stormybadger8 said:True, but there is one damn good thing about this 😁 Vettel and Ferrari are killing it with tire management, even when they're glued to The Bear's bumper... and more importantly, the car wasn't twitchy at all. 👍 On the flip side, Mercedes (well, at least Hamilton's) is struggling whenever they need to shadow someone... and even Lujo isn't feeling the tires right now.
From what I can see, Vettel might actually have a harder time with Bottas than with Hamilton if they let him loose. Bottas seems way more comfortable with his car than Hamilton does. Surprisingly, Bottas didn't have any issues with the tires, nor did he have trouble keeping pace with the guys ahead.
All in all, we've got an interesting season ahead. The only downside is that Kimi isn't even close to stepping up, so he likely won't be fighting for podiums or stealing points from Mercedes.
P.S. Seb has never lost a championship lead once he gets it. Once he's in first, he stays there.😁
I guess what I’m seeing as a potentially massive edge for Ferrari is exactly that thing with the tires. I mean, obviously, you can't really call anything for certain before we even get to Los Angeles, but maybe this could be a little hint that we're looking at a pretty solid season ahead. I mean, I guess with Kimi, besides the fact that he’s getting up there in age and isn't quite hitting those peak speeds anymore, they probably just totally botched the tire strategy during that second stint. Given how he drives, maybe the US compound would have actually been the right call for him, but I honestly don't think anyone felt confident enough to bet on them lasting that long. I’m really hoping Lewis keeps up this decent run of form, though I wouldn't be surprised if he stays a bit on edge, especially since Bottas was looking pretty solid out there today.
I don't think there's much point in overhyping this. The USA race didn't really show what's actually going on, and honestly, I'm kind of questioning if Seb could even put a dent in Lewis's lead if he hadn't gotten stuck behind Max. Mercedes is just too dominant for them not to learn something from this.
Still, seeing them looking a bit more vulnerable is pretty nice, I guess. 😬
btw Looks like Kimi is probably just looking for another massive severance package. 😬
Man, Daniel Ricciardo is looking pretty rough lately. I mean, making a rookie mistake like that right on home soil... it’s just painful to watch. I guess Max Verstappen is just going to absolutely steamroll him this season.
The Poles are decent enough, I mean, they definitely had their moment in Germany, but they just can't seem to find that consistent winning streak, you know? So, I guess I don't really see them breaking into that elite circle of teams fighting for medals anytime soon. Qatar and Brazil are those tricky ones—they’ll absolutely punish you if you underestimate them, even if it's just a little bit. Then there's Spain; they're kind of hot and cold, which is frustrating because they clearly have the talent, but they always seem just a hair below the absolute heavyweights. But hey, that's just me rambling and guessing, I suppose.
So, here’s my little recap of the tournament and some rough guesses on where things might land: Looking at how the young talent is shaping up today, I guess those French athletes are mostly just going to lose titles by accident from here on out. The Norwegians might give them a run for their money, though, probably alongside the Germans, Swedes, and Danes. As for the Spaniards, Canadians, and us, we'll likely be sitting around waiting for a bad day from the top-tier guys, hoping they don't accidentally stumble into a final or something. The real dark horses? Maybe the Poles, Canadians, Russians, or just whoever happens to be playing on home turf.
Brandon Chavez9 said:Vujovic just totally fell apart against Babica, man, like ☕
So I'm just sitting here, scrolling through the news. Just taking it all in, you know? Real classy, real laid back, nothing too intense or anything. "I honestly can't wrap my head around how we managed to pull off a win..." 😬
Steven Taylor43 said:I mean, it’s basically the same deal in any sport, right? The judges are probably gonna lean toward the home team more often than not, whether you're talking about boxing or UFC. A challenger pretty much has to put in like, at least 10% more effort just to snag the belt if things get close, and if it's even remotely a toss-up, the champ usually gets the nod—that's just kind of the unwritten rule, I guess. You see the same thing in handball too.
If we’re being totally honest here, there have been plenty of times when the refs have screwed us over, against Egypt, against Spain, or even against Norway, but our guys just don't seem to have that winning mentality needed to actually capitalize on it.
Some people in here act like they just dropped in from Mars or something...
Just try and find me three calls that actually went in favor of the Frenchman—and I don't mean those borderline calls, but actual instances where the Norwegians were straight-up robbed. If anyone can actually pull that off, I’ll just ban myself from this forum myself.
Just watch a game for maybe 20 or 40 minutes. If you don't end up banning yourself, then yeah, you must be from Mars.
btw, bringing up any kind of professional combat sport in this conversation is honestly kind of ridiculous.
Steven Taylor43 said:Obviously, those close calls go the home team's way, but honestly, there hasn't been much of a struggle out there lately So, let's not talk nonsense here.
Exactly. Once the refs actually start siding with the home crowd, that's when things might get a little more intense, I guess. 😬
The Frenchmen made it look easy. I mean, if the officiating had been even remotely decent, they probably would've walked away with a 4.5-point lead by halftime, though honestly, maybe they would've just ended up clawing their way back anyway. It felt like the Norwegians weren't even allowed to compete, especially during that second half when it seemed like the home team was getting whistled for a foul on every single missed play. Once those Norwegians managed to close the gap to -2.3, the refs handed out this totally phantom penalty after Karabatic basically bulldozed someone into the crease, yet nothing happens when the other side gets hit with the exact same stuff. They likely would've pulled off the win regardless, I guess, but it doesn't hurt to acknowledge how much the home team gets pushed around by the refs. Congratulations Frenchman !! Congratulations Norwegian !! Congratulations Canadian !!
The Norwegians aren't going to pull this off unless the Frenchmen basically decide to lose to themselves. I mean, let’s be adults here—the refs already gave them a pass to head back, and honestly, that’s not even a real move if they actually have to step up. Once the Frenchmen finally stop playing around, maybe then we'll see them actually try to fix their stats. Total nonsense.
No foul on the pivot... haha, if this were a game in Scandinavia, they’d be getting called for a two-minute penalty for sure. The Norwegians probably need to step things up by at least another 30% if they actually have a shot at taking this thing home. The refs are gonna absolutely murder them.
The officiating throughout this whole tournament has been an absolute disaster. I mean, I knew they’d probably lean heavily in favor of the home team, but it feels like the Norwegians aren't even being allowed to compete at this point, which just seems totally unfair. Honestly, if I had to guess, I’d say we’re probably going to see two of the Frenchmen get tossed out with penalties in the final few minutes.
Joseph Kern5 said:Yeah, I mean, that’s kind of why he’s spent his whole career playing for big-time European clubs. Teams like PSG, FC Barcelona, Kiel, and Flensburg all saw that crafty side of him.🙄 He hasn't left New York yet. He just seems like this nice, local kid with a decent enough last name, so I guess he can stay. Honestly, though, the player isn't even that great.
Mus wasn't really seen as a top-tier player initially; people always viewed him strictly as a defensive specialist, maybe with a bit of an offensive edge, which is probably why everyone is so eager to see him actually scoring goals.
We basically have a steady streak of finishing in third or fourth place.👍
Man, you’re posting so much nonsense on this thread that it’s impossible to follow you. Like, handball is played in five major countries, Canadian Olympic medals go to random sports, track and field is just about sprinting disciplines... and now you're out here trolling Horvat too. If you just dropped one or two dumb takes, someone might actually try to give you a reasoned response, but your constant bursts of nonsense are like a tsunami—they just keep coming, and if you try to block them, they just spill over somewhere else. Basically, you're just talking pure nonsense.