The 2017 Season

[Matt]

The Renault was also very good that season and Alonso picked up a win. They were a little off of the other three, but they also had the weakest second driver in Trulli.

[Chrill]

See, DRS is great. We don't have Trulli trains. Man, he could qualify a car! He just couldn't race it.

[Penfold]

For me, the cure is worse than the disease....

[Penfold]

Allow me to question something. If Pascal isn't "fit enough" for Australia some 2 months after his incident at Race of Champions, why would he be fit for China just 14 days later? China is way more aggressive, higher speeds and faster corners....

Seems this Chrill chap was onto something: http://www.planetf1.com/news/giovinazzi-could-race-in-china-report/

[Chrill]

Seems this Chrill chap was onto something: http://www.planetf1.com/news/giovinazzi-could-race-in-china-report/

Even a broken watch is right two times a day.

Is that a saying in English? It's a saying in Swedish. Now, it's a saying in English too.

[Matt]

It's a saying in English. But we usually say clock instead of watch.

[Penfold]

... and I'd say 'twice' instead of 'two times'.

Gio confirmed for Shanghai: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/04/03/giovinazzi-will-replace-wehrlein-china/

Sounds v. likely Wehrlein will also sit out Bahrain.

[Chrill]

See, I was right! Giovinazzi may very well go on to humble poor Ericsson. This puts my dear Swede in a difficult position. If he beats Gio in China, everyone will say "yeah but he's got several years of experience, and the Italian is new". If he loses to Giovinazzi, people will call for Ericsson to retire effective immediately. Oh boy.

[Penfold]

At some point they'll get to put in some laps of Shanghai and we'll see who's quicker, but as it stands poor visibility grounded the medical helicopter for pretty much all of P1 and for the same reason there's been zero running in P2.  Tomorrow's practice will be busy.

[Chrill]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/poor-weather-forces-abandonment-of-fp2-890500/

Indeed. No FP2 running at all. So that obviously means FP3 will be crazy and some people will be getting their setup wrong. We might even see the front runners doing multiple runs in Q1 and Q2 to fine-tune their setups.

This is a bit exciting though. Get it right and you're good to go. Get it wrong and you'll be losing many tenths per lap.

[Penfold]

Exactly, and not much opportunity to copy off your teammate if you don't nail the setup yourself.  Could well throw up some surprises for qualifying - assuming the weather clears between now and then.  Rain sweeping in for Sunday, though I'd rather it didn't bother....

[Chrill]

This is where experience will pay off. Massa, Kimi, Alonso. These people can benefit from having driven F1 cars for a loooong time.

[Chrill]

Imagine if Wehrlein had been picked up for Mercedes, and then this would have happened. Who would have replaced him? Bottas would be tied down to Wililams, Alonso is stuck at McLaren. Would Mercedes have drafted Felipe Massa? Would they have gone to someone like Paul di Resta, Gary Paffett, maybe even Adrian Sutil?

[Penfold]

I would say Massa and then di Resta, at least for China & Bahrain - I don't think anyone would've been available to jump in on Saturday morning in Melbourne.

This is where experience will pay off. Massa, Kimi, Alonso. These people can benefit from having driven F1 cars for a loooong time.

Too bad that the McLaren is not yet up to pace and that recent offerings by Williams have been quite awful in the wet.  Thinking I may plump for Ricciardo if rain is due, or perhaps Hulk, or Sainz, or somebody else.  Yes, definitely one of those guys or somebody else.  Good to have that settled.

[Chrill]

So yeah eh uhm we might have a SATURDAY Grand Prix for the first time in, perhaps, ever?
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-teams-to-discuss-moving-chinese-gp-to-saturday-890553/

Friday washed away completely and Sunday risks being the same. They can't delay the GP to Monday because freight needs to leave for Bahrain. So, perhaps the race will be moved to Saturday to ensure it can run at all. If they do run the race on Sunday, chances are there will be no race at all.