MorrisF1

A somewhat frustrating race, and very much so from a betting perspective. Not only did the main bet not come off (more below on whether that was ill-judged or unfortunate) but the 3.75 dead cert on Merhi not to be classified was actually settled as a loss. I immediately sent off an e-mail to Ladbrokes about this and will report back on the result. Off the line it was formation flying at the front. Verstappen, starting 8 th , found his car wouldn’t start. He was pushed back to the pit lane and managed to get going but was a full lap down on everybody else. Vettel immediately pulled out a massive gap (about 3s after lap 1). He probably overcooked it, because later on he was a bit more delicate with the tyres. Ricciardo could outpace Raikkonen, but found it difficult to match Vettel’s times. However, the Red Bull was easier on its tyres, which raised the prospect of Ferrari either shifting to a 3 stop (and gifting victory to Ricciardo) or seeing if they could make 2 work and ri...

Qualifying was green, which is nice. Couldn’t quite believe that the Mercedes were quite so (relatively) slow. Some wags are claiming it’s because they’re having to use the right pressure, but giving the weaker performances of all teams with the Mercedes engine, I reckon that’s the cause. In Q1 we said goodbye to the Manors (including Rossi, who made his debut, replacing Merhi), Maldonado and both Saubers. Q2 was competitive but the final run, which might have seen Alonso scrape into the final session for the first time this year, was aborted when Sainz collided with the barriers and debris was strewn across the track towards the end. As a result, both Force Indias, both McLarens and Sainz departed at this stage. Q3 had a rather different script. Mercedes’ pace struggle was genuine, and it soon became apparent the battle for pole would be between Red Bull and Ferrari (or, Ricciardo and Vettel, erstwhile team mates). Vettel was never truly troubled and ended up partying ...

NB articles may be more concise or released at odd times this race weekend, and next, because I’m pressed for time. Singapore’s a tedious processional low-speed street circuit. Nice for Red Bull, bad for Williams, engine grunt matters far less here than at the last couple of tracks. As you would expect, tyres are soft and supersoft. Rain is forecast for both Saturday and Sunday, but too early to affect either qualifying or the race, although paying attention to that is clearly wise. Off-track, Volkswagen may buy Red Bull. The team has indicated they’ll scweam and scweam and quit the sport if they don’t have a competitive engine next year. Unsure what’ll happen to Toro Rosso [under the VW deal, Red Bull would use a VW engine, though it’s unclear whether that’d be from day one or if they’d use Ferrari engines in the intervening period]. Rosberg was fastest in P1, four-tenths up on Hamilton, unsurprisingly. Ricciardo was less than a tenth back, followed by Vettel, R...

A disappointing race from both a spectator’s and a bettor’s perspective. Not dire, just a bit ho-hum. Raikkonen had a horrendous start. If he’d started as well as Vettel, who nearly passed Hamilton before the first corner, or if Hamilton had had such a bad start it would’ve been green. Or, to rephrase, if I were better at betting, I’d win more often. Vettel did get 2 nd but the way the numbers stacked up that meant that particular bet was only slightly red (however, I counted it as ‘right’ in the records on the basis a part of a split bet came back green). At the start the Williams leapt ahead of Rosberg and Raikkonen. The Finn had the worst start I think I’ve seen (without crash or technical woe), dropping from 2 nd to 20 th (last). Perez also managed to pass Rosberg, although the German soon passed the Mexican to reclaim the position. Neither Lotus lasted through lap 1. Maldonado retired with a broken floor. Unsure of Grosjean’s woe, I think it was a technical failure. ...

Qualifying was half as expected. Hamilton got pole for the seventh race in a row (one off of Senna’s record), but Rosberg had to have his upgraded engine replaced with an older one, which has both less power and far more mileage (it’s suggested his new engine was showing signs of failing if it ran into the race). This helps explain why Rosberg finished behind both Ferraris. There are many penalties and the odd investigation, which may make sorting out the grid something of a lengthy affair. In Q1 a few cars struggled to set a time. Ricciardo just about squeezed in a flying lap, but Verstappen could only manage a few sectors. Even doing that was a bit hairy, as his car’s bodywork wasn’t in place properly and most of the rear flew away during the lap. So, Verstappen was officially last, with both Marussias and both McLarens also leaving at this stage, as expected. Q1 also saw Ericsson blatantly impede Hulkenberg, so we’ll see if the Swede gets a penalty. Ricciardo d...

Back at Monza, for perhaps the final time. The excellent Italian circuit is the fastest on the calendar. Lots of straights, full throttle areas and minimal cornering, it’s all about top speed. Because of that both Red Bull and McLaren are taking penalties as they think (Red Bull at least) it’ll put them in better stead for subsequent races, and they stand sod all chance at Monza anyway. The race should be good if you have a Mercedes engine in the back, and less so if you don’t. Speaking of which, the Mercedes engine has been upgraded, but only for the two works cars. So, expect the race at the sharp end to be as one-sided as a fight between a puppy and a dalek. It’s rather sad that after getting on the podium last race, Lotus struggled to make this one. Let’s hope Renault (or someone else, but it’s probably going to be Renault) buy the team and relieve its financial suffering. The tyres are medium and soft. In P1 Hamilton was half a second up on Rosberg, who w...

In racing terms, not a classic, though there were a few interesting moments. Of the three bets I contemplated, only the one I actually backed ended up coming off, so that was pleasing (short odds, mind). The start took a while to get going. Hulkenberg was giving a hokey-cokey instruction by his team (pit/do not pit) and ended up signalling from the grid that his car had failed, necessitating a second formation lap. At the end of that lap Sainz also went into the pits (he didn’t start, but did later emerge only to be retired as he was two laps down). There had been much talk of how the revised start procedure might affect things. Hamilton started well but Rosberg (and, further down the field, Raikkonen) started badly, getting passed by perhaps 3 cars early on. Perez had a storming start, was up to 2 nd immediately and very nearly passed Hamilton on lap 1, although subsequently the Briton simply drove off. Early on Maldonado retired. No exciting crash or comedy cock-up,...