F1 Zorg FANTASY GRAND PRIX 2018

[andyglym]

16:03
Living in the past?
Bernie Ecclestone is at the race today. He also appears to have turned up in a shirt with the old F1 logo on it. Trolling Liberty Media there?

Yup. Bernie took F1 out of the minority sport class and put it in the shop window. Time to move on Bernie.

 

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The Mad Max Orange Army

 

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16:51
Weather watch
The race gets going at 16:10 BST, 6.10pm in Bahrain, it is still hot at 34C at track level.

 

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17:05
Did you know?
Fernando Alonso’s fifth place in Australia equalled McLaren’s best result in the previous three years with Honda.

If they fail to win at Sakhir, which, let's face it, is highly likely, it will be the first time in their history they have gone 100 races without victory.

Their last triumph came in the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix, courtesy of Jenson Button.

 

[andyglym]

Oh dear Max and Red Bull

 

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This is how they start in Bahrain.

1. S. Vettel
Ferrari
2. K. Räikkönen
Ferrari
3. V. Bottas
Mercedes
4. D. Ricciardo
Red Bull
5. P. Gasly
Scuderia Toro Rosso
6. K. Magnussen
Haas
7. N. Hulkenberg
Renault
8. E. Ocon
Force India F1
9. L. Hamilton
Mercedes
10. C. Sainz Jr.
Renault
11. B. Hartley
Scuderia Toro Rosso
12. S. Pérez
Force India F1
13. F. Alonso
McLaren
14. S. Vandoorne
McLaren
15. M. Verstappen
Red Bull
16. R. Grosjean
Haas
17. M. Ericsson
Sauber
18. S. Sirotkin
Williams
19. C. Leclerc
Sauber
20. L. Stroll
Williams

 

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Oh dear Max and Red Bull

15. M. Verstappen
Red Bull

Could make for a good race though, he's nuts ....

 

[andyglym]

15. M. Verstappen
Red Bull

Could make for a good race though, he's nuts ....

Not now.

 

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Not now.

Yep ....
That is so unlucky for Max Verstappen. It was a great move down the inside. The nightmare for Verstappen is the puncture happened at the first corner so he has to do the entire lap on effectively three wheels.

 

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Verstappen team radio

Max Verstappen: I think I lost drive, mate.

Race engineer: OK, try and limp home.

Verstappen managed to limp home, so is still in the race, theoretically, but is in effect a lap down already.

 

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The cameras focus on some distraught faces in the Red Bull garage. Disaster for them. Verstappen had a puncture, and Ricciardo is out.

 

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View: https://youtu.be/8MLK6FXdA94
​

 

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Well that's me done & dusted for this race then

• Bottas gets past Kimi Raikkonen up into second on the first corner
• Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton collide, the incident causes a puncture to the Dutchman. He makes it back to the pits and gets back out there, but doesn't last long and has to pull out
• Daniel Ricciardo's race is done, as he has to pull over by the side of the track
• Lewis Hamilton moves past three cars in one move and is now fourth
• Sebastian Vettel leads after a good start from pole

 

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17:42
The story so far...
Lap 17/57

• Hamilton overtakes three cars in one stunning move
• Both Red Bulls out early on - Verstappen after picking up a puncture following collision with Hamilton while Ricciardo stops with possible systems failure

• Sebastian Vettel leads by 2.8 seconds

 

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Posted at17:51
Ferrari sweating?
Lap 23/57

Jolyon Palmer

Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

I think Ferrari will be sweating now. Mercedes are clearly looking to one-stop race so Vettel will have to build up a big gap, those soft tyres I am not sure are going to hang on.

 

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17:55
Mercedes team radio
Mercedes race engineer to Bottas: You are doing a good job but remember we are on Plan B.

 

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18:06
'It was as if I'd turned the car off'
Lap 32/57

Daniel Ricciardo, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live on his retirement: "Just power, everything switched off. It was as if I'd turned the car off myself, no warning it just turned off.

"It was a quick death, not slow and painful. I have two hours of energy stored up in me and I don't know what to do with it now."

 

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18:13
Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

What happened there!? Raikkonen is distraught, he just chucked the steering wheel back into the cockpit. We still have to think about the mechanic who is down on the ground. A nasty incident.

 

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Summary

1. Raikkonen runs over own mechanic in pits

 

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18:19
Plan A, B, C and now D!?
Ferrari team radio

Vettel: Plan D?

Race engineer: Plan D. Kimi has retired for an issue.