The official Formula One and General Motorsport thread for the 2021 season! Season finale live on Sky & Ch4 Dec 12th 1pm

[GrinWithoutaKat]

Ah Bottas Awful luck recently.

[Robbo-92]

Shame for Bottas, medium tyres should have held on really, only done 35 ish laps.

[GrinWithoutaKat]

That gap between the top two and the rest Is it realistic to expect things to be closer next season?

[Robbo-92]

Who knows until next season, Hamilton and Verstappen are just on it, but a part of it might be some of the drivers getting to the end of the season just looking forward to it being over.

Presume Mercedes are just going to mirror when/if Red Bull stop Verstappen again.

[GrinWithoutaKat]

Oh I agree they are the best two drivers in the best two cars, so I'd expect them to be at the front every race, but to be lapping almost everyone just seems madness.

If I was RB, bringing Max in would be a no brainer. He's not catching Lewis and he's not going to get caught by anyone else unless something goes really wrong with the stop. Why take the risk of the tyre going when you're not going to gain anything from it anyway? Little tougher for Mercedes to make that decision until RB do first.

[Robbo-92]

The season these two are having just reminds me of Vettel’s performance between 2011 and 13, where they were just on it week in, week out.

They’ll be boxing Hamilton next lap then, or in a couple at least.

[Robbo-92]

Both Aston’s are having a good race, Stroll on course for 7th and Vettel might be able to keep 10th. Perez surely isn’t going to have enough laps to catch Alonso and pass him?

[GrinWithoutaKat]

17 seconds in 10 laps? Seems a big ask.

Feel bad for Gasly. Not done much wrong, but just stuck behind people who have stopped one less time than him.

[Memento Mori]

Why retire Bottas?

[Rawrgna]

the Kurbs really are doing a number on the tyres/front wings looks like

[Robbo-92]

I’m worried for Vettel and Alonso now, Vettel especially as he’s done a soft to medium strategy

[Errkal]

Jesus these tires

[GrinWithoutaKat]

If Alonso's tyres go now, I think I'll be almost be as gutted as I was for Lando in Russia. Perez isn't going to catch him on pace from the look of it.

[Cuttooth]

Alonso

[GrinWithoutaKat]

Fernando

[Robbo-92]

Yes Alonso

[GrinWithoutaKat]

I wonder if RB would be tempted to stick a new ICE in Max's car for the last race? Feels like they might have to take the risk as it looks like Hamilton is going to keep taking 6-8 points more than Max if it carries on like this. From playing the Saudia circuit on the F1 game I really wouldn't want to be taking any sort of grid penalty there.

[Robbo-92]

How have you found the Jeddah track? I’ve done about 10 laps and despise it so can’t see I’ll do much more, might do a 25% race or two on the race weekend but I won’t want to do loads of laps round there, I think it’ll be an awful race and most likely an easy pole to win unless the car in second is vastly quicker and gets past in the pit phase.

I think Red Bull would wait and see re a new ICE in Abu Dhabi, the different layout could help in that regard, or could hinder them ever so slightly, certainly not out of the question though.

[GrinWithoutaKat]

I don't like it either, and yeah, I usually do a full race on the saturday before a GP but don't think I fancy it on that track at all. I feel like I've done enough to familiarise myself with it and probably won't touch it again.

[Robbo-92]

Glad it’s not just me

Horner summoned to the stewards anyway for breaching the sporting code, presumably for saying the penalty was due to a rogue Steward