FORMULA 1 2024

[Cleoriff]

So breaking news before the start of the 2024 season:

Lewis Hamilton appears to be making a move to Ferrari for the 2025 season

A major shock as he signed a two year contract with Mercedes last season. So whether it was one year with an opt out clause for 2025 is anyone's guess.

This seems to be anything but a silly season rumour!

MOTORSPORT: HAMILTON TO FERRARI 

SKY NEWS: HAMILTON TO FERRARI FOR 2025 

A lot more news happening but I'll post that later. For now, I need to go and have a lie down 😂

NB As Charles Leclerc has just signed a contract extension with Ferrari, it looks as if Lewis would be replacing Carlos Sainz.

It won't be a popular move. Also, not sure how Mercedes will handle that news THIS year as Lewis is driving for them until the end of 2024.

Will they put all their eggs in George Russells basket? (Hamilton came 3rd in the drivers championship last year and Russell came 8th)

Questions Questions!!🤔

[Cleoriff]

Practice 3

One Mercedes (GR) looking good. The other (LH) not so good. Overall though, the McLarens are doing better than anyone on the grid so  far. It will be a great Qualifying.

[Cleoriff]

Qualifying Hungary

Well done McLaren

Perez crashed out in Q1, Yuki crashed out in Q3.

[Cleoriff]

HUNGARY RACE.

What a race! A 1-2 for McLaren and a 3rd for Lewis Hamilton.

Max may have a penalty coming for attempting an overtake on Lewis for 3rd. He caused a collision and flew up into the air losing 2 positions. He has to see the stewards after the race.

It was a bit dicey towards the end as Piastri had led the race getting past his team mate. The team pitted Norris first which gave him the lead. The team asked him to give the position back, which he did...one lap before race end.

[Cleoriff]

Yet again, the stewards show their bias towards Max. So many people thought he should have been given a penalty!! Max had a terrible race, telling his pit wall team to F**k off and they had given him a c/r/a/p strategy. Early on in the race he ran Norris off the track and gained a position. Normal practice is, you give thhe place back or risk a 5 second penalty.

After 2 laps of arguing, he gave the place back to Norris. Then in an effort to take 3rd place from Lewis towards the end of the race, he dive bombed at him on a corner, caufght LH's front wheel and flew through the air losing 2 places.

Normal penalty for 'causing' a collision is 5 seconds. This is the report from the stewards

So yet again the FIA favour their 'golden boy!!

[Cleoriff]

F1 BELGIUM (Spa Francochamps)

This is the last race before the summer break.

A few bits of news pre race.

 Max Verstappen will take a 10 place grid penalty for a change of engine.

Rumour has it that Sergio Perez has to perform extremely well this weekend, otherwise he may lose his seat at RBR. (Either Daniel Ricciardo or Liam Lawson will take his place.

PRACTICE 1

[Cleoriff]

Practice 2.

[Cleoriff]

PRACTICE 3.

This was a typical washout! Very little running due to rain lashing down.

Norris went off into the gravel but recovered the car. Stroll aquaplaned and hit the barrier at Radillon. The session was red flagged but some cars managed another lap 2 mins before the session was over.

So the Practice results aren't really indicative of anything much.

Verstappen will take a 10 place Grid Penalty added to wherever he ends up in Qualifying.

Tsunado will start from the pitlane as he has brought in a fifth ICE, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K as well as his third energy storeand third set of control electronics for this weekend.

So as there's no such thing as a 60 place grid penalty he will start from the pitlane. 😂

Next up...Qualifying.

[Cleoriff]

Qualifying in the wet! 

Remember Verstappen starts in 11th due to his grid penalty.

So Leclerc on pole, Perez 2nd Hamilton 3rd.

In fact the top 10 move up a place.

[Cleoriff]

A good race with a few different leaders. Mercedes, who had no idea how the race would go with no dry Practice, managed a 1-2 finish in Spa. No-one thought they had a chance of a podium.

Very exciting at the end with Lewis right behind George and everyone thinking he would pass him. Not to be.

George drove a masterclass on a 1 stop strategy managing 34 laps on hard tyres.

Not a great race for Red Bull and Piastri ...McLaren, beating Norris again.

[Cleoriff]

Since I posted those results, it's all change.

This was seen

Then this came out from the FIA stewards.

It was discovered after weighing the car and draining the fuel Russell's car was 1.5 Kg below the allotted weight.

So this appeared in my newsfeed.

Then my grandson sent me this :

In fairness, not how Lewis wants to win.

So the results shown in my last post are all changed. All drivers move up one place.

Awful really after George had celebrated on the podium as the winner.

His disqualification means he loses the 25 points which go with that win.

Lewis gets 25 points

Piastri - upgraded to 2nd, now has 18 points and

Leclerc - upgraded to 3rd, gets 15 points.

Toto Wolff, team boss at Mercedes says the team takes full responsibility. So they should.

They fuel the car pre race.