MorrisF1

Got to admit, I’m surprised Sainz didn’t do better. In Q1, we lost Sainz. Just wasn’t fast enough. Magnussen and the Alfa Romeos both went out as did Sargeant. It was a shame for Sargeant as he did have the pace but kept exceeding track limits. Q2 also saw a big name fail to proceed, with Hamilton dropping out while his team mate advanced. Ocon, Stroll, Albon, and Ricciardo also exited here. And so to Q3 which seemed like it’d be Verstappen’s all day long with the McLarens (particularly Norris) as best of the rest. While the Dutchman did continue to add to his tally of poles things were a bit more interesting behind him. Leclerc’s Ferrari remembered what speed was and the Monegasque put it on the front row. Piastri and Russell had a strong qualifying to form the second row, while row three is Norris and Tsunoda (tasty from the Japanese driver). Alonso and Hulkenberg pair up for the fourth row, with Perez having his best time eliminated for track limit violation and therefore starting 9...

And so, at last, to the final race of the year.   First practice had the unexpected trio of Russell, Drugovich (Aston Martin stand in), and Ricciardo at the top, followed by Bottas, Stroll, Piastri, Sainz, Shwartzmann (Ferrari), Gasly, and Tsunoda. Frederik Vesti appeared for Mercedes, Jack Doohan for Alpine, Theo Pourchaire for Alfa Romeo, Patricio O’Ward for McLaren, Jake Dennis and Isack Hadjar for Red Bull, Zak O’Sullivan for Williams, and Oliver Bearman for Haas. Second practice had more familiar faces. Leclerc led Norris and Verstappen at the top, with Bottas, Perez, and Russell following, while Zhou Guanyu, Hamilton, Gasly, and Piastri completed the top 10. Interesting that Bottas did so well in both sessions, though the Alfa Romeo tends to disappoint come the Sunday. Final practice had Russell top, a tenth ahead of Norris who team mate Piastri was just behind. Albon, Leclerc, and Verstappen followed, with Ocon, Sargeant, Tsunoda, and Zhou Guanyu rounding out the top 10. ...

The Sainz bet came off in the minor way, under half a tenth coming off properly. However, his penalty turned what should’ve been a Ferrari front row into Leclerc and Verstappen, while Sainz slides back 10 places. Q1 was notable for both McLarens being knocked out, which is a bit of a shocker. Ocon, Zhou Guanyu, and Tsunoda also failed to make the grade, which is more in line with expectations. Q2 was bad for Perez again, but this time it wasn’t his fault. He was perhaps fast enough to trouble the Ferraris and his team mate but Red Bull kept him in the garage and he had to watch as the world and his cat improved their times and he ended up 12 th , possibly with a penalty for impeding Norris in Q1 putting him further back. Another big departure, and one without such an excuse, was Hamilton, who was well off his team mate’s pace and could only manage 11 th . Hulkenberg, Stroll, and Ricciardo also left here. Going into Q3 it looked like Leclerc likeliest to get pole but with Sainz and Vers...

Well, this got off to a fantastic start. Cold temperatures and concerns over tyres and brakes led the way into the weekend, but what caused immediate problems was manhole cover woe, which caused Sainz some damage (and a 10 place grid penalty, though this may be overturned) and reduced first practice to 10 minutes. For what it’s worth, the top 10 in FP1 were Leclerc, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Verstappen, Ocon, Russell, Sainz, Tsunoda, Perez, and Bottas. Second practice had Leclerc lead Sainz in a Ferrari 1-2 at the top of the timesheet, followed by Alonso, Perez, and Bottas. Verstappen, Hulkenberg, and Stroll came next, with Hamilton and Albon rounding out the top 10. Qualifying is set to be quite hard to predict, though Ferrari appear in with a shot of pole, as they achieved in the similarly high speed Monza.   Sainz at 7 each way for fastest in qualifying is something tempting enough that I’ve backed it. He got the pole in Monza and I suspect he, Leclerc, and Verstappen will be the o...