Welcome to Wednesday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
Did Max Verstappen mistakenly believe Oscar Piastri had also gone off when he cut the first corner on Sunday?
Verstappen exit turn 13: “There was no intention [by] him to make that corner.”
Makes me think Verstappen believed Piastri had gone all four wheels over the white line too – in which case the new rules would have been on Verstappen’s side and he would have been right to keep he position. However Piastri had made the corner, only just, but still within track limits. Red Bull probably should have informed Verstappen.
If he had given the place back he probably would have finished second anyway but at least he might have stayed with Piastri, and we would have had a fight for the lead.
Jojo
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Wonderduck, Hydro, Rylan Ziegler, Kadir Issa and BenH!
On this day in motorsport
- 30 years ago today Emerson Fittipaldi scored the final win of his IndyCar career at Nazareth
- 25 years ago today Michael Schumacher’s pursuit of his first championship with Ferrari suffered a setback as David Coulthard won an unusually early British Grand Prix
- 20 years ago today the new GP2 series (now Formula 2) held its first ever race. Heikki Kovalainen won at Imola.
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An Sionnach
23rd April 2025, 1:07
With the Max decision, it was marginal and the less said about it the better. He’ll have to do better next time, which is good for him and I’m sure he realises that Oscar has given him something to work on. Maybe he could have won? It could only happen if he also made an excellent start. Like with Lando last year, Oscar was fully switched on at the start and new what he needed to do going into the first corner.
Perhaps another improvement Max can make is to trust the team to analyse the outcome of such tight decisions and give the place back where he hasn’t pulled off the move. I doubt he was expecting Oscar to move into the space when he jinked wide to take the corner. Oscar has good racing instincts. Perhaps the only other drivers on the current grid who don’t get flustered and do weird things in close quarters are Max and Alonso?
Mooa42
23rd April 2025, 1:56
I think Oscar and Charles are the best, Max and Alonso still get flustered. Last years Abu Dubai GP was a good example, Max went inside Oscar at turn 1 and expected Oscar to baulk, but he held his line, Oscar got spun and lost out but Max got a 10sec penalty. I think it allowed Lando to head off into the distance and win comfortably. Alonso also had a bit of a tantrum with Lawson in that race too.
I’ve said it before, I’d love to see some heart rate data from the start, I expect Oscars goes from 75 to 77 and Max’s goes from 140 to 180 :)
Despite what other say, I like the fact that Max does this, he know’s the rules and try’s to exploit them right to the limit. Most times it works, less so with Oscar. All part of the battle I think.
Jere (@jerejj)
23rd April 2025, 6:35
BBC article: I doubt he’ll modify any more than after the most recent US or Mexico City GP or after any previous occasion of questionable driving since 2016, for that matter.
I never thought or realized being over the weight limit early last season cost Williams as much as half a second on average.
For that matter, some teams were more than only marginally over the minimum requirement in 2022, which means they were affected even more in comparison.
MichaelN
23rd April 2025, 9:25
Whatever Verstappen does has to account for both F1s bogus secret guidelines, and the practicality of his championship position. He’s not leading, and he doesn’t have the best car. He can’t afford to lose points, and even a P2 is better if it keeps him close to benefit from McLaren having a different winner from race to race. But that part also plays to his advantage. Piastri and Norris don’t want to lose points either. They too can ill afford to make a point to Verstappen at the cost of a DNF.
No doubt there’ll be a tangle sooner or later. It’ll be interesting to see who forces the issue first.
Wer
23rd April 2025, 10:31
Oh, please stop with that nonsense. He does have the best car – one of the best cars. His RB is on par with McLaren. It would be impossible to win pole positions without one, unless it’s in the rain.
People have gotten used to F1 being dominated by either Mercedes or RedBull and nobody else being competitive, that even when several teams have competitive cars, they will still pin-point to the not-clearly-best car as if it was terrible and that fact alone determined everything. Stop it. Verstapenn doesn’t drive a Sauber, he has all he needs.
MichaelN
23rd April 2025, 13:46
The Red Bull is not the best car. That’s the point. He cannot count on winning 15 plus races as he has done before. But the car is good enough for a title challenge, so he will need to weigh the risks of posturing to intimidate Piastri. He will say he doesn’t change anything, but he has in the past and he will adept this year as well. Will he do as in 2021, or 2022? Who knows. He is probably still figuring this out, as well. Piastri is new territory, whereas he likely has a pretty good idea of how to handle Norris.
Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
23rd April 2025, 11:18
Re-Cotd – If Max and Oscar had both run off track, I don’t think it’s as simple as saying Max would have been legally permitted to stay ahead. Oscar had overtaken Max off the line, so I guess the argument can be made that going into turn one it was Max who was the attacking driver and Oscar was defending. Then if Max had entered the corner ‘behind’ and emerged ahead after both cars ran off track, he would have gained a lasting advantage.
I think it would depend on which driver the stewards decided was ahead going into the corner (or at the apex), and whether Max could have made the corner if not for being pushed wide by Oscar.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
23rd April 2025, 13:42
WEC looked good. Good crowd, good looking cars, lively on track moving around and even some noise…..
Coventry Climax
23rd April 2025, 15:56
And the ‘simply lovely’ BoP to -predictably fake- mess it all up by the races controlling FiA.
I don’t bother to watch this anymore.
Bop
23rd April 2025, 21:15
Lemans is nice, especially last two seasons with all the manufacturers. But I also could not get behind it for the other races due to bop. Doesn’t seem concrete and a known quantity but more like random decisions. They also have a form of censorship in not allowing teams to talk a out bop. At least say in touring car racing the bop is a known quantity by everyone. In wec it just seems random. But I suppose it’s the case with that kind of racing and gt3 anyway. Which again makes it less appealing
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
24th April 2025, 18:28
ever since they ran of LMP1 / the diesels, and imposed a fuel flow, less than that of F1, I don’t think WEC has really been as great as it once was.
BOP is okay, but it needs to be in terms of development opportunity. And i don’t mean wind tunnel. Like you win this years championship, you have to run the same car next year.
It’s too easy to hide the costs of performance like Mercedes do in F1. And unfortunately, the engine formula in most FIA series only seem to benefit those interests who are able to hide the costs (manufacturers). And give unfair leverage to manufacturers.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
24th April 2025, 18:28
ran out the*
oweng (@oweng)
23rd April 2025, 22:09
I disagree with the bbc article saying Max’s approach did not work. This line of thinking is based on assuming he thought or hoped he would get away without being given a penalty.
Max is one of, if not the best on the grid when it comes to knowing the rules and operating accordingly. Everyone knew clean air was key in that race and so when he lost the initial getaway I believe it was probably a pre planned move to do what he did in those circumstances – ie keep the lead and take the 5 second penalty. At best he could maybe open that gap up and stay ahead, at worst the advantage he gained from running so long at the front in clean air would mean he’d probably finish 2nd anyway. As he did. Had he given the place up after the first corner he wouldn’t have won and would have been at risk at finishing lower than second.
That could also explain why he didn’t want to talk about it afterwards. He couldn’t defend himself and say he shouldn’t have got a penalty because it’s a slam dunk penalty. But he obviously couldn’t admit that it was a calculated move as that makes a mockery of the penalty system.
F1 need to take a close look at penalties and how drivers react to them. It’s been common knowledge for a long time that drivers weigh up the pros and cons of just taking the time penalty as opposed to giving the position back. This needs to be eliminated by getting rid of time penalties for this infraction and forcing them to give the position back instead no matter what the consequences. This could result in harsher outcomes obviously if the other car has dropped back several places, but that’s better than drivers thinking an illegal move is worth it because the outcome is better even with a time penalty factored in.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
23rd April 2025, 22:49
Please stop reporting on NASCAR, it is always gross. Please stick to your fine reporting on open wheel racing, or at least world championship motorsport, like WEC or WRC. You guys don’t need the clicks, and us guys don’t need the icks.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
24th April 2025, 18:32
I remember the days before the internet, before people took social media seriously. People were less medicated, serious, and had better senses of humor.
People have always been throwing their fists at the tube. Socials just gives those people further reach. And to be honest, her own PR guys could be sending those threats to get publicity. Because thats also how the game is played.
Just pretend social media doesnt exist, and people should have common sense. I think its for the best.