MorrisF1

I had a hard time calling bets, but my tip luckily came off. The long run to the first corner coupled with Ferrari power and a great start from Vettel to propel the German into leading the first lap. Off the line Vettel took off like a shot, benefiting from Leclerc’s slipstream to grab the lead. Further back there was Ricciardo contact with Grosjean, leading to the Aussie making his painfully slow way back to the pits and a safety car before the first lap ended. The Frenchman was out of the race (his DNF odds were 3, for those wondering). After the safety car departed Vettel pulled away and was plainly faster than Leclerc, who made a small gap to Hamilton. The Monegasque complained and was told over the radio that Vettel would pull over. At this stage the gap to Hamilton was only a couple of seconds. Vettel, understandably, suggested he would not be handing over the place as he was both faster off the line and on race pace. He recommended his team mate closed the gap.

Qualifying went more or less as expected, with Leclerc getting pole, again, and Hamilton pipping Vettel, again. Because Kvyat changed just about everything he starts from the back and didn’t waste petrol trundling around. In Q1, Albon overcooked his entry speed to a corner, the car snapped around and he slammed arse-first into the barriers, ending his session. Ahead of these two were the Williams, and Raikkonen. Q2 was tight, with Gasly, Perez, Giovinazzi, Magnussen, and Stroll eliminated. That means both Renaults and McLarens progressed, as did Grosjean. Everybody expected Leclerc to easily get pole. And he did. By four-tenths. Vettel cocked up his second run and the failure to improve allowed Hamilton to snatch 2 nd on the grid by two-hundredths. Verstappen qualified 4 th but won’t start there (he and Gasly have 5 place grid penalties for fiddling with engine stuff. Albon would’ve had likewise had he not binned his car). Bottas was next fastest, a second off

The big off-track news is that from 2021 to at least 2024 McLaren will once more be taking their engines from Mercedes. Slightly surprised given the advances made by Renault, but this is a step forward for the team, who are already topping the midfield. Good news for Sainz and Norris too, with not much movement expected at the big three, and a significant rule change coming in 2021 which might see McLaren on the podium once more. In unexpected news, Toro Rosso wants to be called Alpha Tauri from next season (unsure if it’s with or without a space). With approval from other teams, it can happen (although two Alpha/Alfa teams is a little odd. Reminds one of the Lotus/Lotus times). In first practice it wasn’t necessarily flabbergasting to see Leclerc top of the time sheet. Verstappen was within a tenth, with Vettel half a second off his team mate. Two-tenths back was Bottas, a similar margin ahead of his team mate, Hamilton closely followed by Albon (nearly a second off Versta

Well, the bet was red. Mild misjudgement, basically. The race itself could not be called a classic, although there were a few moments of interest to note. Off the line it was formation flying from the top 6 (Leclerc, Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen, Bottas, Albon). Further back Hulkenberg tried a pass on Sainz that wasn’t on (there was a gap but it was always going to close), damaging the German’s prospects and causing quite a lot of harm to Sainz’s (the Spaniard ended up dead last, even 30s or so behind the Williams). Then we had about 18 laps of Leclerc trundling around like a grandma with a broken zimmer frame. The top 6, far from breaking away, were a couple of seconds ahead of whoever was 7 th (might’ve been Norris). Ricciardo, who started at the back of the grid due to a tiny technical infringement in qualifying, provided some relief from the procession, as he set about passing backmarkers and midfield chaps with gay abandon. Nobody could pit because Leclerc’

Well, I’ve got to say I didn’t see that one coming. Very, very tight qualifying, with Ferrari’s muscle outdoing the poise of Red Bull and Mercedes. Using power to outpace competitors at a street circuit is not a regular occurrence. The first session was largely as expected with both Williams rooted to the bottom of the timesheet, and Stroll failing to progress. Kvyat also didn’t escape, a huge nine-tenths off his team mate (who did), and Grosjean likewise eliminated at this stage. In the second session Ferrari, especially Leclerc, suddenly turned on the power, and it really showed. Leclerc was fastest, initially wiping the floor with everyone including his team mate but Vettel fought back to cut the deficit to under a tenth. On top of that, Verstappen inserted himself between Hamilton and Bottas, teeing up Q3 nicely. At the slower end, both Alfas went out (Giovinazzi ahead of Raikkonen, who slapped the wall with his car), as did Magnussen, Gasly and Perez. In Q3 the f

I was sorely tempted to back Bottas, early on, at 7.5 each way (fifth the odds top three) for both qualifying and practice but the chance of rain put me off. A few years ago when it rained the track’s drainage system was shown to be severely lacking, so if it’s wet this year expect it to stay that way for a long time and the DNFs to rack up. In off-track news, the mutual loathing society of Magnussen and Grosjean was confirmed at Haas for next year. That makes Hulkenberg’s presence in the 2020 season doubtful. Another departure is Kubica from Williams. A great shame, but the Pole, who had title-contending prowess before his crash, simply wasn’t quick enough. In first practice Verstappen was fastest, a tenth and a half ahead of Vettel. Hamilton was about half a second off, with Bottas a similar margin off his team mate. Albon, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Norris, Kvyat, and Gasly completed the top 10. Second practice saw Hamilton top, a tenth and a half ahead of Verstappen. Vette

The race was engaging, and another great win for Leclerc. The bet came off, perhaps moderately fortuitous, but if luck’s going to play a role better it be good than ill. Only each way so modestly green, but I’m still pleased. Off the line Leclerc was a little tardy and Hamilton came almost alongside but in a spot of foreshadowing the Monegasque fellow defended hard and kept his place. Further back Verstappen, Perez and perhaps Raikkonen too got tangled up in the first corner. Bottas almost passed Hamilton but was unable to make it stick. Meanwhile Hulkenberg passed Vettel, leaving Leclerc without any rear gunner at all. Ferrari’s younger driver was keeping ahead of both Mercedes but they were on a chain, barely slipping a second back from Leclerc (a similar gap between Hamilton and Bottas). Vettel eventually got past Hulkenberg but had lost time and was a little way back. And then he rather made a hash of things. The four time champion spun, without any contact at all,

Mixed feelings about a farcical qualifying. My judgement was sound and the bet came off but only on the each way aspect. It could’ve easily been fully green, or failed, so a bit ’twixt and ’tween. Still, not bad. Q1 was more or less as one might expect, with the Williams the slowest. Perez lost another engine and failed to proceed (which is quite understandable). In Q2, Hamilton was the fastest, which made me a bit hopeful for my bet (the Q1 times were rather more Ferrari-tastic). Renault looked tasty in both sessions and both drivers advanced into the final part of qualifying. In the elimination zone for Q2 were: Giovinazzi (two-thousandths behind his team mate), Magnussen, Kvyat, Norris, and Gasly. And so to Q3. After the first runs, Leclerc was a few hundredths ahead of Hamilton, who was a few thousandths ahead of Bottas. Vettel, who had the misfortune to be first and not benefit from even the whisper of a slipstream, was next, a tenth and a half behind his team ma

Ahead of FP1 I saw it was wet and backed the slower half of the field to be top 3 (tiny stakes). Ironically and annoyingly, McLaren had spots 2 and 3, but I didn’t back them. In first practice Leclerc pleased the home fans by finishing fastest, with Sainz and Norris following. Hamilton, Albon, and Kvyat were next, with Verstappen, Vettel, Bottas, and Gasly rounding out the top 10. It was slippery with plenty of sliding and spinning, and a number of red flags. Second practice was drier, but still saw Leclerc as top dog, half a tenth ahead of Hamilton. Vettel was next, followed by Bottas. Verstappen was three-thousandths off the Finn, but a quarter of a second ahead of team mate Albon. Gasly was one place and half a second behind his Red Bull replacement, followed by Grosjean, Ricciardo, and Kvyat. Third practice had Vettel fastest, three-hundredths ahead of Verstappen and a tenth ahead of Bottas. Leclerc was officially 4 th but had racked up the best time only for it t

One bet red, the other green, modestly profitable overall. A race that started well, and had an exciting end, but a bit of a lull for much of the middle. Off the line, Hamilton passed Vettel. This was a mistake as it immediately gave the very powerful Ferrari a slipstream which allowed the German to immediately retake his place (had this not happened, it’s likely Hamilton would’ve won the race). Further back things were less serene. Verstappen misjudged a narrow gap and collided with Raikkonen, who couldn’t see him. Raikkonen’s race was ruined due to car damage, and Verstappen soon discovered his car couldn’t turn as he wished. The Dutchman ploughed into the wall and his race ended after just a few corners. The safety car came out. One or two pitted, some due to necessity (such as Raikkonen). A strange thing happened as the safety car was coming in. At the final chicane Sainz, whose clutch appeared to be misbehaving, went off in the run-off area and his car couldn’t be

Sad news has to be added to the start of this blog. In the F2 race that took place after F1 qualifying, a fatal accident tragically occurred. I don’t follow F2, but by all accounts Anthoine Hubert was a talented young man with a bright future ahead of him. A sad day for motorsport. *** A modestly green start to the Belgian weekend, with the bet’s each way aspect coming off. Mercedes were still bolting Hamilton’s car back together following his crash in third practice as the qualifying began. They were gifted five extra minutes, which probably weren’t needed, when Kubica’s Williams emitted a huge plume of smoke from its dying engine. After Perez suffered likewise, Mercedes may be feeling a bit nervous about their engine (and it’s worth considering for the race). Later in the session, Giovinazzi’s new Ferrari engine also went kaput. Unsurprisingly, Russell failed to escape Q1. Both Toro Rossos were unable to progress, but more surprising was Sainz being eliminated (beh