1 month ago
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Max Verstappen extended his title pb implicit Lando Norris by winning the sprint contention earlier finishing up of the Briton successful Sunday's United States Grand Prix.
It was a arguable extremity astatine the Circuit of the Americas arsenic Norris was fixed a five-second clip penalty for overtaking Verstappen disconnected the track.
The punishment meant Norris finished a spot down the Dutchman, successful fourth, to present trail by 57 points successful the drivers' championship.
BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions aft an eventful expansive prix, which was won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
If Lando Norris got a punishment for gaining an unfair vantage and passing Max Verstappen, wherefore didn't Max get 1 for forcing different operator disconnected the track? - Rob
This question goes to the bosom of the statement implicit the rights and wrongs of the defining incidental of the United States Grand Prix.
Lando Norris attempted to walk Max Verstappen astir the extracurricular of Turn 12. Both cars ended up moving disconnected the track. Norris got up and stayed determination for the remainder of the race. He was penalised 5 seconds for gaining an vantage by going disconnected track, demoting him backmost down Verstappen.
There are truthful galore elements to this. The archetypal is that, yes, Norris, successful factual terms, undoubtedly gained an vantage aft going disconnected the track. This is the presumption of Red Bull and Verstappen, who felt it was a "slam-dunk" penalty.
Norris and McLaren's presumption is that helium went disconnected the way lone due to the fact that helium was forced determination by Verstappen.
This statement is that Verstappen, whether deliberately oregon not, ran close to the borderline of the way connected the exit of the corner, leaving Norris connected his extracurricular nary enactment but to bash the same. Norris could not crook much due to the fact that if helium did they would person crashed.
Verstappen decidedly did bash this. The question is whether helium was entitled to. The stewards decided helium was, due to the fact that Norris was "not level with" Verstappen astatine the apex and truthful had "lost the right" to the corner.
This appraisal comes from the drivers' overtaking guidelines, which is not a publically disposable document. It states the operator connected the extracurricular successful this benignant of concern indispensable "have the beforehand axle astatine slightest alongside the beforehand axle of the different car astatine the apex of the country and to the exit" to beryllium entitled to beryllium afforded room.
McLaren's statement is this was an illustration of a modular operating process of Verstappen - propulsion his car up the wrong and unit the different operator wide - erstwhile helium is defending, which is fundamentally unfair.
McLaren squad main Andrea Stella said: "The defending car goes conscionable consecutive astatine the apex. We checked the video aggregate times. It is conscionable going straight. It is conscionable going disconnected the way arsenic overmuch arsenic Lando is doing, conscionable giving nary accidental for Lando to implicit the manoeuvre.
"If I was a journalist, I would person done a spot of statistic however galore times Max has utilized this mode for defending."
What McLaren are fundamentally saying is Verstappen is 'gaming' the rules - driving to the letter, but successful a mode galore would see not just racing. It could beryllium argued this is simply a flaw successful the drivers' racing guidelines.
Another clip Verstappen did this was Brazil 2021 against Lewis Hamilton. That was astatine overmuch higher speed, truthful the information was greater, but successful that lawsuit astir of the drivers felt Verstappen should person had a punishment aft some drivers went disconnected the track. He did not get one.
The different contented present is Verstappen was up astatine the apex, slightly, lone due to the fact that helium had braked aboriginal than Norris, contempt being connected the dustier wrong enactment wherever determination would beryllium little grip. Norris had antecedently nosed somewhat up connected the consecutive approaching the corner.
And the question that arises from that is whether Verstappen drove arsenic the guidelines demand, successful a "safe and controlled mode astatine each times", "forced the different operator disconnected track" and was arsenic a effect "able to marque the country wrong way limits".
McLaren would contend that helium did not comply with these requirements. But this was yet not considered applicable by the stewards.
Similar questions originate from the incidental astatine the archetypal corner, wherever again Verstappen was connected the wrong and some ended up disconnected way connected the exit.
Red Bull squad main Christian Horner said this would person been considered otherwise due to the fact that connected the archetypal lap, and particularly the start, much leeway is fixed and the cardinal default is "let them race".
However, it is casual to spot wherefore immoderate person questioned the deficiency of consistency betwixt the 2 incidents - and so with that astatine Las Vegas successful 2023, erstwhile Verstappen was penalised for forcing different operator disconnected the way astatine the archetypal corner, successful that lawsuit Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Driving successful this mode does marque Verstappen precise hard to overtake, particularly connected the outside.
How does a rival bash it successful a manoeuvre wherever the cars are much oregon little broadside by side, 1 mightiness wonder, if helium is highly apt to brake truthful precocious helium volition ever beryllium up astatine the apex, to guarantee helium complies with that requirement, and past unit them wide?
It is expected the drivers volition sermon immoderate of these issues successful their briefing astatine the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend.
Why are circuits allowed to person specified ample run-off areas erstwhile it causes the athletics much harm with conflicting judgements from stewards? – Jen
The contented present is not the size of the run-off areas - that is for information - but what they are made of, and the wide question of way designs.
Many circuits these days - and Austin is 1 - person to equilibrium what F1 would similar successful an perfect concern with their wider requirements.
So, F1 mightiness similar higher kerbs, oregon gravel traps, oregon a antithetic aboveground connected the extracurricular of the corner, truthful that these way limits issues bash not origin truthful galore problems. In essence, for F1, it would beryllium amended to person a carnal impediment to going disconnected track, 1 that automatically ensures the operator loses out. (Although this would rise further issues with the racing question above.)
But F1 rights fees are expensive, and circuits person to beryllium viable businesses. So they person to instrumentality into relationship different categories and circumstances.
In MotoGP, the riders bash not similar gravel oregon raised kerbs - they wounded much if they crash. So they went asphalt run-offs and level kerbs. Equally, gravel is not perfect for way days, erstwhile members of the nationalist instrumentality their cars connected to a contention way and wage to thrust around, due to the fact that their cars get stuck successful it, and sessions person to beryllium stopped to resistance them out.
As Max Verstappen said aft the contention connected this matter: "[Gravel mightiness help, but we person to woody with bikes arsenic good that contention here. They don't similar the gravel, truthful past you person to region it again.
"People rotation off, of course, connected way days. You person amateur drivers, nonrecreational drivers. It does outgo a batch of wealth erstwhile you person to bash that, and not each way tin bash that passim the year. Yes, it would work, but connected the different hand, I'm not definite however sustainable that is for the season.”
I person been alarmed by immoderate of Lewis Hamilton’s mistakes and results passim the season. Is determination a feeling helium is starting to decline? – Elliott
This question reflects, presumably, a hard play for Hamilton and Mercedes successful Austin. He had a rotation astatine Turn Three successful practice, and different astatine Turn 19 successful the race.
Hamilton sounded befuddled by the incidental successful the race. "I person ne'er spun [in the race], particularly connected the 2nd lap,” helium said.
Team-mate George Russell backed him up.
"When we are successful the [set-up] window, we are there,” Russell said connected Sunday. “And erstwhile we're not, it bites. It happened with maine yesterday and you saw it with Lewis today. He ne'er makes mistakes and the car conscionable goes connected america from nowhere.”
The archetypal decision was that Hamilton's incidental - and Russell's clang astatine Turn 19 successful qualifying - were caused by a occupation with the car.
“I wasn’t adjacent pushing astatine that point,” Hamilton said. “I was conscionable trying to get going. The beforehand started bouncing and the rear extremity conscionable came around, aforesaid arsenic George yesterday.
"P1, I had the aforesaid thing, rotation successful Turn Three, which is truthful rare. I person ne'er spun successful Turn Three each the years I person been here."
Hamilton's suspicion was that the incidents were caused by the upgrade Mercedes introduced successful Austin - and this feeling was enhanced erstwhile Russell drove a beardown race, from the pit lane to sixth, aft being forced to usage an older-spec car pursuing his clang due to the fact that determination were not capable spare parts of the newer one.
And Mercedes squad main Toto Wolff said helium did not deliberation the incidental successful the contention was Hamilton's fault.
"It came retired of nowhere," Wolff said. "He was not pushing astatine all. Where I beryllium astatine the infinitesimal it is 100% not Lewis' fault. And it's not due to the fact that I americium protecting him. It’s clear. It was gusty, determination was a slipstream, however does each that interact?"
After their beardown show successful Texas, which of the remaining races are expected to suit Ferrari? – Andrew
Ferrari were precise encouraged by their show successful Austin. They person been precise beardown since they enactment a caller level and different caller parts connected their car astatine the Italian Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc won astatine Monza, was a adjacent 2nd to McLaren's Oscar Piastri successful Baku, wherever helium arguably should person won, and was the 2nd fastest car successful the contention successful Singapore, climbing to 5th aft starting 10th due to the fact that helium went disconnected connected his lone qualifying lap.
But each those are circuits wherever Ferrari expected to beryllium strong, due to the fact that their characteristics - predominantly dilatory corners - play to their car's strengths.
So Ferrari were keen to spot whether this improved show would construe to Austin, where, yes, determination is simply a batch of braking into dilatory corners, but determination are besides precocious and medium-speed corners wherever Ferrari are not usually arsenic strong.
So the information they were truthful competitory successful Austin suggests they person made a holistic measurement forward.
Leclerc is present talking astir winning the constructors’ championship. Ferrari are presently third, 48 points down leaders McLaren. It won’t beryllium easy, but you tin spot wherefore they deliberation it’s possible.
What are the pros and cons of teams nary longer having a 3rd (spare) car? And would you similar to spot them reintroduced? – Roy
Spare cars were banned successful F1 successful 2008 connected costs grounds. But the rules inactive let for teams to person capable parts to physique up an full caller car if necessary.
Pretty overmuch thing tin beryllium repaired oregon replaced, arsenic agelong arsenic determination is the clip - and inclination - to bash so.
There is nary tendency successful the athletics to spell backmost to the erstwhile system, erstwhile afloat built-up spare cars were permitted.
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