Posts by stormybadger8

fadedwalker18 said:Lewis will never be in the same league as Senna.
He simply capitalized on the hybrid era with Mercedes. That’s the whole story. Any driver with his talent from that generation would have done the exact same thing in his shoes. We're talking about guys like Alonso, Vettel, and Raikkonen. The man is talented and lucky, certainly, but that's where it ends.

He can apply for a Brazilian passport, wave the flag, or rack up five more titles, but he will never *be* Senna. There was only one Ayrton Senna—irreplaceable, untouchable, and beyond comparison.

So, sir (or whoever), Lewis should head back to the UK and keep up the act there. Or better yet, go to Hollywood and film a biopic about himself as the greatest F1 driver to ever live.

Legends like Jim Clark, Juan Manuel Fangio, and Jackie Stewart are in a class of their own for him... he only caught Michael Schumacher on paper.

And honestly, I'm still wondering how he didn't beat Rosberg in 2016. He must have taken a nap during one part of the season, if I recall correctly...

Who are these guys? Senna, Stewart, Fangio, Clark...
To most people, Bottas is an alien, let alone Hamilton.
https://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiq...um/nombre.aspx
https://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiq...nt/nombre.aspx

It’s honestly terrifying how dominant Mercedes is. 🤦
That weak, washed-up Bottas sitting ahead of Schumacher, Prost, and Senna. 😵
Doesn't even matter why—without the Mercedes beast, he wouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as those legends in any universe. 🤦

mellowtiger83 said:I don't recall Hamilton saying he *is* Senna, just that Senna was his inspiration. Even his helmet design early on was a nod to him. Americans love him, and that's that. Everything else is just a product of your obsession with hating Hamilton, which is frankly unhealthy. It creates unnecessary tension and isn't particularly kind, goodness knows.

I know how it goes. I used to be exactly like you.🤦

Before we even get into how much this product sucks...
Turns out there was a penalty. Typical. Honestly, I’m not even surprised at this point—just exhausted by it. Just another day in the life of being a fan, I guess. Expecting things to actually go smoothly is my first mistake. Always am.

Look, Lou is just Lou. He’s exactly who he’s always been. Half the time he talks, he sounds like a total fraud or a complete hypocrite. It's what he does.
That’s just how he is. Plus, it’s probably part of Toto’s PR playbook that he's contractually obligated to follow.
Honestly, the way the British press operates is occasionally just plain sleazy. I’d say that’s exactly why people can't stand them.

The FIA spent this entire season looking the other way. They were basically pulling the strings on every Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car, and red flag just to make sure the money kept flowing.
And then comes the whining about how he’s being discriminated against, blah, blah, blah...

The world is out to get us. Honestly, I think that’s exactly how Lewis has felt his whole career, and now we’re all feeling it together as a squad. But guess what? We aren't just going to sit there and take it. We're going to fight back. We refuse to be victims.

That’s exactly how the vibe feels in the garage right now. Total chaos.

Give me a break. The FIA basically handed them a free pass on that DRS issue. In any other scenario, you’re looking at a disqualification or a pit lane start, not just getting bumped to 20th on the grid. Total joke.
Don't act surprised when you get roasted like a cheap burger for breaking the technical rules. And that's not even mentioning how the judges love to spin their own little narratives about who's good and who's garbage.
If I were running the FIA, Toto would’ve been banned from the next race for this stunt.

Honestly, when I actually stop to think about it, most of that absolute nonsense was either straight from Wolff himself or just some British tabloid completely butchering the facts. It’s not like we actually sat there and heard Lewis taking a leak or anything.
If you’re actually going to sit here and hate on someone, you should probably be aiming that energy at Wolff instead of Hamilton. Just saying.☕

Then there’s this:
Hamilton might have dodged a bullet on that one. There’s a lot of noise about whether he actually broke the rules during the race, but honestly, it feels like they're reaching. It's just more drama for the sake of drama. Typical.

Word on the street is the stewards might actually throw a penalty flag because the British driver has questionable fashion sense, prefers dogs over cats, and is an Arsenal fan. Total nonsense, obviously... but hey, in this league, I wouldn't put anything past them.

What the hell?
So, we’ve got some random forum chatter here, but someone actually calling themselves an F1 media expert or a journalist? Yeah, that sounds about right. Typical. 🤔
Give me a break. It was a standard fine for a minor infraction—one that honestly could’ve been way worse. But hey, what are you gonna do?
Did he break the rules? Yeah, he did. He got fined, and that’s the end of it...

But now the media's gonna turn it into some massive scandal, and suddenly Lou is the one acting crazy and causing all the drama...

mellowtiger83 said:Just read this, man 🙂, I didn't make any of this up

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/992193...lton-wing-saga

Regardless, whether it was 0.1 or 1cm, they earned the penalty and served it.

Ha. 🤣
Here we go again with these "journalists." Toto claims it’s 2mm, then they report it as 0.2mm because apparently, that's basically the same thing to them. Typical.
The Brits can't catch a break lately. Now the Sky Sports crowd has cooked up some nonsense penalty for Ocon, just so they can shove him behind Vettel at the start. Typical.
I have no clue how or why, but nope—they still haven't fixed it. 🙂

Check out the starting grid here: https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ting-grid.html

That Crash net is basically a massive surveillance hub. Sky isn't exactly known for being trustworthy, so I definitely don't trust these guys. 🤦

mellowtiger83 said:0.2mm? Honestly, how is anyone supposed to measure something that fine using that little spatula they use to scrape everything along? Ha ha.

Of course it isn't...
Just a bunch of chatter. Journalists making stuff up as they go along, and suddenly we've got "stories." Give me a break.

mellowtiger83 said:Even Red Bull Racing doesn't buy the idea that Mercedes-Benz intentionally used an illegal wing—mind you, we're talking about a 0.2mm difference—but of course, we have these forum geniuses here to explain it all to us.🙏

What the hell kind of 0.2mm are we even talking about? 🤣
First off, Toto is lying through his teeth about that being only 2mm long and wide. Second, you added it to the fifth one, so now we’re looking at 0.2mm. 🤣
I mean, even Toto Wolff couldn't tell you exactly how much we're talking about here. You can't exactly measure that kind of thing with a ruler or a micrometer.
And they don't even have the wing; it’s still sitting there in impound at NASCAR. 🙂

The footage makes it obvious. We’re talking centimeters here, maybe even more. The gauge is slicing right through the wing and moving up and down like that. There is zero chance this is just a millimeter issue. 🙂
Look, the gauge isn't just there for show or to be pushed through haphazardly. It actually has to withstand some serious pressure so it doesn't blow out the other side. And don't get it twisted—it’s not measuring millimeters here. It’s binary: it either passes or it fails. That's it. 🙂


Look, it’s pretty obvious we're talking about some kind of design flaw, a mechanical failure, or whatever else you want to call it...
I'm not even going to touch the whole "DRS opening wider on one side" debate. The rules are what they are. I honestly don't get why Toto Wolff is making such a massive scene over it. It's ridiculous.
Same kid, same story with the fuel. Doesn't matter if you're missing a whole liter or just a tiny fraction at the end of the race—if you're under the limit, you're disqualified. Period.

mellowtiger83 said:He absolutely did everything he could. First, he squeezed Valtteri Bottas out of the way, then he dealt with Lewis Hamilton, and then there was that little pinball action on the straightaway. It’s quite a mystery how he didn't walk away with a five-second penalty. 🙂

But that is just racing; let's leave it at that. I suspect that shoving Lewis Hamilton won't simply vanish without notice. There will be plenty of chatter about it once the race concludes, and most likely, it will end up being discussed in a boardroom as well.😁

Give me a break...
What we actually need is an objective neutral who isn't busy rooting for Lewis Hamilton.😁 🤣

stormybadger8 said:What kind of magic trick does he need to pull in the pits to catch Max before the final laps? 🤔

Let's be real: with a beast of a car like that, Luxury Max is going to be miles ahead before the first pit stops even happen. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if he's already lapping people by lap 10...
Fernando Alonso had the best top speed, he had DRS, and he loves to act tough in these duels, but he couldn't do a damn thing. Rick wasn't any better either...
If we're being realistic, the only actual threat to Max is Sergio Perez—and that's assuming he doesn't get stuck behind Carlos Sainz and trash his tires...

On the flip side, Max has a shot at jumping Bottas at the start. If he misses that, he’s unlikely to catch him through the pit cycles... and by then, Luxury will already be on his radar.

Based on the pace we've seen, I'd say Mercedes will be up by 1-2 seconds right around the pit window, then Bottas will get the signal to clear out, and that'll be that...

I forgot to mention—he'll probably get the order to move out of the way in Turn 1.🤣
Toto knows exactly what he's doing and exactly where Bottas needs to get out of the way.
It's pretty interesting how he still follows orders without question, no matter what happens.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:Lance Stroll needs to get his act together. He’s been pulling this exact same stunt with Vettel quite often lately.

Someone is going to come along and flatten him into a pancake if he keeps closing things down like this.

Basically, some idiot just completely trashed both his own and Vettel's race. 🤦
First, he screws over Vettel by triggering the SC, then once Vettel finally pits (way too late again—seriously, their strategy is a joke 🙂),
Stroll pulls a kid move by triggering the VSC, which helps everyone ahead of Vettel while he gets stuck behind an Alpine that sat on his tail the whole stint. 😵

Stroll, either hit a wall or find someone else to help, just stop sabotaging your teammate. 🤦

Way to go, Lewis 👍
That’s how a real champion drives. Finally seeing what you're actually capable of.
Sure, his season was absolute garbage in terms of pure pace, but he earned this title just for that one moment. 👍

graniteharbor502 said:There actually isn't a specific rule stating exactly how many seconds must elapse between the first and last cars arriving on the grid. There is only one regulation, though it is subject to very broad interpretation. It states:
During the formation lap practice starts are forbidden and the formation must be kept as tight as possible.

It’s total nonsense, especially since there's already that rule about maintaining distance from the SC during a Safety Car period...
And let's not even get started on those nightmare Pirelli tires.

But everyone does it. It's not just the guys at Haas; it's basically anyone who ends up taking engine penalties and trying to make up ground.
So yeah, Lewis Hamilton definitely isn't an outlier here, but it's pretty stupid that they let this slide...
I'd love to see who actually gets slapped with the first penalty for this.

It’s ridiculous. The FIA will drop a $50,000 fine on you for bumping a car or hit you with a $5,000 penalty for releasing a car from the pits without the wheels being tightened, yet when it comes to something like this—which is clearly gaining an advantage over everyone else on the grid—they suddenly go silent. 🙂

Raymond Anderson4 said:It was pretty obvious he was stalling. He was playing it smart, banking on the fact that the guys right in front of him would be stuck on cold tires. It was clever, but honestly, it felt a little dirty. 🙂
At the end of the day, if he wanted to engineer the best possible scenario for himself, he had to micromanage everything—including the start.

Makes sense, obviously...
That’s why I’m asking what the actual rule is, because that delay felt unusually long...

From the moment the first guy (Max) pitted until the last one, Lewis Hamilton, stopped, about 50-something seconds passed... hard to say exactly from the footage, but definitely over 50 sec...
Meanwhile, from when Max pulled into the pits as the first one until the actual start, it was slightly less than 60 sec—you can see it on his onboard.
I'd say it was somewhere around 60, give or take.

ruggedmaker99 said:Why on earth would this be considered a penalty? 😕
You pay massive amounts of money for exactly this kind of thing.

Aha, I see what you mean now.
But if we follow that logic, it would imply that the speed trap is far more critical than it actually is.
The order there is often, shall we say, quite peculiar. Jovanovic, George Russell, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda... 😕
Take the last US Grand Prix, for example.


https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/p...races/6780254/

"You hardly gain anything, but you can lose a lot” said Sergio Perez regarding the sprint race. 🤣
It’s obvious they didn't tell him just how much ground Lewis Hamilton made up.
Which is bizarre, considering he finished right behind him. 😁

The craziest part is that if Alonso, Rick, and Vettel hadn't held Lewis up for so long, he might have actually won the sprint. Okay, maybe not an easy win over Bottas, but he definitely would've had to make a move.
Still, he almost cleared Sainz and Perez anyway; he probably would've passed them in two laps.

Because he’d smoke the Red Bull drivers and Sainz no problem—based on how easily he cruised past Leclerc, Gasly, and Tsunoda, they weren't even a factor.
With Alpine, McLaren, and to some extent Aston Martin, he actually had to work for it...

Raymond Anderson4 said:Is that 30-second window actually a rule?
If it is, then sure, he should be penalized if he was stalling on purpose, but who do you actually penalize in other scenarios?
The last guy isn't always the one at fault. You have 18 other drivers between the first and the last; how is the final driver supposed to make it in within 30 seconds if the guys ahead of him are dragging their feet? I think this rule is incredibly hard to enforce fairly. If we apply it strictly, the last driver will constantly end up being blamed and penalized for things they didn't do, simply because the people in front were slow.

This situation with Hamza is clear-cut, though. If it's in the regulations, then yes, he should have been penalized because it's obvious he was stalling.

Honestly, I have no clue if that's actually a rule or not...
Pepe mentioned it while defending Lewis Hamilton, saying everyone has to be on the grid within 30 seconds, but whether that's true or not, I don't know.
But one thing is for certain: Lewis Hamilton absolutely, positively was not on that grid within those 30 seconds.

ruggedmaker99 said:I believe we all noticed how Lewis was practically dragging himself to his starting position
but of course, the reason behind it was immediately obvious. though, just as you pointed out...
it was likely against the regulations, but what can you do? I can't bring myself to wish an additional penalty on him just yet.
that would be excessive; it is much easier to simply overlook it as 🙄

I would say the exact same thing
but then I remember how he started during last night's sprint race, looking like a total sloth
so... yeah... 🤷
But honestly, I'm rooting for the old man; I love seeing him back at the top. He's a legend.
And nothing beats the feeling of watching Vettel - Raikkonen - Alonso lined up one after another in a race like the last one 🎉

https://www.pitpass.com/71278/Red-Bu...Mercedes-speed

There's a new drama brewing on the docks 🎉 🤦

Maybe this time they should just let Sergio Perez go ahead and inspect everything thoroughly and get to the bottom of it, rather than 😳
🙄

😁

graniteharbor502 said:If we are looking at this through a purely statistical lens, one has to wonder if anyone has ever truly piloted a machine quite as dominant as the one he commanded. It really makes you pause and reflect, doesn't it? When you consider the sheer engineering superiority of that car, isn't it obvious that there are at least three drivers competing in today's field who, if placed behind the wheel of that exact same vehicle, would likely achieve identical results—if not even surpass them?
Can a driver truly claim the title of the Greatest of All Time if they have fundamentally lost a championship battle against their own teammate? It is a question that lingers in the mind, isn't it? One must wonder if the very essence of greatness requires a certain level of dominance within one's own garage, a sense of absolute supremacy over those sharing the same machinery. If you cannot emerge victorious against the person sitting in the car right next to you, can you really be considered the pinnacle of the sport?
When I consider who truly deserves the title of the Greatest of All Time, my mind immediately drifts toward the legends like Juan Manuel Fangio or Jim Clark. To me, those are the only names that carry such weight. Everything else we discuss lately feels somewhat beneath that level of greatness, doesn't it?

When one takes a moment to step back and examine the historical data regarding Valtteri Bottas's performance in teammate duels, does it not become clear how he fared against his contemporaries? If we look at the period just before Felipe Massa stepped away from the cockpit, Bottas certainly held his own, especially when compared to the era of pay-drivers like Pastor Maldonado. Furthermore, if we analyze the trajectory of Sergio Perez, isn't it evident that he consistently outperformed those he was paired with, such as Kamui Kobayashi, Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, and Lance Stroll? One cannot help but wonder if these patterns of dominance are merely statistical anomalies or true reflections of driving caliber.
Is it not a curious thing to contemplate how Valtteri Bottas found himself within the ranks of Mercedes-Benz simply because Toto Wolff held the reins? It seems his tenure there was defined by that leadership, and yet, now he finds himself departing from the team entirely. One cannot help but wonder, as we look toward the future, just how much "excellence" he might actually bring to the table during his time at Alfa Romeo?

Lewis can only be the LOAT...
The Luckiest Of All Time. Honestly, he should just go by "Lucky."
The amount of pure luck that guy has had in Formula 1 is actually insane. 😁

There’s zero chance Luxury was on the grid within 30 seconds of the leader, no 🤣
.
It took him a solid 10 seconds just to get to his spot after even Nikita Mazepin had already parked.
Looking at the main feed, he took about 20 seconds from the moment everyone else up to Stroll were lined up...

I'm looking right at it now—assuming the feeds on F1 TV Pro are synced, which they should be...
Then we're barely talking about him making it to the grid within 60 seconds...
Max hits his mark at 09:19, while Lewis doesn't show up until 10:11...

Are you actually sure about that 30-second claim?
Honestly, I'm surprised Red Bull didn't lodge a protest and the FIA didn't hand out a penalty.
Because that was some seriously blatant stalling.
Looks like the start barely squeezed in under 60 seconds from when Max pulled up, but it was down to milliseconds whether they broke the limit or not...

Checking out the Sprint from Lewis Hamilton's onboard, and man, I spotted something pretty wild right at the start...

Lewis is basically playing snail during the formation lap—this shot is actually kind of hilarious...


He pulls into his spot on the grid, and boom, the start kicks off within three seconds...
Honestly, it’s no wonder four cars got wiped out before the first turn, and he nearly rear-ended Lance Stroll during braking...
Is this even legal? 🤔 He practically barely stopped on his grid slot before he was already rolling...
Everyone else was busy warming up their tires, especially the guys at the front, while he just barely tapped the brakes long enough to look like he was actually stationary instead of already moving...😁

shadowmarlin22 said:Is there anyone out there seriously claiming Max is better than Lewis? 🤣

It’s like saying Kylian Mbappé is better than Lionel Messi, or Kawhi Leonard or Nikola Jokic is better than LeBron James. It just doesn't hold up.
There's still a massive amount of respect left to earn, which he probably won't do before his career wraps up...

Max is in great form right now, he's maturing, and he's got the superior car—though obviously, not every track is like this one where top speed is everything, but I doubt most of the trolls on this sub would even grasp that.

If you don't see it this season, you're clearly just blinded by pure fanboyism.🤦

If you’re asking me who I prefer, despite all the nonsense and the massive amount of fake behavior, it’s still Lewis Hamilton.
Who’s the better driver? Honestly, Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT without question when he actually wants to be, but this season? Not even in his wildest dreams.

Who’s got the faster car? It’s Lewis Hamilton, no question. But this season is basically just turning into a "let's see what happens" vibe.
Honestly, there was zero bite in that sprint. Not from him, and definitely not from the team. Nothing.
It looks like they just checked out. They probably figured the competition wasn't even worth their time anyway. Like, all they actually had to do was beat an underperforming Bottas while putting on some fake drama about fighting Red Bull, and they’d be set. Simple, right?
Seems like Honda really caught them off guard. They probably expected those engines to just fall apart and figured Max would just keep shooting himself in the foot with more stupid mistakes.
And then, somehow, everything went completely sideways. 😁

Drew Bennett68 said:Lando says Hamilton's car is actually so incredibly fast that he’d probably need to drop a wheel just to give everyone else a fighting chance!

That's about it...
https://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...tons-overtakes

They call these "epic overtakes"...
But I don't see anything epic about smashing the DRS button and passing someone like a Ferrari cruising past a beat-up old sedan on the interstate.🤔

Raymond Anderson4 said:Unless Bottas manages an Undercut. Red Bull Racing just doesn't have the pace right now, so there's a real chance Mercedes makes a move and brings Bottas in early, even if it's 2 or 3 laps ahead of schedule. Bottas could definitely play spoiler for Lewis tomorrow.
But a lot rests on Lewis's shoulders here. He needs to put together a flawless race if he wants any optimistic chance of being glued to Max's bumper by the end.

What kind of magic trick does he need to pull in the pits to catch Max before the final laps? 🤔

Let's be real: with a beast of a car like that, Luxury Max is going to be miles ahead before the first pit stops even happen. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked if he's already lapping people by lap 10...
Fernando Alonso had the best top speed, he had DRS, and he loves to act tough in these duels, but he couldn't do a damn thing. Rick wasn't any better either...
If we're being realistic, the only actual threat to Max is Sergio Perez—and that's assuming he doesn't get stuck behind Carlos Sainz and trash his tires...

On the flip side, Max has a shot at jumping Bottas at the start. If he misses that, he’s unlikely to catch him through the pit cycles... and by then, Luxury will already be on his radar.

Based on the pace we've seen, I'd say Mercedes will be up by 1-2 seconds right around the pit window, then Bottas will get the signal to clear out, and that'll be that...

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...race-from-10th


WTF 🤔

I have no idea how that's even possible...
Vettel didn't actually pass Ocon; he was basically on his tail at the very end, but the pass never happened...
And I don't see any potential penalty for Ocon that would move him up just a single spot on the grid.

Did the Sky crew get a little too drunk celebrating, or is some kid just making stuff up? 🤣