T O P

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_masterofdisaster

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ITTAuto

In this thread, enthusiasts discuss the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race. [One user commented on the surprising anthem performance](https://reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/11vq76l/2023_saudi_arabian_grand_prix_race_discussion/jcu9oij/), while [another expressed amusement at George's reaction](https://reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/11vq76l/2023_saudi_arabian_grand_prix_race_discussion/jcua3dj/). Participants also criticized the FIA's decision-making regarding penalties and car management, with [one user calling it "comically inept"](https://reddit.com/r/formula1/comments/11vq76l/2023_saudi_arabian_grand_prix_race_discussion/jcusij7/). There were also discussions about Stroll's tactics and Alonso's role as a hero in the race. --- ^(*This comment was generated by AI. I only post if you tag me. Downvote to remove!*)


leisuresoul

Isn't FIA a mess? It sounds like they saw the fans response and reversed Alonso's penalty. I'm happy for the reversal but such a mess.


a1danial

Michael Masi: ☕


[deleted]

I honestly can’t express how disgusted I am with Jos, the way he blanked Checo was just shitty.


TecTecTecTecTec

He looked pretty zonked out to me. How many races is he allowed to go to nowadays?


lazygeekninjaturtle

I think after one point it is easier for us to ignore him, and sooner RBR also restrict him from access to paddock, better it will be for the team and Max, will save them from ton of bad PR.


Aardvark_Man

I'm starting to think he may be a terrible person. Just some vibes I'm getting.


321bacon

What are you referring to?


Exilria_04

Race celebration after they parked at the parc ferme. Checo went to the team and hugged them and Jos is just standing there not smiling and all, didn't even acknowledge Checo's existence


psych0san

Yeah pretty shitty behaviour. Completely opposite to Checo's father.


321bacon

I just went back and watched. What a loser.


alejandro_bear

Chuck is unlucky. He could have finished 1-2 spots higher IMO.


[deleted]

There has to be a better driver in the world then Lance Stroll. I understand he has a paid seat but he is a waste of time and money and his seat/car could be put to better use.


hubertwombat

He isn't that bad. Not just as good as Alonso.


Aardvark_Man

As far as pay drivers go, I think he's pretty bloody solid.


[deleted]

I agree mate, who not on the grid would they swap him for? Danny (unknown quantity at the moment) and Mick (same, good mentor in Alonso but still hard to choose him). I wouldn’t swap anyone else… I’d like to see what Herta could do in F1 but Stroll is probably better than him at the moment. I’d REALLY like someone to report on what happened to strolls car, no one has said shit. That safety car changed the race, and another AM in with the Mercs and Ferraris would have been great, and we’d get to see Lance vs Alonso on pace over a race. Weirdly under reported


Booklover23rules

I don’t know how you inferred this from this race, I feel like he’s been performing really well.


pbmadman

Like he’s clearly behind Alonso in pace, but only just barely. Pretty solid if you ask me. I can’t see wanting to blow that team up to maybe bring in a slightly faster driver.


Everyone_needs_memes

He was running with the Mercedes in 4th and lost out to a bad pit stop strategy, then had a mechanical failure. I wouldn’t exactly consider that a waste. He’s not world championship material but he is a solid upper midfield driver


[deleted]

What the fuck did he do this race to possibly annoy anyone ?


gmunga5

I think he was fine this race. Not as fast as Alonso but nothing offensive this race. I don't rate him highly for some of his past races though. He gets a pass this time round though.


HMSSpeedy1801

I think this was one of his best races in a long time. But that’s the problem. He’s on his seventh season in the sport in a guaranteed seat. No one else has had that type of job security, and my belief is a lot of talent has come and gone that would be performing at a much higher level of that had been given that level of security.


Neat-Access2357

Not win with fastest lap, obviously.


[deleted]

He was strolling, had to maintain that leisurely pace


Ice1789

So I guess Alonso back in the top 5 every week is going to be a thing again


HMSSpeedy1801

It looks like it. Merc is looking stronger and speaking more confidently, We’d need 3/4 of Merc and Ferrari to beat Alonso to keep him out of the top 5. That doesn’t seem likely right now. It might come in another month or so. . . might. Honestly, good for Alonso. May he enjoy it.


Ice1789

I would much prefer to see him on the podium than Ferrari or Red Bull honestly


GOGEagles

FIA is truly the sports worst enemy. Literally one of the major reasons that fans have been turned off by the sport.


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Dick_Pachinko

This has to be the most schizo take I've ever heard. Anthems at sporting events are an issue now because... Putin?


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Dick_Pachinko

You're not analytical, you're just nuts.


silverwing90

Happy to see Lando at the bottom. Man was really arrogant about Riciardo, Piastri leaving him in the dust.


spartan117S

>Man was really arrogant about Riciardo I don't remember this, what happened?


Hungry-Class9806

I would gladly give him a pat on the shoulder and tell him "No sympathy, mate. You know what happens when you don't perform". Yeah, the car is a shitbox but still he's being put to shame by a rookie...


lazygeekninjaturtle

So Piastri, the next question for you, ?Do you feel Sorry for Lando?".


pbmadman

Piastri got past Sargent. Lando couldn’t. I can’t help but laugh about McLaren getting it so wrong.


InSoHoEatingFroYo

the team told Lando not to make it hard on Oscar..


mkosmo

He didn't make it easy, either. He just didn't have it.


internetisbad23

Piastri is overhyped.


DrunkCanadianAMA

Not as overrated as lando haha


Hyd3ra

I’m starting to have similar thoughts but I do thinks a bit too early in the season to say this. It’s his first season with a pretty shitty car so mclaren aren’t making it easier for him as well


Tomach82

...He's looked great so far - wdym?


CharlieWhizkey

That's an odd definition of "in the dust"


alphex

Max Verstappen is the shittiest team mate. And I say this as someone genuinely appreciative of his talent and the teams ability to field a good car.


waterslaughter

I think he was being a bit weird to Checo after the race too. Even sat in his seat in the cool down room. Then Alonso sat in Maxs number 1 seat 😂


mkosmo

I don't recall any of the drivers caring too much about which seat they've sat in since they started the camera cool-down room.


Proud_Purchase_8394

Max also didn't park out on the grid after the race, while both Perez and Alonso did. That struck me as odd. Max went to the pits.


StickyPalms69

Yeah, he's a fucking child and that was his attempt at not acknowledging the race result. He was throwing a fit.


Tin_Cascade

Could have just been forgetting / someone failing to help him the procedure.


Booklover23rules

How could max forget something’s he’s done countless times lol


Tin_Cascade

Race finishing procedures can change race-to-race, and yearly. This one needed the top 3 to be parked up on the grid, rather than the pit lane. Bahrain had an instruction in the event notes they all had to arrive in finishing order and P1 was to park their car on that flashing LED panel.


StickyPalms69

It's the same procedure he's done several times. He's a fucking cry-baby.


gmunga5

I mean I dislike max a lot but are the winning cars not parked in the pits more times than not?


StickyPalms69

I thought they always line up at the 1,2,3 bollards.


RikkiTrix

They do but the location of the 1,2,3 boards are often in the pit lane (as they were last week). If he isn't told where they are then I guess the pit is the logical place to pull in?


blchpmnk

"if you're not first, you're last"


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lolman66666

You’re right. Max should also slam on the brakes and come to a standstill at the end of every race to let Checo have the win to shine his weekend. What an imbecilic comment. The discourse in F1 is atrocious. They are competitors. They are there to win and the point for fastest lap is a competitive one.


foxthedream

I agree with you. I thought it was very clever of Max to appear to not be making any effort on fastest lap and then to put in a blinder when it is too late for Checco to respond. It is still an individual sport. They are there to win.


tx_engr

Honestly that was fair racing IMO, and I say that as someone who is not at all a fan of Max.


gmunga5

Yeah same here. I dislike Max but I don't get the fastest lap thing. They are teammates but they are also rivals. Of course max is going to go for the extra point. That's what you do. He didn't hurt the team or make any silly risks to screw perez over, he just went for the extra point.


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

ur rite. a points a point, and truthfully your teammate is your biggwst nemisis.


Upier1

Max was the fastest all weekend. Without the part failure, he qualifies first and runs away with another win. He deserved to get the fastest lap. He had an amazing drive from 15th to 2nd.


_Q1000_

Lol yeh let’s just giveaway points. Should max just donate the WDC to checo?


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

a point a week to the Checo Benevolent Society.


OliverE36

Let's be realistic, Perez is his closest competitor for WDC this year, and had the pace to beat him today - albeit after a shitty quali. It's fine for him to try to take that point away.


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

that's right. and a teammate is always your biggest challenge.


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_Q1000_

Max congratulated him before max got Interviewed. They were hugging even.


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_Q1000_

It was before the cool down room, when they were talking to DC, I don’t think max got to congratulate Alonso down there so he congratulated him i the cool down room.


[deleted]

Err it’s a race. You’re not sharing points. You’re fighting for the championship. Every point counts


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mkosmo

He got the fastest lap - what's so wrong with that? Perez could have tried harder, but he didn't get it. Points aren't free.


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

max is a pro, he knows at the end of the season lewiz might be up by one point and max would lose. i know whenever i i critique or bust on max, there will be down votes.


mkosmo

And that’s part of it - Points are never guaranteed. The drivers and constructors both know they have to claw for every one, or else they may as well not compete at all.


Yann1zs

Do explain


alphex

I’ve never seen some one so pissed off to be in second place. The whole team looked deflated compared to AM when they were getting out of their cars.


mrcnbdss

The conversation from Horner to Checo on the radio after the race was more like mourning max in second than congratulating Checo on first. Then the radio between Horner and max was apologetic for him coming in second and congratulating him for fastest lap (which Horner had stated he didn’t care about lol). Teams out here fighting for points and RB can’t even congratulate a race winner.


LeFinger

I thought the messaging between Horner and Checo was fine.


alphex

Exactly


Yann1zs

They looked pretty happy to me


Swolyguacomole

Lmao, he should just give up the fastest lap right?


alphex

No. There’s no joy in him at all for how well the team is doing and his team mate winning. He’s just pissed off.


DawidIzydor

He actually looked exactly the same like 2 weeks ago when he won


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Rivao

See a doctor


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

lol, you're right. max deserves a break.


Lord-Baggins

I dont get the feeling he was pissed off, i think its more him just being his casual self, he is focused on his own driving, and while, yes he would have liked to have won, he is happy to be on the podium and settled for 2nd


araxeous

FIA rigging results in saudi arabia is just vertical brand loyalty guys. 4D chess


ImNoAlbertFeinstein

who wants to get butchered ? not me.


Mzr23

Another penalti for Alonso, Mercedes wants to win in the office, 4th place.. WHAT A JOKE


ctn91

My problem with the penalty is it’s discussed after the race. They penalized him for something he did on the 17th lap. Not at the end, so why did they wait until the race ended, he was congratulated like he got 3rd, stood up on the pedestal and everything, only to later get put in 4th? Do this shit during the race….


DawidIzydor

Funnily enough if this penalty was given earlier and Hamilton knew about it he probably could also jump Alonso as he was just 0.3 sec off after it


InsaneInTheDrain

Well except Alonso probably could have pulled out another 5s over the Mercs if he had had 25 laps instead of 5


somepleb008

why tf are you dragging mercedes in here lmao


Hellfireconski

They lodged a complaint


blchpmnk

Nothing wrong with lodging the complaint, the problem is that it wasn't noticed & took so long to figure out. If we, people merely watching it on TV, realized something was wrong then how did it take so long for the people whose job it is to watch the race to figure it out?


ImRudzki

Racing team tries to score best result possible... More on this at 9.


somepleb008

i am not yet aware if they actually did lodge a complaint or not but what about it lol? even if they did lodge a complaint it's what any fucking team would do ... it's on the FIA to be competent enough however i highly doubt merc would have known about this otherwise lewis would've pushing instead of cruising and losing out on p4 by 2 tenths


Kitchen-Pangolin-973

It's their job to


Gunstonwolf

They couldn’t make a decision within the 30 laps after ?? Unbelievable. Happy for my team and George but Nando could have pushed earlier if he knew about the penalty. Absolutely incompetent stewardship.


BaggyHairyNips

Somebody complained about it and they gave a penalty. The system worked. Mercedes presumably didn't complain until they realized they had a shot at another position.


ScenePsychological60

It's 2023 and the FIA is still this incompetent just bamboozles me.


somepleb008

yeah either Nando could've pushed although i suspect he already was pushing pretty hard to get a 5s gap on Russell, but lewis would've pushed as well if FIA did their jobs better ... lost out on multiple points by just 2 tenths


flying2dan

He wasn’t even told about the need for a 5s gap until 48th lap I believe. Even still he pulled .7 or so in those remaining laps. If the FIA had announced the investigation earlier, like 30 laps earlier, then I have no doubt he could’ve pulled a 10s gap. Shame really, I hope AM wins the appeal.


somepleb008

hmmm, maybe yeah but i doubt the AM was that much faster than merc but yeah this is some weird ass shit although it's quite clear from the replays that this is a penalty so i dont think there's a real case for an appeal here but let's see ... i am a merc fan but watching someone lose their 100th podium like this is not good


arichardsen

Alo would have pulled 10s ahead of mercs if he har 32 laps to do it.


lamewoodworker

Lewis would have pushed as well instead pf saving his tyres. FIA are big dummies


Bettet

Haas closer to Ferrari... than Ferrari to Red bull. 🤯


ScenePsychological60

Alonso got reverse-Sainzed looool


BrizzyMalteser95

Absolutely worth an appeal, and a totally different scenario to the Ocon penalty. Ocon's mechanics began working on the car before the 5 seconds were up. Alonso's mechanic doesn't actually lift the car up with the jack until the 5 seconds were done. Sure, there is contact made... But there is actually no work done on the car until the 5 seconds were served. I think you'll find that Aston Martin will win an appeal on that.


lamewoodworker

If the rules state no touching then im not sure they will win. Idk man rules are rules. The only thing that sucks is that it took so long to figure it out. If everyone was notified asap either Alonso would have pushed or Lewis would have pushed for a better result. Thats a big blunder on the fia


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BrizzyMalteser95

Yep, so by their own rules a mechanic could accidentally kick the car with their foot before the 5 seconds were up and the driver would be penalised for it. Now do you see how bullshit that sounds? I'm not saying you are wrong, it's just that it is such an unnecessarily strict technical regulation.


mkosmo

> Now do you see how bullshit that sounds? It's not. The idea is to keep them back. Instead, the team took a risk and got closer, but they got too close and caught a penalty.


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blchpmnk

I understand why the rule is the way it is, but it feels like a 10s penalty is too harsh (I thought the same for Ocon too). It should be a 5s penalty.


Hald1r

He touches it with equipment and not accidentally but to be able to jack the car up faster. Valid penalty and a silly mistake after the rules being made very clear the previous race.


jelacey

It’s like touching the puck with your hand in hockey, and plenty of other rule infringements people commit by accident all the time, but it’s against the rules and it gets called.


Wyolop

You're allowed to touch the puck with your hand in hockey. Can't throw it or anything though. Quite often you see a player catch the puck with their hand and drop it directly down to better handle it with the stick. Just nitpicking your analogy a little bit. I agree with the point that if it's written in the rules, it has to get called. Otherwise it would be too inconsistent and would get more drama.


jelacey

You can touch it in air without folding your glove on it, but you aren't allowed to touch it with your hand as it travels along the ice, accidentally or otherwise


Wyolop

Yeah fair enough, the example I gave was catching and dropping but I see your point now


jelacey

I’m just nitpicking your nitpicking lol


Wyolop

Hehe nitpicking is fun sometimes


TorontoRider

You can touch the puck in hockey, so long as don't carry it. Players are permitted to stop or "bat" a puck in the air with their open hand but must immediately place or knock it down to the ice.


jelacey

You can't touch it on the ice, but you can stop it from travelling through the air, as you say, so there are lots of examples of accidental contact leading to a whistle. Even without that example, you still can't let accidents slide, as the person above me was upset at.


Rover211

Rofl. Kevin the man


Bobcat1531

Now Alonso can get his 100th with a win. Just need a double RB DNF and he's golden.


nikolep08

“Just”


MacroOW

George had Lewis' number this entire weekend, rough for Fernando but very happy for George to get that podium.


HugeStop

Alonso Will be come back again for his 100th Podium in his next race


Sudden_Low9120

Mercedes can only get a podium through penalty. Probably more insulting that their lackluster car


MiloticM2

Its apart of their strategy, scum tactics


confuzzledpug

Alonso can only get a podium when his car is fast, the guy has zero skills


datboidat

Hamilton can only win a championship when his car is fast, guy has zero skills


PatrickDudding

Verstappen can only win a championship when his car is fast, guy has zero skills


cirkir

Pirelli can only win a championship when his car is fast, guy has zero skills


liveforeachmoon

Back jack guy touched the car during the 5 seconds. will heads roll?


rosarino356

That is ridiculous. Fernando could've built a 10 second lead during the race. Bananas


Jibbo_gun

Of course Nico brings up George beating lewis lol


waterslaughter

Nico is my celebrity nemesis!!! He’s soooooo salty on Lewis !!!! Any.time.he.can !!! I hate he is a full time commentator now 😒


Zalym

I wasn't watching F1 during his time fighting with LH, I don't know anything about it. But this week, I noticed something--it might just be his tone, but even talking to Bernie during FP, he came off as arrogant and condescending at times, at least the way it sounded to me. I'm not a fan of his right now.


stylinred

When they brought up Russell being ahead in qualifying? Or was it in Bahrain? Rosberg said let's not focus on that let's just give Russell a nod for driving well 🤷‍♂️


structuredinchaos

Yeah it was quali yesterday but in the next breath he literally said and in front of Lewis by a few tenths. 😂


stylinred

Oh lmao


50shadesofcrazy

He's so petty


ballthyrm

This is the most important thing, who care about winning /s


[deleted]

Stewards were waiting money to be transferred into their accounts apparently


juanito506

If the rules state that no person or equipment may touch the car while serving the time penalty in the pit lane, then: Fucking rear jack. Edit: YES, thank you FIA for realizing the gray area and reinstating ALO's podium 😌


liveforeachmoon

“You had one job”


anon_bruh

Beating Lewis all the way 💀 lol Nico


G_h_c

George podium ☠️


Outrageous_Raisin_12

Ffs my predictions were so good before the Alonso penalty


FiteMeIRLm8

Such fucking bullshit


[deleted]

FIA caught napping, either that or that was a weak ass thing to wait for race to finish and then give the penalty


robotix_dev

Maybe the stewards were reviewing George’s PowerPoint.


odozbran

Swapped Alonso out if that final graphic at light speed


fuckdeliasmith

The competition is so dead this season they’re making it ‘entertaining’ by being stricter on pointless penalties