2022 Australian Grand Prix: Melbourne - April 10th

Just look back at last season and those earlier years when Mercedes-AMG absolutely owned the hybrid era.
How long did it take them to lap the backmarkers? Sometimes it was just one or two laps...
There were times they’d slice through the field and put those slow cars a lap down in just 15 or 20 laps flat.
So, how many laps is Ferrari going to need to pull that same stunt this season?
Raikkonen was just on another planet.
It used to be nothing but Mercedes, then maybe Red Bull popped up occasionally, and Ferrari was always miles behind everyone else.
Last season was actually pretty competitive for once, but even then, it was basically just Mercedes and Red Bull fighting it out.

There were all those interesting theories and predictions about how the new cars would be so good at following one another that we might eventually see VAR scrapped altogether.

But looking at today, and even what we saw during those first two races... man.

cosmicmoose2 said:Just look back at last season and those early years when Mercedes-Benz absolutely owned the hybrid era.
How many laps did it take them to lap the backmarkers? Sometimes it was just one or two.
There were times they were only 15-20 laps into the race before they were slicing through traffic.
Red Bull Racing

That isn't a fair comparison. I hadn't looked closely at that specific metric, but it's about more than just how fast the Mercedes-Benz was.
If you ask me, if a car gets lapped that quickly, it says more about how slow that car is than how dominant the leader actually is.

hiddenridge99 said:It’s honestly mind-boggling. You have these die-hard Formula 1 fans—some of whom have been posting on this forum for over a decade—spouting absolute nonsense like this. I’m speaking generally here, but it's disappointing to see.

You always run into that one guy who can't stand Ferrari. He tries to play this low-effort trolling game, acting like Ferrari is somehow absolutely dominant now. I guess he's just trying to find some way to justify those seasons when Mercedes-Benz was running a car that was a full second and a half faster than everyone else on the grid.

Then you have the Ferrari fans and all the other Hamilton haters who, after just three races, have already decided that Hamilton is a total disaster and that Russell is clearly outclassing him. (That's my own sarcasm, not a quote.)

It won't be long before those two decide that Mick only landed a seat in Formula 1 because of his last name, and then they'll probably tell him he should just go grab a burger at a local diner instead.

Let’s have a serious talk about reality.

Based on everything we’ve seen so far, Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are clearly the ones to watch. Or, more specifically, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are the ones setting the pace. We saw Ferrari show strength in Bahrain, then Red Bull Racing took over in Saudi Arabia, and now we're back to Ferrari here at the Miami Grand Prix. The real deciding factor right now seems to be reliability, and so far, that advantage belongs firmly to Ferrari.

Another perspective. Lewis drove quite well today, much like he did back in Bahrain. He struggled in Saudi Arabia, but you can't dwell on what's already passed. He takes a 2-1 lead in qualifying, even if he ends up trailing 1-2 in the actual race. At the end of the day, we're only three races into the season, and we still need to see what George Russell is truly made of.

Long live the memory... ☕

I can't bring myself to agree that Ferrari had the edge in Bahrain. To my eyes, they were basically on equal footing with Red Bull Racing. In my opinion, securing pole position was the deciding factor in Bahrain. That starting spot mattered immensely during the race because the tires just wouldn't hold up for long stints. Honestly, I think if Max Verstappen had managed a better qualifying session and led from the very first lap, Charles Leclerc would have been left chasing his tail just the same.

I’m on the same page regarding Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Jason Campbell70 said:I remember reading those theories about how much better the new cars would be at following one another. People were speculating that the slipstream effect would become so efficient that we might actually see DRS phased out entirely in the future. It’s an interesting thought.

Between what we saw today and those first two races... man, it's just tough to watch.

DRS is a necessity at this point; the sport just wouldn't function without it. That said, I can see why people want it—it definitely makes following the cars a lot more engaging.

I thought the race was pretty good. I would have liked to see more aggressive overtaking at the front, but the action from behind kept me engaged, especially during the second half of the race.

Raymond Anderson4 said:They really earned it—having their car development and technical feedback handled by a driver who makes you wonder if he even belongs in Formula 1 in the first place.

Hmm, they actually have two drivers like that right now.😬

In all fairness, it isn't entirely on them, but I imagine the upcoming car updates are going to be a massive uphill battle.

I guess I was wondering if someone could maybe explain why the GOAT, Alonso, went after the fastest lap right at the end of the race? 😁

Red Bull needs to address their reliability issues immediately, because if they don't, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are going to pull ahead. It's not just about the gap; by the fifth race, Mercedes will be right there in the mix, turning this into a six-car dogfight where catching up becomes an uphill battle.

Mercedes showed during this race that they are making steady progress. Once they pinpoint the root cause of their struggles—which won't be long—their pace is going to skyrocket.

There is simply no margin for error for Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Ferrari isn't sitting idle; they are constantly refining the car and will likely roll out major upgrades very soon.

Dana Murphy4 said:Can someone please explain why the GOAT Fernando Alonso went for the fastest lap at the very end of the race? 😁

Perhaps because it nets him one extra point. 🤔

Judging by everything I see, Leclerc is going to dominate at Imola. The track demands serious traction on corner exits, and that is exactly where Ferrari shines brightest. 🙂

God, I just love this. Heh.

mellowtiger83 said:Maybe it’s because they only bring home one measly point????...🤔

But that’s only if you’re talking about the top 10. Alonso ended up finishing 14th...

Dana Murphy4 said:Can someone please explain why the GOAT Fernando Alonso went for the fastest lap at the end of the race? 😁

Flexing! 😍

And for the consolation prize, too. 😁

mellowtiger83 said:Maybe because it nets you one point? 🤔

Only if you actually finish in the top 10, though. 😉

mellowtiger83 said:Is it because they only bring home a single point? 🤔

False Guy, you might not always be right, but we all love you plenty around here.

Is that little brat trying to pay back some karma for last season?

cosmicmoose2 said:Just think back to last season—and even a few seasons before that—when Mercedes totally owned the hybrid era.
How long did it take Mercedes to lap the backmarkers? Sometimes it was just one lap, maybe two.
There were times they’d slice through the field in just 15 or 20 laps.
So, how long is it going to take Ferrari to pull that off this season?
Raikkonen is just on another level.
It used to be just Mercedes, then Mercedes and occasionally Red Bull Racing, and only then would Ferrari show up while everyone else was miles behind.
Last season was actually pretty competitive, I guess, but it was still basically just Mercedes and Red Bull Racing.

27 laps after that last Safety Car. It’s not exactly shining, but it's holding up, I suppose.

cosmicmoose2 said:For the moment, it seems Ferrari has produced a car that is drastically more reliable. When we look at pure speed, they are certainly closing the gap.
While one might argue that Max Verstappen’s accident makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions, isn't it an undeniable fact that his own error during lap 13 essentially destroyed his front left tire? This placed him in a rather precarious position where he was struggling to keep pace with Charles Leclerc, and furthermore, Max didn't even benefit from a favorable pit window compared to the rest of the field.
Even before any technical issues arose, he simply lacked the necessary pace on the hard compound when measured against Charles.

It feels somewhat reductive to attribute everything solely to the machinery, doesn't it? Charles Leclerc has shown remarkable mental fortitude and consistency throughout this season. That is precisely how a championship is built, and if the car remains reliable and continues to improve through upgrades, Charles truly possesses a legitimate chance to claim the title.

Ultimately, the blame lies with the car, given that Max Verstappen is arguably the superior driver when compared to Charles Leclerc.

graniteharbor502 said:It all comes down to the car. Max is simply a superior driver compared to Leclerc.

It appears Max is not quite as dominant as people claim here. Then again, the same crowd insists that Sainz is better than Leclerc. Honestly, since Hamilton is no longer at his peak, everyone seems to be targeting Leclerc instead.

Anthony Baker84 said:It was 27 laps after the last Safety Car. He didn't just pass them, he absolutely smoked them...

Actually, that's not even true. Leclerc only lapped the very tail end of the pack. Remember back in 2020? There were races where Lewis Hamilton was basically breathing down the necks of Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, and Alexander Albon, while he had lapped almost everyone else—like all 15 other drivers!

Benjamin Evans said:It seems that Max isn't quite the absolute titan everyone here claims him to be, though I suppose it's the same crowd that insists Carlos Sainz is superior to Charles Leclerc. It feels as if, since Lewis Hamilton isn't the center of the conversation anymore, you all have simply shifted your focus to picking on Leclerc.

Even Leclerc himself mentioned today that Ferrari possesses "the best car." How massive that gap actually is compared to Red Bull Racing remains a matter of pure speculation, yet one cannot deny the advantage exists. Much like how Red Bull Racing holds the upper hand over Mercedes-Benz, we are ultimately discussing raw, unadulterated speed.

mellowtiger83 said:Red Bull needs to fix their reliability issues immediately. If they don't, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are going to pull too far ahead. It’s not just about that gap; by the fifth race, Mercedes will be right there in the mix too. We're looking at a six-car fight for the lead, and at that point, catching up becomes a much harder mountain to climb.

Mercedes-Benz showed some real progress in this race. Once they pinpoint exactly what’s holding them back—and that won't take long—expect them to start moving forward at a lightning pace.

There's no time to dwell on Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Meanwhile, Ferrari isn't exactly sitting idle; they're steadily refining their car and will likely roll out some major upgrades very soon.

Exactly. Even though we're only three races in, that gap between Max and Red Bull Racing is massive—and it's going to be incredibly difficult to close. Ferrari will likely suffer their own setbacks during a race; it’s almost inevitable at this level. But that doesn't mean Red Bull Racing won't run into trouble too. Judging by how things are starting out, it looks like Honda is falling right back into their old habits.