Posts by graniteharbor502

A brief summary of the race via the onboard camera footage:
http://www.somersf1.blogspot.co.uk/2...monaco-gp.html

stormybadger8 said:It feels somewhat peculiar, though Red Bull's components were all brand new, whereas regarding Valtteri Bottas, I cannot say I am entirely certain...

Furthermore, following the qualifying session, they opted to swap out the MGU-K and the electronics for him, which means he is now prohibited from utilizing them...
He even had a completely new gearbox...

Everything was pristine, yet once again, it simply failed us. 🙂Is there any logic to it?
Red Bull, manufactured in China, I suppose. 😬 🤣

But if nothing else can be said, the race car truly does look absolutely stunning. 🙏

The race car is truly magnificent!

Roger Wright94 said:By the way, who would you even consider the driver of the race here, besides Jules Bianchi?

Well, if you ask me, Ricciardo was solid, though perhaps it felt almost routine.
Or should we perhaps point toward Hulk as being the standout among the rest?

Ricciardo wasn't actually bad, though one might argue he reached the podium due to a certain web of circumstances. I find myself doubting whether he truly would have secured that third-place finish had Sebastian Vettel not retired, and if Kimi hadn't struggled so much with his tires against Max Chilton.

One really shouldn't overlook Nico Rosberg either. And you made a fair point regarding Hulk; it was certainly another one of his quite impressive performances.

steelmaker83 said:I find myself wondering, quite sincerely, what exactly seems to be the trouble with you? Is there some underlying cause for this sudden shift in temperament, or perhaps a misunderstanding that has gone unaddressed between us?

What do you mean by a four or five-second gap? At the exact moment the Safety Car pulled in, Fernando Alonso had already managed to slash his lead from seven seconds down to just 3.3 seconds. If one were to assume that standard pit stops would have waited another two or three laps, wouldn't that have brought the margin down to under two seconds?

It is truly vital to consider exactly where Kimi Räikkönen might emerge from his pit stop and what kind of traffic he would find himself navigating on track. In a place like the Monaco Grand Prix, deciding when to dive into the pits is an incredibly risky gamble, primarily because of how congested the circuit becomes. Would it not be devastating if Kimi Räikkönen simply got caught in the pack, losing two full seconds in a single lap just by being stuck behind slower cars?

If one were to take a moment to carefully examine the lap times recorded during the initial tire stint, an interesting pattern begins to emerge, wouldn't you agree? When you look closely at the data, you will find that Kimi Räikkönen's fastest single lap actually outpaced Fernando Alonso's best effort; in fact, if we delve even deeper into the telemetry, it becomes quite clear that Kimi Räikkönen managed to clock three separate laps that were all faster than Fernando Alonso's very best time.
Is it not truly fascinating how we find ourselves once again reflecting upon the storied career of Fernando Alonso, particularly when one considers the sheer weight of his legacy within the sport? As I sat contemplating the various trajectories a driver can take, I couldn't help but wonder if anyone else feels that profound sense of nostalgia when revisiting the milestones of his journey. Does the passage of time not make these historical achievements feel even more significant than they did in the heat of the moment? It seems to me that his ability to navigate the complexities of the track remains a subject worthy of endless study, wouldn't you agree?

After Alonso, it becomes quite evident that overtaking at the Monaco Grand Prix is an almost impossible feat, isn't it? When a driver holds the position ahead—in this specific instance, Kimi Räikkönen—they essentially possess the absolute authority to dictate their own pace for the entire field. Now, one must consider that Kimi Räikkönen is far too seasoned a veteran to simply burn through his tires during those opening laps of the race; therefore, I find myself leaning toward a different interpretation of the unfolding events. Is it not more likely that Kimi Räikkönen was simply preserving his rubber in anticipation of one final charge before his pit stop? Furthermore, if we take a moment to scrutinize those closing laps leading up to the deployment of the Safety Car, can we not observe that Fernando Alonso's own pace began to taper off, causing the gap between him and the Finn to steadily diminish? At that stage, Kimi Räikkönen held a 17-second cushion over Kevin Magnussen, a margin that seemed to be widening continuously. Within just a few more laps, that buffer would have been more than sufficient to allow Kimi Räikkönen to pit seamlessly and rejoin the track still positioned ahead of the Dane. It brings to mind how, during his own initial pit entry, Felipe Massa held a 14.3-second advantage over Kimi Räikkönen, only to emerge from the pits trailing by a mere 2.7 seconds.
Following that drop in position caused by Chilton's oversight, it becomes quite difficult to make any meaningful comparisons regarding pace, particularly since Kimi found himself trailing behind Kobayashi and then subsequently stuck behind Sergio Gutiérrez. As for Fernando Alonso, Daniel Ricciardo had already pulled away, leaving him with nothing but clear track ahead of him. However, if we take into account that Gutiérrez spun out on lap 60, and noting that by lap 68 Kimi was already tucked up against the rear of Jenson Button's car, we can at least attempt to compare the pace maintained by the Ferrari drivers between laps 61 and 67; during that stretch, Kimi managed to chip away at Alonso's lead by 3.1 seconds. Of course, one shouldn't overlook Kimi Räikkönen's fastest lap. In the realm of fastest lap statistics, only Michael Schumacher—and perhaps Alain Prost, depending on whether one counts those laps following the disqualifications of other drivers who set faster times—stands ahead of Kimi. Yet, am I personally thrilled? Not exactly. Primarily because it seems as though a podium finish has simply vanished into thin air. It almost makes all this analysis feel somewhat futile, doesn't it? Regardless, we must remember that none of this fault lies with Kimi.

steelmaker83 said:Furthermore, my hypothesis regarding whether Fernando Alonso could maintain competitive lap times on aged tires is rooted in what we observed from Felipe Massa. It was quite remarkable, wasn't it? Even after the rest of the field had already made their pit stops, Massa managed to clock incredibly impressive times while running on those worn-out tires; in fact, he was significantly faster than his own teammate who was benefiting from a fresh set of rubber.

So... where does that leave us?

If you look strictly at the lap times, sure, it might seem like Felipe Massa was faster than Valtteri Bottas while running on those older tires. But when you actually observe the track situation, you see Massa cruising with clear air right in front of him, whereas Bottas is stuck trailing behind Jenson Button in a little train. How can we truly know how fast he could have been if he weren't being held up? And then there is Fernando Alonso; his pace on the old rubber was dropping, hitting a 1:21.8 on that final lap just before the Safety Car came out, yet just look at the pace he found on the soft tires once the Safety Car cleared. By only the third lap—right after Daniel Ricciardo gave him a bit of breathing room—he was already clocking times eight tenths faster than that. In recent seasons, the concept of the "undercut" has become such a standard fixture, where the driver who pits earlier gains the advantage by utilizing those fresh tires. Given everything I have just laid out, I find myself wondering upon what basis you are building this optimism that Fernando Alonso might actually manage to leapfrog Kimi Räikkönen.🤷

http://formula1.ferrari.com/role/world_champions

😍

steelmaker83 said:Maybe he will, maybe he won't; I personally hope he does, just so we can finally determine if there is any substance left in him, because what he has displayed up to this point has been far too little.

Far too little? If one evaluates the situation solely by the points accumulated, then yes, I suppose I must agree. However, if one takes the actual events on the track into account, don't the circumstances appear to be quite different from that narrow perspective?
At the Australian Grand Prix, based on the observations provided by Pat Fry, I certainly wouldn't say he underperformed significantly: "On both the F14 Ts, we had some electrical problems, especially on Kimi’s car, which meant he couldn’t use all the car’s potential."
During the Malaysian Grand Prix, in the second lap, Kimi found himself positioned right behind Alonso, only for Magnussen to puncture his tire. Kimi somehow managed to limp his way back to the pits, though he suffered damage to the car's floor in the process.
Then there was the Bahrain Grand Prix, where an unnecessary pit call forced a tire change only seven laps into the race—using the harder compound for that specific race—with tires that were already worn. Despite that, he still managed to finish just behind Alonso. Does that imply that Alonso also showed far too little during that particular race?
Regarding the Chinese Grand Prix, if we choose to overlook the technical issues with the car that resulted in him completing only an installation lap in P1, would we really claim he underperformed there?
At the Spanish Grand Prix, Kimi Räikkönen was faster than Alonso in qualifying (and Ted Kravitz even highlighted that document where the FIA warned Ferrari to align the Spanish driver's power unit with the regulations), and he remained ahead of him in the race as well, all while the team failed to show twice through their strategy which driver they were favoring. Furthermore, despite being on a less favorable strategy, Kimi finished just one spot behind Alonso. Does this mean Alonso also showed far too little in that race?
And finally, at the Monaco Grand Prix, is it even necessary to mention what happened aside from the order following the first—and for most drivers, the only—round of pit stops? What actually occurs is this: Max Chilton, driving behind the safety car mid-corner, lunges forward and punctures Kimi's tire:


Sapienti sat Quote : MAXYM

shadowhawk24 said:Based on the results I’ve been tracking, it actually seems like there were three, if my observations hold true. 🙂

I really only managed to catch the first segment of the race leading up to that initial SC, so I won't dwell too much on the specifics, though I must admit I was quite surprised by how Romain Grosjean managed to snag those points; it felt as though he had already made up a significant gap right around the time of the first SC. It truly is an impressive feat and a remarkable result, especially when one considers just how uncompetitive the Lotus looked during the Monaco Grand Prix.

I suppose I have momentarily lost my grip on the Caterham situation... 🙂
All four drivers powered by Renault managed to cross the finish line.

First race name: Jules Bianchi 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Second race name: Nico Rosberg 🙏
Kimi Räikkönen was once again outperforming both Ferrari drivers, though I suppose my little nickname for him wasn't entirely without merit.
Wouldn't the race have been significantly more compelling if Vettel hadn't been left struggling in the wake of that Renault engine? As it stands, Mercedes secured yet another one-two finish, as the English brothers might say.
It seems Renault is still grappling with reliability issues, isn't it? Only two drivers powered by their engine actually managed to see the checkered flag.

Unofficial standings for Group D:

forti 35
tibi 33
darkmarlin16 25
coastaldrifter6 34
Patrick Bailey4 35
ogi 31

What kind of qualifying was that? 🤣

Nico Rosberg essentially drove himself into a corner and somehow managed to come out ahead because of it. But really, shouldn't we be looking at Lewis Hamilton and asking why he wasn't pushing harder during that initial run? Is it his fault for not finding that extra bit of pace when it mattered most?

I find myself quite sincerely hoping for some rain tomorrow. 👋

swifttiger75 said:Here is the link for Free Practice 3, which will also be used for qualifying and the race itself.

Much obliged, 😁

Richard Wilson4 said:If you hadn't been acting so smug and picking fights, I would've just stayed quiet. But since you won't let it go, here’s a perfect quote from Raspudić's analysis to shut down this whining.

JUPES

Jutesov's naive, incompetent, mostly ideological descendant—depending on when he was born, he grew up on Polet, KROQ, and Feral. He’s a loser of the transition, unlike his more successful brother Jupek. He finds peace in the mass culture of the old America from the eighties, or later stuff from the region. Along the way, he soaked up those liberal-hedonistic values of the capitalist West, but he's frustrated because he can't afford to consume them like he wants to. For all his misery, he blames the Herzegovinians, Harmon, and the tycoons.

That doesn't mean everyone watching those shows, listening to decent rock, or remembering a stronger soccer league is like that.
But when they start moaning about "how everything was better before," I honestly can't take them seriously.

America is definitely in a crisis, but after 25 years, it's hard to have a crystal-clear view. No matter how aggressive or arrogant people claim to be, they're mixing up missing their youth with the current economic mess.

Perhaps if you stepped outside for a moment and engaged with people in person, you would realize that every single individual is a universe unto themselves, and no attempt to categorize them into neat little boxes can ever truly capture their complexity. For heaven's sake, music, films, and series were higher quality in the past, but should people really stop enjoying them just because of Raspudić or folks like him? It’s honestly quite painful to witness!

boldcyclist67 and silentcobra80 have provided an explanation regarding 🙏🙏🙏

The

The 2014 Monaco Grand Prix.

1. Nico Rosberg
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Sebastian Vettel
4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Kimi Raikkonen
7. Valtteri Bottas
8. Sergio Perez
9. Nico Hulkenberg
10. Jenson Button

jadeseal7 said:All respect to Alonso, but I have this nagging feeling that Ferrari might actually secure their spot on the third row during qualifying. It is quite a relief that the gearbox issue on Kimi's car cropped up during Practice rather than when it really mattered, wouldn't you agree?

I suspect Red Bull will be incredibly competitive, though there is always that lingering possibility that Ferrari might just pull off a surprise.

Spain 2014.

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Nico Rosberg
3. Sebastian Vettel
4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Kimi Räikkönen
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Jenson Button
8. Kevin Magnussen
9. Valtteri Bottas
10. Felipe Massa

darkmarlin16 said:May Rosberg be cursed 🙂

Dvajs'pet 🤷

Oh, come on, let's not get overly dramatic here. If my math is correct, you actually walk away with the group victory with 29 points.

The 2014 China Grand Prix results.

1. Nico Rosberg
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Sebastian Vettel
4. Daniel Ricciardo
5. Kimi Räikkönen
6. Fernando Alonso
7. Valtteri Bottas
8. Felipe Massa
9. Jenson Button
10. Kevin Magnussen

ruggedhawk20 said:You’re just being dense because you don't get it—simple as that. You stared at the screen, saw the guy in third crossing first, and decided to come here and cry about it. Listen, thousands of people watching the race twenty years ago knew exactly why the leader was technically third—it was crystal clear—but since a few thousand people today are just as clueless as you, Bernie decided to play hero and simplify things for the masses, even if it meant screwing over the leader.

That’s exactly my point—F1 races used to be these niche little events that only a tiny handful of people actually cared about. For every fan watching, there were like a hundred others who didn't give a damn.

Look, I don't follow football—I have no clue who Arsenal is, how they ended up named after some coach, or what a corner even is... whatever. All I know is it’s basically 22 guys chasing one ball while only two wear gloves, and everyone else just wears cleats. Also, a 0-0 tie is mind-numbingly boring. So, if someone actually fixed the game for me—like, making the goals the full width of the field, killing off the offside rule, and getting rid of goalies entirely just to stop those zero-score snoozefests—what would a "real" fan think? Would they actually have a point if they told me to go jump in Lake Tahoe?

I’ve been obsessed with F1 since back when it was actually just a rulebook for building cars—not this circus we have now. Back before Google existed, before all the cheating, and before the constant drama—it actually made sense. If you started on pole, you won. Simple. You were the fastest in qualifying, so obviously, you were the fastest on race day—and if you're the fastest, nobody's passing you. It was common sense, period.

Then the Disney crowd showed up and decided the race was "boring." Those are the people who ruined my sport—I didn't change theirs, because honestly, I never even bothered to change their sport—since their version was boring to begin with, just like mine was to them from day one. Truth is, I never even noticed their sport existed, and I still don't.

It’s all just a mindset thing—honestly. If I don't like something, I just stop watching; if they don't like it, they go ahead and change it. Some people call that progress, others call it aggression—it’s a total gray area. Look, I’m not claiming I’m right, I’m just saying you and I aren't cut from the same cloth. You like one thing, I like another. You’ll probably call me a bully, and I might just call you some stuck-up, old-fashioned dinosaur whose time has passed. Maybe. Who knows?

Maybe my era is over—and yeah, it is. Was it better? Who knows. If F1 looked like this back then, I probably wouldn't have even noticed—actually, I’m pretty sure I wouldn't have given it a second thought.

I’m watching F1 today mostly because it reminds me of a sport I actually used to give a damn about—back when it was fun. One of my favorite things about following Formula 1 was being seen as a total weirdo for staring at cars driving in circles—and honestly? I loved that little bit of eccentricity. But nowadays, if you watch F1, you aren't some oddball anymore—you're just one of the masses—and that's where all the soul goes to die.

Then you get one of those days—totally polar opposite to how things used to be—where it actually hits you just how much the world has shifted. You’ve got two drivers, basically neck-and-neck in terms of talent and trophies, yet they trigger completely different vibes today. One guy practically breaks the internet, while the other is mostly just a niche topic for the die-hards.

and honestly, in the context of F1, they're basically the same guy

much respect 🙏

I suppose you didn't quite grasp why everyone on the road seemed to be moving at such a snail's pace...
It wasn't that they were driving slowly, per se...

We shall hold you in our memories forever


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v62StJvxLu8