Kyle Edwards5 said:I don't think Ferrari caught up to Mercedes—though I wouldn't mind if they were trailing by a realistic 0.4 seconds per lap. At least that would guarantee some excitement on certain tracks. On another note, Toro Rosso has been a genuine surprise during these tests—they've clocked the second-highest total mileage so far. It looks like Red Bull really went all out to ensure the chassis is solid. From what I've seen, McLaren unfortunately isn't even in the ballpark for Q3. They're probably sitting around 7th place right now—and that's with Renault and Sauber right there behind them. It’s a shame, despite my usual teasing about Honda; F1 really misses a strong McLaren.
McLaren will be lucky if they aren't eaten alive by Manor in the actual race!!!! Sure, Manor might be slower over a single lap, but they move like turtles because they're running a Mercedes engine... which is bound to actually make it to the finish line eventually.
Ferrari is sticking strictly to the softer compounds today—just enough to squeeze into the top two at the end of testing, presumably just to show Marchionne how much they're crushing it... pure sandbagging to keep the peace at headquarters...
Mercedes is going to absolutely tear through Ferrari this year, and it won't be pretty.......
Ferrari might scrape together one win this season, and even then, only if Bernie plays favorites.....
Timothy Castillo6 says: That’s an interesting way to look at it. I’d be curious to see what the consensus is over here, too. Are we rooting for the driver or the team? Ever since the 70s—and for some, even back through the 80s or 90s...🍿>
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American fans—especially those of us on these forums—are a bit of an outlier...
Honestly, because of all the frustration, the ruined legacies, the grim present state of things, and a future that looks pretty bleak, about 99% of members (basically everyone except me) don't actually care for specific teams or drivers nearly as much as they seem to despise the others...
jadeseal7 said:It’s honestly pretty sad—I don't know how people can bring themselves to cheer for their own side like that.
hahahahaha, I highly doubt even 1% of them actually knew what they were watching...
To me, it looks like everyone just showed up to the track looking all "polished" and put together...
It reminds me of those employees over at Ford (who basically work for peanuts) putting out ads in the local paper claiming the IRS is shaking them down...
Yeah, that's exactly how these corporate fans come across to me.....
I’m all for closing off those Formula 1 driver cockpits...
Actually, if they tinted the cockpits enough so you couldn't even tell who was driving—that would be even better....
Let's face it, today's Formula 1 fans don't really care about the drivers anymore; they mostly just root for the teams—basically the corporations—so this is just a natural part of the Formula 1 business evolution....
Drivers have basically become corporate, disposable commodities anyway......
At this rate, we might even see Roscoe (to like) becoming a world champion—provided Mercedes listens to some PR manager who decides it's a "brilliant" move....
Martin Brundle's verdict on the first pics of the Halo: "That looks even worse than I feared, in several respects." I mean, he's not wrong... It’s a real eyesore—honestly, what a mess. 🙂
Personally, I don't mind seeing this Halo cockpit mounted on an F1 car... it’s already getting hard to tell drivers apart these days because of those repetitive helmet designs and the wider cockpit sides...
but what seems totally nonsensical to me is that single pillar right in the middle of the car... it would be much better if they just put two supports on the sides so the driver actually has a clear view ahead...
besides, an F1 driver isn't exactly looking in the rearview mirrors anyway... if you have that kind of mindset, you probably shouldn't be driving in F1 to begin with.
neonhawk24 said:A fanatic??? Hahahahahaa—I'm actually just taking a break from planting flowers right now. Spent the whole day in the garden today. And here I am, catching up on all your news. 😁
Happy return to reality...
Forum members can't wait to know if I had a relationship with you...🤦
"Unexpected News of the day - Fernando Alonso has been announced as the ambassador for this year's Grand Prix in [Location]."
Honestly, he might be better off just retiring from Formula 1 altogether—he could just make a living charging appearance fees everywhere he goes...
The wealthy ones really are everywhere—just like how Mariah Carey flew out to [Location] to perform for some dictator at a wedding or something similar....
American journalists covering Formula 1 have started sounding the alarm—this year's Ferrari is undeniably fast, but the reliability is just not there... The main issues facing Ferrari right now: 1. engine overheating struggles 2. gearbox seizure issues 3. excessive vibration problems The general consensus among the press over there is that the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife...
I mean, why bother being afraid of a dictator like Sergio Marchionne?....
Their only real shot at success is if Mercedes-Benz messes up their pit strategy... Yesterday, during a race simulation, Lewis Hamilton actually clocked a faster final time than last year, but he had to pit three times—and two of those stops were absolute nightmares because they couldn't get the front left tire changed properly... It’s like trying to turn a stripped screw—no matter how hard you push, nothing moves...