2017 NASCAR Season

I honestly think he'll be heading to Munich in 2018...

https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/mer...ical-director/

And honestly? We all saw this coming.🙂

gentlebear47 said:https://www.mercedesamgf1.com/en/mer...ical-director/

And honestly? We all saw this coming.🙂

Totally expected. Honestly, I have no clue what Allison is even doing in this story...
Honestly, this could end up being a total disaster for him.

Until now, he was highly regarded...
So he’s heading to Manchester United right when everyone expects them to tank. If things go south during the 2018 season—his first real test—or even if his career hits a wall this year, he's basically walking straight into a disaster zone.
So, he didn't exactly win any championships during his stint at Lotus, and things were pretty rough over at Ferrari. Then, suddenly, Mercedes jumps up to second or third place, and boom—he’s immediately the "villain" in every trashy tabloid headline out there.

I’m not even sure that was his best move. Honestly, he probably would've been much better off just heading back to Ford.

I felt the same way about him. It seems like he’s just stepped into a team where he isn't strictly necessary, almost like an extra piece of talent that just happened to show up. He would have ended up in that exact same spot at Red Bull, whereas at Ferrari—or even if he had gone to Alpine—he would have actually held a much more vital role with a real chance to prove himself.

Christian Harris11 said:I felt the same way about him. It seems like he’s just stepped into a team where he isn't strictly necessary, almost like an extra piece of talent that just happened to show up. He would have ended up in that exact same spot at Red Bull, whereas at Ferrari—or even if he had gone to Alpine—he would have actually held a much more vital role with a real chance to prove himself.

And honestly, it’s more than that. Mercedes simply can't perform better than they did before, and let's face it, Mercedes practically can't get any better than they were before he arrived...
Realistically, they can only go downhill. The only question is how bad it gets. No matter how you slice it, it feels almost impossible for them to improve...
If they tank so hard that someone else starts beating them regularly, then Allison's career is basically toast. I just hope he got paid enough, because this isn't exactly a career-defining move for him...

On the flip side, Lowe actually pulled off a brilliant move. It looks like a massive downgrade on paper, sure, but if Mercedes starts sliding down the standings while Williams begins to climb—which isn't even a stretch, especially if Massa and the kid step up or if they land some top-tier drivers—then it's a done deal...
At that point, Lowe might become the most sought-after guy in F1. We're talking about a guy who could potentially command a paycheck anywhere near Newey's level...

Here’s how the betting lines are looking right now for the 2017 Drivers' Championship:
Lewis Hamilton 5/4
Max Verstappen 11/4
Valtteri Bottas 4/1
Daniel Ricciardo 4/1
Sebastian Vettel 16/1
Fernando Alonso 16/1
Kimi Raikkonen 50/1
Stoffel Vandoorne 100/1

Timothy Castillo6 said:Here’s how the betting lines are looking right now for the 2017 Drivers' Championship:
Lewis Hamilton 5/4
Max Verstappen 11/4
Valtteri Bottas 4/1
Daniel Ricciardo 4/1
Sebastian Vettel 16/1
Fernando Alonso 16/1
Kimi Raikkonen 50/1
Stoffel Vandoorne 100/1

I’m putting my money on Kimi☕—
he might just surprise us all!

jadeseal7 said:I’m putting my money on Kimi☕—
he might just surprise us all!

For sure.

neonfox65 said:For sure.

Whether you call it sarcasm or not... these cars are absolute beasts—loaded with tons of downforce and incredible grip—and honestly, I think that style suits Kimi perfectly. So, if Ferrari actually manages to step up their game and perform at their peak? It's easy money.

Unless, of course, politics starts messing with the results again.

Even Kimi isn't going to beat Vettel. And don't even get me started on Hamilton...

neonfox65 said:Even Kimi isn't going to beat Vettel. And don't even get me started on Hamilton...

He actually went head-to-head with Alonso and Hamilton during that title fight, so ☕

jadeseal7 said:He actually went head-to-head with Alonso and Hamilton during that title fight, so ☕

Man, those were the days... In the last few seasons, Kimi was getting beat by both Alonso and Vettel while driving the exact same car ☕

neonfox65 said:Even Kimi isn't going to beat Vettel. And don't even get me started on Hamilton...

Somewhat accurate. Kimi could beat them if he actually tried, but he won't. Why? Because he’s just a lazy Finn who’s already got enough money in the bank to not care anymore. He simply doesn't give a damn.

In a way, I get it too.

Vettel and Hamilton will be the ones fighting for the championship. One Finn drops out because of sheer apathy, and the other drops out because he's essentially a second-tier driver with zero chance against Hamilton.

Apologies for the language, Forti.🙂

Timothy Castillo6 said:Here’s how the betting lines are looking right now for the 2017 Drivers' Championship:
Lewis Hamilton 5/4
Max Verstappen 11/4
Valtteri Bottas 4/1
Daniel Ricciardo 4/1
Sebastian Vettel 16/1
Fernando Alonso 16/1
Kimi Raikkonen 50/1
Stoffel Vandoorne 100/1

Does any of our local sportsbooks actually offer these specific lines? And honestly—is there even an option to bet on the championship winner this early in the season?

I caught a discussion over on another forum, so I figured I’d bring the conversation over here as well...

Roughly speaking: What are your predictions for any "first-time" milestones we might see during this season?

"My" list:
- Bottas secures a race victory (perhaps even multiple wins)
- Hulk finally makes it onto the podium 🙂
- Vettel tells M. Arrivebene to go to "3 pm" over the team radio... 🙂
- Alonso grabs his first podium for McHondu (it's a stretch, but still...)
- Max clinches a pole position
- Rosberg conducts a podium interview 🙂

http://www.autosport.com/news/report...eans-for-teams

A little context on this new FIA suspension ban...
It looks like there’s a whole lot of drama brewing here. 😁

But looking at those few clips floating around from testing and the general chatter about how these cars are handling, I don't really buy the idea that Ferrari is trying to get this banned just to screw over Red Bull or Mercedes.
To me, it feels like Ferrari actually has something similar going on themselves—their car is so incredibly stable that they probably just wanted official confirmation that their own setup is legal, rather than actively trying to sabotage Red Bull or Mercedes.

I’ve got a gut feeling these bans and protests are going to hit Ferrari way harder than RB or Mercedes. 🤔

http://wtf1.co.uk/see-2017-f1-cars-l...ut-shark-fins/
Every single car looks naked without those fins...

Dammit, even the Toro Rosso looks better with the fin than without it. 😁
Ferrari and Haas look better with them too. Honestly, the only ones looking decent without the shark fins are Renault and Sauber...
If I had to pick, Renault is easily the best-looking car among the ones without them.

Though, it’d look even killer if they swapped the white lettering for yellow. I saw a photoshopped version of the Renault with yellow accents somewhere, and man, it looked way better.

What a sight 🙏
If we have to see this 😁

Comedy Central tells Tibi—who isn't even expecting much anyway—🤦