Australia vs. USA - March 25, 2018

stormybadger8 said:You’re following inaccurate information. 🙂
Kimi and Max were lagging by that 250 and 200 margin, but specifically compared to Hamilton's S1 lap from that opening stint in Q3, rather than against that messy weather conditions run he put together during the final lap of qualifying. 😉

Hamilton held an advantage in S1, sitting at -400 compared to his own pace, while Kimi was at -200 for that same timeframe. Essentially, in the first sector, Hamilton was running -200 faster on his fastest lap than Kimi.

It’s always the same old script... Every single time Hamilton wins, people act like it's purely his god-given talent, completely ignoring the fact that he's driving a literal rocket ship that nobody else can even touch. And the best part? According to Hamilton's blind followers, the only reason things aren't balanced is because it's Vettel—who, in their eyes, just constantly messes up and can't hold his own even when he's in a competitive car. 🤣

Quick thoughts after qualifying:



🙏🙏🙏

bravo Ham—tomorrow is all about that win, and really, that's the only thing that matters 🍿

The cooler conditions following that rain definitely played into Mercedes' hands. It’s a shame it wasn't warmer; things might have tightened up more if the track had held some heat, I suppose.

stormybadger8 said:It's a bit of both, I guess 😁
Sebastian Vettel was right behind Lewis Hamilton, who probably tried to squeeze him toward Kimi's side at the start...
If Vettel gets a decent launch, he could easily pull away from both of them like a bullet train 😁

I wasn't talking about track position—more about the gap in time. If Kimi is trailing by this much while Vettel is at that level, then the issue is clearly with Vettel himself rather than Ferrari. Honestly, Kimi actually drove quite a bit better than last year when you look at the time gap to Hamilton. So, this difference seems to be just down to Vettel. Looking at the gaps, Ferrari made progress against Mercedes with Kimi behind the wheel, but they fell behind with Vettel. I mean, I really wonder where the issue lies.

I guess if you took Kimi's progress and applied it to Vettel's 2017 qualifying result, Vettel probably would've been about 0.2 seconds behind Hamilton.

As for Hass, nothing has really changed—just look at those qualifying results from CNN Australia March 25, 2018
I guess everything is pretty much the same as last year, except maybe everyone just dropped off by about a second.

stormybadger8 said:Of course he wouldn't have if he had slammed into the wall. 🤣
If he wasn't such a total amateur, he could have been right behind Lewis Hamilton without any trouble at all...

Here is a definitive list of drivers who would absolutely, guaranteed, be sitting in P2 on the grid if they were driving the Mercedes-AMG driven by Valtteri Bottas:

Sebastian Vettel
Kimi Räikkönen
Max Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo
Carlos Sainz
Nico Hulkenberg
Fernando Alonso
Esteban Ocon
Kevin Magnussen
Sergio Perez
Esteban Ocon
☕

Kimi is already in second place, and he wasn't even driving the Mercedes-AMG... 🙂

analogpilot16 said:looking at the post-qualifying footage:

🙏🙏🙏

Bravo Hamilton, he’s taking the win tomorrow, and honestly, that’s all that matters 🍿

does anyone else think this new logo looks totally out of place against the background on the wall? 🤦

that lap from Lewis was just absolute perfection... he absolutely crushed it.
personally, I find it hard to believe Mercedes-AMG is so dominant that everyone else is basically driving junk by comparison. I have a feeling the race is going to tell a much different story...

rustyridge10 said:I reckon the race itself is going to be a whole different story.

Mercedes-AMG looks absolutely lethal right now. But if the last few seasons taught us anything, they shouldn't be pulling away quite that easily once the lights go out. I’m thinking Ferrari and Red Bull might actually have a shot at saving our season before it even really gets off the ground.

Sebastian Vettel always feels the need to act like a fool during the pit stops; I noticed he did it again right after qualifying.

A little dark humor

stormytiger4 said:Mercedes-AMG looks incredibly strong. But if previous seasons have taught us anything, they shouldn't be this dominant during the actual race. Maybe Ferrari or Red Bull Racing will find a way to save our season before it even really gets going.

If last season taught us one thing, it’s that taking pole position is the biggest factor in winning. Of course, in a situation like today, it's usually Lewis Hamilton sitting on that pole.

Everything went exactly as expected today—right according to the predictions—aside from that disaster from Vettel.

With Vettel and Max Verstappen lined up right next to each other on the grid, things could get seriously messy at turn one; you can practically feel the tension building before the lights even go out.

"We don't have a qualifying button," says Lewis Hamilton.
What a joke.
Just like his overly styled hair. 😁

I’m really hoping we don't end up with a snooze-fest here. Valtteri Bottas had a nasty wreck at this track before, so it's definitely a dangerous one... I just hope it doesn't turn into a total procession...

rustyridge10 said:

A little dark humor

punch me. 🤣

stormytiger4 said:Same old stories... Every single one of Hamilton's wins gets credited solely to his "god-given talent," conveniently ignoring the fact that he's driving a rocket ship that nobody else can even touch. And the best part? The scapegoat is always Sebastian Vettel. According to Hamilton's blind followers, it's just Vettel messing things up again, which is why he can't compete in a decent car. 🤣

Why is it always Vettel?
Because everyone else on the grid is a total amateur who can't pull a lap together to match what the car is actually capable of... except for Hamilton. 🙂
Even Hamilton himself struggles through Q1, Q2, and most of Q3, only to suddenly nail a blistering flyer in the final moments of Q3 right in front of the biggest crowd ever 🙂—and of course, he pulls this stunt every single weekend. 😁

Meanwhile, guys like Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Ricciardo, and Max Verstappen are treated like losers who couldn't stay within half a second of Hamilton, even when they're sitting in faster cars according to Mario Wolf. 🤣

Tibi, I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding here. While Mercedes might be the best car in qualifying today, they aren't better by six tenths; if anything, it's more like a two or three tenth advantage.

Do you follow my logic? The reality is quite simple: Hamilton delivered a flawless lap, whereas his main rival, Sebastian Vettel, certainly didn't. That accounts for the gap.

Hamilton simply pulled ahead today in the same way Ayrton Senna used to pull ahead at Monaco, for instance. You see?

Sebastian Vettel is perfectly capable of putting together a perfect lap; he just failed to do so today. He made some critical errors during his fast lap, and that is really all there is to it.

So, you can attribute those three tenths to Hamilton rather than some sort of "magic mode." He simply drove a perfect lap. Which part of that is unclear?

Take Alonso, for example. He made a mistake similar to Vettel's, and now he's out of the top ten. It happens. Moving on.

It was honestly such a blast watching Fernando Alonso with a proper Power Unit clawing his way up to grab 11th place!
And he did it while basically slapping his teammate, that absolute alien Stoffel, around by a ridiculous one and a half seconds.
What a masterclass, seriously... what a driver!