Racing reports and observations. Mostly, a canvas to post my writing, and photos.
Updates and stories from my own kart racing enterprise.
Friday, April 23, 2021
Alex Palou wins for Chip Ganassi Racing at Barber
In his first Indy Car race, Alex Palou reaches his potential and wins the season opener Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
Will Power and Scott Dixon finished on the podium and completed the race using only two stops as Palou had done. After the huge first lap crash, and a second full course yellow, The CGR team opted to begin saving fuel (slow down) and stay out when the first round of pit stops opened up for the three stoppers.
Early leaders including pole sitter Pato O'ward and Alexander Rossi battled out front and pitted exchanging the lead with the 2 stoppers.
The opening lap multi-car crash was not at all usual for Indy Car, and the mistake spawning it was from a very experienced champion Joseph Newgarden in the #2 Penske. Jimmy Johnson experienced the same spin out later in the race, driving behind dirty air and going over the rise at the exit of turn 2.
Other Top-10 finishers included
Pato O'Ward in 4th in the McLaren Arrows SP #5 car, Sebastian Bourdais in 5th place driving the Foyt #14 car, Indy Car rookie but former F1 driver Romain Grosjean in 10th
Track limits play a signifigant role in the outcome today at the Formula 1 qualifying session at Imola circuit near San Marino, Italy as the quicker McLaren driver Lando Norris has his brilliant lap time deleted due to exceeding the track limits at the exit of turn 4. The governors at FIA have taken a hard line on this since the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain 3 long weeks ago, where Max Verstappen completed a pass of Lewis Hamilton in the waning moments of the race, only to give the position back so as not to be penalized for exceeding the track's limit.
Bahrain Grand Prix
As most rabid F1 fans will tell you regarding that pass, position regifting and the possibility of a time penalty, Lewis had been exceeding those exact limits on that same corner's exit the whole race! It wasn't until the FIA warned all drivers via radio that penalties would be delivered for any further out-driving on that corner. At the time he was warned, on lap 25 or so, Lewis scoffed replying, "I've been doing it the whole race"
Lasting Advantage
Max's team came across his radio on an earlier lap telling him the FIA had relaxed their penalties on these track limits and the young Dane replied, "What's up with that?" At this point Hamilton and others had been taking liberties with the off-track area of Turn 2's exit routinely. From Red Bull, they had been told along with all teams that exceeding those limits at turn 4's exit would not be allowed if the maneuver resulted in a 'lasting advantage'. Obviously Max was abiding by his team's directive that he should not exceed the tracks limits in this spot. When the team told him the track's limits were expanded for everyone else, he seemed to say, that's not fair! And rightly so.
Fast forward to the lap 25 warning from the FIA and the flip-flop on the application of their own directives. At this point, any venture outside the line on this turn's exit seemed to be avoided for fear of the time penalty. The back and forth of the rules and directives for the track limits during this race has drawn much criticism from F1's fans.
Red Bull
Fans such as myuself have been anxiously awaiting these Grands Prix for the find-out factor of: Does Red Bull actually have anything for Mercedes, or is it another replay of the previous 8 years of Mercedes dominance during this, now almost over 'Hybrid Era' of Formula 1.
Our questions seemed to be answered during the Bahrain race, Yes! Red Bull is taking the fight to Mercedes finally! And with that controversial loss by Max and RBR, this weekend at Imola seemed to take forever to get here.
Imola Qualifying 2021
Qualifying proved that the two teams at the front, Red Bull and Mercedes are several tenths ahead of the closest competitors, McLaren being the early season leader of this mid pack. My feeling is the mid pack has closed on the front group. Today's qhalifying bore that out to a certain extent, had the McLaren's tires not slid roughly six inches wide of the line, Lando would have his first front row start. With his penatly, the front row was left to Red Bull as Hamilton's teammate Valteri Bottas had a rough Q3 lap at the crucial point and will roll off 8th.
Enter Checo Perez, the fastest Mexican ever, and new to the Red Bull seat this year, but he is proving he is a serious force. Perez will roll of next to Hamilton on the front row, having outqualified Verstappen, who will start 3rd.
It was a snap of oversteer for Max that cost him the hundredth's which landed him in P3. Max is quick though, and through a certain Jolyon Palmer's analysis we saw it was the Red Bull's oversteer, opposite lock and loss of momentum which spared Lewis being repassed on the last lap of the Bahrain race. So too here, Max fought off a snap of oversteer which allowed his RBR car to drift wide placing two tires off the track in the grass.
