Posts by darkmarlin16

stormybadger8 said:Oh, sure. So I guess Alonso and Hamilton didn't contribute anything to their cars' pace during their careers?🍿

So, in your world, is Hamilton just some lucky passenger who won titles solely because of the car and engineers? Did he build his own McLaren in his garage or something?

And Alonso is such an elite mechanic that he could basically assemble those 2005 and 2006 Renaults with one hand. Too bad his hand was acting up before the season, or maybe he was just too busy waving at Petrov in Abu Dhabi to build a decent car this year.

Get real. Every driver in a team plays a massive role in developing the car. We saw how good the RB was when Webber and Coulthard were driving it, and the crew was identical.☕

You can also see the massive drop-off in the STR ever since Vettel left:

STR 2007 (Liuzzi & Speed/Vettel) - 7 total (8 points - 0 wins)
STR 2008 (Vettel 35 & Buemi 4) - 6 total (39 points - 1 win)🙏
STR 2009 (Buemi & Buemi/Alguersuari) 10 (8 points - 0 wins)
STR 2010 (Buemi & Alguersuari) 9 total (13 points - 0 wins)
STR 2011 (Buemi & Alguersuari) 7 total (6 points - 0 wins)

RB 2007 (Webber & Coulthard) - 5 (24 points - 0 wins)
RB 2008 (Webber & Coulthard) - 7 (29 points - 0 wins)
RB 2009 (Webber & Vettel) - 2 (153.5 points - 6 wins (4 for Vettel))
RB 2010 (Webber & Vettel) - 1 (498 points - 9 wins (5 for Vettel))
RB 2011 (Webber & Vettel) - 1 (185 points - 4 wins (4 for Vettel))

The fact is, Webber had a phenomenal 2010 while Vettel had his worst year ever in 2010—and nothing else. But that doesn't change the reality: the STR with Vettel was actually a solid outfit, whereas before and after him, it was a complete joke. And the RB with Webber before Vettel arrived was a total underdog that the STR used to kick around.☕

Newey has been at RB since 2006 and struggled with Webber and Coulthard; the car finally clicked once Vettel showed up.

Being fast isn't enough. You have to know how to develop the car and give feedback, sure, but you also need the brains to pick the right team where you can actually make something happen with the car and the engineers you've got.

Of course he's talking☕

Even if we assume Webber is trash, here's the reality:

- Button is trash
- Massa is trash

Why?
Because their teammate is way better than they are☕

Use some logic. Fine, trash Massa. Fine, trash Button. But don't you dare call Webber trash🤣

Go sell your fairy tales to someone else🤣

Bottom line: Webber is his own worst enemy. Or maybe you actually think Red Bull is to blame for those terrible starts?🙄

Look, you hit on some solid points there, but you totally glossed over the elephant in the room: Red Bull basically mastered the art of the pivot when those radical regulation changes dropped. While everyone else was spinning their wheels, they just leaned into the chaos and found that sweet spot faster than anyone else on the grid. They didn't just adapt to the new aero rules; they practically rewrote the playbook on how to handle a massive technical shift.😉

Nancy Scott5 said:Perez just blew it. Seriously, what was that driving and what kind of strategy were they even running?🤦

Look, Massa actually fits the strategy perfectly😳, he's just absolutely, miserably pathetic 🤮

Nancy Scott5 said:Massa finally called it quits before he could embarrass himself any further.
Heidfeld 8🙏

Did he quit or did he just get booted?

Nick 🙏

Joshua Doyle11 said:Wait, where did darkmarlin16 disappear to?🤷

I guess he finally lost his nerve.

It’s just so predictable, isn't it? That’s exactly how you’d expect an Alonso supporter to act when things get heated.☕

I'm right here☕

Nancy Scott5 said:I was really banking on Hamilton pulling some crazy Banzai move and blowing past Vettel.
But it just didn't happen.😢

And let's be real, Hamilton isn't even the same beast he used to be😢

Alright, time for me to vent a little bit and get some stuff off my chest... I assume you guys have actually read all the 🤣

Everyone says the Circuit of the Americas is the ultimate litmus test for raw car speed, and honestly, this weekend just confirmed what we already knew. Red Bull and McLaren are basically playing in a different league right now, with the Red Bull looking just a hair sharper. From the perspective of someone rooting for Fernando, it doesn't look good at all—not even a little bit. It feels like that flash of brilliance we saw back in Turkey was just a fluke, or maybe it was just a race where McLaren completely choked.

Ferrari showed up with a fancy new rear wing, which turned out to be a total bust because they interpreted the regs wrong and it got banned. Sure, it might have given them a tiny nudge, but let's be real, nothing major. The real headache for Ferrari is how the car handles when it's light on fuel; once that tank empties, everything goes sideways. They need to fix this immediately, and I'm talking a massive, radical overhaul, because patching it won't cut it.

Fernando had an absolutely killer start from P4, pulling off this incredible move to grab the lead. While he had a full tank, he was holding his own, actually fighting the Red Bull and McLaren head-on, but as the fuel burned off, that gap just kept widening and widening. And don't even get me started on the pit wall's decision to run hard tires for a full 26 laps. Seriously? 26 laps on this year's compounds is just asking for trouble.

So, what’s the play now? Vettel is leading the charge with four wins out of five, and in the one race he didn't win, he still took second. He’s only dropped seven points total...
If I were in Ferrari's shoes, I'd write this whole season off right now, but then again, who's to say the 2012 car won't be a complete disaster too? Probably nobody...
The designers and everyone else in the garage really ought to take a good, hard look in the mirror. How on earth are they letting the leaders pull that much distance?
Ferrari has a pure racing gem in their lineup, yet they aren't giving him the machine he deserves.

And what can I even say about Massa? That guy hasn't put together a decent race since the German GP mid-way through last year. And yet, Ferrari is actually extending his contract for next season? It's pathetic. Massa is driving like a ghost; there's zero effort, zero spark. What's the point of him being there? He's just grinding out P10 finishes.
I'd throw the young Jules Bianchi straight into the fire right now; Ferrari would have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Now, let's talk about these rules....
It's absolute garbage. Total, unadulterated trash. This old troll running the show seems hell-bent on destroying F1 with these moronic decisions. Last year was one of the most thrilling seasons we've seen, so why on earth did they introduce all this nonsense? Real overtaking is dead; it's just people circling each other. Nobody even wants to try a pass because what's the point if Driver A breezes past Driver B before the DRS zone only to have him dive right back under him effortlessly? Any legitimate, high-skill overtake gets neutralized by someone just pressing a button. And the tires? They wear out so fast you're basically pitting every ten laps. At this rate, the only thing worth keeping is KERS.

I genuinely don't understand how anyone finds this entertaining. It’s a circus. F1 is supposed to be the pinnacle of motorsport, but it's morphing into a goddamn carnival. I'd much rather watch a single race with one genuine, gutsy overtake than a hundred manufactured, artificial ones.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to disrespect Vettel here. The kid is on fire, he's got a monster of a car, and he's milking it for everything it's worth. Just look at Webber in that exact same car—he doesn't look like some alien overlord who's impossible to beat like Vettel does. It proves there's something special about that kid.

Megan Alvarez3 said:Look, Alonso is brilliant when everything clicks, when the car is dialed in and he’s in total control of the situation. But unfortunately, I guess when things go sideways and he has to fight, he isn't quite as dominant. The real issue at Ferrari is Domenicali. He’s just a damn economist—a textbook manager who lacks any actual technical expertise. He simply doesn't understand the nuances of motorsports enough to be running an elite team like this.
Maybe when the big boss finally realizes by the end of this season that having an Italian lead at Ferrari isn't a winning strategy, they'll bring in someone from the outside who actually knows how to organize a crew.
I mean, watching Webber today... he's barely even trying!

I don't hear Fernando agreeing with any of that.🤷

Nancy Scott5 said:I started rooting for them back in '07. Used to be a McLaren guy before that.🤣

You better make a run for it and get out of that absolute English-speaking hellscape before you lose what's left of your mind. 🤮

Nancy Scott5 said:So you're basically betting on a top ten driver hitting the gravel. 👍
But you didn't say what happens if even that plan fails. 😕

🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, looking at this clip, the track surface around that first turn looks absolutely sketchy.😢

stormybadger8 said:Just watched qualifying😁

Out of everyone at the top of the grid, Alonso is sitting in by far the worst spot.

If they already blew it in Q1, why on earth would they push in Q3 when they know they have zero chance? To me, it looks like they're just playing to the home crowd, and I honestly don't see how smart that is.🤷

It seems way smarter to look at the veteran over there—he gets to pick his tires, he’s got a fast car, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he finishes ahead of Alonso.☕

And hey, the guys from the US networks have a point. He hasn't got a single set of fresh rubber, and he's stuck on the dirty side of the track. Vettel didn't even have KERS, yet he still looks satisfied; he isn't whining about it or acting out. Honestly, he looks more confident about winning than Webber does.🤷

He'd probably be happier in 3rd, but who knows? Maybe he pulls a fast one on Webber at the start. 🙂

But hey, Kovacic is ahead of Ricciardo. 🙏 🙏 🙏
Happy for Lotus.🙂

And for Maldonado. 😁

The Force India guys were basically hoarding their race tire sets, so Kovas's actual position might be a bit deceptive, but whatever, man, he’s absolutely squeezing every ounce of performance out of that car🙏

says:
So, are you just trying to build an alibi for when Ferrari inevitably chokes?

Nah, honestly, I’m actually pretty stoked with how Fernando handled things.☕

cosmicridge5 said:Anyway, Alonso is killing it, so people can deal with it if they want. 🙂 😁

A perfect lap. He’s basically pulling miracles out of that car at this point; honestly, it was almost a miracle he didn't take out an ExxonMobil truck on the track today. 🙏 Once our car actually gets sorted out, you guys might want to start worrying. 😍 Just my two cents for all the haters out there. 😁

If they hadn't banned that new rear wing on us, we’d be right on the tail of those Red Bull guys, maybe only half a second back☕

stormybadger8 said:🤣🤣🤣

I didn't catch qualifying, but I don't buy fairy tales. Honestly, it’s more likely Massa just flopped like he always does.☕

Also, where did that Ferrari advantage over McLaren from last race go? It vanished.🤷

Yeah, Massa is definitely struggling, but even Alonso was looking pretty damn inspired out there.

Regarding that "Ferrari advantage over McLaren" thing🤷, Fernando is actually looking a whole lot closer to them now than he was back in Turkey.👍

Michael Lee4 said:Good grief... these guys are barely a second ahead of the rest of the pack 🤦

Thank God the race starts at 2 PM. If it were any earlier, there's zero chance I'd be awake ☕

Last year they were only absolutely crushing it at the Circuit of the Americas, but now it’s happening every single weekend—like, imagine being a full second faster on hard tires at COTA.🤦

Results:

Tyler Bennett5 said:That’s just how they talk down in certain parts of the Bay Area.
It reminds me of when a foreigner picks up some local slang and then gets totally thrown by how someone from
San Francisco actually sounds, only to be even more surprised when they hear the accent of someone from
a small town out in the Midwest.
I’m not sure if everyone is tuned in 107% during the Friday and Saturday practice sessions, so maybe
Heidfeld will have no trouble sliding right into the race lineup. Alonso, on the other hand, is going to have to work overtime
at the starting line since he's stuck on the dirty part of the track.

It's pronounced MON-ZOO-EEK, not MON-HUI-CHEEK, for crying out loud.😉

Betty Morris72 said:Good grief. Is it actually possible that after two months, someone like Diack will finally figure out how to pronounce driver names correctly? Dealing with these "LUICI" and "KOVALAINEN" pronunciations is already exhausting for everyone involved...😠

As for qualifying, I’m betting the podium remains completely unchanged. Though, who knows? Maybe McLaren will finally lose their minds on those soft tires 🤷 😁

Diackovic is just a lost cause at this point 🙄
even a literal block of wood would have better articulation than this guy☕

and don't even get me started on Jergovic—MONHUICH 🤦 🤦 🤦

Michael Lee4 said:Five minutes left on the clock and the British commentator is already calling it... Webber finally took down Vettel... expect a massive wreck tomorrow 👋

and the American announcers too😉

Jessica Ramos12 said:Is Heidfeld even going to be on the grid tomorrow if he didn't manage to set a qualifying time at all?🤷

He’s gonna get that starting spot, obviously, because everyone knows he’d be performing at like 107% capacity if they actually let him loose on the field.☕

Way to go, Fernando 🙏🙏🙏, honestly, out of everyone at the front, he’s the only one actually enjoying 🤣

Kovalainen 🙏
Maldonado 🙏

gentlebear47 said:And then young Petl just rolls up out of nowhere and clocks a personal best in a single lap? Seriously? How incredibly annoying is that!🙄

I absolutely can't stand him.😠

darkmarlin16 said:here’s the absolute garbage

killed it🙄