Malaysia Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) March 29, 2015

steelmaker83 said:If you look at how Mercedes and Williams compared last season, it’s obvious that Mercedes has made real progress with their car. But then you have Ferrari. They went from having an uncontrollable, weak power unit and chassis last year—one that absolutely shredded its tires during races—to whatever this sudden transformation is today. Only God knows what happened.

And Bernie Ecclestone

and James Allison.

stormybadger8 said:Even in Australia, it looked like they made massive strides, though the gap was pretty much unrealistic 😉

But today's race revealed two huge new things...
Ferrari has nailed the cooling on this car—way better than Mercedes—so any high-temp races are going to be dangerous.
Ferrari is being incredibly gentle on the tires and works beautifully on mediums, which is most likely thanks to Alison... it’s not a coincidence that Lotus used to be the king of tire management not too long ago...

The big question is how they'll fare in cold races and if they can stay close there too 🤷

What surprises me most isn't even that Ferrari beat Mercedes; it's how much they absolutely crushed Williams and Red Bull...
Because honestly, I didn't think it was possible for Red Bull to lap anyone, let alone for someone at the back of the pack to fight their way to the front by slicing right through both Williams cars during the race 😳

Most of the expert American commentators were talking about Allison's influence on tire conservation yesterday, which is what I mentioned above.

neonfox65 Asks:
Come on, man—explain to me how Vettel managed to turn last year's total junk heap into a championship winner in less than three months?

The driver is just there to give feedback—it's up to the engineers, and Ferrari has over 500 of them, after all—to actually develop the car. This machine was already being built long before Vettel arrived. By the time he got here, the work was pretty much set in stone.

Honestly, I don't think Vettel was the one who really pulled it together—it was more like Kimi finally getting his shot once the team decided to focus on him after Alonso moved on. Vettel just seems to have had a bit more luck lately, I guess. His big break will come eventually—I'm just crossing my fingers they don't toss him aside like Red Bull did to Webber. We all saw what happened to Vettel when they gave Ricciardo those same preferential terms...

Just saw the video—pretty interesting stuff! —really makes you think about how things have changed. kaže:
You have to be able to see where he's coming from—he was just sticking up for the home team, you know? It’s that classic local pride thing—the kind of stuff you see at any big stadium in the States. 😁 Where was it ever said that winning four titles with Red Bull Racing isn't something a driver would be thrilled about? It sounds totally backwards when you put it that way—kind of a paradox, really. You could really see how ridiculous that sounded during those intense boos from the crowd.
Something was definitely missing—and that something is the legendary crew behind those iconic red cars, along with their wild, high-energy fanbase spread from right here in the States all the way across the globe.

I’m honestly a little worried—for everyone else on the grid, that is—that Vettel might actually get fired up now. This whole rush of euphoria could be exactly what he needs to snap out of that slump he’s been stuck in lately over at Red Bull Racing.
Look, let's be real—Mercedes is still definitely ahead of the pack, but man, that loss really knocked them sideways—they haven't even begun to recover yet. 👍

The next race is probably going to be more of the same—but hey, one thing is for sure: nobody is touching Ferrari when they're sitting in second place this year! 🙂

stormybadger8 said:He’s got plenty of excuses, but the bottom line is he never felt like he truly belonged in that squad. Honestly, he didn't even feel wanted. The beginning of the end was really Malaysia 2013. 😉
Ricciardo and that whole 2014 season? They’re just the fallout from all of that...

Basically, Malaysia 2013 marked the end of an era, while Malaysia 2015 was the start of a whole new one. 🙂

There's really only one way to explain it. Ricc was simply the better driver. Period.

Malaysian GP : Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen calls the weekend "poor"

Things are going to get interesting... looks like Kimi only gives a damn about actual results.

Michael Diaz4 said:Nobody is actually celebrating here. These are just the facts, and everything is finally settling into its rightful place. Last year, when things felt inconsistent, you lot used that to vent and write nonsense... Now, the situation feels a bit more organic. Whether it stays this way remains to be seen. We'll likely see some colder races where tire degradation won't matter nearly as much... But rain? Rain always changes the game.😁

Yeah, yeah—facts are facts. The guy basically just leaned on the fact that track temperature hit 140 degrees and claimed his car was handling better than the Mercedes because of it—as if that wasn't just pure luck and not his own doing, of course. Honestly? He didn't exactly pull off anything spectacular there.

Regarding that rain—it was a mess! Lewis Hamilton managed to nail his pole lap right at the start of the session, whereas Sebastian Vettel had to wait until the very end when there was significantly more standing water flying off the track.

So, guys—do you actually use these kinds of excuses in real life too? Like, "no woman will date me, but I'm not ugly or stupid, they just fail to see my inner beauty"? 😬

mellowtiger83 said:My compliments to Ferrari; they were truly operating at a high level today. Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen performed admirably, though I don't believe they have actually overtaken Mercedes just yet. It seems more likely that the high track temperatures played right into Ferrari's hands while Mercedes struggled significantly with tire degradation. It was an excellent spectacle to witness, and Ferrari certainly earned this result—hats off to them. However, in two weeks, I expect reality to set back in. A Mercedes 1-2 finish is what's coming; expecting anything else would be foolish.

It feels like the folks over at Mercedes are checking the summer weather forecast for the States right about now. This kind of heat is exactly what’s going to screw them over.

And let's not forget—this track is basically one giant series of bumps.

tire degradation

coastalwolf6 said:At the end of the day, both cars were clearly ahead of Force India. It was enough to push for the win, yet they chose to play it safe like cowards.

And who exactly was supposed to back off?
Dammit, Perez held his line perfectly. He wasn't forcing anyone or moving under braking...
Grosjean is the one who shoved himself into Perez's line like a complete amateur off-track.🤦

It's the exact same story with Hulk and Kvijat; if you take him out early, somehow Kvijat gets the blame instead of Hulk...
Personally, I actually like Kvijat, but let's be real—Kvijat was the one being reckless here.

stormybadger8 said:Not really feeling that...
It looked more like legitimate attempts to pass rather than aggressive defense.
Both Sergio Perez and Nick Hulme didn't have much of a choice here. 😉
There’s zero logic in saying a driver has to slam on the brakes the exact second someone pulls alongside them just to let them through. I don't see what else they could have possibly done. 🤷

Finally, look at Ferrari...

go Vettel, go...

My dear Vettel, how quickly you picked up that Italian accent since joining the big leagues. It’s a shame he’s German, so I won't root for him generally, but while he's driving for Ferrari, he has my full support.

FYI, we're all pulling for the same guy this season.😉

neonfox65 said:Cut the crap, man—you're reaching. In those three wins, Sebastian Vettel didn't have a single breakdown; he was just absolutely smoking Sebastian on pure pace. 👋

...plus, the car just wasn't clicking for him. I mean, comparing a four-time consecutive champ to some rookie is just... hmm, misplaced and honestly pretty dumb. Without Michael Schumacher, Formula 1 is basically only worth watching because of Vettel. He proved today he's the GOAT... he just completely dismantled them in those head-to-head battles...👋

He won because of a solid pit strategy—he didn't actually overtake anyone on track for the lead 👋 not even Mass in the last race 👋

Don't give me that 🤦
Vettel passed both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton right out there on the asphalt, pure and simple 😳
Seriously, what race were you even watching if you missed that? 🤦

gentlemoose57, stop talking nonsense before I lose my patience and shut you down. We all watched the race, and what you’re doing right now is nothing more than blatant trolling. If you really want to keep going, feel free to pivot to discussing something utterly trivial instead.
TBF, you shouldn't take the bait every single time. 😉

gentlemoose57 said:Yeah, yeah—facts are facts. The guy basically just leaned on the fact that track temperature hit 140 degrees and claimed his car was handling better than the Mercedes because of it—as if that wasn't just pure luck and not his own doing, of course. Honestly? He didn't exactly pull off anything spectacular there.

Regarding that rain—it was a mess! Lewis Hamilton managed to nail his pole lap right at the start of the session, whereas Sebastian Vettel had to wait until the very end when there was significantly more standing water flying off the track.

Sure, except I have zero clue why Kimi couldn't match Vettel's lap count on the Mediums, especially since Kimi was on fresh rubber while Vettel was nursing his used ones from qualifying.😳

Kimi's first stint on the new Mediums (after that puncture fix) lasted 12 laps. Vettel managed 17 on those used Mediums from Q2...
And honestly, that opening stint and those times are exactly why he won. That's where he built that 10-second gap over Hamilton, and he held onto it until the checkered flag.

stormybadger8 said:Don't give me that 🤦
Vettel passed both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton right out there on the asphalt, pure and simple 😳
Seriously, what race were you even watching if you missed that? 🤦

He didn't pass Hamilton because he ducked into the pits instead 😁

darkmarlin16 said:He didn't pass Hamilton because he ducked into the pits instead 😁

He overtook Lewis Hamilton by diving down the inside; the job was essentially done at that point. Before that, he was consistently shaving about 1.5 to 2 seconds off his lap times compared to him.

stormybadger8 said:Sure, except I have zero clue why Kimi couldn't match Vettel's lap count on the Mediums, especially since Kimi was on fresh rubber while Vettel was nursing his used ones from qualifying.😳

Kimi's first stint on the new Mediums (after that puncture fix) lasted 12 laps. Vettel managed 17 on those used Mediums from Q2...
And honestly, that opening stint and those times are exactly why he won. That's where he built that 10-second gap over Hamilton, and he held onto it until the checkered flag.

The reason is simple: Kimi was stuck in traffic behind other cars. Being forced to overtake constantly just eats away at the rubber. You can't compare the two when one guy is running clean air and the other is fighting through a pack.

Kimi did a fantastic job, truly fantastic. The entire race was overshadowed by Sebastian Vettel’s massive victory over the dominant Mecam, so his performance kind of flew under the radar, but the man started in 11th, got caught up in some contact right at the start, and had to pit for fresh rubber (not to mention he spent a good portion of a lap limping along on three wheels, losing precious time), yet he fought his way back to finish fourth. I was genuinely impressed with what he delivered. 🙏

darkmarlin16 said:He didn't pass Hamilton because he ducked into the pits instead 😁

Bogdan was struggling too, it's just a matter of how fast he bailed... but honestly, he was already getting gapped before he even headed in.😁

Wrong thread, folks....

Allison mentioned that Kimi was burning through tires more than usual because of that puncture—driving on a rim messed up his rear end a bit and ruined the cooling, so he was just eating through them faster. I guess you could say he kind of trashed the car a little.