2021 Miami Grand Prix Race Thread

Richard Walker38 said:Years go by, but the hate stays eternal.

I can see you've already got your excuse ready for when things inevitably fall apart, acting like it’s just because someone is "old" or whatever. 🤣

In your case, and honestly in the case of everyone else like you, stupidity is the only thing that lasts forever, mostly because you're too thick to realize that you're the one actually spreading the hate.

Look, I think it’s pretty obvious why I can’t stand Fernando Alonso. It's common knowledge at this point. So, are you actually going to hold your ground, or are you just going to whine about it every single time?

What are these idiots talking about when they say it's postponed? According to Formula 1, the first practice session is starting right now.

It’s finally happening, it’s officially underway 🙂

Richard Walker38 said:Well, yeah... I think it's pretty obvious why and how much I absolutely loathe Fernando Alonso. Are you actually going to have the backbone to deal with it, or are you just going to whine every single time?

Look, your little vendetta against me doesn't bother me one bit because I watch these races to actually enjoy them, and for me, enjoyment means making sure the racing stays interesting so that whoever is actually better comes out on top. Sure, I might have certain leanings toward a specific team or driver for various reasons, but to genuinely hate—and let's be clear, I mean truly despise—a sporting figure to that extent? I'm not sick enough for that. Or maybe I am, but at least I'm not being infantile about it.

Nicholas Walker40 said:Man, all that hating isn't going to hurt my feelings one bit.

It’s pretty obvious you're just dodging my point since you completely skipped over my last post without saying a word about it.

Edit: Anyway, getting back to the race—I’ve got this gut feeling that the B-team at Red Bull isn't going to be quite as sharp as they were last season. They've already let the main squad down a couple of times through Pierre Gasly, and I honestly think a penalty is going to catch up with them sooner or later.😁

Richard Walker38 said:It’s pretty obvious you just skipped right over my post without even bothering to comment on it.

Look, believe me when I say I don't even know who you are and frankly I don't care, because that username could belong to anyone at this point... I'm just trying to shift the focus because there are way too many of you people crowding the thread.

Aston Martin and Alpine look pretty rough out there in the first practice session, and honestly, they didn't exactly blow anyone away during pre-season testing either.

The commentators were all over it during the session, mentioning how much Sebastian Vettel is struggling with his car and that he just doesn't look particularly sharp out there right now.

McLaren looks solid, but Max Verstappen is absolutely flying on this track.

wiredfalcon2 said:Aston Martin and Alpine aren't looking particularly sharp during the first practice session, and frankly, they didn't exactly blow anyone away during pre-season testing either.

Sure, Fernando Alonso looks solid sitting in 16th, trailing Esteban Ocon by about 0.3 seconds.

Max was absolutely dominant, and seeing McLaren perform this well—that’s honestly what I’ve been waiting years to see.🙂

I’m not going to get ahead of myself just yet—we really need to see how this thing holds up during the actual race—but man, that car looks glued to the track. Daniel Ricciardo still seems like he hasn't quite found his rhythm with the machine; it feels like he'll need a bit more time to fully dial it in. On the other hand, Lando Norris was absolutely killing it.

Every driver needs a handful of races just to actually feel one with the car. Especially in this era where we basically get zero testing time. But Ocon and Stroll have been at it longer, and honestly, they don't look particularly fast. Though, I guess Practice 2 will give us a better idea since that's when they run the race/qualifying simulations.

Seb seems to be struggling with the car—I didn't quite catch how the others were handling theirs...

Kimi, after being the only guy who managed to get under someone's skin during pre-season testing, he’s gone and become the first one to wreck his car in the new season too 🙏 🙏

Why are they all so much slower this time around? I was just looking back at the 2020 Preseason Testing times where Lewis Hamilton clocked a 1:29.033, but now everyone is stuck in the 1:31 range, even with plenty of drivers already out on soft tires

The field is incredibly tight 🙏. It’s crazy how compressed everything is
—from the leaders all the way down to Fernando Alonso in 14th, there's only a 0.9-second gap.

Richard Walker38 said:Man, why is everyone moving so slow this time around? I was just checking back at the 2020 Preseason Testing times and Lewis Hamilton was hitting a 1:29.033, but now they're sitting in the 1:31s even though a bunch of them are already out on softs.

Well, the 2021 rules are a totally different beast compared to last year—we're looking at about 12% less downforce across the board. Plus, the rubber is different too (back in 2020, they were running those 2019 Pirellis). Throw in the track temperature being way off, and there's your answer.

I honestly can't keep up with all these rule changes anymore.

I’d bet money that when qualifying rolls around tomorrow, Lewis Hamilton will be the only world champion sitting in the top ten.

Alpine is struggling, and honestly, if Fernando Alonso joins any team right now, they’ll immediately start looking worse by comparison. 🤣

Red Bull Racing is a powerhouse—you could say they're on par with the absolute best drivers from last season. Whether they've actually gotten bigger or better, I can't say for sure, but it feels that way.

Haas and Williams are absolutely stuck at the bottom of the pack. It doesn't look like Alfa Romeo or Alpine have made any massive strides forward either. As for Aston Martin, I'm still not entirely convinced since Esteban Ocon is putting up decent times, but Sebastian Vettel is clearly still struggling to find his rhythm. He spends more time fighting the car than actually driving it.