Formula 1 Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Qatar Prix Qatar 2025Formula 1 

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Mclaren… god dammit Mclaren :lol:
 
P5 in the constructors secured for Williams. A really great job.

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Very unfair that Oscar comes out of a weekend where he was the best basically beaten.

McLaren really let him down today.

Lando got lucky here on a weekend where he was the mid season Lando again.
All he needs is a 3rd place now and I am 90% sure he will do it.

Not undeserved, but kinda unconvincing.
 
TypeRDC5
On a side note from the race itself this circuit has gota be one the worse on the calendar apart from Monaco, mandatory stops as tyres dont last, only one overtaking opportunity in a whole lap, circuit layout makes it hard for cars to follow others and it all looks the same on TV.

Also I miss Brazil or Japan as the final race. The unpredictability of weather affecting the championship is sorely missed. Having the last 2 races of the season in countries where it never rains makes no sense to me.
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Alonso holding up 14 cars for almost half the race was just comical. I’m very skeptical of the next generation of cars being any better at racing around here. Good thing F1 signed a 10 year deal.

I agree that Brazil should be the last race.
 
Fezzik
P5 in the constructors secured for Williams. A really great job.

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Also Ferrari is now definitely 4th. Alpine definitely last.

Red Bull can theoretically still overtake Mercedes for P2, but it's a stretch.

P6 to P9 can still go in all directions if one of them has a good race.
 
Probably won’t make a difference, but Piastri has to miss FP1 for the final round.
 
Just watched the highlights and...I honestly have no words.

I'm in a weird spot where I still want Lando or (preferably) Oscar to win the WDC, but I almost don't want McLaren to get any credit for it, if that makes sense. The team seems to really have a knack from snatching defeat from the Jaws of Victory.
 
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but that was the time for Lando to put his thinking cap on and decide "staying out isn't the right call" (as he insinuated over the radio). Hulkenberg this year at Silverstone, Leclerc/Alonso/Vettel over the years at Ferrari have shown that trusting your gut as a driver over questionable/marginal decisions on the pitwall does pay off...

That said some of the takes I've seen being bandied about are wild, how Max has been gifted the championship/has it sown up e.t.c e.t.c... like HE'S the one with a 12 point lead and not Norris! As suspect as the last 2 GP's in particular have been for McLaren I wouldn't put the mortgage on them screwing it up badly enough to let Max snatch it.

This weekend also starkly demonstrated just how blinkered/corrupt the FIA are; 2 10-year contracted events taking place with one (Qatar GP) wholly unsuited for F1 and the other (Rally Saudi Arabia) a complete ****-show to decide the championship, an utter lottery from start to finish with more punctures than fan attendance.
 
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Marko had to remind everyone he's still around.
When quizzed after the race by Motorsport.com, Marko said: "it was twice where he more or less waved Lando by. It was so obvious," the Austrian said.

"Antonelli now helps our main competitor, in Austria he was crashing [Verstappen] in the rear."
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At least GP apologized for the comment, since he couldn't see the situation.
Wolff then stated he'd clarified the issue with Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase over Antonneli's mistake on the penultimate lap that allowed Norris to go through.
"The other thing is that beyond losing the points for a Constructors' Championship, I spoke to GP [Lambiase]," Wolff added. "I saw him and obviously he was emotional in that moment because they needed a P3 I guess to win the Championship or P4, I don't know, but one position. Now they need more.

"I said to him Kimi just went off. He had a bit of a moment in the previous corner and then less entry speed into that left-hander, put the gas down and at that moment which can happen, that lost the position. So with GP everything is clear, he said he didn't see the situation.
"Why would we do this? Why would we even think about interfering in a driver championship? You really need to check yourself whether you see ghosts," Wolff concluded.
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Red Bull is also the last team to give input on "waving by" competitors.
 
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McLaren
Marko had to remind everyone he's still around.


At least GP apologized for the comment, since he couldn't see the situation.

Red Bull is also the last team to give input on "waving by" competitors.
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But did Kimi just let Lando through or did he make a mistake? Couldn’t see it on German broadcast.

EDIT: just saw it on Bluesky. Of course Kimi did not let Lando through. Marko is such a moron.
 
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Absolutely outrageous and seriously unsportsmanlike conduct from Red Bull - I hope they get heavily reprimanded for it.

It is, however, a massive bonus for Norris to have those extra 2pts and means he only needs a podium finish to win the WDC now if my arithmetic is correct.

I'm also not all that bothered which McLaren driver might win the WDC, and although I respect and like Max a lot, I am very much rooting for a McLaren WDC win next week.
 
Touring Mars
It is, however, a massive bonus for Norris to have those extra 2pts and means he only needs a podium finish to win the WDC now if my arithmetic is correct.
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Probably the first time since Max's debut championship that he really could use a decent teammate taking points and positions off the McLarens. I would've said that maybe the Mercs could help him out as a bit of 2027 recruitment, but not after what those twits Lambiase and Marko have done to Kimi.
 
McLaren has set a precedent with its team management that I hope no other team follows. I’ve never seen a title contender shoot itself in the foot this much.
 
Veinz
McLaren has set a precedent with its team management that I hope no other team follows. I’ve never seen a title contender shoot itself in the foot this much.
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I mean, there's Ferrari, but they usually do it to prevent themselves from contending in the first place.
 
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Touring Mars
Absolutely outrageous and seriously unsportsmanlike conduct from Red Bull - I hope they get heavily reprimanded for it.

It is, however, a massive bonus for Norris to have those extra 2pts and means he only needs a podium finish to win the WDC now if my arithmetic is correct.

I'm also not all that bothered which McLaren driver might win the WDC, and although I respect and like Max a lot, I am very much rooting for a McLaren WDC win next week.
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F1 fandom has been toxic for a while, but the vitriol in the last few years has gotten bad.

The fact that the act of "driver causes a collision" is now instantly branded as "terrorism" soon followed by photoshoots of the driver's face superimposed with Head scarves and the beards and long hair of various actual islamic terrorists from the late 2000's-early 2010's is so, SO far beyond the point of normal discourse it's concerning. The fact that the main nickname you see online for George Russell is "Osama Bin Russell" is disgusting.

Antonelli has been fine all year, but after the collision with Leclerc in Zandvoort he has been given a similarly awful nickname for 1 act of a collision with another driver (which was totally par for the course for a young driver in a rookie season). Most ironic F1 fandom places seem to have decided they hate Norris and are all Verstappen simps and have spent the second half of this season glorifying the Mercedes duo as "Terrorists" who can "do God's work" and crash Lando out of races at the start of races is just so anti-sporting that it was inevitable that something would happen that let this vitriol escape the ironic safe space and enter the "real" world. This of course is completely against the literal first rule we have on GTPlanet which makes this Forum so much better than any other space to discuss Motorsport, and is something which places like formuladank could really do with implementing.

I will be honest, these memes and nicknames can be funny IF and only if you accept it's being done ironically for effect and only stays within these spaces or subreddits. However, it MUST only stay as ironic and in one place, and never spill outside of it because these nicknames and memes are really not in good taste and should never be actually said or shared with the people referenced. As an adult with a modicum of empathy and intelligence, I am aware of this, but there are plenty of people in these discussions that will not ever understand this and are the problem.

I live in fear of the moment a fan appears in the Grandstands at an F1 race with a flag or banner with these terrorist photoshops, and have spent the last few Grand Prix I have marshalled at genuinely giving the Grandstands around me a scan to see if anyone has brought it in so they can be removed before they appear in major photos or broadcasts.
 
Veinz
McLaren has set a precedent with its team management that I hope no other team follows. I’ve never seen a title contender shoot itself in the foot this much.
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Yeah. If this season has shown anything it’s that you don’t actually want two great drivers in one team. You want a great driver and a good one. A Hamilton and a Bottas.
 
And this is why I want a McLaren to win the WDC.

It was bad enough for Glock after 2008 but it's worse now.
 
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Blitz24
I mean, there's Ferrari, but they usually do it to prevent themselves from contending in the first place.
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9th fastest car on pace last weekend :indiff:

At least only one race left before the LiCo-25 gets retired for good. Should've been burned when they dressed it up in that horrendous HP livery for Miami :lol:
 
When there's been 3 or more drivers in WDC contention going into the final round, the driver leading the championship hasn't won on each of the 5 previous occasions* (2010, 2007, 1986, 1981, 1964). You have to go back to 1959 to find a 3 way battle go in the championship leader's favour.

*Not including 1982 as whilst Didier Pironi was still in contention with Keke Rosberg and John Watson going into the final round, he didn't race after his injures at Hockenheim.

[Spelling edit]
 
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This race weekend seemed the best level Oscar has driven so far yet he ends up losing a position in the championship even after putting in a virtuoso performance. Kind of unfair but surely though he had a say before the race on what to do as well as Lando so can't blame the team for letting it slip with only hope of another safety car rectifying strategy. I can understand why they did what they did but it has helped their opposition the most but at least all three of them still have a decent chance in the championship now.

Seemed like hitting the jackpot when safety car came out to the other teams but McLaren were the only ones to see it different like they were the only team to get caught out the previous race when they knew on Lando's side, they just needed to be safe to ensure title will be Papaya exclusive. Fernando saved their races, Lando being his tea boy got paid his dividends. Otherwise, Max would have been even closer, maybe would have even been equal on points in the championship with Lando if they got stuck at the back of that train.

It was also good to see Oscar's brother Yuki smile after the great sprint qualifying and race. Impressive after only recently getting car on level of one Max has, he is now regularly being quite close to pace of him. Due to how close field is now, probably cost him his drive for next year but there is a chance he can make a comeback with all his knowhow and he seems to keep getting better.
 
Dreadmed
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but that was the time for Lando to put his thinking cap on and decide "staying out isn't the right call"
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There's no hindsight needed, 25 lap mandatory maximum tyre length and 57 lap race so I'm pretty sure all the teams would have had prerace strategy that if safety car is out on lap 6 can not stop, if it is lap 7 or after the "safety pit window is open"...

Red Bull didn't do a clever strategy like some portray - every other driver except Ocon pitted. Only a driver in a very bad position would have any logic to try to "roll the dice" on staying out if they could get lucky with another safety car later or some other unknown.

McLaren had 4.4 gap at race pace, so with slower safety car delta that could spread out more they could easily pit both cars without any delay, while a few other teams needed to double stack with a delay on the second driver...

I am just still in shock that McLaren action to throw away a very good chance of a win for Piastri. I guess at least they didn't leave Piastri out and pit Norris, which could be logical for the silly sabotage tin foil hat club members.

GlamFM
Not undeserved, but kinda unconvincing.
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I would say no kinda but massively unconvincing - especially considering at half point of the season the teams was scoring dominating on podium percentage results almost like 1988 and that 'papaya rules' now is clearly 'try to make it look fair but never allow any disadvantages for Norris'... Norris should have locked in this title with a few races to spare.

GlamFM
Yeah. If this season has shown anything it’s that you don’t actually want two great drivers in one team. You want a great driver and a good one. A Hamilton and a Bottas.
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McLaren 1988, 1989, 2007 - in modern era has McLaren been the team to most often get two great / very very good drivers together?

It sort of worked in 88 and 89, although there was fallout. Should we also include Alonso + Button combo that wasn't able to get the sum of their greatness out of the car?
 
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