Kimi Raikkonen says he’s racing regardless of what goes down
"I'd still be out there. It's not like it's always just a tire issue. There are so many variables at play, and since we didn't deal with any issues all season, I don't really feel like this is going to be unsafe. I mean, racing is inherently dangerous... things happen. Honestly, I think those blowouts happened because the teams weren't handling them right."
Man, what a legend... zero fear, he just gets in the car and goes...
Let's just see if the sun decides to show up tomorrow... might give Alonso and Kimi a chance to push through, otherwise, we're looking at a Red Bull 1-2 finish.
It’s starting to feel like some kind of vanity project, just two different philosophies crashing into each other... on one side you've got the Vettel fanatics and on the other it's all about Alonso, and suddenly it's like no other drivers even exist on the grid. The reality is that Alonso can squeeze a ton of performance out of a subpar car, just like he did last season. And yeah, even if I think Vettel being a three-time champ gives him the edge despite having the better car over the last three years, man... it gets exhausting reading the same old arguments race after race.
Tomorrow's start should be pretty interesting... it’s a bummer Lewis Hamilton didn't manage to snag fourth, things would've been way more intense if he had. I honestly don't see Mercedes making it onto the podium at all. It'll probably just be Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Kimi Räikkönen taking those spots...
Lotus finally looks like they can put together a decent lap and actually hold their own... last year Kimi was averaging a P5 or P6 on the grid, but now it looks like they might actually be fighting for those front two spots
Looking at the standings after those first three races in 2012 and 2013... Lotus is definitely on the upswing. At least once Romain starts driving like he actually knows what he's doing... In Bahrain, if you ask me, there’s really only one question worth asking: Alonso or Kimi?
1 Lewis Hamilton 45 2 Jenson Button 43 3 Fernando Alonso 37 4 Mark Webber 36 5 Sebastian Vettel 28
1 McLaren-Mercedes 88 2 Red Bull-Renault 64 3 Ferrari 37 4 Sauber-Ferrari 31 5 Mercedes 26
2013
1 Sebastian Vettel 52 2 Kimi Räikkönen 49 3 Fernando Alonso 43 4 Lewis Hamilton 40 5 Felipe Massa 30
1 Red Bull-Renault 78 2 Ferrari 73 3 Lotus-Renault 60 4 Mercedes 52 5 McLaren-Mercedes 14
Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen are looking seriously fast... that P2 in qualifying just proves they dialed in the single-lap pace, and clearly, it worked. They were already looking solid for the race anyway. Kimi basically admitted he could've gone even faster if it wasn't for that damage... he had a winning car on him. Honestly, they look best alongside Ferrari, and it’s pretty cool seeing three different winners across three races...
Kimi lost his shot at the win because of that mess at the start, but honestly, he still did alright. Lewis Hamilton really squeezed everything out of that car. Massa was just his usual disappointing self, and man, Romain really let me down... he actually managed to clear Nico Rosberg and looked like he might snag a top four finish, but then the pit stops happened and he just vanished. I definitely need to go back and watch the replay...
Samuel Ruiz4 said:Forget about Vettel, Mark Webber, or Jenson Button... they might grab a spot on the podium, but honestly, it’ll probably just be Hamilton and Fernando Alonso swapping places up there. Vettel might manage to snag a spot next to Massa, but let's be real, that's his ceiling... Red Bull Racing really needs rain to stand a chance, like that crazy result they pulled off in Malaysia. On a dry track? It's either Fernando Alonso or Kimi Räikkönen taking it all
Forget about Vettel, Mark Webber, or Jenson Button... they might grab a spot on the podium, but honestly, it’ll probably just be Hamilton and Fernando Alonso swapping places up there. Vettel might manage to snag a spot next to Massa, but let's be real, that's his ceiling... Red Bull Racing really needs rain to stand a chance, like that crazy result they pulled off in Malaysia. On a dry track? It's either Fernando Alonso or Kimi Räikkönen taking it all
Is there any way we could rank these teams based on actual potential, rather than just what they're showing on track? Because some of these guys are definitely hiding their true pace. Lotus looks like they’ve got a lightning-fast car right now... might actually be outperforming Ferrari and McLaren. Red Bull is playing it smart and holding back, Mercedes is struggling, while Haas and Sauber look solid. I’ve also got a feeling Williams has a sleeper hit on their hands. 1. Red Bull 2. Lotus 3. McLaren 4. Ferrari 5. Williams 6. Mercedes 7. Sauber 8. Haas
it’ll likely be Hamilton or Grosjean. Kimi’s having a rough time in qualifying, and honestly, on a track like this, he isn't going to make up much ground during the race...
