Spanish GP (Circuit of the Americas) – May 15, 2016

In 130 years of racing history, the Netherlands has only produced two drivers worth mentioning—Arie Luyendyk and Max Verstappen

A wonderful day: Mercedes is out, Kimi takes second, and I’m craving a Banana split🤣

Patrick Bailey4 said:Even if we assume Ricciardo trashed his tires with that aggressive driving style—which isn't necessarily a fact, since we don't know for sure—what did he actually lose by doing it? He at least made an attempt to overtake Sebastian Vettel, which is what you're supposed to do. Was he meant to just circle behind him aimlessly? Your logic is totally backwards.🤦

He dropped points. It’s a real shame because he was driving quite well, but you can't ignore the fallout—he just lost those points on the table. Too aggressive.

I don't quite follow you there. What are we talking about? jadeseal7 says:
Just adding even more salt to that poor guy's wound. 😢

Yeah, he lost everything. He’s not a bad driver by any means, but he just lost it all...

Way to go, little Max🙏🙏🙏

And a quick word to Sebastian Vettel: get out of that Ferrari mess ASAP🤦
Good grief, what kind of amateurs are running this pit wall?😵🤦🤦🤦

northerncobra31 said:Max Verstappen drove an incredible race today. It’s a well-deserved win for the reigning champion.

Kimi Räikkönen drove that one really well. He’s looking much stronger this season, and I’m honestly happy to see it.

Sebastian Vettel wasn't anything special today, though he did a solid job defending against Daniel Ricciardo.

I’ve never been a fan of Daniel Ricciardo, and today just proved why. He lacks any real tactical sense—kind of like Lewis Hamilton—just driving aggressively whenever he can. Honestly, I'm glad he had that tire failure.

Lewis Hamilton proved his lack of judgment once again. I have no idea why he thought trying to pass Nico Rosberg in the opening lap was a good move. It’s a shame because he's a great driver, but that was just a foolish decision.

To be honest, the race was pretty dull.

Max took advantage of an opportunity that won't come around again anytime soon. He drove beautifully. Kimi was excellent. Sebastian Vettel was solid. Ricciardo? I won't waste any more breath on him, and you actually hit the nail on the head with your assessment, even if people here don't like hearing the truth. Personally, I think he was just a victim of his own massive ego and his grudge against Vettel, who defended himself perfectly. Hamilton is the one who actually made this race interesting. I feel for Nico Rosberg; he was caught in the crossfire through no fault of his own. He could have written today's win into the history books. Such a shame. Though, to be fair, he did manage to hold onto the lead.

stormybadger8 said:Way to go, little Max🙏🙏🙏

And a quick word to Sebastian Vettel: get out of that Ferrari mess ASAP🤦
Good grief, what kind of amateurs are running this pit wall?😵🤦🤦🤦

And you've already started the hate train...

Huge props to Max Verstappen. Honestly, I wasn't sure if he could hold off Kimi Räikkönen until the checkered flag, but the guy drove a flawless race without a single slip-up. Absolute masterclass...
As for Williams, they’re completely irrelevant right now, just totally out of the picture.
I’ve been lurking on a few other forums, and it's hilarious—Ferrari fans are acting like Mercedes dropping out was somehow their own massive victory, even though they couldn't pull off a win themselves today.

A bit of a longer pit stop there. Looks like priority goes to Ferrari at the next turn.

stormybadger8 said:Way to go, little Max🙏🙏🙏

And a quick word to Sebastian Vettel: get out of that Ferrari mess ASAP🤦
Good grief, what kind of amateurs are running this pit wall?😵🤦🤦🤦

But where would he even go? His only real option is swapping seats with Lewis Hamilton.

Please, it’s actually quite entertaining. 🙏🙏🙏

Patrick Bailey4 said:Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo took one approach, while Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen went a completely different way. Based on the driver selection, it’s clear the pit wall believed the first strategy would be the faster one, but looking at how things unfolded, it seems everything actually played right into the hands of Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen.

Ferrari completely nuked Vettel's strategy...
Because Vettel was the only one on a two-stop from the jump, only for those idiots to force him into three stops—starting with a short stint on mediums, then an ultra-short burst on softs, followed by an ultra-long stint back on mediums. 🤦

When it's 3 PM, it makes zero sense to run 15 laps on worn softs, then 16 on fresh mediums, then 8 on softs, and finally try to grind out 29 laps on mediums.😵 😵 😵
Ricciardo's tactic was actually decent; the only thing that screwed him was that brainless strategy for Vettel and the fact he couldn't pass on track... if it weren't for that dilemma, Ricciardo would have had a real shot at winning. As for Vettel, after that third Pit stop, he didn't even have a prayer.

The Silver Arrows have been shattered

stormybadger8 said:Ferrari completely nuked Vettel's strategy...
Because Vettel was the only one on a two-stop from the jump, only for those idiots to force him into three stops—starting with a short stint on mediums, then an ultra-short burst on softs, followed by an ultra-long stint back on mediums. 🤦

When it's 3 PM, it makes zero sense to run 15 laps on worn softs, then 16 on fresh mediums, then 8 on softs, and finally try to grind out 29 laps on mediums.😵 😵 😵
Ricciardo's tactic was actually decent; the only thing that screwed him was that brainless strategy for Vettel and the fact he couldn't pass on track... if it weren't for that dilemma, Ricciardo would have had a real shot at winning. As for Vettel, after that third Pit stop, he didn't even have a prayer.

Ferrari focused entirely on Daniel Ricciardo. It felt like they used those useless extra pit stops just to try and confuse the rival teams. Naturally, that opened the door for Kimi Räikkönen to hunt down Max Verstappen, though he couldn't quite close the gap. You can really see that Charles Leclerc has a fantastic car right now; the progress they've made over the last few races isn't just luck.

Haha, looks like everyone showed up for the meeting at Bear's motorhome—well, almost everyone, since Niki Lauda is missing from the group.

Edit: Wait, scratch that, there he is!

stormybadger8 said:Ferrari completely nuked Vettel's strategy...
Because Vettel was the only one on a two-stop from the jump, only for those idiots to force him into three stops—starting with a short stint on mediums, then an ultra-short burst on softs, followed by an ultra-long stint back on mediums. 🤦

When it's 3 PM, it makes zero sense to run 15 laps on worn softs, then 16 on fresh mediums, then 8 on softs, and finally try to grind out 29 laps on mediums.😵 😵 😵
Ricciardo's tactic was actually decent; the only thing that screwed him was that brainless strategy for Vettel and the fact he couldn't pass on track... if it weren't for that dilemma, Ricciardo would have had a real shot at winning. As for Vettel, after that third Pit stop, he didn't even have a prayer.

That just proves how little Ferrari actually values Vettel. They know he can't overtake on track, so they attempted to manufacture space through strategy changes—which failed miserably. And honestly, the blame falls on Vettel too, since he was the only one unable to catch the two drivers ahead of him. Ricciardo clearly had the pace, but he was held back by that mediocre Renault.

Well, that’s really the crux of the matter right there. Honestly, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this escalated into a physical altercation.

steelmaker83 said:That just proves how little Ferrari actually values Vettel. They know he can't overtake on track, so they attempted to manufacture space through strategy changes—which failed miserably. And honestly, the blame falls on Vettel too, since he was the only one unable to catch the two drivers ahead of him. Ricciardo clearly had the pace, but he was held back by that mediocre Renault.

🤦Helpless in his hands, yet powerful in the hands of Max Verstappen...

Ferrari grabbed fastest lap.

steelmaker83 said:And you've already started the hate train...

What's the alternative? 🤦
Australia - A pit stop ruined a guaranteed win Bahrain - Ferrari blew it China - Relatively solid Russia - Valtteri Bottas killed the race Spanish Grand Prix - A pit stop ruined a guaranteed win
I’m just waiting for Sebastian Vettel to absolutely lose his mind. Honestly, even Red Bull Racing never pulled stunts this stupid, and they definitely didn't have the "smartest" pit crew in the business...div>

Hamo went after Nico Rosberg