F1 Imola GP: April 24th @ 3 PM ET

I honestly wonder why they're pushing him so hard, man. It’s like they’re acting like he's some total nobody.

Lawrence Garcia5 said:Toto called this Hamilton's car "undriveable."
What is he even trying to say with that?

Words of comfort, right?

cosmicmoose2 said:Just saw the F1 poster for Miami on Instagram. It’s got Charles, Max, and... whoever is 7th in the standings (Hamilton).
They’re still pushing him like he's a contender, but let's be real—this season, he just isn't.//
If they actually want someone coming up from the shadows, it should be Lando (assuming this McLaren jump isn't just a fluke). Mercedes, and especially Hamilton, have nothing left to prove this year.//
But man, they just keep pushing and pushing...

Lewis is a massive name in the USA, but for everyone else (even Max), hardly anyone knows him outside of hardcore fans. That poster is all about marketing potential, not necessarily promoting the top three drivers.//

Jacob Castillo70 said:It's weird how nobody bothered to tell George Russell, because despite his pit stops being a total disaster and what I felt was massive understeer, he still managed to keep Valtteri behind him and grab P4.//

👍

George just keeps his mouth shut and drives whatever they give him. And damn, he's driving it pretty well too! 🙏

cosmicmoose2 said:Just saw the F1 poster for Miami on Instagram. They’ve got Charles, Max, and... 7th in the standings (Lewis Hamilton).
They’re still pushing him like he's a top-tier contender, but let’s be real—he just isn't this season.
If they actually wanted someone who matters right now, they’d go with Lando—assuming this McLaren surge isn't just a fluke. Mercedes, and especially Lewis Hamilton, have nothing left to offer this year.
But no, they just keep shoving him in our faces...

The race is happening in the USA. You're the one handling the marketing. Who else are you going to put on the poster if not Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, or Charles Leclerc?

Roger Wright94 said:Ha, it made total sense to me during the race. I don't think it was just about grabbing one extra point. But why not try the undercut?
I was already getting twitchy after a few laps wondering why they hadn't pulled the trigger yet. They lost precious time there because Charles was losing ground right before his pit stop. It wasn't huge, but he was fading and couldn't close the gap.

That tire change didn't really hurt them considering Lando finished fourth—the gap was at least 22-23 seconds (maybe even more).

And honestly, everything that happened after the pits proves they should have gone for the softs. Once those tires kicked in a lap or two later, Charles started closing in on Perez.

It’s just basic racing strategy to go for the swap and try everything available to get past Perez.

"Didn't hurt them"? They pit and come out behind Lando. 🙂
I don't see the logic here unless they were just hunting for fastest lap. 🤔 I really don't see it.

Because by making that useless pit stop (which was pointless since most drivers showed you could cruise to the finish on mediums), they basically handed Red Bull the luxury of choice.
Option A: Stay out on mediums until the end. There was zero chance Charles would catch them; he wouldn't even be in their rearview mirror. But they almost certainly would've blown the fastest lap attempt...
Option B: Easily cover their move by pitting and staying ahead on the same rubber...

Red Bull's only real headache was figuring out how to leave Perez out on mediums while bringing Max in for softs so HE could snag the fastest lap and finish ahead of Perez without looking like idiots with awkward team orders...
That was the only actual dilemma. Everything else is just noise...

The only genuine threat to Red Bull was if both drivers stayed out and a Safety Car came out, potentially letting Charles pounce on the restart (though that's a big "maybe"). Beyond that, no chance...
Catching someone is one thing, but actually overtaking is a different beast entirely, even under perfect conditions—let alone on a track with a dry racing line and a wet surface everywhere else.
Ask Charles Leclerc or Lewis Hamilton about that.
One guy tries and spins, another spends half the race on a long stint, and Pierre Gasly can't do anything despite clearly being faster. It's the same old story as Bottas vs Russell.
If you manage to catch someone and get in the DRS zone, but you don't have at least a second or two of pace advantage, it pretty much means nothing...

Robert Cox46 said:The race is in the USA. You're doing marketing. Who else are you putting on a billboard if not Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, or Charles Leclerc?

That’s not even a fair comparison...
In the States, when it comes to marketing and who people actually recognize, it goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8:
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton the gangsta rapper
Sir Lewis
Sir Hammer time Lewis Hamilton
......
Who The fuck is Leclerc ????

ruggedcyclist56 said:Standings after today:

Mercedes 77

George Russell 49 - 63.6%
Lewis Hamilton 28 - 36.4%

I'm pretty sure it isn't helping his headspace to realize he’s being outclassed in the exact same car by a younger teammate who hasn't even notched up a proper F1 win yet. It’s the kind of thing that makes you start questioning your own limits. I guess when your mental game starts cracking, that's usually the biggest thing holding you back from actually succeeding.

I guess the bigger issue here is actually George Russell.

I guess Luigi is having quite the season after that absolute disaster of a career setback—the kind of drama where even he probably wasn't sure if he’d ever bother coming back. Then, once he actually did return, he just went out there and absolutely crushed it in a way that caught everyone off guard. Underperforming, I guess. Honestly, what’s so weird about that? Of course the guy is stunned. I guess you could argue whether it would have actually been better if he hadn't come back at all, but that's just how it goes.

It looks like Lujo is having a bit of an identity crisis, which honestly isn't that surprising at this point. Instead of just sitting back and enjoying the ride, maybe we should all be asking ourselves where this is actually headed.

Then you have George Russell, who basically flew in from that absolute junk pile of a Williams seat straight into a superior car, and of course, he’s suddenly in the perfect headspace and acting like he's the king of the world. It's a solid machine, I guess. It seems to happen at every single race. 🤣

So, let's not get our wires crossed here. 🍿

Unfortunately, it looks like this lackluster driver lineup might end up costing Ferrari dearly. Between all the unreliability at Red Bull Racing and a mountain of mistakes in just the first four races, the constructors' championship is already looking way too close for comfort.
Carlos Sainz struggled to find his rhythm with the car right at the start of the season, and on top of that, he’s dealt with a string of bad luck. That could very quickly push him into a position where he's relegated to second driver behind Charles Leclerc. Personally, I think Charles Leclerc is the worse long-term bet; he seems incredibly unstable and prone to those unnecessary mistakes, which he clearly demonstrated yesterday.

And then there's the beast himself, Max Verstappen. If they had someone of his caliber in that Red Bull Racing car, I don't think they'd be facing these issues. This is a bad combination for the long haul.
At this point, you either have to hope for continued reliability issues over at Red Bull Racing or a significant jump in car pace, because what they have right now isn't going to cut it.

Let’s take the spotlight off the top three teams for a second.
McLaren has made some massive strides since the season kicked off. Honestly, I’m loving it because I’ve got a soft spot for both of their drivers. Williams is making moves too, especially seeing the kind of pace Alexander Albon is putting up. And look, Aston Martin isn't exactly a total dumpster fire either—Lance Stroll snagged points in two races, and you can actually see them improving. Alfa Romeo is holding their ground pretty well, similar to how AT is performing. Alpine might be having some bad luck—specifically with Fernando Alonso—but they are definitely a strong midfield contender. The only ones really outclassing the rest right now are Haas. Their race pace compared to the start of the season is just atrocious. It was only at the very end that Kevin Magnussen managed to hunt down Sebastian Vettel. He was so close to getting Sebastian in the DRS zone, where I honestly think he wouldn't have passed him, but he would've at least stayed safe in the DRS train instead of losing ground. I suspect if Charles Leclerc were in that mix, he would've suffered an even bigger loss because Sebastian would've kept him at a safe distance. That said, when you're dealing with Williams and Haas and just one solid driver, it's hard to make any real judgment on the cars themselves.
Current car hierarchy: Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren-Alfa, and Mercedes, followed by Alpine, AT, Haas, Aston Martin, and then Williams.

cosmicridge5 said:The real issue here is George Russell.

Lewis is coming off the absolute worst drama of his career, a mess so bad even he wasn't sure if he wanted to come back at all. And then, once he finally does return, he just crashes straight into this shocking underperforming gutter. So why are you guys acting surprised? Of course the guy is rattled. He’s probably sitting there wondering if it would have been better to just stay away.

Basically, Lewis is having a massive identity crisis right now—which is totally understandable—so instead of making fun of him, maybe ask yourselves where his head is actually at.

Meanwhile, George Russell just jumped from that total junk pile at Williams into a superior car, so naturally, he's in the perfect headspace and acting like a total boss—it's a great car—at every single race. 🤣

So stop comparing apples to oranges. 🍿

And honestly, I don't know, but it feels like Peter Windsor—who basically treats Lewis Hamilton like a god—said the exact same thing a while back:

James Allen9 said:Let's take the focus off the top three teams for a second.
McLaren has made so much progress since the start of the year. I love seeing it because I'm rooting for both their drivers.

Realistically, McLaren is already in the top three. The only issue is the nonsense Daniel Ricciardo keeps pulling, which is messing with their Constructors' points (Lando Norris is carrying about 76% of McLaren's total points).

And yeah, you're right, they've improved massively. What's especially impressive is that this jump happened without them even bringing any major upgrades to the car. That alone is super promising and gives me hope we'll be seeing them on the podium constantly through the end of the season. 👍

ruggedcyclist56 said:If we’re being totally honest here, I suppose McLaren is already firmly established in the top three. The real headache seems to be the silly mistakes Daniel Ricciardo keeps making, which I guess is unfortunately dragging down their standing in the constructors' championship—since Lando Norris is essentially carrying about 76% of the team's total points right now.

Man, wouldn't it just be something if they could somehow move on from Ricciardo and bring Lewis Hamilton back to McLaren?👍

James Allen9 said:Let’s take the spotlight off the top three teams for a second.
McLaren has come such a long way since the start of the season. Honestly, it’s great to see because I actually like both of their drivers. Even Williams is making moves—Alex Albon is looking solid. It’s not like Aston Martin is such a total disaster just because of Lance Stroll. Scored points in two races. You can actually see the progress.Alfa held their ground, pretty much like Red Bull Racing did. Alpine just can't catch a break—they’ve got Alonso, sure, but they're stuck being just another strong midfield team. The only one actually making moves is Haas. Their race pace compared to the start of the season has been absolute garbage. Only at the very end did Magnussen manage to hunt down Sebastian Vettel. He was close, but I doubt he would've cleared him if he'd had DRS; still, staying in that DRS train would have kept him from losing ground. Honestly, that probably would've cost Charles Leclerc even more time since Seb would've just kept him at a safe distance. At this point, trying to judge the Williams or Haas cars is a lost cause when you've only got one solid driver to work with.
Current lineup: Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren-Alfa, and Mercedes. Then you've got Alpine, AT, Haas, Aston Martin, and Williams.

Someone clearly swiped his points from one of those two races, because looking at the standings, he’s sitting on exactly one point. 🙂
Check out the current driver standings here: https://www.formula1.com/en/results....2/drivers.html

I honestly don't see where you're seeing any progress from Aston Martin. 🤔
Let’s be honest, their race pace is absolute garbage. Everyone—and I mean everyone—around them is consistently faster. We’re talking a gap of half a second per lap at minimum, if not way more. 🤦
The only reason they even touched the points was because they clearly had a wet setup. They didn't look nearly as pathetic when the track was damp.
They got lucky in qualifying. Between their chaotic timing and just plain luck, they ended up way higher on the grid than that car actually deserves.
They got lucky at the start just because they were on the right side of the grid when Ricciardo and Mick decided to play bumper cars with the other drivers.
They nailed the strategy. Switching to slicks at the perfect moment put them right at the front of the pack.
Even the race director was totally clueless. We went more than halfway through the race without any DRS at all. By the time they finally sorted it out, the track was such a mess that nobody wanted to risk stepping off the racing line.

Honestly, I don’t see any actual progress from them. They just had one lucky weekend where everything finally fell into place, and let's be real—Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll always kill it when it rains.

As far as the season and everything else goes, Mercedes is the only thing I actually care about. 🤣
I’ve got this gut feeling they’re actually going to turn things around, but there's a catch. By the time they finally get it together, George Russell will probably have a massive points lead over Lujo, leaving him with a theoretical shot at the title. Just my luck.
That’s going to be a massive headache. It'll end up looking like Lujo has to play the water boy... and I honestly can't imagine who on earth would be tasked with explaining to him that he's stuck playing Valtteri Bottas. 😬

James Allen9 said:..AM isn't such a total disaster either. Lance Stroll picked up points in two races, and you can actually see some progress.
Current car hierarchy: Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, McLaren-Alfa, and Mercedes, followed by Alpine, AT, and Haas, then AM, and finally Williams.

AM only scored points at Imola, and both drivers did it. Usually, Lance Stroll is just finishing 12th or 13th, and Sebastian Vettel has barely finished in the points, which isn't enough to make a real judgment call. They aren't bottom-feeders for sure, but whether they can consistently scrap for those tiny points remains to be seen.

As for the order of the cars, I'd say Mercedes is clearly sitting in 3rd.

ruggedcyclist56 said:Look, Lewis is a massive name here in the States, but for anyone else—even Max, honestly—hardly anyone knows them unless they actually follow the sport. Marketing potential is about who ends up on the posters... it’s not about promoting the top three drivers.

Man, it's a bummer there isn't a race in China. It would've been pretty cool to see if Guanyu Zhou made the cut for the posters.

cosmicmoose2 said:It’s such a bummer there isn't a race in China, honestly, I was kind of looking forward to seeing if Guanyu Zhou would actually end up on the main promotional posters this time.

Man, they basically shove people into camps over there.

cosmicridge5 said:And then, once he finally got back, he went off and crashed. Just absolutely shocking. Just another day of watching them fail to meet even the lowest expectations. It’s getting exhausting. I don't even know where to start with this one. Just total nonsense.So what's so weird about it? Of course the guy is stunned. You can practically see him wondering if it would have been better if he’d just stayed put.

Then you've got George Smorz, who apparently flew in on some budget Uber ride from Williams. Top-tier machine. I...

It’s the same damn car—simultaneously an absolute disaster and a total beast. One minute it's underperforming, the next it's superior. It makes zero sense.
The car isn't going to challenge for the top spots, but it’s definitely competitive enough to fight for whatever is left over. Still, that won't just happen by magic. You actually have to work for it.

cosmicridge5 said:George Russell isn't even the main issue here.

Maybe it’s smaller for now, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a problem. And honestly? It could just as easily get even bigger.

cosmicridge5 said:...So Lujo is basically having some kind of identity crisis, which isn't even surprising anymore...

I wouldn't say that. He actually seems to enjoy being the Fashion King.

Judging by what he’s wearing, you’d think the guy was planning on a career as a clown once he retires from F1 😁

cosmicstag16 said:Judging by what he’s wearing, the guy looks like he might take up clowning after his F1 career ends😁

That’s just how it looks to those of us who don't get it.
We need to hear from someone who actually does.

Anyway, my take is that Lewis has to drag a massive amount of resources along with him just to pull this off. Both people and gear.

What’s actually driving that Red Bull acceleration?
Did they roll out some kind of upgrade package, or did they finally ditch those 8 kg they were complaining about?
The pace we saw in Indianapolis was definitely a step up. I just can't tell if it's just the local conditions—track layout, weather, whatever—or if they actually tweaked the car. It feels like more than a minor fix, though, since they're always tinkering with something.

In Imola, the whole game changed because Red Bull just wasn't chewing through their tires like everyone else. Sure, Ferrari might have looked a bit quicker on the fresh rubber, but they couldn't stay in the rearview mirror of Red Bull once things settled down for the long haul.