In the round-up: Esteban Ocon suspects there will be surprises in tomorrow’s Formula 1 race due to the high tyre loads experienced at Silverstone.
What they say
With the hot temperatures it’s obviously hard to keep the tyres. We saw in Austria there was a lot of surprises, things we were not expecting. Tyres making big blisters [and] making it difficult, basically, for us to keep the tyres alive. It could be the same here.
In the end people don’t have experience with that much temperature in this track and its the most tyre energy of this year. We’ll see surprises, I think, in the race.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
New @McLarenF1 sporting director Gil de Ferran (BR) making his mark already: official team itinerary for @svandoorne (BE) for this weekend states ‘Friday 1900 Watch Belgium lose to Brazil’.
— Fritz-Dieter Rencken (@RacingLines) July 6, 2018
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Vettel: ‘I don’t feel special because of what I do as a job’ (The Guardian)
"Obviously F1 is a big part of my life but it is not the most important thing. It is not who I am, it is what I do."
Verstappen: 'Maybe I’ll look at Le Mans when I'm old and slow' (source)
"I think that (looking outside of F1) mainly happens with drivers who are not winning."
Hamilton's fear for the future of young working class drivers (BBC)
"When people ask me where the next me is coming from, I say: 'No, these kids come from wealthy backgrounds, not from the struggle I came from.'"
146. Viasat Motors F1-podd - Hemmaseger! (Acast)
Have a listen to Dieter in the new Viasat podcast (begins 43 minutes in)
Renault cannot salvage Hulkenberg's Austria engine (Motorsport)
"When the turbo failed, we ingested some debris through the engine and damaged it so we can't really use it"
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Comment of the day
Should F1 extend points down to 20th place?
Awarding points through 20th place allows the points standings from the midfield on back to be a more representative picture of the actual performance of a team over the course of the season. As it is, with a cutoff at 10th place, a fluke result from a midfield team can propel a team up the standings far more disproportionately than amongst the front runners.
Plus making every position points-paying means that every fight for position counts for points, which can’t hurt the action. I also like seeing the top drivers and teams grind out finishes on their bad days, knowing that the points gained from each overtake to pull themselves up to 14th or 12th may make all the difference in the championship at the end of the year.
@MarkZastrow
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Joao (@johnmilk)
7th July 2018, 0:43
Gil de Ferran fails in his first task already.
On the subject of young talent and their background, at leas there are strides in the right direction nowadays, plenty of teams have their young drivers program, something only a few had and probably not as deeply involved as they are now. With McLaren being the exception with Lewis.
It is a matter of getting the sport to the kids and not the other way around.
Strontium (@strontium)
7th July 2018, 1:11
The problem with changing the points system is that it is so subjective and can give different championship outcomes with the same race results. At least by keeping it the system unaltered you can say, “that’s how we’ve done it for the past decade”.
The only way I can think of to have absolutely no involvement from such a system is to not award points but instead go by best results (as is done currently for a tie). This obviously has some flaws. The current system is a compromise between higher results being valuable, but still rewarded some lower down. Is it perfect? No. Would a new system be better? No, just different. So you might as well leave it alone
Psychotext (@textuality)
7th July 2018, 1:27
Hamilton still forgetting he grew up middle class rather than working class. I guess it’s understandable when he saw the obscene money others had around him in F1 though.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
7th July 2018, 5:17
Define working class as opposed to middle class. Lewis was brought up within a working class background.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
7th July 2018, 5:30
From another site
The estate is in Stevenage
As a child Hamilton lived on the Shephall estate. If not exactly the ghetto, no one could confuse the humble Sixties housing here with a breeding ground of advantage.
Ju88sy (@)
7th July 2018, 6:40
@textuality Congratulations on missing the point!
Mark in Florida
7th July 2018, 1:51
Verstupid showing his immaturity again. Sports car racing is known as the long game, something that many of the old time F1 drivers participated in and enjoyed. I guess he doesn’t have the patience to run at high speed for hours. He has the talent but not the race iq yet, it’s either win or crash. When you can drive and win like Tom Kristensen then talk your trash.
Gabriel (@rethla)
7th July 2018, 2:07
Verstappen could cash in a cheap win in any top sports car team just like Alonso, wheres the challenge and prestige in that?
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
7th July 2018, 5:19
Have you ever been to Le Mans for the 24 hours. Any winner in any car deserves all the praise they can get. Don’t demean a great event. Hats off to Alonso.. He has made no secret of wanting the Triple Crown and what’s wrong with that???
Patrickl (@patrickl)
7th July 2018, 11:28
@smudgersmith1 Nothing wrong, but on the other hand, who cares? It’s not so much an achievement as it is simply unlikely for drivers to go through that combination of race categories and be in the lucky position to win those races. It’s not like anyone (besides Alonso) ever bothered to actively try to collect those.
smudgersmith1 (@smudgersmith1)
9th July 2018, 9:28
Like many here, I have followed Motor racing history for a long time, The Triple Crown is a great achievement, to be able to adapt to three completely different racing styles and win out is great. Just my opinion, I would love to see Alonso do it especially as he is hamstrung at McClaren, I think with Lewis, he is the best driver of the last 15 years.
I am still in awe or Surtess achievement on 2 wheels and 4,… but who cares ???
baasbas
7th July 2018, 9:46
Well Fart in Florida (see what I did there), maybe you should have read the interview. Then you would not have to be guessing stuff. You’d now it was as much as a dig at his father
Andy
7th July 2018, 12:39
If you disagree with someone that’s OK, but there is no need to resort to name calling. Also your last sentence doesn’t make sense.
Mark in Florida
7th July 2018, 14:56
Well for one thing I did read it, and for another his dismissive attitude came through loud and clear. When he has the vast body of work and wins like some of those he is throwing off on then he can speak from some level of authority. He is talented no doubt but flawed as most young drivers are. Your so called play on my name was pitifull, be more imaginative or should I been unoriginal and called him Crashstappen like most?
Patrickl (@patrickl)
7th July 2018, 11:48
Isn’t that pretty much what Verstappen is saying too? If he’s old (and “slow”) he will be more suited for Le Mans.
His father Jos was just impetuous in F1 as Max is now. Also involved in many incidents and gravel traps. Yet Jos Verstappen did pretty well in Le Mans too. Well one race perhaps, but still he won that one (LMP2).
Jeffrey (@jeffreyj)
7th July 2018, 12:17
Jos Verstappen won Le Mans in the in LMP2. However, only when you win the race overall, do you get to say you won the Le Mans 24hrs.
Other than that I think Max indeed just poked fun at his dad rather than making savage remarks towards the Le Mans series or Alonso. In general Dutch humor, for a lack of general intelligence I suppose, is very focused on dissing others and making painstakingly stupid wordplays.
Robbie (@robbie)
7th July 2018, 13:54
So the bottom line is Max can’t even crack a joke without being analyzed and ripped to shreds around here. Nice.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th July 2018, 3:23
Ha ha, love Dieter’s tweet about McLaren, even if it didn’t pan out as predicted (hmm, that’s a recurring theme with McLaren leadership).
ColdFly (@)
7th July 2018, 8:25
Then I hope Ferran’s next itinerary for the drivers shows a press conference at 14:18
Phylyp (@phylyp)
7th July 2018, 3:31
While an amusing zinger from Verstappen, he must recognize that alongside his great talent, he had the right timing and opportunity to be placed in race-winning machinery, unlike his nearest points of comparison for this topic – namely Alonso and the Hulk.
If anything, the reality is that if you can’t win in F1 and you believe that’s not down to you but your car, it’s worth aiming to win elsewhere in a respected series, just to show others (and maybe yourself) that you’ve still got it.
Ju88sy (@)
7th July 2018, 6:44
Max is talented and fortunate enough to be in one of the six seats that has a chance of race victories. There are many other drivers on the grid who are race win capable given the car!
Jere (@jerejj)
7th July 2018, 7:33
I disagree with the COTD. Points should be earned, not just handed out for basically merely showing up, that’s my argument to keep it as it is. If points should be awarded to everyone regardless of the finishing-position then while we’re at it, why not hand them out to everyone already before a race has even started or to a driver(s) who gets a DNS, DNF, or even a DSQ, etc., as well, LOL?
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
7th July 2018, 8:54
No points should awarded no matter the finishing position. Points would only be awarded according to Liberty’s fan points system. Let the fans decide.
Of course, fans can only purchase points from Liberty for 10EUR/$10 per point. Let the fans decide if their fav driver really is their fav.
And if Liberty really wants to up the drama, work Simon Cowell into the post race bonus points race.
;-)
Adam (@rocketpanda)
7th July 2018, 11:23
Points all the way down to #20 would be fine as long as it changes other aspects to the cars, as if points would stretch that far down my concern would be it would stop drivers pushing or encouraging wacky strategies or overtaking moves to get them. Obviously that leads into altering the cars so they’re easier to follow and closing the gap between the top teams and the lower ones which is a tangentially connected argument.
Basically, as it stands points down to #20 would be a terrible idea because it’d change pretty much nothing and probably impact the races negatively, but if changes to the cars and races were done then it’d be a far better idea. What F1 could really do with is more elements of unpredictability but hitting the balance between genuine intrigue and manufactured hype is the difficult part. (Sprinklers are not an option)
Though to be honest I think coming up with wacky ideas to change up the format, show and structure of F1 is a good thing. It could do with a bit of a shakeup as most people that aren’t ardent fans of it tend to consider it unfathomably dull.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
7th July 2018, 11:35
Why would it discourage the drivers to perform? That just makes no sense. If anything it would make the backmarkers fight for it harder since they would get some reward for trying. Just like Alonso gave up a few races ago since he was in P12 and not getting a reward for trying to get P11.
Sure if there is only 1 point difference at the end (with one driver a full race win ahead at the start) you could get freak scenario’s, but that scenario is possible already and just as ridiculously (un)likely.
With the current points system you can have 2 drivers end up on the same amount of points and then depend on the finishing positions.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
7th July 2018, 11:51
I can’t help but think it’d discourage performance as if you’re 11th why push the tyres to get into the top 10 if it’s only one extra point? Take too much out you’ll fall back and you’ll lose 11th, and there’s always the risk of collision with any overtake. I mean a team that knows they’ve got like the fifth or sixth fastest car would be more focussed on constructor’s points as it’d be a far safer option to settle for what they have than risk losing it for only an incremental increase, as such it could encourage stagnation instead of pushing harder.
Like later in the championship you see championship contenders settle for third or whatever than push for a win because all they need is the points – no point in stressing the car or taking the risk, and currently with the way the cars operate I figure this would just stretch that mentality across the whole grid which would negatively impact the racing. Which is why I think it’d work only if the changes to the cars were done too – like closing the gap between the top and bottom teams far more than it is currently and letting them follow and overtake far more freely. I mean fundamentally I think it’s a good idea but even good ideas have an element of risk.
Mark Zastrow (@markzastrow)
7th July 2018, 11:57
Thank you for COTD, Keith!