2023 Singapore Grand Prix - Marina Bay, Sep 15 -17

[101FlyingDutchman]

I honestly don’t think RB has it this weekend. Hence the desperate last minute tinkering which pushed the setup way out of the window. They should have just accepted the setup and gone for 3rd fastest quali car. They’d have more chance in the race. Car behaviour was shocking in quali.

OTOH delighted with Macca. Low speed traction is unreal

TD018 is the mail reason my friend…Flexi floor no more.

You are at liberty to think that. And what do we know, it may be true. But if next race they’re back ahead, you may need to rethink your assertion.

I’m not convinced it’s the TD that’s made them slip up here. Selfishly I hope so as it brings Macca to the front but the noises from RB leading up to Singapore were pretty pessimistic. Their last minute tinkering hasn’t helped their cause

[AR3-GP]

In 2015, Mercedes qualified 1.5 seconds off pole. An enormous margin with the dominant car that year.

For perspective, RB was only 7 tenths off the best Q2 time despite Verstappen making a massive error in the first corners. The 2015 Mercedes would have also been knocked out in Q2 and lined up 14th and 15th with todays tight grid in qualy.

The parallels are interesting though. 2015 was second year of new regs. 2023 is second year of new regs. Team doubles down on initial concept and becomes even worse in Singapore. Both teams discussed fixing the issues in the next season.

Next weekend will be a reckoning but I’m not sure that will be for RB.

[ValeVida46]

Next weekend will be a reckoning but I’m not sure that will be for RB.

Weren't you basing assumptions on TD transgressors to what certain teams were or weren't saying regarding the TD?

Sure Singapore is unique, but the timing and discrepancy from previous results to the 3 practice sessions and qualifying has you "not sure that will be for RB" at another venue.

That's quite an amazing validation metric you have there. Why would biased interpreting of PR outweigh track data?

[pantherxxx]

Agreed. If Verstappen wins this race, that would be legendary.

[chrisc90]

Wonder who will be the first to cut the first corner, jump a few cars and take the 5 second penalty....

[SirBastianVettel]

Wonder who will be the first to cut the first corner, jump a few cars and take the 5 second penalty....

Verstappen or Alonso.

[Juzh]

Verstappen has zero chance of winning today, even if they held their usual advantage it's just not possible from P11, I don't understand why it's even being suggested.
If in some weird scenario leaders come up behind him after they pit he'll be overtaken in a lap or two.
He'd need a 2020 monza-like race to win where all top runners have somehow taken themselves out and those races come up once in a decade.

[SirBastianVettel]

Verstappen has zero chance of winning today, even if they held their usual advantage it's just not possible from P11, I don't understand why it's even being suggested.
If in some weird scenario leaders come up behind him after they pit he'll be overtaken in a lap or two.
He'd need a 2020 monza-like race to win where all top runners have somehow taken themselves out and those races come up once in a decade.

Start on hard tire, go longer than anyone else, lucky safety car, voila.

[Juzh]

Verstappen has zero chance of winning today, even if they held their usual advantage it's just not possible from P11, I don't understand why it's even being suggested.
If in some weird scenario leaders come up behind him after they pit he'll be overtaken in a lap or two.
He'd need a 2020 monza-like race to win where all top runners have somehow taken themselves out and those races come up once in a decade.

Start on hard tire, go longer than anyone else, lucky safety car, voila.

Still won't work, he'll be 30s behind after 4-5 laps. TBH I think they're so far off the pace they'll be overtaken even in a like for like situation. They're nowhere on straights and in corners that matter for overtaking, mostly in sector 1, whereas ferrari excels here.

[search]

maybe not after five laps, but yeah, I think with those Haas in between, the gap will go out quickly indeed.

[Mogster]

Verstappen has zero chance of winning today, even if they held their usual advantage it's just not possible from P11, I don't understand why it's even being suggested.
If in some weird scenario leaders come up behind him after they pit he'll be overtaken in a lap or two.
He'd need a 2020 monza-like race to win where all top runners have somehow taken themselves out and those races come up once in a decade.

Of course has a chance. Especially if a 1st corner pile up takes out one or two of the Mercs/Ferraris.

[chrisc90]

I can almost guarantee there will be a first corner incident between the front runners.

[LM10]

I can almost guarantee there will be a first corner incident between the front runners.

It’s guaranteed your wish for sure.

[SirBastianVettel]

I can almost guarantee there will be a first corner incident between the front runners.

"RUS took #Lec16 out and then he went to #Sai55 #SingaporeGP"

[RZS10]

The FIA said no AlphaTauri representative attended the hearing. It appears that the stewards did not formally invite an AlphaTauri representative to the hearing, as per normal procedure.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/vers ... /10521252/

Thats on the FIA.

And now appears that FIA shooting themselves on the foot might have been a part of the unexpected reprimand.
Amateur hour at FIA, they love their gray zones.

It's all weird since Sargeant/Williams were at the hearing for one of the three incidents that were investigated, were they invited? Not invited? Could they just show up without invitation? Or is it just that the documents were not published and two teams decided to not attend the hearing? (Aston Martin also did not go to the one for Sargeant.)

All previous instances have the docs published where it's "impeding of" and "impeding by" for both drivers involved, only for the offender here.

Even still, there is no consistency even within all those documents:

Max impeding Yuki here:

The team admitted that there was poor communication on its part and that it did not advise its driver until Car 22 was alongside.

Sargeant impeding Stroll here:

Car 2 clearly impeded Car 18 at Turn 8. However in mitigation of penalty for the driver, the Stewards considered the fact that the team made no radio communication to warn him of the approach of Car 18. It is essential, especially in Qualification, drivers be given sufficient and accurate warning of the approach of another vehicle.

Leclerc impeding Norris in Monaco:

The Stewards reviewed all the preceding unnecessarily impeding penalties [...] In every case, the actions, or inaction of the team did not mitigate the unnecessary impeding. Thus the Stewards impose the usual penalty of a three grid drop.

They even write:

The Stewards reviewed a number of impeding and alleged impeding incident from this current season.

but use the excuse of "the driver was not informed (properly)" when they literally discounted that as a mitigating factor for Leclerc in Monaco.

Or for Sargeant:

Accordingly and consistent with previous decisions, a fine is imposed on the Competitor, who admitted that it had failed to provide an appropriate warning.

Which just looks like they're mocking everyone who is capable of reading.

I bet a further dive into all those documents would show further inconcistencies.