Australian Grand Prix (Los Angeles - Central Park) 03.26.2017

stormybadger8 said:Max is faster than the Renault.
Ricciardo definitely wasn't there today. Maybe he got his hands on the first shipment of those special bikes... but don't worry, I'm sure one will find its way to Max too. 😁

stormybadger8 said:Haven't we already seen Hamilton stuck behind Hulkenberg?🤔
There's nothing weird about it. Red Bull is the third fastest car on the grid, and Max knows how to drive—more importantly, he knows how to defend...
Besides, Hamilton was running two sets of slower tires. Honestly, it’d be more of a miracle if he managed to pass Max at all, let alone make it look easy...

It would be strange if he were camping behind a McLaren or a Sauber, but a Renault with Hulkenberg isn't exactly a powerhouse, much less a Red Bull on faster rubber...

And that's when you actually have to start drawing... 🙂

neonfox65 said:I don't see Perez making the cut—he had his shot with McLaren and just didn't deliver.

Perez is actually a solid driver, and frankly, I think the folks over at McLaren made a massive mistake by letting him go... though that isn't even their biggest 🙂
...

A total masterclass from Ferrari—honestly, Lujin fans can spend the next ten days crying about strategy if they want to, but hey, strategy is just part of the game! If I recall correctly, Ferrari actually let the win slip away at the Australian Grand Prix last year because of their calls, even though we found out later they were running a significantly slower car.

Jack Kelly5 said:If this turns out to be true, then I guess that explains why the performance was kind of underwhelming. It’s basically just the classic runner-up driver narrative, isn't it? They're probably just testing out different setups during the race weekend, and I suppose they'll eventually stumble upon some conclusions or whatever.

Not really, I mean... I think Sebastian Vettel was actually putting up better lap times before they hit the pits, but then he and Lewis Hamilton tried that early pit stop strategy to see if they could make up for all that damage. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't, but that's what they were aiming for, I guess.
I guess Sebastian Vettel was actually looking pretty quick today, if you ask me.

Not quite...
Lewis Hamilton was about 0.5 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel once he exited the pits, he just completely fell apart once he ended up behind Max...
Honestly, Vettel definitely wouldn't have lost out to him given those pit strategies.

Before the pit stops, they were basically neck and neck—one lap Sebastian Vettel would be 0.100-0.200 ahead, then Lewis Hamilton would take it back by the same margin... essentially, they were both controlling the pace.

The only real silver lining is that Ferrari didn't lose their minds on the pit wall and try to play favorites with Lewis Hamilton...
Even when Sebastian Vettel was stuck behind a slow pack, they didn't panic and dive into the pits immediately; they played it cool. Sebastian just blasted past Lance Stroll and hit the pits the following lap once they had the window to come out ahead of Lewis Hamilton...

stormybadger8 said:And he finished ahead of both McLarens, both Haases, and the other Sauber 😳 all while driving the absolute worst, weakest car on the grid...
If that isn't worth a damn, I don't know what is...

The guy finished 12th in the first race where he didn't even get a chance for Free Practice or a proper setup!
Now he's 12th in the championship. Hey, hello, 12th!

Last year, Ericsson didn't manage to crack the top 10 once during the entire season...

+ He held off Lance Stroll without any issues—even though Stroll was on two-step softer tires.

neonfox65 said:And that's when you actually have to start drawing... 🙂

Look, if Red Bull Racing is currently the third fastest car on the grid, what's even the argument? 🤷
Plus, Ricciardo was completely out of it all weekend. He totally blew it despite having a car capable of a great result, so yeah, he ended up behind Hulkenberg even though his car was faster...

It's not controversial that Renault isn't ahead of Red Bull Racing—not even close. But they started off strong, and things are going to get messy fast because there's no way Renault is going to keep handing those engines to Red Bull Racing once they're fighting them tooth and nail for position...
Based on how things are looking, it'll probably happen by the end of the season. 😳

stormybadger8 said:Not quite...
Lewis Hamilton was about 0.5 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel once he exited the pits, he just completely fell apart once he ended up behind Max...
Honestly, Vettel definitely wouldn't have lost out to him given those pit strategies.

Before the pit stops, they were basically neck and neck—one lap Sebastian Vettel would be 0.100-0.200 ahead, then Lewis Hamilton would take it back by the same margin... essentially, they were both controlling the pace.

The only real silver lining is that Ferrari didn't lose their minds on the pit wall and try to play favorites with Lewis Hamilton...
Even when Sebastian Vettel was stuck behind a slow pack, they didn't panic and dive into the pits immediately; they played it cool. Sebastian just blasted past Lance Stroll and hit the pits the following lap once they had the window to come out ahead of Lewis Hamilton...

What's not true?
And what kind of pace did Lewis actually have once they both ended up on the SS?
If Lewis could've actually maintained that rhythm on the SS, he definitely wouldn't have pitted when Sebastian went in for the DRS.
Sebastian was just faster than Lewis today.

William Bennett53 said:From my perspective, the situation looks like this: he was driving the weakest car on the grid—running last year's engine, lagging behind in development, and generally underpowered—during his first ever F1 race. He didn't even get a chance to practice, since Pascal Wehrlein was still in the seat during Friday's sessions, before he ultimately decided he wasn't in peak form. Yet, during the race, he was remarkably steady. No mistakes, no openings given...

But tell me, Mario Andretti, you’re a seasoned veteran of the track; in your estimation, was what Wehrlein achieved something worthy of praise, or should it be dismissed entirely?

Pussy cat, that isn't how it works. Real drivers push through regardless. Michael Schumacher drove with a fever, and Ayrton Senna won in Brazil despite being so physically exhausted he could barely climb out of the car.

Jack Kelly5 said:What's not true?
And what kind of pace did Lewis actually have once they both ended up on the SS?
If Lewis could've actually maintained that rhythm on the SS, he definitely wouldn't have pitted when Sebastian went in for the DRS.
Sebastian was just faster than Lewis today.

Hamilton was struggling with his US tires (he wasn't even on the SS) during the first stint—or at least that's what he was whining about on the team radio... but the lap times didn't show any of that.
The real question is whether Sky was right about yesterday being a live timing error, or if Hamilton actually set his Q2 time on used rubber from Q1...
According to LT, his Q2 tires—the ones he started the race on—only had 6 laps on them (given the FL in Q1 and FL in Q2). If that's true, it sounds completely insane (I can't imagine why they'd be that stupid), which makes me think it was an LT error. But if he really did start on those old tires, it's no wonder they fell apart in the first stint...

Once they both pitted, Hamilton's pace leveled out, but only after Max cleared out of the way. By then, he was already a massive 6 seconds behind Vettel, so the whole thing was a lost cause.
Even if he had been driving qualifying laps the whole time, there's no way in hell he would've closed that gap without shredding his tires, let alone passing him...

Here are the times, take a look...
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...wis%20Hamilton

The gaps are almost non-existent. 😉
When you look at the fastest laps, it's 30 vs 27, so they were incredibly close...
Those weird time anomalies were just him fighting through traffic and weaving around the rest of the pack...

Jack Kelly5 said:What's not true?
And what kind of pace did Lewis actually have once they both ended up on the SS?
If Lewis could've actually maintained that rhythm on the SS, he definitely wouldn't have pitted when Sebastian went in for the DRS.
Sebastian was just faster than Lewis today.

As far as I can tell, Hamilton started on tires that were five laps older than Vettel's, so it’s hardly surprising he had to pit earlier.

Furthermore, it wasn't just Hamilton struggling with tire degradation; Valtteri Bottas dealt with it during the first stint too, or at least that's what he claimed.

Regardless, it was a damn victory for Vettel and entirely deserved. He was masterful today; the Ferrari wasn't nearly as good as the man driving it was.

This season is going to be interesting.

stormybadger8 said:Look, if Red Bull Racing is currently the third fastest car on the grid, what's even the argument? 🤷
Plus, Ricciardo was completely out of it all weekend. He totally blew it despite having a car capable of a great result, so yeah, he ended up behind Hulkenberg even though his car was faster...

It's not controversial that Renault isn't ahead of Red Bull Racing—not even close. But they started off strong, and things are going to get messy fast because there's no way Renault is going to keep handing those engines to Red Bull Racing once they're fighting them tooth and nail for position...
Based on how things are looking, it'll probably happen by the end of the season. 😳

You were claiming Renault was faster than them—but man, looking at my signature now... you really missed the mark there... 👋

Same goes for Ricciardo—he just wasn't quite hitting his stride all weekend...

Ricciardo wasn't just in Q3...

neonfox65 said:You were claiming Renault was faster than them—but man, looking at my signature now... you really missed the mark there... 👋

Same goes for Ricciardo—he just wasn't quite hitting his stride all weekend...

Ricciardo wasn't just in Q3...

He missed out right when it mattered most—both Q3 and the actual race.

stormybadger8 said:Hamilton was struggling with his US tires (he wasn't even on the SS) during the first stint—or at least that's what he was whining about on the team radio... but the lap times didn't show any of that.
The real question is whether Sky was right about yesterday being a live timing error, or if Hamilton actually set his Q2 time on used rubber from Q1...
According to LT, his Q2 tires—the ones he started the race on—only had 6 laps on them (given the FL in Q1 and FL in Q2). If that's true, it sounds completely insane (I can't imagine why they'd be that stupid), which makes me think it was an LT error. But if he really did start on those old tires, it's no wonder they fell apart in the first stint...

Once they both pitted, Hamilton's pace leveled out, but only after Max cleared out of the way. By then, he was already a massive 6 seconds behind Vettel, so the whole thing was a lost cause.
Even if he had been driving qualifying laps the whole time, there's no way in hell he would've closed that gap without shredding his tires, let alone passing him...

Here are the times, take a look...
http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...wis%20Hamilton

The gaps are almost non-existent. 😉
When you look at the fastest laps, it's 30 vs 27, so they were incredibly close...
Those weird time anomalies were just him fighting through traffic and weaving around the rest of the pack...

I’m not really sure what you’re trying to prove here?
After the pit stops, Lewis wasn't even catching Sebastian; he was actually losing ground to Valtteri Bottas. Whether he would've stayed ahead of Sebastian if Max hadn't gotten in his way, well, we'll never know. But in the moments when he "should" have been chasing Sebastian, Bottas was the one closing in on him.
The guy just didn't have a shot at winning today. Period.

jadeseal7 said:He missed out right when it mattered most—both Q3 and the actual race.

But you can't blame him for the race result... they didn't set him up right for the start (even with 24 hours to prep🤦) and then he topped it off with an engine failure.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/03/2...ime-team-won/?

Sergio is totally patting himself on the back 😁
but looking at this whole thing, this is the only part that actually matters 😳

Marchionne added “congratulations to Antonio Giovinazzi for his debut in Formula One”.

The kid basically locked in his seat at Sauber today; the only question is who's getting kicked out...
I bet Sergio was definitely pulling strings behind the scenes to get someone cleared out of that Sauber seat. Who knows, maybe they'll even score some new engines in the deal.

neonfox65 said:But you can't blame him for the race result... they didn't set him up right for the start (even with 24 hours to prep🤦) and then he topped it off with an engine failure.

It was just a heartbreaking weekend for Ricciardo, truly one to forget.

If the folks over at Sauber actually have some breathing room regarding their budget and contract situation, they won't need much convincing. Honestly, I think your suggestion about Sauber picking up new engines is spot on. They represent the good soul of Formula One; there's really no sense in trying to sell them a lemon...

neonfox65 said:But you can't blame him for the race result... they didn't set him up right for the start (even with 24 hours to prep🤦) and then he topped it off with an engine failure.

So who's actually to blame?
Good grief, he’s the one who absolutely wrecked the car. It wasn't some kid crashing into him...

It's wild how some random rookie can jump into F1 with zero experience, pull off great qualifying, and manage a race without destroying everything, while one of "Horner's best lineups" just can't get it done.
Ricciardo is the one at fault here, plain and simple—just like Jolyon Palmer was responsible for that Renault disaster...

The only real difference is that Ricciardo has some class and knows he messed up, so he doesn't talk trash about the team.
Meanwhile, that wannabe driver Palmer actually blamed the crew, even though he was solely responsible for the whole mess.

neonfox65 said:You were claiming Renault was faster than them—but man, looking at my signature now... you really missed the mark there... 👋

Same goes for Ricciardo—he just wasn't quite hitting his stride all weekend...

Ricciardo wasn't just in Q3...

neonfox65 said:But you can't blame him for the race result... they didn't set him up right for the start (even with 24 hours to prep🤦) and then he topped it off with an engine failure.

And did Hulkenberg have an engine failure too? 🤷
If I'm "dead wrong," then I guess Ricciardo just got a free engine failure, because apparently, that wasn't an issue in the Renault car...

stormybadger8 said:So who's actually to blame?
Good grief, he’s the one who absolutely wrecked the car. It wasn't some kid crashing into him...

It's wild how some random rookie can jump into F1 with zero experience, pull off great qualifying, and manage a race without destroying everything, while one of "Horner's best lineups" just can't get it done.
Ricciardo is the one at fault here, plain and simple—just like Jolyon Palmer was responsible for that Renault disaster...

The only real difference is that Ricciardo has some class and knows he messed up, so he doesn't talk trash about the team.
Meanwhile, that wannabe driver Palmer actually blamed the crew, even though he was solely responsible for the whole mess.

Look, I’m telling you—it wasn't his fault during the race. What did he actually mess up? It was qualifying...

It’s honestly wild—this kid can jump straight into Formula One with zero experience, pull off qualifying sessions like that, and drive a race without completely binning it... meanwhile, one of the guys from Christian Horner's "elite driver lineup" can't even get it right. Just crazy...

Sebastian Vettel acting like he’s never made a mistake? Give me a break—Tibi, seriously, quit the trash talk...