Don't believe Kimi deliberately punted Hamilton off, but Hamilton' poor start put him in a position where he could 'tangle' with another car. He did well to get second because on lap one Vettel was looking at a 26 point lead in the championship at the end of the race his lead became 8 points. 

I don't know who started the story but "Stroll linked to Force India" is doing the rounds tonight. I know Force India are never flush for money but they've always valued driver talent over cash. Stroll hasn't really proved he deserves an F1 seat IMHO. The sport can do without another Ericsson.

from what I understood it, the "Stroll" linked to force India was Mr Stroll Senior (as in buying them out) as opposed to Junior, but I guess if Daddy owns (or bankrolls) the team, then Junior gets to bagsy a seat

Finally some rules on minimum driver (& seat) weight and even size I gather so teams like Ferrari and Mercedes, who appear to employee the wee men(persons).

 

80 kgs........

 

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-minimum-driver-weight-2019-halo-997615/

  

The FIA is finalising plans for a minimum Formula 1 driver weight in 2019 to ensure that heavier drivers are no longer penalised.

A minimum of 80kg will be established for the driver and his seat, including specially marked ballast that will sit under it, while the overall car/driver weight will rise a further 6kg to 740kg.

When considered on its own, the car will have to weigh 660kg.  The idea emerged from the last F1 Strategy Group meeting, and after discussions at the Technical Working Group, the Strategy Group was updated on progress at last week’s gathering.  After more discussions at the next TWG, a detailed proposal will be drawn up for final approval.  Driver weight became a major issue in the V8 era when cars were right on the limit and heavier drivers were encouraged to slim down by teams, leading to fears about their health. 

 

Hamilton to get time penalty for pit lane antics?

No penalty, just a reprimand.

 

What is Vettel doing? Last year he was in a great championship position and started making huge mistakes. Is history repeating?

 

It's unbelievable how Hamilton has got off the hook twice in 2 races, coming back from 19th last time and 15th or 16th today, but it wouldn't matter if Seb was maximising his races. Yes, conditions were dodgy today, but no-one else crashed their car apart from the 4 time champion in the red corner.

 

Edited 22 July, 20187 yr by camelspyyder

Ferrari boss dies days after handing over control of team. RIP.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/137610/former-ferrari-chief-marchionne-dies

 

 

Edited 25 July, 20187 yr by camelspyyder

A sadly missed 24/7 nuts and bolts enthusiast.........he wore black sweaters and slacks to make dressing less time consuming and away from his passion.

A massive loss for FCA.

Not such a surprise -

http://www.autonews.com/article/20180726/OEM02/180729800/marchionne-knew-of-serious-illness-for-a-year?cciid=email-autonews-daily

Force India go into administration.

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/44984140

What happened to Vettel? pretty much fastest all weekend including Q1 Q2, then qualifies 4th.

 

RBR nowhere either.

 

 

Edited 28 July, 20187 yr by camelspyyder

Max under investigation after destroying Grosjeans fastest Q3 lap too. May start 10th instead of 7th.

2 hours ago, camelspyyder said:

What happened to Vettel? pretty much fastest all weekend including Q1 Q2, then qualifies 4th.

 

RBR nowhere either.

 

 

It rained.

Max got away with it.Haas must be livid. Romain did 2 green sectors before getting blocked by the RedBull.

 

I thought Hungary was a track where the Red Bulls were going to shine. Seems that Max was less than complimentary about that Renault engine.

Quote

"What a ******* joke with this ****," says an understandably furious Verstappen.

 

Hamilton wins at 'a not Mercedes' circuit.

Love him or loathe him, but Hamilton is driving better than ever at present and really putting the pressure on Vettel and Ferrari. Spa and Monza next; I can't wait (but have to - 4 weeks to Spa!!!).

5 hours ago, moley said:

I thought Hungary was a track where the Red Bulls were going to shine. Seems that Max was less than complimentary about that Renault engine.

 

 

Christian, Dani, Dr Helmut and Max have got to understand that they now race for a team that are the third most import customer for Renault behind Renault and McLaren now.

 

Mercedes B driver Valteri kicking off about Toto calling him a wing man (perhaps rear gunner would be more accurate - ie hit anything that gets close to LH) 

 

Toto having to apologies for above comments, oops.

 

Well done Lewis for qualifying performance in the rain, masterclass.

 

Even though the F1 was slightly better than the bore-fest it normally was the "real men" were at the Suzuka 8 hours so well done to Alex, VDM and Katsuyuki Nakasuga getting a 4th annual win in row for the R1 (available at your local Yamaha dealer)

 

Good luck to Petronus leaving F1 behind this year and going to MotoGP next year.  Come on Lewis, time to come over to bikes like you keep bashing your chops over.

 

  

I dont believe so. Petronas have a long term contract with Mercedes which was re-signed in 2016 and made public this time last year so there's no indication they're leaving F1. 

 

They can run a customer MotoGp team out of petty cash I would think.  

 

Vettel lucky to get away with cutting up Bottas in the braking area.

 

Laughable moaning from Horner, Max and Marko about their engines as usual.. Maybe the boy thrashes them too hard, all the other Renaults kept going - Stoffel bust a gearbox not the motor. I'll give the RBR - Honda relationship 6 months before its on the skids too. If it doesnt work MAx will be looking for a new team I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

Edited 29 July, 20187 yr by camelspyyder

11 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

Good luck to Petronus leaving F1 behind this year and going to MotoGP next year.    

I thought Petronas had signed with Mercedes until 2020.

3 minutes ago, moley said:

I thought Petronas had signed with Mercedes until 2020.

 

I dont know but lol has repeatedly posted this year is the end.

 

7 minutes ago, camelspyyder said:

 

I dont know but lol has repeatedly posted this year is the end.

 

 

Petronas said no more deals after Malaysian F1 was cancelled after crowds were rubbish attendance compared to the MotoGP that get much bigger crowds.  Might be continuing on a smaller scale but a Malasian government owned company does not want to support a franchise that does not support Malaysia.

13 minutes ago, lol-lol said:

 

Petronas said no more deals after Malaysian F1 was cancelled after crowds were rubbish attendance compared to the MotoGP that get much bigger crowds.  Might be continuing on a smaller scale but a Malasian government owned company does not want to support a franchise that does not support Malaysia.

Petronas looking to increase their presence in F1

Quote

Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas has been unveiled as the first regional sponsor of the Formula One motor-racing series.

The deal covers China, Italy and Mexico and names Petronas as F1’s regional sponsor for fuel and lubricants in the three countries. The length of the deal was not disclosed.

Petronas has served as the title sponsor of the Mercedes F1 team since 2010 and its regional sponsorship deal further strengthens its presence within the sport.

Petronas will be granted a range of rights in China, Italy and Mexico as part of the deal. The company has previously sponsored the F1 Festival in Shanghai and was one of the partners of F1 in Schools, the competition which seeks to introduce children to the sport.

Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations for Formula One, said: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the Petronas team to activate and expose their brand in innovative and exciting ways. Regional sponsors are a new category of F1 sponsorship focused on targeted markets and is a by-product of the investment we have made to drive deeper engagement for our partners to engage fans and deliver results for their brands. Building on their partnership with Formula One and Mercedes, Petronas will be prominent in F1’s activities in China, Italy and Mexico.”

Zahariah Abdul Rahman, senior general manager of group strategic communications at Petronas, added: “This agreement reaffirms Petronas’ commitment to leverage on Formula 1 to enhance and accelerate our brand-building efforts globally, especially in target markets where we operate – acting as an extension of the successful partnership we share with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.”

Petronas first entered F1 in 1995 when it partnered with the Sauber team, and the company played a key role in taking the series to Malaysia, which staged a grand prix from 1999 to 2017. Petronas signed a multi-year extension to its title sponsorship of Mercedes in July.

 

2 minutes ago, moley said:

Petronas looking to increase their presence in F1

 

 

Sounds like the Con government talking about how much more they have done for the NHS.  What is the real figures in millions of dollars per year against inflation?