Poll: Official 2024 Australian Grand Prix Race Thread - Albert Park, Melbourne - Race 3/24

[Kautya]

I was reading a quote from Norris about his back pain in this current gen of cars. I said it in the first year but it looks so harsh on the body, I think the FIA and sport need to be careful what they're doing to the drivers.

EDIT: Something like this; https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/n...ssues-aggravated-by-current-f1-cars/10519383/

He can't be the only one. I can't imagine having to sit in a car setup to drive as close to the ground as possible, with as little wasted on 'comfort' as possible, in such a seated position.. It just sounds awful if you think about it. Another reason why ground effect sucks.

Recall Russell and Max calling for this to be considered before 26 regs are fully locked down. Not sure if they are being heard though.

Max Verstappen, George Russell call for major F1 car change due to health fears

Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes star George Russell want changes to F1 cars amid long-term health concerns for drivers.

www.planetf1.com

 

[chrismscotland]

Pretty amateur looking from Williams not to have a spare chassis; I don't rate Logan's chances of seeing the rest of the weekend

 

[Mr Jack]

Pretty amateur looking from Williams not to have a spare chassis; I don't rate Logan's chances of seeing the rest of the weekend

They've pulled him from the GP according to RaceFans. Wow. Quite something to dump one driver out of a GP because the other crashed their car. That's Schumacher/teammate level of first driver preference.

Logan's seat has Kimi's name written all over it for next season.

 

[Stumble Bum]

Albon's scored 27 points to Sargeant's 1 point. It's a no brainer for me to make the switch. Sargeant is useless and lucky to still be on the grid at all.

 

[413x]

They've pulled him from the GP according to RaceFans. Wow. Quite something to dump one driver out of a GP because the other crashed their car. That's Schumacher/teammate level of first driver preference.

Logan's seat has Kimi's name written all over it for next season.

If they are doing this they shouldn't have resigned him.
Quite the statement. Not a great look for anyone this

 

[Emlyn_Dewar]

They've pulled him from the GP according to RaceFans. Wow. Quite something to dump one driver out of a GP because the other crashed their car. That's Schumacher/teammate level of first driver preference.

Logan's seat has Kimi's name written all over it for next season.

Look at it from their perspective. One of the drivers can score points. The other is Logan Sargeant.
As the above post says, he is a complete waste of a race seat.

 

[Quartz]

Pretty amateur looking from Williams not to have a spare chassis;

Are Williams in danger of going bust?

 

[Mr Jack]

Look at it from their perspective. One of the drivers can score points. The other is Logan Sargeant.

If they don't believe he can ever score a point, then why sign him at all? I think this is an outright ****** move from Williams and I think it'll hurt them over the season because I can't imagine that this will have any positive impact on Sargeant and Williams will need him to perform better this season to have their best chance in the midfield battle. In my view, they've compounded their error in not bringing a chassis by doing this.

Are Williams in danger of going bust?

More likely someone decided that they could save $X by not shipping the chassis all the way to Australia for "just one race" and in these cost cap days that saving that $X on shipping meant they could spend it elsewhere. Williams are in good financial health by all accounts under their new backing.

 

[Stumble Bum]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1771107098065002778

 

[Stumble Bum]

If they don't believe he can ever score a point, then why sign him at all?

Because to go racing you need to balance the books. Williams operate on a small budget and Sargaent pays a lot of money to be a driver. If they could have got someone to pay a similar amount and be better on the track then I'm sure they would have.

 

[koolpc]

Logan should be replaced if not performing or has to hand over his car!

 

[Mesai]

Look at it from their perspective. One of the drivers can score points. The other is Logan Sargeant.
As the above post says, he is a complete waste of a race seat.

Aside from the sponsorship money, the only thing Sargeant contributes is data (when he doesn't crash out early). Williams could literally drop to 1 car, or use the 2nd car to train up junior drivers without affecting their end result.

 

[chrismscotland]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1771112212196663736

 

[bayo000]

Maybe they have upgraded chassis for next race and decided to risk it this weekend? Either way make sense for them to put Alex in for rest of the weekend.

 

[UTmaniac]

There will be hell to pay if Albon now trashes Logan's car through his own doing!

 

[GravyMonster]

Wow

Albon's guaranteed to stick it in the wall again now.

 

[GravyMonster]

2 points on his licence and a 3 place grid drop for this is disgusting. This should be an instant ban for Tsolov.

 

[Mr Jack]

2 points on his licence and a 3 place grid drop for this is disgusting. This should be an instant ban for Tsolov.

Wow. Frankly baffling that he got away so lightly with that.

The Stewards remarked:

The Stewards examined video evidence. They summoned and heard the Drivers and Team Representatives (documents 12 & 13).

On the approach to Turn 10, Car 9 (Dunne) was on a prep lap and Car 25 (Toslov) was on a push lap. Car 9 stated that he was unaware of the approach of Car 25 as he was not actively looking in his mirrors for any approaching cars and apologized for the lapse.

Car 25 stated that his lap was affected by Car 9 and he wanted the Driver to be aware of his presence and that he was being impeded. Car 25 deviated from his normal racing line to drive close to Car 9 to highlight his presence. He unfortunately misjudged this action and collided with Car 9.

Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined the actions of Car 25, while unintended, caused the collision that was completely avoidable. The Stewards, therefore, impose a grid drop in accordance with previous precedents. Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the
Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.​

Seems an odd take to me.

 

[GravyMonster]

That decision literally contradicts itself in 2 sentences:

"...he wanted the Driver to be aware of his presence... deviated from his normal racing line to drive close to Car 9 to highlight his presence" so it WAS premeditated.

"...the Stewards determined the actions of Car 25, while unintended, caused the collision that was completely avoidable" lolwut

The outcome may not have been intended, but the stupid action he chose was. It seems only outcomes get punished these days, not actual actions.

 

[Scam]

"That's what you get when you don't leave the space"

Wow yeah. That sets a dangerous precedent. Just run someone off the road and claim your intention was to show them you're there. I mean wtf?

Are these youngsters forgetting these are big, dangerous machines going at dangerous speeds. It's not karting, nor is it iRacing. If it's clear there is any sort of intent behind an action, it should be some sort of ban. That's the driving equivalent of throwing a punch in a football game, what punishment does that receive?