Belgian Grand Prix and Dutch Grand Prix

Belgian Grand Prix 

Well at least it was better than last year's race. 

I say this, mind you, not having been able to watch any of it. My mother, who hates F1, mysteriously managed to have family over for the entire race duration. This may have been for the best. 

There was the good (ish) news - Max Verstappen was starting from the back. Unfortunately, so were Leclerc, Ocon, Norris, Zhou, Mick Schumacher and Tsunoda, so there was every chance that Verstappen wouldn't start last. 

And then ...

P9 in Lap 1 then tear off in the brakes that causes front right brake overheating, have to stop to take off the tear off off the brakes, come back to P5, took a 5 seconds penalty for being too quick in pit lane because of a burnt sensor caused by the first issue. Beautiful day! pic.twitter.com/8TbcsiqzEt

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) August 28, 2022

Which makes Sainz jnr not being able to hold off Verstappen seem like merely a not-good day instead.  

I have added an extra dab in "FIA can't save you now" because yes, Leclerc sped in the pitlane but there was a good excuse this time. 

I am filing "tear off in the brakes" under "actual spanner in the works". 

I am also putting a dab in "Leclerc is making that noise, let's not do that again" for that tweet. That is an unhealthy level of irony in one so young. 

I can see why they have the Belgian and Dutch Grand Prixs back to back, it's a rare outbreak of reasonableness in F1. 

Dutch Grand Prix 

Plus points from the Belgian Grand Prix: 

1 - A Ferrari on the podium 

2 - For once, it is not Ferrari's strategy being mocked. 

3 - .... Ummm, yeah. 

3 - 1 fewer than the number of tyres Carlos Sainz jnr needed. Seriously, if you call a driver into the pits, how hard is it to be ready?! With the right number of tyres. 

4 - I have no idea how many penalties for unsafe releases and/or pitstop speeding Ferrari have had this year but I have a horrible feeling it is 4.  

I just want the team to be competent. I've given up on good - competent is what I want. No driver(s), however good, can mount a challenge for the driver's title without a competent team, and there's no chance of the constructor's title without it either.