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End User wrote:

What the heck.

Kickbacks?

In the Ecclestone days? Why do you think Bernie was eventually pushed out?

Captain Ned wrote:

End User wrote:

What the heck.

Kickbacks?

In the Ecclestone days? Why do you think Bernie was eventually pushed out?

He lost his job after the Liberty Media takeover. I don't think there was any specific reason, officially, beyond the fact he was not a Liberty man. Nobody wants the old guard hanging about (corrupt or not).

If Ferrari make Kimi give up a spot for Vettel I am going to scream something awful!

The large yellow "Ver-stopper" curbs installed a car-width outside the track limits at Circuit of the Americas this year to keep the F1 drivers a bit more honest appear to have done their job in discouraging most of the drivers from driving completely off of the track during qualifying. I wonder, though, if there isn't a better way to enforce track limits than by putting in large paved areas and adding progressively larger curbs. Maybe the paved areas just off of the course should be painted with a slick substance: go off the allowable racetrack and expect to either slow down a lot or spin out. The drivers routinely go off-track because it's faster than staying inside the lines. Make it slower and these masters of car control wouldn't have any problem staying on the track.

I drive COTA in iRacing. I'm not a fan. It is easy to go beyond the track limits. Practice makes perfect so I have to keep at it.

lol Verstappen getting stopped by the Verstopper.

In quali, did Max break his suspension on that kerb? That would be ironic

Max broke his suspension in Q1 on a similar curb a couple of meters outside of turn 15.
http://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/25037 ... e-car-kerb
Watch as, 42 seconds into the video above, he suffers the consequences of running almost completely off of the track. You can see from the black rubber marks on the yellow "sausages" that it wasn't the first time that Max (and a few other drivers) had intentionally run out there.

United States Grand Prix qualifying:
92.2 / 93.5 / 94.1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 324 kph
92.3 / 92.9 / 94.7 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 328 kph (203.7 mph)
92.6 / 93.7 / 94.5 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 323 kph
92.3 / 93.1 / 94.6 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 326 kph - 3-spot penalty for speeding under red flag
93.5 / 94.2 / 94.8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull / Renault - 314 kph
94.1 / 94.5 / 94.9 Esteban Ocon, Force India / Mercedes - 322 kph
94.2 / 94.6 / 94.9 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 317 kph
94.3 / 94.4 / 94.9 Romain Grosjean, Haas / Ferrari - 319 kph
94.4 / 94.3 / 95.1 Charles LeClerc, Sauber / Ferrari - 322 kph
94.6 / 94.5 / 95.2 Sergio Perez, Force India / Mercedes - 321 kph
------ / 94.6 / 94.9 Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 317 kph
------ / 94.7 / 95.0 Kevin Magnussen, Haas / Ferrari - 319 kph
------ / ----- / 95.3 Fernando Alonso, McLaren / Renault - 314 kph
------ / ----- / 95.4 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams / Mercedes - 316 kph
------ / ----- / 95.5 Lance Stroll, Williams / Mercedes - 320 kph
------ / ----- / 95.5 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber / Ferrari - 319 kph
------ / ----- / 95.7 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren / Renault - 314 kph
------ / DNS / 94.8 Max Verstappen, Red Bull / Renault - 5-spot penalty for gearbox
------ / DNF / 94.9 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso / Honda - 320 kph - Penalized for new power units
------ / DNF / 95.2 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso / Honda - 321 kph - Penalized for new power units and gearbox

Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!
Kimi!

End User wrote:

Kimi! ...

Excuse me while I run around shouting "Woo hoo, Kimi" at 1 am in the morning

I'm a Vettel fan, but I have to say he's been throwing away the championship this year, with too many errors and unforced mistakes. In contrast, Hamilton has kept it clean to earn his lead. Seeing Vettel tangle and lose out at Monza stung a bit but not as much as seeing Kimi lose the race lead (I was surprised at how upset I was when that happened).

So to see Kimi win on Sunday, by taking the lead, and keeping it was incredible. For sure, it won't hurt as much when Vettel inevitably loses the WDC at the next round.

The one unexpected occurrence was seeing two cars disqualified for fuel-related infringements - Ocon for exceeding the fuel flow limits on the opening lap, and Magnussen for using more than the permitted 105 kg during the race (on the very last lap!). I'd thought teams had a firm handle on this, seeing the last fuel-related infringement was at the very start of this engine era.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Max broke his suspension in Q1 on a similar curb a couple of meters outside of turn 15.

Thank you for clarifying, as well as the video clip.

Results from Austin:
https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula- ... ication-25
1 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari, 98.5s, 326 kph
2 Max Verstappen - Red Bull / Renault, 98.2s, 333 kph
3 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes, 97.4s, 338 kph
4 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari, 98.3s, 338 kph
5 Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes, 98.5s, 319 kph
6 Nico Hulkenberg - Renault, 99.5s, 326 kph
7 Carlos Sainz Jr - Renault, 99.9s, 330 kph
DQ Esteban Ocon - Force India / Mercedes, 100.0s, 337 kph
DQ Kevin Magnussen - Haas / Ferrari, 99.0s, 332 kph
8 Sergio Perez - Force India / Mercedes, 99.6s, 340 kph (211.3 mph)
9 Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso / Honda, 99.9s, 317 kph (1 lap down)
10 Marcus Ericsson - Sauber / Ferrari, 100.1s, 331 kph
11 Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren / Renault, 99.2s, 326 kph
12 Pierre Gasly - Toro Rosso / Honda, 99.6s, 331 kph
13 Sergey Sirotkin - Williams / Mercedes, 100.5s, 326 kph
14 Lance Stroll - Williams / Mercedes, 100.4s, 315 kph (2 laps down)
DNF Charles LeClerc - Sauber / Ferrari
DNF Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull / Renault
DNF Romain Grosjean - Haas / Ferrari
DNF Fernando Alonso - McLaren / Renault

Standings after eighteen of twenty-one races:
https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula- ... ifications
563 Mercedes
497 Ferrari
337 Red Bull / Renault
59 Sahara Force India / Mercedes
47 Racing Point Force India / Mercedes
106 Renault
84 Haas / Ferrari
58 McLaren / Renault
32 Toro Rosso / Honda
28 Sauber / Ferrari
7 Williams / Mercedes


346 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
276 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
221 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
217 Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes
191 Max Verstappen - Red Bull / Renault
146 Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull / Renault
61 Nico Hulkenberg - Renault
57 Sergio Perez - Force India / Mercedes
53 Kevin Magnussen - Haas / Ferrari
50 Fernando Alonso - McLaren / Renault
49 Esteban Ocon - Force India / Mercedes
45 Carlos Sainz Jr - Renault
31 Romain Grosjean - Haas / Ferrari
28 Pierre Gasly - Toro Rosso / Honda
21 Charles LeClerc - Sauber / Ferrari
8 Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren / Renault
7 Marcus Ericsson - Sauber / Ferrari
6 Lance Stroll - Williams / Mercedes
4 Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso / Honda
1 Sergey Sirotkin - Williams / Mercedes

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Maybe the paved areas just off of the course should be painted with a slick substance: go off the allowable racetrack and expect to either slow down a lot or spin out. The drivers routinely go off-track because it's faster than staying inside the lines. Make it slower and these masters of car control wouldn't have any problem staying on the track.

Dang! Adrian Newey has stolen my idea:
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/newe ... t/3201767/

Red Bull 1-2, nice, been 5 years since they owned the front row. Even if the championship's kinda probably done already, this'll at least make for good watching tomorrow as the cars behind should have more. Mercedes 3 & 5, Ferrari 4 & 6, eh, well.

Mexican Grand Prix qualifying and practice lap times (Q3/Q2/Q1/P3/P2/P1):
https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula- ... rmation-17
74.8 / 75.8 / 75.9 / 77.0 / 76.9 / 77.1 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull / Renault - 342 kph
74.8 / 75.6 / 75.8 / 76.3 / 76.7 / 76.7 Max Verstappen, Red Bull / Renault - 347 kph
74.9 / 75.6 / 75.7 / 76.5 / 78.1 / 78.1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 348 kph
75.0 / 75.7 / 76.1 / 76.6 / 78.0 / 78.7 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 354 kph
75.2 / 75.9 / 75.6 / 78.8 / 78.1 / 78.3 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 347 kph
75.3 / 76.0 / 76.4 / 77.0 / 78.1 / 78.9 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 356.4 kph (221½ mph)
75.8 / 76.1 / 76.5 / 77.6 / 78.0 / 78.0 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault - 343 kph
76.1 / 76.2 / 76.8 / 77.3 / 78.0 / 77.9 Carlos Sainz Jr., Renault - 342 kph
76.2 / 76.3 / 76.9 / 77.0 / 79.0 / ----- Charles LeClerc, Sauber / Ferrari - 352 kph
76.5 / 76.6 / 76.7 / 77.6 / 79.3 / 79.3 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber / Ferrari - 354 kph
------ / 76.8 / 76.3 / 77.7 / 78.5 / ----- Esteban Ocon, Force India / Mercedes - 350 kph
------ / 76.9 / 76.9 / 78.5 / 79.5 / ----- Fernando Alonso, McLaren / Renault - 339 kph
------ / 77.2 / 76.2 / 77.8 / 78.2 / 79.1 Sergio Perez, Force India / Mercedes - 349 kph
------ / 77.2 / 76.7 / 78.6 / 78.1 / 79.0 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso / Honda - 346 kph
------ / ------ / 77.0 / 78.4 / 79.1 / 79.7 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren / Renault - 336 kph
------ / ------ / 77.6 / DNF / 79.7 / 79.9 Kevin Magnussen, Haas / Ferrari - 350 kph
------ / ------ / 76.9 / 78.1 / 78.7 / 79.3 Romain Grosjean, Haas / Ferrari - 348 kph - 3 spot penalty for wrecking LeClerc in Austin
------ / ------ / 77.7 / 78.7 / 79.2 / 80.1 Lance Stroll, Williams / Mercedes - 350 kph
------ / ------ / 77.9 / 78.7 / 79.3 / 79.9 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams / Mercedes - 347 kph
------- / DNF / 76.8 / 77.5 / 79.0 / DNF Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso / Honda - 346 kph - 20 spot penalty for power unit and gearbox

The driver's championship is done. Even if Lewis Hamilton decided to retire from racing before tomorrow's race to focus on his fashion career, it's very unlikely that Vettel would win all three remaining races. The constructor's championship is a bit closer, but Mercedes definitely has the upper hand there, as well.

Standings after nineteen of twenty-one races:
https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula- ... ifications
585 Mercedes
530 Ferrari
362 Red Bull / Renault
114 Renault
59 Sahara Force India / Mercedes
47 Racing Point Force India / Mercedes
84 Haas / Ferrari
62 McLaren / Renault
36 Sauber / Ferrari
33 Toro Rosso / Honda
7 Williams / Mercedes


358 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - fifth driver's championship
294 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
236 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
227 Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes
216 Max Verstappen - Red Bull / Renault
146 Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull / Renault
69 Nico Hulkenberg - Renault
57 Sergio Perez - Force India / Mercedes
53 Kevin Magnussen - Haas / Ferrari
50 Fernando Alonso - McLaren / Renault
49 Esteban Ocon - Force India / Mercedes
45 Carlos Sainz Jr - Renault
31 Romain Grosjean - Haas / Ferrari
29 Pierre Gasly - Toro Rosso / Honda
27 Charles LeClerc - Sauber / Ferrari
12 Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren / Renault
9 Marcus Ericsson - Sauber / Ferrari
6 Lance Stroll - Williams / Mercedes
4 Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso / Honda
1 Sergey Sirotkin - Williams / Mercedes

As a Vettel supporter, I've just realized that 2018 hurt more than 2014. Here we were given the tantalizing possibility of an actual shot at the driver's title, and results until the midpoint also seemed to be going that way, until it all unravelled. Oh, if only Vettel had driven like Mexico at a few more races, what might have been. And his behaviour on Sunday reminded me of what drew me to supporting him all those years ago.

That said, a deserved title for Hamilton. He upped his game really well, and is performing at a fearsome level. I'm sure even his detractors will have to agree that its not just the car. I'm also happy that the title was sealed at Mexico, the infectious spirit of the fans there deserved that (and the same would apply to Brazil). In my opinion, it would have been sacrilege for the title to go down to Abu Dhabi.

It was also very neat to see Max put in yet another mature drive. He will be a fearsome competitor if a worthy car is put beneath him.

A final bit of condolences to Ricciardo's fans, I'm sure there's loads of dejected people in Australia who woke up to the bad news.

Mercedes won the constructors championship and are closing in the Ferrari / Schumacher records for most championship wins in a row.

Max is a very fast peddler but he is still taking unnecessary risks - he should have left Ocon more room and then just got him back down the next straight, or let him unlap himself and vanish off in to the distance. He's still only 21, plenty of time yet to become totally awesome.

Leclerc's Q2 lap was a bit special - only one to improve on the track at that time. I agree with the commentators - I can't wait to see him in a Ferrari next year. Will he chase Seb out like Dan did?

Bloody fantastic news.

I hope Williams has identified the problem with their aero package. 2018 was a disaster from the get-go.

I'm even happier that Kubica's return was delayed by a year.

In 2017, Williams seemed a reasonable midfield contender. Today, we know the 2018 Williams is a dog of a car. Imagine - without that knowledge - how we might have felt if Kubica raced in a 2018 Williams, it would have soured the return (kinda like how Schumacher in Mercedes wasn't all that hot). Now we know where Williams stand, so fan expectations of Kubica will be reasonable and more forgiving.

I do hope that Kimi and he put in some good racing, it'll be nice to watch the old hands engaging in some fun, instead of just the big 3 teams.

Good point. He deserves a decent car.

Standings at the end of the 2018 season:
https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula- ... ifications
655 Mercedes
571 Ferrari
419 Red Bull / Renault
122 Renault
59 Sahara Force India / Mercedes
52 Racing Point Force India / Mercedes
93 Haas / Ferrari
62 McLaren / Renault
48 Sauber / Ferrari
33 Toro Rosso / Honda
7 Williams / Mercedes


408 Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes
320 Sebastian Vettel - Ferrari
251 Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
249 Max Verstappen - Red Bull / Renault
247 Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes
170 Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull / Renault
69 Nico Hulkenberg - Renault
62 Sergio Perez - Force India / Mercedes
56 Kevin Magnussen - Haas / Ferrari
53 Carlos Sainz Jr - Renault
50 Fernando Alonso - McLaren / Renault
49 Esteban Ocon - Force India / Mercedes
39 Charles LeClerc - Sauber / Ferrari
37 Romain Grosjean - Haas / Ferrari
29 Pierre Gasly - Toro Rosso / Honda
12 Stoffel Vandoorne - McLaren / Renault
9 Marcus Ericsson - Sauber / Ferrari
6 Lance Stroll - Williams / Mercedes
4 Brendon Hartley - Toro Rosso / Honda
1 Sergey Sirotkin - Williams / Mercedes

Let's hope that the 2019 spec cars will make for more entertaining races.