USA/Central Park 03.17.2019

Tomorrow, you're all going to witness how Ferrari's strategy absolutely crushes Mercedes' pit wall, their car, and Lewis Hamilton all at once!🙂

It’s not even impossible 😁
Vettel actually has a better tire choice than the rest of the crew...

but honestly, expecting Ferrari's strategists not to absolutely screw this up is pretty damn unrealistic 😁

stormybadger8 said:Maybe we can celebrate tomorrow once the points are officially tallied. ☕

It would be a shame not to seize the moment today, wouldn't it? ☕

Ferrari's engine radio is stuck in safe mode. There might be more to this—they could even end up swapping the engine...

neonfox65, you've got the wrong subforum, move this over here...

stormybadger8 said:Hamilton + 0.704
Bottas + 0.592
Does that make things a bit clearer for you? 🙂

Start watching with your own eyes instead of swallowing the PR spin...

And go tell your people to stop acting like this...
Nobody is forcing them to do anything, but it would be nice if they actually let Bottas fight, just so we could have the illusion of a title race. 🙄

Is it just me, or was Bottas told he needs to drastically slow down in S3?
Was it James or Toto? 🙂

Look, I'm not buying into any PR stories here. Though, I know there are plenty of people in this thread who are.

I thought you actually had something constructive to say. It’s not that what you're writing makes no sense, but...

It seems a bit silly to draw conclusions based on Australia, especially since we all know how specific that track is.
Besides, when you see that Ferrari messed up their free practices, this gap doesn't actually look that bad.

We can look at it this way:
If Ferrari had handled the FP-ove properly, the gap would definitely be smaller than last year—and we know exactly how the power distribution looked after last year's Australia.
I won't sugarcoat it; I wish I were wrong, but that's a far cry from the total disaster I'm reading about from those impatient Ferrari fans.

Nicholas Newman2 said:Look, I’m not buying into any PR spin here. Even if there are plenty of people spouting it around here, that’s your business.

I thought you actually had something constructive to say. It’s not that what you're writing makes zero sense, but still...

It’s pretty stupid to draw conclusions based on Australia, especially since we all know how hyper-specific that track is.
Besides, seeing as how Ferrari completely botched their practice sessions, this gap doesn't actually look that bad.

We can look at it this way.
If Ferrari hadn't messed up the FP-ove, the deficit would definitely be smaller than last year—and we all remember exactly how the power hierarchy looked after last year's Australian GP.
I won't sugarcoat it; I wish I were wrong, but we are miles away from the total disaster I'm reading about from those impatient Ferrari fans who are basically jumping headfirst into a volcano.

Who is even talking about drawing conclusions...
As far as the season goes, nobody knows anything yet, and we wouldn't have known before Barcelona either...
But you should expect Mercedes to still be the absolute best team with the best car...

Anything else would be weird. Anyone expecting massive shifts after five years of dominance without a major rule change is, frankly, naive...
Especially anyone who was swallowing that nonsense about Ferrari being half a second faster than Red Bull, then Red Bull being ahead, then Mercedes trailing slightly behind them.🙂

Regardless, for Australia, it was crystal clear they were going to tear Ferrari apart by at least half a second in qualifying.☕
And that was even before FP1, let alone after FP1 and FP2.😉
Never mind all the whining from the Mercedes PR machine...

Australia is just the kind of track that perfectly suits Mercedes, while it mostly sucks for Ferrari...

stormybadger8 said:Who’s actually drawing conclusions here?
Regarding the season in that regard, we don't know anything yet—we didn't even know before Barcelona...
But you should expect Mercedes to remain the clear top team with the best car...

Anything else would be strange. If anyone expects massive shifts after five years of pure dominance without any major rule changes, well, they're being naive...
Especially those who were buying into the nonsense about how Ferrari was half a second faster than Red Bull, then Red Bull, and then Mercedes just barely behind them.🙂

Regardless, looking at Australia, it was obvious they were going to shred Ferrari by at least half a second in qualifying.☕
And that was true even before FP1, let alone after FP1 and FP2.😉
No matter how much the Mercedes PR machine complains...

Australia is just the kind of track that perfectly suits Mercedes, while it doesn't really suit Ferrari...

I've asked this question before, and I'll ask it again.
What does it matter to certain people if Mercedes stays at the top even after a drastic rule change?
In reality, no rule change, not even a minor one, is entirely harmless, but so far, Mercedes has handled things perfectly.

My comment about conclusions isn't directed at you—even though you tend to overreact sometimes—it's aimed at the drama queens on the last few pages.
As soon as the first FP-oves of the season are done, people start posting stuff like whether they should even bother watching, or "help, there's too much dominance," or "I won't watch F1 for the next two years."
What else is there to say besides 🤦 what I've already said.

I shared my thoughts and you guys just laughed me off.

Rumour : Mercedes 2019 Power Unit gains even more HP

It’s over for F1; the season is basically finished before it even kicked off. 😉

jadeseal7 said:Man, the amateurs on this forum...🤦

Tomorrow, Ferrari will easily take a 1-2 in qualifying, and Sunday will be a total walk in the park. ☕

An amateur, huh? XD

Nicholas Newman2 said:I’ve already asked this once, and I’ll ask it again.
What does it matter for anyone else if Mercedes stays at the top even after the massive rule changes?
Look, no rule change—not even a tiny one—is completely harmless, but so far, Mercedes has handled everything perfectly.

Morning. Honestly, Mercedes will still be No. 1 after the 2021 rule changes. Even if they aren't the undisputed leaders, they'll just be splitting the top spot with Red Bull (previously) or maybe Ferrari (I doubt it), depending on who's faster...
In fact, the dumbest thing would be if Ferrari and Red Bull actually had a better shot at catching or passing Mercedes specifically because the rules *stay* the same instead of changing...

Mercedes is just a perfectly tuned machine. There's zero chance some random rule tweak is going to dump them behind anyone, let alone someone like Haas or Racing Point...
The only way they get knocked down the order—or kicked out of F1 entirely—is if Mercedes pulls the plug on funding for whatever reason...

At the end of the day, the only teams with the brains, the resources, and the bankroll to even approach Mercedes are Red Bull and Ferrari...
Maybe eventually Renault and/or McLaren could join the party if Renault actually decides to dump money into their engine and chassis development, but otherwise, forget about it...

It’s not impossible for Ferrari and Red Bull to be right there this season. Personally, I think it’s looking pretty likely that Red Bull will leapfrog Ferrari in terms of pace very soon—maybe even by Barcelona, if not sooner...
That’s actually good for the championship, though. It means we'll have more serious players fighting for wins and podiums...
And certain tracks will definitely suit Red Bull and Ferrari much better than they suit Mercedes...
So there's really no point in getting depressed...

Even if Mercedes keeps dominating, they could still have a great season...
The midfield is way closer to the front than it was last year, which makes for a much more interesting championship...

Because you won't just be stuck starting from the back or the midfield and spending 7 or 8 laps trying to claw your way into the top 6...
Plus, mistakes are going to be incredibly costly. Even the smallest error in a race will hurt because the rest of the field is going to be right on their heels...
And that’s going to be especially obvious in qualifying—just look at the Pierre Gasly effect...
And no, he won't be the only one this season; those kinds of surprises could become a regular thing...

And given Ferrari's "brilliant" strategies, I'm terrified that they'll be the ones making those mistakes most often...

They almost pulled the same crap today.
Sebastian Vettel barely scraped into Q2 on mediums, but Charles Leclerc wouldn't have even made it if someone hadn't realized it was actually smart to send him out one more time on softs.
And that only happened because he's still the "new kid." If it had been Kimi, they probably would have just left him in the garage with Vettel, thinking they had plenty of time...

Nicholas Newman2 said:I’ve asked this before, and I’ll ask it again.
What does it matter what any individual thinks if Mercedes stays the top dog even after massive rule changes?
Look, no rule change is ever completely harmless, but so far, Mercedes has handled everything they've thrown at them perfectly.

When I talk about people jumping to conclusions, I'm not talking about you—even though you definitely love to overthink things—I'm talking about the drama queens flooding the last few pages.
People jump in right after the first FP-oves of the season acting like it's a crisis. First it's "should I even bother watching?" then it's "help, they're dominating," and suddenly it's "I'm done with F1 for the next two years."
Honestly, it's just 🤦 nonsense.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. 🤷

The issue with long-term dominance (and trust me, Mercedes knows this all too well, which is why they're always careful to praise Ferrari) is that the marketing value eventually dries up. If they just kept steamrolling the field year after year with a car that's clearly in a different league, F1 would stop being profitable for them. Eventually, they'd either have to scale back their investment or just walk away from the sport entirely. Either way, the dominance ends.

stormytiger4 said:Nothing’s going to happen. 🤷

The issue with long-term dominance—and it's a problem the folks at Mercedes are definitely aware of, which is why they're always being so careful when praising Ferrari—is that the marketing impact eventually wears thin. Basically, if they just kept stacking championships one after another with a car that dominant, F1 wouldn't be nearly as profitable for them anymore. You'd eventually expect them to either scale back their spending or just exit the sport entirely. Either way, the dominance ends.

Sorry, but I don't think I've ever read anything more ridiculous—no offense meant. So now we're supposed to believe Mercedes is going to start losing on purpose? haha. If Ferrari could have dominated, they would've done it for ten years, not just five. But rule changes held them back.

And besides, do you even realize how massive Mercedes' budget is... let alone how much of that comes from sponsors and FIA prize money?

They absolutely have to change the regulations for 2021. It’s non-negotiable at this point. If they don't, nobody is ever going to catch up to Mercedes—there's just no way it's happening.

George White52 said:So much for Mercedes being "reserved." What a bunch of absolute losers, honestly makes me sick. 👎

Glad I didn't get up; I slept in until nine and just called it a day.
I've been saying for two or three seasons now that this whole outfit is just a total joke. Sure, the other teams are mediocre at best, but these guys are on a completely different level of incompetence.
Anyway, looks like we're in for ANOTHER interesting season. 🤦 😂

p.s.
How big was the gap at this same spot in qualifying last year?

If it makes anyone feel any better, there's no way Alonso is ever coming back. xD

I’m sitting here rewatching the order one more time and I’ve come to the conclusion that anyone currently driving below Ricciard should basically be banned from entirely, whether we're talking about teams or individual drivers 🙂
.
Looking at today's active F1 lineup, we're missing the likes of Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi, Nico Rosberg, and Alosno—honestly, even Esteban Ocon and Adrian Sutil would be an upgrade over what we have now
. It’s honestly just depressing to watch these guys struggle through races these days 😢
.

Zachary Vaughn92 said:Just wait until tomorrow. You're all going to see how Ferrari's strategy completely outclasses the Mercedes pit wall, their car, and Lewis Hamilton all at once! 🙂

Another amateur at work? XD
Lewis is taking this whole thing like it's some kind of joke. Honestly, he looks like he's only about 10% invested in the outcome. xD

So, you think we're gonna see those Haas mechanics running over to help out Ferrari again?

neonfox65 said:Look, no offense, but I haven't read anything stupider. So now we're implying Mercedes is going to start losing on purpose? Please. If Ferrari could have dominated, they would've done it for ten years, not just five. But rule changes stopped them.

And besides, do you even realize how massive the Mercedes budget is? Think about how much of that comes straight from sponsors and FIA prize money.

Since there isn't anyone else here who's an expert at posting garbage, I guess something about my post really rubbed you the wrong way. 😉

Let me try explaining this one more time. Everyone wants to dominate. It's human nature and it's competitive nature. No team out there wouldn't kill for a long streak of dominance.
The question is what happens if this four-year run stretches into a seven-year run once the new rules hit. I’m telling you plainly: sports with massive, lopsided dominance lose their marketing juice. They get predictable, and then the fans just stop watching and move on. We've seen this happen plenty of times in Rally, Dakar, WEC, and other series—after a long period of one team ruling the roost, people just stop caring. That's why. For the Mercedes F1 project to actually stay successful, they need a strong Ferrari chasing them. And honestly, if there was a strong Red Bull or Renault in the mix too, even better. Otherwise, even they'll lose their drive. Don't even get me started on the rest of the grid.

Shut down the cameras and coil up the cables. It’s over!