Excellent win for Gasly. Terrific effort and result for Sainz too.
Stroll (who I’m not convinced is that good a driver, by the way) and Norris did good too. A shame Williams couldn’t get a point today.
Not as disastrous a day for Hamilton, Verstappen or Bottas as it might seem, seeing as their bad results effectively cancelled each other out. Also, crashing both cars is a bad day, but Sky were talking like Ferrari’s chances of winning the race were ruined by those incidents, when in reality, they’re no more than also-rans at the moment.
Hamilton is obviously pissed off with his mistake, but it was a mistake and the penalty had to happen. No real harm done to his title bid in the end either, so maybe he should be relieved. I do understand his frustration - he was unlucky to be in the position he was in on the track when the pit lane was closed - if he’d been on the back straight, the team would’ve had more time to communicate to him that the pit lane was closed.
I’ve often thought that there should be a bit more warning for drivers in these sorts of circumstances. At the speed and intensity they drive, their concentration on different coloured flags and lights must be difficult to stay on top of. You can imagine as you’re approaching the pits that you might think “wait, was that a red X?” and of course, then you’ve got to interpret it and you’re making snap decisions.
It could be argued that the decision to close the pit lane when he was so close to it (and had already been told to pit) was a bit harsh, but rules are rules and you can’t delay a safety decision for racing reasons. He went through two red lights, there’s no denying that.
I’m not making excuses for Hamilton at all - he messed up and ended up throwing the race away and can’t blame anyone else, but I thought he was (at least a little bit) a victim of circumstance.
It wasn't Lewis that messed up it was the team. They had the information but didn't act upon it. Lewis was just following the instruction given to him by the team. A very unclear red cross on the boards (I actually thought that it showed SC and only saw the cross when they showed the slow mo) , which were on the far left of a sharp righthand bend is far from ideal. I don't understand why the pit lane closure can't be communicated to the driver on the dash just like the safety car. Surely a yellow safety car message could be changed to a red message to indicate that the pit lane is closed.
Excellent win for Gasly. Terrific effort and result for Sainz too.
Stroll (who I’m not convinced is that good a driver, by the way) and Norris did good too. A shame Williams couldn’t get a point today.
Not as disastrous a day for Hamilton, Verstappen or Bottas as it might seem, seeing as their bad results effectively cancelled each other out. Also, crashing both cars is a bad day, but Sky were talking like Ferrari’s chances of winning the race were ruined by those incidents, when in reality, they’re no more than also-rans at the moment.
Hamilton is obviously pissed off with his mistake, but it was a mistake and the penalty had to happen. No real harm done to his title bid in the end either, so maybe he should be relieved. I do understand his frustration - he was unlucky to be in the position he was in on the track when the pit lane was closed - if he’d been on the back straight, the team would’ve had more time to communicate to him that the pit lane was closed.
I’ve often thought that there should be a bit more warning for drivers in these sorts of circumstances. At the speed and intensity they drive, their concentration on different coloured flags and lights must be difficult to stay on top of. You can imagine as you’re approaching the pits that you might think “wait, was that a red X?” and of course, then you’ve got to interpret it and you’re making snap decisions.
It could be argued that the decision to close the pit lane when he was so close to it (and had already been told to pit) was a bit harsh, but rules are rules and you can’t delay a safety decision for racing reasons. He went through two red lights, there’s no denying that.
I’m not making excuses for Hamilton at all - he messed up and ended up throwing the race away and can’t blame anyone else, but I thought he was (at least a little bit) a victim of circumstance.
He also said that until now he had never seen these particular illuminated flashing signs in his entire career and didn’t know what they meant. His team didn’t let him know in time either, had they have done so he may well have put two and two together but by then he had reached the point of no return in the pit lane approach lane anyway.
Excellent win for Gasly. Terrific effort and result for Sainz too.
Stroll (who I’m not convinced is that good a driver, by the way) and Norris did good too. A shame Williams couldn’t get a point today.
Not as disastrous a day for Hamilton, Verstappen or Bottas as it might seem, seeing as their bad results effectively cancelled each other out. Also, crashing both cars is a bad day, but Sky were talking like Ferrari’s chances of winning the race were ruined by those incidents, when in reality, they’re no more than also-rans at the moment.
Hamilton is obviously pissed off with his mistake, but it was a mistake and the penalty had to happen. No real harm done to his title bid in the end either, so maybe he should be relieved. I do understand his frustration - he was unlucky to be in the position he was in on the track when the pit lane was closed - if he’d been on the back straight, the team would’ve had more time to communicate to him that the pit lane was closed.
I’ve often thought that there should be a bit more warning for drivers in these sorts of circumstances. At the speed and intensity they drive, their concentration on different coloured flags and lights must be difficult to stay on top of. You can imagine as you’re approaching the pits that you might think “wait, was that a red X?” and of course, then you’ve got to interpret it and you’re making snap decisions.
It could be argued that the decision to close the pit lane when he was so close to it (and had already been told to pit) was a bit harsh, but rules are rules and you can’t delay a safety decision for racing reasons. He went through two red lights, there’s no denying that.
I’m not making excuses for Hamilton at all - he messed up and ended up throwing the race away and can’t blame anyone else, but I thought he was (at least a little bit) a victim of circumstance.
It wasn't Lewis that messed up it was the team. They had the information but didn't act upon it. Lewis was just following the instruction given to him by the team. A very unclear red cross on the boards (I actually thought that it showed SC and only saw the cross when they showed the slow mo) , which were on the far left of a sharp righthand bend is far from ideal. I don't understand why the pit lane closure can't be communicated to the driver on the dash just like the safety car. Surely a yellow safety car message could be changed to a red message to indicate that the pit lane is closed.
Yeah, fair enough.
Although I was saying Hamilton, I sort of meant ‘Hamilton and his team’ but didn’t express that very well. Should’ve been clearer about that.
Regarding your point about the boards, I’m not sure that the replay view on the tv truly represents the real life view. The crosses looked a little blurry to me in a way that they maybe wouldn’t be in real life. Remember this is a very small, light camera attached to a car traveling at over 100mph. It’s not going to be a perfect picture. And an experienced driver should know the meanings of the signs even if, as I mentioned earlier, he needed a moment to process it. I think the team could have acted quicker to warn him that the pit was closed, but the timing was unfortunate.
I think fault has to lie with both Hamilton and the team, but I still think they were (both) victims of circumstance.
Excellent win for Gasly. Terrific effort and result for Sainz too.
Stroll (who I’m not convinced is that good a driver, by the way) and Norris did good too. A shame Williams couldn’t get a point today.
Not as disastrous a day for Hamilton, Verstappen or Bottas as it might seem, seeing as their bad results effectively cancelled each other out. Also, crashing both cars is a bad day, but Sky were talking like Ferrari’s chances of winning the race were ruined by those incidents, when in reality, they’re no more than also-rans at the moment.
Hamilton is obviously pissed off with his mistake, but it was a mistake and the penalty had to happen. No real harm done to his title bid in the end either, so maybe he should be relieved. I do understand his frustration - he was unlucky to be in the position he was in on the track when the pit lane was closed - if he’d been on the back straight, the team would’ve had more time to communicate to him that the pit lane was closed.
I’ve often thought that there should be a bit more warning for drivers in these sorts of circumstances. At the speed and intensity they drive, their concentration on different coloured flags and lights must be difficult to stay on top of. You can imagine as you’re approaching the pits that you might think “wait, was that a red X?” and of course, then you’ve got to interpret it and you’re making snap decisions.
It could be argued that the decision to close the pit lane when he was so close to it (and had already been told to pit) was a bit harsh, but rules are rules and you can’t delay a safety decision for racing reasons. He went through two red lights, there’s no denying that.
I’m not making excuses for Hamilton at all - he messed up and ended up throwing the race away and can’t blame anyone else, but I thought he was (at least a little bit) a victim of circumstance.
He also said that until now he had never seen these particular illuminated flashing signs in his entire career and didn’t know what they meant. His team didn’t let him know in time either, had they have done so he may well have put two and two together but by then he had reached the point of no return in the pit lane approach lane anyway.
Yeah, as mentioned above, I think these are fair points, but I’m not sure why he doesn’t know signs that are, presumably, in the rules and regs. I agree with your second point too and agree they could’ve done better, but were unfortunate with timing.
Even Jenson Button said for SKY that he'd never seen them before
Maybe so, but that just suggests that drivers don’t read the rules properly. I imagine it’s like the instruction booklet when you buy a new TV. Who really reads that properly? 😀
In all the years that I've been watching F1 I don't ever remember the pit lane being closed like that. Safety cars have always been the signal for cheap pit stops.
How did only Hamilton and Giovanazzi only not know what they mean though? How comes all other drivers stayed out? Cant say they were not told to box as Sky showed the Racing Point and McClaren pit crews ready so they were expecting their drivers to come in too.
One thing to note is that it took a short time before Crofts and Brundle knew about the pit lane closure and they have similar communication from Race Control as the teams. They only reliesed after Hamilton pitted and the McClarens and everyone else didn't with the pit crews ready and waiting.
I take what people say about the signs being on the left/saying SC/never seeing those specific signs; but only 2 drivers failed to adhere to them overall. Hamilton admitted his mistake, if not after a period of time, but thats it, a mistake.
Although I reckon the communication of pit lane closures will be looked at, what could've happened if it was a lap later when the stewards and KMags car were blocking the entrance, hence the seriousness and penalties applied.
In all the years that I've been watching F1 I don't ever remember the pit lane being closed like that. Safety cars have always been the signal for cheap pit stops.
And this is probably why Lewis went to the stewards - It was an unusual situation. Unfortunately for him and Mercedes, they read the situation wrongly. They just have to suck it up.
As much as this whole thing seems a little unfair on him, it doesn’t seem like it will end up being pivotal.
At least they can review the rules to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
How did only Hamilton and Giovanazzi only not know what they mean though? How comes all other drivers stayed out? Cant say they were not told to box as Sky showed the Racing Point and McClaren pit crews ready so they were expecting their drivers to come in too.
One thing to note is that it took a short time before Crofts and Brundle knew about the pit lane closure and they have similar communication from Race Control as the teams. They only reliesed after Hamilton pitted and the McClarens and everyone else didn't with the pit crews ready and waiting.
I take what people say about the signs being on the left/saying SC/never seeing those specific signs; but only 2 drivers failed to adhere to them overall. Hamilton admitted his mistake, if not after a period of time, but thats it, a mistake.
Although I reckon the communication of pit lane closures will be looked at, what could've happened if it was a lap later when the stewards and KMags car were blocking the entrance, hence the seriousness and penalties applied.
Hamilton was over 10 seconds ahead of 2nd place when he went in. It was just before this that the pit lane was closed. As a consequence, I suspect that the rest of the pack had more time to react and therefore stayed out. As for Giovanazzi, I don’t know. Just an error, I guess?
Hamilton was over 10 seconds ahead of 2nd place when he went in. It was just before this that the pit lane was closed. As a consequence, I suspect that the rest of the pack had more time to react and therefore stayed out. As for Giovanazzi, I don’t know. Just an error, I guess?
Is there a case for making the signs showing the pit lane is closed clearer? Most probably. But drivers reactions are second-to-none at the speeds they drive. They was 2 light signs with the cross on for pit lane closed and if they are lit up drivers should be aware of them and Hamilton clearly wasn't.
Maybe he was too in the zone thinking about the stop coming up? Who knows. Not slating Hamilton as he is a great driver, but it was his mistake and his alone. Yes he didn't get help from the pit wall but the track signs take precedent over radio communication.
It's an event that doesn't happen often but one, if rules are not followed, could be catastrophic so I reckon it will be looked at and changes implemented.
In the meantime I believe the right decision was made.
Now talking about Stroll not having to pit as he changed tyres under the red flag, I completely agree with Lando Norris that that was a farce. Saving himself 30seconds by not pitting. Its the rules I know, but its not right.
I can forgive Hamilton for missing the pit closed signs (he wouldn't have been looking for them) but the team should have known better, as they receive the directive from race control. Having said that, without the mess up Lewis would probably have won by 30/40 seconds and we wouldn't have got the great race/result that we did. Absolutely chuffed for Gasly and Sainz. It's a shame and wrong that Stroll got the free tyre change, as I'd have liked to have seen Lando on the podium.
I can forgive Hamilton for missing the pit closed signs (he wouldn't have been looking for them) but the team should have known better, as they receive the directive from race control. Having said that, without the mess up Lewis would probably have won by 30/40 seconds and we wouldn't have got the great race/result that we did. Absolutely chuffed for Gasly and Sainz. It's a shame and wrong that Stroll got the free tyre change, as I'd have liked to have seen Lando on the podium.
Yeah, agreed. I've seen nothing from Stroll to suggest he’s anything other than ordinary.
Gasly, Sainz and Norris, on the other hand, look like they could all be a bit special.
I can forgive Hamilton for missing the pit closed signs (he wouldn't have been looking for them) but the team should have known better, as they receive the directive from race control. Having said that, without the mess up Lewis would probably have won by 30/40 seconds and we wouldn't have got the great race/result that we did. Absolutely chuffed for Gasly and Sainz. It's a shame and wrong that Stroll got the free tyre change, as I'd have liked to have seen Lando on the podium.
Yeah, agreed. I've seen nothing from Stroll to suggest he’s anything other than ordinary.
Gasly, Sainz and Norris, on the other hand, look like they could all be a bit special.
F1 certainly has a bright future in the hands of those guys plus Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, Ocon, etc...
Aside from Hamilton's late charge through the field, and Bottas getting pummelled on the first lap, no driver made an overtake after the first lap of both starts, other than most of the field passing the out-of-position 2020 strugglers Kimi Raikkonen or Nicholas Latifi in the second half.
Sainz put in a strong move on Stroll for what was ultimately second place, and deserves a particular mention for then chasing down Gasly and piling him under immense pressure on the final lap of the race to create a showdown of great suspense.
But aside from that no other driver made a move all race.
In all the years that I've been watching F1 I don't ever remember the pit lane being closed like that. Safety cars have always been the signal for cheap pit stops.
it's because the crash was at the start of the pit lane, and on a straight where the cars are approaching 200 mph, not ideal for marshals wheeling a car backwards while cars pile into the Pits.
Aside from Hamilton's late charge through the field, and Bottas getting pummelled on the first lap, no driver made an overtake after the first lap of both starts, other than most of the field passing the out-of-position 2020 strugglers Kimi Raikkonen or Nicholas Latifi in the second half.
Sainz put in a strong move on Stroll for what was ultimately second place, and deserves a particular mention for then chasing down Gasly and piling him under immense pressure on the final lap of the race to create a showdown of great suspense.
But aside from that no other driver made a move all race.
All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Or rather: All right, but apart from the start, the first lap, the restart, the first lap after the restart, Hamilton’s late charge, Bottas’ getting pummelled, most of the field passing Kimi and Nicolas, Sainz on Stroll, Sainz on Gasly and a debut winner, what has the Italian Grand Prix 2020 ever done for us? 😎
And that’s ignoring Verstappen and the two Ferraris retirements and Hamilton’s cock-up.
It was a good race. Overtaking was difficult, but there was some excellent defensive driving on display too. It was an entertaining race.
But that’s not all there is to it. You’re oversimplifying it somewhat.
I do agree that making overtaking easier would help to make it more enjoyable for many, but there’s an awful lot of other interesting and entertaining elements of f1. I wish people would look deeper for the entertainment factor - there’s strategy and risk taking with tactics and team/driver politics and intrigue and sneakiness and backstabbing.
Oh, and there’s a thing called world class driving on show every Grand Prix weekend. Too many people dismiss it too quickly as boring just because there aren’t enough crashes or overtakes for their liking.
Expect the Vettel to Aston Martin/Racing Point announcement today.
Leaves Perez with either a return to Alfa/Sauber to replace Kimi or a move to Haas if Guenther has finally run out of patience with Grosjean and Magnussen.
Be interesting to see how those seats shake out in the end and if you get an experienced driver like Hulkenburg or Perez paired with a Ferrari Academy grad from F2 like Mick Schumacher or if Haas took both Perez and Hulkenburg....
Strange race today. Pretty interesting all round. seems a bit unfair on Russell that Raikonnen and Grosjean got to unlap themselves and, as a result, Russell lost out on a point, but there you go. F1 isn’t always fair.
Strange race today. Pretty interesting all round. seems a bit unfair on Russell that Raikonnen and Grosjean got to unlap themselves and, as a result, Russell lost out on a point, but there you go. F1 isn’t always fair.
Yeah was really disappointed as Russell seems such a good guy!!
Glad in a small way though as would have been a shame to see Williams getting their first point(s) the week after the family had left the Sport
Race as an event was just bonkers though, unfortunately (partly down to the amount of drivers left) the race itself was pretty dead
Strange race today. Pretty interesting all round. seems a bit unfair on Russell that Raikonnen and Grosjean got to unlap themselves and, as a result, Russell lost out on a point, but there you go. F1 isn’t always fair.
Yeah was really disappointed as Russell seems such a good guy!!
Glad in a small way though as would have been a shame to see Williams getting their first point(s) the week after the family had left the Sport
Race as an event was just bonkers though, unfortunately (partly down to the amount of drivers left) the race itself was pretty dead
I know what you mean about Williams and I agree to an extent, but I’m more disappointed for George. He’s too good a driver to be floundering at the back.
Comments
A very unclear red cross on the boards (I actually thought that it showed SC and only saw the cross when they showed the slow mo) , which were on the far left of a sharp righthand bend is far from ideal.
I don't understand why the pit lane closure can't be communicated to the driver on the dash just like the safety car. Surely a yellow safety car message could be changed to a red message to indicate that the pit lane is closed.
His team didn’t let him know in time either, had they have done so he may well have put two and two together but by then he had reached the point of no return in the pit lane approach lane anyway.
Safety cars have always been the signal for cheap pit stops.
One thing to note is that it took a short time before Crofts and Brundle knew about the pit lane closure and they have similar communication from Race Control as the teams. They only reliesed after Hamilton pitted and the McClarens and everyone else didn't with the pit crews ready and waiting.
I take what people say about the signs being on the left/saying SC/never seeing those specific signs; but only 2 drivers failed to adhere to them overall. Hamilton admitted his mistake, if not after a period of time, but thats it, a mistake.
Although I reckon the communication of pit lane closures will be looked at, what could've happened if it was a lap later when the stewards and KMags car were blocking the entrance, hence the seriousness and penalties applied.
Unfortunately for him and Mercedes, they read the situation wrongly. They just have to suck it up.
As for Giovanazzi, I don’t know. Just an error, I guess?
Maybe he was too in the zone thinking about the stop coming up? Who knows. Not slating Hamilton as he is a great driver, but it was his mistake and his alone. Yes he didn't get help from the pit wall but the track signs take precedent over radio communication.
It's an event that doesn't happen often but one, if rules are not followed, could be catastrophic so I reckon it will be looked at and changes implemented.
In the meantime I believe the right decision was made.
Now talking about Stroll not having to pit as he changed tyres under the red flag, I completely agree with Lando Norris that that was a farce. Saving himself 30seconds by not pitting. Its the rules I know, but its not right.
Having said that, without the mess up Lewis would probably have won by 30/40 seconds and we wouldn't have got the great race/result that we did. Absolutely chuffed for Gasly and Sainz. It's a shame and wrong that Stroll got the free tyre change, as I'd have liked to have seen Lando on the podium.
I've seen nothing from Stroll to suggest he’s anything other than ordinary.
Or rather:
All right, but apart from the start, the first lap, the restart, the first lap after the restart, Hamilton’s late charge, Bottas’ getting pummelled, most of the field passing Kimi and Nicolas, Sainz on Stroll, Sainz on Gasly and a debut winner, what has the Italian Grand Prix 2020 ever done for us?
😎
And that’s ignoring Verstappen and the two Ferraris retirements and Hamilton’s cock-up.
I do agree that making overtaking easier would help to make it more enjoyable for many, but there’s an awful lot of other interesting and entertaining elements of f1. I wish people would look deeper for the entertainment factor - there’s strategy and risk taking with tactics and team/driver politics and intrigue and sneakiness and backstabbing.
Too many people dismiss it too quickly as boring just because there aren’t enough crashes or overtakes for their liking.
Leaves Perez with either a return to Alfa/Sauber to replace Kimi or a move to Haas if Guenther has finally run out of patience with Grosjean and Magnussen.
Be interesting to see how those seats shake out in the end and if you get an experienced driver like Hulkenburg or Perez paired with a Ferrari Academy grad from F2 like Mick Schumacher or if Haas took both Perez and Hulkenburg....
seems a bit unfair on Russell that Raikonnen and Grosjean got to unlap themselves and, as a result, Russell lost out on a point, but there you go. F1 isn’t always fair.
Glad in a small way though as would have been a shame to see Williams getting their first point(s) the week after the family had left the Sport
Race as an event was just bonkers though, unfortunately (partly down to the amount of drivers left) the race itself was pretty dead
I presume that the track has been heavily upgraded but was only really used for a year or two after Senna and Ratzenburger's death?
Feels weird seeing it back again