2018 F1 Grand Prix of Belgium — Qualifying results

Hamilton claims pole at rain soaked Spa, pips P2 Vettel; Ocon an opportunistic P3 for reborn Force India

The Formula 1 circus returned after its long summer break, resuming at one of its most storied and historically important tracks, legendary Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. As it so often does there, unpredictable weather played its part, throwing a spanner in the works for the last session of Saturday qualifying. With teams scrambling to change off of slicks and onto Intermediate wet Pirelli tires after a sudden Ardennes downpour early in Q3 it put the onus on the drivers to navigate treacherous conditions and somehow keep their cars on the circuit to set a time for their positions on the grid. As it so often does, the rain shook up qualifying victimizing some and benefitting others unexpectedly. When the spray had settled Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton claimed his 5th pole at Spa with a time some 17 second slower than his best run in the dry during Q2. All the news was not terrific for Mercedes, however, as their second driver Valtteri Bottas faces a host of engine-change penalties and will have to start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid despite getting through to top 10.

Hamilton did manage to pip his fiercest championship rival, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who had been looking good for the pole when the English points leader squirmed off the track earlier in Q3. But the German’s last flying lap came up a little over 0.7 seconds slower than Hamilton excellent best effort. The most stunning development of this wet quali session was Force India’s Estban Ocon laying down the third fastest time after Ferrari were caught out by having Kimi Raikkonen’s car without adequate fuel to continue running in Q3 and had to permanently pit the furious Finn midway through the session. That saw the Iceman drop all the way down to P7 on the grid, while Ocon’s teammate Sergio Perez shot all the way up to P4 for a first-ever Force India second row lockout. It as a wonderful result for the team, which came back from the break under new ownership and, as an unfortunate consequence, stripped of all their championship points from the first 12 races they’ve already run this year. With their excellent starting positions the newly christened Racing Point Force India should have a good shot at rebuilding some of that lost glory come race day, though the drivers will have to be respectful of each other while holding off some potentially faster cars behind them.

Another beneficiary of the wet weather and Ferrari’s Raikkonen bobble was Haas’ Romain Grosjean who qualified a solid P5; his teammate Kevin Magnussen will start further back in P9. Red Bull continued to struggle this weekend with Max Vertsappen, normally excellent in the rain, managing only the seventh fastest time and Daniel Ricciardo only the eighth. Ricciardo made the surprise announcement during the break that he will be leaving Red Bull, his longtime home, for Renault next season. Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly will therefore take his seat on the senior team while Carlos Sainz will move over from Renault to McLaren, replacing his countryman and two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who will retire from F1 at the end of this season after a sterling career.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Belgian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:42.977 1:41.553 1:58.179 19
2 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:43.035 1:41.501 1:58.905 18
3 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:44.003 1:43.302 2:01.851 16
4 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:44.004 1:43.014 2:01.894 14
5 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:43.597 1:43.042 2:02.122 20
6 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:42.585 1:41.533 2:02.671 13
7 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:43.199 1:42.554 2:02.769 11
8 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:43.604 1:43.126 2:02.939 16
9 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 1:43.834 1:43.320 2:04.933 19
10 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:42.805 1:42.191 DNS 7

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live on ESPN2 starting at 9AM Eastern here in the States. Will weather play its part again to disrupt the favorites and open the door for the underdogs? Will Hamilton and Vettel dice and potentially come into contact on Lap 1 as they roar into Eau Rouge and up to La Source? Hope to see you then to find out!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — August selection, Pt. II

August and summer are winding down but there are still hot watches to be had. Case in point — this beautiful vintage Rolex reference 1625 Datejust with engine turned white gold elapsed time bezel, aka the Thunderbird Datejust.

This beautiful T-Bird dates from 1962 and a has slightly later but nonetheless stunning silver dial with Sigma markings flanking the T SWISS T annotation. The Sigma symbols indicate solid gold markers and were only used by Rolex for brief period in the late 1960s and early ’70s. This lovely silver sunburst dial is Near Mint and its original Tritium lume is all intact and has developed a lovely patina.

Under the hood is the somewhat uncommon caliber 1565 Chronometer movement complete with its rare “balance guard,” a cool little vestigial detail. It is ticking away like a champ just like a Rolex should.

Coming on its likely original Swiss made rolled Jubilee bracelet this T-Bird presents beautifully on the wrist. With its handsomely crafted elapsed time bezel in solid gold the Thunderbird Datejust is the perfect blend of tool watch and elegance — a Sports watch for the board room, if you will — and certainly one of Rolex’s most interesting and innovative designs. And IMO, the white gold & steel version is the one to have. So grab it while you can!

Check out the complete ad over at the redoubtable Vintage Rolex Forum’s Market section for many more pictures and complete condition report. You surely be glad you did!  SOLD

Men’s Cologne – Givenchy Gentleman by Givenchy (Original)

First of all please note that this review is for the original formula of Givenchy Gentleman, which debuted way back in 1974, and not the recent reformulated 2017 release where the label actually reads “Gentleman Givenchy.” I haven’t tried that new, fruitier version so I can’t comment. What I can say is that original Givenchy Gentleman has become one of my favorites and a go-to in my rotation despite the fact that it’s approaching the 45th anniversary of its creation by Paul Leger. So much so that when I saw they were reshuffling it to the Les Parfums Mythiques category where old Givenchy frags are put out to pasture I bought several back-up bottles in case they decided to water it down.

While there is the usual waxing rhapsodic on fragrance forums about the vintage formulation, the modern iteration of Gentleman up until the shift over to Les Parfums Mythiques is still pure class (haven’t tried the LPM version but being so recently in production unlike, say, Xeyrus, I’m hopeful that they haven’t messed it up). From it’s distinctively simple “pharmacist”-style flaçon and spare modernist silver label with black Garamond lettering to the yellow-hued juice inside one immediately gets that “old school” vibe. But the fragrance itself, while certainly created a long time ago, remains timeless. Yes, it’s from the 1970s and yes its dominant note by far is patchouli. However, this is a cologne for people who only think they hate patchouli but have never smelled a well rendered, highly natural version of it. Along with Giorgio of Beverly Hills and the sadly discontinued Moods Uomo by Krizia, Gentleman has the best front and center patchouli note in the mass marketed fragrance business. But unlike Giorgio’s very forward honey-lime notes or the pervasive rose of Moods sweetening the deal, Gentleman’s patch is really both the soloist and the orchestra. Yes, there are the usual “woody aromatic” embellishments listed in the notes pyramid such as cedar and oakmoss but those seem faint to non-existent to my nose, as does the civet, which may have been phased out due to IFRA prohibitions. There is still a nice vetiver playing its part, a creamy orris root binding things together and some semi sweet-ish green spice notes likely from the listed tarragon, as well as a subtle rose note in the background. And the base definitely has a wonderfully long lasting leather note.

But again, this fragrance is all about the patchouli, which is both dirty and clean and goes on forever. When you first spray it on you may be alarmed — this Eau de Toilette is very concentrated — but hang in there for a minute and the fragrance instantly develops into an embracingly warm, inexpressibly elegant concoction cocooning you in pure masculine vibes. Continue reading →

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — August selection

The phrase hotter than July has rarely been more apt because I’m offering up another stone cold classic to start this red hot August — a scarce French Air Force-issued Dodane Type 21 pilot’s chrono from the Cold War era.

Featuring an absoultely stunning dial that has aged to a deep chocolate brown, this Type 21 has all the sexy patina and wabi-sabi you could want in a military watch with loads of wrist appeal, not to mention terrific functionality.

Underneath the beautifully proportioned 38mm stainless steel screwed case is the fantastically engineered Valjoux caliber 235 hi-beat Flyback chronograph movement, still performing like a champ after all these years.

With its French Armée de l’Air Fin de Garantie service mark dating from 1979 this beautiful chocolate Dodane Type 21 has all the provenance any MilWatch enthusiast could need. And it’s offered at a fraction of the price of its Breguet Type 21 vintage brother. There’s no substitute for a genuine issued vintage military watch and, as the saying goes, they aren’t making any more of them. So get this amazing Dodane while you can!

Check out the full ad with many more pictures and complete condition report over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Watch Sales section.  SOLD

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary — Results & aftermath

Mercedes’ Hamilton wins again in Hungary, Vettel P2 & Raikkonen P3 for Ferrari; Ricciardo rockets to P4 but Bottas bumped to P5 after late collisions

Mercedes’ ace Lewis Hamilton continued his winning ways in Hungary on Sunday by making it two on the trot at one of his favorite tracks. Following up on his improbable drive from 14th on the grid to victory in Hockenheim last weekend, Hamilton was dominant at the Hungaroring, taking victory here for the sixth time in his career. The win never seemed in doubt and Hamilton came home over 17 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer and arch-rival, Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Hamilton now leads Vettel by 24 points in the Drivers’ Championship as we head into the summer break.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Vettel and the Scuderia tried to make something happen with strategy by running all the way to Lap 39 on his opening set of Soft tires. But they were thwarted in their attempt to gain track position by an uncharacteristically slow 4.2-second stop by the Ferrari pit crew. That enabled Hamilton’s wingman Valtteri Bottas to regain the P2 position he had relinquished when Mercedes called him way back on Lap 16 for a switch off Ultras and onto Softs. But while Vettel was balked temporarily the gamble would not work out for Mercedes in the long run. By Lap 59 of this 70-lap contest Vettel was right on Bottas gearbox, the Finn’s Silver Arrow sliding around on old rubber by that point, and with Vettel’s teammate Raikkonen stacked up behind them both. Vettel finally orchestrated an overtaking move on Lap 65 and Bottas locked up trying to defend leading to contact between the two cars. Bottas came off the worse for wear with a damaged front wing to go along with his worn out Pirellis but Vettel was unscathed enough to secure that valuable P2 position that he would ride to the end of the race. Even worse for Bottas and team Mercedes first Raikkonen worked his way past the wounded Merc and by Lap 67 he had fallen back into the clutches of Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.

The affable Aussie was keen to maximize his remarkable recovery from a poor P12 start after getting caught out by the heavy rain in Saturday qualifying. By Lap 68, Riccardo saw his opportunity to pass and dove to the outside of Bottas going into Turn 1. But once again Bottas could not get his car to respond on worn rubber and his Mercedes understeered into the ambitious Ricciardo’s Red Bull. Luckily both cars were fit enough to make it the final two laps to the checkered flag but Bottas was forced to accept a mediocre P5 after a couple of rough rides. The loss of those valuable positions combined with Ferrari’s 2-3 finish to enable the fabled team from Maranello to creep to within 10 points of the factory Mercedes team in the all-important Constructors’ Championship after 12 rounds and with 9 to go. Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s remarkable P4 drive saved the day for Red Bull, which had lost Max Verstappen early in the race on Lap 6 with yet another Renault engine failure. For Red Bull, next year’s divorce from their long-time engine supplier cannot come soon enough.

Further back in the pack, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly parlayed a strong qualifying effort in the wet into a fantastic race result with a strong P6 finish, showing the steady improvement of both the car and this talented young driver. Gasly beat out the Haas of Kevin Magnussen, who finished P7, and the McLaren of Fernando Alonso in P8. Carlos Sainz finished P9 for Renault, not a great result after starting from P5 on the grid. The second Haas of Romain Grosjean took the last point in P10.

Top 10 finishers of the Hungarian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 70 1:37:16.427 25
2 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 70 +17.123s 18
3 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 70 +20.101s 15
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 70 +46.419s 12
5 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 70 +60.000s 10
6 10 Pierre Gasly SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 70 +73.273s 8
7 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 69 +1 lap 6
8 14 Fernando Alonso MCLAREN RENAULT 69 +1 lap 4
9 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 69 +1 lap 2
10 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 69 +1 lap 1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

As is traditional, The Hungarian Grand Prix is the last race before the long summer break. Formula1 returns on the weekend of August 24-26 with the classic Belgian Grand Prix at legendary Spa-Francorchamps. Hope to see you then — tan, ready and rested for more F1 action!

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Hungary — Qualifying results

Hamilton grabs opportunistic pole at rainy Hungaroring, Bottas P2 for Mercedes front row lockout; Ferrari’s Raikkonen P3 ahead teammate Vettel in P4

Rain scrambled Saturday qualifying for the Hugarian Grand Prix and by the end of three increasingly wet sessions at the Hungaroring it was Mercedes who reigned supreme, with Lewis Hamilton taking pole and Valtteri Bottas setting the second fastest time on full Wet Pirelli’s for a Silver Arrows front row lockout. Coming after their superb strategy calls led directly to Hamilton’s improbable charge from P14 to victory in Germany a week ago, the Mercedes braintrust were at it again, committing to the blue banded full wets early enough to let their drivers get a feel for them on the greasy track and then seeing their two pilots execute throttle control perfectly for the two fastest possible laps in Q3 under difficult conditions. While Ferrari was right behind them it was Kimi Raikkonen who took P3 on the grid while Sebastian Vettel, desperate to make up for his race-losing error at Hockenheim, could only set the fourth fastest time.

While those front four positions were reasonably predictable the rest of the grid was completely scrambled by the heavy downpour that began late in Q1. Carols Sainz drove superbly in the wet to take a stunning P5 spot for Renault and Toro Rosso had its best qualifying of the year by far with Pierre Gasly setting the P6 time and Brendon Hartley, whose luck may beginning to turn after a points finish last week, solid in P8. The Toro Rosso’s sandwiched Red Bull’s Max Vertsappen who, despite his previous prowess in then rain, could only muster a lap good enough for P7 with his chassis slipping and sliding beneath him. That was still better than his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who had trouble getting to grips with tires of all varieties and was balked in his efforts to get a clean lap in Q2 by yellow flags. Ricciardo ended up stuck back in P12 and will have to muster a good recovery drive for a much needed positive result after DNF’ing in two of the last three races. The two Haas’s rounded out the Top 10, with Kevin Magnussen starting P9 and Romain Grosjean P10.

The mixed-up grid should make tomorrow’s race chaotic at the start as ostensibly faster cars try to carve their way back up to the front. And if there’s any more heavy weather like we saw on Saturday all bets are off.

Top 10 qualifiers for the Hungarian GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 1:17.419 1:31.242 1:35.658 26
2 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:17.123 1:32.081 1:35.918 25
3 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:17.526 1:32.762 1:36.186 26
4 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:16.666 1:28.636 1:36.210 24
5 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 1:17.829 1:30.771 1:36.743 25
6 10 Pierre Gasly SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 1:18.577 1:31.286 1:37.591 25
7 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:16.940 1:31.178 1:38.032 24
8 28 Brendon Hartley SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 1:18.429 1:32.590 1:38.128 25
9 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 1:18.314 1:32.968 1:39.858 24
10 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:17.901 1:33.650 1:40.593 24

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live at 9AM Eastern on ESPN2 here in the States. Hope to se you then to see if Hamilton can keep his mojo working as we head into the summer break or if Vettel can regain the momentum he squandered in Germany!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — July selection, Pt. II

July must be the month for beautiful black dialed watches because here comes another one. This time it’s an even more uncommon mid-1960s reference 666-AD Ingeniuer with incredible glossy black dial. Part of the Big 3 of antimagnetic “scientist” watches from the toolwatch Golden Age along with the Rolex Milgauss and Omega Railmaster, the IWC Ingenieur is a legend in its own right and probably the most versatile of the that illustrious a-mag lot. Putting this rare original black dial over the top is the added signature of the legendary Zurich jewelry retailer, Türler. That’s really a rare touch on an already rare model!

With its well proportioned 36.5mm all-steel 3-piece screwed case and beefy safe-like design to accommodate the anti-magnetic Farraday cage, the classic 666 Ingy is both rugged and elegant, a real mid-century masterpiece. Originally water resistant to 10 ATM and resistant to up to 1000 Gauss of magnetic fields, the enemy of a watch’s balance spring, this version of Ingeniuer features the excellent 21-jewel caliber 8531 with date complication under the hood. With its unique Pellaton winding system it’s part of one of the best mass-produced automatic families in horological history.

To put the ice cream on the pie this classic Ingenieur comes on its original Gay Freres beads-of-rice bracelet with IWC-signed “globe” logo clasp, a serious find in its own right. If you’ve ever searched for one of these you know they just don’t come around very often, especially not with a black dial double-signed by Türler and on an original GF bracelet, so this is a great opportunity for the serious collector to own this iconic timepiece from IWC Schaffhausen. Don’t miss it!

Check out the complete ad for this killer Ingenieur now over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Private Sales section for many more pictures and complete condition report. The chance to own an example as special as this one may not come again!  SOLD

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Germany — Results & aftermath

Hamilton drives from P14 to victory in damp Hockenheim; Bottas P2, Raikkonen P3; Vettel crashes out from the lead late in race

The script flipped for Ferrari and Mercedes at the German Grand Prix due to a little wet weather at the Hockenheimring in Sunday’s German Grand Prix. With the two top contenders in this year’s Formula 1 Championship looking like going in different directions due to their recent race results, Ferrari’s ace Sebastian Vettel started from pole and seemed a lock to consolidate his position as the points leader and expand on the team’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship. Meanwhile, Mercedes’ ace Lewis Hamilton was stuck back in P14 on the grid after a hydraulic failure saw the Englishman bounced out of qualifying in Q1 on Saturday. It would have to be another massive recovery drive for Hamilton to get up to his teammate Valtteri Bottas, flying the team flag up in P2, with Vettel’s wingman, Kimi Raikkonen, looking to attack his fellow Finn from just behind in P3. And when the lights went out for the start that’s how things looked like they’d shake out.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

Vettel and Bottas both got away well from the line, holding position and keeping Raikkonen just behind them who in turn was able to fight off the Red Bull of the newly circumspect Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Hamilton began carving his way through the field, putting his superior Mercedes power and chassis to good use against a host of backmarkers. By Lap 8 Hamilton was already up to P8 and by Lap 11 he had taken P6 by passing the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg as if the German were standing still. By Lap 14 he had overtaken the Haas of Kevin Magnussen for P5 and set of for Verstappen and possible podium aspirations to try to salvage the day. And now the first round of tire stops for the frontrunners began, as on Lap 15 Raikkonen pitted for Softs in an apparent attempt to ensnare Mercedes into a similar early move for Bottas.

But Bottas’ initial Ultrasoft Pirellis retained their advantage and there was no need for Mercedes to take Ferrari’s bait. Even so, while Bottas was bale to keep Verstappen safely behind him in P3 the Mercedes #2 didn’t seem to have anything for the ultra-confident Vettel running several second to the good out front, well out of DRS range. However, Ferrari’s split strategy gambit began to backfire as Raikkonen’s pace actually seemed to drag Hamilton up to the front with him. When Vettel finally pitted on Lap 26, he did manage to come out ahead of Hamilton, still running on his initial set of the harder Soft tires, but he was behind his teammate Raikkonen. Bottas was now running from the lead and stretched his initial stint on Ultras until Lap 29, when he pitted for fresh Soft rubber. It looked as though it might be terrible timing when Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull, himself moving up through the field after engine penalties pushed him back on the grid, came to an abrupt stop on track. But the Aussie’s stationary Red Bull was able to be retrieved without a Safety Car, saving Mercedes and Bottas any headaches or heartbreak.

With Raikkonen now leading the race and Vettel in P2 it became apparent that Ferrari had miscalculated because Vettel was unable to take advantage of his fresher tires while Raikkonen was holding him up. After much cajoling by Vettel to the pit wall and a needlessly coy message to the Iceman by Scuderia chief strategist Jock Clear, Raikkonen ceded the top spot to his Championship leading teammate on Lap 39. Clearly that decision should have been made earlier and/or putting Raikkonen ahead of Vettel should never have been made in the first place. Somewhat remarkably Hamilton still hadn’t pitted while all this Ferrari drama was going on. Instead he simply ran competitive laps and held his position at P3. But by Lap 42 he was definitively holding up Bottas with shagged tires so he finally dove for the pits for fresh rubber, culminating a remarkable opening stint. By playing the long game and starting on the Softs, unlike the other main contenders, this meant he now had on the high performing Ultra Soft tires. This was an all the more significant decision — and a major team gamble — as foreboding rain clouds surged around the forests of Hockenheim. With a clean stop, Hamilton came back in P5.

On Lap 44 the threat of rain finally came good with light showers near the tricky hairpin. Some teams gambled on pitting for Intermediate wet tires including, surprisingly, Vertsappen from P3 who then came out behind Hamilton in P5. But the track was never fully wet and by Lap 49 the rain had decreased to the pint where it was clear that was huge mistake. Verstappen promptly pitted to get back to the Ultras, losing no more positions at least. The track did remain treacherous to those on the proper slicks, with perhaps Hamilton’s fresher, softer tires giving him some advantage. After some nervy moments for all the frontrunners it was Vettel who was the man who surprisingly cracked. The usually supremely confident 4-time World Champion, likely feeling the heat from the the surging Hamilton, overcooked it going into the tricky Sachs Turn in the Stadium section on Lap 52 and speared off the road through the gravel and into the barriers. With Vettel’s Ferrari now buried, just like that race and points leader had thrown away a nearly certain victory for himself and the team.

That brought out the Safety Car. Ferrari tired to fire up some of their patented strategy magic by bringing Raikkonen in for new tires but on this day all their moves were busts. That ceded the lead to Hamilton of all people, who had been abruptly waved off from pitting again at the last second and stayed out instead. That meant Raikkonen rejoined in P3 behind Bottas. After some tense jousting between the Mercedes teammates, Bottas was given team orders to stand down and hold position against Raikkonen. With the threat of rain omnipresent but holding off in the final laps, Lewis Hamilton held on for perhaps the most surprising and significant win of his career, driving back from a P14 start to victory and taking back the Championship lead for both himself and, thanks also to Bottas’ P2 and Vettel’s DNF, team Mercedes’ lead, as well. As Hamilton frolicked in stunned disbelieving joy on the top step of the podium the skies opened up and poured down on the resourceful and lucky Englishman, washing away the doubts that had consumed him over the last few races and leaving him poised to seize another World Championship at the expense of the suddenly mortal Vettel.

Top 10 finishers of the German GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR LAPS TIME/RETIRED PTS
1 44 Lewis Hamilton MERCEDES 67 1:32:29.845 25
2 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 67 +4.535s 18
3 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 67 +6.732s 15
4 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 67 +7.654s 12
5 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT 67 +26.609s 10
6 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 67 +28.871s 8
7 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 67 +30.556s 6
8 31 Esteban Ocon FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 67 +31.750s 4
9 9 Marcus Ericsson SAUBER FERRARI 67 +32.362s 2
10 28 Brendon Hartley SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO HONDA 67 +34.197s 1

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

Notes: Ferrari boss Sergio Marchionne was replaced as CEO of the Fiat Chrysler auto group over the weekend after falling gravely ill following shoulder surgery some 3 weeks ago. All of us here at Man’s Fine Life wish the 66-year-old Italian industrialist and savior of both Fiat and Chrysler companies only the best and hope he has a full recovery no matter how grim things may look at the moment. Gianni Agnelli’s grandson, John Elkann, was appointed new Chairman of Ferrari.

The next race is in but a week’s time — the Hungarian Grand Prix from the Hungaroring. It’s the last contest before the 3-week summer break. So catch it if you can to see whether Hamilton can parlay his unlikely victory into a proper winning streak or Vettel can regain his mastery after his fumble in Germany. Hope to see you then to find out how it all shakes out!

2018 F1 Grand Prix of Germany — Qualifying results

Ferrari’s Vettel seizes pole on home soil in Hockenheim, wingman Raikkonen P3; Bottas P2 for Mercedes as Hamilton bows out in Q1 with mechanical, will start P14

Ferrari’s recent momentum continued in Saturday qualifying for the return German Grand Prix at Hockenheim after a year’s absence. The Scuderia’s ace, Sebastian Vettel, grabbed pole for his home GP with a dominant track record 1.11.212 lap and his teammate Kimi Raikkonen qualified P3 some 3-tenths behind. Even better for the points-leading team from Maranello, while their chief rival Mercedes’ second pilot, Vlatteri Bottas, was able to snag P2 just 2-tenths back of the pole time, Vettel’s closest competitor Lewis Hamilton suffered hydraulic failure in Q1. The team ordered Hamilton to stop his car on track and the distraught Englishman actually resorted to trying to push his wounded mount back to the pits in the hopes of keeping his quali alive. But in the end Hamilton was left disconsolate in a praying position next to his stationary Silver Arrow, perhaps wondering if his championship dreams for this year could be starting to slip away. In truth, it’s possible Hamilton helped caused the malfunction by traveling over the steep Hockenheim curbs repeatedly and with too much abandon. Starting from P14 on the grid due to Daniel Ricciardo’s penalty, Hamilton will have it all to do come race day. Vettel and Ferrari clearly smell Mercedes blood and it will be up to them to make the most of Mercedes’ misfortune.

Red Bull might also be in a position to upset the order of the usual front runners, at least as far as Max Verstappen is concerned. The Dutch wunderkind was good enough for the P4 timed will look to take it to the top 3 for a possible podium. As mentioned above, however, their veteran Australian pilot Ricciardo entered quali facing a raft of engine penalties and chose to run quali as more of test session with the result that he made it out of Q1 but did not compete in Q2. Ricciardo will strat from dead last come race day. There was better news for the American Has team, which say their two drivers make both make the Top 10. Kevin Magnussen got the best Haas qualifying position ever with P5 while Romain Grosjean was just behind in P6. If Haas can just get consistent double-points finishes from their drivers and team from the rest of the way a “best of the rest” fourth place in the final Constructors’ standings should be within reach.

Renault, the other contenders for that ever-valuable fourth spot in the Constructors’, did well enough if not quite matching the Ferrari-powered Haas cars. Nico Hulkenberg qualified P7 at his home Grand Prix, while Carlos Sainz  was P8. Rounding out the Top 10, hot commodity Charles Leclerc, rumored to be heading to Ferrari next season, set the ninth fastest time and Force India’s Sergio Perez salvaged P10.

Top 10 qualifiers for the German GP:

POS NO DRIVER CAR Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS
1 5 Sebastian Vettel FERRARI 1:12.538 1:12.505 1:11.212 16
2 77 Valtteri Bottas MERCEDES 1:12.962 1:12.152 1:11.416 18
3 7 Kimi Räikkönen FERRARI 1:12.505 1:12.336 1:11.547 17
4 33 Max Verstappen RED BULL RACING TAG HEUER 1:13.127 1:12.188 1:11.822 18
5 20 Kevin Magnussen HAAS FERRARI 1:13.105 1:12.523 1:12.200 18
6 8 Romain Grosjean HAAS FERRARI 1:12.986 1:12.722 1:12.544 17
7 27 Nico Hulkenberg RENAULT 1:13.479 1:12.946 1:12.560 17
8 55 Carlos Sainz RENAULT 1:13.324 1:13.032 1:12.692 19
9 16 Charles Leclerc SAUBER FERRARI 1:13.077 1:12.995 1:12.717 23
10 11 Sergio Perez FORCE INDIA MERCEDES 1:13.427 1:13.072 1:12.774 19

Complete qualifying results available via Formula1.com.

Tomorrow’s race airs live starting at 9AM Eastern on ESPN2 here in the States. Hope to see you then!

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — July selection

We may be well and truly deep into the heat of July but here’s something ineffably cool — a late 1960s Seamster “Special” with stunning original gloss black dial. Black dials are quite uncommon on Omega dress models of this era and are highly sought after. With its silver print and outstanding original condition this one’s a pip.

Dating from circa 1967-68 and powered by the redoubtable Omega in-house caliber 565 with quickest date via repeatedly pulling out the crown, this Seamaster is a well balanced and classic gent’s 35mm in diameter. It also comes on its period correct beads-of-rice bracelet, a nice bonus, as well as a hand made black leather strap for added versatility..

For some obscure reason — perhaps the enhanced luminous dial? — this model is referred to as a “Special” in Omega’s vintage database. It is also believed that this case and dial combo is likely one of Gerald Genta’s designs for the company. Looking at the beautiful proportions and ergonomics of this watch on the wrist one can easily see why. No doubt about it — Special is a term that truly fits this handsome devil.

Although Omega made a lot of dress Seamasters during this era, a solid steel model rather than gold plated version represents great value for money in my opinion. When you throw in its eye-catching good looks and that magical deep black dial, this Seamster “Special” is one of the true bargains of the vintage watch world. Grab it while that’s still the case!

Check out the complete ad now over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Private Sales section for many more pictures and complete condition report. Better step on it — I don’t see this black beauty lasting too long.  ON HOLD