Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020

Posted on December 13, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Has everyone woken up?

Goodness me, that was rather dull, wasn’t it?

To go from the prospect of no racing at all in March to scheduling 17 races in 23 weeks, this season of Formula 1 will go down in history as a season that contained some of the most exciting races in many years, but also one that ended with probably one of the most boring races in its 70 year history. (I’m sure there have been others, but when even the Sky commentators run out of things to say, you know it’s bad!)

All cars, surprisingly made a clean start, Verstappen drove a controlled and measured race from pole to take the win. Bottas kept second and Hamilton kept Albon at bay in the last few laps to take third.

Perez came to halt on track on lap 11 resulting in a virtual safety car, at which most of the grid dived into the pits for their one and only pit stop. This turned into a full safety car deployment, but there were no surprises at the restart, and the procession continued.

The only other excitement was the tussle for places 7 to 10.

After 55 very long laps and one very large cup of tea to revive my energy levels, I have judged and compiled the final Top 10 of the season.

So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

@TomTheMadHatter with live onboard footage of Max Verstappen as he increases his lead over Bottas.

9th place

@FvB2309 with a behind the scenes look at the on-track battle for seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth

8th place

@Travisty_22 with live scenes of F1 fans everywhere as Perez came to a halt on track during the race, his last in Formula 1 (at the time of writing).

7th place

@itsthatginga with live video footage of the Sky F1 commentary box during that race.

6th place

@AlphaSpookster with live footage of Vettel the Ferrari pitwall told him he was doing a great job and to keep going. Seventeen races too late this season, but I guess the sentiment was there!

5th place

Both Mercedes’ were struggling for pace today, but @OfficialDB reveals who Lewis called in to help out …

4th place

With everyone questioning why Leclerc had not been shown the black and white flag, or a penalty after violating track limits for the 4th time, @Jontys_Corner gives us a sneak peek into the steward’s office.

3rd place

@MercedesAMGF1 prove that they can do a perfect double stack pit stop, much to the amazement of F1 Twitter following last week’s debacle. (Just don’t tell George)

2nd place

@timwagner66 with live pitlane footage as Sainz apparently drove slowly as McLaren did a double stack. (This is still pending Steward’s enquiry I believe)

1st place

Talking of Sainz’s potential penalty, @MotorsportWeek are the final winner of the season, with live footage from the steward’s office showing the real reason the penalty was not due to be investigated after the race. It appears they had nodded off too.

And that’s it. The final Top 10 of the season.

Let me know, in the comments below, which ones are your favourite.

The Funniest Tweet Awards Champion 2020 will be revealed on Twitter later (in about 30 minutes once I’ve updated my spreadsheet)

And the Funniest Tweet Awards will be back next year, in 96 days time.

xx

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Sakhir Grand Prix 2020

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Goodness me! I don’t know about you, but that was like watching a new Fast and Furious film called ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’.

With sub-1-minute laps this race had the potential to provide some thrills, upsets and chaos.

It did not disappoint.

With only four hours and a qualifying session in the car, Russell got a good start and jumped Bottas at lights out and took the lead, and kept it going through the first couple of corners.

Norris, who started at the back having taken a grid penalty for a new power unit, also had a great start and stormed up the grid.

Leclerc and Perez had a coming together, managed to avoid Verstappen who drove himself into the wall. Lerclerc followed and Perez ended up at the back of the pack.

This bought out the first safety car. Russell again bolted at the restart and Bottas nearly got overtaken by Sainz who was running in third.

Perez started climbing up the orders, and Russell maintained his lead through the pitstops, making him the third driver after Hamilton and Bottas for the most laps led in 2020.

But then …

… Aitken (Russell’s sub at Williams) had a coming together with a barrier and lost a piece of his front wing. The safety car was deployed again.

Mercedes, for reasons unknown, decided to bring both cars in to swap tyres, they had the time. Russell’s pitstop went well, but there was a problem with Bottas’s. Tyre mix ups, so Bottas had his old hard tyres put on. Some of his new medium tyres had been put on Russell’s car. Bottas re-emerged in P4, Russell had to come back in to get the right set on and went back out in P5.

At this point Perez was leading the race with Ocon in second and Stroll in third. What a turnaround!

At the restart it took 2 laps for Russell to overtake Bottas, he then quickly dispatched Stroll and Ocon for P2.

But then …

… came the radio call that he had a slow puncture. Another pitstop saw him emerge in P14.

On soft tyres however, Russell was like a rocket and picked off cars one by one, ending the race, which, had it not been for Mercedes’ mistake, he should have won, in P9. Bottas, went from P5 and finished P8.

The biggest surprise was that Perez who ended up at the back of the pack on lap 1, won the race.

With such a thrilling race, it was hardly surprising that I was inundated with funny tweets.

However, I have now deliberated and judged them, so without further ado here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Sakhir Grand Prix:

10th place

@timwagner66 with live footage from the Mercedes pitwall as the first safety car was deployed. Thankfully, a repeat of Imola was avoided.

9th place

@Steckelton_OnF1 with live footage of the Ferrari strategy team working out how to make their pitstops even worse for Vettel.

8th place

@stargateoracle with the reaction of F1 fans everywhere when the AWS tyre graphics come up on the screen. Graphics say tyres shot, drivers say: “Nah, they’re fine!”

7th place

@BykerWallv2 with his response to Racing Point’s question as to how Hamilton’s car was still leading the race.

6th place

@Charliebartman with an action replay of the first lap incident that took out Verstappen and Leclerc.

5th place

@_DavidBroad_ with live onboard footage from Russell’s car as he lapped one of the Williams’ cars.

4th place

@ThePinkStig with an accurate description of THAT Mercedes double stack pitstop.

3rd place

@TarasDemerson with another accurate description of George Russell’s performance this weekend (THAT pitstop aside). Would you agree?

2nd place

An early tweet from @Jontys_Corner with the Bottas excuse Wheel of Fortune. Which one do you think he would have chosen? (Although, to be fair, this was a tweet that didn’t age well due to Mercedes monumental mistake.)

1st place

This week’s winner if @mrsspanner echoing the feelings of many George Russel fans, with this response to a tweet by @timwagner66 about the tyre fudge.

And that’s your Top 10. As always, let me know which one(s) are your favourites.

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back, for the final time this season at next week’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Bahrain Grand Prix 2020

Posted on November 29, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

That was a tough race, wasn’t it?

An absolutely horrific crash on the opening lap saw Grosjean’s car crash into the barriers and burst into flames. Thankfully, he managed to clamber out of the flames and according to latest FIA report, was conscious at all times and has been taken to hospital for evaluation.

An hour and a half later, the lights went out again under the dark desert sky and by the end of the first lap we had a safety car. Lance Stroll hit one of the kerbs, his car launched itself into the air and Lance found himself dangling upside down on the track.

Finally, on lap 9 we managed to get the first full lap of racing, without incident.From then on, the race was a little bit dull. There were flashes of excitement as Sainz overtook Leclerc (at least twice), the Renault pair jostling for position and George Russell keeping Sebastian Vettel at bay. (Now who’d have thought that would be a sentence I’d be writing this year?)

Three laps before the end, Perez’s Racing Point decided to start smoking and came to a halt at the side of the track, meaning the race finished under the safety car.

Not too many entries on the Funniest Tweets this week, but I have cobbled together a top 10. So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Bahrain Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

@tarasdemerson for bringing our attention to yet another great name combination … almost as good as BUT GRO PER …

9th place

@FormulaUno summing up Bottas’s race in one tweet, where, after a disastrous start which saw him slide down to p6, an equally bad restart saw him pick up a puncture, pit and spend the majority of the race out of the points before managing to climb to the heady heights of P9.

8th place

@timwagner66 with live onboard footage of Ricciardo’s car during the first part of the race.

7th place

@AlphaSpookster with a sneak-peak at Ferrari’s car manual for this year’s car!

6th place

@MotorsportWeek playing the Vettel spins drinking game …

5th place

@reg_666 with live footage of Max Verstappen’s car as he complained it was jumping around like a kangaroo…

4th place

@Rone11e with an accurate description of the Halo’s day at the office today.

3rd place

@CharlieBartman with unseen, live onboard footage of the fight between the Renaults.

2nd place

@andersonglenn05 with live footage of Kvyat at the beginning of the race.

1st place

This week’s winner is @TomThe MadHatter with live footage of Stroll extricating himself from his upside-down Racing Point … as you do

And that’s it for this week. Hopefully some of these made you laugh. Let me know in the comments which ones were your favourites.

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back next week after the next Bahrain GP.

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Turkish Grand Prix 2020

Posted on November 15, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Wowzers!

The Turkish Grand Prix was another classic track that didn’t fail to provide an exciting race. Hands up if you reckon Formula 1 should permanently put some of these ‘old school’ tracks back on the calendar??

For the first time this season, newly crowned 7-times Constructors’ Champions, Mercedes were not on the front row of the grid. Instead, in tricky qualifying conditions, the honours went to Lance Stroll. (OK, you could say it was a Mercedes, but a pink one).

As the lights went out, there was an awful lot of spinning up and down the grid. Unfortunately, Bottas was one of those who spun, and as he slid down the order he saw the prospect of taking the title fight to Bahrain slipping through his fingers.

Hamilton moved up from P6 to P3, but a lock-up further on saw him slide back down again.

Vettel made a great start, and it was great to see him and Hamilton fighting for track position again, albeit down in 5th and 6th.

There were so many amazing battles, position swaps and spins, like the tweets I struggled to keep up with the pace. (On a side note, tomorrow’s ‘F1 in 60 Seconds’ podcast will be completely manic, God help me!)

However, the day belonged to Lewis Hamilton. Over the 58 laps he slowly, but surely crept up the order and took the lead. With a ‘safety’ pitstop in hand he overrode his team’s instructions on lap 56 to come in and pit, and stayed out for the remaining 2 laps to claim victory. Not only for the race, but sealing his 7th World Drivers’ Championship to boot.

How emotional was that watching him trying to hold back tears? Parking his car, he sat there giving himself time to let the enormity of what he had just achieved sink in, and then this happened:

‘Raccoon time again!’

The craziness of the race also spilled over into my Twitter timeline with many, many funny tweets. Having has a well-earned cup of tea, I have now chosen my favourite 10.

So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweets for the Turkish Grand Prix:

10th place

With so many cars spinning today, @stargateoracle poses a question asked by many F1 fans …

9th place

@HeureuseViajera with the reaction of Vettel fans everywhere when his 2nd pit stop did not go according to plan. (Spoiler alert – he clawed his way back to 3rd, overtaking Leclerc on the last lap)

8th place

@TarasDemerson with the reaction from F1 fans as they finally get to see Vettel and Hamilton fighting for track position.

7th place

@traceyp_03 with live, onboard footage from Hamilton’s car at the start of the race as he moved up to P3 and then back to P6.

6th place

@biggiet17 with live footage from Vettel’s car as he passes Leclerc to nab 3rd place. Anyone else feel a sense of satisfaction at this too??

5th place

@AlphaSpookster with track action as Verstappen, who had been going great guns during the race, tried to overtake Perez and managed to take himself out of podium contention by channelling his inner Vettel and going for a rather hefty spin.

4th place

@Travisty_22 with live footage of Hamilton radioing to his team and calling off his ‘safety’ pit stop on lap 56.

3rd place

Maiden pole, and confidently leading the race, Lance Stroll was having a fantastic weekend until … that pit stop … when it all began to unravel. @_DavidBroad_ found behind-the-scenes onboard footage of the young Canadian driver as he tried desperately to cling on after his pit stop.

2nd place

Poor Bottas. The afternoon went from bad to worse. Channelling his inner Massa and going for the world record of ‘How many times can I spin during 1 race?’ he simply couldn’t believe it when he saw his team-mate coming up close behind him. Despite blue flags, he took a while to move over, and @timwagner66 found stunning footage of Valtteri watching Hamilton lap him.

1st place

This week’s winner is @drummerJoshG with this look at Norris’s McLaren halfway through the race. With the amount of rain that has fallen over the track during the course of the weekend, it’s hardly surprising most cars were in need of a good wash. But, it was the McLaren that the commentators noticed.

And that’s the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Turkish Grand Prix.

Hope you enjoyed the race, and these tweets?

As always, let me know which ones are your favourites in the comments below.

With both Constructors and Drivers Championships wrapped up with 3 races to go, will this crazy season finish with a bang or a whimper?

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back in 2 weeks for the 1st Bahrain Grand Prix.

x

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Imola Grand Prix 2020

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Imola, not the best place for overtaking and even Hamilton said the race would be a bit of a procession after the first corner.

But, like a game of football, the Imola Grand Prix proved to be a race of two halves. Well, 50 laps and 13 laps.

Bottas kept his lead after the first corner and Hamilton slipped down to third. Magnussen spun after a little tussle with Vettel and Giovanazzi made up many places.

The race then settled into the predicted procession.

Gasly retired on lap 8, and there were a flurry of pitstops from lap 13. Of the top 3 runners, Verstappen pitted first with Bottas then coming in to cover off a potential undercut.

This left Hamilton out in front. He decided his tyres were fine and that he could go on for longer and Bono advised he needed to do another 10 laps. The gap to Bottas was increasing, and he needed 26.5-27 seconds to ensure he kept the lead following his pitstop. 27 seconds plus achieved and then on lap 27 Ocon came to a halt causing a virtual safety car, leaving Hamilton free to pit and comfortably retain the lead. (How lucky was that?)

Normal procession resumed with the odd glimpses of excitement as cars tried to overtake. Bottas, with damage to the floor of his car, fell backwards into the clutches of Verstappen, who following an error by Bottas took advantage and sailed passed to grab 2nd.

But then, on lap 50 Verstappen’s car stopped causing a full safety car. Many car’s dived into the pits to change onto soft tyres, but the safety car had caught Hamilton after the pit entry. Would he be a sitting duck on hard tyres at the restart?

Um, that would be a no. With time in hand, next time round he ducked into the pits and fitted soft tyres, and still managed to retain the lead.

Meanwhile, George Russell, running in the points, behind the safety car managed to channel his inner Grosjean, and with cold tyres spun and smashed into the brake boards. Oops!

On the restart with 6 laps to go, Kvyat got off to a flyer and Hamilton sped off.

Of course, Twitter was having a field day and there were so many funny tweets, I struggled to keep up. But keep up I did, and have finally managed to compile a top 10.

So without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Imola Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

@RJoseRazoJr with live footage from Kvyat’s car at the restart … did he have beans for lunch??

9th place

@mtm686 with footage as Hamilton pits under the virtual safety car

8th place

@timwagner66 with on-track footage of Seb and Kimi finding themselves driving alongside each other again this season.

7th place

@Jontys_Corner – with the aftermath of Russell’s crash. Not only did he channel his inner Grosjean and crash, he further channelled him as he looked despondent afterwards. Send him to the Grosjean step, or find him a deckchair quick!

6th place

@seawildearth with live footage from Stroll’s pitstop where he knocked over a mechanic. (I hope the mechanic in question is OK, and didn’t get hurt too much)

5th place

@wearetherace with the reaction of Gasly fans everywhere when he retired on lap 8. Although I do hope they didn’t turn the channel over, the race did get better!

4th place

@ChrisJKenworthy with footage as Twitter, like the last 13 laps of the race get a little bit interesting.

3rd place

@andersonglenn05 sums up Red Bull’s race day succinctly. Following Verstappen’s retirement, Albon with cold tyres hit the throttle and ended up spinning as he was overtaken on the safety car restart. Although, I feel Vettel might have something to say about that. Talking of which …

2nd place

@TarasDemerson sums up Vettel’s pitstop perfectly. Vettel was running a cracking race. Both he and Kimi were, at one point running P4 and P5. Ferrari were managing his strategy perfectly, and then, came THAT pitstop. Both back tyres took an absolute age to go on, meaning that alll Vettel’s hard work and effort went swirling down the pan and he ended up finishing the race out of the points … again!

1st place

There could only be one winner this week as @MarcusEricsson broke the internet with this tweet following George Russell’s crash. Because of course, when anyone crashes behind the safety car, it’s always Ericsson’s fault!

I hope you liked this week’s selection. As always, let me know in the comments which ones were your favourites.

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back in 2 weeks time after the Turkish Grand Prix. But don’t forget to keep an eye out tomorrow for my new F1 in 60 seconds podcast where I attempt to recall the race in 60 seconds.

x

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Lance Stroll’s Portuguese Grand Prix – summed up in a series of tweets

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Lance Stroll didn’t have the best of afternoons in the Algarve.

Track limits have been causing a few issues all weekend, and continued during the race.

Lights out, and within a few laps Lance was being shown the black and white flags.

As the race continued, turn 1 was still causing a problem for Lance.

Even after a 5-second time penalty being given Stroll was like:

As the race wore on, and Stroll tried to carve his way through the field

However, he managed a little coming together with Norris and the stewards issued another 5-second time penalty.

When Stroll finally pitted to serve his penalties

Eventually, Stroll’s car begins to suffer from damage and the team decide to retire the car.

Better luck next time Lance.

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Portuguese Grand Prix 2020

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

These ‘old school’ tracks that are being used this year are certainly proving to be more entertaining than the more sterile track layouts we’ve been subject to over the last few years.

And Portimao was no exception. A track with more ups and downs than a rollercoaster provided us with a great race.

Hamilton got off the line well and was in the lead by the first corner, whilst Bottas seemed to go backwards.

But Hamilton seemed to struggle with the tyres, Bottas recovered quickly and took advantage to take the lead. Verstappen had a coming together with Perez which put Perez pretty much at the back of the pack, which gave Sainz the opportunity to slide pass.

Sainz kept going and by the end of lap 2 was leading the race. Yes, you read that correctly, a McLaren was leading the race.

Meanwhile, Kimi seemed to have had his porridge this morning and gained 10 places on the opening laps running comfortably in the points, along with George Russell. Of course, it all unravelled later, and they finished 11th and 14th respectively.

Eventually, Sainz’s soft tyres started to lose their grip and both Mercedes swept past with Hamilton regaining the lead from Bottas as well.

After those exciting opening laps, which left many F1 fans exhausted from what they had witnessed, the race settled down. Although we did see some pretty amazing overtaking and tussling for position.

The stewards were also kept busy with track limits being ignored. There were black and white flags galore, with at least three 5-second time penalties given out to Kvyat, Grosjean and Stroll if I remember rightly.

Stroll also got into a little bit of strife, but more about him in a separate post.

Yes, he is deserving of his own set of Funniest Tweets today.

Talking of tweets, I was, as always, kept busy with so many funny tweets filling my timeline. And after a large mug of tea, I have finally picked out the 10 that made me laugh out loud.

So, without further ado, here is the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Portuguese Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

@_DavidBroad_ with thoughts of many F1 fans after seeing the crazy racing at different tracks this year.

9th place

@itsthatginga with live onboard footage from Albon’s car as he passes Kimi. (For what it’s worth, I think Albon is quick enough to be in that car, just think Red Bull need to remember they have two drivers and cars and not just one!)

8th place

@XKiteKid with live onboard footage from Hamilton’s car as he passes Bottas for the lead of the race.

7th place

@pgillett2017 with a plea from F1 fans as George Russell was running in the points during the middle of the race. I think it would be a travesty if the rumours are to be believed and he won’t be driving for Williams next year.

6th place

@timwagner66 with footage from Bottas’s car as he struggles to get his tyres up to temperature following his pit stop.

5th place

@tarasdemerson with an accurate description of what happened with 5 laps to go. Lewis reported cramp … ouch!

4th place

@HavannahMonto with footage from Bottas’s car as he exited the pitlane. He requested soft tyres, the opposite to what Hamilton had chosen, but the team put the hard tyres on, the same as Hamilton! (To be fair when they pitted with just under half the race to go I’m not sure the soft tyres would have lasted)

3rd place

@Jontys_Corner with not only live footage from Sainz’s car as the Mercedes’ retook the lead, but also of McLaren fans everywhere.

2nd place

Meanwhile, @FvB2309 has unseen footage from Ocon’s car as he stays out for over 50 laps before coming in to pit.

1st place

This week’s winner is @TomTheMadHatter with unseen footage as Sainz and Kimi traded places during the race.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s Funniest Tweet offerings. Let me know which your favourites are in the comments below.

Also keep your eyes out for a peak of Lance Stroll’s Portuguese race in tweets!

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back next week as the F1 circus visits Imola.

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Eifel Grand Prix 2020

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

I don’t know about you, but that was quite an exciting race.

Yes, I’ll admit it have the craziness that we had in Italy, but there was on-track action, power issues, and a safety car thrown into the mix. The rain threat didn’t materialise, aside from a few spots early-ish in the race.

Despite a quick start from Hamilton, Bottas stuck his elbows at as they went into the first corner and managed to keep the lead.

All the cars made it through Turn 1 without incident, and then it kind of settled down for a while.

There were some overtakes, Kimi punted Russell off the track causing the first retirement, and received a 10-second time penalty.

Bottas locked up, and Hamilton pounced on that opportunity to grab the lead. Bottas then had to pit, which brought him back out in fourth. And then he lost power and had to retire.

Albon tangled with both Alpha Tauris, resulting in a 5-second penalty. He came into the pits to serve his penalty and change tyres, but Red Bull decided to retire him instead.

Vettel did what Vettel does and had a little spin, but then fought back up to finish in P11. The Ferrari strategists were back in action moving Leclerc through the alphabet of strategy plans, but he managed to finish P7.

Cyril Abiteboul spent most of the race sweating as the threat of a tattoo loomed ever closer, and as the chequered flag fell he was seen looking up tattoo parlours in the Nurburg area.

Aside from all this, there was, as ever a plethora of funny tweets. They have now been judged and without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Eifel Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

@stargateoracle with live onboard footage from Vettel’s car as he decides to investigate the run-off area.

9th place

@DoDGhaxen with unseen footage from Bottas’s trailer as he returns following his retirement. But what do you think his tipple of choice would be? Whisky or Vodka?

8th place

@BlaDav89 with Albon’s secret race plan. Not being able to keep up with Verstappen and the threat of demotion increasing with every passing race, he seems to have channelled his inner Baldrick and come up with a cunning plan!!

7th place

@Jontys_Corner with live footage from the Race Director’s office as he makes the decision to deploy the safety car.

6th place

FvB2309 with footage of the cars starting the race in the chilly German weather.

5th place

@seawildearth with unheard radio footage as the lights went out and Bottas fought Hamilton going into Turn 1.

4th place

@AlphaSpookster with live footage from Grosjean’s car as he complained about being hit by gravel that had been thrown up from Kimi’s car. Cold weather always makes injuries feel worse, I believe his fingers are OK.

But, would just to like pay homage to Grosjean’s race. Completely under the radar today, started 16th, kept his head down, his nose clean and finished in 8th. No mean feat in this year’s Haas. Thoughts?

3rd place

On a day when Lando became Nando and found the nearest deckchair, @timwagner66 gives us a preview of a new TV show, ‘My deck chair with Fernando’ … coming to your TV screens soon.

2nd place

Talking of Lando, @traceyp_03 provides unseen. onboard footage as Lando struggles to resolve his power issues.

1st place

But there really was only one talking point during the race today, and that revolved around tattoos. This week’s winner @ChrisJKenworthy has live footage from the Renault pitwall as Cyril Abiteboul watches Daniel Ricciardo cross the line in 3rd.

Hope you enjoyed these funny tweets, as always let me know which one(s) were your favourites in the comments below.

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back in 2 weeks for the Portugese Grand Prix.

Til then.

x

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Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards – Russian Grand Prix 2020

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

Let’s face it, the race at Sochi is generally, always boring. And this year was no exception.

After the excitement of the two previous races in Italy, we had been spoiled somewhat in terms of track action.

Hamilton got off to a good start and held off both Bottas and Verstappen to keep the lead after Turn 2.

However, further back in the field, a spin and a crash into the wall and bollards at the now infamous Turn 2 for Sainz, and a spin from Stroll on lap 1 brought out the safety car until lap 5.

When the safety car period ended, Hamilton sped off, and the race descended into the usual procession.

The only excitement came with Hamilton being handed two 5-second time penalties for a bizarre pitlane race start practice before the race, which he served at his one and only pit-stop, leaving him scrambling back up the field from P11.

Bottas took the lead and Verstappen P2, Hamilton funally finsihing in P3.

Turn 2 claimed other victims this race. Ricciardo got handed a 5-second time penalty for missing the bollards, while Grosjean tried to go through them, but ended up smashing through them.

We had a few tussles for places at the back and middle of the field, but aside from that, the race was as dull and grey as the surrounding area.

I did manage to cobble together a Top 10, so without further ado, here are the Top 10 Funniest Tweet Awards for the Russian Grand Prix 2020:

10th place

A dull race meant that, as @itsthatginga pointed out, trying to think of something funny proved rather difficult.

9th place

@3legs4wheels with the playlist from the Racing Point pitwall as Stroll spun out and retired for the second time in two races.

8th place

@FvB2309 with live footage of all Mercedes fans when they see their weekend unravelling once again when they have the presence of the Netflix ‘Drive to Survive’ film crew in the garage. The same thing happened last year, are Netflix a curse for Mercedes?

7th place

@_DavidBroad_ with a new game for F1 fans to play. F1 Bingo is so last season darlings, this is 2020, time to play ‘Who hasn’t got their mask on?’

6th place

@wearetherace with live footage from Ocon’s car as he heard the news that his team-mate, Danny Ric, had been given a 5-second time penalty following his slight off in his attempt to pass Ocon. Guess where? Yup, that’s right, turn 2 and those darn bollards again!!!

5th place

@Jontys_Corner with live footage from the stweard’s office as they sort out Hamilton’s two 5-second penalties.

4th place

@RJoseRazoJr with live footage from Leclerc’s car as he found himself running in P2 during the race.

3rd place

@Dan_Palmer17 with live footage of Grasjean desperately trying to do the right thing and go around the bollards at Turn 2. He failed, and bought out a virtual safety car for a few minutes as the track marshalls stuck the polystyrene bollards back on their spokes.

2nd place

@CosmicDanzo with a further look at the stewards handing out Hamilton’s two 5-second time penalties.

1st place

@_kidsgloves_ with live footage of Sainz at the beginning of the race as he negotiated Turn 2.

As always, hope you enjoyed these. Let me know which ones are your favourite in the comments below.

The Funniest Tweet Awards will be back in two weeks time, as the F1 circus moves to the Nurburgring.

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Car maintenance newbie – … removing and repairing a patch of rust

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Girl in the Pitlane

I’m feeling rather proud of myself.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a teeny, tiny bit of rust on the wheel arch of my 14-year-old car and decided to try fixing it myself.

It was the cheaper option to sending it to the garage, or getting a new wing, or indeed a new car as someone suggested on Twitter.

So with my dad giving me intructions and armed with several cans and some sandpaper I spent my time repairing the rust.

Step 1

Sandpaper down to the metal

Now, my dad said this could be done manually or with an electronic sander.

I opted for the manual option … until the industrial accident happened! Yup, you guessed it, shard of metal through the plastic gloves and underneath my fingernail. A few good swear words, clean-up and a plaster later I decided maybe I’d be better with the electronic sander. Soooo much easier.

Step 2

Apply Cure-Rust and leave, which I did until the next day.

Step 3

Cover surrounding area with newspaper.

Apply primer filler. Leave overnight. (To be fair the can only says 15 minutes, but I wanted it to definitely be dry!)

Think my dad bought the wrong one as it was yellow!

Still after a good arm workout shaking the can for 2 minutes I started spraying. (Might have also discovered a lost career opportunity as a graffiti artist!!)

Step 4

Sand and reapply primer.

Well, there were a few bubbles and obvious ridges, and I wanted to do a good job. So I sanded, just a little bit, and reapplied the filler … then waited

Step 5

Wet-sand and apply paint .

Slight wet-sand and clean (OK, I’ll admit I got my dad to do that bit), another good arm workout shaking the car paint can and then I applied the car paint.

I think, all in all, I didn’t make a bad job of it!!!

What do you think? (And yes, I know the rest of my car needs a clean)

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