Nah I thought it was great, proper F1 racing. Verstappen tracking Rosberg for most of the race and then using the backmarkers to launch an attack was great stuff. All the more so given how much was at stake for Rosberg.

I really hope the new aero rules don't make all races like this next year, but I fear they might. The cars will be beasts, but I'll hate it if they can't overtake, or can only do so with DRS.

You can't really overtake with these cars to be fair.

It's a difficult one in some ways. I mean Perez stuck behind Massa for basically the whole race was like F1 racing of a few years back now, really. Following that closely actually didn't kill the tyres stone dead inside 10 laps, and the DRS made little discernible difference.

We also had even, fair battles between drivers on 18 lap old tyres compared to 61 lap old tyres. We had drivers going very deep into the race on their first set of tyres. It was like Pirelli never happened. It was like an anti-gimmick race.

There was a certain novelty in seeing all that, and yet it was still largely drivel up until Verstappen, Vettel and Ricciardo kicked off and Seb blew his gasket.

May well be the whole formula is just irredeemable, somehow.

I agree the race had the older race feel to it, but I don't think that circuit is conductive to overtaking. If DRS didn't help much that says something.

As for the coverage I thought there was the usual too many shots of people in the crowd, but I guess there was too much on track action to miss this week.

as much as I can't stand the woman - i preferred Natalie !! You must realise that she is probably being told by the director what to ask and to push the drivers for a bit of excitement.
after all if she doesn't do that, there are a hundred others waiting out there to jump in and do her job.

Must admit I was a little bit disappointed by Channel 4 this weekend. Clearly no post race was a C4 decision and not Whisper (and was a very bad decision) but there wasn't really much in the quali or pre-race of interest - while EJ's feature on Lewis/Nico had it's moments it really felt like something we've seen loads of times before. I normally enjoy EJ but I really would have preferred Mark Webber to have been there - he really adds something new and different to the coverage.

What's this obsession on this thread with people thinking that Whisper has a say in what content goes out?
They dance to C4's tune, not the other way around.

I actually really liked that in the race as it was really nice to see a decent lap after lap battle with the driver behind having to actually try to find a way past rather than just been driven past due to the DRS or tyre effect.

While Perez didn't manage to get past Massa I was watching Sergio's OnBoard & it was nice watching him having to try & get creative & throw a few dives up the inside & try taking different lines through corners to try & get a better exit to have a peek up the inside of the next. And it was the same with Vettel earlier in the race when he was behind the Williams.

While no overtake ended up happening there was always a possibility that something could happen & more than a few cases where something was tried which opened up that possibility & that sort of drawn out fight with uncertainty & a dozen moments where something is tried is far more exciting to me than a lot of the 'racing' seen since 2011. And in that long, drawn out race if something does happen it's always far more exciting & far more meaningful than your average turn up & pass DRS/Tyre generated move.


Not saying the race as a whole was good as it wasn't as there wasn't enough of the close racing going on (Especially at the front), But I did still enjoy & appreciate the close racing we did see..... Well on the OnBoard feeds at least as the world-feed wasn't always showing what it should have been.

They were referring to the scheduling, not the content.

The VAG cull continues. VW pull out of WRC.

According to BBC Sport, Vettel will face no action of his radio comments, including telling Charlie Whiting to F*** off and calling Max something bleepable aswell!

Which i have to say is rather poor of the FIA! Then again, the same idiot organisation, run by that little napoleon, who was behind the silly radio bans has once again (IMHO) shown a massive favour to Ferrari and given licence to disrespect the race director!
Pretty poor all round!

Formula 1 is a joke I'm afraid. A total joke. Has been for a while.

With this decision, id have to agree with you, yes.
Any other sport, you pull the stunts that Vettel did with regard to his radio comments, would be facing lengthy spells on the sidelines and rightly so.
If anything, what example does it set to others? Be rude, use 4-letter laden rants that you know may well be broadcast to millions globally and act with arrogance to boot?

Yet they let Ricciardo say mother****** (bleeped by FOM like Vettel was) at COTA and nothing happened.

Was Ricciardo saying in an insulting manner directed at an official?
To be insulting at a driver?

The FIA have now said:


(emphasis mine)

They weren't bothered in COTA, but it looks like they will be now... assuming they're being consistent anyway.

But there is a massive difference between the US GP and Mexico.
Ricciardo's was said in exasperation whereas Vettel was said to be insulting.
The difference is huge. They are not comparable, and you know it!

I completely agree that Vettel should've been punished in some way for his message to Charlie, but this new rule about potentially taking action against drivers who swear at fellow competitors is ridiculous. We want these drivers to show some personality, don't we? We all love a rivalry.


Ricciardo insulted Kimi during Monaco practice this year and nothing happened.

Oh I agree they're not the same, but I think the FIA might be digging a hole for themselves with that statement.

The FOM involvement is also interesting to me, because they intentionally broadcast it - they could have decided not to if it would have been deemed so offensive.

I'm not having a go at FOM here, it's just an interesting situation. Knowing the FIA's stance now, should FOM broadcast the radio message if the same thing happens again?

In that respect, i think they've very much dig a hole because if they attack it removing context then anyone who says any word needing a bleep is going to face a fine or worse, which i wholly disagree with.
Danny Ric saying MF, if that statement from the FIA is how they will go at it in the future would mean for saying a stronger version of 'drat' at losing a potential podium because of circumstance will take radio back to the quite ages of earlier in the season because they'll either say nothing or use the secure channel that FOM doesn't have access to.

Id hope the FIA learns from Vettel's comments here too. But they've opened a box that didn't need to be opened by letting him off the hook without much of nothing for what was beyond even unprofessional.
And we all know the FIA is nothing close to consistent, so the next guy that says "shit" at losing a place in exasperation will be on the receiving end of hell

That's a myth, if there really was a secure channel that FOM doesn't have access too, surely they'd just use that one all the time, instead of swearing at the race director on the team radio...

It used to exist apparently, but its use was banned a couple of races back so FOM should have access to everything now. They can only use a private channel when in the pits now.

Ah right. TBH the FIA have said that because Vettel wrote several grovelling apologies (& apologised in person) to both the FIA, Charlie & Max, they've let him off the hook. They've said if it weren't for that, they would have penalised him.

Personally I think Vettel's rant went over the line, but tbh i'm fine with the swearing in general, providing its bleeped and also not excessive.

Personally maybe if a driver is being a bit OTT, then maybe a point on his licence would be a good idea.

The hypocricsy of people who've previously gone "What's the harm... the kids will learn what it is soon enough anyway..." to now go "OMG SO UNPROFESIONAL GIVE HIM THE BAN-HAMMER" is just silly.

I love how our Seb can go nuclear on the radio to an audience of 37 billion yet if I say ********** on here...
I'm sent straight to the sin bin.

Jp