4456 posts shown.
Patrick Bailey4 said:Mercedes is going to keep dominating.
Those Italian amateurs can only fool the rookies. Not us experts. Their habit of going full throttle during practice and testing is getting pathetic. They basically stumble into something good by accident. And even if they actually get lucky this year, their "experts" will just screw it all up with "upgrades" from race to race.
So, I’m predicting mediocrity for Ferrari, just like every other year.
Especially since they don't even have a top-tier driver this season, so they'll probably look even worse than before.
Red Bull is heading straight for a meltdown. We experts called it while Sebastian Vettel was still racking up those Newey titles. Regardless, they'll still be better than Ferrari this year. Plus, they actually have better drivers.
We'll judge McLaren a bit later. They could easily be the second-best team on the grid—kind of like last year's Red Bull that struggled early on—or they could be a total disaster. Let's wait and see. And let's not forget that they currently have arguably the best driver out there.
You're forgetting that Vettel is at Ferrari. Some teams that couldn't dream of winning lead drivers to consecutive titles, while teams that settle for podiums end up with nothing...
As for Ferrari, we'll see. All I know is some guy is going to have a field day sucking blood out of people on this forum. 😬
And it's happening very soon. 😁
Kevin Magnussen is the best driver today???
What are we talking about here? Is this a joke or did you drink too much Budweiser? 😍
Massa looks shell-shocked by those insane Ferrari lap times
Where on earth did he get that pathetic look on his face? 🤣
darkmarlin16 said:Yeah, specifically the version of Carlos Sainz that Esteban Ocon absolutely tore apart.
Do you have some weird fetish where you only root for drivers who inevitably get crushed by the Red Bull drivers? 😬
Are you actually talking about the same Sainz that Esteban Ocon absolutely bullied like a little kid...
DMW must be losing his mind at the sportsbook somewhere...
Even I went ahead and put $3.25 on a McLaren 1-2 finish (Magnussen, Jenson Button) 😬
which would net me about $1,350🤣
Look, if McLaren actually pulls off a 1-2, just know I'll be celebrating and crying at the exact same time 😬
Don't worry though, I won't drink it all. I'll probably save a little something for a Brutus beer 🤣
I'm not totally convinced McLaren is going to be complete garbage...
Yeah, they have a mountain of issues, but it's not impossible for them to fix things and end up with a really solid package...
Actually, it feels like Red Bull Racing might have a way worse season 🤔
between the guys at Renault messing everything up again and Christian Horner and Helmut Marko acting like they own the place... so it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Renault walks away from them.
Realistically, when they were winning everything, nobody thought twice about praising Renault, but now they're badmouthing them everywhere... so Renault hasn't gained much from this marriage; they mostly just got mentioned whenever someone needed a scapegoat.
EDIT:
You gambling addicts 😠
They won't even let me bet on a McLaren 1-2 in qualifying...
And not even for $3.25 😢
They say the odds are too high, and the payout is only about $150 😬
jadeseal7 said:You could actually hear how rough—honestly, how unhealthy—that McLaren sounded during the onboard lap.
It’s honestly mind-blowing how badly Honda messed this up.
I'm more baffled by Magnussen's exit... it was such a weird, bizarre way to go off track.
First, the kid tells Ted he has absolutely no clue what just happened with the car and needs to check the data, swearing up and down he didn't hit any grass...
only to turn around five minutes later in the garage and suddenly claim it was all his own fault. 🤔
I don't think anyone would have even noticed if it wasn't for that incident with Alonso, but something is definitely wrong with that car...
crimsonstag84 said:Given the one-lap gap, it’s probably just fuel weight from a stint (~30kg). Basically, Ferrari was running much lighter, IMO.
Could be very likely...
But look at this:
Valtteri Bottas - soft (14 laps):
1:33.435, 1:32.812, 1:33.100, 1:32.771, 1:32.934, 1:32.360, 1:32.270, 1:32.809, 1:33.515, 1:33.555, 1:33.748, 1:33.725
Nasr - soft (13 laps):
1:34.520, 1:33.836, 1:34.026, 1:33.934, 1:33.483, 1:33.397, 1:34.192, 1:34.332, 1:34.032, 1:33.852
Ericsson - soft (8 laps)
1:34.692, 1:33.398, 1:32.539, 1:32.431, 1:32.303, 1:32.632
That Sauber doesn't look nearly as bad compared to the Williams.🤔
Looks like...
but there's no way this is actually happening.
http://www.fia.com/sites/default/fil...pTimes_V01.pdf
Just look at these stints...
everyone else is on softs except Vettel, and honestly, that Williams looks hopeless.
Bottas is barely even hanging in there, barely beating Vettel despite being on tires that are at least a second faster...
And it doesn't stop there—Kimi is pulling times right up there with Hamilton and Rosberg, even though he stayed out way longer.
Vettel - medium (19 laps):
1:32.861, 1:32.904, 1:32.860, 1:33.169, 1:32.520, 1:32.682, 1:33.240, 1:32.774, 1:32.789, 1:32.685, 1:32.681, 1:32.546, 1:32.482, 1:32.623, 1:33.330, 1:33.450
Kimi - soft (17 laps):
1:32.716, 1:32.430, 1:32.616, 1:32.679, 1:32.410, 1:32.541, 1:32.523, 1:32.554, 1:32.102, 1:32.331, 1:32.109, 1:31.966, 1:31.885, 1:32.187, 1:32.078, 1:32.521
Rosberg - soft (11 laps):
1:31.769, 1:32.833, 1:31.829, 1:32.180, 1:32.195, 1:32.005, 1:32.353, 1:32.409
Hamilton - soft (9 laps):
1:32.233, 1:32.047, 1:32.820, 1:32.272, 1:32.573, 1:32.958
Bottas - soft (14 laps):
1:33.435, 1:32.812, 1:33.100, 1:32.771, 1:32.934, 1:32.360, 1:32.270, 1:32.809, 1:33.515, 1:33.555, 1:33.748, 1:33.725
I filtered out the outliers (laps where they were lapping McLaren, Sauber, etc.).
But this simply can't be right. No matter how much of an optimist I am, this is impossible.😳>
Because according to this, Ferrari is basically the fastest car and manages their tires perfectly, while Germany is just eating through them (or pretending to)...
I mean, anything is possible, but I don't think this kind of progress is even theoretically feasible...
Though 😬>
USA 2014 - fastest time was:
Rosberg FP3 - 01:29.375
USA 2015 - fastest times:
1 Nico Rosberg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.697 29
2 Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:27.797 25
3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:28.412 33
4 Kimi Räikkönen Kimi Räikkönen 1:28.842 33
5 Valtteri Bottas Williams Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:29.265 32
And it’s not completely impossible that Williams is at last year's Germany level and Ferrari has already overtaken them...
It’s just incredibly weird if that’s true... specifically that Germany is so much faster than their own car from last year, while the other teams using the German engine aren't.🤷>
jadeseal7 said:Looks like Ferrari is the best of the rest.
Hard to draw any smart conclusions after just FP and it’s only Friday...
Plus, the track in Los Angeles is pretty weird, so even after it's done, we won't really know for sure...
Marko and Christian Horner are being absolute jerks about this...Marko:
“We keep getting the same old promises: ‘It’ll be better next time, the tests look promising.’ But when your engine dies after just 50 kilometers, that’s just plain ridiculous,” Marko insisted.
“When it comes to the engines, the drivability is way worse than what we saw in testing. We were looking for progress, but instead, we’ve taken a massive step backward. The gap between us and the leaders is actually terrifying right now.”
Horner:
“The raw power is identical to what we had in Dubai last year,”
It's honestly pretty pathetic how much truth there is in the idea that the folks over at Renault are just completely incompetent. 🤦
Timothy Castillo6 said:How can you even claim to follow Vettel and Ferrari if you don't speak Italian? 🤣
So now I've got some local expert blowing up my phone with texts and flooding my inbox with emails. 🙂
Timothy Castillo6 said:http://www.gazzetta.it/Formula-1/13-...93069656.shtml
Vettel, coming in 3rd with a little smirk: "A smooth Friday. It’s been a while since I’ve had one of those..."
The Ferrari driver is chasing down Mercedes after the first practice session in Los Angeles: "Solid day, no issues to report. Honestly, I can't remember the last time things went this smoothly. The work is looking good—Mercedes is still out of reach, but we’re hoping to stay ahead of Williams."
Positive vibes around Scuderia. 👍
God, I hate Italians. 😬
So, I went ahead and downloaded this garbage F1 Android app...
If they aren't lying or just talking out of their asses, Vettel had top speed in all three sectors during FP1, including the speed trap. 🤔
A little weird, considering Rosberg was a second and a half faster. 😵
FP2 isn't working...
Bernie’s basically a master of the shell game. 🙏
The Android app is $25, while access to Formula1.com is like $30... and get this, one doesn't even include the other. Ridiculous. 😍
By the way, you can sign up on F1.com for free—just keep in mind you'll need a Visa or Mastercard to do it. Once you're in, just cancel the subscription immediately.
mail:
billing@formula1.comSubject: I'm out. Cancel my subscription.
Just put it in the email—you know, the one you get before that.
basket ID:
order Placed
Funny how that "free until April 13, 2015" scheme actually works out...
No, under the terms (which you wouldn't get via email anyway).😍It’s pretty clear: if you don't cancel that subscription at least five days before the month ends, they’re hitting you with another charge for next month. Just a heads-up. 😍
So, it's free until March 26th, 2015. After that, expect a bill for four months. 😍
Oh yeah, they're just wonderful, especially thanks to Bernie 😁
Now you have to shell out $30 just to even think about watching anything on ESPN 👍
But hey, it’s totally worth it for those stunning graphics 🙏
And it's such a steal since they give you a free trial until March 15th 😍
Jason Campbell70 said:The Germans pay the bills, so they call the shots.
Well, they definitely aren't an Arab team.🤔😬
I could easily see Mercedes-Benz turning into an Arab team one of these days.🤔🙂😬🤣
mellowtiger83 said:Germany buying out an American company is just like how Mercedes bought out a British one, haha. So yeah, it's a German firm.
Happy now?
Not really, because practically everyone—from the mechanics and engineers to the bosses and even the cleaners—is British...
there's basically zero Germans in that crew, and who cares who actually owns the place?
I mean, it's not like some guy from Germany can just walk in and bark orders about Hamilton's car, but a British mechanic working on Rosberg's car could easily "forget" to tighten a bolt or two. 😬
Just look back at Abu Dhabi 2014. It wasn't even that long ago. 😉
Sure, Rosberg didn't have a shot regardless, but it's like that crew of British mechanics handed him a breakdown on a silver platter for free. 😁
Anyway, which Bear do you think is going to screw up this time in Los Angeles?
mellowtiger83 said:British???🙂
http://www.formula1.com/teams_and_dr...0/default.html
Who actually owns AT&T?
The crew is primarily British. I have no clue why people insist on calling Mercedes-Benz a German team... even the engine department is based in the UK...
As for the leadership, as far as I know, there isn't a single German at the top of the hierarchy. Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda aren't German, they're Austrian...
And honestly, Paddy Lowe would probably commit harakiri before he’d let anyone else win over his favorite, Lewis Hamilton. 😁
Basically, if you want to talk trash, Nico Rosberg is a total minority in that team (regardless of what his actual nationality is 😬).
cosmiccyclist8 said:@vividlynx68/">@@vividlynx68
That’s exactly how it’ll look as long as Mercedes-Benz keeps building better cars and keeps pushing Lewis Hamilton while holding Nico Rosberg back. Eventually, things will go south just like they did for Sebastian Vettel last season...
Maybe even this season...
Unless Niki Lauda and Toto Wolff decide Lewis Hamilton has an offer from someone else, then all hell breaks loose. 😁
Though I don't really see where Lewis Hamilton would go or why, so I'm not expecting it anytime soon... maybe toward the end of his current deal, sometime around 2018...
Nico isn't a bad driver at all; actually, he's quite good...
He’s incredibly consistent and doesn't tend to pull stupid stunts. He’s definitely got single-lap pace, but when it comes to the actual races, he lacks that killer instinct and just isn't on Lewis Hamilton's level...
Hamilton, though, is a strange one. He's lightning fast in qualifying and during races, plus he has that killer instinct. But man, he's temperamental—as fast as he can be, he can also be incredibly flaky... the sheer stupidity he's capable of is terrifying...
Realistically, when Hamilton's head is in the right place, he beats Nico Rosberg easily. Honestly, Rosberg wouldn't beat him even in ten attempts, but Hamilton can absolutely beat himself.😁
As for Vettel vs Kimi, things are looking tight...
Kimi has a decent car this season, and he's most dangerous when he actually feels like driving...
Last year's results have zero relevance here; there's no logical reason to use them as a benchmark for Kimi's talent.
Regarding the new kids...
Max Verstappen could definitely be the surprise of the season; the kid is great.👍
On the other hand, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Felipe Nasr won't be much to look at—I'm not expecting anything. Maybe Sainz might show a flash of brilliance, but honestly, I have no idea how Nasr even made it to Formula 1... the guy is basically a born No2 driver without even thinking about it, especially considering how much he loves chasing drama.😁
If he stays in Formula 1 and somehow lands a solid car, nobody will be calling him the truo vlakić anymore; he'll officially become the Nasr vlakić.😍