In the round-up: Lance Stroll says things can only improve in 2019 after a poor second season at Williams.
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What they say
Stroll, who will test for Force India this week, said he hadn’t enjoyed his 2018 campaign:
I can’t say I’ve enjoyed my time with the team this year. But I did last year.
I’m just going to enjoy the off-season a bit now and get back to work and start chipping away at it.
We were by far the worst car this year so I think you can only go up from where Williams were this year.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqjcsGEl8Wb/
Real pleasure to meet @BillyMonger tonite and chat about his future plans. As fine a young man in person as he came across in BBC docu, and without a gram of self-pity. #impressive pic.twitter.com/DrSpIyR62e
— Fritz-Dieter Rencken (@RacingLines) November 25, 2018
Glad to see Bradley on top of podium @abudhabigp_ congratulations to Toto and @MercedesAMGF1 for giving a deserved stage to the Communications in F1. Well done! pic.twitter.com/rCdvVSSWoN
— Matteo Bonciani (@MatteoBonciani) November 25, 2018
Lewis Hamilton, on being given a full-sized Pirelli tyre to commemorate winning the Pole Position award: "What am I going to do with this big tyre, man?" Suggests Pirelli gives it to one of the fans. Much lols.
— Nate Saunders (@natesaundersF1) November 25, 2018
Some of the TEAM that Made @C4F1 Happen 💪
Thanks to all 👍
One more for 2018 👊 pic.twitter.com/g0t4j58ZYV— Whisper (@WeAreWhisperTV) November 25, 2018
On the grid before the start with @FIA Secretary General for Sport @peter__bayer , Vice-President of the @FIA for Sport & President of the @ATCUAE_NEWS Mohammed Ben Sulayem and President of the disabilities and accessibility @FIA commission @nathaliemcgloin #F1 #AbuDhabiGP 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/LnxsuYO2iC
— Jean Todt (@JeanTodt) November 25, 2018
Will Smith setting an example to all celebrities by declining to be interviewed on the grid. More of this, please.#F1 #AbuDhabiGP
— Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) November 25, 2018
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Links
More motor racing links of interest:
"It was complicated after the damage on the first lap. Obviously, there was (slight damage to) the front wing and maybe more. I’m glad Nico (Hulkenberg) was OK, though."
Kimi comments on the race (Ferrari)
"It’s not the way we wanted this last race together to finish. We wanted to do well and I think we would have had a pretty good car for the job. Unfortunately we had an electrical issue; in the back straight, I felt I was lacking power and then everything shut down. It’s a pity but that’s how racing goes sometimes."
2018 season comes to an end with P7 in the constructors' championship (Force India)
"We weren’t on the best strategy because we had to start on the hypersoft tyres, but we had managed to recover well and we were looking good for a finish in the points. We did everything right as a team but sadly the car had an oil leak which forced us to retire."
Renault secures fourth in 2018 F1 constructors’ championship (Renault)
"It’s a great way to finish the season. P4 is where we wanted to be in the championship; it’s a good result and a representation of the fantastic team effort on and off track and from both drivers."
Button joins Sky’s F1 team for 2019 season (F1 Broadcasting)
"Button, who was part of their team during their coverage of this year’s British Grand Prix, will have “an increased role with Sky F1 during coverage of all 21 races next year”, a decade after he won the F1 championship in 2009."
The end of season awards (Sky)
"Alternative driver of the year: Well, you voted for Sergey Sirotkin!"
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Comment of the day
Losing DRS didn’t spoil the racing in F2 yesterday:
GP2/F2 never needed DRS (Or the high-deg tyres) in the first place as the racing in this series was always really good without needing gimmicks.
Same with GP3 to be honest as the races earlier in the year when they had to disable DRS (Paul Ricard for example) showed.
@Stefmeister
From the forum
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ColdFly (@)
26th November 2018, 0:36
‘tonite’ always luv de lengs pepul go to save one karaktr.
@HoHum (@hohum)
26th November 2018, 0:57
I tink is US Engls.
Gabriel (@rethla)
26th November 2018, 5:28
I always like the lengths you guys go to keep all the silent letters ;)
Phylyp (@phylyp)
26th November 2018, 9:39
@rethla – it makes for interesting landmines in spelling bees.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
26th November 2018, 1:07
LOL Lewis got a full size tyre as an award for most pole positions?? I thought the little tyres they gave in each race were already useless… Lewis already got 11 of those this year… I know they are a tyre company, but maybe a random item from their merchandise collection would’ve been more appropiate!
Adam
26th November 2018, 10:15
I just spat my tea out..
There you go Lewis, here’s a massive tyre! Well done 😂😂😂
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
26th November 2018, 13:08
As much as I struggle to like Lewis at times, you’ve got appreciate his honesty there. Most would just smile and get it over with, of course he doesn’t want a massive tyre, plenty of people would though, give it to them. What on earth Pirelli were thinking.
MtlRacer (@mtlracer)
26th November 2018, 1:26
COTD: Those series are vastly different from F1… single chassis, single engine, extremely limited aero.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
26th November 2018, 12:31
@mtlracer I know, The comment was made in the F2 article yesterday so wasn’t supposed to be related to F1.
MaliceCooper
26th November 2018, 1:30
Williams can only go up from where they are?
Force India has traded Ocon (hare) for Stroll (tortoise), so may still be up there at the sharp end.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
26th November 2018, 2:26
I wouldn’t be surprised if Stroll were talking about himself going up, and not the team.
Gabriel (@rethla)
26th November 2018, 5:29
@phylyp That is the same thing.
Phylyp (@phylyp)
26th November 2018, 9:25
@rethla – LOL, nice one!
KGN11
26th November 2018, 3:54
What point is COTD trying to make?
anon
26th November 2018, 6:08
The sort of point that is designed to appeal to figures such as Keith (you know, feeding into the constant “DRS is the work of the devil and we hate it because etc.”) and to flatter his biases and those of the audience that he feeds.
Joao (@johnmilk)
26th November 2018, 11:41
Isn’t that fun when you answer in the same tone that you accuse him off?
If you don’t agree with the COTD at least give a reasonable comment as to why DRS and design to degrade tyres are good for the lower categories.
BlackJackFan
26th November 2018, 16:53
How apt… ;)
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
26th November 2018, 12:25
It was a comment I made as a reply to someone in the article discussing the F2 race yesterday.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
26th November 2018, 7:44
Re: COTD I beg to differ @stefmeister. The racing in the F2 race yesterday was made worse by a huge amount when the DRS failed. it was turned into an F1 style rubbish procession. The commentators mentioned it explicitly, it was noticed by me and countless others on social media. Wonder how you’d missed it. But anyway don’t let facts disturb your agenda…
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
26th November 2018, 12:54
@montreal95 I disagree, I thought it was better because we actually got to see some good fighting with drivers able to defend & those trying to overtake having to actually fight & work at trying to pull off an overtake & this helped create far better than what was seen when DRS was active & the passing was far too easy & dull to watch been done half way down the straight.
Nobody looks back at GP2/F2 before DRS & says the racing was dull because it never was. That series consistently put on some of the best racing around & there was never any need at all for them to introduce DRS or High-deg tyres which is why it was so disappointing when they did.
I have not & never will be a fan of DRS in F1 as I don’t like the sort of racing it produces…. But I get why it’s there. In the junior categories like GP2/F2 & GP3 however I simply don’t because there spec series with far less aero which never needed it to begin with. And even if it was felt the racing did need improving as a spec series it’s far easier to alter the cars to create better racing without the need for gimmicks.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
26th November 2018, 9:22
Well I fail to see how you could go downhill from where you are Lance.
I think your problem now is making sure you don’t get made to look foolish in your new car next season. I wouldn’t relax over the end of season break if I were you, I would get in as much racing practice as possible. Any kind of racing.
Good to see Niki recovering. One of the few drivers who genuinely loves the sport in my opinion.
Jere (@jerejj)
26th November 2018, 10:21
”you can only go up from where Williams were this year.” – Well, you won’t be needing to worry about that anymore as you’re going to be in a better car next season anyway.
Regarding the COTD: The F2 and GP3 cars are quite a bit different than F1 when it comes to following another car as @mtlracer points out above.
Brian (@bealzbob)
26th November 2018, 16:04
I think people forget how young Stroll still is. Next year will be his 3rd year in F1 and he’ll STILL be the 2nd youngest driver on the grid (20) with only Norris (19) younger than him. That’s why I haven’t completely given up on his time in F1 (although he has much to prove). Not that I’m ever expecting him to be a serious top-end driver, but at least now being in a competitive car and being established in the paddock he should give a representative account of his ability. Whether that ends up being a good account or a bad one is up to him. I also think the ‘Daddy factor’ makes people resentful of him too. He can hardly help the fact his old man has a few quid in the bank. It’s fair to say next season is a massive one for him because the excuses and the extenuating circumstances are now all gone.
BlackJackFan
26th November 2018, 16:56
The way he looks so miserable when he’s being so self-righteous doesn’t help people to find him endearing either… ;-)
JohnnyUK (@johnnyuk)
27th November 2018, 3:13
Yes £an¢€ $tro££ you’re right, you can only go up from here now that Daddy has bought you a team that’s already up, and next he’s going to buy you a Mercedes…team. ;)