Posts by stormybadger8

Nicholas Newman2 said:I’ve already asked this once, and I’ll ask it again.
What does it matter for anyone else if Mercedes stays at the top even after the massive rule changes?
Look, no rule change—not even a tiny one—is completely harmless, but so far, Mercedes has handled everything perfectly.

Morning. Honestly, Mercedes will still be No. 1 after the 2021 rule changes. Even if they aren't the undisputed leaders, they'll just be splitting the top spot with Red Bull (previously) or maybe Ferrari (I doubt it), depending on who's faster...
In fact, the dumbest thing would be if Ferrari and Red Bull actually had a better shot at catching or passing Mercedes specifically because the rules *stay* the same instead of changing...

Mercedes is just a perfectly tuned machine. There's zero chance some random rule tweak is going to dump them behind anyone, let alone someone like Haas or Racing Point...
The only way they get knocked down the order—or kicked out of F1 entirely—is if Mercedes pulls the plug on funding for whatever reason...

At the end of the day, the only teams with the brains, the resources, and the bankroll to even approach Mercedes are Red Bull and Ferrari...
Maybe eventually Renault and/or McLaren could join the party if Renault actually decides to dump money into their engine and chassis development, but otherwise, forget about it...

It’s not impossible for Ferrari and Red Bull to be right there this season. Personally, I think it’s looking pretty likely that Red Bull will leapfrog Ferrari in terms of pace very soon—maybe even by Barcelona, if not sooner...
That’s actually good for the championship, though. It means we'll have more serious players fighting for wins and podiums...
And certain tracks will definitely suit Red Bull and Ferrari much better than they suit Mercedes...
So there's really no point in getting depressed...

Even if Mercedes keeps dominating, they could still have a great season...
The midfield is way closer to the front than it was last year, which makes for a much more interesting championship...

Because you won't just be stuck starting from the back or the midfield and spending 7 or 8 laps trying to claw your way into the top 6...
Plus, mistakes are going to be incredibly costly. Even the smallest error in a race will hurt because the rest of the field is going to be right on their heels...
And that’s going to be especially obvious in qualifying—just look at the Pierre Gasly effect...
And no, he won't be the only one this season; those kinds of surprises could become a regular thing...

And given Ferrari's "brilliant" strategies, I'm terrified that they'll be the ones making those mistakes most often...

They almost pulled the same crap today.
Sebastian Vettel barely scraped into Q2 on mediums, but Charles Leclerc wouldn't have even made it if someone hadn't realized it was actually smart to send him out one more time on softs.
And that only happened because he's still the "new kid." If it had been Kimi, they probably would have just left him in the garage with Vettel, thinking they had plenty of time...

Nicholas Newman2 said:Look, I’m not buying into any PR spin here. Even if there are plenty of people spouting it around here, that’s your business.

I thought you actually had something constructive to say. It’s not that what you're writing makes zero sense, but still...

It’s pretty stupid to draw conclusions based on Australia, especially since we all know how hyper-specific that track is.
Besides, seeing as how Ferrari completely botched their practice sessions, this gap doesn't actually look that bad.

We can look at it this way.
If Ferrari hadn't messed up the FP-ove, the deficit would definitely be smaller than last year—and we all remember exactly how the power hierarchy looked after last year's Australian GP.
I won't sugarcoat it; I wish I were wrong, but we are miles away from the total disaster I'm reading about from those impatient Ferrari fans who are basically jumping headfirst into a volcano.

Who is even talking about drawing conclusions...
As far as the season goes, nobody knows anything yet, and we wouldn't have known before Barcelona either...
But you should expect Mercedes to still be the absolute best team with the best car...

Anything else would be weird. Anyone expecting massive shifts after five years of dominance without a major rule change is, frankly, naive...
Especially anyone who was swallowing that nonsense about Ferrari being half a second faster than Red Bull, then Red Bull being ahead, then Mercedes trailing slightly behind them.🙂

Regardless, for Australia, it was crystal clear they were going to tear Ferrari apart by at least half a second in qualifying.☕
And that was even before FP1, let alone after FP1 and FP2.😉
Never mind all the whining from the Mercedes PR machine...

Australia is just the kind of track that perfectly suits Mercedes, while it mostly sucks for Ferrari...

neonfox65, you've got the wrong subforum, move this over here...

It’s not even impossible 😁
Vettel actually has a better tire choice than the rest of the crew...

but honestly, expecting Ferrari's strategists not to absolutely screw this up is pretty damn unrealistic 😁

Jason Campbell70 said:That’s just called gloating. It's practically a requirement for any fan base out there, sports or otherwise.

Apparently, some people just can't handle it when their favorites lose or their rivals dominate. How tragic.

That’s what I call shooting blanks while wearing blindfolds...
Real gloating doesn't even start until the points are officially tallied tomorrow. ☕

stormytiger4 said:Hulk absolutely ate Sainz alive. If little Lando Norris does the same thing this year, he might just pack his bags and head straight to the USA for good.

Sainz dismantled Pierre Gasly way back in Formula 3. That’s basically why Red Bull Racing tossed him aside years ago...
They only kept him around because they didn't have anyone else to plug into the seat, but they sure as hell weren't fighting to keep him when he moved over to Renault...

I'm not expecting much from him, honestly. He won't be anything special before Pierre Gasly actually finds himself in Formula 1 if he finally gets his act together...

fadedpanther51 said:What’s even the point here? Just try giving a decent answer without all the sarcasm.

Just fans trying to self-medicate years of being a Ferrari supporter...

You were always their biggest fan, and secretly a huge Vettel supporter too... you're just too scared to come out of the closet.😍
Man, if Vettel had actually won a title with the red cars, even Gill wouldn't have been able to touch him.🤣

Can't record it, unfortunately...
Even if I could probably pull something off using the F1 TV feed if it were actually working.😬

Moving on to other news...

Check out this highlight of Claire’s face looking absolutely miserable when she realized the lap times her cars were actually putting up...

Also, is the Williams really that impossible to drive, or is Kubica just having issues with his hand? 🤔
He slammed into the wall twice today, which doesn't exactly look like the "old" Kubica we know...

James Harris34 said:Well, things were pretty much the same last year...

No way. Wasn't Ferrari totally dominating last year?😁

Though the gap isn't actually that massive...
Last year they were down by 674, this season it's 704...

Except this year we also have Valtteri Bottas, unlike last year...

wanderingpilot13 said:Another dead season. F1 is looking pretty pathetic right now.

Why would it be boring?
Sure, Mercedes is miles ahead, but so what...

Who knows, maybe even Haas will grab some random podium finishes, and we might actually get some decent racing for the win...

But the fight for constructors' positions from 2nd all the way down to 7th or 9th? That’s gonna be brutal...
Everyone is so close right now that I wouldn't be shocked to see Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Haas, Renault, Alfa Romeo, RP, and even STR and McLaren on the podium this season...
Anything could happen. One of them is bound to hit their sweet spot on a specific track...

mellowtiger83 said:Actually, Leclerc is dangerously close to Vettel. At times he even looked faster, and let’s not forget he’s still just getting used to the new team and all that!

It’ll be fun to watch because it’s already obvious he’s going to be way quicker than Raikkonen.

That gives Vettel at least a tiny shred of hope for a theoretical title shot, since the kid might actually snatch some points from Bottas here and there and swipe a few from Hamilton...
If Hamilton gets desperate again like he did in the first half of last season, and if Max Verstappen decides to start hammering the Mercedes-Benz, then maybe there's a slim chance...

I’m pretty sure the folks at Ferrari changed the car color on purpose, just so Max Verstappen stops picking them off solo on track and crashing into them constantly.😬

On another note, is there any sportsbook offering odds on Pierre Gasly stalling out in STR and Daniil Kvyat making a comeback to Red Bull Racing?
Feels like a safe bet for this season to me.😁

stormybadger8 said:He wouldn't even be within half a second of Valtteri Bottas, let alone Lewis Hamilton...

Nicholas Newman2 said:Be a gentleman and explain what you're actually basing those conclusions on.

Lewis Hamilton + 0.704
Valtteri Bottas + 0.592
Is it any clearer now?
🙂

Start using your own eyes instead of swallowing whatever PR spin they feed you...

And tell your people to stop acting like they're winning something...
Nobody's stopping them, so maybe let Bottas actually fight so we can at least pretend there's a title race happening. 🙄

Is it just me, or did someone tell Bottas he needs to drastically slow down in S3?
Is it James or Toto? 🙂

Brian Campbell36 said:This is democracy for you—might as well kick everyone out until only the cronies and yes-men are left.
Mercedes-Benz fans can't handle the truth; you can't say a single word anymore without someone getting offended and firing off toxic shots.

If people are bothered, use an ignore list. But honestly, that's part of the problem—permanent bans would be more efficient. 🤦

Given all this aggression aimed at my tiny self, I’m expecting Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari to sweep the titles just to spite forum trolls like you. 🎉

I’ve been Vettel's biggest fan on this entire forum. ☕
And frankly, you get under my skin way more than every single Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Max fan who has ever stepped foot on this site combined!
If I were still a mod, you'd probably be facing a partial ban by now. If someone actually kicked you off here, just know that Tibi isn't exactly what you'd call a Mercedes fan. 😍

So, be happy with how things are and just deal with your own stupidity...☕

Nicholas Newman2 said:Come on, be a decent human and explain what you're actually basing these conclusions on.

Based on what's visible from the nosebleed seats...

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are out there doing their usual thing, acting like things are incredibly tight and everyone—including Williams—is sweating it. 🙂
If it were actually that close, they’d be driving smooth lines, not stumbling all over the track. ☕

Anyone paying attention saw hints of incredible pace way back at Barca; the Bear was looking consistently fast on Hard tires...
Of course, you won't see that if you're busy swallowing the hype from the British media about how Mercedes was the fastest yesterday, even if they were only a tiny bit faster than Red Bull Racing. 🙂
According to them, if Mercedes is 0.8 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing, it's just "Mercedes is the fastest, narrowly beating Red Bull Racing." 🙂
But when Ferrari has a measly 0.003 second advantage during testing, suddenly it's "Ferrari is totally dominating, Mercedes is in deep trouble, and Ferrari has at least a half-second lead!"

If you look at yesterday's gap—comparing the Bear's progress against last year's pace during the FP sessions and, more importantly, the Bear's race pace—it's all crystal clear.
They weren't just 0.8 seconds faster on a single flyer; they were freaking a full second ahead of everyone in race pace too...

But hey, let's wait for qualifying...
When Mercedes leaves everyone else in the dust by more than a second, I'm absolutely certain the British media will start singing songs about "mega laps" or how Red Bull Racing and Ferrari were clearly hiding their true speed during qualifying and other nonsense...
And if they happen to lap the field, just wait until Bahrain, because surely everyone was just hiding their speed in Australia so they wouldn't scare the fragile Mercedes and catch them sleeping.

Honestly, Mercedes sings the same song every single year.
"Ferrari is dominant after testing, blah blah blah..."
Then they roll into Australia and absolutely demolish the competition with at least a half-second lead in qualifying. ☕
It's the same story every year.
That's a different matter entirely: the Bear and especially Lewis Hamilton usually mess up during the race and end up blowing it.
But that has nothing to do with actual pace, because based on pure pace, Ferrari shouldn't have even stood a chance at winning Australia in 2018 or 2017.

Good grief, does the British media ever feel any shame when they pull stunts like this?🤦

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/14...e-from-ferrari

Mercedes, closely followed by Red Bull, emerged as the pacesetters in practice for Formula 1's United States Grand Prix, but what happened to Ferrari's prodigious testing pace?

If a gap of 0.800 sec is considered "closely followed" in F1, then I guess three PM means🤦 🤣 🤣 🤣
Seriously, have these people no dignity left? 🤦

Sophia Barrett3 said:Poor Claire. Honestly, her crew would be better off ditching this whole circus. They’re getting absolutely hammered, and with these pathetic results, they'll be doing even worse than last year. They won't even scrape a single point.

The tragic part? I have a feeling they might actually fail to finish a single race. I wouldn't be surprised if they can't even stay within the 107% rule in qualifying (DNQ), let alone manage to complete 90% of the laps in a race (NC)...
Maybe Robert Kubica could pull it off, but George Russell? Not a chance.
At this rate, the question isn't whether they'll score points, but whether they'll even show up to every race and actually get classified.

It’s tragic how slow they are. This looks like HRT during their absolute worst days, if not even worse. 😢

Raymond Anderson4 said:Ferrari is way faster than they look, and RB is even quicker.
Is Ferrari actually faster than Mercedes? They're somewhere in the mix. If they grab pole, it’ll be thanks to Vettel.
Ferrari's car is a disaster on ground effect. Vettel is pulling everything out of that thing by driving right on the edge.
I reckon they'll take pole by a tenth because of Vettel's monster lap.

Even if they were floating on clouds, they wouldn't be within half a second of Valtteri Bottas, let alone Lewis Hamilton...

Mercedes is just ridiculously dominant. I have no clue what they did, but they are sickeningly fast, even without party mode.🤦
On top of that, their tire management is elite. Ferrari is a complete mess on mediums...

I just hope this is strictly an Australian thing...

Nobody can touch them here. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they overtake everyone on track except maybe Ferrari—and even then, they'll probably leave them behind by over 50 seconds.
Williams is a lost cause; they'll probably drop off after five or six laps.🤦

Raymond Anderson4 said:FP3 will tell the truth. Ferrari needs to dial in the engine and prep for qualifying. There's no way they keep sandbagging like this through tomorrow's sessions.

Yeah, right. Like we're supposed to believe Ferrari, RB, Renault, Alfa Romeo, Haas, Racing Point, McLaren, and especially Williams all suddenly switched into hardcore sandbagging mode at once...
It's like Mercedes is the only one not sandbagging, which hasn't exactly been the tradition since the hybrid era started...

If teams haven't completely flipped their FP approach compared to previous seasons, then expect Mercedes to show up with another 0.5 to 1 second advantage in Q3 rather than the rest of the field catching up.🤦

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Valtteri Bottas
3. Sebastian Vettel

4. Charles Leclerc
5. Kimi Raikkonen
6. Pierre Gasly
7. Kevin Magnussen
8. Daniil Kvyat
9. Daniel Ricciardo
10. Nico Hulkenberg

11. Carlos Sainz
12. Sergio Perez
13. Lance Stroll
14. George Russell

Antonio Giovinazzi
Max Verstappen
Alex Albon
Romain Grosjean
Robert Kubica
Lando Norris

Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton

mellowtiger83 said:Where on earth did this Mercedes form come from? Seriously, enough is enough!

Holy crap, they’re a full second faster than Ferrari in the second practice session—and I actually thought Ferrari was the favorite here.

It's easy to say they're a second ahead of Ferrari, but the real question is what their actual pace looks like...

Russia 2018 vs Russia 2019
FP1 1:24.026 vs 1:23.599
FP2 1:23.931 vs 1:22.600
Ignore FP3
Q1 1:22.824 😳
Q2 1:22.051
Q3 1:21.164

For God's sake, they're already faster in FP2 than they were in last year's Q1...
and last year they had about a 0.8 sec advantage in qualifying🤦

If they're running the exact same program as last year, then everyone else is totally screwed...
Because right now, their car is looking about 1.3 seconds faster than last year's beast...