When Button complains, you can hear in his voice that he knows things can be fixed and he actually wants to help solve the issue. Grosjean, on the other hand, acts like he doesn't want anything to do with it until the car is finally up to par—basically, "I'm heading to the hotel, you guys figure it out." It feels like he just wants to get out of the cockpit, whether it's during a race or a practice session. If that's his attitude, he won't be making it to Ferrari anytime soon, much to his own regret.
edit: I was just reading where Gutierrez is getting philosophical about it: "It’s tough because from the outside, I look like a bad driver. All the incredible work I'm putting in behind the scenes just isn't visible to everyone else. It's frustrating. I've been consistently fast, so I just hope I get the car I deserve so the results actually show up on the scoreboard."
I feel for Jolyon Palmer, but he really struggled to get this season off the ground.
And don't even get me started on Grosjean. After Australia or Bahrain, he was out there claiming Haas was the best car he’d ever driven, yet now he's constantly complaining over the radio about how undriveable it is.🤣
I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I always get the feeling that the "real" season doesn't actually kick off until the Spanish GP. I can't quite put my finger on why, especially since the previous tracks have been solid—I mean, Russia was pretty decent too.
"The only thing that went wrong was our luck." — yeah, if that was the only issue 🤦
He conveniently forgot about the car breaking down, being 0.6 seconds off the pace in qualifying on average, and not being anywhere near a win. Looks like I'll be waiting a long time for a Ferrari title
He was definitely better, though by how much doesn't really matter. We won't know where he ends up this year, but this start to the season isn't telling us much—it felt just like this at the beginning of last year.
Last season, Kvyat had only 4 points after 4 races, while Ricciardo had 19.
Well, you could also compare the total points earned since Max joined Red Bull Racing, so we'll just have to wait and see.
For instance, Kvyat had a rough start to the 2015 F1 Season, but he ended up outperforming Ricciardo by the end; it just took some time for things to click into place.
Look, I’ll be the first to admit he’s a massive talent. I’m not saying he won't snag a few wins this season, but I just don't see him finishing ahead in the standings. It takes time to adjust, especially since Lewis Hamilton spent his entire career essentially at McLaren, knowing that crew inside and out.
It's a similar story with Kvyat. Even though I think he's actually better than Sainz, his motivation might be hit hard after moving to a slower car, so I expect Sainz to come out on top.
It doesn't really matter; Ricciardo has been with Red Bull Racing much longer and has put in significantly more mileage than Verstappen, who is only just getting his first real feel for the RB car at the Spanish GP. Even if there were 50 races left this season, Ricciardo would still hold the edge. Plus, you can't overlook the fact that Verstappen is stepping into a completely new environment where he's still finding his footing. It’s not like the 2015 F1 Season, where you only need a couple of laps to tell the difference between cars and get adjusted.
Ricciardo managed to put in 457 laps during testing alone. Once you factor in all the sessions from practice, qualifying, and the race, that’s a massive advantage compared to someone who won't even turn a wheel in their new car until the Spanish GP.
It doesn't really matter whether Ricciardo beats Verstappen in this race or by the end of the season. Verstappen is driving a completely new car he's never handled before, so we won't see the true situation until next season.
It was alright, but I felt like there was a lot missing. It honestly feels like they chopped out way too many minutes just to trim the runtime down, but that's just me...
Mercedes was just too dominant; using tires that were twice as old and much slower, they still outpaced everyone else. Ferrari is closing the gap, but they aren't quite there yet if they want to fight for titles. Honestly, the race itself was pretty mediocre—I was hoping for more action and overtaking maneuvers. It would have been even worse if Sebastian Vettel had opted for the medium tires, especially since he couldn't even pull away from Nice on the super softs...
Jacob White49 said:Today was a complete embarrassment for Ferrari. Considering how much money they’ve poured into this and all those big promises... they were barely a second behind Messi. Once Honda and Renault find their footing, Red Bull and McLaren are going to eat them alive. The rain during practice made it obvious that their chassis and aero aren't even in the top five right now. They have a killer engine, but I honestly have my doubts about whether everything is being done by the book when it comes to the digital specs. It's shady.
I wouldn't go quite that far as calling it a disgrace, though it definitely feels like a huge disappointment. Last year they managed three wins, but this year? It doesn't look like they'll see the winner's circle once.
He only really stands a chance at the start of the race, provided they can get ahead of the Mercedes and hold them off for a bit, but I have my doubts. The Mercedes cars are just too fast, especially since they tend to improve as the race goes on. If the tires were anything like they were back in 2013, maybe there'd be a shot, but not with these. Even if the Mercedes end up behind Ferrari, they'll stay right on their tail without any trouble, and if they can't pass on the track, I'm certain they'll just outpace them in the pits—something I wouldn't count on Ferrari doing. Personally, I think the last truly great season for Ferrari was 2008 when they had a genuinely stellar car. Everything since then has felt like a series of lucky breaks, and honestly, I don't even know how Alonso managed to fight for the title so many times. We've been waiting far too long for a championship, and every year we fall for the same old hype about how close they are.
stormybadger8 said:But he's been telling that same story since he joined Ferrari, so I guess he has to...
The odds of seeing Bear in the race are even lower than seeing them in qualifying... Unless Pirelli cooked up a special tire compound just because Bernie asked them to...
I agree. Honestly, it looks tough for them to win on any track this year unless something unexpected happens to the duo at Mercedes.