- 729
- East Yorkshire
- Zorzil
Two races for me since I didn't actually post about Spa at the weekend. At least that way there will be SOMETHING good to post in (blatant foreshadowing for what just happened today... 
)
Spa
I qualified P12 with a 2:19.906 after a scruffy lap. I strayed wide going through the Fagnes chicane after the car wouldn't turn in. Had I not done that, I could potentially have been 2-3 positions higher.
Starting on the bus stop chicane is always "fun". I turned in too quickly when auto drive ended and sort of cut it, and the horrible start meant I'd instantly lost the tow to the cars in front. I'm wondering if the sharp cut over the kerb somehow made my tyres dirty because when it then came to stopping at La Source, the car just refused and I ended up bowling off the end of it. Straight down to P13.
That then became P14 when a Lambo slipstreamed me down the Kemmel Straight on lap 2. Not a great start. A Lexus had spun at the Bus Stop though, so back up to P13.
If anyone had a dry race and found it boring without the rain, I apologise because I apparently once again needed a digital bath. I got all of it. My race started with a horizontal band of rain approaching from the south. A few people started pitting at the end of lap 4, but I decided to try risk it and stay out one or two more. One would have been the right call, but I got greedy. The rain hit Intermediates territory around Pouhon on lap 6 and I very nearly slid off the track at Stavelot right after watching the Lambo do it a moment earlier.
I carefully got back to the pits, put the Inters on along with a dash of fuel and came back out in P12. A Porsche had binned it coming out of Pouhon on lap 7, so up to P11. That became P10 a few laps later after a Lambo outbraked himself at the end of the Kemmel Straight and went off onto the runoff area.
By this point the rain had picked up and the bar was on the second line. Wets would have been better, but I was hoping it would pass fast enough that it would end up being better than pitting for Wets. That theory was put to the test as several people pitted for Wets at the end of lap 10. Provisional P6 for now.
I caught back up with the McLaren in P5 by the start of lap 13, helped by him serving a track limits penalty. However, the Wet runners had been closing the gap and I had both a Mercedes and a Lambo in my rear view mirror. I got P5 after the McLaren fumbled going up Eau Rouge, but both the Mercedes and Lambo were past me by the end of the Kemmel Straight. Inters were definitely not competitive at this point.
A different McLaren on Wets then got me into Eau Rouge on lap 15. At this point I'm starting to think I've screwed it up and I'm praying for things to dry up, and fast. An Audi on Wets then got me down the Kemmel Straight; really thinking I've messed up. P9 for now.
Lap 16 sees me make an absolute mess of Eau Rouge and Radillion, going too far left on the entry and then also failing to get the car back over to the right for the crest of the hill. I got slapped with a 1.5s penalty for the double cut.
Serving that one let the McLaren I'd passed earlier get back in contention and he passed me on the approach to Blanchimont after I'd served it. Back down in P10...
The good news however, is that things were starting to dry at the start of lap 17 as the rain had passed. The question was, would it dry quickly enough to punish those on the Wets?
The McLaren on Inters and I caught the Wets pack (along with a Peugeot on Inters) at Les Combes on lap 18, and one of them was carrying a 1 second penalty. Between the Inters McLaren having a poor exit out of Stavelot and the other serving the penalty, I was up to P7 by Blanchimont. I lost it again soon after at La Source though, after going a bit deep and having a poor exit trying to get off the kerb.
By the start of the final lap, I was back in the train with the Inters McLaren, Peugeot, Audi and Lambo. The Audi lost it a bit through Les Combes and had to catch the car, so I was able to pass him to get P7 and that's where I stayed. 200 points in the end, which I was happy with and didn't go again.
Sardegna A Reverse
That's the good bit out of the way. Rant mode engaged. Whoever came up with this combo needs their head checked. Maybe even who decided this track needs a reverse layout. It's AWFUL.
I was off the pace at the back and still had a horrendous time of it. This is easily the worst race of the season for me, and I didn't see that coming after Interlagos.
I qualified P15 with a 1:41.826 and was very briefly in P12 by the time I even reached the braking point for turn 2 because turn 1 was a slaughter. I exited the corner in P13 though after having to take it extremely tight. A Ferrari up ahead somehow picked up a 0.5s penalty, and I'm not sure how. Cutting turn 1 seemed to give 1 second in free practice, and being responsible for someone spinning out would presumably have given more.
A Lexus pushed the Ferrari off at turn 2 on the following lap, so up to P12. A different Ferrari got a run on me down to the right-hander in front of the church and went for the inside line so I was back down to P13.
The first Ferrari caught up to me on lap 3 and went for the run down the main straight on lap 4. At this point my race ended. I had the Ferrari on my inside and a Jaguar right behind me. I'm in a position where I can't feasibly back out of attempting to take turn 1 two-wide. I think I'd barely managed to get the line right, but I felt a bump with the Ferrari which nudged me and I slammed into the wall. My bounce off utterly murdered the Jaguar, who then quit.
I ended up driving around on my own for 8 laps, with a Porsche who'd died in the turn 1 chaos somewhere further back.
P14, no idea how many points because I didn't look. What a waste of time. That extended qualifying was utterly pointless too considering just how quickly the race degenerated into carnage, even in an A+ lobby.
At this point I kind of want to be demoted back to A. I am struggling so, so much this season and feel out of place in A+. The Nurburgring was the only round where I've qualified higher than 12th. Just going to have to wait and see what Suzuka brings, but I'm not really expecting any better for the moment. I'm not bad at Suzuka, but I'm expecting to be at the back again.
)Spa
I qualified P12 with a 2:19.906 after a scruffy lap. I strayed wide going through the Fagnes chicane after the car wouldn't turn in. Had I not done that, I could potentially have been 2-3 positions higher.
Starting on the bus stop chicane is always "fun". I turned in too quickly when auto drive ended and sort of cut it, and the horrible start meant I'd instantly lost the tow to the cars in front. I'm wondering if the sharp cut over the kerb somehow made my tyres dirty because when it then came to stopping at La Source, the car just refused and I ended up bowling off the end of it. Straight down to P13.
That then became P14 when a Lambo slipstreamed me down the Kemmel Straight on lap 2. Not a great start. A Lexus had spun at the Bus Stop though, so back up to P13.
If anyone had a dry race and found it boring without the rain, I apologise because I apparently once again needed a digital bath. I got all of it. My race started with a horizontal band of rain approaching from the south. A few people started pitting at the end of lap 4, but I decided to try risk it and stay out one or two more. One would have been the right call, but I got greedy. The rain hit Intermediates territory around Pouhon on lap 6 and I very nearly slid off the track at Stavelot right after watching the Lambo do it a moment earlier.
I carefully got back to the pits, put the Inters on along with a dash of fuel and came back out in P12. A Porsche had binned it coming out of Pouhon on lap 7, so up to P11. That became P10 a few laps later after a Lambo outbraked himself at the end of the Kemmel Straight and went off onto the runoff area.
By this point the rain had picked up and the bar was on the second line. Wets would have been better, but I was hoping it would pass fast enough that it would end up being better than pitting for Wets. That theory was put to the test as several people pitted for Wets at the end of lap 10. Provisional P6 for now.
I caught back up with the McLaren in P5 by the start of lap 13, helped by him serving a track limits penalty. However, the Wet runners had been closing the gap and I had both a Mercedes and a Lambo in my rear view mirror. I got P5 after the McLaren fumbled going up Eau Rouge, but both the Mercedes and Lambo were past me by the end of the Kemmel Straight. Inters were definitely not competitive at this point.
A different McLaren on Wets then got me into Eau Rouge on lap 15. At this point I'm starting to think I've screwed it up and I'm praying for things to dry up, and fast. An Audi on Wets then got me down the Kemmel Straight; really thinking I've messed up. P9 for now.
Lap 16 sees me make an absolute mess of Eau Rouge and Radillion, going too far left on the entry and then also failing to get the car back over to the right for the crest of the hill. I got slapped with a 1.5s penalty for the double cut.
Serving that one let the McLaren I'd passed earlier get back in contention and he passed me on the approach to Blanchimont after I'd served it. Back down in P10...
The good news however, is that things were starting to dry at the start of lap 17 as the rain had passed. The question was, would it dry quickly enough to punish those on the Wets?
The McLaren on Inters and I caught the Wets pack (along with a Peugeot on Inters) at Les Combes on lap 18, and one of them was carrying a 1 second penalty. Between the Inters McLaren having a poor exit out of Stavelot and the other serving the penalty, I was up to P7 by Blanchimont. I lost it again soon after at La Source though, after going a bit deep and having a poor exit trying to get off the kerb.
By the start of the final lap, I was back in the train with the Inters McLaren, Peugeot, Audi and Lambo. The Audi lost it a bit through Les Combes and had to catch the car, so I was able to pass him to get P7 and that's where I stayed. 200 points in the end, which I was happy with and didn't go again.
Sardegna A Reverse
That's the good bit out of the way. Rant mode engaged. Whoever came up with this combo needs their head checked. Maybe even who decided this track needs a reverse layout. It's AWFUL.
I was off the pace at the back and still had a horrendous time of it. This is easily the worst race of the season for me, and I didn't see that coming after Interlagos.
I qualified P15 with a 1:41.826 and was very briefly in P12 by the time I even reached the braking point for turn 2 because turn 1 was a slaughter. I exited the corner in P13 though after having to take it extremely tight. A Ferrari up ahead somehow picked up a 0.5s penalty, and I'm not sure how. Cutting turn 1 seemed to give 1 second in free practice, and being responsible for someone spinning out would presumably have given more.
A Lexus pushed the Ferrari off at turn 2 on the following lap, so up to P12. A different Ferrari got a run on me down to the right-hander in front of the church and went for the inside line so I was back down to P13.
The first Ferrari caught up to me on lap 3 and went for the run down the main straight on lap 4. At this point my race ended. I had the Ferrari on my inside and a Jaguar right behind me. I'm in a position where I can't feasibly back out of attempting to take turn 1 two-wide. I think I'd barely managed to get the line right, but I felt a bump with the Ferrari which nudged me and I slammed into the wall. My bounce off utterly murdered the Jaguar, who then quit.
I ended up driving around on my own for 8 laps, with a Porsche who'd died in the turn 1 chaos somewhere further back.
P14, no idea how many points because I didn't look. What a waste of time. That extended qualifying was utterly pointless too considering just how quickly the race degenerated into carnage, even in an A+ lobby.
At this point I kind of want to be demoted back to A. I am struggling so, so much this season and feel out of place in A+. The Nurburgring was the only round where I've qualified higher than 12th. Just going to have to wait and see what Suzuka brings, but I'm not really expecting any better for the moment. I'm not bad at Suzuka, but I'm expecting to be at the back again.
