Australia vs. USA - March 25, 2018

Roger Wright94 said:I don't think Mercedes looks untouchable.

They looked even more vulnerable back at the US Grand Prix last year, and we all saw how that played out.

nimblesurfer17 said:Still waiting on the math and an explanation for that lap under the VSC. How did Sebastian Vettel manage to finish ahead of Lewis Hamilton with a 10-second lead?🤔

Even the main players don't seem to have a clue.

nimblesurfer17 said:I’m just asking a logical question here: why did he spark there? Why that specific spot?
The wheel looked perfectly stable to me. At first glance, it seems like he could have slowly drifted a bit further out to get it off the track entirely.

Well, you can't really know for sure, can you? He sparked right where it was convenient for him. If that wheel had actually come loose, they would have been looking at a massive penalty.

nimblesurfer17 said:I’m just asking a logical question about why they sparked him right where they did.
The wheel seemed totally fine. At first glance, I feel like they could have just eased him along a bit further to get him clear of the track.

I guess the rules basically say you have to pull the car over immediately in those kinds of situations, otherwise both the driver and the team are looking at a penalty.
I'm not 100% sure though, maybe someone can set me straight.

Jason Campbell70 said:Even the main players aren't seeing this clearly.

Toto just blamed some software glitch. He’s claiming they thought everything was fine until the cameras proved them wrong.

Drew Bennett68 said:There's really no way to know for sure—he probably just sparked there because it was convenient. If he had actually lost a wheel, they would have handed him a massive penalty.

I mean, he could have just left him right in the middle of the track—that would have been even more "convenient," wouldn't it? 😁
The wheel hadn't even started wobbling yet. He should have slowed down first and then cruised along. If the wheel had actually started vibrating then, he could have pulled over immediately without any drama.
Instead, the guy just pulled over in such an awkward spot—it was honestly just frustrating to watch.

Gary Palmer8 said:Nah, they won't undo it, but they probably won't allow this again because then everyone would just dive into the pits constantly to make up time.

What are you even talking about...🤔

If they didn't change the rules after that absolute disaster where Jenson Button and Ricciardo pitted like they were 6th and 7th, only to rejoin right in front of Nico Rosberg and the rest of them—who weren't even in the pits—sitting on track in 1st and 2nd, and then the SC picks up Button like he's the leader through no fault of his own, then they definitely aren't changing anything regarding standard Formula 1 stuff like the SC and VSC...🤣

Jack Kelly5 said:I believe the regulations state that in these kinds of situations, the car needs to pull over immediately—otherwise, both the driver and the team are looking at a penalty.
I’m not entirely certain, though—someone feel free to set me straight if I've got that wrong.

But what does "immediately" actually mean here?
Who gets to decide when that moment is, and is it really necessary to stop right there if it's just going to trigger a SC?
Could they not just limp the car toward a more logical, safer spot along the track?
🤔

I mean, it's one thing if a tire is practically disintegrating and bouncing everywhere, but from what I saw at first glance, that wasn't quite the case here. 🤔

After watching that first race of the season, I'm feeling pretty confident about one thing: Lewis is definitely walking away with the championship at the end of the year.

Jack Kelly5 said:I believe the regulations dictate that the car should be brought in immediately in situations like this, otherwise there's a risk of a penalty for both the driver and the team.
I guess I might be wrong, though; perhaps someone can correct me.

Yes, they really ought to pit him as soon as possible. Even if it turns out the nut wasn't properly secured, he'll likely face a penalty regardless of whether the wheel actually comes off or not.

I don't get why everyone is acting shocked about the move under Safety Car🤷

Honestly, I have no idea which kids out there struggle with basic math🤔

Entering under Safety Car basically cuts your pit stop time in half. That’s why everyone is driving slower on the track than they are in the pits—there isn't a speed limit in the pit lane once you're in, just a cap on the entry, whereas on the track, you're stuck behind the SC until you exit

So, if a standard pit stop costs you 20 seconds during a race, doing it under Safety Car drops that to roughly 10 seconds

And trust me, this isn't even the first time this has happened...

I haven't yet remarked upon the masterful driving of Valtteri Bottas—simply masterly.🙂

Gil, is there perhaps a missing plank in your skull? I am merely asking rhetorically.

stormybadger8 said:What are you even on... — honestly, I can't even tell!🤔

Unless they actually changed the rules after that total mess where Jenson Button and Ricciardo pitted in 6th and 7th—only to pop back out ahead of Nico Rosberg and the rest of the pack who hadn't even pitted yet—and then the Safety Car picked up Button while he was leading through no fault of his own... then I'm pretty sure nothing about how the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car work has changed. It's all standard Formula 1 stuff!🤣

Come on, come on... just soak up that massive win before the next race! This kind of luck isn't happening again—now Vettel actually has to prove he can drive, and we all know exactly what happens if he can't. Hamilton for his 5th title, easy.

stormybadger8 said:I honestly don't get why people are acting so shocked about this whole thing happening under Safety Car🤷

It’s just wild how some people struggle with basic math—honestly, I thought this was common sense!🤔

Entering under Safety Car basically cuts your pit stop time in half... that's why everyone is driving way slower on track than they are in the pits—there isn't that same speed limit once you're in the pit lane, just at the entry, whereas on track you're stuck under those limits until you exit...

So, if a normal pit stop costs you about 20 seconds during a race, doing it under Safety Car brings that down to roughly 10 seconds...

And trust me, this definitely isn't the first time we've seen something like this play out...

lol, apparently it takes a special kind of person to not see why this needs an urgent rule change...

I must say, I’m quite fond of this Safety Car 🙂

stormybadger8 said:Entering under a Safety Car cuts your pit stop time roughly in half. So why is everyone driving slower on the track than they are in the pits? In the pits, you don't face that same speed restriction found on the track—there's only the limit for entry, then nothing at all until you merge back out. Makes sense, doesn't it?

So, if you're looking at a realistic loss of about 20 seconds by pitting during the race, then doing it while entering under Safety Car is only about 10 seconds... makes sense, doesn't it?

Clarifying the current levels of freelancer/Gil/mellowtiger83-in-an-inspired-mood.

A pit stop takes just as long regardless of whether conditions are normal, under a Safety Car, or while entering under Safety Car. Does the timing really change? No.
So, there you have it. Conditions on the track aren't always ideal for making a pit stop.
It was just one of those days for Sebastian Vettel.

nimblesurfer17 said:What does "immediately" even mean here?
Who decides when that moment is, and is he really saying you have to pull over right in a spot that's just going to trigger a Safety Car?
Or could he have just eased the car off to a more logical, safer part of the track?
🤔

Look, it’s one thing if a tire is literally disintegrating and bouncing everywhere, but that wasn't my first impression of what happened here. 🤔

Are you just thinking out loud here, or do you honestly believe Haas conspired to throw away a top result—with Grosjean in on it too—just to time it perfectly while Esteban Ocon was stuck in a bad spot during the Safety Car? Are you actually suggesting the FIA intentionally swapped a Safety Car for an SC, and that someone somehow sabotaged the Mercedes software, all just to hand Ferrari the win at the first race of the season?

Gary Palmer8 said:lol, only a complete idiot wouldn't get why this needs an emergency fix...

Oh sure, because it’s such a massive emergency right now...
It wasn't an "emergency" before, as long as the rules worked perfectly for The Germans and Red Bull. 👏

Fernando Alonso was actually more impressive during that first race with Renault than he ever was throughout all three seasons with Honda—that's over 60 races compared to just one. Quite a ratio, really. Heh.

Honda was absolutely brilliant in the Toro Rosso. It’s such a shame for that little Italian outfit; damn them.

And honestly, I find Fernando Alonso's situation a bit ridiculous—whether he was pushed out of Ferrari or just decided he'd had enough of settling for anything less than a win. He seemed fed up with those constant second and third-place finishes, yet now he’s acting all satisfied because, in his fourth season with McLaren, he finally managed to land a fifth-place finish that he’d been dreaming of. Where's the logic in that?

stormytiger4 said:Are you just thinking out loud here, or do you actually believe Haas conspired to throw away a top-tier result—that they somehow timed everything perfectly to mess with Hamilton during that VSC window, that the FIA pulled a stunt by switching from VSC to an SC, and that someone sabotaged the Mercedes software just to hand Ferrari the win at their very first race of the season?

Wait, where exactly did I say or imply any of that? 🤔
To help you out—nowhere.
I am simply questioning Grosjean's decision regarding where he chose to park the car.
There are no conspiracies or wild theories involved here.