Russell is quicker than Bottas so he's there on merit imo, he's arguably one of the quickest over one lap on the grid. I think he'll surprise a lot of people next season.
F1 2021 Season
- Thread starter pauldyson1uk
- Start date
You seem to be confusing confidence with arrogance. All top sportsmen are assured of themselves. Self belief is very important.
Russell has shown many times he's a team player and has put Williams ahead of his own personal gain at times. Just a very poor judgement I would say.
What's this track like for overtaking?
I think Monza is one of the best tracks for overtaking, 11 corners, with 7 of those coming as chicanes.
Monza suits the Mercedes low rake car more that the RB high rake car.
Also gives the less experienced drivers a chance to get a feel for high-speed corners without punishing too much if an incorrect line is taken.
Looking forward to a decent race, I even this the sprint race will work here.
I wonder if RB will take the engine penalty at monza then. They havent got enough engines to last the season due to the accidents. At some GP soon they have to take a penalty and introduce engien number 4. Monza might be the best place for it. Lots of overtaking opportunities for max to work his way back up the grid.
Monza isn't great with the modern cars.
The only real over taking section is the first corner after the main straight, but that all depends on DRS.
There's a small chance of overtaking into the chicanes mid way around the track, but it's not a high level of overtaking.
Always found Monza one of the better races, fair point about modern cars.
On the plus side, looks like no rain this weekend, dry and hot.
Last years race had barely any natural over takes without cars out of position due to the red flags. Obviously you'll get a few but it's not going to be madness like some are expecting.
I bet you in the sprint race there will be a maximum of 5 overtakes.
You could be right, just hoping it will be a decent race.
Dutch GP was in a cracking setting , but a pretty dull race.
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I'm not confusing anything. I wouldn't have written it if I didn't mean it. Why would you think otherwise?! Bizarre.
Oh fecking hell, I forgot too.
Give us one example of him being arrogant? I'd love to hear it.
Yep, I really hope this one goes badly tbh.
Everybody was making such a song and dance of it at Silverstone and acted like like it went amazing. Apart from Alonso's early lap heroics it was pretty poor.
It has potential to be better, but the way they're using it right now is crap IMO.
You don't have to be outwardly arrogant to be arrogant. I'm not sure there's a single F1 driver on the grid you could say is obviously arrogant; they all toe the team line on camera.
He definitely thinks he's special though, I think he's pretty transparent.
Him saying "Perhaps if I was another driver, he wouldn't have done that" about Bottas in Imola was very arrogant. He did take responsibility the next day for his actions (after a bollocking from Toto) which was nice to see and I don't think he's any more arrogant than the average F1 driver but there's been some signs of arrogance.
Does anyone know what time qualifying starts tomorrow? I can't seem to find it on the Sky Sports website, and hope I'm back from work on time.
| Fri 10th Sep | On Air | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Practice 1 | 1:00pm | 1:30pm |
| Qualifying | 4:20pm | 5:00pm |
| Sat 11th Sep | On Air | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Practice 2 | 10:30am | 11:00am |
| Sprint | 2:35pm | 3:30pm |
| Sun 12th Sep | On Air | Start |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix | 12:30pm | 2:00pm |
The show starts on sky at 16:20. So I guess around 5ish?
EDIT -
I was beaten to it, by 5 minuteswouldn’t say that’s arrogant personally.
everybody knows that russell was his main rival for the seat and his point is maybe bottas was defending harder than usual because it’s him.
I don’t think that was an unfair thing to say - but was obviously told to publicly back down to save face. he said what he believed true in the heat of the moment.
The show starts on sky at 16:20. So I guess around 5ish?
EDIT -
Thank you, didn't realise the sprint would start so late either thought it would be at 2pm so that's helped!
Fortunately will be back from work on time unless traffic is beyond awful
Hope it's an exciting race, shame it won't be raining.
George Russell in the Press Conference
Q: "Did you recommend [Albon] to the bosses?"
GR: "I definitely told the guys who I'd thought would be best suited. I know it was very close between he and Nyck de Vries, and to be honest I was quite clear saying whoever you get in the seat would do a really good job. Obviously, offering different things, and I think Alex with his experience managed to tip the scales in his favor, but you know, Alex is a fantastic driver. He had a tough time at Red Bull, but I think he's going to come back even stronger, and you know, he's always been there and everything he's ever done, and I'm sure the environment at Williams is going to suit him to a tee, and he's going to perform really well. Happy for him."
Q: "Did you recommend [Albon] to the bosses?"
GR: "I definitely told the guys who I'd thought would be best suited. I know it was very close between he and Nyck de Vries, and to be honest I was quite clear saying whoever you get in the seat would do a really good job. Obviously, offering different things, and I think Alex with his experience managed to tip the scales in his favor, but you know, Alex is a fantastic driver. He had a tough time at Red Bull, but I think he's going to come back even stronger, and you know, he's always been there and everything he's ever done, and I'm sure the environment at Williams is going to suit him to a tee, and he's going to perform really well. Happy for him."
He implied that Bottas did something "incredibly dangerous" because of who Russell is, you can't get more arrogant than assuming someone is racing you harder than anyone else. Especially when what Bottas did was just the normal thing in defending, you take the best line and squeeze your rival without pushing them off track or changing direction suddenly - Jolyon Palmer's analysis here does a great job illustrating this and why Bottas did nothing egregious or wrong.
And it was a massively unfair thing to say, hence why Wolff went in on him as hard as he did.
The fact that it was in the heat of the moment is why I mentioned his apology - saying things you regret happens, especially in F1. Hamilton, Vettel and Verstappen have all had to apologise for stuff they've said about other drivers in the past and I don't really hold it against them too much, likewise with Russell here.
he’s not saying it from an arrogant stand point though, he believes there’s bad blood and a motive behind it - that’s his opinion.
if he said bottas only did it because i’m so much better than him in a slower car then i’d agree.
That's the arrogant part though, he's assuming that Bottas was racing him harder than he would anyone else (and again, he wasn't) and assuming that Bottas must have a motive against Russell, it can't just be that Bottas was racing normally.
And something can be your "opinion" and you can still be arrogant or wrong for saying it. Case in point, Vettel accusing Hamilton of brake-checking him in Baku 2017. Also his opinion, also utterly wrong. Hence why both Russell and Vettel apologised for their conduct in those incidents.
Italian GP Running order
Friday
FP1
Just one hour to prepare for qualifying
The race weekend begins with a now traditional one-hour session for free practice. However, the programme the teams will run is very different.
It’s now one of just two practice sessions, meaning a 33.3% reduction in on-track ‘testing’ time during a race weekend, and the only one before qualifying, so the focus here will be on one-lap set-up.
From their allocation of 12 tyres – (6 softs, 4 mediums and 2 hards) – teams will likely kick off with runs on the hard compound for installation laps and set-up checks and then use one set of the softs to do some low-fuel runs.
With just one hour of practice, the pressure is on to have an error-free session. A driver mistake on track or a mechanical issue could mean they head into qualifying blind – and therefore very much on the back foot.
Teams will also have to largely finesse their cars for the rest of the weekend, as they head into parc ferme straight after the session to avoid the creation of special ‘qualifying cars’. There is a list, however, of parts that can be changed, such as brake friction material.
Qualifying
Q2 tyre choice no longer determines Grand Prix start tyre for the top 10
The qualifying format we’ve all become accustomed to – split into three segments with the 10 quickest fighting it out for the best grid slot in Q3 – remains the same.
1800 local time – to maximise the chances of more people being able to watch after work. The fastest time in qualifying gives you P1 on the grid for the new F1 Sprint event.
Drivers can only use the softest tyre compound available and have four sets to run – with those making into Q3 getting an extra set.
And the drivers who make it into the final part of qualifying will no longer have to start the Grand Prix on the compound they went fastest on in Q2, as the choice is now free.
Saturday
FP2
One hour to gather long run data
Saturday brings the second and final practice session of the weekend – in the scheduled slot that usually hosts FP3.
Here, the teams will focus on gathering long run data – and running the two tyre compounds which they expect to use in the Grand Prix. Given there is now free choice on starting tyre, teams will likely focus on the medium and hard.
They can use this session to check car balance, the brakes, ride height – and of course tyre degradation with an eye on Sunday’s main event.
It’s not much time to prep, so teams will have to rely even more heavily on their pre-event simulation tools.
F1 Sprint
A fast and furious single stint race
Saturday afternoon brings the second ever F1 Sprint – a 100km dash, which based on the length of the Monza track will be 18 laps and last around 25-30 minutes.
As we saw at Silverstone, the cars are able to run at maximum speed for the full distance, without having to worry overly about conserving their tyres.
The tyre model used by F1’s data team suggests that all the tyres will have the same level of performance when they are around 15 laps old. After that, the quickest tyre becomes the hard, followed by the medium.
The softs will struggle after that point, with their performance dropping off quickly.
Sunday
The Grand Prix
Sunday remains the focal point of the weekend, with the Grand Prix handing out the big points as usual – 25 for the win down to one point for 10th position.
With free choice on tyres, we will have to wait until they pull the tyre blankets off ahead of the formation lap to see which driver has gone for which compound, adding an extra layer of intrigue.
They must then use at least two compounds during the race, which means at least one pit stop, but the teams and drivers will be relying on far less practice data than they're used to – which history tells us tends to make for exciting racing!
FP1
Just one hour to prepare for qualifying
The race weekend begins with a now traditional one-hour session for free practice. However, the programme the teams will run is very different.
It’s now one of just two practice sessions, meaning a 33.3% reduction in on-track ‘testing’ time during a race weekend, and the only one before qualifying, so the focus here will be on one-lap set-up.
From their allocation of 12 tyres – (6 softs, 4 mediums and 2 hards) – teams will likely kick off with runs on the hard compound for installation laps and set-up checks and then use one set of the softs to do some low-fuel runs.
With just one hour of practice, the pressure is on to have an error-free session. A driver mistake on track or a mechanical issue could mean they head into qualifying blind – and therefore very much on the back foot.
Teams will also have to largely finesse their cars for the rest of the weekend, as they head into parc ferme straight after the session to avoid the creation of special ‘qualifying cars’. There is a list, however, of parts that can be changed, such as brake friction material.
Qualifying
Q2 tyre choice no longer determines Grand Prix start tyre for the top 10
The qualifying format we’ve all become accustomed to – split into three segments with the 10 quickest fighting it out for the best grid slot in Q3 – remains the same.
1800 local time – to maximise the chances of more people being able to watch after work. The fastest time in qualifying gives you P1 on the grid for the new F1 Sprint event.
Drivers can only use the softest tyre compound available and have four sets to run – with those making into Q3 getting an extra set.
And the drivers who make it into the final part of qualifying will no longer have to start the Grand Prix on the compound they went fastest on in Q2, as the choice is now free.
Saturday
FP2
One hour to gather long run data
Saturday brings the second and final practice session of the weekend – in the scheduled slot that usually hosts FP3.
Here, the teams will focus on gathering long run data – and running the two tyre compounds which they expect to use in the Grand Prix. Given there is now free choice on starting tyre, teams will likely focus on the medium and hard.
They can use this session to check car balance, the brakes, ride height – and of course tyre degradation with an eye on Sunday’s main event.
It’s not much time to prep, so teams will have to rely even more heavily on their pre-event simulation tools.
F1 Sprint
A fast and furious single stint race
Saturday afternoon brings the second ever F1 Sprint – a 100km dash, which based on the length of the Monza track will be 18 laps and last around 25-30 minutes.
As we saw at Silverstone, the cars are able to run at maximum speed for the full distance, without having to worry overly about conserving their tyres.
The tyre model used by F1’s data team suggests that all the tyres will have the same level of performance when they are around 15 laps old. After that, the quickest tyre becomes the hard, followed by the medium.
The softs will struggle after that point, with their performance dropping off quickly.
Sunday
The Grand Prix
Sunday remains the focal point of the weekend, with the Grand Prix handing out the big points as usual – 25 for the win down to one point for 10th position.
With free choice on tyres, we will have to wait until they pull the tyre blankets off ahead of the formation lap to see which driver has gone for which compound, adding an extra layer of intrigue.
They must then use at least two compounds during the race, which means at least one pit stop, but the teams and drivers will be relying on far less practice data than they're used to – which history tells us tends to make for exciting racing!
Italian GP FP1
Hamilton setting the early benchmark in the opening 10 minutes on 1:22.262.
good start to the day for Perez so far - his latest lap on a second set of medium tyres moves him ahead of Hamilton on a 1:22.1.
Verstappen, now also on mediums, is 0.444s back on his team-mate.
Verstappen, now also on mediums, is 0.444s back on his team-mate.
CHEQUERED FLAG ON PRACTICE ONE
That's what you call a fast start from Lewis Hamilton.
Nearly half a second faster than title rival Max Verstappen, on slower tyres too.
Lando Norris did briefly hold second but had his lap removed for track limits.
That's what you call a fast start from Lewis Hamilton.
Nearly half a second faster than title rival Max Verstappen, on slower tyres too.
Lando Norris did briefly hold second but had his lap removed for track limits.
Max said earlier this week that this race wouldn't be like the Dutch GP and that it would be hard to compete with Mercedes. Early days but so far that seems accurate. Wonder if they'll be able to improve their setup through FP2 and FP3 to be more competitive, otherwise this will be an easy 1-2 for Merc
Looks like Max will be right, Lewis and Bottas not even on the softs.
The law rake set up suits this track, but yeah early days, I expect the time to be closer come race time.
It wouldn't look good for his prospects moving to Mercedes if he was insisting his needs be prioritised over the team and his team mate would it?
I'm not saying that was his reason for doing so but he would've been stupid to appear selfish in that situation. Epseicsllh if he was in talks with Mercedes to race alongside Hamilton.
I'm not saying he is a horrible person. But anyone would need to consider all of these factors if in his situation.
Italian GP FP1 Timings
Italian GP Practice One Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:20.926 |
| 2) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.452 |
| 3) Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | +0.525 |
| 4) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.750 |
| 5) Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | +0.793 |
| 6) Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | +0.898 |
| 7) Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.988 |
| 8) Fernando Alonso | Alpine | +1.000 |
| 9) Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | +1.077 |
| 10) Sergio Perez | Red Bull | +1.113 |
| 11) Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +1.176 |
| 12) Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.177 |
| 13) Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | +1.344 |
| 14) Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | +1.604 |
| 15) Esteban Ocon | Alpine | +1.608 |
| 16) Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo | +2.083 |
| 17) George Russell | Williams | +2.166 |
| 18) Nicholas Latifi | Williams | +2.516 |
| 19) Nikita Mazepin | Haas | +2.519 |
| 20) Mick Schumacher | Haas | +2.625 |
Mclaren looking strong again this year.
We were good here last year in Monza, nice to see that continuing. Looks like It's swung back to Hamilton for this one!
We were good here last year in Monza, nice to see that continuing. Looks like It's swung back to Hamilton for this one!
Pretty sure the setup is locked in once Quali starts because of the Sprint Race here, so once they go out to qualify this afternoon the fundamentals are set in stone.
I reckon Red Bull will take a strategic engine change for Max here if he's behind both Mercedes, he could still get points in the sprint race then he's got the whole race to claw back to 3rd which may be the maximum anyway.
Ah, forgot about the sprint race. Yeah, they're fecked and should do the engine swap
So what constitutes as qualifying for the fantasy. Quali today or the sprint race tomorrow?
Good question, I have just checked and it is the sprint Race, transfers close in 22 hours.
Ok cheers. Will have less guess work then to see who's doing good
personally I would have called it at the end of FP1.
I forgot about this. I like qualifying on a Friday evening, it's a nice way to start the weekend.
Sprint race is a weird thing though. It's basically starting the race for a few laps and then stopping and starting again, I don't get it
Sprint race is a weird thing though. It's basically starting the race for a few laps and then stopping and starting again, I don't get it