2019 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix (Sochi) | Sept 27-29

LAX rules! Seriously, you're out of line at the airport 15 minutes before you even hit the security scanners🤣

Gary Palmer8 said:who actually finished?...

Sebastian Vettel DNF

wiredfalcon2 said:It’s actually insane how much luck Lewis gets with those SC periods.

If he wasn't driving for Ferrari, he wouldn't even be in the running.🙂
It isn't luck; he just has a top-tier crew behind him.☕

Lewis is just playing catch-up at this point. The real question is whether he’ll actually overtake Michael's record. I still think he’ll get there—but surpassing him? Probably not.

Huge win for Lewis Hamilton—so stoked for him! ...but honestly, I expected Charles Leclerc to push Valtteri Bottas a bit harder given how things were looking. He’s gonna need some serious muscle to bridge that gap...

Gary Palmer8 said:who actually finished?

As good as it gets...
Ferrari is totally screwed. They completely blew their theoretical shot at the constructors' championship, and now Charles Leclerc is sitting in 3rd. ☕

stormybadger8 said:This Leclerc guy is a total jerk...

Ever since this race, I actually like him even more than Alonso😍
—plus his manager and his old man Jean Todt too.☕

He’s a real fighter when it comes to whining and crying over the team radio just to steal a position.👍
But the second he needs to close the gap or make a move, he suddenly plays nice and disappears.🤦
What an embarrassment—he can't even manage to overtake Bottas.😵

Sebastian Vettel would probably have had a better shot at passing Bottas in today's mess than Leclerc, who was way too aggressive in those opening laps without any DRS.

Charles Leclerc really needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut during a race... I mean, seriously, nobody is just going to pull over on the side of the track just because he claims there was some sort of "gentleman's agreement" in place...
As for Ferrari, those idiots completely screwed Sebastian Vettel over by pulling him into the pits at the worst possible moment (not that I’m rooting for him, mind you, just noting for the record)...
Huge congratulations to Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton; if it hadn't been for that VSC, Ferrari would have walked away with this one...
Valtteri Bottas was an absolutely stellar wingman 🙂

Sebastian, oh Sebastian, you absolute legend... what on earth is still keeping you tied to this Ferrari nursery?

🤦🤦

wiredseal7 said:Honestly, Vettel would've had a better shot at getting past Bottas in today's setup than Leclerc did. Charles was pushing way too hard during those opening laps without any DRS help.

Maybe Leclerc could've actually overtaken Bottas if he spent less time whining over the radio and more time driving! Remember how he promised to stay quiet after Singapore? Well, here he is, crying even harder now. Pathetic.

shadowmarlin22 said:Lewis is just doing his thing. The real question is whether he’ll catch up to Michael Schumacher or actually surpass him. Personally, I still think he'll close the gap, but overtaking him? That's a much taller order.

Let's be real: Lewis Hamilton is already outperforming Michael Schumacher, period. He's been at that level since 2020.
....all while driving that powerhouse Mercedes-Benz...... 🤦🤦

🤣 🤣 🎉

Jack Kelly5 said:I’d bet anything that Sebastian Vettel parked that car without any mechanical issues.
😬

It's very likely. During an interview mid-race, I noticed Vettel started smirking; he looked like he was trying to think about literally anything else just to stop himself from laughing.

Then after the race, Mattia Binotto wouldn't even stop to answer questions. He just pointed his finger to signal he wasn't taking any inquiries and kept walking.

It looks like Pandora's box has been opened at Ferkan.

Man, what a disaster for Sebastian Vettel. He starts out in P3, and then Charles Leclerc gives him this tow. Honestly, instead of taking that straight line where he could have easily pulled away to give Lewis Hamilton a chance—which would have forced Vettel to fight his way back from behind—he just hands it over, and then Vettel has to scramble to make the move at Turn 1.

I guess we’re in for plenty more of this shoving and fighting between them before the season wraps up. Personally, I’d love to see them race each other freely, similar to how Red Bull handles things. Forget about those Mercedes-Benz team orders; these two are world-class drivers, and neither one of them is interested in playing the role of the sidekick.

Nicholas Newman2 said:It’s certainly a possibility. During the race, there was an interview with Sebastian Vettel where he started chuckling at one point; it looked like he was desperately trying to think about anything else just to stop himself from laughing.

And once the race wrapped up, Mattia Binotto didn't even want to stop for questions—he just pointedly gestured for everyone to leave him alone and muttered his way past...

It really looks like Pandora's box has been opened over at Ferkan.

They have all the telemetry, so the engineers back in the garage can tell them exactly whether the MGU-K failed or not...
Though, I have to admit, Vettel did seem quite cheerful and upbeat during that post-race interview🙂

Is there any chance Vettel just completely lost his mind when they moved him back to that position and he intentionally stalled the car? Like, seriously... was it some kind of "if I can't win, nobody can" kind of meltdown? 🙂

Richard Ross11 said:They have all the telemetry, so the engineers back in the garage know exactly if the MGU-K failed or not...
Though, I have to say, Sebastian Vettel did seem pretty upbeat during that post-race interview. 🙂

That’s exactly my point. Just look at Toto Wolff behind the mic.

Edit: He was smiling when he said he’d sit down with the drivers to review the footage; he was actually defending the decision to keep the F1 driver out on track longer. No one even asked him a direct question about why the F1 driver had to retire.

At this point, it feels like there's no chemistry left between the Fercan drivers—if there ever was any to begin with.

bluewalker92 said:Is it even possible that Sebastian Vettel just lost his mind after being moved back to a different spot and intentionally stalled the car? Like, if I can't win, nobody gets to? 🙂

No way. That’s just some conspiracy theory nonsense people cook up when they want to see corruption and fixings everywhere. The guy pulls in tens of millions of dollars a year—you really think he'd tank a car on purpose? He'd be fired before he even made it out of the paddock.

bluewalker92 said:Is it even possible that Sebastian Vettel just lost his mind after being moved to a different position and intentionally stalled the car? Like, "if I can't win, neither can you" vibes? 🙂

Why wouldn't it be possible? It’s honestly quite plausible. Or at least something along those lines happened. You'd have to build a solid case out of it—and then, immediate termination.

copperdrifter26 said:Vettel was absolute garbage. He starts P3, then Charles Leclerc gives him a tow because instead of taking the straight line—where he could've easily pulled away to help Hamilton and forced Vettel to sit behind him—he lets him through to take him in Turn 1.

We’re going to see plenty more of these two throwing punches before the season ends. Honestly, I’d just let them race like Red Bull does. Forget the Mercedes team orders; both of these guys are elite drivers and neither one wants to play butler.

Don't talk nonsense. Vettel had already cleared Hamilton before even hitting the white line, right at the launch before the rest of the grid even moved.

He put Hamilton on the defensive immediately at the start...

And no, Leclerc wasn't giving him some kind of tow. Where in the universe do you get a tow in the first ten meters of a start? 🤦

He could have swerved wherever he wanted for all it mattered...
Vettel passed him way before any "tow" would have even been a thing.

He was side-by-side with him the second they hit the straight, long before a tow could even have an effect.

Sebastian Vettel went against the team orders, but at least he didn't take out Charles Leclerc in the process. If he hadn't pulled up, he might've still been able to block Lewis Hamilton later on when those soft tires came into play—and since that would've happened further down the line, maybe a 1-2 finish would have stayed on the table.

Now, if he intentionally triggered the VSC, we're looking at a massive problem, but I highly doubt that's the case. If he just stops dead like that for no reason, his career is basically over on the spot.