Verstappen makes it three out of three in treacherous, rain-hit session

25 comments on “Verstappen makes it three out of three in treacherous, rain-hit session”

1. 

   Red Andy (@red-andy)
   14th November 2020, 10:10

   I can’t see them running qualifying if conditions are similar to this. Normally any indication that they might need the full wet tyres means that the red flags come out.
   1. 

      falken (@falken)
      14th November 2020, 10:15

      Which is stupid. They have wets for a reason.
      Let the brave drive!
2. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   14th November 2020, 10:11

   Sunset time for today is 17:46, so maybe doing these sessions an hour earlier would’ve been wiser just in case. Kvyat’s laugh and sarcasm at the end, though.
3. 

   macaque (@macaque)
   14th November 2020, 10:13

   The only race on this year’s calendar where a Covid case among the drivers would’ve had team principals calling someone other than the Hulk… Felipe baby!

   Glad F1 is back in Istanbul. I was there for Button’s win in 2009!
4. 

   falken (@falken)
   14th November 2020, 10:14

   Bernie’s sprinklers in action again?
5. 

   BaKano (@bakano)
   14th November 2020, 10:15

   I had high hopes for this GP but the race now seems to be an unusual one but for the “wrong” reasons.
6. 

   trib4udi (@trib4udi)
   14th November 2020, 10:17

   Leclerc was about to set a much faster time than Verstappen. Purple in sector 1 and 2, before halted by Ocon in final corners.
7. 

   Neel Jani (@neelv27)
   14th November 2020, 10:19

   We could be heading for a very interesting race!
8. 

   Postreader
   14th November 2020, 10:25

   I don’t think there will even be a qualifying and a race with these conditions.
9. 

   Frasier (@frasier)
   14th November 2020, 10:29

   Is there still a cut-off time for very slow qualifiers to be excluded before the race. Used to be 108% or something like?
   1. 

      Jere (@jerejj)
      14th November 2020, 10:38

      @frasier Yes, 107%, but drivers always get dispensation if they fail for reasons out of their control as long as they’ve set satisfactory lap times in a practice of the given event. The most recent occasion of a driver getting excluded for the 107% rule happened in early-2015.
      1. 

         Ronald
         14th November 2020, 11:22

         Really? Who was that. I did nit expect it to happen that recently.
         1. 

            SadF1fan
            14th November 2020, 11:31

            The last time someone wasn’t allowed to race was Narain Karthikeyan in 2012.

            The last one to not make 107% was Brandon Hartely in 2018 but was allowed to race.

            If this data is correct:
            https://f1.fandom.com/wiki/107%25_Rule
      2. 

         anon
         14th November 2020, 11:42

         @jerejj no, no driver was excluded for breaching the 107% rule at any point in 2015. That year, there were three occasions where a driver failed to set a time within 107% of the pole time in qualifying, but in every instance the drivers were allowed to start the race.

         Roberto Merhi failed to do so in the Malaysian GP, but the stewards permitted him to race because it was a wet qualifying session and thus the times were not representative.

         In Japan, Alexander Rossi failed to set a representative lap time, but the stewards ruled that, had he not been forced to slow down because of waived yellow flags – because of Ericsson spinning on his first run, and then because Verstappen broke down during his second attempt – he was on course to set a time within 107% of the best Q1 time, and so was allowed to race.

         The final time was Carlos Sainz at the United States GP where, after crashing during the heavier bursts of rain earlier in the session, his time was outside of 107%. Again, though, the stewards ruled that the adverse weather meant that the times were unrepresentative and Sainz was allowed to start the race.

         The last time that drivers were blocked from starting after failing to set a time within 107% would be de la Rosa and Karthikeyan at the 2012 Australian GP. In that case, both drivers were well short of 107% – de la Rosa was 1.2 seconds off and Karthikeyan 1.4s off – and, having consistently been outside of 107% for much of the race weekend, they were excluded from starting the race.
10. 

    David
    14th November 2020, 10:41

    @Keith Collantine – What’s the story behind this late decision to resurface the track? Was it actually that bad that the old surface couldn’t be used? Or is it some kind of misguided attempt to “improve” the track after many years away from F1 – as far as I know it hardly ever gets used now (like a lot of the tracks that were built outside of F1s traditional home)
    1. 

       Wachuwey (@wachuwey)
       14th November 2020, 11:04

       Ted Kravitz (SkySportsF1) was told that the circuit was on the original track surface from 2005, and it was in a very bad shape, very bumpy.
       They did not expect the new surface to be this slippery tho.
    2. 

       MacLeod (@macleod)
       14th November 2020, 11:11

       The story was the track was too bobbely for motor and they took this opportunity to redo the surface when they heard F1 came back but everything was so short time as they finished 10 days ago. After that they should have races to rubber the track in. Or atleast to drive the oil (of new asfalt) off.
       1. 

          Frasier (@frasier)
          14th November 2020, 11:17

          I’m amazed the didn’t think laterally, eg invite any driver + car (road that is) to drive around the circuit as much as they like for nothing. For ten days straight before the event. With speed cameras at the dangerous bits, black flag for exceeding the limit of course.

          With that large a local population, there would have been a stampede, surely?
       2. 

          anon
          14th November 2020, 11:21

          @macleod it is not just that there are problems with the track being resurfaced much later than it should have been – there are also some rumours that they’ve botched the job as well.

          There are rumours now circulating that the asphalt itself is the wrong type, being designed for a standard highway and not for a race track – basically, take the problems that Silverstone had when they resurfaced their circuit and then magnify that by several times, and that is what the track is like right now. If it is also not a proper type of asphalt, you half wonder whether the race could see the track break up in the way that Spa did back in 1985, which forced the postponement of the Belgian GP.
11. 

    AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
    14th November 2020, 10:44

    Prediction are gonna be a lottery now
    1. 

       MacLeod (@macleod)
       14th November 2020, 11:12

       Not really just select the best rain drivers as you already saw them on top already (if Hamilton would drove he would be there too)
       1. 

          RocketTankski
          14th November 2020, 13:41

          Hamilton wins, Max 2nd or DNF, Bottas 3rd, Albon 15th.
12. 

    AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
    14th November 2020, 10:44

    Predictions*
13. 

    skibomax (@skibomax)
    14th November 2020, 12:24

    I am having real problems reading the articles because the adverts make the whole page jump about.
    1. 

       Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
       14th November 2020, 13:02

       They have to put adverts on for people who think the world is a freebie

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