RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX

Wow, Russia, wow. When I said I hoped I'd be seeing red this race, this was not what I meant.

Ferrari came to this track more powerful than they've been all year. Fresh off of three back-to-back wins after an otherwise winless season, Ferrari was looking like Russia was going to be their fourth win in a row.

So when Charles Leclerc got his sixth pole of the season in Russia, everything was looking like it was going to plan.

But once the race started, that's when all plans went out the window.

Early in the race, I kept thinking to myself, "If Mercedes wins this race, it will be entirely Ferrari's fault."

Apparently, Ferrari's strategy was so have Charles block Hamilton at the start so that Seb could get the slipstream, not Hamilton. Charles followed those instructions to a tee and the plan worked. Seb was out front, because Charles had scarified his lead to help his teammate based on a previously arranged agreement that then Seb would give Charles back the lead after Ferrari's advantage was secure.

The only problem was, once Seb was in the lead, he wasn't about to give the lead back to anybody.

Cue the barrage of red team radio.

This conflict lead to Ferrari having to scrap about fourteen plans before lap five and when they finally settled on something to do, all the confusion had given Mercedes and advantage again.

Just when the team had worked out a way for Charles to be back in his rightful lead, Seb's car died. Which caused a safety car. Which gifted Mercedes the win. Again.

I was looking to see Ferrari red, not the red of unbridled rage.

And to think that there was a lot of worrying during the practices that this track wouldn't be able to deliver a very exciting grand prix.

After this weekend, it is more important than ever that Ferrari takes a long look in the mirror and get their priorities straight. I love Seb and I love Charles, but Ferrari has got their priorities all wrong. As painful as it is to admit to myself, Seb has not been the Sebastian Vettel of previous championship years. He's been making mistakes and his driving has given me the impression that his heart isn't in this. Seb's win in Singapore came from the team making Charles a scapegoat and treating him completely unfairly.

Which is why I have to insist that Ferrari realize one thing: this team is not Vettel and Leclerc. This team is Leclerc and Vettel and it has been for a long time now.

Ferrari making Seb the team priority over Charles have cost them major victories this year, and will continue to devastate the team if they don't recognize what they have in Leclerc.

Ferrari is treating Charles Leclerc like a wingman. Here's the point: Charles Leclerc is not a wingman. He's the future of the team. So treat him that way.

Here are my notes from this weekend:

Free Practice 1

- apparently there was barely any overtaking on this track the last few years 

- Kvyat’s engine just died and he pulled over and that caused a virtual safety car. I forgot he’s going to have the home race curse this weekend. 

- SOOOOO they talked to Charles about his radio messages at Singapore and this boy has an unbeatable amount of self control and apparently everyone was saying he shouldn’t have been radioing the team about the fact that they allowed Seb to undercut him. And that is COMPLETELY wrong. He had every right to say the things he said because it was a terrible strategy for him after all he’s done for the team. He said he wakes up thinking about victory and goes to bed thinking about victory and so it’s hard not to say those things but clearly someone has told him not to say those things and that is incredibly disappointing. Ted Kravitz said exactly what I think about it which is that he was completely in his rights to say what he said and that we want people to come over the radio to say those things when something unfair like this happens. I’m incredibly disappointed in Ferrari for suggesting to Charles something insane like he was making the team look bad by saying these things because if we know anything it’s that Ferrari so more than capable of looking like fools all by themselves and Charles is only ever a merit to their team that they often don’t even deserve. Someday they will learn that they have the future champion of the world on their hands and that he deserves much better than the way they’re treating him now. 

- There’s gonna be problems with this one corner with bollards that are impossible to make according to FIA instructions 

- Daniel into barrier, also Kubica

- Bottas has a DRS failure and the back left side of the wing collapsed 

Free Practice 2

- The two Toro Rossos touched when they didn’t know which way each other was going 

- Albon and Hamilton nearly had a huge crash but avoided at he last minute 

Free Practice 3

- All Honda powered cars including Red Bull and Toro Rosso are taking engine penalties this race

- The track was rained on all night 

- After next season, McLaren is changing from Renault engines to Mercedes engines WOAH. This is after they already changed from Honda to Renault. Now they’re gonna go from Renault to Mercedes. 

- Toro Rosso wants to change their name to Alpha Tauri or something which would be so confusing because we already have Alpha Romeo 

- Kvyat’s car died again and now they need to change the engine and it won’t be ready for qualifying but with all of his penalties, he’d be starting from the back anyways 

- Max goes over some curbs in a hefty way but no visible damage

- Mercedes can’t find pace compared to the other two top teams 

Qualifying 

- in Q1, Kubica spins

- In Q1, Albon spins into the barrier, crashes and causes a red flag.

- This is the third time Vettel has had his flying lap interrupted. It’s been a slippery corner for everybody too that he went off on 

- Out in Q1: Kimi, Russell, Kubica, Albon who crashed, and Kvyat who didn’t go out because his car wasn’t ready 

- Out in Q2: Gasly, Perez, Gio, Magnussen and Stroll 

- A lot of talking in Q3 about how incredible Charles is and the significance of what he’s done. Ferrari team says that not only is Charles quick, but every race, he’s getting quicker. 

- CHARLES ON POLE, the last time a Ferrari driver had four straight poles in a row was in 2001 

- Ham in 2nd at last minute (like he always does at the last minute) then Seb in 3rd. Charles was mad at himself for his purple lap which was awesome but not perfect 

- Not since 2011 has a non Mercedes driver taken pole four times in a row

- The crowd is cheering for Charles pulling in 

Pre-Race

- ok this is the single most effective pre race hype video I’ve ever seen. It was one of the best trailers. My heart is pounding. I can’t believe all of my dreams for Charles are coming true right now. 

- They do a grid walk but not with Martin Brundle because he’s not in Russia this weekend. I think he’s racing somewhere else this weekend 

Race

- Charles has a great start and keeps Hamilton away, but then Seb has an awesome run past Hamilton and Charles and ends up leading after turn 2, Charles in second. This is exactly what Charles predicted was bad about getting pole because it allows a teammate to slipstream 

- On lap one, Daniel turns into Grosjean and sends Grosjean into the barrier, who is furious. Daniel has a puncture but will keep running while Grosjean is out of the race. Apparently Gio was involved too. Lap one safety car. 

- Also on lap one, Lance Stroll tagged Gio, then Gio eventually tags Daniel, because he was being squeezed by Daniel and Grosjean and then Daniel hits Grosjean, which is what caused Grosjean to get out 

- 6/53 Seb will let Charles past next lap, what?! Yes Charles in front but why so early?! Now this is unfair to Seb? So what’s going on??

- There’s an unbelievable amount of confusion between the two Ferraris about who should be in front and both think they’re right and in this case it’s just maddening because both are right and this is Ferrari’s fault 

- Constant radios from Seb and Charles in the first ten laps and Mercedes better not be hearing  all this confusion cause that gives them an advantage 

- Drive through penalty for Kimi for a false start at the beginning 

- The Ferrari plan is completely falling to pieces right away and now they’re saying they’re gonna swap Charles to front later on in the race and Charles has to come over the radio really respectfully again and remind them that he’s played the team game and now he’s in second, not first. I mean this is the SECOND week of this

- Seb is extending his gap out front 

- If Mercedes get ahead in this race, it will be purely because Ferrari screwed up their own plans AGAIN 

- 23/53 they pit Charles first even though he’s in second just like they did with Seb first in Singapore even though he was in second, but the undercut is not as powerful here as it is in Singapore so it might not put Charles in front like it did for Seb in Singapore

- Alex Albon has a great pass on Gasly and shows that he can handle the Red Bull after a tough weekend 

- Hulk gets a black and white flag for driving apparently dangerously which we haven't seen this race because there has been too many other things going on. He also got dropped off the jack during his pit stop at Renault.

- All this fighting at Ferrari is giving Mercedes an advantage because of the squabbling

- Riccardo out because of loss of pace from the first lap incident 

- Ferrari has left Vettel out for a bunch of laps after Charles pit stop and now it’s looking like when they pit Seb, they’re gonna have Seb come out after Charles 

- 26/53 they pit Seb and it’s a half second longer stop than Charles had and now Charles is in front of Seb again 

- 28/53 SEB RETIRES BECAUSE AN MGUK PROBLEM AND HES OUT OF THE RACE and now there’s an virtual safety car and this plays right into Hamilton’s hands because they’re gonna pit him under the safety car 

- SEB’S CAR FAILURE HAS BASICALLY GIVEN HAMILTON THE LEAD, SO FERRARI GAVE MERCEDES THE WIN 

- George Russell went into the wall 29/53 under the virtual safety car after the pit because lost the brakes. Now a full safety car again so this could give Ferrari a chance again 

- Now Kubica retires and pulls into the garage, so double retirement for Williams. They retired because they’re worried about the same issue as Russell had with the breaks 

- They pit Charles under the safety car to be able to challenge Hamilton on the same fast tires 

- When they pitted an Alpha under safety car, they couldn’t get the front jack out and the mechanic pulled with all his might and ended up taking a big tumble 

- Gasly and Kvyat having some dramatic scraps

- Kmags gets a 5 second time penalty for going off and gaining an advantage

- Charles is charging the whole last part of the race except for when he needs to recharge

- Final result: UGH it’s another Mercedes 1-2, you can guess who is first and who is second

- Charles in third after an extremely exhausting race that demanded everything of him and that he delivered all he could