China Grand Prix

Rosberg just outpaced both McLaren and Ferrari, which proves Mercedes actually has the pace! Now the real question is: where on earth is Schumacher? He’s stuck in 9th. 🙄
As far as I can tell, he was the kind of driver who could effortlessly shave a full second off his teammate's lap time. That’s why Schumi was "the real deal." If he were behind the wheel today, he’d probably be leading the pack, maybe half a second to a full second faster than Rosberg. Time hasn't caught up to him yet; he still has that "edge." 😬
I’ve always been a fan because he had that gritty, blunt attitude—he didn't sugarcoat anything, and on the track? Don't even get me started. But that spark seems gone. After seeing those practice times, where Ferrari and McLaren looked decent while Red Bull Racing struggled with their suspension, I really thought they’d break into the top two.
Honestly, I think Schumi just needs that classic Ferrari magic again. 😁

I think he just needs some time to find his rhythm. People are already jumping to conclusions and calling him a disappointment, but let's look at the facts: he was stuck right behind Rosberg in the first race, and the last two were just bad luck. He isn't slow by any stretch. Given his age and that three-year gap, I'd say things are looking pretty decent so far.

Bradley Nelson2 said:I honestly think we just need to give him some breathing room. People are already jumping to conclusions about how much of a letdown he is—saying he was stuck right on Rosberg's tail during the first race and then struggled through the last two—but it’s really not that deep. He isn't slow by any means. When you consider his age and the fact that he's coming off a three-year hiatus, I'd say he's doing just fine.

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And honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he went with a wet-weather setup today..🤷

nimblesurfer17 said:signature..
honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he went with a rain setup today..🤷

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Joshua Newman2 said:Just catching up on Lewis's statement now...
Such a shame... I'm not exactly a Hamilton fan, but... 😁

Look, Lewis just completely botched that final flying lap.
He was overdriving it way too hard and lost the edge—sliding halfway through the corner and locking up a tire.

What I meant was he's got at least a few tenths in the tank compared to that Q3 time; he just needs to stop being so messy behind the wheel.

Massa is sitting right on the tail of those two McLarens (and the Alonso Red Bull cars). I'm curious to see if anyone actually makes a move.

I don't even get it. What exactly are they locking in during Q3 setup that they aren't allowed to touch during the race? Is that how it works?

By the way, a wet setup is basically just wet tires and everything else stays pretty much the same as a dry setup... maybe a bit more downforce, but that's about it. So, it’s not like the wet setup was holding Schumi back—he was just slow. Honestly, a different setup might cost him maybe 100 or 200 thousandths of a second at most, but he was trailing by over a full second.

Roger Wright94 said:Honestly, Lewis completely blew that final flying lap. It was just a poor showing.
He pushed way too hard and overextended himself. He was sliding halfway through the turn, and he even locked up his wheels.

I was trying to point out that there’s at least a few tenths of a second of breathing room compared to that Q3 pace; we just need to see some cleaner, more precise driving to actually tap into it.

Massa is sitting right on the tail of those two McLarens—and don't forget Alonso's Red Bull is right there, too. I’m genuinely curious to see if we'll see any real movement during the opening laps.

Hamilton claims he drove the best race possible. Honestly, you might be onto something there—it wouldn't exactly be the first time we've heard him spin a tall tale. 😁

I’ve been sitting here thinking about it, and honestly, the weather reports are calling for a 90% chance of rain during tomorrow's race. It makes me wonder if McLaren already dialed in a wet-weather setup behind the scenes, only to play dumb now and hope they strike gold when the clouds finally break.

Adam King said:I honestly don't get it. What exactly are they supposed to be locking in during the Q3 setup—some kind of sacred configuration that becomes untouchable once the race starts? Is there some rule saying they can't touch it, or am I just missing the point?

Once Q3 wraps up, the rules are pretty strict: you’re only allowed to top off the fuel tank and tweak the front wing height. Beyond that, the car has to remain exactly as it was during the qualifying session. The only real loophole is if the skies open up right before the start; in that case, teams are permitted to switch over to wet-weather tires.

Adam King said:I don't get it. What exactly are they supposed to put in the Q3 car setup that’s suddenly off-limits? Like, what can't they touch?

Everyone except Red Bull. 😬

Haha, honestly? I'm just sitting here hoping we get hit by a massive downpour right before lights out. 😬
I hope Michael Schumacher just tears them all apart with that aggressive ultra-setup and his absolute killer driving style. 😁
(except for Red Bull) 😬)

Alright, let's get serious for a second. What do you guys actually think about Red Bull's performance when they're dealing with a heavy Rain Shower?

Adam King said:lol, honestly I’m just sitting here hoping we get hit by a massive downpour right before lights out 😬
so Michael Schumacher can absolutely wreck everyone with that wet setup and his usual aggressive driving in the rain 😁
(except maybe Red Bull 😬)

EDIT: alright, all jokes aside, what’s the consensus on how Red Bull handles a wet track?

A bit shaky...😬

Not if the can is sealed tight :P

Adam King said:Haha, honestly? I’m just sitting here hoping we get hit by a massive downpour right before the lights go out. 😬
I hope Michael Schumacher just absolutely destroys them all with that wet-weather ultra setup and his aggressive driving style. 😁
(except for Red Bull) 😬)

Alright, let's get serious for a second. What do you guys actually think about Red Bull when the weather turns nasty?

Red Bull is absolutely lethal in the rain. Honestly, nobody else is even in the same zip code when the track gets wet.😳

If we get hit by a heavy Rain Shower, a Red Bull 1-2 is a total lock.😁

I’m expecting an absolute miracle tomorrow.😂

A story from the future.
Here’s the deal:

Rubens overtakes Michael at the start.
Michael is walking away empty-handed again.
Rubens pulls off six points or more and finally—after all these years—actually edges out Michael Schumacher in the standings. 😬
After that race, Rubens Barrichello's all smiles, announcing he’s retiring while he's still at the top of his game.😬🤣

stormybadger8 said:Right after that race, Rubens Barrichello basically walks out all smiles and announces he's calling it quits while he's still at the top of his game...😬🤣

😂😂😂😂😂

stormybadger8 said:Red Bull is just untouchable when it starts pouring; no other car even stands a chance😳

If we get a downpour, a Red Bull 1-2 is basically a lock😁

I’m half expecting some kind of eighth miracle tomorrow😂

A little story from the future, if you will
It goes like this:

Rubens Barrichello overtakes Michael Schumacher right at the start
Michael Schumacher walks away with zero points
Rubens grabs six points or more and, finally, after all these years, he actually sits ahead of Michael Schumacher in the championship standings😬
Right after the race, a jubilant Rubens announces he's retiring while he's still at the top of his game😬 🤣

You're forgetting... the betrayals and the book I'm writing about how I beat Michael🤣 🤣 😬

Could some kind soul please drop a link to the weather forecast for tomorrow's race? 🙂

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/1713 😁😁😁

Robert Kubica is stepping up to take this on tomorrow 🙏 🙏 🙏

Since I’ve always had a soft spot for the East, I'll be pulling for Vitali Aleksandrovič 🙂

forecast: ''heavy Rain Shower'' 😁

I'm calling it now—Schumi is definitely grabbing a podium spot! 😬

Adam King said:forecast: ''heavy Rain Shower'' 😁

I bet my life Schumacher lands on the podium! 😬

Exactly...👍