Posts by Linda Peterson43

stormybadger8 said:They’re definitely going to develop the car way faster than Bear or Ferrari, and with way more progress too. Not really a huge debate there...
When you're running a full lap behind, it's pretty logical that you have way more room to improve. I mean, damn, McLaren could find two seconds in qualifying during the season and they still wouldn't be fighting for pole, even if everyone else stayed frozen in place...

But whether they can even catch them, let alone pass them... that's the question.
And even if they do overtake them in raw speed during the season, it doesn't mean they'll finish ahead in the standings. By then, the points deficit will be massive.

I'm not so sure... I don't root for Red Bull, and generally, they aren't my favorite team, but one thing I've learned over the last few seasons is that they always "find something" that others missed... most often right on the edge of legality... but as long as it works, it works, and they take the points...🙂
The latest example is this business with the "nearly active" suspension, which Ferrari, working with NASCAR, got banned this year...🙂
I suspect that, along with those minor power unit upgrades from Ford, that was the primary reason they were able to overtake Ferrari in the second half of the season...

William Bennett53 said:Toro Rosso, this recent situation isn't even questionable; Kimi himself admitted he struggled during the first tire stint, but everything smoothed out after the pit stop. Therefore, he was simply driving as conservatively as possible to protect his position without compromising it.

True, but based on some of the comments floating around here, people are acting like Kimi had a total disaster behind the wheel and needs to retire immediately 🙂

stormybadger8 said:The fact is, Vettel won the race on Saturday, and Kimi lost it on Saturday...
Because realistically, Ferrari might be somewhere near Mercedes, but they definitely aren't fast enough to just blow past them on pure pace (and let's be honest, Mercedes isn't even that much faster than Ferrari right now)
The whole point of the game is to get a good launch and maybe jump Mercedes at the start. Since they failed to do that after qualifying or at the lights—leaving them lined up 1, 2, 3, 4—all that was left was to manage tires, hold the position, and then pray for an undercut or overcut during the pit stops depending on how things looked on track...
And that’s where Vettel shined in the first stint, while Kimi... well, he didn't.
Everything after that was just pure damage control and saving the engine by all four drivers...

Kimi didn't drive a bad race, really. He basically blew it in qualifying, his first stint wasn't anything to write home about, but the rest of the run on softs was perfectly fine...

Exactly... he earned or lost his position back on Saturday...
Claiming he was particularly bad during the actual race is pointless... though, I suppose you didn't say that specifically... 🙂

By the way, it looks like Ferrari is sitting somewhere close to Red Bull, which might actually lead to a much more interesting season... one can only hope...🙂

I wonder if anyone else (like Nico Hülkenberg, for instance) sitting in Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari today could have actually arrived and challenged Valtteri Bottas?

Could someone please explain to me what Kimi might have actually been able to do today?
The Mercedes-Benz was simply nothing special... 🙂
Sebastian Vettel won the race primarily because of Max Verstappen; had Hamilton not run into trouble, the result would likely have been reversed: 1st - Hamilton, 2nd - Vettel...

I am certainly not diminishing Vettel's victory with this; it was purely deserved, professionally executed, with perfect tactics and everything else...

neonfox65 said:I don't see Perez making the cut—he had his shot with McLaren and just didn't deliver.

Perez is actually a solid driver, and frankly, I think the folks over at McLaren made a massive mistake by letting him go... though that isn't even their biggest 🙂
...

Sam Roberts8 said:That’s all fine and well, but I'm a bit worried about how hard it looks to overtake. I guess Hamilton didn't really stand a chance against Verstappen

Sent from my Smartphone_6

Yes, it does appear that passing will be a bit more challenging, though that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing... that sequence involving Alonso was absolutely top-tier.. 🙂

I was certainly hoping that Ferrari would put Kkmi on the red tires today (though I am not entirely sure if they even had them available), but they seem to have decided to play it safe instead. Regardless, Sergio is still the big boss, and now they are sitting in first place in the constructors' championship🙂

William Bennett53 said:Indeed, Kimi looked completely lost from the moment the lights went out. I can't quite put my finger on what went wrong, though he's always been notoriously sensitive to any bit of oversteer... 🤷

He started in fourth and crossed the line in fourth. Was there any realistic way for him to challenge Bottas during the race? Not really.
Why was he underperforming?

The only real issue I saw was a slightly sluggish start; little Verstappen nearly snatched the position right away at the launch.

Everything else was just cruising. Verstappen never stood a chance of overtaking him...

Hamilton is going to mess up his start tomorrow... and Kimi too 🙂

stormybadger8 said:They said Vettel is driving an ex-Alonso car, so that's why he's 0.6 seconds faster than Kimi... just a standard feature.😉

What does this kid even know about what makes a car fast? Just hit the gas and go...

I didn't catch the action, what ended up happening in Q3 with Kimi? Is he trailing significantly behind Vettel?

neonfox65 said:Friday doesn't even matter.

In this particular instance, it actually does matter quite a bit, especially since it's the very first practice session... 🙂

It's the perfect opportunity to see who's really playing for keeps and who's just going through the motions... 🙂

jadeseal7 said:Code: 44

and occasionally, though very rarely, code 7 works... 🙂

McLaren securing that 1-2 finish... 🙂

I caught a discussion over on another forum, so I figured I’d bring the conversation over here as well...

Roughly speaking: What are your predictions for any "first-time" milestones we might see during this season?

"My" list:
- Bottas secures a race victory (perhaps even multiple wins)
- Hulk finally makes it onto the podium 🙂
- Vettel tells M. Arrivebene to go to "3 pm" over the team radio... 🙂
- Alonso grabs his first podium for McHondu (it's a stretch, but still...)
- Max clinches a pole position
- Rosberg conducts a podium interview 🙂

Red Bull was undeniably the second fastest car on the grid from the midpoint of the season onwards; Mercedes only managed to pull ahead because of their superior power unit...
If you can't see that, you're clearly missing the obvious 🙂

stormybadger8 said:How exactly would they use the old stuff given the rule changes?

Just messing around... 🙂

stormybadger8 said:Force India passed all the crash tests

Isn't it a little early for this? 🤔
Damn, how is Force India the first one to clear the crash tests? That basically means their car is pretty much ready to go right now. 🤔

Or perhaps they simply lack the budget for a new build, so they're just recycling the old one? 🙂

A real bet lies in the parlay, neonfox65... this childish bickering over Avatar is just ridiculous... 🙂

Great video...
Nico was such a gentleman, letting Hamilton through in Monaco...
🙂

I would truly love to see Fernando Alonso land a seat at Mercedes-Benz, but I fear that’s a long shot...

What Mercedes-Benz really requires is a reliable Number 2 driver, and frankly, Alonso isn't interested in playing second fiddle... Furthermore, while Lewis Hamilton might claim he doesn't care who joins the team, we have no idea what the specific terms of his contract actually entail... 🙂

As I recall, Paddy Lowe was over at McLaren back in 2007 during that massive scandal—the one that cost them a "mere" $100 million and the constructors' championship... It is possible he carries some influence in these decisions as well... 🙂

Someone like Jenson Button, or perhaps Felipe Massa, would be the perfect choice for a single season... They are seasoned point-scorers who could potentially snatch a win here and there once Lewis Hamilton secures the title, all while the team searches for a more permanent solution heading into 2018...
Bringing in a rookie is far too risky right now, especially with the new regulations looming; even Mercedes-Benz can't take the constructors' title for granted under those conditions...