even if you don't like F1, this is worth a watch

"gin-san - shitpost specialist" (gin-san-)
11/28/2018 at 20:13 • Filed to: FORMULECLERC

A young Monegasque has joined Ferrari to be racing alongside Sebastian Vettel in 2019; while he’s had some excellent performances this year in his Sauber, I think many will remember him for this excellent drive in Formula 2 in the Bahrain sprint race.

Context: sprint races do not require a pit stop like races in F1, yet this guy decided to pit from the lead , came back onto the track with fresh tires in 14th place , where most people would wonder wtf is going on, but he kept his head down and made the final pass for 1st place on his final lap.

It’s less than 15 minutes but I think is well worth a watch for any racing fan:

DISCUSSION (12)

interstate366, now In The Industry > gin-san - shitpost specialist
11/28/2018 at 20:25

Bold prediction for 2019: I think both SHAAAA LECLEEEHHHHH (as the Sky commentators say) and Pierre Gasly will each win one race.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > interstate366, now In The Industry
11/28/2018 at 20:41

That is bold, especially since I think it would require the #1 driver to have issues in both circumstances, but also for Honda to make an engine that is at least on par with Renault.

Of course, this is assuming Charles isn’t too far behind Vettel (or is ahead, making him the de facto #1) and that Honda makes an engine that’s at least as good as Renault, since the Red Bull has had surprising pace at times with their power unit.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > interstate366, now In The Industry
11/28/2018 at 20:48

Counter-bold prediction: Gasly is more hype than skill ATM and will be in a temporarily crippled red bull. Charles will win one. Gasly will, however, ver-smacken verstappen in the vein of Vettel/Webber and the team will take one driver’s side. This frustration will lead to the other one jumping to mercedes after the 2021 rule change.

...Assuming Gasly isn’t another Kvyat.

interstate366, now In The Industry > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/28/2018 at 20:54

We’ll probably both be wrong, and neither will be particularly impressive. Max definitely, definitely will win one before Gasly though.

interstate366, now In The Industry > gin-san - shitpost specialist
11/28/2018 at 20:55

The power is there for the Honda. The longevity is still questionable though.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > interstate366, now In The Industry
11/28/2018 at 21:00

Probably. But I called Kimi going to Sauber to keep LeClerc in the Ferrari family (via a promotion) while also retaining Kimi’s skills if needed (lets say LeClerc gets a bad case of “the yips” and crashes into a wall every race for the first 10 races) to get called up to backup Vettel’s championship effort. I made that prediction many months befo re the official announcement. I occasionally have a weirdly specific premonition.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > interstate366, now In The Industry
11/28/2018 at 21:04

The power is there “in theory” as they used new engines almost every race after the deal was announced. Very good chance the engine that was “equal or greater” than renault will grenade far sooner than the works Renault engine would, unless they turned the power back down.

But we shall see come testing. This season’s best story for me has been seeing McLaren faceplant while TR was able to make the next step with Honda. Actually, TR has been CONSISTENTLY a top 10 finishing team for the past 5 years, IIRC. ANd they’ve had year old ferrari engines, works-renault engines, and now Honda engines. Th at to me is proof that the cars have been way way WAY better to drive than they have any right to be.

f86sabre > gin-san - shitpost specialist
11/28/2018 at 21:08

I listened to him in the Beyond the Grid podcast this afternoon on the way home from work. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He also mentioned that his mom used to cut David Coulthard’s hair. Kind of funny.

interstate366, now In The Industry > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/28/2018 at 21:16

Yeah, McLaren only did as well as they did because Alonso was one of the best drivers on the grid. I still won’t miss him, though.

Mini Guy- Now has a 4Runner > gin-san - shitpost specialist
11/28/2018 at 21:43

Been following him since gp3. Can confirm he is good

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > interstate366, now In The Industry
11/29/2018 at 01:11

I won’t miss Mclaren-era Alonso. I will miss Renault era Alonso when he was clearly in love with the duels he was having with schumacher and raikonnen. But he was so obviously frustrated by not having the performance to win and he chased words rather than actual performance. Ferrari was always going to have the resources and drive to amp up the performance of the car. And a new engine supplier was always going to have problems.

Might be a case of things being obvious in hindsight but it bears repeating that Alonso in a 2015/2016 Ferrari was a championship possibility if not an out and out contender.

interstate366, now In The Industry > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
11/29/2018 at 02:48

I actually didn’t like Alonso in the Renault days either. Talented, sure, but even then I felt like h e was a diva in a world of divas. His battle with Schumi for the title in 2006 was epic, at least.