You’re mixing up cold facts with your own gut feeling. Facts are things you can actually verify—you know? And there is no way to prove that Max hasn't changed since last year. Only he knows the truth about that. Look, I'll go ahead and say he isn't the same. He's a year older and a year more experienced, sure, but that's just my take on it.
Bottas really hit rock bottom yesterday. Honestly, he probably couldn't have done much better than 3rd place given the circumstances—but that sluggish pace? It was just way too far below his usual standards.
fadedwalker18 said:The track itself is engaging and offers plenty for the drivers to work with... but when it comes to pure on-track action, it felt a bit lackluster. It wasn't exactly a total procession, but it was... relatively dull.
Don't get me wrong... any race is a win for a true Formula 1 fan, even last week's Belgian Grand Prix (in a way), despite the feeling that it "hardly even happened."
I'm with you on all points—but man, he really went overboard with that whole thing about the Belgian Grand Prix.
Honestly, there’d still be racing and plenty of show. They’d just pull the Safety Car out after about ten laps, clear some water off the track, moan about it for a lap or two, and then just get on with it. I can't even be bothered to dig through the stats to see how many rainy races we've had in Formula 1 history. Long story short—nothing has ever actually been canceled because of rain, and they've certainly never handed out points in such a ridiculous way before, even when the downpours were much worse than this.
vividlynx68 said:Trying to get us out on the track tomorrow is basically a suicide mission—you just don't have hundreds of volunteers available who spend their Sundays working at the circuit, only to head back to their regular 9-to-5s on Monday.
Remind me again, what was that number you guys mentioned for how much Formula 1 pulls in annually? Billions, right?
It’s honestly mind-boggling—in a sport where this much money is constantly being thrown around—that there isn't some kind of cohesive strategic blueprint or a set of contingency plans like Scenario A, B, or C ready to go. One unpredictable situation, like a sudden downpour, and the whole thing just falls apart at the knees. It’s a mess that neither the organizers, the FIA, nor Formula 1 should be letting happen.
NASCAR drivers deal with rain all the time—when you're sliding all over the track, nobody’s really complaining about the delay. Rallying is basically just driving through snow, rain, and mud... it's just part of the job. Back in the day, NASCAR used to handle these kinds of messy situations—think 2003 US Grand Prix, Japan 2007, Korea 2010, or Japan 2014—by running about ten laps or more under the SC while the drivers waited for the water to clear, warmed up their tires, got the brakes up to temp, and just adjusted to the chaos.
But what happened yesterday? They just sat there parked for three hours, waiting to see if the sky would finally show some mercy. I get that visibility was trash, but they should have kept them moving under the SC to give everyone a real shot at racing. These conditions aren't exactly a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. Maybe there's a comparison to be made with Bernie, like Tibi pointed out—it’s hard to imagine this kind of disorganized mess happening back in his era.
It was basically the exact same conditions at this track back in '98—nothing out of the ordinary—so it shouldn't have even crossed anyone's mind to call off the race.
Raymond Anderson4 said:During qualifying yesterday—when the track was actually holding up better—the spray kicking up behind the cars was so thick you basically had to be three or four seconds back just to see anything at all...
Isn't that pretty much how it goes whenever it rains anyway? 🤷
Everything else on the schedule went ahead at Monaco this weekend just like planned—except for NASCAR. They were supposed to give it a shot at 3 PM when visibility was actually decent.
And I honestly don't get it—was there really zero chance to push things to tomorrow? Even if it meant an early morning slot, it would've worked. Honestly, anything would have been better than what we dealt with today.
Jeffrey Brooks2 said:Look, a race can only go for about three hours at most—even with interruptions—unless some total idiot manages to stop the clock entirely.😵
It’s like some higher power—rain, basically—acting like a meteor strike or an earthquake just because they dug up some random rule in the handbook.😁
James Harris34 said:They’ve actually paused the clock now—which basically means if the weather clears up, they could try to get this show back on the road by 7 PM.
By then, it’ll be pitch black. It’s a real shame—we all spent forever waiting for Indianapolis Motor Speedway and some rain, and now we’re just getting buried in it.
rustyridge10 said:I’m honestly hoping that next time we see even a hint of rain, they just pull the plug entirely—total cancellation and walk away. If managing a race in the wet is this much of a headache, they should have just called it quits yesterday.
Look, you can just turn off your TV when you see clouds rolling in—that’s basically the same thing as the race not happening at all.
I’m definitely pulling for a start from the SC position—probably the first time I've actually felt that way in my life. I really don't want to see half the grid scattered into the gravel after the very first turn. Instead, let's just get a real, gritty, high-stakes race in the rain—plenty of action, minimal red flags, and hopefully as few SC periods as possible.
vividwalker13 said:I honestly couldn't wrap my head around Vettel back in his Red Bull Racing days, but now? He’s easily one of my favorites—just a guy who knows his stuff, both on the track and off. When he finally hangs up the helmet, I can't imagine anyone better suited to step into Warwick :-) sam here's shoes.
It’s like someone read my mind. I want him to have some kind of role in Formula 1 even after he stops driving.