Posts by Susan Alvarez94

I am discussing Alonso’s penalty today, not Vettel’s from last time. In my view, Vettel shouldn't have been penalized back then either.

So your argument boils down to this: he deserves punishment, and I’m just an idiot because I can't pinpoint exactly why. I believe I have every right to be insulted by that logic, don't I?

Jerry Rogers6, if I’m supposedly too dense to locate the specific rule that happens to suit your argument, why aren't you simply posting it here yourself? Either the regulation doesn't actually exist, or you are simply incapable of the basic task of pasting a link or quoting the text from the article. If you find yourself struggling with the text, I suppose I could even translate it for you.

Here are the regulations:
Drag Reduction System
Published with permission from the FIA.

27.5 Driver-adjustable bodywork permitted under Article 3.18 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations:
a) Throughout all free practice sessions and qualifying, the adjustable bodywork may only be deployed by the driver in specific track sections where it is designated for use during the race. However, should visibility become poor, the Race Director maintains absolute discretion to disable all such systems until weather or track conditions improve.
Should the adjustable bodywork be disabled in this manner at the commencement of any of the three qualifying segments (Q1, Q2, or Q3), it shall remain inactive for the duration of that specific segment.
b) Solely for the purpose of facilitating overtaking during the race, the driver may activate the adjustable bodywork once they have completed two laps following the race start or a safety car deployment.
A driver is permitted to activate the adjustable bodywork during the race only after receiving notification through the onboard control electronics (refer to Article 8.2 of the Formula 1 Technical Regulations) indicating it is enabled. Activation is only permitted if the driver is within one second of the preceding car at predetermined points on the circuit. The control electronics will automatically disable the system the moment the driver applies the brakes following activation. In instances of poor visibility, or if yellow flags are displayed within the activation zone, the Race Director may, at his absolute discretion, disable all such systems until conditions improve or the yellow flags are rescinded.
The FIA reserves the right, following consultation with all competing teams, to adjust these proximity time limits to ensure the primary objective of the adjustable bodywork is achieved.
c) In the event of a technical malfunction in the system responsible for notifying the driver that they are within one second of the leading car—and thus authorized to use the adjustable bodywork—the respective team may petition the Race Director for permission to override the system. If such permission is granted, the responsibility falls entirely upon the team to ensure their driver only utilizes the adjustable bodywork while actually within one second of the car ahead.
Once the system malfunction is repaired, the driver is prohibited from using this override; the Race Director will inform the team once the fault has been resolved.

Feel free to extract whatever information you find useful.

Jason Campbell70 said:The FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. :face_with_sunglasses:

Even Vettel knew. Just one lap prior, he was complaining over the team radio about how Hulkenberg was using DRS at that exact same spot.

Is that supposed to be a hyperlink or just a block of text from the rulebook? If it's meant to be a link, it isn't appearing blue or underlined, and it looks broken on my end. On the other hand, if this is intended to be the entire excerpt, then it provides absolutely no context whatsoever. And for what it's worth, my father has a bigger one than yours.

First, my congratulations to the winner on a thoroughly deserved victory. Moving forward, however, I would like someone to point me toward the specific section of the rulebook that dictates Alonso should be penalized. Please provide the direct link or paste the relevant text here—"or forever hold your peace." It was an incredible cascade of errors, compounded by DRS issues and tire degradation, that ultimately cost Ferrari a significant number of points. While it initially appeared they wouldn't even be in a position to challenge the leader, one has to wonder: if the race had been held in the dry and Alonso hadn't faced such a series of setbacks, would the current winner have actually managed to hold onto his position, or would his concentration have simply crumbled?🤷Rosberg’s performance was exactly what we anticipated—his race pace just wasn't there. But then again, nothing is ever truly decided until the checkered flag flies, is it? As for the Alonso detractors out there: you have to give credit where it's due. You must admit he drove an exceptional race, especially considering the massive handicap he was working with.

Edward Howard2 said:Wait, I'm lost... who is kmečko? Is he talking about Kimi or just being a jerk? 😁

And when exactly did Kimi complain? Other than the fact that there was no alcohol available.😍

Jeeeee, could he have actually stood on equal footing within an English team led by an English driver? Besides, Hemić is easily the most sensitive, crybaby type out there.

In America, things have always been transparent, even back during the Eddie Irvine era: Deda would bring everyone over to Cora’s villa, she’d serve them some fine coffee, and they’d just sit down and talk it out. I suspect it's a similar setup with Fernando Alonso. The difference is that we don't even try to hide it, so it doesn't look childish; plus, we’ve never risked an internal collision while being part of the same team (Montreal doesn't count because they weren't teammates then). At the end of the day, even Deda, after breaking his leg during those final few races, played the role of the wingman for Eddie Irvine when it mattered, even if it wasn't helping him personally. I don't think Kmečko is the type of person who would act like that if he were in a similar spot. Neither Alonso nor Deda ever whined about tire strategy or complained about the opponents' drivers... and most importantly, at no point did they signal to their teammate that they wouldn't attempt an overtake, only to turn around and do it anyway. So, perhaps those two are scumbags too, but at least they never had to apologize to their own teammates.☕

Ashley Ramirez4 said:Tbf1, you're saying the guy used up all his sets, which might give Vettel an edge. I don't know, maybe—there's a chance Ferrari did that on purpose. If we look back at last year, Ferrari struggled right after their pit stops. People were saying they couldn't get the tires up to temperature, but what if it was actually just the initial surface layer? Like, maybe there's such a massive gap in how fast the rubber wears down that Red Bull hits that optimal "working" layer almost immediately, while Ferrari needs like three laps to get there. And honestly, it doesn't look like tire durability is even their issue this time.

There is no such thing as a tire advantage held by Red Bull over Ferrari. Not ever. And I suspect there won't be in the future, either.
If we want to discuss qualifying performance from previous seasons, or race pace, or top speed on the straights, then we have a conversation. We can even debate which circuits favor specific teams or drivers. But let me be clear: there is absolutely no inherent tire advantage held by any competitor against Ferrari.

Even a driver with his pedigree can't seem to make those Pirelli tires work for him.😁

Unfortunately, I missed the action because I was stuck at work, but the core issue here is: how on earth does someone slower manage to overtake someone faster🤷 Therefore, taking the third slot on a cleaner part of the track should theoretically provide an advantage. Given what happened during the last race, bringing up tire degradation regarding Ferrari is completely irrelevant right now. For the order to actually be interesting, things would need to go differently. If Fernando manages to pass Prstić... well, let's just say I don't see him having any chance of finishing ahead at the start. Unless there's rain, technical failures, or a massive collision, he's stuck. Ferrari is looking incredibly strong this season. The real question remains: will Mr. Main Driver Red Bull who gives wings decide to brake too early again at Turn 1 🤷?

I’m all for using Chinese-style tactics. As for the fans, their logic is exhausting. Last year, Ferrari almost clinched the championship, so apparently, that wasn't good enough. Last weekend, they were absolutely dominant, yet somehow that was also wrong. Now they’re leading the practice sessions, and suddenly even that is a problem. What happens when we actually win the title? I suppose even then, it won't be sufficient for them.😕

People will inevitably claim that if everyone had run their third qualifying session on hard tires, Sebastian Vettel would have been faster on the medium tire. The reality is you have to watch the radar; you can't predict the rain there until the very last second before lights go out. During the race in China, the real issue wasn't that Sebastian Vettel was tearing up the soft tires—it was that he completely missed his line in a corner during the third qualifying lap. He essentially gave up on the lap just so he could strategically pick his starting compounds. But let’s be honest: even if he had managed to put a run in on any tire after that mistake, there was no theoretical way he could have pulled close to Fernando Alonso.
Has the Red Bull that provides the downforce actually proven it has a car superior to the Ferrari this season? Not yet. Furthermore, I maintain that Fernando Alonso is a greater and more skilled driver than Sebastian Vettel. And I say that not as a fan, but as an observer.

I can't help but wonder: what would have happened if they had actually provided a super soft option? Instead, the only "choice" we were given was the soft tire. It’s the same old story—Felipe Massa burned through his stint way too early on those softs. You can see the evidence clearly when you look at Vettel's lap times toward the end, right as he was closing in on Hemić. This was precisely when there was maximum rubber on the track, the moment when a softer compound theoretically should have held up much better. Furthermore, I maintain that Bahrain belongs to no one. If things go smoothly, I think we might finally see Vettel and Fernando Alonso face off on equal footing. Perhaps then we can finally settle once and for all who the superior driver truly is. Up until now, it hasn't been possible to accurately measure who holds the edge because there have always been external variables interfering. And let's be honest, the primary variable has been that Adrian Newey has had a class above car all these years.

As I previously stated, he was essentially killed off by an extra lap on those subpar soft tires. He was sacrificed all for the sake of Fernando Alonso. And as for the argument that Alonso was "at a disadvantage because everyone started on softs"—give me a break. Could they not have simply run the third lap of qualifying on mediums so everyone would be on equal footing at the start? Honestly, what kind of conversation are we even having here?🙂 If we are going to engage in these debates, let's actually use meaningful data.😕

Let’s bring some perspective to this discussion. By my own standards, Ferrari managed to preserve their tires quite effectively. As the legend Fernando Alonso once noted: "but I'm not squeezing them." Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, and Lewis Hamilton all extracted the absolute maximum from both their cars and the unfolding circumstances. Meanwhile, Massa suffered simply because he had to sit there for an entire lap waiting for Alonso to pit; otherwise, his performance was equally impressive. Then there is the matter of Toro Rosso and Red Bull—one can only wonder what they did to Mark Webber. I won't speculate on whether any of this was intentional. Frankly, I don't care, because if they are intentionally sabotaging themselves just to secure a constructors' title, so be it. I am also quite pleasantly surprised by the fact that we cannot pin any involvement on Lewis Hamilton regarding the various "racing incidents" that, of course, took place. As for the DRS penalty, I find it hard to justify; why disable it under yellow flags on a straightway that is arguably questionable? If things were truly dangerous, they could have disabled it entirely. Furthermore, post-race penalties only make sense if they affect the grid for the next race rather than being applied to time penalties; time adjustments can be manipulated so that nobody actually suffers. In that regard, grid penalties in Bahrain would smell suspiciously like Bernie Ecclestone meddling to manufacture a specific outcome.

And what if Ferrari hadn't made such a fuss about it? It isn't as if Bridgestone was just sitting there waiting to be manipulated, allowing Ferrari to claim they were testing tires just so the manufacturer could produce custom rubber "to order."

He’s started. Or at least, I think he has. He just hasn't crossed the finish line yet.

First off, he didn't go wide; he simply barreled straight into the left-hander because he approached it like an absolute amateur. Secondly, is he even allowed to change tires once he's entered the timed lap sequence, or is entering the third qualifying session effectively a guaranteed ticket to parc fermé? Because if he's forced to start on those exact same tires, he might as well forget about a decent finishing position—unless he manages to trigger a massive chain reaction collision involving the entire top ten. And even then, we're talking about the lead pack. Furthermore, if he does opt for a tire change, wouldn't someone like Hulkenberg be sitting ahead of him at the very least if no one else makes a move?🤷