2017 NASCAR Season

Honestly, this is the most boring Formula 1 season I've ever watched. I don't think I'll remember a single race from this year.

The champion was basically decided at the start of the season. Valtteri Bottas just hasn't been consistent enough to put any real pressure on Lewis Hamilton like Rosberg used to. Ferrari started out strong, but they always seem to fall apart mid-season for whatever reason.

Red Bull is waking up too late, and everyone else on the grid is just too far behind anyway.

northerncobra31 said:Honestly, this is the most boring Formula 1 season I've ever watched. I don't think I'll remember a single race from this year.

The champion was basically decided at the start of the season. Valtteri Bottas just hasn't been consistent enough to put any real pressure on Lewis Hamilton like Rosberg used to. Ferrari started out strong, but they always seem to fall apart mid-season for whatever reason.

Red Bull is waking up too late, and everyone else on the grid is just too far behind anyway.

And how long have you been following? 😁

I've been following every single race since 2000; before that, I just watched from time to time.

I don't know about that—I wouldn't say you were watching the most boring era. What about 2002 or 2004 when Ferrari was totally dominating? Or 2009 when Lewis Hamilton just cruised to the title... then you've got the Red Bull era in 2011 and 2013, followed by Mercedes taking over from 2014 to 2016.

I’ve always found something interesting to watch in every season, but this one has been totally dull.

Between 2014 and 2016, at least we had the Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry, but this year we don't even have that.

Back when Red Bull was dominating, those races were probably my favorites, especially since Alonso kept things interesting by staying right in the mix.

The team shifts back in 2009 were pretty exciting, and Red Bull really started gaining momentum during the second half of the season.

I didn't mind Ferrari's dominance during those years because the cars looked and sounded phenomenal, and there were some great races—at least for me. It was definitely better than this current season.

northerncobra31 said:I’ve always found something interesting to watch in every season, but this one has been totally dull.

Between 2014 and 2016, at least we had the Hamilton-Rosberg rivalry, but this year we don't even have that.

Back when Red Bull was dominating, those races were probably my favorites, especially since Alonso kept things interesting by staying right in the mix.

The team shifts back in 2009 were pretty exciting, and Red Bull really started gaining momentum during the second half of the season.

I didn't mind Ferrari's dominance during those years because the cars looked and sounded phenomenal, and there were some great races—at least for me. It was definitely better than this current season.

I mean, we've basically been watching Hamilton fight his own thumb lately—which, honestly, is more entertaining to me than seeing one team dominate like in those seasons I mentioned.

That fight was mostly an illusion. Hamilton has had the best car since the start of the season, and honestly, he’s only "to blame" because he didn't take the lead sooner. It felt artificially competitive just because he tends to start the season a bit slow. If Rosberg were still around, I'm certain we'd be seeing a real battle between Hamilton and Rosberg again, especially with Hamilton coming into the season more fired up to reclaim his lost title.

This outcome only happened because of Bottas.

At no point during the championship did I think anyone else besides Hamilton would win the title; it was really just a matter of when he'd take the lead and pull away.

Man, it all fell apart because of those Ferrari mistakes and just pure bad luck. Up until then, the championship was neck-and-neck—you couldn't call it with any certainty... If Rosberg had stayed with Hamilton, things would've been even tougher, and Vettel would've had it way easier.

I can't quite agree with the current assessment. Even with Vettel's mistakes and the fact that Ferrari is essentially their own worst enemy, Hamilton would still be leading. The gap might be smaller, but I'm certain you could still say Hamilton isn't under any real threat.

If Rosberg were in the mix, things would definitely be tougher for Hamilton. He’d be fighting a world champion in an identical car. Vettel wouldn't stand a chance at winning unless they crashed into each other or someone's engine gave out—with Monaco and Singapore being the only exceptions. It would easily be a one-two finish for Mercedes.

To me, Hamilton seemed way more fired up when he was battling Rosberg than when he was racing Vettel.

@northerncobra31, you're talking out of turn here—no real basis for that claim.

The season was actually quite engaging—up until those little hiccups started popping up around the Singapore Grand Prix.

It's funny seeing you praise Red Bull, considering they weren't even in the picture for about 80% of the season.

Ferrari really made a massive leap forward—though, sadly, perhaps not quite far enough just yet. Still, anything can happen in this sport!

It might have been interesting to you, but not to me.

Where on earth did I ever praise Red Bull?

Anyway, you can take that opinion elsewhere.

northerncobra31 said:It might have been interesting to you, but not to me.

Where on earth did I ever praise Red Bull?

Anyway, you can take that opinion elsewhere.

If you actually think 2015 was more interesting, then you aren't being objective at all.

Whether I'm being objective or not doesn't really matter. Personally, I thought the 2015 season was better than this one. Rosberg and Hamilton were constantly trading blows, and you truly never knew what was going to happen because they were driving such equally great cars.

That's just my take on it, and honestly, I don't care how anyone else sees it.

Honestly, I’m feeling way more about this season than I did back in 2015.

northerncobra31 said:Whether I'm being objective or not doesn't really matter. Personally, I thought the 2015 season was better than this one. Rosberg and Hamilton were constantly trading blows, and you truly never knew what was going to happen because they were driving such equally great cars.

That's just my take on it, and honestly, I don't care how anyone else sees it.

It really was incredibly exciting. There was that constant tension wondering which Mercedes would take first or second, whereas now, we have the luxury of seeing both Red Bull and Ferrari fighting for the win and those remaining podium spots. 🤦

I'm interested in the battle for the world championship, not just who makes it onto the podium.

Wow, Red Bull and Ferrari have already racked up six wins together this season—it’s getting pretty exciting.

I don't care that you're rooting for Ferrari; if they don't win the title, nothing else really matters.

northerncobra31 said:I'm interested in the battle for the world championship, not just who makes it onto the podium.

Wow, Red Bull and Ferrari have already racked up six wins together this season—it’s getting pretty exciting.

I don't care that you're rooting for Ferrari; if they don't win the title, nothing else really matters.

It isn't even that I'm rooting for Ferrari—I'm just rooting against Mercedes. 😵

Besides, that 2015 championship battle wasn't actually that suspenseful, considering Hamilton clinched the title at the USA Grand Prix. So, you aren't really right either way.

swifttiger75 isn't right; we all view things through a subjective lens.

If you didn't find it interesting, that's perfectly fine.

And when was the USA Grand Prix held?

Was it at the start of the season, or toward the end?

Besides, by now, you already know who's going to take the title this season.

No one expected Ferrari to close the gap on Mercedes. They've improved significantly, but it just isn't enough, and the results prove it.

northerncobra31 said:swifttiger75 isn't right; we all view things through a subjective lens.

If you didn't find it interesting, that's perfectly fine.

And when was the USA Grand Prix held?

Was it at the start of the season, or toward the end?

Besides, by now, you already know who's going to take the title this season.

No one expected Ferrari to close the gap on Mercedes. They've improved significantly, but it just isn't enough, and the results prove it.

Since Sebastian Vettel was leading during the first half of the championship, I actually wasn't quite sure.

The race in Austin was the one from last week, so back in 2015, you already knew who the champion would be—whereas now, you still aren't entirely certain. Shit can happen, after all.😁

EDIT: To be more precise, it was pretty obvious way ahead of time because Rosberg was under team orders, making those ridiculous little excursions off the track just to let Hamilton through—I mean, I'm not even sure we ever actually saw a real, direct fight on the track.

Honestly, Vettel is incredibly close.

Yeah, those team orders made all the difference. That's exactly how he became world champion—by actually listening to the team.