German Grand Prix - 07.07.2013

The Mercedes cars are falling apart 🤣 chaos in the garage 🤣

ps.

CHIME IN
Phil Slocombe: Mark Webber might just ruin Sebastian Vettel's weekend; he's got zero to lose if he decides to settle the score after Vettel snatched his victory [in Malaysia].

😁😁

The guys completely knocked mečkin out of the park. Photographers scrambled immediately to snap a hundred different shots of FRIC... though it’s worth noting about 90% of those photographers were actually on the payroll of teams like Ferrari or Lotus. 😁

Nando finally woke up 😁

You start getting excited about a lap, and then Nico brings you right back down to earth.

Mark Webber had a solid lap there, but Sebastian Vettel is making up for that lost time in the slow corners.
His car seems to find an extra tenth or two over the field right there.

Raymond Anderson4 said:You get all excited about a lap, and then Nico brings you right back down to earth.

Yeah—that last corner basically ruined everything.😢

Take him down, he’s wide open.

Mark still has the fastest first sector.

Raymond Anderson4 said:You start getting excited about a lap, and then Nico brings you right back down to earth.

And then Sebastian Vettel comes along to slam them all back into harsh reality.

It’ll probably be more interesting in about two hours 🙂🙂

Pure wisdom from Johnny Herbert. 😍

Emily Patel64 said:+ 0.004 🙂

PS: the last qualifying session was up by 0.009 🙂 🙂

Hardly a coincidence.

A genuine gap between them now.

Emily Patel64 said:It would be quite pleasant to have that ready within two hours. 🙂🙂

I would argue that Sebastian Vettel deserves to be placed at least half a position ahead of his rival.🙂

I find myself genuinely perplexed by the current state of affairs. Is it simply that the other teams lack competent engineers, or is there some deeper, more systemic failure occurring behind the scenes? Whatever the root cause may be, this constant cycle of mediocrity is utterly exhausting to witness.

Brian Campbell36 said:I’m putting my money on Vettel to finish at least half a position ahead of the other guy.🙂

I just heard someone in the broadcast imply that Mark Webber hasn't had a sniff at pole position during qualifying all season—give me a break. Relax.

Brian Campbell36 said:Tasty, especially with Sebastian Vettel holding a 0.5 lead over the next guy.🙂

I just don't get it. Is it a lack of competent engineers on the other teams, or what exactly is going on? This is getting exhausting.

Or are they just playing their cards close to the chest?

And hey... if my memory serves me right, actual qualifying doesn't even start until around 2:00 PM.

Emily Patel64 said:I believe I heard someone on the broadcast suggest that Mark Webber hasn't managed to get past him during qualifying all season, but honestly, everyone needs to just relax.

Only a catastrophic mechanical failure could possibly stop Sebastian Vettel; he is truly, unnervingly fast.

If Mercedes were to step onto the track during FP1 and find themselves sitting a full second ahead of the rest of the field, would they truly be able to maintain that dominance? One has to wonder if such a massive gap wouldn't ultimately lead to them losing their edge entirely.

Is it not becoming increasingly apparent that Lewis Hamilton is struggling to maintain his usual pace when compared to the sheer velocity displayed by Nika? 🤷

Jason Campbell70 said:It can't be a coincidence.

There's a massive gap between them.

Looks like your vision is finally clearing up.😍🤣

Lewis Hamilton's car was dancing a little too much on the track today.
They’ve got about two hours to get that handling under control, otherwise, there's no way he's securing pole position.
We'll just have to see if the Sauber team can find any pace, though I suspect their speed might be inversely proportional to their current bank balance.

Tyler Bennett5 said:Lewis Hamilton's car was dancing around far too much out there.
They have a mere two hours to fix those handling issues properly, otherwise, they can kiss that pole position goodbye.
We shall see if the Sauber team manages to find any pace, though one might suspect their performance is inversely proportional to their current bank balance.

Furthermore, this entire situation is utterly pointless; rather than witnessing epic battles for pole position year after year, we are left watching Red Bull Racing cruise to a +1.0 advantage as if it were nothing at all.🙂

I find myself profoundly disappointed in Ferrari once again, seeing them fall behind Sebastian Vettel by more than a second in qualifying.

Emily Patel64 said:I think I heard someone on the broadcast say he never actually caught Webber during qualifying. Chill out.

But man, he is insanely fast today.😲😲😲
He’s 2 seconds faster than the best Q3 time from 2007...
About 3 seconds faster than the fastest Q3 time in 2009...
Half a second faster than the 2011 Q3 time...

And that’s just in FP3... imagine when qualifying rolls around.😲

Maybe they shortened the track or something?😕🤷

stormybadger8 said:But he was incredibly fast today, wasn't he? 😲😲😲
His time was a full 2 seconds faster than the best Third Quarter time from 2007...
Roughly 3 seconds faster than the fastest Third Quarter time back in 2009...
And half a second quicker than the Third Quarter times we saw in 2011...

And all of this happened during Practice 3... imagine what happens when they actually start qualifying.😲

Did they perhaps shorten the track layout?😕 🤷

Adrian Newey clearly installed an extra turbocharger. ☕

It seems the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone are simply choosing to look the other way, whether by blindness or sheer willful ignorance.

I find myself compelled once again to mention Ferrari; attempting to secure such a massive developmental advantage at the very start of a season is a gamble that only the Italians could take—those folks who seem more interested in lounging in the sun and swimming than actually performing the jobs they are paid millions upon millions to do.