Canadian Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) | July 30 - Aug 1, 2021

wiredseal7 said:Someone should just give him a good kick in the rear to settle the score.

Brian Perez79 said:If Max knocks that Brit off his line in the first lap tomorrow, he’s my champion regardless of how the standings look at the end of the season.

Such classy commentary.

fadedwalker18 said:A perfectly orderly and justifiable accusation of cheating.

He certainly looked rather sour during his interview, didn't he? 😂
But then again, why should it matter? 😂
I fail to grasp why Herbert was so visibly agitated when the crowd reacted, eventually forcing him to hush them down.

Jacob Castillo70 said:.
who intentionally drags their pace in Q3 just to spite a specific rival.

At the end of the day, this is a competition, and where is the actual issue? He hasn't broken any rules, nor would I go so far as to label his actions immoral. He had already secured pole position at that moment and left his only competitor in the dust. Had he pushed harder or chased a faster lap time, it would have been quite absurd. 🤷

I feel for Perez, but he really ought to have hit the track sooner.

This is typical of a Red Bull Racing strategist who starts panicking and ignores their own strengths, opting instead for tactical moves that basically amount to self-sabotage. They spent way too much time waiting in the pits while Mercedes just sat back and watched the chaos unfold.

Jacob Castillo70 said:...people who only started watching Formula 1 back in 2014.

A picture is worth a thousand words...😁

I can only imagine the absolute mental meltdown some people would have if Max were to force Lewis off the track tomorrow...

Brian Perez79 said:Max, just pop that Brit's rear tire in turn one tomorrow and you're my champion regardless of what the standings say at the end of the season.

Toto would probably tell Walter during turn three of the first lap...😬
That's exactly why Mercedes-Benz is winning and Red Bull Racing isn't.
Because Horner is a total pushover, not a real team principal.

Red Bull Racing is entirely to blame here; there's zero fault on Mercedes-Benz or Hamilton...
Who's to blame if they didn't nail a faster lap on the first try, hit the track too early, or just got overtaken by Mercedes-Benz on the out-lap? ☕

Raymond Anderson4 said:This looks like a classic case of Red Bull panicking. Instead of playing to their strengths, they’re overthinking the tactics and essentially sabotaging themselves. They sat there waiting for everyone else to hit the pits, while Mercedes just watched and laughed.

Exactly.

Red Bull acted like they were the ones defending against Mercedes, as if they held the advantage and had to protect it. It was completely backwards.

Right... because if you just politely ask them to stay behind, they'll surely comply. 😁

What a disaster. First, they’re stuck in Q3 on softs, and then they’re just sitting there waiting behind Mercedes-Benz. I guess I was being way too optimistic in my PM.

wiredseal7 said:That off-track excursion... I don't get why there isn't a penalty, especially since he was over a second slower on his "fast" lap just to mess with Max's aero.

Someone needs to give him a serious wake-up call and return the favor.

What penalty?
Not even Charles Leclerc or anyone else got penalized for that absolute disaster at Monza 2019...
I guess nobody managed to nail a fast lap in Q3 back then, so no penalties were handed out...

So why would Lewis Hamilton get one now?

Jacob Castillo70 said:I honestly have no idea which race you were actually watching.

The races where the GOAT just absolutely dismantles the field. A total letdown for all the haters out there. 🙂

Jacob Castillo70 said:Take off the fanboy glasses. 👍

Yeah. Exactly.

James Walker57 said:pasmater. first they go out in Q3 on softs, then they end up stuck behind the Mercedes. pretty naive if you ask me.

Max claims it's because drivers on soft tires would be a threat to them. 😁
Is that really the excuse the pit wall cooked up for the public? 😁
If they had just gone out for a single run on mediums, they would have cruised right into Q3. Honestly, they probably could have even improved that time on the second lap with the medium compound.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Max claims it was because drivers on softs would have threatened them. 😁
Is that really the excuse the pit wall cooked up for the public? 😁
He could have easily cruised into Q3 on his first medium run. Honestly, he probably would've even improved that time on the second attempt with mediums.

They sent him out way too early this time...☕

They put him out on softs (just like Lewis Hamilton), with Pierre Gasly ahead of him, and someone else (pretty sure it was Lando Norris) setting the best times in sector one, followed by a second sector that was noticeably faster than Hamilton's...
A couple of guys ended up sitting right at the top, ahead of the Mercedes and Red Bull crews...

After that, he didn't have much choice but to just cruise the lap to avoid missing Q3...
Lujo was sent out when he was already at the bottom of the pack, so he could afford to abort the lap once he saw that even with those times, he had a safe cushion on mediums...
Red Bull didn't have that luxury. They couldn't afford to gamble; they'd look like total idiots if they got knocked out in Q2 with the fastest car on the track at the time...

Basically, the Red Bull strategists on the pit wall today looked like rookies who just got flown in from Maranello for their first day on the job.

Jason Campbell70 said:Specifically, those races where the GOAT just absolutely dismantles the rest of the field, much to the utter frustration of all the haters. 🙂

Well, you aren't wrong there.

🤦

Brian Perez79 said:Max, if you can just take out Lewis Hamilton's rear tire in the first lap tomorrow, you'll be my champion regardless of what the final standings say.

Go get him, Max.

Jason Campbell70 said:Real class acts here, everyone.

Well, at least we weren't acting "classy" after the race at Silverstone 🙂

If I could finally stop hating on that absolute nightmare of a bore, Lujo, then I suppose there’s plenty of room for the rest of you to improve as well. 🙏 😁

Let's all just try being the best versions of ourselves this season, gentlemen! 😍

Tomorrow might actually be pretty exciting at the start—the big question is just how Max is gonna react to everything from the last two weeks (especially today, which was basically rubbing salt in the wound, but honestly, Red Bull Racing kind of brought this on themselves)
whether he snaps and goes back to that old Max vibe from early in his career—you know, that "all or nothing" attitude—or if he just checks out and becomes totally passive. Personally, I think he loses either way.

There isn't really any other scenario, plus I'm pretty sure the Mercedes is way faster on this track, unless he manages to jump Lando (if this crappy start happens) right at the beginning. If not, his chances tomorrow are basically zero.

On the flip side, these whole Lando/Mercedes drama things can fall apart super fast if things don't go their way.

Like, say we see a collision between the two Mercedes cars at the start tomorrow 😬
Lando has a bad start and suddenly there's a four-car pileup—just total chaos right at the lights.

I'll pull from one of my old posts regarding the US Grand Prix 2018:

Jason Campbell70 said:Don't let a win go to your head, and don't let a loss break your spirit. 👍

Have some class, even when things don't go your way. 🙂

If we set aside any potential mechanical failures or crashes, Max's only realistic shot at winning is if he manages to pull ahead right after the first lap.
Having those soft tires won't actually help him much, since Mercedes has the superior top speed and their straights are just too long for DRS to make a meaningful difference.
So, I don't know—honestly, Max is going to have to get aggressive tomorrow, and I’m genuinely worried we might just see another collision.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Unless we’re looking at a mechanical failure or a massive wreck, Max’s only shot at winning is if he manages to grab the lead right after the first lap.
Having those soft tires doesn't really move the needle—not when Mercedes has the superior top speed and the target gap stays wide enough to make DRS pretty much irrelevant.
So, I don't know—realistically, Max has to go for it tomorrow, and honestly, I’m worried it might just end in another collision.

It’s a long shot for him to snatch the win in Turn 1 since both Mercedes cars are sitting up front, but then again, he could easily throw it all away if he plays it too stupidly.