Melbourne Grand Prix - March 17, 2019

http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/vi...was_doingquot/

Even Sebastian Vettel can't make heads or tails of what Lewis Hamilton was pulling there.🙂

Meanwhile, you have Hamilton talking to reporters after the race, acting completely indifferent, claiming he had the pace and faced zero issues. It’s almost as if he knew the outcome was already decided before he even crossed the finish line.

I can't help but wonder if there was some underlying scheme to let Valtteri Bottas take the win without having to fire a single shot.

https://www.f1puls.com/38302/bottas-...-jei-se-audio/
If I'm reading Valtteri Bottas correctly, he might have been taking a little swipe at some of the people on this subforum too.

mellowtiger83 said:I can't help but wonder why they'd let Bottas win without having to fight for it.

Lewis, it's James 😁

Mercedes-Benz is playing with their food at this point because they have such a massive lead.

Just look at how much cushion Bottas had—he spent the whole race cruising, then somehow pulled an extra 7 tenths out of thin air at the end. Actually, it wasn't thin air; it was just tapping into that insane reserve they're sitting on.

So yeah, even with a 7-tenth buffer, Mercedes-Benz is still absolutely demolishing everyone else.

Nothing can touch them—not even Saint Ferdinand sixty-first.

It’ll be interesting to watch how things unfold in Bahrain and China on more standard tracks—ones that should actually suit the Ferrari car better than this one. I don't buy any nonsense about Mercedes being held back; when Toto Wolff slams his fist on the table, you know he isn't acting. And Lewis is just being Lewis—whenever he loses, there’s always some conspiracy theory floating around. It mostly looks like Ferrari was stung by those indecisive moves early on and decided right from the first race who the number one and number two drivers are. A solid approach for the long term, but if they want to hit those ambitious goals, the car needs to perform a bit better than it did today. Ricciardo seems to have traded a stallion for a donkey, and I honestly think if there were mutual interest, he could find his way back to Red Bull. As for everyone else, Kubica is clearly feeling that eight-year gap plus the injuries, while McLaren and Renault were a letdown. Haas and Alfa Romeo looked really good.

ruggedhawk20 said:Mercedes has such an advantage they can basically just play games during the race.

One only needs to look at how Bottas used his Ford to witness that gap; he builds a lead throughout the entire race, only to somehow pull another 7 tenths out of thin air at the very end. Actually, it isn't thin air—it’s simply the massive reserve they have sitting there.

So, even with a 7-tenth cushion, Mercedes is still convincingly dismantling the competition.

Against that kind of strength, not even a Saint Ferdinand sixty-first

I also heard some chatter that the mechanics are supposedly hunting for more sandbags because they used up all the ones they spread around the car during testing in Barcelona.
I am not entirely sure if there is any truth to that.🍿

James Harris34 said:It will be interesting to observe how things unfold in Bahrain and China on standard tracks—tracks that should actually suit the Ferrari car better than this one. I am not expecting any significant concessions from Mercedes-Benz because when Toto Wolff slams his fist on the table, it isn't an act. And Lewis, being Lewis, always seems to have some conspiracy theory swirling around whenever he loses. It mostly looks like Ferrari has already decided who is number one and who is number two based on those indecisive moves right from the first race. A sound long-term approach, perhaps, but if they want to hit that ambitious goal, the car needs to perform better than it did today. Daniel Ricciardo has essentially traded a stallion for a donkey; I suspect if there were mutual interest, he could find his way back to Red Bull. As for the rest, Kubica shows the effects of an eight-year hiatus compounded by injuries. McLaren and Renault were disappointing, while Haas and Alfa Romeo performed quite well.

What kind of "development" are we talking about? Apparently, by the time they reach Bahrain, they'll have found yet another sandbag lost somewhere inside the chassis.

ruggedhawk20 said:Mercedes is playing games because they have such a massive advantage.

Just look at how much of a lead Bottas had with that Ford engine; he spent the whole race building a gap and then somehow just pulls an extra seven tenths out of thin air at the end. Well, not really thin air—just that massive reserve they’re sitting on.

So yeah, even with a seven-tenth cushion, Mercedes is still absolutely demolishing everyone else.

Nothing can touch them, not even Saint Ferdinand sixty-first.

That's nothing, just wait until you see how Powerful Mercedes actually is at the next Grand Prix.🙂

Poll 🙂

James Harris34 said:It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out in Bahrain and China on tracks that actually suit the Ferrari car better than this one. I don't buy any nonsense about Mercedes giving up, because when Toto Wolff slams his fist on the table, you know he isn't acting. And Lewis? Typical Lewis—there's always some conspiracy theory floating around whenever he loses. Honestly, looks like Ferrari decided who's number one and who's number two right from the jump. A solid long-term move, sure, but if they want to hit those insane targets, the car needs to perform way better than it did today. Ricciardo basically traded a stallion for a donkey; I bet if there was any mutual interest, he'd crawl back to Red Bull in a heartbeat. As for the rest, Kubica is clearly feeling that eight-year gap plus the injuries. McLaren and Renault were disappointing, but Haas and Alfa Romeo looked pretty damn good.

The look on Ricciardo's face when he saw Max on the podium after his own DNF said everything you need to know...



Even if he tries to hide it, man was just sitting there swallowing his pride with that expression...

Now it's obvious what a bad day to screw up...
He put more faith in Renault than Honda, and there's no way he expected this Honda unit to be this good...

But realistically, there's zero chance he goes back to Red Bull. He'd eat dirt just for the opportunity at this point...
Especially not after taking those cheap shots at the team leadership...

😁

stormybadger8 said:It’s pretty obvious who really stepped in it here...
He put way more faith in General Motors than he did in Honda—and honestly, I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams expected Honda to be this damn good...

Am I getting kicked out, or am I just getting the cold shoulder?

Eric Perez58 said:

😁

They're stretching the truth a little bit, but whatever, who cares
☕

Ricciardo knows his value, and it's obvious he isn't falling for that old line Eddie Irvine used to say—that being the number two driver at Ferrari is better than being number one anywhere else. Let's be real: if Red Bull actually had a championship-winning car, it’s crystal clear they would prioritize Max just like we all saw coming years ago.

Just caught the race—couldn't make it earlier. Good grief, what a disaster from Pierre Gasly. 🤦
It seems like half the race was spent just trying to get past Torpedo—if he can even manage that. 🤦

Valtteri Bottas was a massive surprise—in a good way. As for Mercedes, seeing them take P1 and P2 felt pretty much expected. I have to say, Charles Leclerc was a bit disappointing. I get it, team orders are what they are and he followed them, but it feels a little pathetic that Ferrari is already playing these kinds of games—especially when Max just outpaced him without breaking a sweat. 👎

Everything else was more or less expected—including the Ricciardo DNF, I guess. 🤷

Specifically this:

hiddensailor7 said:Sebastian Vettel: "Why are we so slow?"
The team's response—"We don't know"—was essentially all we got.

🙏🤣

What a complete joke this "crew" is—honestly. 🤦
I suppose we could say it’s on the late Charlie—though, really, the blame lies elsewhere. Maybe it’s just my perspective—but I wouldn't rule out some shady maneuvering behind the scenes. It’s all just noise here—everyone is basically complicit in this massive conspiracy to rob the championship, especially with Toto and Mercedes involved. Apparently, Ferrari is always the innocent party, even though they're actually falling apart; if their budget were even 20% smaller, they'd probably be struggling just to keep pace with Williams. 🙄 It isn't really about the car—it’s more that everyone involved seems to be a walking embodiment of incompetence, I guess.

Richard Walker38 said:I'm not even talking about Ferrari here—it’s more about Vettel as a driver. He can be a bit of a dirty player, honestly; he tends to squeeze his teammates and rivals on track, making some pretty reckless moves almost every race. And then, once he gets a little taste of what he wants, he starts complaining over the radio.

I honestly expected Sebastian Vettel to dive right into Max Verstappen again—much like that Suzuki situation from last season, I guess. 🙄

cosmiccyclist8 said:Did I cross a line, or am I just getting the boot?

Daniel Ricciardo isn't exactly cheap. It wasn't just about him feeling like he was stuck in that number two role; even Christian Horner didn't see Ricciardo having the appetite to pull in upwards of $20 million. 🙂

crimsonhawk23 said:I just caught the race; I couldn't tune in earlier. My goodness, what a disaster of a driver that Pierre Gasly is. 🤦
He can barely manage to overtake Torpedo halfway through the race... 🤦

Valtteri Bottas is a HUGE surprise!! It was pretty much expected for Mercedes to take P1 and P2.

I think a reality check is coming for Bottas. Once we hit Bahrain, he’ll likely find himself stuck behind Lewis after just one lap, only to get a pit call—either way too early or way too late—that completely ruins his race just to mess with the guy behind him. It really makes you wonder about the state of these races.

Raymond Anderson4 said:I suspect Valtteri Bottas might face a bit of a reality check in Bahrain—perhaps being ordered to drop behind Lewis Hamilton after just one lap, or being brought in at some awkward moment to mess up the race for whoever is trailing him. It seems to be a recurring theme in these races, I suppose.

Mercedes tends to be pretty upfront about their team orders—they basically back whoever’s showing better numbers heading into Barcelona. 🤷 Bottas had quite the run of luck early last season, though he seemed to lose his footing mentally afterward. We'll see how it plays out, but Hamilton could easily find himself facing a situation similar to what happened with Nico Rosberg.🤷

I’m honestly not sure how to approach this one... I used to be a huge critic of team orders. To be fair, I still think they’re unnecessary when you have a perfectly balanced lineup, or when a team isn't even fighting for the driver's title and is just focused on winning the Constructors' Championship. But look at Mercedes—they are gunning for the driver's championship, and they've got one driver who is clearly miles ahead of the other. Why would they ruin their own season just to insist on "fairness"? It’s the same deal with Red Bull Racing if they find themselves in a title fight. Ferrari is a different story though; it's complicated because Charles Leclerc is their future, and they really need to be careful not to mess with his head. For everyone else on the grid? I say let them race.

stormytiger4 said:I'm not quite sure how to weigh in on this... I used to be pretty much against team orders. Even now, I tend to think they aren't necessary when you have a well-balanced lineup—or even for teams that aren't really fighting for the driver's title but are focused on the constructors'. But since Mercedes is chasing the championship and has one driver who's clearly ahead of the other, I don't see why they'd mess up their own season by insisting on total equality.

Throughout the hybrid era, Mercedes has shown through both words and actions that the constructors' title comes first—though, of course, they want both at any cost. If Valtteri Bottas wins the next race, or even the one after that, I don't see why they'd force things onto Lewis Hamilton, especially if the Finn has a comfortable lead 🤷 Given that they haven't made moves like that in previous hybrid seasons... 🤷