Welcome to Thursday’s edition of the RaceFans round-up.
Comment of the day
Jordi spotted another first in the statistics from last weekend’s race:
If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time two drivers have led the championship for the first time in their careers since 2010.
Back then it was Webber and Vettel, so another two team mates, one of them being Australian who happens to be Piastri’s manager.
Jordi Casademunt (@Casjo)
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Mags, Tim and Pete Walker!
On this day in motorsport
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kuvemar
24th April 2025, 0:20
Looks like HP ran out of ink.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
24th April 2025, 1:30
Ha!
AllTheCoolNamesWereTaken
24th April 2025, 14:55
Now, now.
We all know that if HP had really run out of ink, the cars wouldn’t be able to drive at all.
Simon
24th April 2025, 1:51
20 years since, well, ITV… Time flies…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One_coverage_on_ITV#2005_San_Marino_Grand_Prix_coverage_controversy
SteveP
25th April 2025, 6:59
Ah, yes, I recall the “lottery” as it was referred to in this household.
Questions a five-year-old half-fan could answer, put up as bait to catch thousands of £1 entries.
BTW. Thanks for the surprise.
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
24th April 2025, 3:29
The 2005 & 2006 San Marino GP`s are still 2 races I remember fondly.
I know that neither featured much overtaking and that in each case there was ultimately no pass for the win but at the time watching you don’t know that.
I remember both years been on the edge of my seat, heart rate up a bit and been glued to the TV absolutely loving those final 20 odd laps where you had 2 of the best drivers in the history of the sport fighting for the win, the lead car defending brilliantly as the car behind looked at every opportunity to force a mistake or stick a nose up the inside.
In the moment you don’t know there won’t be a pass, you don’t know a mistake won’t be made, that a backmarker won’t catch somebody out, that there won’t be a reliability concern and you don’t know that the lead driver isn’t as on the limit as you perceive. All you know is that you have a battle for win again between 2 of the best ever and that at any moment something could happen. That’s what creates the excitement for me.
And a lesser talked about race from that period I have fond memories of for similar reasons would be Istanbul 2006. Not because of a fight for the win as Massa drove brilliantly to a comfortable lead and first GP win that day, But because of the Alonso/Schumacher battle for 2nd which was just as brilliant to watch as those 2 races at Imola.
MarcusAurelius (@marcusaurelius)
24th April 2025, 10:31
I have exactly the same memory. Seeing that finish photo brought back those amazing moments.
And a good point you don’t need overtakes to have an exciting Grand Prix.
Doh
24th April 2025, 19:32
Yes just like the 2010 Italian gp also
Alonslow
24th April 2025, 15:41
I was a Kimi fan so whenever I see 2005’s Imola I just see another race that Kimi lost because of his Mclaren dying out.
Props to Alonso but that should have been a Kimi win from 30 seconds or so ahead.
Frank
24th April 2025, 16:15
The thing is, you cannot blame the McLaren car for being too brittle whilst ignoring that it was also the speed of that McLaren that carried Raikkonen to these early race leads.
Why would the rightful winner of a race be a driver in a fast, unreliable car? One would never say that about a driver in a slow, reliable car.
AlexS
25th April 2025, 17:42
Maybe Kimi was fast because the Mclaren was unreliable.
Bullfrog (@bullfrog)
24th April 2025, 7:33
Ah, 2005 – the year when we thought “they can’t possibly think of a more stupid set of tyre rules than this”…
There was a nice echo of those races when I caught a bit of the Imola WEC race on Sunday before the Grand Prix. Buemi in the Toyota, in the final laps of a stint, was defending for all his worth against a faster Ferrari (I think) with Anthony Davidson enthusing on commentary about his car placement into every corner. Gripping stuff, against the lovely undulating twisting backdrop of Imola – which is why I’m still looking to forward to the Grand Prix there a million times more than Miami.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
24th April 2025, 9:15
+1
Or Vegas, or the Middle East, or the new Madrid GP…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
24th April 2025, 8:10
The endless tale of Johnny Herbert, the man who couldn’t shut up.
Ferdi
24th April 2025, 8:50
He is quite a character isn’t he? To think someone once approved his taking part in stewarding. Says a lot about the FIA organisation. They are not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed.
Coventry Climax
24th April 2025, 11:32
No, more like the sledge hammer; just blunt will do it.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th April 2025, 10:34
He was asked for his comment at least
Ideals (@ideals)
24th April 2025, 11:44
Also just outright petty. Whether you disagree or agree with Max in this, and I imagine the former being the vast majority opinion, his behaviour was in no way disrespectful. He congratulated Oscar, he didn’t spit in anyone’s face. All he did was not celebrate abundantly enough for Herbert. That is just a ridiculously petty thing to complain about.
I looked up Canada 2019 to see if Herbert made a comment about Vettel’s extreme disrespect (his opinion, not mine, I assume since that went a lot farther than not spraying champagne), but alas, he remained silent on that particular occasion. I wonder why.
A person with such extreme bias against certain drivers can barely be a good pundit, but how he was allowed to be a steward for so long is downright baffling.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th April 2025, 12:38
Jos got him sacked so hes on their case. Theres more than 1 steward you know, he wouldnt have stayed in the job if he was constantly digging out Max. Talk of bias….
Ideals (@ideals)
24th April 2025, 16:05
Hey Johnny, fancy meeting you here.
Ferdi
25th April 2025, 10:02
I was going to say the same.. I have rarely come across anyone that actually defends Johnny Herbert. I feel privileged and will run of now to buy a lottery ticket.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
24th April 2025, 14:47
I thought of Canada 2019 as well but didn’t bother to look about what he said or didn’t say.
Carl Parker (@mysticarl)
24th April 2025, 12:43
Funny how the stewards can come to a still-against Max point of view without the ‘evils’ of JH biasing them all… it’s almost like Max was actually in the wrong!
Max wasn’t exactly professional after the race and JH called that out. Maybe if Red Bull actually chose to tell Max it was 50/50 at best then he’d be inclined to feel less hard-done-by but that’s never been their style – other than Hungary last year when they told him to sort it out over the radio, they continually pander to him.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th April 2025, 14:28
Yep the enemy here isnt JH here, but they’ve bought the PR hook line and stinker. Jos is a divisive piece of work, at least Max is a fabulous driver…
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
24th April 2025, 14:53
On the contrary, I think he was professional. In the post-race interview anyway. If whatever you’re gonna say is going to be an explosion of expeletives, better to shut up and talk later when temperatures are down a bit.
Jojo
24th April 2025, 16:23
I can’t see how anything Verstappen said or did after the race could be classed as unprofessional.
SteveP
25th April 2025, 20:59
As a non-Max fan, I feel I should point out to anyone who didn’t pay attention to what the drivers did between getting out of the car and speaking to the official trackside interviewer:
Max stood, head down, helmet on, unmoving.
If that was me, I say that the action was winding down, collecting the thoughts and deciding what to say.
Then he went and said the blandest thing he could, and exited stage right. Was that controversial?
M2X
27th April 2025, 12:11
@SteveP: then you clearly missed that while Max was winding down Ben Sulayem came along to talk down to Max.
Max’ body language changed a lot during and after that speech of MbS. So one can guess that the autocrate of the FIA was being his dictatorial self again.
Journalists aren’t bothered to figure out what was actually said in that moment.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
24th April 2025, 16:20
Disagree. He was asked a question and he answered it. He’s just a pundit now, isn’t he? Whether you agree with him or not(I don’t), he’s entitled to it. Such comments while also being on a steward roster would be unacceptable, but otherwise each to his own.
BenHur
27th April 2025, 22:30
Sometimes I wish I was a believer so I could hope for eternal punishment for JH
Patrick (@anunaki)
24th April 2025, 8:47
Wasn’t Herbert dropped because he was affiliated to a gambling company while being a steward in F1?
Patrick (@anunaki)
24th April 2025, 8:51
Just read the FIA statement, his role as pundit was “incompatible” with being a FIA steward
Ferdi
24th April 2025, 8:56
Amongst many other conflicts of interest yes. The real problem is that the kind of driver Herbert is, ruins F1. Hill is from that category as well. Characters that are cut out to go watch butterflies in the park on Sunday afternoon, have no place in an F1 car in the first place, but especially when they feel the need to lower everyone else to their tender souls standards. It is supposed to be a fierce competition, it’s the pinnacle of Motorsport.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th April 2025, 10:35
One won a WDC and the other would likely have won several if it wasnt for his foot basically being a lifeless stump after an horrific crash before he got to F1. Your comment is really showing you up, not them
osnola
24th April 2025, 12:51
right.. the first one is Hill i suppose but who is the second one?
Not Herbert for sure.. a very mediocre driver at his best..and a unlucky one for that in his accident in 1988 he himself caused. Trying to squeeze a passing car.
So not really WDC material then and certainly not later on.
Tony Mansell (@tonymansell)
24th April 2025, 14:30
You dont know clearly but those who follow F1 do know how good Herbert couldve been. Even after the accident he managed to get to F1 stay in F1 and even win a couple of races. You’ll probably sneer at that also so..
Alonslow
24th April 2025, 16:20
@tonymansell
He was alright in F1, had his chance in 1995, he got 4th to Schumacher’s 1st and got shocking last win 4 years later in the Schumacher injury days, still from that to a driver who would have won several WDC, is stretching it, even without his accident.
But let’s say Herbert never crashed in Brands Hatch, he gets to F1 next year anyway, it’s the Senna/Prost/Mansell era, he’s not getting a WDC until they go away since they pretty much wanted a team and got it unless one of them veto the hiring, so Herbert would have to be lucky and try to land Benetton (like he did in 95) or Williams in 1994 replacing Senna, and by that moment it’s the rise of Schumacher, maybe he could win 96 if he was a Williams driver? but then again the team wanted JV and I don’t think that it’s changing even with a Herbert/Hill line up, one of them needs to go and with JV coming in Newey is going out and of course 98 Williams was awful, and from that on is over for his WDC hopes as it begins the Schumacher’s Ferrari era.
But hey if we’re going for ‘what ifs’ I say Senna never crashes and he wins 95,96 and 97, so Herbert still doesn’t have a single WDC.
Phil Norman (@phil-f1-21)
24th April 2025, 13:50
A bit disrespectful to Hill. What has he ever done wrong really. I wouldn’t be putting these two in the same bracket. You don’t win a WDC by accident.
Ferdi
25th April 2025, 10:10
Well, actually you do sometimes when the car would have made the average grandma win the championship. It happened to multiple drivers. Better not get into the name I have in mind on this forum as it won’t go down well.
SteveP
25th April 2025, 21:03
Including the current reigning WDC.
Craig
24th April 2025, 8:53
Interesting that Horner is self-aware enough to understand why people don’t respect him.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
24th April 2025, 10:35
If he can’t dictate it, maybe he could send us a pic instead?
Coventry Climax
24th April 2025, 12:43
Baloney from the man who speaks baloney exclusively.
Dusty
24th April 2025, 14:00
A driver not celebrating 2nd place? That must be a first in history… And technically none of the drivers celebrated on the podium with champagne.
SteveP
25th April 2025, 21:07
Sparkling fruit juice with a funny taste – pretty good match ;)
Edvaldo
24th April 2025, 15:06
Max tried to go around the outside but was not ahead, of course. Because of that, he braked later, and that’s the moment he took the picture.
Horner is capable of embarrassing himself trying to build a case even in those situations where Max pushed himself and the other guy off the track.
The guy has absolutely no shame.
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
24th April 2025, 20:21
The great thing about Red Bull is that we’re only a few weeks away from them showing the world the same exact picture but with VER on the left, explaining why the other driver deserved the 10 second penalty they received.