qualifying, could be a tasty battle and a chance of a podium.

Mike Litoris

Anyone watch that session. Is that genuine pace from rb or did everyone else get caught trying fast runs? Horner said recently the solved their aero issues. If they have found chunks of pace we could be in for some epic battles the rest of the season.

TheChrisD

skipper_G wrote: »

Session red flagged, Perez in the wall Got it wrong headed into turn 9 and ripped the front right off

Turn 8 is just really stupidly designed. Get it wrong and the sausage kerb spits you out right into the wall. Move the inside kerb in about a foot and all should be grand.

PukkaStukka

Not again...

skipper_G

The grip levels are very low, lot's of people making mistakes. Max in the wall now.

TheChrisD

LIGHTNING wrote: »

You shouldn't be able to swan around making mistakes left right and centre and get away with it.

I'm not suggesting the drivers should be getting away with mistakes; rather the turn is unnecessarily tight and is causing the problems by unsettling the cars.

The kerbing juts out so much, it's like driving around the new roundabout in Clonee coming from the village - such a massive detour around a turn that should really be a lot simpler.

Inquitus

Not looking good so far for Hamilton!

Phoenix Wright

Is this a genuine RB resurgence?

Phoenix Wright

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Its free practice

I know, but nonetheless I'm a little surprised

chicorytip

LIGHTNING wrote:

Ands that how it should be, this is a the top tier racing formula. You shouldn't be able to swan around making mistakes left right and centre and get away with it.

Baku is simply not a top tier racing track. The narrow, high walled street sections combined with long straights make it incompatible with exciting racing particularly for a television audience. There's no sense of atmosphere at all about the place.

Harika

Harika wrote: »

Topspeed was something like
18. Grosjean 330
19. Vandoorne 314
20. Alonso 306

Seems like this engine upgrade is not delivering.

Somehow it's McLaren's fault, nothing to do with Honda.

skipper_G

Channel 4 has something on their twitter feed. EJ has some exciting news for the qualifying show. I will be watching

Jordan 199

skipper_G wrote: »

Channel 4 has something on their twitter feed. EJ has some exciting news for the qualifying show. I will be watching

I'm looking forward to hearing it.

skipper_G

That was a strange interaction between EJ & Bob Fernley. Anybody heard anything about what EJ said before? That Mercedes sent Force India a text asking them to pit in Canada.

Cool_CM

He's on now interviewing Toto now

skipper_G

So EJ's news... he claimed the Mercedes board agreed to supply Mclaren but Toto & Lauda don't want it to happen. He also claimed Petronas & UBS will leave Mercedes at end of 2018 and the board are intent on selling the team by then. And he mentioned the China F1 team, tapped the Mercedes badge and said "I'll say no more".

Subsequently Toto said none of that is true.

skipper_G

Both McLarens out. Ferrari seemingly struggling to get close to Mercedes

skipper_G

Wow that was a big moment for Massa . new underpants may be required

skipper_G

Well done to Stroll for getting into Q3 for the first time

Cool_CM

Red flag

skipper_G

Difficult to see many improving now. Only time for one flying lap

Harika

Who is that excited fan and how did he get in? Lol

skipper_G

Vettel struggling. Tomorrow should be an easy 1-2 finish for Mercedes. Hamilton 3 away from being the all time pole record holder now.

Special mention to Stroll who out qualified Massa for the first time

Cool_CM

Who is this dude?

skipper_G

Cool_CM wrote: »

Who is this dude?

Davide Valsecchi former GP2 champ does commentary for Sky Italy and ruins F2 races on Sky

skipper_G

EJ "those shades, I look like a drug dealer"

Vic_08

skipper_G wrote: »

Davide Valsecchi former GP2 champ does commentary for Sky Italy and ruins F2 races on Sky

You are not exaggerating, the F2 race commentary with this guy is unbearable, I have given up watching it.


Again the on-screen timings were malfunctioning throughout quali, this has been happening on and off since Australia.

It's hard to see Hamilton not walking the race from pole and with the tyres conservative it's going to be a one-stop race, maybe some safety car can spice things up otherwise Merc seem too far ahead this week.

Harika

Both formula 2 races have been chaos races with red flags because the track was completely blocked and several safety cars on top of it. But this was the same last year when then the F1 race was quite tame

skipper_G

Harika wrote: »

Both formula 2 races have been chaos races with red flags because the track was completely blocked and several safety cars on top of it. But this was the same last year when then the F1 race was quite tame

Watching it myself, turn 9 again.

AMKC

I thought the Qualifying was ok not the most exciting do. Still can,t believe how bad the Honda engine is even with the upgrade a Sauber with last years Ferrari engine was able to beat them. Think the Mercs might walk this but am hoping for a more exciting race here this year than the one we got last year. Maybe Max or Vettel can get out in front of the Mercs from the start.

Jeff2

Hi guys .
The line up for the start is interesting.
The Mercedes I thing will try block rather than go for it on start.
They've been told enought times now.
Max will go for and as has been seen can pull off some crazy starts.
Force India well just try keep their position and stay safe as if the finish there it would be great.

That my option and what odds on Alonso finishing.
Great race in rubbish car.

Jeff2

I bet the racer wifes were jealous of the walls today with all the hugs and kisses the lads gave them.
Massa I'm looking at you.:)

Burkie1203

Have some hope tmrw will be entertaining. The cars are a lot tougher then last year and its looking like its quite a slippy circuit. Wouldnt be surprised if there is a red flag at some point for an incident at turn 8

skipper_G

Think the real battle will be for the last podium spot. Mercedes looked in control in the end.

Jordan 199

Massa today.

GerryDerpy

Jordan 199 wrote: »

Massa today.

Jaysus some catch at the first turn.