2024 Sāo Paulo Grand Prix - [RACE] discussion thread 🏎️

ROUND 21: 🇧🇷 Brazil

FORMULA 1 LENOVO GRANDE PRÊMIO DE SÃO PAULO 2024

Circuit stats

Circuit name: Autódromo José Carlos Pace
First Grand Prix: 1973
Number of laps: 71
Circuit Length: 4.309 km
Race Distance: 305.879 km
Lap record: 1:10.540 Valtteri Bottas (2018)
2023 winner: Max Verstappen

Track Map

102

102 comments

A Williams crashing behind the safety car. Classic.

But I feel bad for them, such an expensive weekend for Williams and no prize whatsoever.
- Disastrous weekend for Williams.
  
  Alpine has the opportunity to earn lots of points and overtake Williams for 8th in the constructor's championship.
  
  Edit: They could get 6th in WCC if they maintain 1st and 3rd. Wow.
I almost preferred being a McLaren fan when they weren’t winning races. Too much disappointment when they have the potential to win titles.
- I've been rooting for them all season just because I wanted a break from last year's Verstappen dominance, but you can't look at the performance of the team this year and say they properly deserve to win the title.
  
  Every team makes mistakes. They definitely deserve the Constructors’ title.
  
  But yeah, as a team I don’t think they’ve done enough to earn the Drivers’ title.
Max is out there giving a masterclass on wet weather racing, and Perez is stuck behind Lawson.

Checo, just retire mate.
- Just putting in fastest lap after fastest lap. In the words of RPM: Max fucks off into the distance.
  
  It's giving me flashbacks of last year. I can feel the PTSD.
Max drove past the car column at the start like in a F1 game lol
17 to 1st, even under the conditions is amazing. What a race by Verstappen.
Lmao, never change Stroll.
- Locked the wheel and spun. Ok, it can happen. Beached himself? Come on!
- Holy fuck he beached it
- Quite impressive, actually.
It's Landover
So we are guaranteed post race controversy because of the aborted start infringement
- We can always rely on one thing when the stewards are involved: someone will be unhappy.
Alonso sounded like he was in real pain.
- He really did..
Norris about to add re-starts to his miserable record on race starts?
- He has been giving away position on every (re)start in this GP
Absolute masterclass from max and red bull. Hamilton 2021 esque.

Clearly proving that he is the best driver of the season even though he no longer has the fastest car
- It's a shame we won't be able to maintain the title fight delusion anymore for the rest of the season, but this was a cold shower for McLaren - both literally and figuratively. Neither the race strategists nor drivers are of a high enough calibre, and it's really a shame since the mechanics, designers and factory workers have been amazing. Trying to root for them this season has been so damn frustrating it's starting to make me feel hostile emotions about them.
  
  Well the mechanics, designers, engineers and factory personnel will be rewarded with the constructors championship. The pitwall and the drivers will rightly not be rewarded with a drivers championship.
  
  Absolutely brain dead from McLaren and Mercedes, I mean I don't even understand what the thought was here. It was lose lose
"terrible luck for Stroll.."

Well, it's not all due to a lack of luck, is it..
- Right, my first reaction to that was "I don't see how luck has anything to do with this..."
Another lead for Norris lost in lap 1 :(

Verstappen already up to 10th and out for blood.
- Perez all the way up to 18th too, just one spot behind Sainz who started from the pit lane
  
  At least he was kind enough to make a training video for Stroll on how to get back on track after a spin.
- Traditions
- To be fair to Norris he knows he just needs to not crash and stay ahead of Max. Russell knew that and just needed to start well enough to make him nervous.
  
  He's not really lost time to Russell and seems to be catching up now (lap 13). I suppose he'll try to pass if Max gets to p5 or p4.
  
  With Norris in 2nd and Verstappen currently in 6th with fastest lap there's a 9 point difference.
  
  To close the 44 point gap Norris needs to outscore him by more than 11 points each race (not including the Qatar sprint).
Imagine being An Aston Martin mechanic working your ass off to repair the car in no time just to see the driver bin it in the formation lap.
What a day. What a drive by Verstappen.

Alpine leapfrogging to P6 in the WCC. Incredible.
Could be a heavy punishment for Lando. With stewards on track there was a potential danger which should result in penalty.
- Investigated after the race unfortunately! I guess they'll have to figure out how to punish Norris & companions.
  
  I think this is the first time I've ever agreed that it should be investigated after the race. It's a complex situation so it's best to talk to everyone involved first
  
  The main question will be WHO to punish (if at all) as all of them drove around.
Black flag??
- Nico Hulkenberg has been disqualified from the race for receiving assistance to rejoin
  
  https://twitter.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1853117014379757659
- Why?
  
  The marshalls helped push his car and get him rolling again. Drivers are not allowed to receive outside help like that
Alpine in 1 and 3, what year is this?
- Ocon's tires look pretty done, that reminds me of a certain Lando situation a few years back
Looking like this could be Max's greatest race, he seems on another level. The first lap alone was incredible.
How is this inters conditions?! Scenes!
Verstappen feeling 17 again
What is going on omg. One of the most chaotic weekends I've ever seen.
This is the most action packed boredom I've ever experienced. What an insane weekend so far.
Why the hell would Lance try to drive through the gravel/sand on his way back onto the track? Stupid
Why call a safety car if they are still on inters, if it's too wet, put the damn wet tires on!
- It is also unfair towards the teams that did choose for wet and lost places because of that.
Verstappen is an unstoppable machine...

Happy for ocon and gasly as well!

McLaren couldnt do it, not sure if the situation would be different without the pitstop tho. Many other mistakes as well, and max just faster overall.
- The pitstop was huge, but judging by Norris's performance today he would have been powerless to challenge Verstappen regardless. He might have limited the damage though and kept his hopes alive for the following races.
Norris off the track and loses track position.

The racing gods taking away all of the blessings they gave McLaren during quali and giving it to Verstappen now.
- Red bull and Alpine also made their own luck by not pitting and taking a calculated risk. And Norris had made a lot of mistakes which had nothing to do with luck.
Lol Checo and Lewis fucked up their grid positions and confused Colapinto?

And the drivers in front did an extra formation lap when they were not supposed to?

CHAOS
- Looks like everyone in front of Ocon started an extra formation lap
  
  Lando should argue that he wanted to check on Lance's health, that's legal now
This should be a great race. Shame about Albon, but I'm still pretty jacked.
69 lap race.. I guess teams complained they'd start running out of fuel. It is, of course, also a good number.
What in the fucking hell is going on
This will be the happiest podium in a long time
What a day for Alpine, double podium and now 6th in the constructors
That's pretty much a guaranteed win by Max now I assume and the official end of the title race?
- With McLaren extending their lead in the WCC
Red flag!. What a race!
What the hell just happened? They just ruined what was a good race for no reason, and gifted Ocon, Verstappen, and Gasly a free pit stop? Wow, just let them race.
- This has been going on under the current rules for a very long time. This time it benefits Verstappen while it's very often negatively affected him.
  
  But I totally agree, the rule should be that 1 pitstop with a different tyre is mandatory. Red flags should never be allowed to negate the mandatory tyre change.
  
  Wet races already don't have mandatory pitstops, but otherwise I agree with your point.
  
  I have no problem with the red flag for a crash, or tyre changes under a red flag. The safety car for nothing is what has me shocked, especially when they weren't even using wet tyres. For the past few years it has been a complete joke how the stewards react to rain before even letting the drivers race on wets.
I'm sure FIA will penalize the British driver known as Lando Norris for breaching the aborted start procedure.
- It has been noted
  
  Edit: under investigation, it might be a big penalty
Max on a mission
Damn a red flag guarantee. Damn that was big brain by Alpine and Red Bull
Max is just flying though the grid.
Up until Lawson's spin: great job by Vcarb!
Norris can't stop fucking it up.
Hulk is probably pissed
Colapinto, noooo not under SC of all situations :(

Williams is gonna blow past that cost cap 😭

Alpine and Verstappen benefit mega from this. Free tire change.
Red bull strategy masterclass. Same by alpine

Edit : why didn't they pit
Watching this race on Drive to Survive will be very interesting.
A beached whale and the pole sitter fucking up starting procedures. This might become one of my favourite races. Let's see if it'll slot before or after Hockenheim 2019 (my current #1).
Immediate damage for Stroll, oof. He then ran it into the gravel.
- Double lol there
Stroll FTW
The way this is going, both Saubers might end up in the points.
Start procedure infringement to be investigated after the race.

I wonder what the repercussions will be.
- Less than saying fuck?
Two local heroes on the podium today! 😅 (Brazil borders France)
Complete chaos
The distortion from that screen in the cool down room makes it seem as like the cars are getting bigger and smaller lol
Sorry for all the Verstappen haters 😂
It might be a pit lane start for Norris.

102 comments