[3798j]

Leclere is an amazing qualifier! What a lap!

[GuidoK]

Wow, pole for LEC!
Ferrari for sure is strong here.
Max a disappointing 6th. Checo outqualifies him. A rare sight.
It's sure gonna be an interesting race tomorrow.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

MAX is on the limit there for sure.

1 CHARLIE (pole)
2 PIA
3 SAINZ
4 CHECO
5 RUS
6 MAX
7 LEW
8 ALO
9 COL
10 ALBON

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Wow, pole for LEC!
Ferrari for sure is strong here.
Max a disappointing 6th. Checo outqualifies him. A rare sight.

It's Checo's chance to impress at the start tomorrow as he loves it here so much.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

It's Checo's chance to impress at the start tomorrow as he loves it here so much.

MAX gap is 0.65 sec. from Charlie's pole .
That's a sea of time (!)

Think Piastri has a good chance to win the race , the papaya car is so damn good with the tires...
But Charlie was extremely fast ! What a fantastic QF3 lap from him...
I'm curious what the Red Bull race strategy will be ...

[TheBingoBalls]

Weekly “Does Hamilton regret leaving Mercedes” post (pre-race):

Don’t think so.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

Weekly “Does Hamilton regret leaving Mercedes” post (pre-race):

Don’t think so.

LEW's concern is that Charlie is unbeatable at Ferrari. And Charlie is worshipped like GOD in Italy..
But he's used to it , just like today in the QF . Once again ,LEW is beaten by his teammate RUS.
LEW's times in his Mercedes spaceship are lost in warp speed...

May the force be with him (!)

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by TheBingoBalls

Weekly “Does Hamilton regret leaving Mercedes” post (pre-race):

Don’t think so.

Wonder if he has a get out clause with the Ferrari contract.

[///M Power-Belgium]

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

The smaller they are the more they swear

[toxik]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

best thing i’ve seen in a while

[toxik]

didn’t charlie complain yesterday that the car isn’t driving straight? impressive

[3798j]

"Charles Leclerc revealed a faulty part was behind his steering issues that led to a heated radio message during Friday practice in Baku."
"Leclerc described his Ferrari F1 car as “bent” as he struggled with the steering in the opening minutes of the second practice session."

https://racingnews365.com/leclerc-re...tice%20session.

[3798j]

Race day tire allocation...

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

The smaller they are the more they swear

MAX revealed ...I had porpoising on my rear axle . The car had a lack of grip in the turns.
The car had a lower topspeed by the porpoising on the rear axle .
I couldn't fight in the turns and lost traction .

That sounds really bad to me for in the race . And that sounds bad for the tires.

Think we won't see MAX at the Baku podium...

[fs1977]

Non the less, if he finishes in front of Norris, with a few cars in between also, then great weekend for him.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Apparently Lando had to lift somewhere due to yellow flag....
But I wonder why there was a yellow flag...

This shows the importance of a good banker lap.
Both Mclarens and Max really waited until the end....pushing their luck

Going all-in in the dying minutes of qualies is always a high-stakes risk at a treacherous crash-prone circuit such as Baku (especially when slightly humid). A yellow flag can cost you dearly. Both Verstappen and Norris were maneuvering in the danger zone. Norris didn't make it unscathed. Verstappen struggled with car balance.

As also Russell wisely radioed: better get a good banker lap early.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

MAX gap is 0.65 sec. from Charlie's pole .
That's a sea of time (!)
Think Piastri has a good chance to win the race , the papaya car is so damn good with the tires...
But Charlie was extremely fast ! What a fantastic QF3 lap from him...
I'm curious what the Red Bull race strategy will be ...

Verstappen's sector 1 and sector 2 times were very competitive. It's just that he couldn't 'keep the boat afloat' in sector 3 in most of his qualies laps (in some lap even drifting widely to avoid a crash).

Driving on/over the limit. Run as fast as you can on a flight of stairs, borderline reckless. The slightest mistake will make you stumble and fall. Well, at least you tried.

Curious to see whether Norris can handle the pressure starting from P17, navigating through traffic with only safe overtaking space in the straight line, pushing the limit. He should not end up in the walls, but his impatience could get the better of him. Piastri's composure, on the other hand, reminds of the levelheadedness of Räikkönen: can better cope with pressure than impetuous Norris. But then again, the slightest mistake by any pilot (including Verstappen) can end with a DNF at Baku.

[Killed by Death]

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Artemis

Verstappen's sector 1 and sector 2 times were very competitive. It's just that he couldn't 'keep the boat afloat' in sector 3 in most of his qualies laps (in some lap even drifting widely to avoid a crash).

Driving on/over the limit. Run as fast as you can on a flight of stairs, borderline reckless. The slightest mistake will make you stumble and fall. Well, at least you tried.

Curious to see whether Norris can handle the pressure starting from P17, navigating through traffic with only safe overtaking space in the straight line, pushing the limit. He should not end up in the walls, but his impatience could get the better of him. Piastri's composure, on the other hand, reminds of the levelheadedness of Räikkönen: can better cope with pressure than impetuous Norris. But then again, the slightest mistake by any pilot (including Verstappen) can end with a DNF at Baku.

After QF2 they changed MAX's setup , but they made the balance even worse .
The RB20 setup is like a shot in the dark . Hopefully @COTA they can fix the RB20 fundamental setup flaw.
At least it's planned for @COTA.

As for Norris at P17 , there's always more risk to get a DNF in the traffic . As I said sometimes Lando is just too reckless..
Think today , Lando threw his fight in the WDC away (!)

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Killed by Death

Yeah what a mighty QF lap from Charlie . Congrats my friend !

[3798j]

Tomorrow there's so many things to be curious about. Imagine for a moment...Hugh Bird asks Checo to let Verstappen pass. Oh the possibilities.