If someone actually posted that they slept with a ten-year-old neighbor, you’d probably see some kind of reaction; people generally don't stay silent about things like that. But the real question is always this: what if a user wanders onto Reddit and claims he borrowed his cousin's old VW Golf yesterday, polished it until it practically glowed silver, and then rolled up to his favorite local bar in total style, where a group of guys wearing gold chains around their necks cheered him on while he grabbed three fingerling sausages from a street vendor and ate them right there in the car? Would you believe him? And more importantly, if you can't trust a story like that, why on earth would you ever believe—or bother reacting to—anything else?
It seems far easier to simply root for the mainstream drivers. 😁Vettel always has this dedicated core of supporters who never seem to find anything to complain about. Alonso, on the other hand, has an endless crowd behind him, including at least one individual who reports every single minor slip-up... honestly, if you follow the usual online forums—which I find myself forced to do—you'll occasionally see these soap opera fans bickering among themselves, demanding penalties for any perceived insult directed toward their favorite icons. 🤣
But let's move past all that and get back to our own discussions.
What are your thoughts on the general consensus that Sauber and Renault were the standout performers of the first round of testing? Personally, those two are my absolute favorite teams, and seeing them actually become competitive this season would be nothing short of a dream come true. 🙏
Gentlemen, as long as the criticism is aimed at drivers who don't carry quite the same emotional weight with the fans—think Vettel or Rosberg, for instance—nobody seems to mind, and everything stays peaceful. However, if a similar insult were directed toward someone like Alonso, we’d likely see a flurry of report notifications immediately. I'm simply offering a bit of a heads-up: let's not get worked up over it.
@Amanda Kelly - I find myself in agreement with your assessment. That said, I can actually see the merit in Jeremy's perspective regarding McLaren; they might have been much smarter to bring in someone like Maldonado. They already have a rock-solid, reliable points-collector on the roster, so bringing in a bit of a wildcard for the second seat would maintain a perfect team balance...
Drew Bennett68 said:Honestly, those comparisons are a bit tasteless, don't you think? I’d kindly ask everyone to please tone it down and move on.
Thanks.
That's exactly right, Drew Bennett68! 🙏 I am asking you the same thing. A few months back, when we spent those few days hanging out in the paddock, we had a pretty candid debate about what everyone on this forum actually wants regarding moderation in Formula 1. Specifically, we talked about how to effectively shut down trolls who make a habit of attacking drivers, teams, and the members of those teams. Our stance on that issue was made very clear during that discussion.
Just one small detail: I haven't seen anything in the rules that explicitly defines what constitutes pole position, so perhaps it would be wise to clarify this since we've already had an argument about it. Specifically, there are scenarios where the qualifying winner might be penalized, disqualified, or forced to start from the pit lane due to ignition issues instead of taking the front row. This dilemma could be clearly resolved by choosing one of two approaches: - Pole points are awarded to the driver who won Q3 on Saturday and sat at the top of the timing sheets, regardless of whether they were subsequently stripped of that position, or - Points are awarded to the driver who actually occupied the first grid slot at the start of Sunday's race, regardless of whether they were the fastest during qualifying.
The previous dispute over this matter ended with us siding with the second option. We can stick to that, or we can reconsider, but we should certainly state our intention explicitly.
Most of this information isn't even common knowledge in the public eye... Regarding the first point, modern F1 tracks aren't actually turning a profit anymore. In fact, organizers often have to shell out massive sums just to secure hosting rights from the likes of Liberty Media. Even high-quality circuits find themselves dropped from the calendar simply because they can't pull in enough lucrative sponsorship deals to stay afloat... think about places like Austin, or even legendary spots like Watkins Glen or Indianapolis. As for Sonoma, nobody really knows the full story because the management operates under such strangely murky circumstances—something that's been picked apart extensively in publications like MotorTrend—but it serves as a decent indicator of how much track time is being utilized throughout the season: However, you have to keep one thing in mind: the track stays busy because the rental rates are incredibly cheap. And the reason they're so cheap? It’s due to poor maintenance, both on the asphalt itself and the surrounding infrastructure. Because of those low costs, local racing clubs can easily afford to rent the whole place out for private sessions and spend the entire day driving.
In any case, I’m hardly being precise here, but that’s just how things are. 😁
I was actually just thinking about starting a whole new thread for the Formula 1 2013 season today 😁
The championship falls under Terry Carter2's jurisdiction as the moderator, so there's no need to start a thread; just let him organize things according to his own preferences.
Though, you certainly could start a thread for the first race. 🙂
stormybadger8 said:Everything checks out, Amanda Kelly, absolutely everything... But honestly, what’s actually bugging me is just how fast and aggressive this car feels... I think this might be the first time they've built a car strictly tailored to Button's specific preferences. There's zero doubt it's fast, but that's exactly why it could go either way...
It is an interesting way to look at it: personally, I'm not worried at all. In fact, if the championship contenders can't be drivers from Renault or Sauber, then a McLaren/Button pairing is actually the combination I'd be most excited to see. 😁
steelmaker83 said:In a dominant McLaren, Button can definitely take the title. If circumstances look anything like last year, though, it’s going to be incredibly, incredibly difficult.
But does the car even need to be dominant? Not necessarily. Last year, McLaren was arguably the fastest on the grid most of the time, yet it wasn't Button's car, and the team was too busy tripping over their own feet with internal politics. If they could just manage their own egos—and assuming they aren't complete idiots, which I hope is true—and if the car were actually tuned to suit his driving style, Button could be a much more serious title contender than he was last season, even without total dominance. At least, that's my take.
We are all feeling that initial spark of excitement as these first tests roll around, finally breaking up this grueling winter drought. But if you ask me how much these sessions actually tell us about the upcoming season? Well, their predictive power is about as reliable as a groundhog's shadow in that movie *Groundhog Day*. 😁
I don't necessarily see this addition of purple as a violation of the corporate identity, given how exceptionally recognizable the branding remains regardless. I was previously under the impression that the marketing specialists—who are undoubtedly experts, much like the creative minds over at Red Bull—were planning to integrate these new hues into one of their product lines...
As far as I’m concerned, the livery on the Ferrari looks quite respectable... 🙏 The actual design doesn't exactly blow me away, and that attempt at masking the bulge feels rather unnecessary, but honestly, I have no complaints regarding the color palette. 🤷
Furthermore, I find the Sauber looking more appealing than last year's version. 🙏 This anthracite gray they've gone with strikes me as both tasteful and somewhat aggressive at the same time. 🙏
It’s quite clear that the kid was permitted to touch up his nose; after all, he was left looking exactly how he arrived (at least based on what we've seen so far). If we are being honest, it seems more as though FIA regulations were the primary concern here rather than the actual teams. And they knew exactly what they were signing up for when they agreed to foot the bill, knowing full well they weren't going to gain an inch on the starting grid...
Gentlemen, I have moved our debate regarding processors over to the paddock section.
So, as you are well aware, you received your partial ban before I ever stepped into this moderator role. That decision wasn't made by the moderators in isolation; it was handled in direct coordination with senior administration. As a new moderator coming into this, I inherited the situation exactly as it stood, leaving me with very little room for maneuver. The only thing I can truly do—and I am willing to do this at my own risk—is to vouch for you to the rest of the team and attempt to request access to the sub-forum for a fellow fan. To move forward with that, I require two things from you: - An explicit commitment that you will avoid any nonsense, particularly behavior aimed at badgering the moderation staff, and - That if your partial ban is lifted, you accept it as a gesture of good faith rather than viewing it as some sort of victory in a battle against authority.
To be completely transparent, I must reiterate that lifting your ban is not within my jurisdiction. My only intention here is to see if I can, on my own responsibility, negotiate a concession on your behalf.
That Renault looks sharp! 😍 It’s a shame about the bump, though I suppose it wasn't worth the cost to fix, especially since we're staring down a massive technological overhaul next year alongside last year's chemical regulation changes. 😁
As long as they stay competitive like they were last season, who cares about a little dent? Besides, Ferrari and Sauber will likely look even more unsightly. 😁
Listen, friend, mistybear87 and the others clearly have no intention of replying anymore, so I suspect you might be hitting a dead end on that front.
However, much like the very first day of your exile, I am eagerly looking forward to the moment you return to the group you belong to. I am not sure if you still keep our old correspondence, but in our last or second-to-last exchange, I outlined exactly what you would need to do regarding this matter. If you don't have those messages, just let me know and I will send them over again; alternatively, if you prefer, I can simply list the main points right here. You weren't fond of that approach back then, but it is necessary now if I am ever going to attempt my part of the process.
A clever little observation... After all, YouTube is accessible to just about everyone these days, and let's be honest, you won't find a media platform any cheaper than that. 🙏