Posts by stormybadger8

mellowtiger83 said:Maybe he was trying to dive down the outside of both Ferraris? Not that it matters, since they were clearly the fastest cars on the track all weekend anyway. Honestly, the guy drove a near-flawless race, pushing right on the edge the entire time until Kimi finally made his move.
It’s not just me saying it, either. I mean, look at what happened in the Ferrari garage after those fans absolutely tore him apart both before and after the race. 🙂

What limit are you even talking about? 🤔
Frank had plenty of extra gear left in the tank—seriously, he was cruising. The only time he actually pushed things to the edge was that stretch between laps 20 and 28 right before hitting the pits. Everything else? Total cruise control.
Way to go on those rule violations. Real class act. 👍
He had the luxury of a massive advantage and zero pressure, so he went all in on the risk—and man, did it pay off.

There’s no denying it—the Mercedes-Benz was clearly the faster car during the race. Even Toto Wolff admitted they were blindsided by it. He mentioned the team is going to have to dig deep and run a full autopsy to figure out exactly how and why that happened.

Kimi didn't stand a chance at winning, regardless of the tires, unless both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel had spun out and finished at the back... though even that's a stretch. A double DNF would have been the only way.
That’s the only scenario where he wins, because let's be honest, Valtteri Bottas is useless and there was zero other competition anyway.

If Hamilton and Vettel had actually made it through the first lap unscathed, the only real question would've been whether it was Vettel or Hamilton taking the win. Kimi would've just been sitting there in third.

mellowtiger83 said:You're getting it wrong! Vettel should've had that Mercedes-Benz slipstream right in front of him at Monza, but he was sent out way too late and ended up being too far back.🙂

Basically, Ferrari’s strategy was solid in theory, but the execution was just plain stupid. The whole idea was to slot Kimi ahead of the Mercedes-Benz, assuming Vettel would just pull ahead on pure pace anyway. They completely botched it.

They completely screwed Vettel by not letting him tuck into the Mercedes-Benz slipstream, and they messed up for Kimi too—or maybe he just blew it himself. He was about three seconds behind Vettel, so he didn't have any kind of slipstream, if he even had one at all!

Turns out everything worked out perfectly for Ferrari—it’s just that they had the wrong driver on pole. Once that happened, we all know how their race strategy fell apart and how Hamilton absolutely dismantled them!

So, what's the actual logic there? Why on earth is Kimi coming out behind Vettel again? They're pulling the exact same formation they used after Spa. Makes zero sense.
Why is Vettel chasing Mercedes' slipstream twice instead of just using his own car? What’s with all this overthinking and trying to reinvent the wheel? It's ridiculous. 🤷

Besides, wouldn't it be exactly the same if Kimi had gone out first, just chasing Lewis Hamilton's slipstream while Vettel chased Kimi? Honestly, what's even the difference?

I honestly don't get it. What kind of brilliant strategy is it to dump all the risk onto the driver fighting for the championship, while taking practically zero risk with the guy who should logically be the No. 2? You can easily manage the gap between Vettel and Kimi within the team, so why act like this?

Something very strange is definitely brewing here...
It would actually make sense if Vettel had tried to draft behind Kimi—you know, like how he managed to pull that off at Spa. But here’s the kicker: the formation at Spa was identical to this, yet Vettel still chose to peel out and try to catch Kimi on his own.
It’s a whole other story. Those clowns up front absolutely botched the positioning on track even worse than they did at Monza, so Kimi didn't get a damn thing from that slipstream. But honestly, it doesn't even matter in the end—Bottas spun out and basically ruined everyone's fast lap anyway.

Honestly, that might have been one of Hamilton's best drives ever.

Seriously, what makes this Hamilton's best drive ever? 🤦
Holy crap, do you even realize that with statements like those, you sound like the biggest pathological liar ever? 🤣

What am I even doing trying to hype up Vettel jumping 18 spots? Let's be real—the only actual competition out there right now is Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.
The FIA basically cleared their own deck, Max essentially tanked his own chances, and when you actually look at the facts, the only real challenge he faced was Ricciardo... which was a decent little surge, sure, but nothing spectacular.
Lujo didn't exactly put on a show, but he drove a steady, solid race and capitalized perfectly on the gift he was handed.

Lujo had a decent race, but let's be real—it wasn't anything special.
He got handed a massive pile of stuff as a gift, and honestly? He played it perfectly. He used every single bit of it to turn a profit. Smart move.
Look, let's be real—he didn't pull off anything special there. Honestly, I wouldn't even put that drive in his top 20, let alone call it one of the best 🤦
.
1. He got incredibly lucky he wasn't the one spinning during that contact with Sebastian Vettel, because usually, the guy on the outside is the one who gets screwed 🙂
.
Right after that, it was pretty obvious Hamilton would take the win as long as he avoided a collision or a mechanical failure...
The reality was that Kimi definitely wasn't going to hold him up, and even if he could have kept him behind on track, we all know Ferrari would have completely botched the strategy through the pits, letting Mercedes shine,
which is exactly what we ended up seeing during the race itself...

2. Mercedes played the strategy perfectly regarding Kimi's pit stop and their later move to undercut him with Valtteri Bottas. On top of that, Ferrari messed up by pushing Kimi to hammer out too many fast laps,
and then you had Kimi struggling behind Bottas, which ultimately left him with totally destroyed tires...

After all that, Hamilton basically had a walk in the park just cruising past Kimi and bringing the race home
.

Anyway, regarding Ferrari's legendary qualifying tactics at Monza...

If I remember correctly, they pulled the same stunt at Spa too, sending Vettel out first and then Kimi...
Since Vettel was the one who peeled out right behind Bottas and Hamilton (with Bottas basically tasked with giving Hamilton a tow...)

So, even there, Kimi wasn't given a specific job like Bottas had...
And honestly, his teammate could have definitely used Vettel's slipstream. If I recall, they sent Kimi out too late—there were quite a few cars between them during that first dry run—but Vettel was definitely the one leading the charge...

How or why they’d use the exact same pattern two races in a row is beyond me, especially since that "slipstream" proved to be a pretty effective weapon both times. 🤔

Usually, teams have a system where if drivers are roughly equal, they rotate who goes out first and who follows, flipping it every other race...

Teams with a clear No. 2, like Mercedes-Benz, obviously do the opposite, where Bottas always gets the worse strategy just to pull Hamilton along...

But I can't remember a single team like Ferrari that would pull a move where the driver who's supposed to be No. 1 gets stuck with a worse strategy two times in a row. 😵

Obviously, penalties should be applied equally across the board, but they aren't...
And like I said, if they actually handed out the same rules for everyone, there wouldn't be any "show" left, right? 🙂

Because how else do you explain that absolute nonsense penalty Vettel got for Sainz? Sainz wasn't even damaged; he cruised straight into the next round without a scratch... even Sainz himself admitted he was fine and called the penalty stupid. 🤦
So, effectively, zero damage done, yet we still get hit with penalties...🙏

That penalty might actually make sense if they punished everyone for the same thing, but we all know that's not how this works...

Look at what happened in Canada—a tiny handful of drivers didn't just block Vettel on a fast lap; they practically had to slam on the brakes like idiots, abandon their laps, and dive into the pits...
But again, no harm done there because Vettel had already moved on to the next lap anyway, so no penalty was issued. 🙂

The real reason behind Vettel's penalty for Sainz:
Let's just squeeze the standings a bit to make the championship more "exciting"... plus, everyone loves a good race where the fast cars get stuck behind the slow ones at the start...

Officially, Charlie might try to come up with some wise-sounding excuse if asked, but honestly, you can't explain why one incident gets penalized while a much more obvious violation goes ignored.
It's just like how Charlie can't explain the insane logic behind why that Ferrari move at Monza wasn't flagged as an unsafe release. 🤦

Pathetic stuff from the FIA, just faking tension for the cameras...
Basically, I expect them to drop some random penalty on the Germans—specifically Hamilton—just to spice things up and make the FIA look "impartial." 🙂
Sure, maybe it'll be justified, but they haven't been handing them out to those guys until now. They might suddenly decide it's time for a penalty just because it makes for better TV.

If they slap Hamilton with a penalty, then it’ll be crystal clear that it’s all just a setup for the show...
If that happens, it's obvious everything is just being rigged to protect Mercedes.
Either way, it'll prove the FIA is totally pathetic when it comes to these penalties and how they hand them out...

Actually, the dumbest part of this whole mess isn't even the messing with the top of the standings...
The stupidity is how they constantly screw over the mid-field and back-markers. They talk all this big game about cost-cutting and keeping teams in Formula 1, but then they hammer these teams the hardest. 🙂
I mean, Nico Hulkenberg gets slapped with a massive, draconian penalty for a slight misjudgment during a start, while on the other hand, Bottas does the exact same thing—ruining the race for Williams—and doesn't face any real consequences. But hey, who cares about Williams, right? 🙂

Can we just stop talking about Charlie and his endless excuses? 🤦
The guy is biased as hell. The stewards' decisions are inconsistent at best and totally questionable at worst, yet he always seems to have a mountain of justifications for why things happened the way they did...😁

Honestly, Charlie and the stewards are killing Formula 1 daily. Most of their calls have nothing to do with what actually happens on track; they’re just there to mess with the standings and spice up the show. 🙂
And they clearly care more about who caused the "mess" and—more importantly—who it was done to...
If Max had pulled the same move on anyone else besides a Mercedes driver, there wouldn't have been a penalty. Not because he didn't deserve it, but because Charlie and the stewards basically don't give a damn. 🙂

It feels like the system is rigged to favor whoever whines the loudest, rather than who's actually in the wrong...
Max's penalty definitely came from Mercedes crying about it, not because the officials actually wanted to hand it out...

I mean, look at the same race where Vettel had an unsafe release toward Sauber and absolutely nothing happened.
An unsafe release is a black-and-white call; you either did it or you didn't. No debate needed.
But since Sauber didn't run to them crying, Charlie and his crew played blind and—lo and behold—no penalty.
If Vettel had been released in that exact same manner toward a Mercedes driver, you can bet your life he would've been penalized before the lap even ended. ☕

darkmarlin16 said:If Lewis grabs the title this year, it’ll be his most impressive one yet because he’s doing it in a car that isn't even the best on the grid. Some drivers, like Fernando Alonso, pull off their best seasons right after winning titles, but Sebastian Vettel hasn't figured out how to do that yet. Honestly, if he had a faster car, he’d probably lose a duel between two top drivers. He narrowly escaped twice before, but now? Unlikely.

Who stole your glasses? 🤔

Plus, this might actually be the easiest title Lewis has ever had to win...
Given how much of a disaster Ferrari is right now, and since Mercedes-AMG runs like a Swiss watch, it would be weird if he didn't take it...
Especially since there’s zero competition in his own garage—just a submissive Valtteri Bottas who isn't allowed to breathe wrong...
Red Bull Racing usually plays the tactical game perfectly and they're incredibly fast, but they aren't in peak form right now, so they aren't really a threat...
And Ferrari? They're guaranteed to shoot themselves in the foot during the championship...
Even if Sebastian Vettel won the next six races in a row despite them, they’d still find a way to screw everything up at the last second with some total stupidity, like fitting him the wrong tires and then having the FIA disqualify him after the race.🙏

It doesn't matter how good a Ferrari car is when you have a completely incompetent crew in the pits and on the pit wall.🤦

The fact that Lewis has to sit there wondering if he's going to collide with someone exiting the pits or if he should just brace himself for a penalty, waiting for those idiots at Ferrari to turn the light green at the right time... it's pretty naive.🙂
Vettel finished the last race without a penalty, but let's be real, he deserved one. Just think back to the last time Lewis got hit with one for the exact same thing.🙂

Then there's qualifying—you can basically expect a penalty just for driving a slow lap, because those morons can't tell who is where on the track. They can't even warn a driver that someone is on a fast lap right behind him while he's on his in-lap.
Seriously, remember the last time Lewis got penalized for something like that?

And don't even get me started on when they last dragged Lewis's car across the asphalt without lifting it up, or when they stood around like idiots wondering where the tires were so they could actually fit them on the car.🤦 I honestly can't remember the last time something like that happened at Mercedes...

Or try remembering when Lewis forgot to tighten a wheel nut or spent several seconds just staring at the tires in the pit box. Gosh, I can't recall the last time that happened at Mercedes either...

And what they used to pull with Kimi Räikkönen was just horrifying... and no, it wasn't intentional, it's just their natural state. Kimi doesn't care and doesn't bother with the drama, so it shows more with him...
Sebastian Vettel yells at them, so they pay a little attention, but barely.😍

All in all, yeah, Vettel is pretty high-strung, but you can bet anyone else would be losing their mind if their team pulled this much crap and stupidity on them almost every other race...

Sebastian Vettel winning a title at Ferrari? Yeah, right. He’d honestly have a better shot at doing it with Renault 🤦
because Ferrari is basically like that one cow that gives you 25 liters of milk every single day, only to kick the bucket over and spill the whole mess every single time...

swifttiger75 said:swifttiger75 and brighthound8 absolutely crushed it in Miami last year! We’re doing the exact same thing this season. By the way, the board already handed Tibia his pink slip—if he doesn't land on the podium in the next race, it's basically a done deal.

Your strategy is straight out of Ferrari's playbook.🤦
Tibia was never bribable. ☕

If you'd actually sent him a bottle of high-end Napa Valley Cabernet, now *that* would be Mercedes-level strategy. 😁

darkmarlin16 said:https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/20539...g-3-cars-.html

🤣

Pretty sure this news is fake, or at least taken wildly out of context...
Half of it is made up, the rest is just mashed together to grab clicks. 🙂

Because I really don't see why Autosport would publish something completely different...

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13...s-on-raikkonen

In your version here...

"For me, it's clear: I have to race three cars, including my teammate."

According to Autosport:

"But for me it's pretty clear: I'm happy to fight three cars, I'm happy to actually fight 19 cars.

"I think I've never been in a different position to that. That's fine. I don't expect anything else."

Wow, look at that. Super similar, yet totally different...🙂

stormybadger8 said:Sure, he messed up on his own. Nobody's perfect...
But let's be real, the team is definitely partially to blame for those blunders too...

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...ttels-mistakes

Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this, and the fact is Sebastian Vettel has seemed pretty high-strung lately...

He used to be so smooth, like this:


- my favorite🤣

Even last year, things were more fun...

- this one is killer. You actually need to be able to roast yourself like that.🤣

Just pure comedy and totally relaxed mistakes.😁
But this season? Hardly any humor left. It’s just dry, strict PR nonsense in front of the media, and that's it...
Or maybe I just haven't run into it yet.🤷

neonfox65 said:Let me repeat: against refs meddling in driver duels. Drivers should settle things on track, not have officials deciding everything. That's what racing is. Investigating and penalizing every tiny little thing just kills the sport. This wasn't how it used to be—some genius decided this was a good idea, and honestly, screw them. The only time you should actually step in is if someone truly screws up (like when Max hit Sebastian Vettel in China).

Whoever dreamed this up...
Well, your former favorite driver basically kicked off this whole trend...
If anyone knew how to whine about every damn contact—even when someone just drove near him without touching him—it was him. He’d cry even when he wasn't within a single millimeter of the other driver...
https://www.facebook.com/Formula1/vi...1245668699086/
Total whining at its peak. There wasn't even pushing involved, just some lane closing, because he wasn't even next to him 🙂

He was the first one to start sobbing over the team radio and screaming hysterically. Once everyone else saw that it actually worked—that they could profit from whining since opponents would get penalized—everyone started following suit on the radio...
And ever since then, we've seen a flood of penalties for all sorts of nonsense...

So yeah, now we have these new "moving under braking" rules, which are just a direct result of Kimi Räikkönen, Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, and the rest crying about Max...
Then there's these new bullshit calls where perfectly normal first-lap racing incidents get penalized just because Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes started complaining...

At this rate, they'll probably start penalizing drivers for looking at their teammate, or maybe giving the middle finger or waving will become a major no-no too...

Just a heads up for darkmarlin16, I can write a post without mentioning him if I have to 🙂

Richard Walker38 said:Listen, you Vettel fanboys, is this guy ever actually at fault himself?

Isn't it a little embarrassing to blame everything else? The pit wall, the pit crew, the tires, the weather, luck, the setup, the strategy, other drivers, teammates... the whole list.

Are we ever going to see you admit that your golden boy screwed up on his own?

Sure he screws up solo. Nobody's perfect...
But let's be real, the team is definitely responsible for a huge chunk of those blunders...

http://www.skysports.com/f1/news/124...ttels-mistakes

Read that. If even Sky Sports—which is basically Hamilton's personal hype squad and can barely stand being in the same zip code as the Ferrari crew—is writing this, then you know how bad things really are...

The fact is, Hamilton has the significantly better package on the grid, just like Vettel used to have back at Red Bull...
Maybe not the absolute fastest car, but as an organization, they have the superior overall package.☕

And even if Ferrari builds a car that’s way faster than everyone else, it won't matter. Having the fastest car is useless if your tactics, pit stops, and execution are a total disaster compared to the rest of the field...

neonfox65 said:mellowtiger83, imagine if that contact happened between Vettel and Hamilton fighting for the win on the final lap—would they have slapped Vettel with a penalty and snatched his victory right there in front of the fans at Monza? Or even better, what if it happened during the season finale where the championship was on the line and then the stewards stepped in? That’s the absurdity I’m talking about. This is why I've always said stewards shouldn't meddle in racing duels. Unless someone is actually wrecking someone else, which Max didn't do, Bottas just kept pushing and caught him.

They would've absolutely hammered Vettel with a penalty, no question... anytime, anywhere. At the end of the day, he's the first one to get hit once that rule was actually introduced...

There's no way Hamilton gets penalized if we're talking about somewhere like Silverstone, because the steward there would be Warwick, and Warwick wouldn't penalize Hamilton even if he pulled out a gun during the warm-up lap and shot the tires off everyone in the first two rows.
Warwick would somehow find a loophole to justify it, or just make up some nonsense like, "Well, the rulebook doesn't explicitly say you can't shoot at your competitors..."🤣
As for Monza, I honestly can't say for sure... I'm leaning towards yes, but it really depends on how the other driver fared in the duel. If it were someone like Bottas, probably not.

But let's be real, Max got penalized mostly because he's Max...
That rule was created specifically to stop his nonsense, so I don't get why anyone is surprised when he gets punished for repeating that exact same nonsense. ☕

crimsonhawk23 said:Why hasn't anyone been penalized this season for failing to leave a car's width of space? Even Max only left Bottas exactly one car width—if that—and Bottas didn't go even a millimeter off the track. 😬

Where on earth are you getting the idea that Max was penalized for not leaving space? 🤔

Max got penalized because he moved under braking and slammed into Bottas, not because he failed to leave any room...
That famous "moving under braking" rule—or what everyone calls the "Verstappen Rule"—has me wondering. Why on earth does everyone, including Charlie, insist on calling it the "Verstappen Rule"? 🤣

crimsonhawk23 said:It’s not Kimi's fault Sebastian lost his patience and decided he absolutely had to dive into the first two corners, acting like some hothead who flips out at the slightest breeze. 🤨

And why do you think Luxury pushed just as hard right at the start? 🙂

Ferrari and Mercedes showed up this season looking incredibly fast—and almost identical when it comes to raw pace...
That's exactly why, with aero like this, it's damn near impossible to overtake another Bear/Ferrari car unless it happens right at the start or through an undercut/overcut in the pits...

The only real way through would be some weird tire degradation anomaly or a setup tuned specifically for insane straight-line top speed, but even then, there are zero guarantees it'll be easy...
Because even if they're on fresher rubber during a certain phase and running a second faster per lap, that still doesn't guarantee an overtake, let alone an easy one...

Basically, this race should be deeply, deeply concerning for Ferrari.
Not because they blew everything they had left—that's nothing new for them 🤦
but because Mercedes basically slapped them in the face with a development jump in just one week that looks like something usually achieved over an entire year...

Because:
1. Out of nowhere, Mercedes completely solved their mystery tire issues and following problems at Monza. Luxury spent the entire first and second stints driving within a second of Kimi, and his tires didn't go to hell.
Before this race, that wasn't even remotely possible. In fact, the Mercedes was the car that struggled most with tire wear when following someone within a second... yet somehow, suddenly, there's no issue here.

On the flip side, Kimi killed his tires in just 7-8 laps behind Bottas, and lo and behold, Ferrari suddenly has massive tire problems while the Bear has none whatsoever....

2. Mercedes had a faster car during the race, running a full second faster in full power mode, and God knows how or why. 🤷
That hasn't really been the case lately either; Ferrari was actually the one with the better power mode than Mercedes just a day ago, only for everything to flip upside down in a mere 24 hours...

No, the Bear doesn't have a car capable of running a full second faster than Ferrari for the whole race, but they have a PU that can handle a lap or two in that full power mode to grab a gap at the start, nail a lightning-fast in/out lap, or use it to pass/defend... and that's about it.
Where did they screw up, and what kind of trick did Ferrari play to lose that power mode advantage?
Maybe they didn't even lose it; maybe the Mercedes's was just suddenly that much stronger...
Whatever the case, it has to be seriously worrying for Ferrari...

Singapore shouldn't be an issue; they're strong there regardless, and even if they aren't, it's Vettel's track. Even in a significantly faster car, Luxury won't be able to touch him. But anything after that could get problematic if this gap in power mode and tire management keeps repeating in future races...

crimsonhawk23 said:👉👉 So, you’re telling me you don't see any pushing happening here either? Or do you think Magnussen is just the scapegoat here?

I mean, why would I even see that?
Tom should’ve had his license revoked ages ago. Old, slow fossils like him have no business being on the track. 😬
Kevin Magnussen deserves an award just for putting up with those rich kids. He’s a hero, not some villain. 🙏🤣

crimsonhawk23 said:The way he's getting back on track doesn't actually break any of the current rules. Nothing controversial there.

Who said there wasn't? 🙂
The rule basically says you can rejoin the track as long as you do it safely and don't get in anyone's way. So, I guess that means just pull over to the side, check left and right, pop on your blinker, and then head back out. Real smooth. 😬

crimsonhawk23 said:Exactly! He should’ve just turned around and gone home. 🐔

Of course it is...
If he can't handle the track, and even the local kids don't give a damn about him, he should just pack it up and head home. He’s got zero impact and nobody's watching anyway.

crimsonhawk23 said:Are you saying the same thing as that Vettel guy ahead of Ericsson? 🕺

Yeah, exactly. Both of them are getting slapped with the same penalty. ☕

crimsonhawk23 said:Aside from the fact that this is all nonsense, I'm wondering if you ever have even one day out of the year where you don't bring up Alonso?

Obviously, I usually mention Alonso, but my "A" key has been acting up on my keyboard lately, so it turns out I'm just stuck mentioning him. 🙂

crimsonhawk23 said:And once Kimi crosses the line ahead of him, the team radio is just a pissed-off "WE Speak after ..." 🤣 🤣

Which just goes to show how "polite" he's been lately. 😬Getting better, I guess. 😁

Lewis Hamilton's team radio in the same spot: Is it because I'm Black? Are you insane? Are you fucking insane!!!
Fernando Alonso's team radio in the same spot: Break his gearbox now! Now!!!
Tell him it's safer for him to start behind Max ☕

crimsonhawk23 said:Shout out to the stewards for once again punishing Max for absolutely nothing, while they completely ignore everything else—like when Perez shoves Magnussen or Ricciardo hits Gasly. It's like they don't even bother looking. 🙏
Max should've been like Kimi against Hamilton back at lap 45, braking 30m too early and just giving up the spot without a fight. 🙂

And Magnussen is a total legend—there isn't a single corner he won't cut. 🙏 🤣

I honestly don't see where you're seeing Perez pushing Magnussen. 🤦
Magnussen is the one who should've taken a penalty. The idiot cuts the corner and flies onto the track right in front of Perez without even looking, and he literally doesn't give a damn. If anyone deserved a penalty there, it was Magnussen. He had zero business being on the racing line at that moment, let alone right in front of Perez.

That was a textbook unsafe release. 😁

gentlemoose57 said:Maybe if they hadn't pitted Vettel so early, they wouldn't have ended up blowing through their soft tires just like Kimi did.

They didn't even go at it just to mess around at the start; Vettel was straight-up trying to bully Kimi Räikkönen, fighting him for position in those first three turns. In the end, he proved exactly what we saw back in Germany—they aren't even in the same league. Let's be real, everyone knows Vettel's titles actually belong to Adrian Newey. He was basically just a lucky passenger. 😉

It wasn't because they pitted too early that Kimi's softs gave out—it’s just that he and Ferrari were straight-up bad.

First off, Kimi should've built a gap of at least three seconds—minimum of the minimum—during that first stint. He just couldn't pull it off.
If they could actually pull that off, they wouldn't be panicking and diving into the pits the second they spot those American mechanics. 🙂

Ferrari should've seen this coming. They knew damn well Bottas could just shut them down if he pitted, and honestly, it’s not even the first time they've been burned like this.
So, apparently, they weren't smart enough to calculate or predict that this could actually happen. Typical. 🙂

Third Kimi's crew told him his lap times were getting tighter and faster, then they probably just went out for coffee and completely forgot about him...
I can't believe people are still talking about this. Honestly, looking back at how things played out, it’s almost funny. Just a classic case of everything going sideways at once.

They wasted about 24 seconds just getting into the pits... why on earth was Ferrari in such a massive rush to get Kimi ahead of Bottas? Honestly, only they know what was going through their heads.
I have zero clue why Kimi dropped that gap to 18 seconds. He definitely shouldn't have trashed his tires like that for no reason. He could've driven way slower and Lewis Hamilton still would've come out behind him, plus Bottas would've been further up the order...

Kimi could have easily overtaken Bottas, but instead, he just spent eight more laps stuck behind him even after getting into the DRS zone... what a waste.
Even America’s tactical strategy was a total mess here, mostly because they clearly didn't see this coming—and honestly, they shouldn't have.🤦
If they’d just left Lewis Hamilton out for one more lap, he would've blown past everyone on his way through the pits. Instead, they rushed to call Louie in the second Kimi even got close to Valtteri Bottas. They were clearly banking on him clearing the field in a lap or two.

If Vettel's titles had actually gone to Newey, he’d be a four-time WDC champion instead of Vettel.☕
Saying something like that is just plain stupid. It’s like claiming all of Hamilton's wins, podiums, and titles belong to Mercedes, and he was just some lucky guy who spent his whole career driving cars with an American engine.
Pure stupidity at its finest. Both of them earned their seats in Formula 1 and in their respective teams—they’re the reason those squads actually climbed the standings and grabbed championships.
You can argue about Lewis Hamilton's first title with McLaren all you want, but don't even try questioning any of Vettel's wins at Red Bull Racing or Louie's run in America.
Let's be real, you can't even give Louie credit for that first one. He only landed the gig because he basically chased Alonso out of the team.

gentlemoose57 said:I honestly don't get it. How much of a delusional fan do you have to be to not just sit there in silence and ban yourself from this forum until next season? Or better yet, just quit Formula 1 altogether. 🤦

And why on earth would I just go and trivialize that?🤔
If anyone deserves a self-ban, it’s the Ferrari strategists.

Honestly, I actually thought Ferrari had finally woken up and smelled the coffee. I was fully expecting the whole thing to be a calculated strategic move just to block Hamilton at the start.
And even if that were actually true, it wouldn't matter at all who from the red cars crossed the line first and who came in second...

It’s whatever. They just spent the start messing around and taking shots at each other instead of actually working together like Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton would have to take down the competition.
That's the problem, plain and simple.

At this rate, we’d end up with the exact same result again. If Kimi had just played drafting buddy with Vettel during qualifying, the starting grid would’ve looked like Vettel, Hamilton, Kimi, and Bottas.
Vettel and Hamilton would've smoked Kimi in a heartbeat. Vettel would’ve been sitting pretty on the windsock during pit stops, only to end up crashing out exactly like Kimi did.
America took way better care of their tires, and you could really feel the difference out on track. That’s why they were so much faster during the race. Honestly, the odds of Vettel keeping Hamilton behind him—without any help from Kimi and with Bottas feeding Hamilton instead—were basically zero.