Nürburgring GP Recap: July 22, 2012

ruggedfox28 said:It’s funny how suddenly Hemić is some kind of genius—most of you are busy defending his move to overtake the Index finger—but if Obrvan had done the exact same thing, you’d be tearing him to shreds. 🤣 🤣

The reality is, there wasn't anything illegal about that move—but it seems like a crybaby can always find a reason to whine. 😁

ruggedfox28 said:It’s funny how suddenly Hemić is some kind of genius. Most of you are busy making excuses for him overtaking the Index finger, but if Obrvan had done that exact same thing, you guys would have absolutely torn him to shreds. 🤣 🤣

Did you even watch the race? 🤔
He tried the same move on Fernando Alonso, but when he ran into a better driver, it just didn't work out... 😂The master shut him down... and used him perfectly as a buffer between himself and the Index finger. 🙏

neonfox65 said:Is Vettel going to get penalized?

Almost certainly🤔. I totally screwed up my call—he’s definitely at fault and there's zero chance he dodges a penalty🤦.

They finally went after Vettel. YES!!!!!!!!!

Raymond Anderson4 said:It’s a bit ridiculous... they should have let Jenson Button through. He probably would've overtaken him anyway before the end, even if there was only a lap and a half left, because he was clearly faster.
And Button played a part too, since he slid wide right as he exited the corner, forcing Sebastian Vettel to take a much wider line.

Maybe Lewis Hamilton just isn't meant to be at McLaren... maybe he's fed up and wants a change, though his options aren't exactly endless...

Button made a move on him that was incredibly naive and just plain stupid.🤦
Plus, the Red Bull Racing tactics today were absolute garbage.🙄 They were clearly distracted by that whole mess this morning.
Overall, it was a pathetic showing from everyone at Red Bull Racing, and McLaren absolutely shredded them during those pit stops.🤦

And Vettel completely screwed things up with Hamilton. He should have immediately let him ahead into the DRS zone to use the DRS to close the gap on Fernando Alonso, instead of just being totally clueless about it.🤦

Are you kidding me? Why couldn't they make that call before the podium ceremony? What does Kimi even care about third place and some trophy sitting in some hallway somewhere? He probably didn't even grab it; someone from the crew can just take it to the kids. They'll forgive everything else, but man, they won't forget losing out on that champagne🙂.
Good call, but the timing was absolute garbage. I was watching Vettel, who’s sitting at 5th or 6th now—whatever—not this guy in 3rd. Nobody gets anything out of this move. Except maybe Kimi getting his points.
And then they barely even mention him or show him on screen, even though this decision puts him right on the heels of third in the standings. Seriously, the least talked-about driver in the top 10!
Probably because he's the best one out there😁

Honestly, with a Ferrari that kind of beast, even Fernando Alonso would be looking like a winner...
Kimi is just the king, man
☕

Kimi keeps climbing one spot in the standings after every race... if they could just nail qualifying once in a while, he'd be breathing down Fernando Alonso's neck. But now we've got the races in Canada and Belgium coming up... Kimi needs to snag at least 40 points there. Alonso's probably feeling the pressure by now. The guy is a total master

Jason Clark14 said:For crying out loud—could they not have made this call before the podium ceremony and the trophy presentation? What does Kimi care about third place or some trophy sitting in a hallway somewhere? He probably didn't even touch it; someone from the crew will just hand it to some kids. They'll forgive them for everything else—except the champagne🙂.
A solid decision, really—but the timing was completely nonsensical. I was watching Sebastian Vettel, who's currently sitting at 5th or 6th—which one is it now?—not this guy who is 3. Nobody gains anything here. Except for Kimi's points.
And yet, they barely mention him or show him on screen, even though this decision puts him right on the doorstep of third in the standings. Easily the most overlooked driver in the top 10!
Probably because he's actually the best one😁

lose out? Nothing but points?

Look, the stakes aren't massive—it's just the battle for 3rd in the overall standings🤣

He’s closing in on the Red Bull Racing duo—hopefully, we see an attack for 2nd before the season ends👋

Jack Kelly5 said:With a Ferrari like that, anyone could take a win...
☕

Sure, if he hadn't had Fernando Alonso on his side, he would have ended up with Massa instead. 🤦

@ruggedfox28—Irvine was basically a rookie when Senna handed him a lesson at Suzuka. It wasn't deserved, obviously. If someone like Piastri did that to Vettel today, maybe the result would be the same. Unfair, of course. Even the sheer arrogance of it was labeled as foolish by Hamilton himself. 🤦

After navigating through half of the season, Kimi Räikkönen actually finds himself sitting ahead of both McLarens in the overall standings, which is nothing short of impressive, wouldn't you agree?

William Bennett53 said:@paski- Irvine got absolutely schooled by Senna back when he was just a rookie at Suzuka—completely undeserved, obviously. If someone like Ricciardo did that to Vettel today, he’d probably get away with it too. Unjust, of course. Even even the media called Hamilton's move stupid. 🤦

Sure, the greatest driver of all time wasn't exactly immune to making mistakes—he wasn't exactly a saint, though he might think otherwise given how things played out 😁 here is this post-race interview; I'm dying laughing seeing how Irvine mocks him 😁 Senna was just acting like a total jerk because the guy didn't have the patience to play tourist trailing behind him and Hill 😁

William Bennett53 said:I mean, yeah, if he hadn't ended up with Fernando Alonso, he probably would’ve just been stuck with Felipe Massa instead. I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. 🤦

You know, I think you hit the nail on the head there. It’s pretty much exactly how it looks to me. If Zalons wasn't in the mix, I guess Felipe Massa might actually have a fighting chance, but without him? Yeah, he's got absolutely nothing.
😁

William Bennett53 said:Yeah, if he hadn't been blocked by Fernando Alonso, he would've beaten Felipe Massa. 🤦

Honestly, it’s not even that shocking.
Stop watching Formula 1 on this garbage platform—can't you see how bad it is?
Just get satellite TV and watch literally anything else besides these stupid ads.

1. Massa got knocked out of Q2 because of Fernando Alonso; the guy got stuck behind him and poor Massa had to swerve like a maniac just to stay out of his way.
2. Massa actually had a phenomenal start, but unfortunately, he lost his wing.

All things considered, with a clean qualifying run (you know, without having to dodge Fernando Alonso) and a top-10 start, Massa probably would've walked away with a podium.

stormybadger8 said:Honestly, it’s not even that big of a deal.
Stop watching Formula 1 on this trash platform. It's painful to watch if you actually care about the sport.
Just get satellite TV and watch anything else besides these stupid ads.

1. Massa got knocked out of Q2 because of Fernando Alonso. The guy just ended up right behind him, and poor Massa had to swerve off track in a panic to stay out of his way.
2. Massa had an incredible start, but unfortunately, he lost his wing.

All in all, with a clean qualifying session (meaning no dodging Alonso) and a top 10 start, Massa probably would've been on the podium.

🤣
What qualifying session were you even watching?🤷

It's not Alonso's fault the guy messed up and went wide.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDNBBJeVa5Q
If you think that counts as "swerving," you seriously need glasses.

At the end of the day, it looked like McLaren had all the raw pace on their side today, but once again, they just completely blew it by failing to actually capitalize on what that car can do.

What happened? 🙏🙏🙏

🤦

Douglas Parker61 said:🤣
Which qualifying session were you even watching?🤷

It’s not Fernando Alonso's fault the guy spun out and went off track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDNBBJeVa5Q
If you're calling this "avoidance," you seriously need to get some glasses.

Why didn't you include the full link?😁
Why only show part of the incident?

darkmarlin16 said:All in all, the McLaren looked like the fastest car out there today—they just missed another chance to actually use that potential...

Alonso definitely looked the quickest today.

Come on, guys...
Felipe Massa is a mid-tier driver who can be incredibly quick when he’s handed an ideal car. Under those specific conditions, he doesn't lag far behind Fernando Alonso and can even outpace him at times. This season, Massa's form is actually doing a great job of highlighting just how good the car is: the better the machine, the smaller the gap between Massa and Alonso becomes. In other words, over the last two races, Massa hasn't been the total disaster he was previously, which likely indicates the car has made massive strides. Still, he is nowhere near a victory.

Keep an eye on Sebastian Vettel: for years, people on this forum have argued that he only wins when he's in a superior car and that we really need to see him in something slightly less dominant (though, to be fair, he consistently disputed that by pointing to his win in Australia). This year, we're seeing the reality. He’s still lightning fast, but he doesn't stand out from the rest of the elite group. On top of that, he seems to lack the mental stability shown by this year's main rival, Fernando Alonso. Honestly, I wouldn't bet a dime on him. Why? Because I believe that as long as Ferrari and Red Bull remain comparably strong—as they are now—Vettel stands no chance against Alonso, and might even struggle against Webber. If Newey manages to engineer some kind of miracle, however, he might even exceed the performance of the machine he's given. So, for him to be truly superior, in my view, he needs to be in a position where his nerves aren't constantly on the verge of snapping. And under those specific circumstances, he is the best in the world. As of now this year, those conditions simply don't exist. 🤷