Australia vs. USA - March 25, 2018

Jack Kelly5 said:The way Lewis managed to claw back those 2.5 or 3 seconds on Vettel after that initial mistake—while Mercedes was just totally dominant—really shows how good he is.
It probably took him like 2 or 3 sectors just to get back into DRS range, I guess.
Nico Rosberg would’ve been leading this Mercedes through Indianapolis Motor Speedway, honestly.
☕

I don't think even Vettel was really putting that much pressure on him during that part, or even during the second stint, really. One thing I don't get is why Ferrari didn't just go out on supersofts in Vettel's car. They could've easily made it to the end. Maybe they were short on fresh rubber or something?

"Kimi, do you feel like the Halo made a difference during today's race?"

Kimi: "Sure, it helped. It actually kept the sun out of my eyes."

☕

Jack Kelly5 said:The fact that Lewis was just average while the Mercedes-AMG was so dominant really highlights how he managed to claw back those 2.5 to 3 seconds on Sebastian Vettel after that initial mistake.
How much effort did it actually take him to get back into DRS range within just two or three sectors?
If it were Nico Rosberg in this Mercedes, he would have been the champion by the time they hit Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
☕

It’s a shame nobody mentioned that to Valtteri Bottas.

Jason Campbell70 said:Well, just like everyone else out there on the track today, they were all losing ground.

We saw plenty of overtakes, and since Rajko isn't exactly known for being an aggressive, defensive driver, he must have messed something up somewhere along the line.

Daniel Ricciardo pulled off a really smooth move past Hulk.

A few other little tidbits from the race:

That plastic bag involving Sirokin completely ruined his race.

Carlos Sainz Jr. was nearly driven to distraction by a malfunctioning driver drink bottle.

I didn't bother watching the race; couldn't be bothered to get out of bed.

As a Ferrari fan, I'm pretty happy seeing Vettel take the win and Kimi grab third.

Since I have a lot of respect for Fernando Alonso's driving, it's good to see him claw back five spots, though I still suspect McLaren won't actually improve much this season. This fifth-place finish feels more like a stroke of luck than anything else.

Ricciardo beat Max Verstappen, just as expected.

Once Vettel took the lead, Lewis Hamilton didn't even put up a real fight.
It dragged on for over 20 laps, maybe even 25.

Lewis was closing the gap, sure, but there wasn't a single moment where Vettel looked like he was actually in trouble. Not one.
Either Lewis was messing up (which he was) or Mercedes-AMG just isn't quite the juggernaut we thought they were.

I suppose I should have seen it coming—dirty air, track configuration, and suddenly you've got nothing in terms of overtaking capability...

Honestly, this track is an absolute nightmare if you're actually trying to make a move and overtake anyone

"Wait, what just went down?
Since when did nobody mention Vettel was in the pits?" 🤔

Where did neonfox65 disappear to?

I mean, honestly, I think they’re probably just too embarrassed to even show their face here anymore.😁

Roger Wright94 said:Wait, what actually just went down there, everyone? Seriously, did anyone else catch that absolute chaos? I’m sitting here staring at the screen like a deer in headlights because I honestly have no idea what we just witnessed.
Seriously, why the hell didn't you tell me Vettel was in the pits? 🤔

Ferrari is going to pay him back tenfold for this one, seriously, because when it comes to strategy, those guys are hands down the biggest bunch of clowns on the grid.

Richard Ross11 said:Did they kill Allison's wife? 🙂

What does Allison have to do with any of this?
He’s been at Mercedes for ages.

As far as I know, Ferrari already lost Lorenz Sassi to them this season...

mellowtiger83 said:Kimi got sacrificed for Vettel yet again. Kimi was actually faster than Vettel today, but they completely screwed him over with some idiotic strategy! He was faster in qualifying and even in the race—he was sitting 3 seconds ahead of Vettel right before the pit window opened.

So which "idiotic strategy" are we talking about here? 🤣🤣🤣
Actually, Kimi's strategy was better than Vettel's. They would have screwed him if Vettel had pitted first, because then Vettel almost certainly would've undercut him. ☕

What happened with the VSC isn't something you can plan for with strategy. It has absolutely nothing to do with it...
Honestly, it’s just pure luck. Sometimes the lottery favors you, and sometimes life slaps you so hard your ears ring for days.

Honestly, I think this is enough to get someone at Mercedes fired.
I mean, Haas having wheels fall off or other stupid mistakes? That’s nothing compared to this. How do you manage to lose something you literally just picked up on Friday? Seriously? 😵
What happened to Hamilton's usual arrogance?
How is he going to play it now when he's facing the press with those half-baked little jokes of his?
kme: kme:

stormybadger8 said:What does Allison have to do with any of this?

He’s been with Mercedes for ages now.

As far as I'm aware, Ferrari poached Lorenz Sassi from them this season...

Man, Allison was just the first person that came to mind...
I was just trying to make a joke... nothing more... 🙂

Roger Wright94 said:Once Vettel took the lead, Hamilton couldn't even put a dent in him.
And that went on for over 20 laps, maybe even 25.

Lewis was closing in, but there wasn't a single serious attack where Vettel looked vulnerable. Not one.
Either Lewis messed up (which he did) or Mercedes just isn't (that) dominant anymore!?

If they actually screwed up Bottas's engine cooling in general...
https://www.f1puls.com/27021/bottas-...vanjem-motora/
Bottas says The Bear was overheating the entire time...

Now the only question is whether this was just a specific setup screw-up for this race or a fundamental flaw in the car itself...

Roger Wright94 said:I think this was enough to get someone fired at Mercedes.
Those wheel issues over at Haas and similar screw-ups? They're nothing compared to this. How do you drop something that was literally fine back on Friday? Come on! 😵
Where did Hamilton's arrogance go?
How is he going to face the press now with those half-baked jokes of his?
kme: kme:

Well, that's part of it too—amongst everything else already mentioned. It’s precisely because after seeing everything during FP and grabbing Pole, combined with the logical closing and pitting right after Kimi, everyone thought... that was it. Well, fat chance. Even the rabbit thought the same thing in that fable!

stormytiger4 said:I'm honestly so stoked that McLaren managed to pull off some solid results—even if they did need a bit of that VSC luck to get there... But hey, they really needed this one. 🙏
Props to Nanda—man, he’s a hardcore racer. Seriously, the kid spent like 20 laps staring straight into someone's exhaust pipe... 🙏

Is anyone actually looking at the stats here? Honestly, it should be obvious—you need a car that's at least two seconds faster just to stand a chance at making a pass on this track. And let's not forget Max was out there fighting with a damaged car... His fastest lap was only a tenth quicker than Alonso's.

darkmarlin16 said:Where's neonfox65 at?

I think they're just too embarrassed to show their faces...😁

Right here—I'm here!🙂

What can I say—it's just how things fell into place. This isn't exactly the natural order of things, either. But hey, at least the underdog beat Hamilton so the fans won't be crying about it.

Roger Wright94 said:I honestly think this mistake is enough to get someone fired at Mercedes.
I mean, those wheel issues over at Haas were bad, but this? This makes those look like nothing. How do you just drop the ball on something you literally had ready back on Friday! Seriously! 😵
Where did all of Hamilton's usual swagger go?
How is he even going to face the press now with those half-baked jokes of his?
hehe: hehe:

LOL... how do you guys all crawl out from under your rocks after losing just one race... pretty soon it'll be quiet again, just like it was after last season...