1287 posts shown.
Timothy Castillo6 said:Does anyone happen to know how much of this was left notused up?
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/03/0...ace-announced/
What about those Ferrari medium tires? 😁
As for the Mercedes, Nico was struggling with his brakes, and he was also right on the edge with his tire wear—specifically, that rear left was completely spent:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report...-had-to-retire
ruggedhawk20 said:Ferrari didn't actually mess up their strategy.
Ferrari simply doesn't have a car capable of taking first place; it's built for third or fourth at best. So, if they even hope to catch a glimpse of the leader, they are forced to gamble on radical strategies.
Even if Ferrari had chosen what was considered the "correct" strategy, wouldn't they have just ended up in third place all over again?
I couldn't disagree more. Sebastian Vettel would have finished in at least second place. After all, Lewis Hamilton wouldn't have been able to overtake an AlphaTauri powered by last year's Ferrari engine directly on the track.
ruggedhawk20 said:Fine. I suppose I should revise my previous statement, which currently stands as follows:
Do you honestly believe that Lewis Hamilton—a driver who dominated seventy percent of the races during the V6 era and captured every single championship available to him back then—is somehow going to botch his race starts two times in a row?
And even if he does stumble at the lights, we still have the perfectly reliable Nico Rosberg waiting in the wings to make up for any error Hamilton might make.
So, if you ask me, seeing a Ferrari victory this season is nothing more than a pipe dream.
If you don't take my word for it, you can always go ask the only living legend.
Well, they certainly managed to mess things up last year in Canada and the United Kingdom, didn't they? It doesn't mean they won't do it again, but I would argue that while they might struggle with starts, they can't possibly fail as spectacularly as Ferrari tends to fail with their race strategy. 🤦
That being said, I actually expect to see Ferrari standing on that top step of the podium sometime this season.
ruggedhawk20 said:Do you honestly believe that a Mercedes-Benz team, which dominated 85% of the races during the V6 era and snatched up every single title available to them back then, would somehow manage to botch their race starts two times in a row?
It wasn't actually Mercedes that botched the start, but rather Lewis Hamilton himself. On the other hand, Sebastian Vettel had an absolutely stellar launch. As for Nico Rosberg and Kimi Räikkönen, they both managed to pull off equally decent starts from the dirty side of the track.
I almost neglected to mention that Kimi Räikkönen was acting more like a firefighter in the pits today rather than the Iceman we know and love 😬
And Rosberg keeps this momentum going, sitting at four wins now. If Nico manages to pull it off in the next race, Hamilton is going to see that championship slip right through his fingers. Mark my words. 🙂
Man, Ferrari really could have handled that better. I’m left with this lingering impression that they essentially handed over the victory. That red flag was just the lifeline Mercedes needed to claw their way back into contention, which, if we are being honest, means Ferrari is actually posing a legitimate threat to Mercedes, a development that should be viewed positively for the overall season 👍
. However, when you are competing at this elite level of motorsport, making such amateurish tactical blunders is simply inexcusable. What on earth were they thinking, opting for two sets of Medium tires?? They didn't even attempt a single 🤦. If they were truly that apprehensive about how those Mediums would perform, surely they could have implemented distinct strategies for their drivers following the red flag? Perhaps putting Kimi Räikkönen on the Medium tire while assigning Sebastian Vettel to the S / SS? Instead, they seemed to settle upon the worst possible course of action.
On another note, the sheer pace of Red Bull is quite striking, which suggests that Williams is almost certainly going to slip from third place in the standings.
As for Max Verstappen, it is much like what the Americans say, he went from hero to zero. It was a magnificent start to the race, only for him to completely fumble the second half. Sometimes, one must pay the price for a lack of experience. The Dutchman really needs to focus on developing his patience and maintaining his composure.
Regarding the collision between Fernando Alonso and Gutierrez, I view that as a clean racing incident. I sincerely hope that no penalties are handed out. Once again, F1 has pleasantly surprised us with the incredibly high standard of safety that the drivers enjoy within their cockpits 👍
. All things considered, I would give this race a 7/10.
If the weather holds up tomorrow and we find ourselves looking at a gap of more than thirty seconds between Ferrari and the leaders, then I suppose we might have to accept the grim reality that this entire season belongs to Mercedes.
I suspect that Ferrari is placing their primary hopes on their race pace, essentially betting that they can actually challenge Mercedes once the lights go out and the real racing begins. We shall simply have to wait and see how things unfold tomorrow, won't we? If one recalls last year at the Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari seemed to possess much more than mere potential during the race itself compared to their qualifying performance. However, what strikes me as truly encouraging for Ferrari is that even after undergoing such significant concept changes, they remain remarkably competitive. And since this current concept is still relatively fresh, is there not plenty of room for them to continue making progress?
northerncobra31 said:I suppose I am the first one here who would dearly love to see them have made more significant progress, but I find myself compelled to remain realistic; while they will undoubtedly be faster during the race, will they truly be fast enough to secure the championship? Of course, I am only suggesting this because the initial forecasts suggested they were trailing by a mere 0.2 seconds.
Out on the track in San Francisco
Good heavens, I am beginning to wonder if Lewis Hamilton actually needs glasses, or if he simply chooses to wear those high-fashion frames just for the aesthetic 🤦
northerncobra31 said:I am discussing the season average here, rather than focusing on Australia or any single specific race, which frankly doesn't interest me; everyone else remains at the same level
But surely you can grasp the notion that every circuit possesses its own unique characteristics that might favor one car over another to varying degrees? Consequently, wouldn't it be much more logical to compare lap times when they are recorded on the exact same track?
northerncobra31 said:we’ve seen more cars fighting for position on track during Q3 in previous years👍 🙏
I would argue we saw at least four times as much action in those final five minutes in past seasons compared to what we witnessed today, wouldn't you? Besides, if one were to listen to the chatter in the paddock, it seems everyone is absolutely loathing this current format; even Christian Horner has suggested that they will likely revert to the previous structure quite soon. That is really all there is to say about the matter.
northerncobra31 said:they really are, though I was actually reflecting on the entirety of last season; they seemed to be hovering right around that 0.5 to 0.8 second mark most of the time, and I fear we might see that same pattern repeat this year, though as a dedicated Ferrari supporter, I truly hope my pessimism is misplaced.
But how could one possibly claim they were moving within a 0.5 to 0.8 range when, during qualifying in Los Angeles last season, the gap was actually 1.4 seconds? 🤔
northerncobra31 said:It seems you haven't been following Formula 1 for very long, because the only real change is that results are released instantly now rather than waiting five minutes; everything else remains fundamentally unchanged, so if you find yourself lacking realism or objectivity, I suppose that isn't my concern to fix.
Well, we have certainly seen plenty of cars out on the track, particularly during Q3, 🙏
and no, I haven't been following this sport for more than the last two and a half decades.👍
northerncobra31 said:Regarding the actual results, I have to say I am feeling rather disappointed with Ferrari; I wasn't anticipating they would be within 0.2 seconds like some people suggested, but they seem stuck in the same place, likely hovering somewhere between 0.5 and 0.8 through the season.
But they aren't actually in the same position at all. If one looks at the data after the first stint in Q3—which was the only attempt for Ferrari—Sebastian Vettel was trailing by half a second. When you consider that last year Vettel's gap at this circuit during qualifying was a full 1.4 seconds, isn't there actually significant progress being made?
northerncobra31 said:What kind of disaster was that? Does it really matter if they waited five minutes before giving up or if they threw in the towel five minutes after? In the grand scheme of things, the outcome remains fundamentally unchanged, does it not?
Are we truly discussing the same player we saw during the qualifiers? I find myself wondering, did you actually watch the footage, or are you simply engaging in some sort of lighthearted trolling?☕
What an absolute disaster 🤦
It seems all too likely that we are witnessing a coordinated boycott
jadeseal7 said:Is there some fundamental reason why we have to deal with the long-range forecasts before Practice 3 and qualifying even begin?
Not necessarily, you know. The deadline isn't actually until midnight tomorrow.
darkmarlin16 said:I’m anticipating similar results from McLaren this season, though perhaps only under ideal conditions.
That seems unlikely. Perhaps towards the end of the season, if Honda manages to make significant strides with the power unit development.
jadeseal7 said:In case anyone is looking for the press conference
I have just finished watching the footage, and I find myself compelled to highlight two specific observations that struck me during the viewing.
1. When asked whether Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo would ever wish to be teammates again, the Australian seemed remarkably guarded in his response; one cannot help but wonder if there are perhaps some lingering, unresolved tensions from their shared history, which feels quite peculiar, does it not?
2. Furthermore, Lewis Hamilton expressed a firm conviction that Ferrari is intentionally withholding its true potential, suggesting they will be positioned very close to the Germans.