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

stormybadger8 said:So I guess I need to find the replay. 🤣
This was an NBC race, so I was watching on NBC 🙏🙏🙏

They're way more realistic and objective. When the pit wall sent those messages to Hamilton about catching and passing Vettel in the last five laps, the commentary was basically, "What is wrong with these people? Are they drunk?" 🤣

Usually, nobody ever comments on the officiating...
But today, it was clearly some absolute amateurs and morons calling the shots. 🤦
The Penalties for Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were straight-up insane, but it gets worse—they actually slapped them with extra points loss too. 🤦
David Coulthard was right to say they aren't sane. He called them standard racing incidents and said this kind of officiating makes zero sense because it just discourages drivers from making actual overtakes...

Japan, I'm with you—those were nothing but pure racing incidents.

Drew Bennett68 said:But wait, are you really not thrilled that someone finally broke the Mercedes stranglehold!?

Honestly, if anyone other than Lewis or Nico had taken the win today, I’d be just as stoked. It’s about time!

Yeah, maybe, but...

My compliments to Ferrari; they were truly operating at a high level today. Both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen performed admirably, though I don't believe they have actually overtaken Mercedes just yet. It seems more likely that the high track temperatures played right into Ferrari's hands while Mercedes struggled significantly with tire degradation. It was an excellent spectacle to witness, and Ferrari certainly earned this result—hats off to them. However, in two weeks, I expect reality to set back in. A Mercedes 1-2 finish is what's coming; expecting anything else would be foolish.

Seriously, what kind of photo is 🙏🤣


What a joke 😍


😂

The "tank" Ferrari actually pulled ahead, leaving those skinny little cars trailing by a full lap—man, the way things have flipped this year is wild 🤔

And yeah, I’m right there with you on the penalties, especially regarding Hulk. Look, Perez still had plenty of room to give him space, but in my book, Hulk barely even had a split second to react before he was slamming into the car in front.

stormybadger8 said:Explanation of Kimi's form from last yearread below 😁

Of course it's down to Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, Maurizio Arrivabene, Alison, and everyone else on the crew...
And honestly, Sebastian Vettel is a huge part of it, because the vibe in the garage finally shifted once he showed up...

It's really Fernando Alonso who bears the brunt of Ferrari's failure. He was incredibly selfish, constantly digging at people and trying to pull them to his side against his own teammates, no matter where they stood...
It's not like Ferrari replaced 1,000 people overnight—maybe 50 top execs left at most—but even those who joined haven't quite found their footing within the team yet...
The main thing is that the team is suddenly breathing as one unit. There's no more "I am the Maestro, there is no other Maestro, I take credit for everything good and blame everyone else for everything bad."

And look, a whole crowd of Ferrari employees is suddenly talking to reporters from NBC, Sky UK, and so on.
When was the last time you saw smiling Ferrari mechanics chatting with American journalists? Back then, only Alonso would talk to them, and I'm telling you, occasionally Stefano or Maurizio Arrivabene might say a word, but it was always just to throw shade at Alonso...

Meanwhile, Arrivabene is acting like a real Team Principal. Even after this win, he isn't sucking up to Sebastian Vettel; instead, he's praising the entire crew and doesn't act like the second driver doesn't exist...
And Sebastian Vettel is acting like a true team player, praising the car and the crew rather than just himself...
There's none of that nonsense like "it's the engine department's fault" or "the tunnel design is bad"... or "the engine department deserves the credit." Suddenly, everyone is credited as a package deal, and everything is mentioned properly.😉
That is the massive difference right there.😳

Every single employee works way harder and adds more value when they actually feel respected and appreciated. That's when they give their absolute maximum...
If someone's hard work and effort are constantly being belittled, they're naturally going to stop giving it their all.☕

You could probably troll a bit better than that, 😁
But seriously, though, this shift is actually great for F1. Provided it sticks, I mean. As stubborn as he is, Kimi keeps insisting that this isn't the "real" Ferrari yet and that they'll be even faster soon.
And I have to agree, things definitely look different since Alonso left. That old Scuderia spirit is back.
👍

By the way, lest I forget to mention it, I would rate today's race an 8/10.

It might perhaps be a bit premature to say so, but I find myself expecting truly monumental things from young Max Verstappen.
Is it not true that Kimi Räikkönen acts as a sort of magnetic force for rookies and their inevitable mistakes? 👎

graniteharbor502 said:By the way, lest I forget to mention it, I would rate today's race an 8/10.

It might perhaps be a bit premature to say so, but I find myself expecting truly monumental things from young Max Verstappen.
Is it not true that Kimi Räikkönen acts as a sort of magnetic force for rookies and their inevitable mistakes? 👎

Kimi is a total strategist at heart—well, a bit of a slow burner—and it's been a defining trait throughout his entire career.

Everything just went sideways for Kimi during qualifying, which left him stuck in the middle of the pack right next to those rookies who can't seem to remember how brakes work...
If he’d managed to grab P4, he might actually have been fighting for the win today.

Samuel Ruiz4 said:Everything just went sideways for Kimi during qualifying, which left him stuck in the middle of the pack right next to those rookies who can't seem to remember how brakes work...
If he’d managed to grab P4, he might actually have been fighting for the win today.

Honestly, when I saw that puncture today, I just let out a long sigh—it reminded me of the days when things were even more chaotic. I mean, remember when we had rear wings flapping off or suspension components snapping on the final lap? Those were the days...

EDIT: These photos are fantastic, Tibi—really quite ironic, aren't they?

stormybadger8 said:So I guess I need to find the replay. 🤣
This was an NBC race, so I was watching on NBC 🙏🙏🙏

They're way more realistic and objective. When the pit wall sent those messages to Hamilton about catching and passing Vettel in the last five laps, the commentary was basically, "What is wrong with these people? Are they drunk?" 🤣

Usually, nobody ever comments on the officiating...
But today, it was clearly some absolute amateurs and morons calling the shots. 🤦
The Penalties for Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez were straight-up insane, but it gets worse—they actually slapped them with extra points loss too. 🤦
David Coulthard was right to say they aren't sane. He called them standard racing incidents and said this kind of officiating makes zero sense because it just discourages drivers from making actual overtakes...

I agree that most penalties are pointless, but today they weren't punishing people for overtaking; they were punishing anyone who couldn't stomach being passed (especially looking at Perez). His move today was pure desperation—just shoving a car trying to overtake him off the track. And it's not even his first time... sometimes he really overdoes it with those defensive moves.

Though I do agree, those extra penalties were a bit much.👎

What a race, compared to that total snooze fest in Melbourne.

A German-Italian duo after nearly a decade... 🙏 honestly, I’ve got chills.

James Allison 🙏
In today's interview, you could tell he's just waiting for Kimi Räikkönen to take the win; he clearly hasn't moved on from last season yet.

goldenpuma86 said:I agree that most penalties are pointless, but today they weren't punishing people for overtaking; they were punishing anyone who couldn't stomach being passed (especially looking at Perez). His move today was pure desperation—just shoving a car trying to overtake him off the track. And it's not even his first time... sometimes he really overdoes it with those defensive moves.

Though I do agree, those extra penalties were a bit much.👎

Not really feeling that...
It looked more like legitimate attempts to pass rather than aggressive defense.
Both Sergio Perez and Nick Hulme didn't have much of a choice here. 😉
There’s zero logic in saying a driver has to slam on the brakes the exact second someone pulls alongside them just to let them through. I don't see what else they could have possibly done. 🤷

At the end of the day, both cars were clearly ahead of Force India. It was enough to push for the win, yet they chose to play it safe like cowards.

Michael Diaz4 said:He had more mechanical failures, which was the main issue, and honestly, the car just didn't suit his driving style. Comparing a four-time consecutive world champion to a rookie driver is just... well, it’s misplaced and frankly a bit silly. Without Michael Schumacher around, Formula 1 is only worth watching because of Sebastian Vettel. He proved once again today that he's the greatest. In those head-to-head battles, he absolutely smoked them.👋

Cut the crap, man—you're reaching. In those three wins, Sebastian Vettel didn't have a single breakdown; he was just absolutely smoking Sebastian on pure pace. 👋

...plus, the car just wasn't clicking for him. I mean, comparing a four-time consecutive champ to some rookie is just... hmm, misplaced and honestly pretty dumb. Without Michael Schumacher, Formula 1 is basically only worth watching because of Vettel. He proved today he's the GOAT... he just completely dismantled them in those head-to-head battles...👋

He won because of a solid pit strategy—he didn't actually overtake anyone on track for the lead 👋 not even Mass in the last race 👋

stormybadger8 said:That’s probably why he’s your favorite idiot in this whole mess...😁
Honestly, just looking back at how much some teams fell apart right after he left, everything becomes pretty obvious.

I really want to see if some random rookie can actually jump into his seat at McLaren and start grabbing podiums and wins in their very first season.😁

Come on, explain to me how Vettel managed to turn last year's total junk into a winning car in less than three months?????

The driver’s job is to provide feedback—it's up to the engineers, and Ferrari has over 500 of them, to actually build the car. This machine was designed long before Finger even showed up. He arrived when the work was basically finished.

stormybadger8 said:He’s got plenty of excuses, but the bottom line is he never felt like he truly belonged in that squad. Honestly, he didn't even feel wanted. The beginning of the end was really Malaysia 2013. 😉
Ricciardo and that whole 2014 season? They’re just the fallout from all of that...

Basically, Malaysia 2013 marked the end of an era, while Malaysia 2015 was the start of a whole new one. 🙂

Wait, so he didn't feel "at home" with the exact same team he won FOUR—yes, all four—titles with???🤦 🤦 🤦

Just come out and admit it—Ricardo played him, and he did it right under Vettel's nose. Honestly, even Lewis Hamilton didn't pull a fast one on Alonso 2007 quite like Ricardo did to Sebastian Vettel.

Michael Diaz4 said:Mercedes doesn't have top-tier DRIVERS right now, whereas today Vettel showed exactly what kind of driver he is. He's the best out there currently, no question... you saw it today. I think Nico Rosberg will step up now because he's more grounded than the arrogant and, let's be honest, not-so-bright Hamilton... Mercedes has a much better car, but they lack the drivers, which is something Vettel can exploit if he has a fast enough machine. The big question is what happens when the weather turns cold. I'm not sure if Ferrari can even compete with Mercedes then; Mercedes might actually thrive in the rain due to better grip, but they won't have Vettel...

Hamilton isn't an elite driver? Good grief... I don't even know what else to say to you...🤦

While Vettel showed exactly what he's capable of today—proving he's easily the best driver out there right now—there's just no debating it... You could see it clearly today...

So, if he’s really all that—the absolute best—then why didn't we see any of that back in Melbourne? Seriously... if he's such a big deal, how come Hamilton and Rosberg weren't even in his league, yet they still managed to beat him there... 😂

So, just how old are you two actually?

jadeseal7 said:Honestly, when I saw that puncture today, I just let out a long sigh—it reminded me of the days when things were even more chaotic. I mean, remember when we had rear wings flapping off or suspension components snapping on the final lap? Those were the days...

EDIT: These photos are fantastic, Tibi—really quite ironic, aren't they?

That suspension failure was totally his own fault. Man, that win felt so good... god, it was sweet.🙂