Posts by stormybadger8

Richard Walker38 said:There’s no way those two were actually good enough for Vettel to see them as a threat. They’re only "great" when he knows everything is catered to him and Kimi just doesn't give a damn about anything else.

Just put Alonso back in a Ferrari and let's see how much better things would actually be.

Kimi and Vettel have always been cool with each other, even back when Vettel was at Red Bull...
You never once saw them hanging out or joking around on those slow team buses during parades, unlike Kimi. And you almost never saw him with Alonso either. 🤣
And honestly, you didn't really see Vettel and Webber together much either... 😬

The two of them are just fine, I guess. But they probably wouldn't be nearly as successful if Vettel didn't feel threatened and Kimi wasn't the type of guy who simply couldn't care less about any of it.

It’s wild how damn close Germany and Ferrari are right now... at this rate, they might actually be closer than they were at Spa. All four of them could easily be within half a tenth, if not less. 😳
I’m pretty stoked, honestly. I fully expected Germany to absolutely hammer them... turns out they might actually have a shot. 😁

Unless someone gets incredibly lucky and catches a monster double slipstream like Vettel did on his fastest lap... but I wouldn't bet on it. He probably used up all his luck for the day.

The race pace is bizarre. Everyone is tight again, within a second or two—and it’s not just Germany and Ferrari, Red Bull is right there too. 🤔
Is someone hiding something for qualifying? Or is some kid just running sims where they're a full second slower in qualifying, but in the race sim, they're practically neck-and-neck or even the best? 😲

Gary Palmer8 said:I don't get why everyone's laughing. There's a massive difference between having a decisive second driver from race one, like how Ferrari handles Kimi, and just letting them race when one is clearly outclassing the other. Eventually, you have to tell the slower guy he’s No2 and his sole job is to help his teammate grab as many points as possible against their direct rivals.

Bottas would have to be completely blind and incredibly dim to not realize he's the No2 driver at Mercedes. 🤦
Seriously, why don't you explain to us how they justified his qualifying run at the GP Belgium? They had him running Q2 on softs, then sent him out in Q3 ahead of Hamilton with specific orders to provide a slipstream...
And that's despite everyone knowing since Monday that even if he grabbed Pole, he was going to start from the back anyway. 🙂

Naturally, Bottas starts on those trashed, hard tires, finds zero grip, and ends up trailing behind the Williams... all because of a slipstream for Hamilton that he couldn't even pull off properly.

But I'm sure they managed to convince him that everything he did in qualifying—and everything he suffered because of it—wasn't because he's No2. Oh no, it was actually "brilliant tactics." Apparently, he's still totally equal, and at Spa, his strategy was supposedly even better than Hamilton's, making him the real No1... since, you know, he was the first one past Lujo in qualifying. 🙂

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Kimi Raikkonen
3. Lewis Hamilton

4. Valtteri Bottas
5. Max Verstappen
6. Esteban Ocon
7. Daniel Ricciardo
8. Sergio Perez
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Romain Grosjean

11. Carlos Sainz Jr. 13th
12. Charles Leclerc
13. Nico Hulkenberg
14. Pierre Gasly
15. Marcus Ericsson
16. Brendon Hartley

DNF Stroll DNF
DNF Sergej Sirotkin
DNF Stoffel Vandoorne
DNF Fernando Alonso

Pole Position Lewis Hamilton
DNF Daniel Ricciardo

Richard Ross11 said:If I remember right, they were doing that while Moss was still around...

Yeah, they were. And they couldn't even handle a simple temper tantrum properly.🤦
That’s why I say they probably would, if they actually had the guts to pull it off.😁

darkmarlin16 said:Are Hamilton and Vettel going to use slipstreaming in qualifying? 🤔

Hamilton definitely wants it... because let's be real, Mercedes wasn't exactly breaking a sweat when they were ready to dump Bottas before, so why would anything change now that Wolf is out there making it public?

On the other hand, maybe Ferrari would actually want to pull that off, but I seriously doubt they have the slightest clue how to make it happen. 🤦
Maybe they'll actually try, but let's be real—those guys at the top are probably going to screw up the timing. They'll likely botch the strategy and leave Kimi stranded, either getting stuck behind someone else or letting Vettel blow past him before he even gets a chance to use the slipstream. If that happens, this whole plan is just going to be a complete disaster.

Brandon Evans5 said:Look, Baku, Spa, and Silverstone were definitely Mercedes' safe havens too, so Ferrari showing some teeth this season is actually something.
Still hurts thinking about last year—those rainy qualifying sessions followed by that gray dominance during the race.

Not really...
If I were betting on Mercedes, I’d expect them to be miles ahead at Monza or Barcelona from the jump. Those tracks are their bread and butter. Anything else? Maybe. But those two are a lock.

crimsonhawk23 said:Anything other than a total Ferrari lockout (P1 and P2) would catch me off guard. Hamilton 3rd Place, Bottas 4th Place.

If Ferrari actually dominated, I’d be shocked... though, honestly, it would be a damn good surprise.😍
But seriously, it would be a massive shocker.

Even if Mercedes shows up looking dominant—and I mean *actually* dominant, not some pathetic mess like what we saw from Ferrari at Spa—I wouldn't be surprised. It wouldn't make me think Vettel doesn't have a shot at the title either.
I’ve been waiting all season for them to absolutely crush it at Monza, and if they can't pull it off there, I might just lose my mind.🎉

Gary Palmer8 said:The poll is about how many seconds ahead Ferrari will win by. 5 - 10 - 20

Why is the max only 20? 🤔

Mercedes-Benz absolutely crushed Ferrari last year. If they beat them at Indianapolis, even by a tiny 0.001 margin, then our title chances are actually looking huge...

Though honestly, I think the field is pretty level. In the end, it probably won't even come down to driver errors or some stupid collision, but just reliability. We might clinch the title simply because the other guy blew an engine and took a penalty...

Basically, looking at the math, penalties for both Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton are inevitable. They’re both on their second engines and all those rear components... and we still have 8 races left.
Plus, Vettel is stuck with that ancient MGU-K that has to survive another 8 rounds.

1. Vettel
2. Raikkonen
3. Hamilton

4. Verstappen
5. Ricciardo
6. Bottas
7. Magnussen
8. Grosjean
9. Sainz
10. Leclerc

11. Perez
12. Hulkenberg
13. Ocon
14. Ericsson
15. Gasly
16. Hartley

NOP Alonso
NOP Stroll
NOP Sirotkin
NOP Vandoorne

PP Vettel
FL Raikkonen

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Max Verstappen
3. Kimi Raikkonen

4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Lewis Hamilton
6. Valtteri Bottas
7. Romain Grosjean
8. Nico Hulkenberg
9. Kevin Magnussen
10. Carlos Sainz

11. Sergio Perez
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Charles Leclerc
14. Marcus Ericsson
15. Pierre Gasly
16. Brendon Hartley

Fernando Alonso DNF
Lance Stroll DNF
Sergey Sirotkin DNF
Stoffel Vandoorne DNF

Sebastian Vettel PP
Max Verstappen FL

Terry Carter2 said:Congrats Lennart, you earned that win!
Express, way to go! At least someone's finally making some moves!
Nice job swifttiger75, keep it up!
😁

Drop the full standings 😁
I have a feeling Dust Diva snatched the lead 😁

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Bottas

4. Raikkonen
5. Verstappen
6. Hulkenberg
7. Daniel Ricciardo
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Charles Leclerc
10. Sergio Perez

11. Carlos Sainz
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Vandoorne
15. Brendon Hartley
16. Ericsson 16.

NOP Fernando Alonso
NOP Stroll 12.
NOP Sergey Sirotkin
NOP Romain Grosjean

PP Hamilton FL
FL Daniel Ricciardo

swifttiger75 said:Come on... you go first, then I'll follow your lead. Time to step on their necks...

How on earth did you find me? 😬

Let me think of something...

brighthound8 said:I'm just sitting here waiting for my call to join the big leagues at Goldman Sachs or what? Dust bowl. I want us to start playing both a team trophy and an individual cup starting next season—even though we aren't quite there yet. Think something along the lines of the Davis Cup.

The crew was assembled live over some whiskey and Riesling, and honestly, when that happens, things never get played around with. 😳
Either keep walking, or I'm sending the Apache brothers to your door via overnight express. 🙂

Alright, we're good 😁
Time to stop messing around and start playing for real 😬

1. Sebastian Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Valtteri Bottas

4. Raikkonen 3rd
5. Ricciardo 5th
6. Hulkenberg 5th
7. 7th place Magnussen
8. Sainz 9th
9. Leclerc 8th
10. Sergio Perez

11. Ocon 10th
12. Pierre Gasly
13. Stoffel Vandoorne
14. Brendon Hartley
15. Marcus Ericsson
16. Lance Stroll

Fernando Alonso
Max Verstappen
Sergej Sirotkin
Romain Grosjean

Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas

No, if you actually think they’re pulling off a 1-2 finish...
Hamilton is driving a Red Bull that’s clearly the fastest car on the grid during race conditions, unlike that absolute wreck of a Mercedes you're talking about...

swifttiger75 said:@Tibi ###Tim radio###
-pzzcz...sss... Pressing red button... pzzcss...!!!-
-im pressing, im pressingcz...sss..pczz !!!-
!

Is it pressed high enough yet????!

1. Valtteri Bottas
2. Max Verstappen
3. Kimi Raikkonen

4. Sebastian Vettel
5. Daniel Ricciardo
6. Romain Grosjean
7. Nico Hulkenberg
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Carlos Sainz
10. Charles Leclerc

11. Sergio Perez
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Pierre Gasly
14. Stoffel Vandoorne
15. Brendon Hartley
16. Marcus Ericsson

Fernando Alonso
Lance Stroll
Lewis Hamilton
Sergey Sirotkin

Lewis Hamilton
Max Verstappen