2025 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona-Catalunya May 30 - June 1

[Luscion]

The thread is weirdly quiet, isn't it?
btw Max won driver of the day.

did he really? thats hilarious if so

[Luscion]

3 penalty points for Max

[mwillems]

The Red Bull looked pretty understeery into T5 today, could be the technical directive. Relative to other cars it looked like he was really struggling on turn in.

[Nani_s23]

McLaren pulling out 10s on Leclerc after the safety car is pure Mercedes 2020.

You are comparing fastest car on the grid vs 4th fastest car.?

Leclerc was told to do LICO & their pace was horrible on that used softs. I don’t think that’s a true comparison. I wonder what would have happened if Max had a used softs for that final 5-6Laps.

[DGP123]

The thread is weirdly quiet, isn't it?

Unfortunately, that’s the season done, and this lacklustre duel between the Macca boys is now set from here on in. Begging for some wheel to wheel, but we won’t get any. Shame Max is now out the equation, as he’s the only remotely interesting thing in F1 right now, and I don’t even like him. Borefest of a race, nearly saved by a SC that give us a slither of action. Roll on, 26’.

[McLarenHonda]

3 penalty points for Max

It should have been 4! This was done on purpose for no reason! And even if there was a reason you just don’t slow down and then hit someone…

Max simply cannot understand that he’s a role model! Yeah it’s all “oh I don’t give sh…t” but young racers are watching the man on top of the world in Motorsport normalize on-track retaliation!

This is Formula 3 stuff not Formula 1…

[Quantum]

The Red Bull looked pretty understeery into T5 today, could be the technical directive. Relative to other cars it looked like he was really struggling on turn in.

Noticed that too.

And he understeered into the marbles on the final corner during the restart which set off the ensuing oversteer and chain of events. One could argue Max didn't get the Hard tyres warm enough when the others on softs did.
But he should have known that right away

[mwillems]

Ironically, the stewards noted that they were not going to order Verstappen to give the place to Russell despite Red Bull issuing that instruction.

“From the radio communications, it was clear that the driver of Car 1 was asked by his team to ‘give the position back’ to Car 63 for what they perceived to be an earlier breach by Car 1 for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage (in fact, we had later determined that we would take no further action in relation to that incident).

https://www.planetf1.com/news/fia-penal ... -collision

[FittingMechanics]

Anyone thinking stewards have anti Verstappen agenda just need to look at this incident.

This should have been an immediate black flag. I am still hoping they investigate further, get the team statements and make additional decisions.

[epo]

Max, great driver, but what a twat

Exactly

TBH Russell is even a bigger twat and not a great driver And Toto confirmed that, he is already really fed up with the guy who thinks because he beat Hamilton a few times he is the best driver on the grid, hasn't showed anything this season.

[avantman]

The Red Bull looked pretty understeery into T5 today, could be the technical directive. Relative to other cars it looked like he was really struggling on turn in.

Noticed that too.

And he understeered into the marbles on the final corner during the restart which set off the ensuing oversteer and chain of events. One could argue Max didn't get the Hard tyres warm enough when the others on softs did.
But he should have known that right away

If only Max knew what every armchair experts knows... he might actually be a decent driver.

[DChemTech]

Don't be daft, nobody is denying that max is a generational talent. He's also not THAT much better than all these team mates. He clearly has the team totally focused on his preferences.

Oh, there are certainly a few out here denying that. The stewards may not be 'anti-max', part of the crowd here is.
Anyway, bad show from him today. He apparently did not just learn his driving style from Schumacher but some of the other antics too. Intentional or not, it was surely unnecessary. And bad show from the team strategically. With only terrible hards left, staying out on middle-aged softs seems to have been the better option.

[mwillems]

That's an odd point of view. The majority recognise he'll go down as one of the greats. A place like this is always going to attract some "diverse" opinions though, but why focus on those?

And for the reasons you've given its not hard to understand why plenty don't warm to him. I personally have zero beef with his success, but I totally understand why some don't like his at times petulant and childish behaviour and the fact that he is at times a very poor loser.

[vorticism]

Lap 61, Leclerc drives into Verstappen, no penalty for Leclerc. Textbook. Verstappen was driving straight, Leclerc deviates from his line right into him. Right after, Russel makes his move on the inside to take the corner, taking advantage of this year’s Stewards Guide (effectively a secondary Sporting Regulations not made available to the public); Russel was within 1m behind Verstappen at the apex, which means he was ahead at the apex according to the Stewards Guide. Hence Max’s claim on the radio “I was ahead of him”, which he was as any driver in that scenario would be, it’s just that the SG says “front axle beside mirrors = ahead” i.e. 1m behind = ahead. Reminded of that, because it seems even he forgot about the new SG not-a-rule rule, I think what Max then did on Lap 64 was to give the stewards a --- test. Max was ahead at the apex, truly ahead, not even behind-ahead like the SG allows. And guess what. The stewards didn't uphold the rule they upheld three laps prior.

The precedent set this season, and even just three laps before with Russel, was that the inside driver can push the outside driver off including bumping into him in the process, as George had just done. Because "he has the corner," the "corner is his." Stewards failed the --- test, though, as they failed to enforce the same rule for Max.

[epo]

Max has a car totally designed for him, McLaren wouldn't do that. I think he'd struggle with the 39.


Albon:
“The first thing is a lot of people say that car is built around him. Truthfully… the car is what it is,”

Not sure why people continue with this nonsense when Verstappen's past teammates themselves have dispelled the myth...

DTS heads will say that Verstappen is no unique talent, while in the same sentence claim that he is the hidden hand technical director and team principal of Red Bull Racing, bending them toward his vision and the creation of a car only he can drive; to them he is Schrödinger's Prodigy, having no special ability but also being the only one who can decipher how to drive a Red Bull Formula One car, which can be sat in by anyone but its last three tenths are locked away cryptographically by the keymaster and only He holds the private key. A Dutch Cthulu of indomitable will, not so much the driver of a car but the master puppeteer of 1000 engineers controlled by the force of his will. They've created a monster of sorts within their fanfic lore, still impressive in his own right therein as he's the first driver to drive both a car whilst driving an entire team. Within this canon, though--how was Newey allowed to escape the veil of Max's divine shadow? Perhaps there is another dark lord strolling about the paddock...

Don't be daft, nobody is denying that max is a generational talent. He's also not THAT much better than all these team mates. He clearly has the team totally focused on his preferences.

Oh yeah your on the something, I am always thinking if they just swap cars Max in Tsunoda's car and vice versa we will see he is not that great. Somebody already mentioned give him a race ban and Hadjar will win right away.