Malaysia Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) March 29, 2015

stormybadger8 said:And what does that have to do with strategy?
That’s about tire degradation, not strategy...
Sebastian Vettel was actually able to nurse his tires and finish the race with just two stops, whereas the Mercedes crew knew from the jump their drivers couldn't pull that off...
If Mercedes had somehow tried a two-stop strategy, Sebastian Vettel would have left them in the dust by more than 30 seconds.☕

Given how much those tires were wearing out, Mercedes deciding to grab fresh rubber under the SC was a damn good tactical move.😉

You all remember me calling out potential chassis issues for Mercedes before the season even started. While they were cruising with a massive advantage, those flaws stayed hidden.

But the second someone actually pushes them—boom—Mercedes starts showing signs of an imperfect car.

Exactly what I've been saying forever. That car has issues. It's just that the problems only show up when they actually have to push at 100%.

And you can see it right in the tire wear. This is gonna be a massive headache for them as the season goes on.

And don't even get me started on the driver's meltdowns. Hahahaha.

jadeseal7 said:It’s got to be incredibly tough—you walk away from Ferkan because you're convinced they won't give you a competitive car, and then what? You end up with a promising McLaren-Honda that just hits a DNF, while Ferrari takes the win.🤦

Back in 2007, STR was a total junker that spent the whole season praying for even a single point. Then Vettel jumps in mid-season, and by the very next year, he’s already winning races with that exact same STR.
Ever since Vettel left, STR has basically become a total joke again. ☕

Back in 2009, Red Bull Racing was just a mid-field squad dreaming they might snag a top five finish if things got messy enough. Then Vettel shows up in 2009, and suddenly they’re title contenders—eventually crushing it with four straight championships right after.
They started messing with his head as far back as Malaysia 2013, and the kid already knew he had to get out of that dump. So, he pulls the trigger at the end of 2014, and wouldn't you know it? Red Bull Racing is right back to being a mid-field squad just dreaming of a top 5 finish in a chaotic race. ☕

Back in 2015, that Ferrari was basically a dumpster fire dreaming of a podium finish. They spent their Sundays practically praying to the heavens just to get a sniff of a trophy. Then Sebastian Vettel rolls up to Ferrari and—presto—suddenly they’re magic. Two races in and suddenly there's a win and a podium on the table. What a joke.🙏 So, you're just flat-out against the team that’s absolutely dominated everything for the last 20-plus years... classic.

Honestly, at the end of the day, it all just comes down to the car. 😍

stormybadger8 said:Back in 2007, STR was a total junker that spent the whole season praying for even a single point. Then Vettel jumps in mid-season, and by the very next year, he’s already winning races with that exact same STR.
Ever since Vettel left, STR has basically become a total joke again. ☕

Back in 2009, Red Bull Racing was just a mid-field squad dreaming they might snag a top five finish if things got messy enough. Then Vettel shows up in 2009, and suddenly they’re title contenders—eventually crushing it with four straight championships right after.
They started messing with his head as far back as Malaysia 2013, and the kid already knew he had to get out of that dump. So, he pulls the trigger at the end of 2014, and wouldn't you know it? Red Bull Racing is right back to being a mid-field squad just dreaming of a top 5 finish in a chaotic race. ☕

Back in 2015, that Ferrari was basically a dumpster fire dreaming of a podium finish. They spent their Sundays practically praying to the heavens just to get a sniff of a trophy. Then Sebastian Vettel rolls up to Ferrari and—presto—suddenly they’re magic. Two races in and suddenly there's a win and a podium on the table. What a joke.🙏 So, you're just flat-out against the team that’s absolutely dominated everything for the last 20-plus years... classic.

Honestly, at the end of the day, it all just comes down to the car. 😍

👍 Behind one champion, there’s nothing but wreckage, chaos, and fired staff; behind another title, there are successes, triumphs, and a lingering sense of regret over a departure. 😁

ruggedhawk20 said:You all remember me calling out potential chassis issues for Mercedes before the season even started. While they were cruising with a massive advantage, those flaws stayed hidden.

But the second someone actually pushes them—boom—Mercedes starts showing signs of an imperfect car.

Exactly what I've been saying forever. That car has issues. It's just that the problems only show up when they actually have to push at 100%.

And you can see it right in the tire wear. This is gonna be a massive headache for them as the season goes on.

And don't even get me started on the driver's meltdowns. Hahahaha.

....

stormybadger8 said:Regarding the whole Mercedes situation, Joe might actually be onto something, no matter how much he tries to argue otherwise...

1. Sure, Mercedes was dominant, but Williams was right on their heels quite often... and isn't it a bit weird to claim Williams suddenly became top-tier in terms of chassis and aero overnight?
Nobody finds it surprising that a team which, just a year prior, barely managed to outpace Marussia and Caterham—with STR being nothing more than a pipe dream—suddenly builds a car capable of messing with Red Bull Racing and eating McLaren and Ferrari for breakfast, even with Mass behind the wheel.😁

2. Red Bull Racing was way too close to Mercedes for their chassis to even be in the same league; you only have to look at how much everyone else struggled with Renault's PU...
For instance, Lotus could hold their own against Mercedes a year ago, yet just one year later, Mercedes is lapping Lotus like it's nothing.

Besides, it wouldn't be a shock if Mercedes takes a massive hit this season due to Pirelli. New tires are coming that probably won't be as overly conservative as last year, and tire management has always been the Achilles' heel of the Mercedes car.☕

😁
I might end up begging Dorian to let me change my handle to "The Best F1 Nostradamus."😬🤣
But this is nothing. The real flaws will only show up during races where they run softs and supersofts... especially those supersofts.😉
It’s no coincidence that last year they consistently had the smallest gaps between mediums and the soft/supersoft sets. The trick is that they weren't pushing because they *couldn't*, not just because they didn't have to.

Anyway, what do you think about the fact that five days ago I predicted not only that Vettel would finish ahead of Rosberg,but also the exact gap he'd have over him? 😁
Not perfectly spot-on, but I was within three seconds.🤣

stormybadger8 said:Back in 2007, STR was a total junker that spent the whole season praying for even a single point. Then Vettel jumps in mid-season, and by the very next year, he’s already winning races with that exact same STR.
Ever since Vettel left, STR has basically become a total joke again. ☕

Back in 2009, Red Bull Racing was just a mid-field squad dreaming they might snag a top five finish if things got messy enough. Then Vettel shows up in 2009, and suddenly they’re title contenders—eventually crushing it with four straight championships right after.
They started messing with his head as far back as Malaysia 2013, and the kid already knew he had to get out of that dump. So, he pulls the trigger at the end of 2014, and wouldn't you know it? Red Bull Racing is right back to being a mid-field squad just dreaming of a top 5 finish in a chaotic race. ☕

Back in 2015, that Ferrari was basically a dumpster fire dreaming of a podium finish. They spent their Sundays practically praying to the heavens just to get a sniff of a trophy. Then Sebastian Vettel rolls up to Ferrari and—presto—suddenly they’re magic. Two races in and suddenly there's a win and a podium on the table. What a joke.🙏 So, you're just flat-out against the team that’s absolutely dominated everything for the last 20-plus years... classic.

Honestly, at the end of the day, it all just comes down to the car. 😍

I get the excitement and the hype, I really do, but maybe don't go too overboard with it.... Vettel drove both those races incredibly well, sure, but his actual contribution to making the car this fast is probably pretty negligible.

Jack Kelly5 said:I get the excitement and the hype, I really do, but maybe don't go too overboard with it.... Vettel drove both those races incredibly well, sure, but his actual contribution to making the car this fast is probably pretty negligible.

Obviously, Adrian Newey deserves the credit here.🙂

🤔

ruggedhawk20 said:Exactly.

Ferrari's strategy was great too. But let's be real, it wouldn't have even worked if

1) Vettel hadn't pulled off that masterclass defending 2nd place after the start
2) Vettel hadn't built that massive 10-second gap over Hamilton
3) Vettel hadn't brilliantly overtaken Rosberg
4) [Wait] Vettel didn't coincidentally lose his spot to Rosberg after that second pit stop

Get it?

Ferrari's strategy was also killer back in Abu Dhabi 2010. But for Alonso to actually make it work, he needed to

1) Overtake Petrov
2) Overtake Rosberg

He failed at both.

And that’s why Vettel’s a four-time champ today while Alonso’s stuck with two.

That's why Vettel's at Ferrari and Alonso's at McLaren.

That's why Vettel is a hero and Alonso's a clown.

Capiche?

🤦🤦🤦🤦🤦 🤦🤦

That's why Vettel is a hero today, while Alonso is just a clown.

Razmeta?

I think you're the clown here—but hey, that's a whole different conversation...

stormybadger8 said:And what does that have to do with strategy?
That’s about tire degradation, not strategy...
Sebastian Vettel was actually able to nurse his tires and finish the race with just two stops, whereas the Mercedes crew knew from the jump their drivers couldn't pull that off...
If Mercedes had somehow tried a two-stop strategy, Sebastian Vettel would have left them in the dust by more than 30 seconds.☕

Given how much those tires were wearing out, Mercedes deciding to grab fresh rubber under the SC was a damn good tactical move.😉

Lewis Hamilton should have stayed out to defend first place using the same strategy as Sebastian Vettel.

stormybadger8 said:Back in 2007, STR was a total junker that spent the whole season praying for even a single point. Then Vettel jumps in mid-season, and by the very next year, he’s already winning races with that exact same STR.
Ever since Vettel left, STR has basically become a total joke again. ☕

Back in 2009, Red Bull Racing was just a mid-field squad dreaming they might snag a top five finish if things got messy enough. Then Vettel shows up in 2009, and suddenly they’re title contenders—eventually crushing it with four straight championships right after.
They started messing with his head as far back as Malaysia 2013, and the kid already knew he had to get out of that dump. So, he pulls the trigger at the end of 2014, and wouldn't you know it? Red Bull Racing is right back to being a mid-field squad just dreaming of a top 5 finish in a chaotic race. ☕

Back in 2015, that Ferrari was basically a dumpster fire dreaming of a podium finish. They spent their Sundays practically praying to the heavens just to get a sniff of a trophy. Then Sebastian Vettel rolls up to Ferrari and—presto—suddenly they’re magic. Two races in and suddenly there's a win and a podium on the table. What a joke.🙏 So, you're just flat-out against the team that’s absolutely dominated everything for the last 20-plus years... classic.

Honestly, at the end of the day, it all just comes down to the car. 😍

Of course it's about the car. Ricardo proved that perfectly last year when he completely wiped the floor with Vettel.

You're just being delusional if you think Vettel deserves all the credit.🤦

neonfox65 said:Lewis Hamilton should have stayed out to defend first place using the same strategy as Sebastian Vettel.

Man, is watching the race really that hard for you? Like, can you actually grasp how things work?
Your logic is basically like saying Kimi Räikkönen should've just stayed out regardless of him having three tires and four rims left...🤦

neonfox65 said:Of course it's about the car. Ricardo proved that perfectly last year when he completely wiped the floor with Vettel.

You're just being delusional if you think Vettel deserves all the credit.🤦

So what, is Ferrari suddenly not a garbage bin anymore?🤣

P.S. do your homework on my post 😉
As far as I'm concerned, Ferrari has been one of the top two cars on the grid from 2010 until today. You and your buddies are the ones claiming they're trash.😍

Jack Kelly5 said:I get the excitement and the hype, I really do, but maybe don't go too overboard with it.... Vettel drove both those races incredibly well, sure, but his actual contribution to making the car this fast is probably pretty negligible.

Car + driver + pit wall = Success.

At Mercedes, neither the driver nor the pit crew really mattered last year.
Now, we've finally reached the point where all three have to actually sweat and sync up if they want to win a race.
At least, that's how it looks to me after this turning point of a race (because it really is one).
After Malaysia 2015, things look drastically different than they did before.

As for what happens next? Who knows. We'll just have to wait and see.

stormybadger8 said:Obviously, Adrian Newey deserves the credit here.🙂

🤔

Alright, let's not go overboard here—I already gave props to everyone, including Ferrari and Vettel up above, but you can't just take last season's races and compare them to this one to prove it’s all about the car. It's just not how it works.

Look, let me clarify something right off the bat—maybe Vettel's experience and his "feel" for the machine actually helped shape this thing, sure, but saying this win isn't because of the car? That's just nonsense. I mean, if he wasn't driving it, neither would Kimi, and they'd both be sitting in the same car.

In that absolute mess of a season last year, Vettel wouldn't have won regardless of who you put behind the wheel.

Jack Kelly5 said:I get the excitement and the hype, I really do, but maybe don't go too overboard with it.... Vettel drove both those races incredibly well, sure, but his actual contribution to making the car this fast is probably pretty negligible.

The absolute dumbest argument out there is the idea that a driver is the one actually developing the car🤣🤣🤣

There is so much to unpack here..
Sebastian Vettel undoubtedly delivered an incredible race, but...
A huge part of that belongs to Allison and a car that really treats its tires right. They clearly did their homework during practice when they noticed how hard the Mercedes was chewing through those mediums...
Congrats to Sebastian for making the most of what he had and being lightning fast when it counted, but if you ask me, Kimi Räikkönen was the real hero today for charging all the way from the back to grab fourth...

Motocross(2nd.gen)

Man, I really miss Pila!

Enough already, there is quite enough exaggeration happening here for one lifetime; frankly, it has started to cross the line of good taste

Lewis said this:
"All day I was struggling with the balance. It was very, very uncomfortable, a lot of understeer, I couldn’t look after tyres. When I went to option tyre the car was better I was able to be a bit more consistent. I was able to close the gap."

🙂 :kme :kme

The summary (from Lewis again):
"I tried my best and the team made best choice they could.” !!!!!!!!!!

shadowstag10 said:Alright, let's not go overboard here—I already gave props to everyone, including Ferrari and Vettel up above, but you can't just take last season's races and compare them to this one to prove it’s all about the car. It's just not how it works.

Look, let me clarify something right off the bat—maybe Vettel's experience and his "feel" for the machine actually helped shape this thing, sure, but saying this win isn't because of the car? That's just nonsense. I mean, if he wasn't driving it, neither would Kimi, and they'd both be sitting in the same car.

In that absolute mess of a season last year, Vettel wouldn't have won regardless of who you put behind the wheel.

Of course the car matters, but even if Nico Rosberg had the best car on the grid, Sebastian Vettel still managed to outclass him on track and leave him in the dust.👍

I mean, props to them, really—but let’s not go overboard here 👍