Posts by Jason Campbell70

In Q1, everyone jumped out on full wets, except for those two Williams drivers sitting on intermediates.
The track is starting to dry out a bit, but I’m still expecting plenty of people sliding off into the gravel.

This could go on for quite a while.

As for the Grand Prix weekend, this is easily the highlight so far:


Americans just get it.

Richard Ross11 said:Yeah, he definitely looks worn out... whereas Charles Leclerc and Max haven't hit that wall yet... 🙂

There’s a valid point there, too. Leclerc has about one-fifth the race experience of Räikkönen, who remains the most seasoned driver in Formula 1 by the numbers.

Jason Campbell70 said:It’s actually pretty entertaining watching Kim Raikkonen; the guy just keeps embarrassing himself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74fdcs0KIzE

And that wasn't even his only blunder:


Rough.

So, the only casualty of Free Practice 2 is that driver everyone’s been debating—the one some call the future of the sport, while others just see him as a pushover.

EDIT — well, there goes Max. He fell apart with just 2:30 left on the clock.
Red flag. Free Practice 2 is over.

Free Practice 2 was much like Free Practice 1; despite a bit of sun peeking through, it’s still pretty overcast.
More dry than wet, yet interestingly, the driver who set the fastest time (Lando Norris) opted for intermediates first before switching over to hard slicks.

Is anyone even watching the Free Practice sessions?



Watch your step. Keep those cards tucked away.
Mercedes is tinkering with things. Lewis Hamilton ran with more downforce on the rear wing—looks like they’re testing a setup for rain. He was a bit slower through Sector 1, but managed to outpace Valtteri Bottas in S2. This should be interesting to watch.

It’s actually pretty interesting watching Kim Raikkonen lately. Is the guy just determined to keep embarrassing himself?

Raymond Anderson4 said:I'm hoping for some rain, by the way. 😁

One silver lining with all this rain? There's no DRS.
The downside to rain? It opens the door for someone like Esteban Ocon to actually pull off a win.

stormybadger8 said:It’s honestly irrelevant, given how many breakdowns there are anyway. Just the way it goes...

For the second time now, Daniel Ricciardo absolutely dismantled him in those head-to-head races.
No fluff. No filler. Just the facts.

stormybadger8 Asks:
It’s one thing when Mattia Binotto goes on a media rant, but it's an entirely different story when you look at what actually went down on the track and how much freedom Charles Leclerc was truly given...

What was he allowed to get away with?
Hopefully he won't go attacking a slower Sebastian Vettel ahead of him, like we saw during that first race in the USA?
Should they just ignore Sebastian Vettel after he asks over the radio, like what happened in China?
Or what about when they "accidentally" forgot to tell him that Vettel had a five-second penalty ahead of him? You know, just like what happened in Canada?
Or rather, what we saw happen repeatedly this season: Vettel trailing behind Leclerc, yet somehow Vettel gets the priority and hits the pits first?
It was pretty obvious, wasn't it? Leclerc was dropping positions while Vettel was moving up—and that gain came directly at Leclerc's expense.

stormybadger8 said:How is this even acceptable? How can a No. 2 driver, following Binotto's lead, refuse to give slipstream to his teammate during qualifying—basically sabotaging both himself and everyone else on track—only to end up with absolutely nothing in the end? What was the point?
Of course it is. Massa and Barrichello? They were constantly pulling stunts like that. 🙂

Barrichello back in Austria in 2002. He tried to go rogue. Wasn't that the whole point of him being the No. 2 driver? They had an agreement to let the No. 1 driver through if things got tricky during the race. Why break the deal then?

Charles Leclerc did the exact same thing at Monza.
The plan was already set for Q3. First, the No. 1 driver would provide the slipstream for the No. 2 driver. Then, during the most critical phase of qualifying, the roles would flip, with the No. 2 driver pulling the No. 1 driver along. Simple enough, right?
So then Charles Leclerc decided to play the hero. He ignored the pre-arranged team orders and completely threw his teammate under the bus. Why even bother with a strategy if you're just going to sabotage your own side?

Unlike Barrichello, who saw Ferrari essentially hand him four wins that season—some gifted directly like in the USA, others by letting a clearly faster Schumacher hold back—it felt like they were just waiting for any excuse to slap Leclerc.
They even managed to find an opportunity for that in Singapore.

If we end up having to debate who the lead driver is and who plays second fiddle once this race is over—and exactly what kind of freedom each one was given—then honestly, what's the point?

stormybadger8 said:Well, well, well...

Looking at the races they both finished, the record stands at a convincing 10-3 in favor of Richard.
There's nothing "debatable" about it.

stormybadger8 said:Regarding Leclerc, he’s treated as much of a favorite within the team as Alonso was back in the day—the obvious golden boy who could get away with anything...

Ferrari: Vettel still has priority over Leclerc in 50-50 situations

stormybadger8 said:Then there's Vettel's massive screw-up, that foolish youthful infatuation with Ferrari that he should have never even entertained.☕

It seems this has already been explained quite thoroughly by our colleague from a few years back.

He had two choices: stay with Red Bull, where Richard absolutely wrecked him last season, or head to Ferrari and become one of the highest-paid drivers on the grid.
Since Ferrari was his goal all along, he made the only logical move—the only move possible, really.

frozenheron7 said:I don't know. I wouldn't say it was just that. He had plenty of solid, consistent races—not even counting his time at Red Bull Racing. It felt like such a sudden, drastic sink. Maybe it was the pressure? Ferrari really destroyed him. 🙂

He actually started sinking long before he ever joined Ferrari.
Richard convincingly outclassed him during that 2014 Red Bull season.
Even though Richard had only just joined the team then, and even though he was brought in as the second driver.

That’s when Vettel heads off to Ferrari. Over there, having Kimi running around doesn't pose much of a threat.
Then, a driver arrives at Ferrari who has only one single Formula 1 season under his belt, and he also makes Vettel look like a complete amateur.
He repeats the feat the following season, but even more brutally.

Vettel was good when his teammates were sub-podium drivers like Webber or Kimi (and for most of his career, they were basically driving half-baked races), and they used to give him trouble.
But as soon as a truly relevant driver shows up—someone like Richard or Leclerc—Vettel loses his nerve and bolts from the team.

Richard Ross11 said:Don't they have some points from before?

Talking about the Canadian Grand Prix.

frozenheron7 said:I honestly can't pinpoint what caused such a massive slump in his career. Was it issues with his equipment? Maybe he just couldn't stay focused? It reminds me of when Lewis Hamilton was distracted by that messy relationship with that singer.

Poor driving skills. Not enough talent on the road.

stormybadger8 said:It’s not +8 anymore. It’s back down to +6. 🤣
https://www.formula1.com/en/results....1/drivers.html

Sebastian Vettel was moved back to 2nd place today...
https://www.formula1.com/en/results....ce-result.html

Last night when I went to bed, Kimi Räikkönen had 1 point.
This morning when I woke up, Kimi Räikkönen has 0 points.

Life is still good.

Woke up this morning to -8 degrees.
By late afternoon, it hit 43.
Now it’s 46.

Life is good.

Moving forward.

darkmarlin16 said:The guy actually went out and asked them to disqualify him. 😁

I'm not usually one to gloat, but honestly? After all this, I’m actually glad they disqualified him.

Joshua Wood5 said:Jason Campbell70, as someone who’s been following Formula 1 for years, you ought to know the driver doesn't call the shots on pit stops. They get the signal from the crew in the pits.

I find myself partially agreeing with you, Shamrock_One.

silverviper44 said:The influencers are getting lucky again. Honestly, how much luck can one person have? It’s getting ridiculous.

There's really no need for that kind of language.
Let's try to show some class, even when things don't go our way.

darkmarlin16 said:The podium 👋

Congrats, my friend. Carlosovljeva's persistence really paid off.

Congratulations once again!

Jason Campbell70 said:Even if it means that Finnish disaster Rajkonen managed to scrape together a point, I'm still feeling pretty conflicted about it. 🙂 😢

It looks like he’s finally starting to pull through.

Even if it means that Finnish underdog Rajkonen managed to scrape together a point, I’ve still got mixed feelings about it. 🙂 😢