2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: June 23–25

stormycobra27 said:He’d probably just call Bottas to come help him hold down Sebastian Vettel 😁

Exactly 🤣🤣🤣

Though Bottas would definitely bolt for the exit 😂
Honestly, he was my favorite part of the whole thing today—did you see him bail from the podium when Ricciardo started spraying champagne all over his shoes? 🙂🤣
And then you've got Coulthard calling him back 😂

darkmarlin16 said:He's solid, hopefully he can grab that podium you predicted.

Stroll got lucky today, honestly. It's frustrating seeing someone like Mark Ruffalo—who I know is a proven talent—unable to crack the top three.

Mark Ruffalo is just a driver, nothing more.
If he were truly elite, he would have landed a seat with a top-tier team by now. He's approaching 30 soon, yet he's still nowhere near driving for Ford or Mercedes.

Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton—they all share this specific profile of aggressive champions who will do just about anything, whether through pure skill or questionable tactics, to trick an opponent or bait them into a mistake.

All those little tricks, like slowing down under the Safety Car or messing with pit entry speeds... honestly, we've seen it all before.

Maybe people don't particularly care for Lewis Hamilton because he’s had such an incredible car over the last few seasons, but I suppose Sebastian Vettel would likely be just as unpopular if Ford had been the dominant force instead of Mercedes.

mellowtiger83 said:Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean aren't the same thing. They both just made their own messes during actual racing—bad calls at the start, terrible braking, kamikaze moves, all that good stuff...

What are you even talking about?
Maldonado was chasing Sergio Perez around the track during Free Practice 3 and intentionally slammed into him, probably because he couldn't get out of his way two laps earlier during a fucking fast lap in Free Practice 🤣
It was absolute insanity, pure chaos. 😵

And yeah, he didn't get a race ban, just a grid penalty...

Daniel Ricciardo, what a driver. He definitely had some luck on his side today, but then again, fortune favors the bold. That double overtake to snatch third place? Absolutely masterful. That lean into the corner was pure class. Honestly, the guy can be so impressive when he wants to be—it’s just a shame about that ridiculous business with him drinking out of his shoe. 🙂

stormycobra27 said:Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, and Lewis Hamilton—that’s the profile right there. You get these stubborn champions who will do whatever it takes, whether it's through pure skill or playing dirty, just to trip up their rivals.

.

Don't forget about Senna when you're talking about dirty drivers. Besides, Michael Schumacher learned everything he knows from him.😁

stormybadger8 said:What are you even talking about...
Pastor Maldonado absolutely hunted down Sergio Perez during Free Practice 3. He went out of his way to slam into him on purpose. Honestly, it’s probably because he was pissed that Perez didn't clear the way two laps earlier during that incredibly fast lap in Free Practice. Typical behavior. 🤣
Good grief, things have gone absolutely off the rails. 😵

Well, he didn't actually pick up a race ban or anything; it was just a grid penalty.

Heh, I find myself actually missing Pastor Maldonado. 🙏But even then, it wasn't quite the same thing. Even in the case involving Pastor Maldonado, the FIA's reaction was rather mild.

James Roberts87 said:You can't overlook Senna when you're talking about aggressive driving styles; after all, Michael Schumacher basically learned everything he knew from him.😁

I personally didn't watch Senna live—I've only ever seen clips of him on YouTube—so I suppose I'm not exactly an authority when it comes to that old guard. But even back then, those guys were around. I'm pretty sure of that!

James Walker57 said:There’s no way Hamilton wasn't braking. He definitely was.
https://my.mixtape.moe/xguuzm.webm

So, if they drop from 66 down to 51, what happens then? Honestly, I don't think people realize how much chaos ensues when everyone starts slamming on the brakes the second they get that notification that the Safety Car is heading to the pits. It’s pure madness.
They keep doing that—gas, brake, gas, brake. I honestly thought Lewis Hamilton was pushing harder on the brakes, but looking at the data, this 66-51 gap isn't actually as bad as I first assumed.
I think people were way too hard on Lewis Hamilton initially. I’ll be the first to admit I jumped on the bandwagon and criticized him too, but looking back, his braking after the Safety Car was just terrible.
What tripped up Sebastian Vettel was simply that he ended up in the pits, which wasn't part of his plan at all.

I think the issue is pretty clear: Lewis Hamilton was driving way too slow. Doing 40 mph is just asking for trouble. Whoever was trailing him could have just tapped the gas and blown right past him, jumping from 30 to 55 in a heartbeat.

mellowtiger83 said:Haha, yeah, I could really use some Pastor Maldonado action right about now 🙏. But even then, it wouldn't be the same, since the FIA was being pretty soft back then too.

Of course it's not the same...
That Maldonado stunt was easily five times worse than this 🤣
But whatever, doesn't matter...

Besides, what can you do? Everything is a mess...
Fans were complaining that drivers get penalized for every little thing and should just settle their own crap on the track. So, the FIA decided to chill out on the penalties, and now certain people are whining because they aren't being brutal enough like before 😁

Damn, try as you might, you'll never please everyone 🤣

James Roberts87 said:One shouldn't overlook Senna when discussing drivers who play dirty; after all, Michael Schumacher learned everything he knew from him.😁

Senna wasn't dirty. He was just incredibly aggressive, which is a completely different thing. There was nothing unsportsmanlike about his style, save for that momentary lapse in judgment during the Suzuki 1990 era—but even that was preceded by an immense amount of injustice.

Even if the Suzuka Circuit wasn't exactly the goal, it really just came down to sheer stubbornness. Senna was essentially half an inch inside Prost's car on the inside line, and he didn't even think to back off. Prost knew exactly where Senna was positioned, and frankly, he bears a huge chunk of the blame himself. Beyond that, there is simply no case to be made regarding any dirty driving on Senna's part.

I mean, he was braking like a maniac right as he was exiting the corner, and then he just coasted for a bit too. You can't be doing that; it's dangerous as hell and should’ve earned him a penalty.
But since Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are basically untouchable, I guess he gets off scot-free.

mellowtiger83 said:Hero of the race, Daniel Ricciardo! What a driver—he definitely had some luck on his side, but hey, luck favors the bold... that double overtake for third was pure magic, and that lean into the turn? Masterful. This guy just knows how to blow my mind sometimes—even if the whole thing with drinking out of a shoe was a bit much... 🙂

Rick's been getting absolutely smoked by Max Verstappen at every single race this season. You could see it on the podium too—it's obvious even to him that he's slower than Max. He doesn't stand a chance unless something crazy happens, like when Max runs into mechanical issues. Rick is just past his prime...

One thing went right: the championship has finally kicked off properly. We finally got that collision between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, and they’ve officially started hating each other's guts. It's about time. 🙂

Now the real fun begins. This is where the season actually gets interesting. 🙂

They are both idiots, frankly. Lewis Hamilton paid the price for playing dirty when he tried to set up Sebastian Vettel against Sergio Perez 🙂, though even so, Sebastian Vettel shouldn't have reacted the way he did. He just can't.

I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I'm celebrating Daniel Ricciardo's win, because both those fools deserved to lose—Sebastian Vettel a bit more, but whatever.

James Walker57 said:He was braking right as he exited the corner and then spent a bit too much time coasting. You just don't do that. It’s dangerous, plain and simple, and there should have been a penalty.
And since Lewis Hamilton and Max are protected like cornerstones of the establishment, he gets off scot-free.

I am not entirely certain. Lewis Hamilton likely escaped a penalty for two reasons. First, he wasn't actually in the wrong.
Second, they likely chose to compensate by being far too lenient with Sebastian Vettel.

If you believe me—though you probably won't—it is still worth offering the thought.

Daniel Ricciardo is the driver who’s managed to rack up the most points over the last four races...
It's a real shame that Ford's progress this season has been so underwhelming.

Mercedes-Benz still holds a massive engine advantage over the rest of the field. It was honestly wild seeing Valtteri Bottas fly past Lance Stroll right before the finish line, and Lewis Hamilton was breathing down Sebastian Vettel's neck too..

mellowtiger83 said:Heh, I could really use some Pastor Maldonado right about now. 🙏Still, it’s not quite the same thing—even if the FIA was being pretty soft on Pastor Maldonado back then.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkr...ver_shortfilms

And Lewis Hamilton too. 😁
Did you seriously forget those two almost collided? 😍

Unbelievable. Hamilton walks away totally clean after that first collision even though he’s clearly at fault, yet then Maldonado gets slapped with a five-place grid penalty for the second one? Make it make sense.
It’s not even that big of a deal. It was pretty obvious he slammed him on purpose. 😁
Ali, let's be real—it was probably just a scheme to avoid punishing Lewis Hamilton for his nonsense, and then giving Pastor Maldonado a lighter sentence just so they wouldn't look like they were playing favorites against Hamilton.

NASCAR 🤮
Valtteri Bottas 🤮
Lewis Hamilton 🤮
Sebastian Vettel 🤮

The drivers receive word Yellow Flag and they all just sit there, waiting to see when the leader is finally going to floor it and try to break away, but then Lewis Hamilton does exactly what he did. And honestly, Sebastian Vettel reacts in such an unprofessional manner; wouldn't you agree? I think both of them could use some serious time to cool off before the next race.

neonfox65 said:Ricciardo has been absolutely crushed by Max this season...

https://www.formula1.com/en/results....7/drivers.html
Daniel Ricciardo 92
Max Verstappen 45
One thing I write, two things I remember...

Is he "crushed" when he has three times the points of Max? Or what? 🙂🤣

Ricciardo is only slightly behind Valtteri Bottas, but sure, let's pretend he's washed up...
The future is Max, who basically just lapped Sergio Perez today...

Well, statistics are just for people like you 🤣