MorrisF1

A red weekend all round, but if it must be red I’d like the race to be good, and this race was fantastic. There was an odd moment after the parade lap when Massa missed his mark in his grid slot and a second formation lap was necessary (Massa got a 5s time penalty added to his pit stop). Off the line, the Ferraris galloped ahead of the Mercedes, Vettel claiming first and Raikkonen managing to get past Hamilton, who had yet another poor start. Hamilton then exited the track on lap 1, went for a rally detour through the gravel and ended up well down the field. Hulkenberg had a strong start, making up several places, whereas Ricciardo went backwards (not for the first time this year). The two Ferraris pulled away from Rosberg, with Vettel building a decent gap to Raikkonen and a massive one over his fellow German. Hamilton was trapped behind Massa for several laps and ended up around half a minute behind the leader before he could pass the Brazilian and start ...

The bet didn’t come off due to a straightforward, albeit massive, misjudgement on my part. I substantially underestimated the aerodynamic impact on relative performance, with both Toro Rosso and Red Bull ahead of Force India. (Williams did poorly as well, although that didn’t affect the bet). I almost fluked a green result by Lotus’ lacklustre pace, but Grosjean just about managed to knock Hulkenberg down to 11 th . In the first session both Manors departed the stage, as did both Saubers. Button was unable to claw his way out, but this was due to a failure in electrical energy, and the gap to Q2 was less than the power deficit he suffered. On pace he would’ve made it. Alonso was first to leave the second session when his car’s engine went on strike. Though he gamely pushed it back to the pits (it came to a stop at the pit entry) the mechanics were unable to mend the problem and he starts 15 th . Sainz, Perez and Maldonado were outshone by their team mates, and Hulkenberg fai...

In the time since the last race, Jules Bianchi has sadly passed away. The young driver was critically injured in the last Japanese Grand Prix when he crashed into a recovery vehicle trying to move Sutil’s stricken Sauber. The serious brain injury sustained meant he was in a coma until he passed away recently. Bianchi was talked of as a serious talent with a strong prospect of ending up at Ferrari. He also scored the only points Manor (then Marussia) have ever had, in Monaco 2014, which may have proved vital to the team making it to 2015. His death is the first of its kind since Senna, over two decades ago. F1 is far, far safer than it was in the past but it will never be an entirely safe sport. Nevertheless, efforts to protect drivers (and others) must not relent. Since Hungary there’s much speculation that Bottas will replace Raikkonen next year. I like both Finns, but would’ve preferred Hulkenberg to get the seat. It’s possible the German will go to Williams (if Bott...

Bloody good race. Dramatic start, dramatic end, crashes, strategic cock-ups and two green bets. Huzzah! Once again, Great Britain shows the world how to do this sporting malarkey. Nasr’s car failed even before the start, unfortunately. Of the rest, only Verstappen started hard. Off the line both Williams were off like a scalded cat, Massa claiming the lead and Bottas (after briefly and brilliantly fending off Hamilton) nabbing the second spot. Meanwhile, Hulkenberg got a very good start as well and was fifth by the end of lap 1. But the drama didn’t end there. Before the first lap concluded the two Lotuses struck one another, and both were out, also collecting Button and Alonso (Button was out, Alonso managed to keep going). Hamilton managed to pass Bottas, but then a safety car came out so that the assorted debris could be cleared. When the safety car came in, Hamilton tried to aggressively pass Massa but locked up, which enabled Bottas to get past him. Bot...

Not since Malaysia 2014 has a hedged bet proved better than tipping without a hedge. The 1.8 on Rosberg was matched, but he didn’t quite manage pole. So, that’s either down a stake or up almost one stake. The first part of qualifying was depressingly predictable. The Manor Marussias left, as did both McLarens. Felipe Nasr was the fifth chap to exit the stage, which was unsurprising as the Sauber’s looked out of sorts all weekend. In Q2 Ericsson also departed, so he’s just one place above his Brazilian team mate. After some stronger performances the Lotuses failed to escape (Grosjean 12 th and Maldonado 14 th ). Verstappen looked great in practice this morning, but complained constantly on the radio in qualifying, and achieved a lacklustre 13 th . Perez was 11 th . In Q3, it was a straight duel between the two Mercedes. Hamilton was a tenth faster (Rosberg was quicker in both prior sessions) and neither man was able to improve on their second run. Irksome that Rosberg g...

The survey results are in. Over 215,000 fans from 194 countries completed the exhaustive question, which ran for a fortnight after the Monaco procession. I was one of them, and am slightly surprised how many finished it, given how enormous it was (took me about 30 minutes). The findings, as reported by the BBC, are as follows: Around 90% want the sport to be more competitive A majority (60%) want refuelling to return Technical rules should be relaxed for more diverse cars and technology (74%) Tyre wars are desired (80%) A couple of interesting findings there (for the record, I agree with all the above positions). Tyre wars are unlikely in the immediate future as I think Pirelli have the gig this season and next, and then it’ll be a decision between them and Michelin for 2017 onwards (NB Michelin will only do it if the wheel size is increased from 13” to 18” rims, which would have a substantial impact on car design, including suspension). Refuelling is popular wi...