All-purpose open-wheel (F1, IRL) racing thread

Did seem wildly optimistic by Vettel. Charging down a straight in the rain with two tires on the grass rarely ends well.

 

Two tires in the grass isn't the best move. Two tires in the wet grass in the rain is even dumber.

 

In case anyone was wondering why Gasly was so pissed off when he got to the garage…

He drove past a tractor that was on the racing line. At the same track where Jules Bianchi died after hitting a tractor in the rain.

 

Well, picking up a piece of retaining wall in the process probably didn't thrill Gasly, either.

 

And Ricciardo admits the obvious

Ricciardo not expecting to be in F1 next year

 

Max Verstappen made easy work of things once they finally got underway. Good on Sky to keep us with the better battles instead of just showing Verstappen out in front.

 

And the five-second penalty on Charles Leclerc for cutting through the chicane on the final lap completes the formality of Verstappen winning another world championship.

 

Interesting that Penske would do any deal with Kyle, given the history with Kurt.

 

Everyone really dropped the ball at Suzuka by not understanding the sporting regulations and knowing that they were racing for full points. It took quite a bit of the drama away from LeClerc’s miscue in the final chicane and was a bit confusing for viewers.

Anyway, at least Max has a legitimate World Championship under his belt. It’s been a truly dominant season.

The beginning of the season looked like it was going to be quite competitive, but Verstappen has just continued pulling away from the field.

 

Red Bull is shocked -- shocked, I say! -- that it got caught going over budget last year.
https://racer.com/2022/10/10/red-bull-surprised-and-disappointed-at-fia-budget-cap-findings/

 

I know Binotto and, obviously, Wolff are calling for the strictest interpretation of the rules and sanctions, and rightfully so. If the FIA baby steps this first year of cap reporting, it’s only going to encourage further violations.

If I’m reading the regulations correctly, any penalties, including deduction of drivers/constructors championship points, would happen during the first full year following the season in which the violations are reported. So 2021 violations would be sanctioned during 2023 season.

Honestly, if that’s the case, then why bother with the cap at all? Regardless of what Red Bull did to breach the cap — and hopefully the FIA is transparent about it — the 2021 season makes it obvious that it may very well be worth it in a tight battle for the constructors and/or drivers championships. A championship in the hand is worth two in the bush, so to speak.

If you can spend some extra money over the cap that gives you an edge for a title and/or gives you a head start on design for the following season, and you won’t receive a penalty until two years later, I mean, that’s worth it.

(Sanctions are on pages 26/27)
https://www.fia.com/sites/default/files/fia_formula_1_financial_regulations_iss.12.pdf