Posts by ruggedcyclist56

Karma.

cosmicmoose2 said:What are you even talking about, man? Both Max and Charles blew it in those final laps, but Sainz definitely didn't.

How did Max blow it? He was dropping faster lap times every single turn! Sainz was cruising through S3, while Charles was stuck in S2 when he spun out and ruined his own lap. Plus, Max was right behind Charles, so he had to slow down because of that yellow flag in S2—which was totally Charles's fault anyway.

swiftmaker12 said:Things are already heating up in Italy...
Ferrari completely botched the strategy—but as usual, they sent out their little lapdogs to convince everyone that the team is filled with nothing but tactical geniuses and gods, just so they can pin everything on the drivers.
Right after the race, an Autosprint reporter blamed Carlos Sainz for the disaster, and the rest of the media just swallowed it whole. Sainz shot back yesterday, making it clear he isn't at fault and pointing out his contract doesn't include a clause stating he’s just the second driver.
Charles Leclerc had two certain wins snatched away in the last two races, yet the media—those absolute sycophants—are writing that he needs to watch his mouth because Ferrari is bigger than any single driver, even throwing Alain Prost's legacy in his face...
Ferrari is trying to sweep this under the rug to avoid admitting they need to overhaul their decision-making process—they're clearly terrified of taking any actual risks.
Add in the constant mocking from the Red Bull crew, and you've got pure panic inside Ferrari.
And that's despite the fact they finally managed to build a fast car after several years...
Clearly, after Australia, they thought the championship was a done deal—assuming other teams would just roll over once they saw Ferkan in their rearview mirror.
Word is everyone in Monaco blocked them, and nobody even bothered to pay the penalty.

Look, I'm a bit older—I remember what the FIA actually stood for back between 2000 and 2004.
Karma is a bitch.

If that's how it works, fine! Why don't they just win the championship without drivers at all? Problem solved, right?

swiftmaker12 said:Things are already heating up in Italy...
Ferrari completely botched the strategy—but as usual, they sent out their little lapdogs to convince everyone that the team is filled with nothing but tactical geniuses and gods, just so they can pin everything on the drivers.
Right after the race, an Autosprint reporter blamed Carlos Sainz for the disaster, and the rest of the media just swallowed it whole. Sainz shot back yesterday, making it clear he isn't at fault and pointing out his contract doesn't include a clause stating he’s just the second driver.
Charles Leclerc had two certain wins snatched away in the last two races, yet the media—those absolute sycophants—are writing that he needs to watch his mouth because Ferrari is bigger than any single driver, even throwing Alain Prost's legacy in his face...
Ferrari is trying to sweep this under the rug to avoid admitting they need to overhaul their decision-making process—they're clearly terrified of taking any actual risks.
Add in the constant mocking from the Red Bull crew, and you've got pure panic inside Ferrari.
And that's despite the fact they finally managed to build a fast car after several years...
Clearly, after Australia, they thought the championship was a done deal—assuming other teams would just roll over once they saw Ferkan in their rearview mirror.
Word is everyone in Monaco blocked them, and nobody even bothered to pay the penalty.

Look, I'm a bit older—I remember what the FIA actually stood for back between 2000 and 2004.
Karma is a bitch.

👍

We seriously need a separate thread just for Formula 1 conspiracy theories. Or maybe we should just move this whole discussion over to the Alternative sub-forum.

stormybadger8 said:Oh, you had "proof," sure. Plenty of lovely little proofs, didn't you? 🙂
The only "proof" you guys actually had was that Williams is slower than Red Bull. 🙂
Because Leclerc’s times while stuck behind a Williams that's holding him up are just as representative as Hamilton's times while trailing Alonso...

It’s not about priority; it’s about using Perez as a guinea pig for Max...
Once they see how the tires are behaving for Perez, then they decide whether to put them on Max or not. They messed up by accidentally giving Perez the advantage...
But if Max had asked for the pits himself without any hesitation, he would've gotten it. ☕

So you think that's a fairy tale, huh?
When the team tells Perez on live TV to let Max past, and we're supposed to believe that's just a fairy tale? Give me a break. 🙏

And you really think it was a coincidence that Max was significantly faster lap after lap than Checo?
What would they actually gain by having them fight on track, other than giving you a little thrill regardless of who wins? Because honestly, any of the three outcomes would lead to the same drama:

• If VER overtakes PER -> people will scream about how they told Checo to step aside before the race and how you can't expect anything better from a pathetic outfit like Red Bull.
• If PER keeps VER behind him -> the comments will be all about how VER is a total weakling and a complete fraud.
• If anything happens that causes a DNF for one or both drivers -> Red Bull are just idiots and nothing like a serious team like Mercedes because they're basically just a soda company with zero discipline, clearly shown by the fact they can't even manage their own drivers. And of course, Max gets labeled "Crashstappen" and an idiot just for good measure.

darkmarlin16 said:So, Jos Verstappen isn't exactly hiding his feelings here—he basically said he was pretty bummed out seeing Red Bull play those strategic games to give Sergio Perez the edge over Max in Monaco

🤣

Seriously, you've gotta look past the clickbait headlines.

Jos makes some pretty heavy points, particularly regarding how Max's season is going. His main take? The car just isn't clicking with the way Max drives.

“Speaking as a dad, the race was a letdown. Seeing Max finish third was tough. It was obvious he had a brutal weekend. It all goes back to the car—it just hasn't developed the right traits for his specific style yet. Max is struggling way too much with front-end grip. And when you're in Monaco dealing with those tight, snappy corners, you desperately need a car that turns on a dime. This wasn't it.”

He also feels like the team should've backed Max more (even if he admits he's biased here).

“Red Bull pulled off a decent result, sure, but they didn't do nearly enough to push Max toward the front. Honestly, he only grabbed third because Ferrari messed up during Charles Leclerc's second pit stop. The championship leader, Max, didn't get the support he needed from the pit wall. The strategy ended up leaning heavily toward Checo instead. As a father, that was hard to watch; I wanted a better outcome for the championship leader.

“In reality, Pérez took the win thanks to that early pit stop. The team might try to call it a calculated risk, but they already knew from watching someone like Gasly that switching to intermediates was the move at that moment.

“I really wish they had prioritized Max, though I know I'm being biased. In my eyes, Max lost ten points here. With those two recent DNFs, we absolutely cannot afford to drop points. Let's not forget that Ferrari actually has the faster car right now, especially when it comes to qualifying.”

cosmicmoose2 said:So, I just read today that Red Bull extended Perez's contract through 2024. Combine that with the fact that he's only 15 points behind Max, and you could potentially see a massive internal battle brewing. If that happens, it’ll be wild to see if Perez actually follows team orders blindly or goes rogue...
I honestly get the feeling this is the year for Red Bull, but also for Ferrari to snag both the constructors' and drivers' titles. Mercedes took a hit with that little stumble, but there's zero chance they stay weak next season.
What am I getting at here? Basically, this might be the best shot Perez—and maybe (sadly) Leclerc and Sainz too—has ever had at becoming world champion. In a setup like this, the team shouldn't just push Perez aside to help Max unless the gap becomes huge.
And being only 15 points down after just 9 races? That is definitely not a situation where you just sit back and follow orders...

Look, Max is the reigning world champ and the lead driver for Red Bull, so obviously he’s getting the priority right now. But let's be real—if Checo starts beating him in the upcoming races, Red Bull isn't going to keep playing favorites. They won't mess with him just to protect Max, no matter what those conspiracy theorists want to believe! Experts? The folks on that American forum were totally off with their predictions. Look, at the end of the day, it’s the Constructors' Championship that actually matters. That’s what brings in the massive payouts for the teams. The Drivers' title? Honestly, if we're being nitpicky about it, it doesn't bring them anything at all.

cosmicmoose2 said:So, I just read today that Red Bull extended Perez's contract through 2024. Combine that with the fact that he's only 15 points behind Max, and you could potentially see a massive internal battle brewing. If that happens, it’ll be wild to see if Perez actually follows team orders blindly or goes rogue...
I honestly get the feeling this is the year for Red Bull, but also for Ferrari to snag both the constructors' and drivers' titles. Mercedes took a hit with that little stumble, but there's zero chance they stay weak next season.
What am I getting at here? Basically, this might be the best shot Perez—and maybe (sadly) Leclerc and Sainz too—has ever had at becoming world champion. In a setup like this, the team shouldn't just push Perez aside to help Max unless the gap becomes huge.
And being only 15 points down after just 9 races? That is definitely not a situation where you just sit back and follow orders...

Canada is up next for the ninth race! So far, we've knocked out seven races of the twenty-two. Max has one more DNF under his belt than Checo, which definitely plays into that points gap, but let’s be real—it doesn't take away from how absolutely elite Checo has been driving lately.

hiddensailor7 said:I watched it, and honestly, what do you expect him to do in that situation? Should he have attacked a driver in Monaco who clearly wasn't going to let him through, even though they are technically supposed to? Even if he had tried, he probably wouldn't have cleared him immediately, and being that stubborn and selfish ended up costing Leclerc about 2 to 3 seconds—which was just enough to lose the gap he needed to get ahead of Max Verstappen after the two stops.

Max Verstappen came out behind decent Mick Schumacher, who, as soon as the radio informed him about the blue flags for Max Verstappen behind him, practically came to a halt at the penultimate corner, moved all the way to the left, and let Max Verstappen through.
That is exactly what Alex Albon should have done, instead of worrying about his own race and what might happen if he got stuck behind Leclerc on intermediates while on fast slicks and ruined his entire weekend.

And regarding his pace, the team gave him the gaps and times over the radio and told him, "you're doing a good job." That suggests they were actually satisfied with his pace—the same crew that warned him things would be tight with Sergio Perez on the exit from the pits, even though Perez was already 5 seconds ahead. 🤣

I agree with this; in perfect conditions, the grid probably would have looked like:
1. Leclerc, 2. Max Verstappen, 3. Checo Perez, 4. Carlos Sainz.

But in Monaco, things often go sideways, so it's vital to set a fast lap in Q3 as early as possible. If it weren't for Perez crashing, then Fernando Alonso crashed. Without Alonso, we have no way of knowing if someone else might have triggered a yellow or red flag in the meantime.
Everyone knows this and talks about it before qualifying; you need to get those fast laps in early rather than waiting until the end when the track is at its fastest—Checo Perez and Leclerc were doing that throughout qualifying, but Max Verstappen wasn't.

Was Mick being a total sweetheart during the 2021 USGP too? You know, when he blocked Max—who had Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck—in the exact same way, using the exact same number of blue flags (16) right at the end of the race?

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Eight years later and they've finally thrown in the towel😵

If Mercedes-Benz actually had a car worth fighting with, Lewis Hamilton would be the one leading the charge.
That’s not even a debate at this point...

Spot on, you nailed it. 🙂

There’s zero doubt he'd be leading the pack because, let's face it, he needs a dominant car just like the ones from previous seasons to really do his thing.

But when that kind of car isn't there? Others step up and consistently finish several spots ahead of Lewis, which honestly says everything you need to know about him as a driver.

Michael Rodriguez46 said:Is it possible that the greatest of all time actually finished ahead of his own teammate this time around, or was he trailing behind him once again?

What kind of question is that? Of course he was behind. Was anyone really expecting anything else? 🤷

5. Russell
6. Norris
7. Alonso
8. Lewis Hamilton

👍

Fernando Alonso just did exactly what he was told. Once they gave him the signal to push, he floored it, gapped Lewis Hamilton, and left the rest of that little train in the dust.

Jacob Castillo70 said:Ferrari needs to get their act together immediately. Making inexplicable blunders like this is going to cost them dearly. Their pit crew has completely botched the strategy more times than I can count—it’s becoming their trademarked way of failing.

Facts. But honestly? The worst part is that this has been standard procedure for Ferrari for over 40 years. The only guy who ever actually turned them into a strategic powerhouse was Michael Schumacher. Before him and after him—it’s just unorganized chaos and pure sloppiness. It feels like they’re just rolling dice and basing their whole "strategy" on whatever number comes up. Truly pathetic to watch. Charles Leclerc drove a flawless weekend without a single mistake, and he still ended up off the podium. Seriously...

gentlecobra23 said:Funny how Hamilton always seems to have "oversteer" every single time there's a collision... but sure, whatever.

So he's always struggling when it's wet? And now Max had a spin today? You're seriously comparing apples to oranges here.

gentlecobra23 said:Way to go, Pérez.

But honestly, Ferrari’s strategy deserves nothing less than an immediate firing. Leclerc didn't mess up or lose his lead because of anything he did... it was just that absolutely disastrous pit call.

And I have to ask, what’s the deal with Verstappen ignoring the racing line? Are the stewards just blind or what?...

Just to keep this forum buzzing, they basically decided to ban Max from Formula 1 for life.

(To reality, David Croft said: "Horner confirmed the stewards cleared them after replays. It was oversteer on wet so not intentional, he gained nothing and he didn't create a dangerous situation.")

Jacob Castillo70 said:How Max is lurking in the background

I honestly don't think he'll take any crazy risks when he could just play it safe and extend his championship lead by 3 points. If Leclerc were in his shoes? Man, he’d definitely go for some wild 50/50 lunging move and probably lose a spot just to try it.

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Well, obviously that's why he’s sitting on four points. He’s been babysitting his engine through seven races, and let's be real—four or five of those were total disasters anyway. 🤣🤣

Does it really sting that much? Does it hurt seeing your favorite driver struggle to do anything without a dominant car, while his own teammate and some rookie are absolutely destroying him race after race in that exact same machine?🙂

Lawrence Garcia5 said:What’s the deal with this countdown?

New Year's Eve.

Laura Williams41 said:I daresay Red Bull will find themselves outmaneuvered by superior tactical decisions this season, if they don't fall victim to something even more fundamental.

But look, strategy doesn't mean squat if you don't have a driver behind the wheel who can actually pull it off.

mistynomad37 said:Wow, thanks so much! You just saved me a massive headache... one more thing though—what's your take on the MacBook? Could it actually handle everything my ThinkPad does?

No worries at all! 🙂

To be honest, I'm not totally sure where things stand right now with Apple's own M1 chips inside all those new MacBooks. Specifically, I don't know how AutoCAD is playing with the M1 chip—like, is there a native version out yet, or are you still stuck using Rosetta 2 for emulation?

If there is a native version, man, that machine would be an absolute beast, especially when it comes to battery life. But if you're running on emulation? It’s gonna be slower and definitely won't feel as smooth as running it natively on Windows, plus your battery will take a hit. And who knows? You might run into some random glitches that mess with your workflow. That said, those older MacBook models with Intel chips shouldn't have any real issues, other than the fact that you won't find any brand new ones with a warranty anywhere. Performance-wise, they're still solid and high-quality pieces of gear.

Oh man, I totally forgot to mention what might be the absolute best alternative! It’s not a ThinkPad, but a ThinkBook—specifically the ThinkBook 16p Gen 2. You can grab it for $4900 featuring an incredibly beefy Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, an RTX 3060, 32 GB of RAM, and this gorgeous 16" screen with a 2560x1600 resolution. Plus, it packs a massive battery (it actually lasts about an hour longer than the P14s under basically the same workload!) and the whole thing weighs barely 2 kg. And yeah, you get a 3-year warranty.

You can find all the nerdy details on the PSREF and check out more pictures on the Photos tab.

Now, look—while this ThinkBook is definitely the powerhouse of the two, it does have some trade-offs. It's a bit limited on ports (no Thunderbolt 4, for instance), and it doesn't have that legendary ThinkPad keyboard quality—honestly, nobody else even comes close to that. Even the build quality feels just a notch below the P14s, which honestly feels like you're holding a piece of military hardware. I mean, just a notch! It's still really solid. If you don't strictly need Thunderbolt 4 and a slightly larger, half-kilo heavier machine doesn't bother you, this ThinkBook might actually be the better pick just for the raw power that Ryzen 9 brings compared to the i7 in the P14s. Also, the RTX 3060 crushes the Quadro T500 in performance, though you won't have those specific Quadro drivers which can sometimes be a big deal when running AutoCAD.

One last thing: the ThinkBook isn't spill-proof either, so please, for the love of everything, don't go spilling your coffee or tea all over it. 😁

Basically, the T and P series are twins, except the P is a workstation and officially comes with ISV certification. For instance, the ThinkPad T14 and the ThinkPad P14s are nearly identical machines—the main differences are just the certification and the display panel.

The T series models ending in "s" are just the slim versions of the standard T models. So, a T14s is basically a thinner, lighter T14, but you lose the expandable RAM; while the T14 gives you one soldered stick plus a free slot, the T14s is stuck with what it has.

The X1 line is all about being thin and light, unless we're talking about the X1 Extreme, which stays portable but packs some serious hardware punch. The X1 Carbon and X1 Nano are designed for pure ultra-portability. Now, the P1 is essentially the same beast as the X1 Extreme, but just like my point about the T series above—it’s an identical twin to the X1 Extreme, just with ISV certification and a professional Quadro GPU instead of the RTX 30 series found in the X1 Extreme.

If you aren't in a huge rush, honestly? If I were in your shoes, I’d wait a few months. The 2022 lineup is coming soon with AMD Ryzen 6000 processors. Their integrated graphics are a massive step up from the old Vega and RX Vega stuff in the Ryzen 5000 and older series. They even beat out Intel Iris Xe (which was already better than those old Vega options). We're talking integrated graphics that can actually outperform something like an NVIDIA GeForce MX450—that’s a huge jump in power! Plus, the new Intel chips are showing big performance gains over the last gen, so you'll have way more options to choose from.

But hey, if you need something right this second, your best bet would be the ThinkPad P14s Gen2 for $2,350. It’s got a killer 4K screen, Quadro T500 graphics, 32 GB of RAM, and an Intel i7 1165G7. It weighs only 1.46 kg and comes with a 3-year warranty.

You can find every single detail on that specific model at the DellPSREF . If you want to see what it looks like, just click the third tab, the Photos tab, on the PSREF to get a better look.

Now, you might wonder: why go with the 4K screen if it's definitely going to eat through your battery faster? Because that extra sharpness at 200% scaling (which gives you a workspace effectively the same size as 1920x1080 but much crisper) is totally worth it. Your eyes will seriously thank you, especially during long work sessions.

However, if squeezing every drop of life out of your battery is the priority, you can grab the exact same model for $2,250 instead. The only difference is that this version has a power-saving, low-power 1920x1080 screen; everything else is identical (check the PSREF) .

Sure, there are probably cheaper options out there, but they usually either lack a dedicated GPU (leaving you with just integrated) or come with a weaker i5 processor. While this Quadro T500 isn't a total monster for CAD, it'll serve you well for years. And remember, you always have the option to plug in a much more powerful external GPU (eGPU) via the Thunderbolt 4 port. Unfortunately, you won't find a combo with a Ryzen 7 CPU + Quadro GPU.

Hope this helps! 🙂