Posts by Amanda Kelly

Judging by the first two races, here’s how I see the current hierarchy:

Red Bull Racing and Mercedes
It's a wash. If there’s actually any gap in race pace between these two, I’d say it’s less than 0.1 seconds.
On pure qualifying pace, I think Red Bull Racing has the edge. Just slightly—maybe 0.1 or 0.2 seconds.

Mercedes is pulling away from McLaren and Ferrari by about 0.8 to 1.0 seconds per lap in race pace.

Compared to the rest of the pack (Alpine, AlphaTauri, AM), Mercedes is faster by at least 1.5 seconds a lap.

gentlemoose57 said:Bottas drove without any penalties or car issues, holding his own right in front of George Russell as he hunted him down. His pit stop was a quick 2.2 seconds—not the 4.0 second disaster Lewis Hamilton had to deal with. He qualified 8th, which is pretty much where things fell apart for him.

Perez grabbed P2 in qualifying. Between that penalty and his spin, finishing 11th—or whatever spot he actually lands—doesn't tell us much about how fast that car really is.

Bottas's qualifying time and his performance up to lap 30—specifically which lap he hits those marks—actually matter quite a bit.

If that car were actually a beast, they wouldn't be struggling just to reach the top, even finishing eighth.

So it’s Red Bull, then nothing for ages, then Mercedes, then a quick breather before everyone else finally shows up.

Looks like we’ll be stuck debating the performance of that Mercedes race car until the season wraps up.
All this just to protect Lewis Hamilton's reputation. And, I guess, to shield every single one of his hard-fought wins and championships along the way.

This post is actually a solid contribution—decent, well-argued, and everything it needs to be. 👍

gentlemoose57 said:Bottas didn't have any penalties or car issues, so he just sat there ahead of George Russell, letting him hunt him down. His pit stop was a quick 2.2 seconds—not the 4.0 second disaster Lewis Hamilton had to deal with. He qualified 8th, which is pretty much where he ended up when he eventually retired.

Bottas's qualifying time and his performance through lap 30—it all matters, regardless of which lap it happens on.

If that car were actually a beast, they wouldn't be struggling just to break into the top eight.

This car is an absolute beast. The only question is whether you're actually blind to it, or just refusing to admit it.
Was Bottas actually having a good weekend? Honestly, I wouldn't bet on it. There’s always that possibility, but I'm not holding my breath.
All I know is what they're saying over at the Mercedes camp. They’re blaming everything on the fact that they just can't get Valtteri Bottas's tires up to the right racing temperature. Their line is basically: "As soon as we actually get those tires warm, Bottas will perform just as well as Lewis Hamilton. The only difference is the rubber, nothing else."

gentlemoose57 said:So, it’s Red Bull, then nothing for ages, then Mercedes, then a tiny breather before everyone else catches up.

I'm going to remember that one. I'm filing it away for good.
When it comes to Lewis Hamilton's fanbase, they've definitely stepped up compared to the old Prost crowd. At least their takes have some actual substance and precision behind them now. As for the others who play it safe by staying silent? I won't even bother mentioning them.

So, that's your take?
Red Bull Racing has a massive edge over Mercedes right now.
Red Bull Racing's edge over Mercedes is actually wider than the gap between Mercedes and either McLaren or Ferrari.

All you need to do now is put some actual numbers to this—give me the lap times or even just tenths of a second.

ruggedhawk20 said:Lewis Hamilton is driving a car that’s basically fighting Williams for P9

This "fighting for P9" thing—is that his actual strategy, or was he just struggling through half the race?

ruggedhawk20 said:Why do you keep leaning on that Lewis quote about "fun overtakes" to back up your point? That sentence isn't evidence; if anything, it completely contradicts what you're trying to say.
...

Lewis's comment is just an opinion, a subjective feeling. I have no idea how you think that counts as actual proof.

Here’s my take—and I'm not claiming to be right—but it felt like Lewis had a car that was a full second per lap faster than the McLaren or the Ferrari. In today's NASCAR, if you've got that kind of pace, overtaking isn't exactly a masterclass in skill (unless you're talking about Mercedes vs. Red Bull).

If you really believe Mercedes isn't a second per lap faster, then go ahead, tell me. Just try to actually back it up with something real for once.

You already said the McLaren was on par. Now we're just waiting on your take regarding Ferrari.

Jason Campbell70 said:Did you honestly think it made sense to use the Bahrain results as the gold standard for pace heading into Indianapolis?

Yeah.
Since there was only one race on the calendar before Indianapolis, it’s pretty obvious that the data from Bahrain was all we had to go on at the time.

Jason Campbell70 said:It’s not like they even drove it under the same conditions as the race in Indianapolis. They didn't even drive it on the same continent.
Understood. I'm ready to go. Give me the text, and I'll get to work.

It’s the same old story—drivers like Lewis, McLaren, and Ferrari all being compared to one another. Throughout that entire race in Indianapolis, specifically during those twenty laps where Lewis was carving his way through the field on a dry track, the conditions were basically a mirror image of what we saw in Bahrain.

Look, let's be real: most of those fastest lap times at Indianapolis happen during the final stretch of the race. That goes for the drivers mentioned, too. It’s just how it works.
Looking at the best lap times, Lewis actually has the edge here. Here’s how it shakes out:
Ricco at 2:63 seconds.
From Norr—1:55 seconds.
Sainz clocked a 1:78.
Leclerc is 1.67 seconds off.

d) It feels like overtaking is way too easy.

Taking all that into account, I’d say a one-second gap per lap is a pretty fair estimate. If I'm off, we're probably talking about a tenth or two, but honestly, it doesn't change much.

By the way, of course it isn't the gold standard.
Look, I’m not talking about the entire race at Indianapolis, so don't start throwing extra details at me. I was specifically talking about those last 20ish laps—specifically Lewis overtaking both McLaren and Ferrari. And yeah, I'm talking about Lewis's own comment that he actually found those overtakes fun, which is clearly what you're so obsessed with.

ruggedhawk20 said:Can you please actually prove that one-second advantage for Mercedes...

Like Paula said, "based on basic logic and the facts presented," here’s the proof of that "one-second faster car":

In the last race in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton won in his Mercedes-Benz.
The McLarens and Ferraris trailed him by 46, 59, 66, and 67 seconds respectively.

Over 56 laps, that averages out to exactly seconds per lap.
So, a one-second lead per lap under dry conditions—exactly the kind of pace used by the drivers and teams Lewis was picking off at Indianapolis to climb up to P2.

If we look at the struggling teams (Alpine, AlphaTauri, etc.), we're talking 1.5 seconds per lap or even more.

Basically, Lewis was spot on when he said he had fun fighting through the field to hit P2. 🙏
He straight up admitted he enjoyed overtaking the weaklings and the bottom-feeders!

In my opinion, that’s definitely not something a seven-time champ should be bragging about.
Besides, comments like that don't exactly scream "brilliant strategist" to me.

Jason Campbell70 said:... First off, he's a total gentleman.
Big congrats to Max, and yeah, I'm not even trying to hide how happy I am about his old team's solid finish.
Second, that genuine kid-like grin. It's been a while since I've seen him look that genuinely stoked.
.

In love?

Jason Campbell70 said:... And then he finishes with a smile, saying he had fun battling the guys on track at the end...

Battling!? Seriously?
With a car that's a full second faster? Way to go!

Jason Campbell70 said:https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...formance-loss/

Interesting observation.
First off, it’s wild that such a "minor" bit of damage costs that much time per lap. Second, things actually looked a lot better once that damaged wing piece finally fell off completely.

If that's the case, then Lewis was driving at least 25 laps with a 0.6-second deficit per lap. Meanwhile, the gap between Lewis and Max stayed pretty steady, staying within a second over about 20 laps. In fact, during those last few laps of that stretch (somewhere between laps 25 and 30), Lewis even started making some real headway on Max.

If Lewis was dealing with damage that cost him 0.6 seconds a lap and he still managed to stay glued to Max, you'd have to conclude that Mercedes actually has a race pace advantage over Red Bull of about 0.6 seconds per lap.
Assuming, of course, that Max was pushing his absolute limit (which I'm sure he was).

IMO, I'd chalk that late charge up to Lewis and the Mercedes crew's (excellent) tire management rather than track conditions. We've seen it plenty of times before—his tires just seem to outlast everyone else's.

I don't get the logic behind making Lando Norris the Driver of the Day. 🤔
Sure, the race stoppage helped him out, much like it did for Lewis, and he definitely showed progress compared to his qualifying performance. That part makes sense—he started 7th and ended up on the podium in 3rd Place. I can wrap my head around that.

But before the red flag, he was averaging about a second per lap slower than Charles Leclerc. We're talking 26 or 27 seconds over 30 laps. In a field where cars are supposed to be neck-and-neck, that’s a massive gap.

So, I'm sitting here wondering what actually happened.
Maybe it was all about the car setup. It's a safe bet that Ferrari went for higher downforce. 100%.
Once the race resumed, the track was likely a lot drier, which might have made that extra downforce a bit of a hindrance for Leclerc. Lando Norris managed to jump past him right at the restart, but he couldn't pull away or build any kind of comfortable cushion. They basically split the better laps down the middle, which suggests they were pretty evenly matched.

Coming back to the Driver of the Day thing—I wouldn't say Norris actually earned it. I just don't see the merit there.
If anyone actually agrees with this choice and feels like explaining why, I'm all ears.

stormybadger8 said:...Honestly, after a crash like that, 99% of them would just be sitting there in the gravel, pounding the steering wheel and cursing everything under the sun. They'd probably hop out of the car just to kick a tire or something...
And it wouldn't even occur to most of them to stop hitting the gas and just throw it into reverse...

Then you have to actually pull the car out of the dirt after a wreck like that. You basically need nerves of steel to even attempt it. 😉 ...

Isn't that a massive understatement!?

We're talking about professional racing drivers. This is their entire lives; they don't do anything else (well, except for the ones who act like wannabe influencers). And now you're trying to tell me most of them wouldn't think to keep the engine running and just shift into reverse!? 🤔
Come on. Seriously???

Larry Rivera83 said:Max won because he got lucky that nobody else did. Honestly, this whole sport is basically just pure luck.

Max overtook everyone in his way.
He dominated the entire race, even with those tricky semi-wet track conditions.
He earned that win himself; it didn't just fall into his lap.

ruggedhawk20 said:Exactly. And instead of letting us enjoy JRC's masterclasses for one more season, he decided to grace us with his God-given talent...

Shame on you all.

Did he make the call to stay for one season, or was it Toto?
I can almost hear how that conversation went down (condensed):
- Alright Toto, you want me driving for you or not?
- Of course I do, Lewis. Just tell me what you need.
- First off, the car still needs to be faster than everyone else by at least a second or two. You've always managed that, and I know you can do it again.
- Second, you can't keep paying me this little. I'm basically setting records in everything I do.
- Lewis, I can't go higher than what we're doing now. We've got the Corona situation, there's a massive crisis happening—where are you even looking?
- What does that have to do with me? I'm the real deal. Plus, I'm a huge influencer; don't embarrass me in front of the world. Give me at least 70.
- Are you insane!? I can do 35. That's already double anyone else's pay.
- Huh? Only 35? Are you mocking me? Where would you guys even be if I wasn't driving for you???
...
Lewis is lucky his boss isn't the first guy he ever drove for. With him, he wouldn't have even had a contract for the next race.

ruggedhawk20 said:When you're pulling in $15,000,000 a season, you'd better deliver. It was clearly just that GOAT's alien-level driving.

So, I heard a rumor that Bottas is pulling in $15 million. Honestly, at this point, nothing in this sport actually surprises me anymore. 🤔 Come on, ruggedhawk20, take a second to think about that. Are you sure you aren't overreacting just a little bit?

ruggedhawk20 said:So, someone’s hand is signing off on that $15 million paycheck year after year. You really think he's just doing it for the pocket change? Give me a break.

It’s not about the cap.
So, let's talk about that mindless drone being operated by remote control.
If they’re dropping more than $5 million on him, it isn't about talent. It’s just a way to make sure Toto has a little houseguest he can keep on a very short leash.

ruggedhawk20 said:I’ve got a different take on this.

1) Red Bull is just dominant. They're in a completely different league. Even Max Verstappen admitted it—he said having a car like that lets him relax more and make fewer mistakes.
2) McLaren is an incredible car. It's just a shame they don't have anyone in the seat to actually use it.
3) Mercedes and McLaren are just hovering somewhere in the middle.
4) If Lewis were driving the McLaren, he’d have the exact same results and those same 41 points. Performance-wise, the two cars are basically neck and neck.

Whatever. McLaren is basically being driven by two Bottas's right now. One is Lando Norris and the other is Daniel Ricciardo. You just aren't seeing what that car can really do.

This is fine.
It's good to have an opinion. It's even better to have a different one.

1. I'm not convinced yet. I'd say it's championship material, sure, but it's nowhere near dominant.
2. Great car, great drivers.
3. A hard NO on that.
4. Definitely not.

ruggedhawk20 said:Sudec thinks it's based on Bottas...

So we're talking about a driver getting paid $15,000,000 a season. Clearly, we were witnessing some kind of GOAT-level alien performance here.

Or are you trying to tell me Bottas is just some irrelevant nobody who doesn't set any standard?

But hey, someone is signing off on that $15,000,000 paycheck year after year. You really think they're paying that much for a nobody?

$15 million for a non-entity? Use your head.

I talk about Formula 1 constantly, and I have pretty clear stances. Including my stance on Bottas.

Did it ever occur to you that this was just a (really) bad weekend for Bottas?
That he simply didn't deliver his usual standard?

I spoke highly of Lewis's driving (though apparently, that’s blinded you), so you missed it. Take a closer look at my previous posts.
I think he drove great, but I don't see it as some massive achievement to beat the other 6 or 7 drivers in this year's Mercedes who are a class below him—drivers who were all bunched up right behind him without huge gaps.
And I'm fairly certain half the grid could have done the exact same thing. I didn't say everyone, I said "at least half the grid."

ruggedhawk20 said:... besides the fact that we have a GOAT in the cockpit who, despite all the chaos and bad luck hitting the team, still managed to grab P2, snag the fastest lap, and stay in the points lead...

What kind of chaos is he talking about? 😵Is there some higher power at work here???

He lost his starting position to third place on his own!
He spun out for no reason at all!

Bottom line: he’s entirely responsible for the mess he found himself in through his own mistakes.
On the flip side, if it weren't for a lucky break (you know, "fate"), he never would've even touched P2.

graniteharbor502 said:Lewis Hamilton is driving the best car on the grid. Him slicing through the field just because his car is visibly faster doesn't mean much when he couldn't even touch Max. If Russell hadn't taken out Bottas, there's a chance Valtteri might have actually seen some dry track action too.
And let's not forget how incredibly lucky Lewis was after hitting the barrier—luck that came courtesy of the collision between Russell and Bottas. I don't see much reason to go crazy over his driving.

You're just being a hater.

On the subject of Lewis's driving, I'd add one thing:
There’s a big difference between being (really) happy about a result.
And glorifying a drive (in a dominant car against absolute pushovers).
IMO, maybe Lewis's driving was fantastic. But given the current conditions and the equipment he had, I'm pretty sure half the grid could have pulled off that same result.
So, the hype from Lewis's fan club stays strictly within that fan club.

Anyway, I want to hear from the rest of you guys here. What do you think about Lewis's performance and what he managed to pull off during those last 20 laps yesterday? Was that actually a realistic achievement, or was it something reserved only for aliens!?

Jason Campbell70 said:Lewis Hamilton is a terrible driver. Just awful.

Yesterday's reality check:

a) He got absolutely bullied at the start by Max Verstappen (who was in P3). Total shutdown.

b) He fell way behind Max early on while the track was still pretty wet.
We're talking at least 1.5 seconds per lap. In those conditions, he would've been trailing Max by full minutes if the race had gone on.

c) That error where he went off track? Pure arrogance. I guess he’s used to being able to overtake whenever and wherever he feels like it because of the car he’s in. This time, he overplayed his hand.

Since Valtteri Bottas seemed to be living in another dimension this weekend, there’s no real benchmark for the car's actual speed. It's entirely possible—and likely—that Lewis was the one pushing that extra bit of pace. So, I'd say Lewis was keeping up with Red Bull, though I wouldn't bet the house on the Mercedes itself.

That said, Mercedes had at least half a second (probably more) advantage in race pace over the rest of the field. Watching him fight his way from P8 or P9 up to P2 over about twenty laps felt less like elite driving and more like watching a kid shoot clay pigeons. It's just easy work.
I'd never go around bragging about it myself—mostly out of basic decency and respect for my own dignity, and maybe a little for Lewis as a driver.

1. Max
2. Lewis
3. Bottas
4. Perez
5. Leclerc
6. Sainz
7. Norris
8. Gasly
9. Ricciardo
10. Alonso
11. Tsunoda
12. Ocon
13. Kimi
14. Russell
15. Vettel
16. Stroll
17. Latifi

DNF: Schumacher, Mazepin, Giovinazzi

Fastest Lap: Lewis
Leading: Max

As far as the polls go, the race was "fantastic."
A tense, nail-biting battle for the win right up until the final lap—honestly, we could use more of that.

Regarding the winner, I just don't get why a seven-time champ has to deal with this nonsense involving a spin-out.
Did he seriously have to go through that!?