Posts by mellowtiger83

neonfox65 said:Look, I'm asking you directly—are you rooting for Max? Just give me an answer.

I support Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso. Not necessarily in that order.

Yesterday, for instance, I was pulling for Sebastian Vettel to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton simply because I had money riding on a Vettel victory.🙂

It’s a concept you'll likely struggle to grasp.

One thing should be causing us more concern: the sheer impossibility of overtaking. Sure, we're talking about the US Grand Prix 2018, but even there, things have never looked quite this bleak.

That is precisely why Mercedes holds such a massive advantage thanks to qualifying. I honestly don't see any way for Ferrari to overtake them, even if their race pace ends up being superior. It's just not happening.

Qualifying is going to dictate everything here. Let’s be realistic—scenarios like this won't happen often, which is why Sebastian Vettel's win was great for his championship standing, but these occasional flashes of luck simply won't be enough in the long run.

It would be ideal for Ferrari if the Mercedes drivers were busy taking points away from one another, but I fear Valtteri Bottas isn't quite capable of that level of disruption. What we actually need is a Nico Rosberg.

The Mercedes car is evidently faster, but it isn't because of the engine. Ferrari showed better top speeds across all three sectors during the US Grand Prix; Mercedes simply possesses a phenomenal chassis.

In turns 12 and 13, where chassis performance is paramount, Mercedes looked insanely fast. It appears they've built a car with immense downforce and flawless aerodynamics. This isn't just about the engine or that famous qualifying mode; they have engineered the entire car to perfection. It's intimidating. I worry Lewis Hamilton might just cruise right past the championship, though I still maintain a small hope that Ferrari can find a way to make things interesting.

The possibility of life on Mars remains a subject of considerable interest. It is an intriguing thought, really. One wonders if we will ever find definitive proof, or if the red planet will remain forever silent. There is much to consider regarding the conditions required for biological existence. It is quite a profound matter. kaže:
Ferrari wasn't being foolish at all with Kimi's undercut attempt. It was a calculated move designed to bait Lewis into covering, which would effectively buy Sebastian Vettel more breathing room. And that is exactly what played out. Regardless of the VSC, Vettel ended up on the superior strategy, and I suspect Kimi was intentionally sacrificed for the greater good. The real mystery is what the Mercedes strategists were thinking—why they rushed to cover him without waiting even a lap or two to see if they could match his pace on the old tires.

I honestly can't wrap my head around it. Why on earth would Mercedes decide to pull a move like that? It leaves me with two possibilities. Either they’ve lost their collective wits—which, frankly, seems unlikely given their track record—or perhaps they aren't quite as dominant as everyone claims, and they were simply playing it safe out of pure fear.

The truth is likely somewhere in the middle. It appears Lewis had to be at his absolute maximum just to pull that three-second gap over Kimi. If Mercedes was already pushing at Maximum during that window, then we are looking at a very interesting season ahead.

The sun on the horizon.🙂If you consider that Red Bull was actually faster than what the race results suggested, we’re looking at a very interesting three-way battle ahead.

Beyond that, we don't really know anything else. Australia is such a specific track; it might be representative of what's coming, or it might not be at all.

Nathan Vaughn20 said:That argument doesn't hold water. The gap between Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen was 17.3s at lap 19 (when Lewis Hamilton pitted). Before Sebastian Vettel went in six laps later, the gap was 18s. So, in those six laps, he didn't even gain a full second advantage, so I don't see how he could have built an even larger lead? Sure, there was one lap under the VSC, but still, I don't understand how he would have stretched that gap to 23-24s on old tires.

Sebastian Vettel wouldn't have gained those few seconds on old tires to get back ahead of Kimi Räikkönen. Sebastian Vettel still had plenty of life left in his rubber at that stage and was driving just as fast—maybe slightly faster—than Kimi Räikkönen on the new Soft tire. What exactly would have happened? If Sebastian Vettel had gone to the pits without a VSC, he would have been about 10 laps behind Kimi Räikkönen on newer tires and wouldn't have lost anything at all until his pit stop.

Once you summarize it like that, you finally see how foolish Kimi's attempt at an undercut was against a fast car that was currently 3 seconds ahead. Had the idiots at Mercedes not reacted, Lewis Hamilton would have just kept pulling away from Kimi Räikkönen instead of Kimi Räikkönen succeeding with the undercut.

I am not sure who looked stupider here, Ferrari or Mercedes. Epic.

Kimi Räikkönen could have eventually attempted an undercut if he had been within 2 seconds of Lewis Hamilton and if they had given him Supersoft or Ultrasoft tires in the pits. Then, with some aggressive strategy, he could have messed with Lewis Hamilton while being ahead of him. Of course, then Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes would have had to cover that undercut, but when Mercedes saw Kimi Räikkönen put on Soft tires while being 3 seconds behind, it became an epic failure for Mercedes.

neonfox65 said:Aren't you a Max Verstappen supporter now?

There is a distinction between being a fan and maintaining an objective perspective on the situation.

Jason Campbell70 said:It would have taken him maybe 2-3 seconds to clear the first corner ahead of Sebastian Vettel without any issues. Honestly, even with a 2-second gap, he would have been perfectly fine.

But the pit wall simply gave him the wrong delta, which led to the mistake—something they admitted themselves after the race.

Look above.

The VSC came out later, so Kimi Räikkönen isn't the culprit or the loser there.
One single driver happened to be in the right place at the right time, seized the opportunity, and took the position.
It’s not the first or last time a (V)SC reshuffles the order.

However, what happened before that is questionable.
It's a live race... yet Kimi Räikkönen, after starting from a better spot on the grid and pulling off a superior first stint, gets told by the pit wall "not to hurry." 😁
And while they're at it, they inform him that the guy behind him—his own teammate—hasn't pitted yet and is squeezing every bit of life out of his starting set of tires.

Luck was on Ferrari's side that the VSC saved them from a disaster; otherwise, they’d be facing even more ridicule.
What a bunch of clowns. It's just plain nonsense. 🙏

Oh, Kimi is absolutely a victim here. Why? Because he was sent in when he still had plenty of pace left on his current tires!

Unless the geniuses at Ferrari actually believed they could undercut Lewis Hamilton by 3 seconds using the hardest tires available that weekend?? And even more foolish were the folks at Mercedes, who rushed to cover that idiotic move by the Ferrari pit wall.

Roger Wright94 said:I wouldn't go that far.
- That "saving" mode is actually just the standard operating procedure, if you ask me. Even with it, Mercedes doesn't look significantly faster than Ferrari + Red Bull Racing. To secure pole position, he would have needed an "attack" mode—which won't be an issue—but it seems he'll need that just to handle serious overtaking maneuvers later on. Not to mention that even with that, Hamilton couldn't manage it today because the track layout simply isn't conducive to passing.

- Hamilton pits immediately after Kimi Räikkönen. He’s covering the undercut. If Mercedes truly believed they were that dominant, this would be a relaxed situation where Lewis could pit whenever he felt like it. But no, he heads in right away. Last season, they wouldn't have broken a sweat in a scenario like this. Not even Mercedes would have.
Today, however, Hamilton spends half the race unable to build a large enough gap to protect himself from Kimi's undercut. Instead, he's forced to dive into the pits right behind him.

- My initial impression is that Mercedes hasn't made as much progress as Ferrari + Red Bull Racing. If Mercedes spent their time on minor upgrades, they'll have less room for growth compared to Ferrari, who performed a massive overhaul and still hasn't fully mastered their current chassis. As for Red Bull Racing, they look tight and well-tuned; they're going to be trouble.

Naturally, we'll be more certain once we see a few more races. This particular track isn't exactly a definitive benchmark anyway.
Mercedes holds an advantage, certainly, but it isn't the dramatic, discouraging, or depressing gap we've seen in the past.

One of the best posts ever shared here. Bravo, Roger Wright94!👍

neonfox65 said:What kind of "future" are we talking about when Max is already the present? 🙂

I might be off regarding the standings; we'll see how things shake out in two weeks.

Max has been in Formula 1 for several seasons now and hasn't really delivered anything special, aside from that stunt in Brazil where he nearly wrecked himself anyway. Beyond that, Max has over 60 starts under his belt, not to mention how Ricciardo has been outclassing him for two years in the same car—something he did again in Australia. Max is certainly the more attractive driver, media-wise, and clearly a favorite of the FIA. He’s likely faster than Ricciardo, but Ricciardo is simply the smarter driver. Max falls into that Gilles Villeneuve category; we all know how Gilles ended up, what he achieved, and what he could have achieved if he had just known when to lift off the throttle.

Max isn't the future; he's the here and now. The future is likely Charles Leclerc.

Beyond the fact that Kimi was essentially robbed by Ferrari, you also have to account for the idiotic move by Mercedes to step in and cover for the absolute nonsense coming from Ferrari's pit wall.

Jason Campbell70 said:One final point: I am thoroughly pleased that Kimi was the first of the Ferrari drivers to hit the pits.
Generally speaking, this place would be uninhabitable if it weren't for the fanatics and the fair-weather fans.

My thanks to the Ferrari pit wall.

Kimi was sacrificed once again in favor of Vettel. Kimi was actually faster than Vettel today, yet they completely botched it with a mindless strategy. He was fast in qualifying and remained faster during the race, holding a three-second gap over Vettel at the moment he entered the pits.

Jason Campbell70 said:Stop being so dramatic; we can all see your avatar anyway. 😁

I really need to fix my moral compass fast👍 🤣, before Gill figures me out, because if he does, I am absolutely screwed.

stormytiger4 said:Exactly. This is essentially a suicide mission executed according to Ferrari's playbook. 👍

Indeed. Mercedes is quite powerful, and Hamilton is incredibly powerful; I don't expect much excitement from the rest of the field this year.

Precisely. That was the word I was searching for—they are just too strong. Too strong. It is fortunate we were in the USA rather than on a track that actually allows for overtaking.🙂

I find myself once again compelled to praise Max for his sheer artistry behind the wheel. It takes a certain level of finesse to pull off a maneuver like that without clipping the wall. This isn't some stroke of luck, either; he pulled the exact same stunt back in Brazil. Honestly, Valtteri Bottas could learn a thing or two from Max if he actually paid attention.🙂

stormytiger4 said:Look, Ted and Martin Brundle just laid it out quite clearly: if the folks at Mercedes-Benz realized Sebastian Vettel actually stood a chance of overtaking Lewis Hamilton during a VSC, they would have pushed harder to build a larger gap. Instead, because their software indicated everything was under control, they opted to save tires and maintain the status quo. Then, total chaos.

Regardless, the results were messy. Personally, I am quite pleased with how the championship is shaking out, mostly in the hope that Ferrari can finally stabilize, especially since the Mercedes-Benz car is clearly the faster machine right now.

Terry Carter2 said:Please, let's keep the personal attacks to a minimum. Aggressive, argumentative bickering simply doesn't align with our community guidelines here.

Thanks.
😁

Who's my friend? Gill is singular. 😁

stormybadger8 said:It’s hard to tell where the problem lies—is it the Ford engine or just the drivers?...
I still maintain that if Carlos Sainz Jr. were behind the wheel of this Red Bull Racing car today, he’d actually have a shot at scoring points...

Red Bull Racing is unfortunately operating at a Williams Racing level when it comes to talent. The car looks miserable, though one wonders just how dire the technical situation truly is...

Honestly, even if the late Ayrton Senna were to rise from his grave during his prime, they probably wouldn't be scoring points. At best, maybe they'd scrape into the top 12.😁

What do I even know about Ford? Just look at their consumer lineup; it's an unrecognizable brand, completely lost in time and space.

stormybadger8 said:Oh sure, because suddenly there's this urgent need for change...
It wasn't an issue before, as long as the old rules worked perfectly for the Germans and RB. 👏

Exactly. Vettel deserved that win, and that's why he managed to stay ahead on those old tires right up until the VSC hit. After that, Hamilton just couldn't find a way past him. When you actually sit down and think about it, nobody was passing anyone—except for the brilliant Ricciardo early on, and that little stunt involving Bottas and the cars trailing six or seven seconds behind.🙂

Fernando Alonso was actually more impressive during that first race with Renault than he ever was throughout all three seasons with Honda—that's over 60 races compared to just one. Quite a ratio, really. Heh.

Honda was absolutely brilliant in the Toro Rosso. It’s such a shame for that little Italian outfit; damn them.

I must say, I’m quite fond of this Safety Car 🙂

I haven't yet remarked upon the masterful driving of Valtteri Bottas—simply masterly.🙂

Gil, is there perhaps a missing plank in your skull? I am merely asking rhetorically.