Posts by Nicholas Newman2

stormybadger8 said:Good morning. I think Mercedes-Benz will still be No. 1 even after the 2021 rule changes. If they don't hold the top spot outright, they'll likely be splitting it with Red Bull (in the past) or maybe Ferrari—though I have my doubts about that last one...
Actually, isn't it more logical that Ferrari and Red Bull have a much better shot at catching and passing Mercedes-Benz specifically if the rules stay exactly as they are, rather than if they change?

Signed, sealed, delivered.

stormybadger8 said:Who’s actually drawing conclusions here?
Regarding the season in that regard, we don't know anything yet—we didn't even know before Barcelona...
But you should expect Mercedes to remain the clear top team with the best car...

Anything else would be strange. If anyone expects massive shifts after five years of pure dominance without any major rule changes, well, they're being naive...
Especially those who were buying into the nonsense about how Ferrari was half a second faster than Red Bull, then Red Bull, and then Mercedes just barely behind them.🙂

Regardless, looking at Australia, it was obvious they were going to shred Ferrari by at least half a second in qualifying.☕
And that was true even before FP1, let alone after FP1 and FP2.😉
No matter how much the Mercedes PR machine complains...

Australia is just the kind of track that perfectly suits Mercedes, while it doesn't really suit Ferrari...

I've asked this question before, and I'll ask it again.
What does it matter to certain people if Mercedes stays at the top even after a drastic rule change?
In reality, no rule change, not even a minor one, is entirely harmless, but so far, Mercedes has handled things perfectly.

My comment about conclusions isn't directed at you—even though you tend to overreact sometimes—it's aimed at the drama queens on the last few pages.
As soon as the first FP-oves of the season are done, people start posting stuff like whether they should even bother watching, or "help, there's too much dominance," or "I won't watch F1 for the next two years."
What else is there to say besides 🤦 what I've already said.

stormybadger8 said:Hamilton + 0.704
Bottas + 0.592
Does that make things a bit clearer for you? 🙂

Start watching with your own eyes instead of swallowing the PR spin...

And go tell your people to stop acting like this...
Nobody is forcing them to do anything, but it would be nice if they actually let Bottas fight, just so we could have the illusion of a title race. 🙄

Is it just me, or was Bottas told he needs to drastically slow down in S3?
Was it James or Toto? 🙂

Look, I'm not buying into any PR stories here. Though, I know there are plenty of people in this thread who are.

I thought you actually had something constructive to say. It’s not that what you're writing makes no sense, but...

It seems a bit silly to draw conclusions based on Australia, especially since we all know how specific that track is.
Besides, when you see that Ferrari messed up their free practices, this gap doesn't actually look that bad.

We can look at it this way:
If Ferrari had handled the FP-ove properly, the gap would definitely be smaller than last year—and we know exactly how the power distribution looked after last year's Australia.
I won't sugarcoat it; I wish I were wrong, but that's a far cry from the total disaster I'm reading about from those impatient Ferrari fans.

Kyle Edwards5 said:We'll definitely keep what you said in mind...
I want to warn a couple of users here not to get dragged into pointless arguments, especially since there's clearly some mutual dislike going on. 😉

Anyway, we should probably get back to the main topic.

I’m assuming this warning is aimed at me. If it is, then by doing that, you're just proving you can't handle this role.
I’ve never lost my cool on this forum, nor anywhere else.
I don't go around trolling threads; if anything, I try to avoid it. So why am I being lumped in with someone like him?

Just looking at his avatar, it's obvious he isn't here for constructive discussion—he's just here to insult people. But I guess because he posts under a three-star rating, that's perfectly fine. I'm sure if someone else started acting out, they'd be shut down instantly.

And for the record, it's not that I can't stand him. It's that I can't stand the instant validation given to people like him, and he isn't the only one.
What's the point of having forum traffic if the quality of discussion is basically zero?

If this warning wasn't meant for me, then please excuse my previous comments.

ruggedhawk20 said:Mommy,

Could you please ask Gill to tone it down? There's no need to be aggressive or go looking for trouble with the neighbors.

I pointed out the same thing about this colleague last year, but the mods didn't see an issue with it. It isn't even peak season yet, but they're already stirring up drama in the threads. If anyone is going to listen, shouldn't it be the longtime members?

stormybadger8 said:They aren't even within half a second of Valtteri Bottas, let alone Lewis Hamilton...

The Bear is just overwhelmingly dominant. I have no clue what they did, but they are insanely fast, and that’s without even running their race trim.🤦
On top of that, they seem to handle tires perfectly, while Ferrari is in a complete mess on the mediums...

I just hope this is specific only to the United States Grand Prix...

Nobody can really touch them here. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they overtake everyone on track except maybe Ferrari, though they'll likely leave them behind by over 50 seconds anyway.
Williams is looking miserable; they'll probably struggle after just five or six laps.🤦

Sure, we should all expect Ferrari, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Alfa Romeo, Haas, STR, RP, McLaren, and especially Williams to suddenly be in heavy sandbagging mode...
It seems like only Mercedes isn't sandbagging, which hasn't exactly been the tradition throughout the entire hybrid era...

If the teams haven't completely flipped their FP-ov approach compared to previous seasons, then we should expect The Bear to be another 0.5 to 1 second ahead in Q3, rather than seeing the rest of the field close the gap.🤦

Be a gentleman and explain what you're basing these conclusions on.

mellowtiger83 said:I doubt Ferrari will show any real speed. It seems suspicious that they didn't make any progress in FP2 compared to FP1, especially since Leclerc spent his FP2 session out on hard tires.

👍 That just doesn't add up.

neonfox65 said:There isn't really anything to debate here. The rules are clear, and since darkmarlin16 and mellowtiger83 weren't aware of them, they just ended up laughing at themselves. 🙂

Regarding that contact between Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, I already provided an explanation. Nobody has responded to it yet, likely because you all realize I'm right.

We've heard this empty story before—that once Honda delivers the engine, Max will cruise to the title.

You can keep making excuses about "if only Honda does this" or "if only Honda does that."🤦 It’s become your repetitive mantra. Last year, you were chanting the same thing about this season, yet Max barely managed to outscore Rica, and even then, it felt like there was significant bias from Marko and Christian Horner.
It isn't that Max lacks talent; it's that he hasn't been properly trained, and now he's showing that he doesn't even want to be. That's a recipe for becoming a champion—in some parallel universe, at least.

I suppose you'll have your alibi ready for the seasoned veterans on this forum next year: if Honda fails, it won't be Max's fault.👍

neonfox65 said:Read the post above.☕

You guys look ridiculous and uninformed.👋

Fine, I'll stick to your mantra again. The officials have made their call, so what else is there to debate?👋

And let's be real—if Max keeps this up, he's going to rack up more and more penalties. Just wait until things get messy with Christian Horner and Marko. It could easily turn into a Kvyat situation.☕

darkmarlin16 Asks:
If Lewis Hamilton manages to clinch the title this year, it’ll be his most impressive one yet. Winning in a car that isn't even the fastest on the grid? That changes everything. You see drivers like Fernando Alonso pull off career-defining seasons right after securing their titles, but Sebastian Vettel hasn't quite been able to replicate that kind of momentum. In fact, if he had a faster car, would he have even stood a chance in those head-to-head battles? He managed to scrape by twice before, but now? It's looking much harder.

I'm not going to get caught up in whether he actually takes the win or not.

I’m certain of one thing: if he doesn't take it this time, his shot at the title really should have been during that race in Turkey. It was a massive opportunity, and honestly, it was well within his reach.
He’s already managed to turn a good chunk of the Ferrari fans against him. I can only imagine what happens if they miss out on the titles again this year. The pressure is just going to crush him completely. In that scenario, all it takes is Charles Leclerc being fast during one of the early races next season, and it's game over.

neonfox65 said:mellowtiger83, imagine if that contact happened between Vettel and Hamilton while they were fighting for the win on the final lap. Would they have penalized Vettel and stripped him of his victory right there in the middle of the US Grand Prix in front of all those fans? Or even better, what if it happened during the season finale where the championship was on the line, and then the stewards stepped in? You see how absurd this is. This is why I've always said the stewards shouldn't interfere in racing duels. Unless someone is actually driving dirty—and Max didn't do that, whereas Bottas kept pushing and caught up to him.

Hold on a second. Hasn't your whole argument lately been that whenever anyone attacks Verstappen, the stewards are just looking for an excuse to penalize him? So what changed? Now that the stewards actually penalized Max, suddenly he must be in the wrong? Or is it the other way around?

It’s great to see this kind of activity on one of our race threads. Last time we saw a crowd like this was during the US Grand Prix 2014!🙂

stormybadger8 said:What kind of network? 🙂

I honestly don't get why some people tie their entire sense of success or failure to whether or not their driver wins a championship. Why does it have to be that way? 🤔
I don't get it. Honestly, I just don't see how that makes any sense. 🤷
It feels like my life has been stuck in a loop: either Sebastian Vettel wins 15 titles or he wins absolutely nothing at all.

I didn't start rooting for him just because he wins championships, and I certainly won't stop just because he doesn't.
Honestly, I have no idea what you're even talking about. 🤔

Honestly, you probably need to give yourself a temporary ban once in a while. I’m not saying that to be mean, but please, just look at the contradictions in your own post. You have those bolded points written above the line, and then there's that little love poem in blue right underneath it. How does that even make sense?

No hard feelings.

mellowtiger83 said:I'm not entirely sure about that🙂, but wouldn't it be better if they fought it out until the final race?
Beyond just having a 30-point lead, Hamilton has another advantage: he can afford to let Max get aggressive against Vettel, similar to what we saw at Indianapolis.
Essentially, Hamilton will maintain that gap until the Mercedes-Benz crew figures out Ferrari's secrets. Judging by the recent statements, that's exactly what they're working on, and once they do, you can expect Hamilton to pull away like crazy.

Whatever you say. I'm just waiting for the day someone opens a portal and claims they've been possessed by some dark force.

James Walker57 said:For everyone up there arguing about how many points he actually wasted—some folks in the UK actually sat down and crunched the numbers for the last two seasons:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/for...two-years.html

Unbelievable. Thanks, zekohonda1.

crimsonhawk23 said:And honestly, Magnussen is useless. He completely blew it today during that disaster with Perez 🤦 plus Alonso dominated him again, just like he did in qualifying yesterday 🤣 Stroll will probably become WDC before Haas F1 Team ever wins a single GP. I'm 100% sure of it.

What braking zone deviation? 🤔 When did that even happen today (unless we're talking about what was in the stewards' heads)?

I’m asking you in good faith to take another look at the incident. Don't forget that the stewards aren't always consistent and there aren't clear criteria. Why am I mentioning this? Because as long as things stay this way, any officiating decision can be challenged by someone bringing up the past. Every incident needs to be viewed on its own merits. And in this case, Max Verstappen definitely overstepped.

Ultimately, Max Verstappen only hurt himself. Like I said before, if he keeps thinking this way, he'll never become a champion. Look at Sebastian Vettel right now—despite having a dominant car and being able to win the championship easily, he's sitting right where he is. It leaves me hopeful that things might still swing in favor of the Meckin side.

Gerald Patel said:Today's race really highlighted how sloppy Ferrari is when it comes to managing their drivers. They hold a 1-2 position right after the start, so why on earth would Sebastian attempt to overtake Kimi instead of focusing on keeping Lewis Hamilton at bay? That failed move on Kimi is exactly what caused the collision between Sebastian and Lewis Hamilton. Honestly, it was a completely reckless and foolish move by Sebastian. I mean, your teammate is leading the race and you have the entire duration to make your move. It’s mistakes like this—taking unnecessary risks in situations where they aren't needed—that will hand the championship over to Mercedes-Benz. It’s like Ferrari lacks the guts to clearly tell Kimi, "Look, you're the number two driver." Instead, they seem to hope they can just push Sebastian ahead through the pits whenever it suits them. Even Mercedes-Benz openly uses tactics reminiscent of the Michael Schumacher era with a second driver. It’s a shame they don't have someone like Valtteri Bottas or Kimi, who are both top-tier talents, so we could actually see four drivers fighting for the title.

I think it’s just a disconnect between ego and common sense.
It's a sort of amateur version of Max Verstappen.

As for Ferkan and the team orders, I don't think they have those classic rules like back in the Schumacher days. There's probably some loophole that gives Kimi a chance to fight back, and he's more than happy to take it, regardless of the supposed "harmony" between him and Sebastian. I can't help but feel that Kimi sometimes holds himself back just a little bit.

electriccanyon6 said:Unfortunately, it’s the truth. I’ve been a Ferrari fan forever—at least 20 years now. I've loved Formula 1 since I was a kid.

Even though I've always found Lewis Hamilton a bit difficult to like, he really is the best F1 driver in the world.

No worries, man. Respect. If only there were more objective people here so we could have actual discussions instead of just constant fighting. You have my support.🙏

edit; It won't be long before they start coming after you even harder. Hang in there.🙂

electriccanyon6 said:Just to be clear, I've been a massive Ferrari Fan since day one. In my opinion, the Ferrari is the best car on the grid this year, but Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are simply better drivers than those two.

Lewis Hamilton > Sebastian Vettel > Valtteri Bottas > Kimi Räikkönen

Watch out. You might end up at the guillotine if you aren't careful—don't say I didn't warn you. 🤣

Honestly, what can I say? Cheering is one thing, but crossing the line into insults is where you lose all respect.

I can probably guess how people would act if they were actually on his payroll. Just like any other hypocrite, they’d worship him and lift him up to impossible heights, then jump down the throat of anyone brave enough to offer even a bit of criticism.🤮

Just to be clear, I’m talking about the ones doing the barking, not every single one of his fans.