2022 Car Launches and Pre-season Testing (March 10-12, Bahrain)

Last season, there were all these rumors floating around from sources close to Ferrari suggesting things were getting tense between Charles Leclerc and Mario Binotto... apparently, Binotto was leaning toward Carlos Sainz because he saw him as the more well-rounded driver. It might just be some internet trolls talking nonsense, but honestly? The results speak for themselves.

Carlos Sainz is absolutely crushing this poll

ruggedhawk20 said:In the poll, Carlos Sainz is in a massive lead

Your ability to tell fat from skinny is about as reliable as your ability to tell men from women. 🤣

ruggedhawk20 said:According to the poll, Carlos Sainz is sitting pretty in the lead

I honestly can't believe I'm the only one stuck with this gut feeling... that they'll just hand Hamilton another title on a silver platter if they get the chance

gentlecobra23 said:I seriously can't believe I'm the only one convinced they're just gonna hand Hamilton another title on a silver platter.

Nah, you're just a boring, risk-averse traditionalist thinking "hey, he won seven titles, so maybe he'll grab an eighth."

That's such a stale way to live—no wonder women aren't biting. You might offer them stability, but you definitely aren't offering any excitement!

ruggedhawk20 said:It’s not that... you’re just a conservative safe-player who thinks logic dictates if he won seven titles, an eighth is a given.

That’s just a boring, risk-averse way to live. It’s probably why women don't find you particularly interesting. Maybe you offer stability, but you definitely don't offer any excitement...

Didn't realize this sub-forum migrated from forestry to F1...

gentlecobra23 said:Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are seriously talented drivers. Leclerc’s junior category record is basically unmatched on this entire grid—nobody comes close...
The issue at Ferrari is the strategy and the car, not the drivers....

Ferrari's real problem is the Italians running the show; honestly, it's basically everyone in the organization at this point...
It isn't just about bad tactics. It's politics and the internal mess of the whole outfit.
They spend way too much time chasing gossip and PR. Their top priority seems to be how they look in the media...
They care more about what’s trending in the news than anything involving speed, racing, the car, the drivers, or actual F1 stuff...

Regarding the Ferrari drivers and a potential championship run, I’d say Sainz has the edge because he's actually consistent, which is something Leclerc definitely lacks...
But honestly, it doesn't even matter. Even if Ferrari finally builds a car capable of winning a title,
the decision on who gets to be the champion will likely be dictated by Italian media drama and office politics rather than pure pace or driver skill...

stormybadger8 said:One. 😳
Bottas thinks Mercedes is in deep trouble and claims his Alfa Romeo is actually faster than them. 😁

stormybadger8 said:Now we just wait for George Russell to start crying to the media about how much better Valtteri Bottas had it compared to him when they swapped seats. 🙂
Just picture Toto Wolff wiping away his tears while some pathetic little voice whimpers in his ear, "It’ll be okay, George..."

Are you kidding me? 🤣😂
Way to go, Bottas. 🙏

stormybadger8 said:Based on everything we've seen so far—though who knows how much these cars will actually look like the ones hitting the grid for race one—the Mercedes looks completely different from the rest of the field.
It’s now or never. Either they completely whiffed on this entire strategy, or AM pulled off a miracle move like Brawn GP hitting the diffuser. 😬

We'll see. Like they said, those idiots...

Dammit, it’s a total disaster. 😢

stormybadger8 said:Forget this whole mess... 🤣😂
Bravo to Valtteri Bottas 🙏

Honestly, it’s just a total disaster 😢

Sebastian Vettel would probably catch a fever just thinking about having to drive that thing 😁

gentlecobra23 said:Sebastian Vettel would probably catch a fever just thinking about having to drive that thing 😁

🤣

Such a waste of a nice green paint job on that tractor.

I seriously can't get behind these hideous hubcaps...
For years, everyone’s been talking about how bumping up the rim size would make the cars look better. Well, here we go—these new ones have an extra 5 inches of diameter, and then they slap these black hubcaps over them that make the whole wheel look like one solid chunk of rubber. I totally get the aerodynamic goals, but man, they could've at least etched some rim lines on them. These look exactly like the cheap hubcaps you'd find at a Walmart. 🤣

stormytiger4 said:I don't get these ugly hubcaps...
For years, everyone insisted they needed larger rims just for the looks. Now, they've bumped the diameter up by five inches only to slap these black hubcaps over them, making the whole wheel look like a solid slab of rubber. I get the aerodynamic reasoning, but seriously, they could have at least sketched some rim lines on them. They look like those cheap covers you'd find at Walmart. 🤣

And what about adding some LED lights on top to signal the tire status?

gentlecobra23 said:Sebastian Vettel probably caught a fever just thinking about having to drive that thing 😁

vjerojatno no🤣
Alright fine, at least now he can immediately start hunting for a new ride or just contemplate retirement.
Joining AM was clearly a massive screw-up...

It’s a shame because I actually liked FI; they were a solid crew and always knew how to overperform given their size and budget. Now that they finally have the cash, they're worse than ever.🤦
From what I've seen so far, I have a feeling we won't be seeing an AM podium this season....
It's obvious that old man Stroll is an idiot who meddles in everything, basically wrecking the team beyond repair...
Such a waste, because back during the VJ days, they practically functioned flawlessly...

And honestly, looking at these driver transfers, it turns out they did Sergio Perez a huge favor by kicking him to the curb, and it’s looking more and more like Bottas is next up on the chopping block...
Kevin Magnussen absolutely nailed it, while the old man and his boy Nikita Mazepin are probably sitting at home biting their nails seeing how good Haas suddenly became.🤣

So, would you guys seriously go out and kick Nikita Mazepin in the teeth? Just because he’s from Russia or whatever?

I’m telling you, I’m calling it now: Pierre Gasly is totally sliding into that Mercedes-Benz seat once Lewis Hamilton moves on.

At this rate, Mercedes-Benz will probably end up begging Valtteri Bottas to come back. 😁 😁

stormybadger8 said:Probably 🤣
Well, at least he can start looking for a new team right away or just start thinking about retirement...
Joining AM was clearly a massive disaster...

It’s such a shame because I really liked the FI crew; they always knew how to punch above their weight class despite their size and budget, but now that they finally have the money, they're worse than ever 🤦
Based on everything I've seen so far, I have a feeling AM won't even see a podium this season....
It's blindingly obvious that old man Stroll is an idiot who meddles in everything, basically tearing the team apart to its breaking point...
Such a waste, especially since back when VJ was running things, they functioned almost flawlessly...

And honestly, if you look at the whole transfer saga, it turns out they did Perez a huge favor by kicking him to the curb, and it's starting to look like Bottas might be next...
Magnussen absolutely nailed it, while the old man and his son Mazepin are probably sitting at home biting their nails seeing how good Haas has suddenly become 🤣

Yes, it seems the father was far too hasty, which was actually the main reason why Otmar left the team…