Hateful 8 - Weighing in on the Singapore Grand Prix - What we learnt.
Hateful 8 - Weighing in on the Singapore Grand Prix - What we learnt.
To win a race, you need eight things: talent, pace, strategy, the right equipment, reliability, luck, making the least mistakes…and some rule-bending. This past weekend showed us the incredibly exposing world of F1, where this is the perfect place where any weakness in those eight areas will stick out like a sore thumb or rather a Redbull that can't handle the way we’ve seen this season. Find yourself at the wrong end of any of those eight and you'll be hating life. Glaringly obvious examples shone bright this past weekend.
The drama that unfolded makes Max Verstappen's, Redbull's, and Adrian Newey's 10-win streak that much more remarkable. Ten in a row. But that’s history now and what this weekend showed was that even the omnipotent combination of those three have chinks in the armour. And who exposed that was a team as unlikely as ever, who have been cursed by poor strategic calls, shaky leadership and an internal struggle second to none, Ferrari.
Such is the fickleness of the F1 landscape. Such is the ruthless nature of the sport. To add to that, Max Verstappen being kicked out of Qualifying in Q2, together with being out-qualified by a rookie with only two Grandprix starts under the belt and in an Alpha Tauri to rub more salt in the wounds.
But take nothing away from the performance of Liam Lawson who is that rookie and someone who's deserving of the position. He is someone who, if he keeps this up, maybe in the running to not only keep Daniel Ricciardo out for good but also be the catalyst for a Sergio Perez forceful removal. Very few rookies have the right minerals to do what he's done. P9 in the Grand Prix and beating your teammate who's had two more seasons than you. Even if Daniel Ricciardo signs for the next year, I have a feeling that Liam Lawson is not leaving F1.
Onto the Redbull “fall-from-grace”. Sure, you can say that the track did not suit Redbull, and yes, certain teams set up cars to be strong at the majority of courses, sacrificing performance at certain tracks, but the Redbull outfit seemed good at everything: high downforce, low downforce, fast and slow circuits. That is until now. Why?
Well, you only need to have read Adrian Newey's book "How to Build a Car" to understand that rule bending in the aerodynamics space and using every bit of advantage from every piece of the car is where he earns his money and how the man thinks. On the topic of 'flexiwings', which to the layman are aerodynamic aids which offer high downforce when needed and flex to provide less downforce at higher speeds. Newey no doubt had this rule well versed, and, again, if you read the book, you would know he knew how to exploit this area to provide maximum grip, which the Redbull displayed well. But then a twist…a rule change/clampdown mid-season. Teams don’t plan for that generally. In step F1’s Technical Directive before the race, banning the exploitation of flexible bodywork. Stating, "All aerodynamic components or bodywork influencing the car's aerodynamic performance must be rigidly secured and immobile." This being determined by a process between teams and the governing body to understand what is acceptable and what is not. But judging from this past weekend and knowing the cunningness of Newey, it's difficult to argue that Redbull was in the acceptable category despite communications that came saying that this all had no impact on them. But what have learnt about PR speak and deflection? Just like Redbull’s designs, they’re masters of that, too. Could this then also explain Aston Martin’s (Who have been known to 'copy' Redbull's designs) decline in performance as they may have anticipated the clampdown and gone more legal sooner to build back up, pre-empting an axe drop and potentially leapfrogging Redbull in the process? It’s all a giant chess game.
Speaking of Aston Martin. The team’s ascendancy has been halted, and Lance Stroll is a man desperate for survival. Aston Martin needs a strong P2 driver and Stroll is not that driver, and they all know it and no PR spin can say otherwise. Stroll knows that all too well. Nothing will change, and this past weekend proved that Lance Stroll's desperation is putting him into situations that could hurt him, and no one wants to see that. If his clock in F1 is winding down, this past weekend has sped up that process and Aston Martin have some tough calls to make.
What George Russell's clipping of the wall showed was a crystal ball into the some honesty. The man is not bulletproof. But that's OK. Up until that moment, he had everything going for him. A sniff at his first taste of victory. The best chance he's ever had. But along with that, Lewis Hamilton was breathing down his neck and showing signs that he could pass. Hamilton has proved time and time again that his pace and temperament during these pressure stints is unrivalled. No one on that grid that soaks it up better than him. George knew that and his insistence that he is the better driver got the better of him, and he paid the price. He (George) still has a lot to learn.
Then comes our prancing horses or at least one of them. Are we watching a swing of favour at Ferrari? Has Charles Le Clerc checked out? Even though his contract lasts till the end of 2024, there's writing on the wall and his body language speaks loud. Le Clerc has always been able to out-qualify Sainz, but for this entire season on average, he hasn't. Why is that? Sainz, on the other hand, has smelt blood in the water at Ferrari. He is taking full advantage of the chaos. Not only that, but his performances prove a big-match temperament that could see him champion. The way that he played puppet master stringing Lando Norris along, baiting him at first and then guarding his position by allowing Norris DRS to keep him out of the clenches of the two Mercedes Benz’s was the type of mastery we've seen from Michael Schumacher. It showed the maturity beyond years and could be the topic of a Ferrari P1 reshuffle and cause Charles Le Clerc's seat to be placed on questionable ground. Let’s not forget who is leading who in the championship and how driver’s contracts are structured with their smart clauses.
Either way, the eight factors, the hateful eight, have been highlighted this past weekend. The result…a four-car dice at the end for the win with no Redbull in the hunt, brought about two outcomes. It shut a lot of people up regarding F1 being "Boring" and secondly, provided the best spectacle not only of this year but for the past two years since Abu-Dhabi, proving that the series is in good hands. Long may this stay.
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