Posts by Amanda Kelly

mellowtiger83 said:... Ford is going to be right in the mix, so we're looking at a six-way battle ...

Sounds too good to be true. 🙂

A total Grand Slam for Charles Leclerc—Pole Position, the win, and fastest lap. He led every single lap of the race, too.

To say the least.
I didn't see this kind of power play coming.
Even Charles is calling the car "extremely strong" right now.
Perez was 20 seconds back, Russel was 25, and the McLarens were 53—and that was all just in the final stint.
Pure luxury from both Charles and Ferrari! 🙏

As someone already pointed out, Carlos Sainz was clearly pretty frustrated after the race.
Fast forward to the next day, and he’s giving a detailed breakdown of why being 0.3 seconds per lap slower than Charles Leclerc matters way more than the (temporary) luck of grabbing P2 at the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Personally, I’m actually glad to see that kind of mindset from Carlos Sainz. It shows he's hungry. I'm expecting progress. 🙂
So, just imagine what happens when Ferrari actually gets its act together!? 🙂

I’m pretty sure Max was running about 2 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc during that out-lap/first lap stretch.
So, if you ask me, the main reason they headed for the Pit Stop was just to swap out for some fresh rubber.

wearywolf49 said:Is it even possible to race against Max Verstappen or actually overtake him? I mean, sure, it’s only the first race, but honestly, if Charles Leclerc were in that seat, we’d probably be looking at a massive collision or some kind of penalty incident right about now.🤔

Yeah, that's what happens when Mad leaves things lying around the house or the garage.
I’d say Max didn't go quite as hard against Leclerc today as we've usually come to expect.
First race is in the books. Looks like it might not be as total garbage as everyone thought.

Well, there's a tear in my eye...
That was a masterclass in driving and execution... 🙏 bravo Ferrari
Man, we really had to wait for that one.

cosmicmoose2 said:Ferrari did a solid job with those upgrades last season. That’s basically how they managed to edge out McLaren in the end.

Another plus side is that the car looks reliable. From what I can tell, they didn't run into any major reliability issues during testing, and they put in plenty of mileage.

If the car is actually "there," their biggest headache will be race strategy and whether they can stay consistent with their pit stops.
It’ll also come down to whether Charles Leclerc has finally matured or if he's going to keep pushing it right to the ragged edge—which would give us more races like Monaco.

Anyway, I can't help but notice everyone is feeling pretty optimistic. I'm not used to this kind of vibe after the last couple of years.
Back in the Vettel era, Ferrari would consistently top the preseason testing charts. We all know how that story usually ended.

Strategy is going to be a different beast this year, too.
Since the performance gap between cars is shrinking, pit lane errors are going to hurt way more. A bad stop will cost them much more than it used to.

If the philosophy behind their PR strategy stayed exactly the same as last year, you’d have to admit that Ferrari is at the top of their game.
I'm not saying they're untouchable, just maybe hovering somewhere around P1-P2. Besides, they actually look like they're in a decent mood for once.

Congrats to the winners! 👍

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Max Verstappen
3. Valtteri Bottas

4. Sergio Perez
5. Charles Leclerc
6. Esteban Ocon
7. Carlos Sainz
8. Pierre Gasly
9. Lando Norris
10. Fernando Alonso

11. Daniel Ricciardo
12. Sebastian Vettel
13. Antonio Giovinazzi
14. Kimi Räikkönen
15. Russian
16. Nicholas Latifi
17. Monaco Grand Prix 17th
18. Mazda

Monaco Grand Prix: STR
Monaco Grand Prix: TSU

PP: Lewis Hamilton
FL: Lewis Hamilton

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Max Verstappen
3. Valtteri Bottas

4. Sergio Perez
5. Gasly
6. Leclerc
7. Sainz
8. Alonso
9. Tsunoda
10. Norris

11. Ocon
12. Ricciardo
13. Vettel
14. Räikkönen
15. Giovinazzi
16. Russian
17. Latifi

Monaco Grand Prix: Mazda
Monaco Grand Prix: Monaco Grand Prix
Monaco Grand Prix: Silverstone

Pit Stop: Lewis Hamilton
Flat Tire: Lewis Hamilton

1. Hamilton
2. VER
3. BOT
4. PER
5. LEC
6. GAS
7. SAI
8. NOR
9. ALO
10. vet
11. RIC
12. OCO
13. STR
14. Russ
15. RAI
16. GIO
17. LAT

NOP MAZ
NOP:Monaco Grand Prix 20.
NOP.TSU

PP: Hamilton
FL: Hamilton

mellowtiger83 said:Lewis didn't knock anyone off the track in the United Kingdom; he was on his racing line WITHIN THE TRACK, and Max essentially took himself out by steering into the space occupied by the car. If he hadn't had the advantage leading up to the next corner—which is a left, his inside line—it would have been different.
We are talking about speeds well over 200km/h here, and if you actually intend to convince me that Lewis intentionally forced Max off at that velocity, then we really have nothing left to discuss.
In Brazil, Max's intention is obvious, INTENTIONAL in all caps.

Just because you're a moderator doesn't mean you can delete my posts, especially since you know exactly what I wrote.

If this forum doesn't allow insults based on nationality, race, or whatever else, why are you doing it right in the middle of a Catholic nation?

Look, mellowtiger83, I’m actually surprised by you. Where is this coming from?

America is a Catholic nation, sure, but it isn't a Catholic state.

Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution basically says all religious institutions are equal before the law and separate from the government.
The Constitution doesn't single out the Catholic Church or give it any special status over other faiths. So, the United States can't be a Catholic state; it's a secular one.

Besides, even a Master would know to say: "Keep politics out of my shop!"

Raymond Anderson4 said:Regarding the duel itself, Max’s explanation is even more nonsensical:
"The tyres were already a bit worn, so I was really on the edge of grip. That's why I think I was already not fully on the apex, so then it's a safer way of just running a bit wide there.

How is running wide considered a "safer method"? If Lewis had been alongside him and forced off the track, they would have collided three meters past the exit. We've never seen a precedent like that before.🙏

His whole strategy in a duel seems designed to completely prevent anyone from overtaking. He brakes late, pushes the other driver toward the edge of the track, and then drifts wide just so you can't pass him even off-line. It's madness.🤣
I honestly think he's lying. He didn't go wide because he lacked grip; he went wide because he decided to block Lewis by any means necessary. I've rewatched that clip several times, and Max wasn't driving nearly fast enough to justify losing his line like that.

So, Elizabeth Mendoza and I were going back and forth about that Sainz-Norris clash right at the start of the race.
Just thinking about the color red gives her stomach cramps, which pretty much makes it impossible for her to look at any situation involving a red car with anything resembling logic.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:Not even close. If he screws up, I’m calling it a screw up. Period.

Red Bull fans start looking for a gallows the second Max trips up, whether he's actually at fault or not. But when their golden boy messes up? They suddenly act like they didn't see a thing.

In this specific mess, your guy is the one who screwed up, not mine.

Elizabeth Mendoza said:Look, he isn't the one to blame for any single situation against Ferrari. He definitely wasn't the reason they both got stuck in that absolute mess of a strategy sandwich.

Sure, if you want to follow your own personal Constitution, go right ahead.

David Lewis24 said:I mean, if you look at the whole season, Max has honestly had the better package. I guess you could say he really deserves the title this year. He’s already snagged three massive trophies, and man, there were so many moments where things just didn't go his way. Like, he should have cruised to a win in Las Vegas, but then those tires just completely gave out on him. And then there was that situation where he got knocked out by the guys from the other side—the same guys who ended up winning! Plus, don't even get me started on what happened in Canada. It feels like he's been fighting uphill most of the time, so yeah, in my opinion, he's earned it.

Honestly, I’ve got to say, there are two guys who just rub me the wrong way more than anyone else. One of them is just constantly dealing with that typical arrogant Dutch attitude, which is pretty exhausting to watch. As for the other one... well, I don't think he's even worth the breath it takes to talk about him.

I mean, honestly, I guess you could say Max earned it, and he’s definitely going to be the World Champion. It feels like it's just inevitable at this point, doesn't it?

+1
You can say that again.

The duo over at ESPN was losing their minds during Hamilton’s drive today. 😵
I’d actually been enjoying a few races lately without their nonsense, but watching this made me realize how much I missed the peace and quiet. It’s like they’ve been broadcasting figure skating until now.

The start-finish straight isn't particularly long, but it features a long, very gentle—basically incredibly fast—approach. That makes overtaking with DRS (when you have a significantly faster car) pretty straightforward.
Mercedes is about a second per lap faster than Ferrari and Toro Rosso, and probably 1.3 to 1.5 seconds ahead of Aston Martin and Alpine.
So, conditions were perfect for overtaking. Fine, let people scream about the passing; it's a race, after all. But not once did they mention the car advantage, the track conditions, the new engine, or the fact that he had a 4.4-tenth edge over Max from qualifying... Amateurs. Pathetic.

Lewis was definitely feeling inspired today, but we should probably give credit to Bottas and Carlos Sainz for holding off those Red Bull attacks.

If I don't make it in time, just stick with that old (Mexico) forecast.