2014 British Grand Prix at Silverstone (July 6)

darkmarlin16 said:A faster car, DRS, and newer tires. And he still struggled for about 10 laps on a track that isn't even Monaco.

Let's be real here. ☕

Why only Monaco...

Let's be honest, there are plenty of other tracks people could use to make up excuses...

swifttiger75 said:No comparison...
And when they started bickering in that duo at the end... priceless. Of course, the Maestro is getting his usual beatdown like he does every year—but hey, his fan club is still playing their tunes, the Maestro keeps conducting, and Ferrari is sinking like the Titanic.

Al, things will get better...

Jason Campbell70 said:In a half-broken car, fighting a field two seconds faster while they’re sitting on nine-lap-old tires—all while trying to make DRS work with whatever ERS was left at that exact moment. 9.3 milesGoing faster in a straight line.

Yeah — Just another routine beating.I mean, what else is there to say?

swifttiger75 said:I mean, if Alonso is the better driver—well, I don't see what's so complicated about that. ☕

darkmarlin16 said:You guys hit the nail on the head—but you're all getting worked up over a troll post.

Everyone saw it yesterday—Fernando was clearly better than Sebastian Vettel. In that head-to-head battle, there's no denying it.

Faster car, DRS, and newer tires—and he still struggled for about 10 laps on a track that isn't exactly Monaco.

Let’s be real. ☕

It’s really me, darkmarlin16...
Did the Maestro just prove once again that he’s the superior driver to Sebastian Vettel? I'm just stuck on the fact that this guy has been faster over the last five years. 😲 I mean, I think it’s pretty obvious to Ferrari too—though, let’s be honest, you can never really count on them. 😲 ☕

It wasn't just the last five, it was the last six...
not to mention he was faster back in 2008, and more than once at that.☕

swifttiger75 said:I'm just sitting here scratching my head over why this guy has been faster for the last five years.

What part of that isn't clicking for you?

Or are you just trolling at this point?

Setting aside all this forum chatter, I actually find it amusing to see drivers fight so hard over an insignificant 5th place, especially when neither of them gains anything for their championship standings at this stage.

The reason is obvious: both wanted to win that specific duel just for the sake of prestige. For Sebastian Vettel, in particular, it was practically a requirement...

The whole thing was ruined by the broadcast—specifically the director who chose to put it on air. Why? To trivialize the entire situation? What was the goal here? To make it look like Vettel loves to complain? We already know he does... It would have been much better if they had just let the battle play out in silence, giving us a glimpse of those old-school days when we didn't have to listen to all this nonsense... (which certainly doesn't mean these same drivers haven't complained before).

And one more thing: when drivers whine about every little detail, they aren't the ones most to blame. The FIA, with its endless rules, constant insistence on specifics, and sheer stupidity, creates the very circumstances that force the drivers to complain in the first place.

stormybadger8 said:Why just Monaco...

Let's be honest, there are plenty of other tracks where people can cook up excuses...

Was there DRS in Abu Dhabi back then?

swifttiger75 said:I’m being dead serious here, darkmarlin16...
Yeah, the Maestro proved once again he's the superior driver compared to Sebastian Vettel; I'm just struggling with the fact that this guy has been faster over the last five years. 😲 And I suspect it's pretty obvious to Ferrari too, though, let's be honest, you can never truly count on them. 😲 ☕

It's obvious to Ferrari, absolutely, but there's nothing I can do about it. They tried, but he basically walked out on them to go do what actually interests him... if you catch my drift...

steelmaker83 said:Setting aside all the chatter on these message boards for a second, I must say it is actually quite refreshing to see the drivers fighting so hard for an insignificant 5th place, especially considering neither of them gains anything meaningful for their championship standings by doing so.

The reasoning behind it is perfectly obvious, isn't it? For both men, winning that specific duel was purely a matter of prestige. It was paramount for Sebastian Vettel, given the pressures placed upon him...

The entire experience was unfortunately soured by the broadcast director—the one responsible for what we saw on our screens. What exactly was the goal there? To trivialize the intensity of the fight? Or perhaps to cultivate this false impression that Vettel enjoys complaining? We are already well aware of that tendency... wouldn't it have been much more elegant if they had simply let us witness the battle in silence, allowing us to feel that nostalgic sense of the old days when we weren't constantly subjected to such commentary? (Though, to be fair, that doesn't mean those same drivers haven't complained plenty in the past.)

And there is one more thing to consider: regarding the fact that drivers seem to whine about every little grievance, they are arguably the least to blame. It is the FIA, with its endless web of regulations, rigid insistences, and sheer absurdity, that creates these circumstances; naturally, the drivers end up venting the frustration that follows.

Personally, I found the duel itself to be quite thrilling, though the level of complaining was truly unbearable. Furthermore, I find myself wondering why Fernando Alonso complained so much after the fact, even though he was clearly aware of his car's technical struggles.🤷
And yes, Sebastian Vettel didn't even manage to overtake him on the straight using DRS at the end.
It was a magnificent struggle, yet somehow, it feels strangely symbolic of the twilight of Alonso's career.

stormybadger8 said:That’s exactly my point—I don't see what the big deal is?
1. Mercedes
2. Williams
3. Ferrari
4. Red Bull
5. FI
....

Here are the fastest laps from the Grand Prix of Great Britainhttp://www.formula1.com/results/seas...test_laps.html

Both Red Bulls are ahead of Alonso.

graniteharbor502 said:I enjoyed the duel, but man, the whining was absolutely unbearable. And I honestly don't get why Alonso spent so much time complaining after the fact when he already knew his car was a mess. 🤷
And yeah, Vettel didn't even manage to overtake him on the straight using DRS at the end.
That was one hell of a fight. It feels almost symbolic, like we're watching the beginning of the end for Alonso.

Look, you can connect just about anything to this if you try hard enough.
I feel exactly the opposite.
Watching how Alonso drove on Sunday—and even how Ferrari handled things for most of the race—gives me a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Seeing that kind of performance makes me think there might actually be some progress happening, and that Ferrari can pull it together, especially with Alonso behind the wheel.

Let’s put it this way: it looked like two (slightly pissed off) dogs fighting over a discarded bone. It was a gritty scrap, full of solid moves, and—despite all the whining—actually pretty fair play for that kind of brawl. I’m convinced the chaos wasn't primarily because of the two drivers themselves.

neonfox65 said:Here are the fastest laps from the Grand Prix of Great Britain http://www.formula1.com/results/seas...test_laps.html

both Red Bulls are ahead of Alonso.

Oh, obviously.
Mercedes, Williams, and Red Bull were definitely faster than Ferrari. Then you’ve got McLaren to consider too.

As for the season, Ferrari's ceiling is mostly 4th, 5th, or 6th place. And that's only because they have the smartest driver on the grid (IMO).
It shows the car's raw pace is sitting somewhere around 4th or 5th. On a good day at certain tracks, maybe 3rd. But on average? It’s definitely not better than 4th.

For me, the three standout drivers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway were Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso, and Daniel Ricciardo.

Each one of them absolutely nailed it in their own way.
Bottas climbed 12 spots, which is impressive, but let’s be real—that car belongs on the podium. Anything less than a trophy with that machine is just a failure, regardless of where he starts. He just quietly handled his business, kept it steady, and followed the script. Solid work.

Alonso was just... wow. Pure class. A total joy to watch, at least for me. And honestly, the guy was wrestling what some might call a "fancy Fiat on wheels," and you have to respect that. My pick for DOTD, hands down.

As for Ricciardo, if you ask me, he’s the driver of the season, and today just proved it.

Of course, some people would argue it was more like Kimi Räikkönen out there. 😁
Fair enough. But until that crash happened, the guy was putting in a hell of a performance.

Alonso was even pushing a broken car!

Alonso also says he had discussed the possibility of retiring to his team due to a number of aerodynamic issues with the car.

"We had an aerodynamic problem and were thinking about retiring the car. They were telling me to be very, very careful through the high-speed corners where it easy to lose the car. Unfortunately WE Had The battle AT The wrong moment of The raca probably. I discussed with the team two laps before the battle, when Sebastian Vettel went out of the pits, whether to retire the car because we had some aerodynamic problems.

"The rear wing was stalling and it was causing a lot of problems in the car—we had battery problems, then Sebastian Vettel arrived and we had battery problems, stall problems, and we needed to save fuel in the last part of the race... so we said it would be impossible to keep him behind."

He was fighting a losing battle against a massive understeer through the left side of the car for the entire race. 🤣
It would have been a damn shame if Prstek had gotten stuck behind him, but he didn't, so that's that. End of story. Fact.

Timothy Castillo6 said:Plus, he was struggling with some serious handling issues—basically a nightmare to drive—throughout the entire race. 🤣
It would have been a shame if Prstek had ended up stuck behind him, but he didn't, so that’s that. End of story. Fact.

Tires that are nine laps older
a broken rear wing
without KERS (just ERS)
Fuel saving mode

Try actually explaining with a real argument why it would be such a tragedy if he stayed behind him—or do you just specialize in nothing but provocations!?

steelmaker83 said:Setting aside all the forum gossip for a second, I’m actually glad to see drivers fighting this hard over a meaningless 5th place, especially since neither of them gains anything for the championship right now.

The reason is obvious: both wanted that duel just for the prestige. Especially Sebastian Vettel, since it was practically an imperative for him...

The whole thing was ruined by the commentators—or rather, the director feeding the broadcast. Why? To trivialize the fight? What was the point? To make it look like Vettel loves to whine? We already know he does... It would have been better if they just let us watch the battle in silence, giving us that illusion of the old days when we didn't have to listen to all this... (which doesn't mean those drivers weren't whining back then either).

And one more thing: regarding the drivers complaining about every little thing—they aren't even the ones at fault. The FIA, with all its rules, constant nagging, and sheer stupidity, creates these situations, so naturally, the drivers end up whining.

When it comes to the complaining, the FIA is practically the only culprit here...
It hasn't happened once where someone got penalized just because someone else decided to moan...
Vettel still needs to master the art of complaining; he can whine as much as he wants and won't get a penalty...
But when an old pro starts grumbling, even Vettel gets punished personally, whereas a less famous driver might get off easy...

In the end, how many times have we listened to people whining whenever two drops of rain fall and someone decides a SC should come out...
While others, who don't want a SC, are busy screwing around and calling into the pits to get their slicks ready.🤣

All in all, it's just the usual political maneuvering and trying to squeeze something out of these messages...
The only problem with this circus is that the director uses it constantly just to pump up viewership, usually broadcasting it with a delay, which makes the messages look pathetic since they're conversations from two or three laps ago...

neonfox65 said:Alonso was out there driving a broken car and still making it work!

There’s a reason they call him Alonso. 😍

Honestly, that’s just phenomenal. 😁
Whenever anyone else's car dies, it's just bad luck. But the second the Maestro messes up against some random driver, suddenly we’re hearing all these wild conspiracy theories about mysterious mechanical failures...
Now I’m just waiting for the official statement confirming whether he was driving a car without wheels or just four flat tires.🤣

Jacob White49 said:tires that are 9 laps older
broken rear wing
no KERS (just ERS)
Fuel saving

I’m 100% on board with that.
But honestly... I kind of enjoy stirring the pot. 😉
If you had actually paid closer attention to what I wrote, I specifically said it would be pathetic if Prstek was stuck behind a car like that, but he wasn't. That's just a fact.

Everything else is just pure mental gymnastics.
Oh, my bad, I forgot we were all supposed to be busy scratching our crotches instead.

Look, people... they were racing, one guy ended up behind the other. So what? 🤷

Roger Wright94 said:But if you look closely at that bolded part, isn't it possible that there's a deeper connection waiting to be made?
My perspective on this is actually quite the opposite.

I brought that up initially because I simply cannot recall another instance where Alonso defended his position with such sheer, desperate tenacity following Monaco 2005. Back then, the intense struggle between him and Michael Schumacher felt like a symbolic passing of the torch, signaling the end of Schumacher's era—which, if we look at the facts, truly did see him go without another title after 2004.

Roger Wright94 said:Watching Alonso's performance this Sunday—and even observing how Ferrari handled themselves through most of the race—feels like seeing a light at the end of a very long tunnel for me. That whole display provides a sense of hope, doesn't it? It suggests that progress is being made and that Ferrari genuinely has the potential to reach higher levels, especially with Alonso behind the wheel.

While Ferrari displayed an absolutely stellar race pace, they really let things slip during qualifying, didn't they? It is such a shame about Kimi Räikkönen going off track; had he stayed in the fight, we would have gained such a profound understanding of just how much speed that Ferrari was truly capable of delivering.

Roger Wright94 said:If we were to describe it somewhat stylistically, it was akin to two—perhaps slightly agitated—dogs fighting over a discarded bone. It was a fierce contest, filled with brilliant maneuvers, and despite all the inevitable complaining, it remained a remarkably fair encounter. I am convinced that the lack of chaos wasn't primarily due to the nature of the two drivers themselves.

I find myself in complete agreement with that sentiment. The duel was incredibly intense, fought on the edge, yet managed to proceed without any contact whatsoever, which really speaks to the immense skill possessed by both champions, wouldn't you agree?

Timothy Castillo6 said:...
Everything else is just pure mental gymnastics.
Oh, my bad. Sorry for being so sensitive.
People... they were racing, one guy ended up behind. So what? 🤷

What kind of "mental gymnastics" are you even talking about? 🤷

I’m incredibly happy with how Alonso raced. And I felt that way even before all the drama surrounding the circumstances came out.
Sure, I’d probably bet my life savings that he should've beaten Vettel in that head-to-head, but the final result is the reality on the ground. I don't see anything to complain about.