USA/Central Park 03.17.2019

Democracy isn't about a few aggressive loudmouths terrorizing the majority. This F1 subforum was actually a chill, tolerant spot during the winter break, but man, look what happened once the first race rolled around. 😢

stormytiger4 said:Democracy isn't just the tyranny of the majority; it’s often the intimidation of the many by a handful of aggressive individuals. This F1 subforum was such a pleasant, tolerant space during the winter break, yet here we are—the first race of the season arrives, and the atmosphere has already shifted. 😢

It is quite evident that testing carries no real weight when you consider the self-proclaimed "experts" typing away at their keyboards. 🍿
How could they possibly miscalculate so drastically as to declare the Ferrari the dominant car?
Simply because Sebastian Vettel posted a time a mere 0.03 seconds faster than Mercedes' lead driver, Lewis Hamilton?
This is precisely why true Formula 1 enthusiasts don't bother following testing; it is nothing more than a hollow formality.
A genuine fan follows the red cars and Ferrari with their entire heart and soul, tracking this high-octane sport from the very first race of the season where actual points are on the line.
One does not win the WDC during testing sessions. 🍿

Nicholas Newman2 said:Look, I was already flagging this stuff with the mods last year, but they didn't see anything worth stepping in for. We aren't even officially in the middle of the season yet, and people are already stirring up drama and causing friction in the threads. If anyone's actually going to listen to anyone around here, it’s gonna be you old-timers who have been around since the beginning.

Honestly, what we really need is a new moderator who actually knows how to take this forum to the next level

When is that Third Qualifying Session finally going to start?

Are you seriously expecting Ferrari to just show up to Q3 looking like a completely different beast? Last year we saw flashes of that, but most people just chalked it up to how good Naziyev was with the simulator.

Kyle Edwards5 said:We'll definitely keep what you said in mind...
I want to warn a couple of users here not to get dragged into pointless arguments, especially since there's clearly some mutual dislike going on. 😉

Anyway, we should probably get back to the main topic.

I’m assuming this warning is aimed at me. If it is, then by doing that, you're just proving you can't handle this role.
I’ve never lost my cool on this forum, nor anywhere else.
I don't go around trolling threads; if anything, I try to avoid it. So why am I being lumped in with someone like him?

Just looking at his avatar, it's obvious he isn't here for constructive discussion—he's just here to insult people. But I guess because he posts under a three-star rating, that's perfectly fine. I'm sure if someone else started acting out, they'd be shut down instantly.

And for the record, it's not that I can't stand him. It's that I can't stand the instant validation given to people like him, and he isn't the only one.
What's the point of having forum traffic if the quality of discussion is basically zero?

If this warning wasn't meant for me, then please excuse my previous comments.

stormytiger4 said:Are you really expecting Ferrari to show up to Q3 Australia with a completely different level of performance? Last year, we saw flashes of that, but most people just chalked it up to how good Naziyev was on the simulator.

Everything before Q3 Australia is just pure speculation—mostly just noise from self-proclaimed experts trying to guess which cars are a second faster.

That’s exactly why I always jump in whenever someone tries to argue that LeBron James isn't the greatest of all time. Seriously—just look at those stats on my avatar—they don't lie, and honestly, we aren't ever going to see numbers like that again.

Let's go, Hamilton and McLaren (especially now that LaFonso has finally taken off)!

I’ve read through the whole thing carefully and honestly, I don't see anyone losing their cool anywhere. Where exactly am I supposed to be seeing this attitude?

The tension hits immediately the moment you start wanking. 🤣

I remember when Giancarlo Fisichella talked about how he dreamed of a qualifying format where Q3 would finally settle everything and put everyone in their rightful place. Looking around, I see quite a few of you guys rocking his picture as your avatar. Maybe I should consider doing the same.

And I’d probably agree with the guy above if we actually got along... but let's be real. We've all got our standard diagnoses and the meds to go with them.

Jason Campbell70 said:Everything before Q3 Australia is just pure speculation from armchair experts trying to guess which cars are a second faster than the rest.

I’d say I’m pretty neutral here. I’ve never been a die-hard fan of either Ferrari or Mercedes, and honestly, both Hamilton and Vettel get on my nerves about the same amount. That said, I can't stand dominance, so I often find myself rooting for the underdog. Lately, I’ve caught myself pulling for the red cars just so the silver ones don't sweep the podium again.

So, for the sake of saving this upcoming season, I’m praying Ferrari accidentally loaded a few extra sandbags into their car this morning. In all seriousness though, I'm crossing my fingers that we see a win from someone like Renault, Haas, or maybe Kimi in the Sauber.

stormytiger4 said:I’d say I’m pretty much sitting on the fence since I’ve never been a die-hard fan of either Ferrari or McLaren, and when it comes to Hamilton and Vettel... well, I just can't stand seeing one team dominate everything, so I usually find myself rooting for the underdog.
... Honestly, I'm just crossing my fingers that someone from Renault, Haas, or maybe Kimi in that Sauber car pulls off a win.

Totally agree with you there!!! I couldn't have put it better myself, even though I feel the exact same way. Nice one, Marsovča, seriously, nice one! 👍

So, the real question is whether I should bother getting out of bed for Q3 or just stay under the covers.

I guess I might finally be agreeing with Brian Campbell36 on something somewhere on this forum...

I honestly don't see what LeBron James has to do with this PDF at all🤦

There isn't even an ignore option, which is kind of useless for people who just don't feel like reading it..

And yeah, if you want to keep acting superior to everyone else, just go ahead and choke on the dust you're kicking up☕

Austin Chase2 said:I have no idea why LeBron James would be relevant to this PDF.🤦

Since he was banned from basketball, he just has to talk about him here instead.

How bizarre and ridiculous. 🤣 🤣 🤣

stormybadger8 said:What’s truly tragic is my gut feeling that they might struggle to even make the grid for several races. I honestly have my doubts about whether they can even stay within that 107% threshold during qualifying (DNQ), let alone complete over 90% of the laps during the race itself (NC)...
Maybe Robert Kubica could pull it off, but George Russell? That’s going to be a massive uphill battle.
The real question isn't whether they'll score points, but whether they'll even show up to every race and actually get classified at the finish line.

It’s heartbreaking how slow they are. This looks like HRT on their absolute worst day, if not even worse. 😢

I’m not ready to completely write off this season just yet—not until I see what they can actually do in qualifying.
Everyone is whispering that both Robert Kubica and George Russell have been told to drive extremely cautiously because the team is practically out of spare parts. They were avoiding the curbs today, or rather, navigating them much more gingerly than I navigate speed traps on the highway.
To be honest, I think I'm being a huge optimist regarding that 107% rule; I'm not too worried about that part just yet. 🤣

Nicholas Newman2 said:Come on, be a decent human and explain what you're actually basing these conclusions on.

Based on what's visible from the nosebleed seats...

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are out there doing their usual thing, acting like things are incredibly tight and everyone—including Williams—is sweating it. 🙂
If it were actually that close, they’d be driving smooth lines, not stumbling all over the track. ☕

Anyone paying attention saw hints of incredible pace way back at Barca; the Bear was looking consistently fast on Hard tires...
Of course, you won't see that if you're busy swallowing the hype from the British media about how Mercedes was the fastest yesterday, even if they were only a tiny bit faster than Red Bull Racing. 🙂
According to them, if Mercedes is 0.8 seconds ahead of Red Bull Racing, it's just "Mercedes is the fastest, narrowly beating Red Bull Racing." 🙂
But when Ferrari has a measly 0.003 second advantage during testing, suddenly it's "Ferrari is totally dominating, Mercedes is in deep trouble, and Ferrari has at least a half-second lead!"

If you look at yesterday's gap—comparing the Bear's progress against last year's pace during the FP sessions and, more importantly, the Bear's race pace—it's all crystal clear.
They weren't just 0.8 seconds faster on a single flyer; they were freaking a full second ahead of everyone in race pace too...

But hey, let's wait for qualifying...
When Mercedes leaves everyone else in the dust by more than a second, I'm absolutely certain the British media will start singing songs about "mega laps" or how Red Bull Racing and Ferrari were clearly hiding their true speed during qualifying and other nonsense...
And if they happen to lap the field, just wait until Bahrain, because surely everyone was just hiding their speed in Australia so they wouldn't scare the fragile Mercedes and catch them sleeping.

Honestly, Mercedes sings the same song every single year.
"Ferrari is dominant after testing, blah blah blah..."
Then they roll into Australia and absolutely demolish the competition with at least a half-second lead in qualifying. ☕
It's the same story every year.
That's a different matter entirely: the Bear and especially Lewis Hamilton usually mess up during the race and end up blowing it.
But that has nothing to do with actual pace, because based on pure pace, Ferrari shouldn't have even stood a chance at winning Australia in 2018 or 2017.

Brian Campbell36 said:This is democracy for you—might as well kick everyone out until only the cronies and yes-men are left.
Mercedes-Benz fans can't handle the truth; you can't say a single word anymore without someone getting offended and firing off toxic shots.

If people are bothered, use an ignore list. But honestly, that's part of the problem—permanent bans would be more efficient. 🤦

Given all this aggression aimed at my tiny self, I’m expecting Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari to sweep the titles just to spite forum trolls like you. 🎉

I’ve been Vettel's biggest fan on this entire forum. ☕
And frankly, you get under my skin way more than every single Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Max fan who has ever stepped foot on this site combined!
If I were still a mod, you'd probably be facing a partial ban by now. If someone actually kicked you off here, just know that Tibi isn't exactly what you'd call a Mercedes fan. 😍

So, be happy with how things are and just deal with your own stupidity...☕