German Grand Prix - 07.07.2013

Brian Campbell36 said:If Mercedes was a full second ahead during FP1, they’ve lost their edge.

Lewis Hamilton seems a bit slow compared to Nika.🤷

There is another possibility here.
That Mece is sacrificing qualifying to prioritize the race.

Ever since that testing session in Barcelona, their tire management has been excellent—a massive improvement from what we saw leading up to the US Grand Prix.
Even yesterday, their tire preservation was top-tier; Nico actually hit his best time around lap 25 during his prime stint.

They didn't run into any issues with the rear tires either; the Kevlar setup worked perfectly for them.

No matter how shady their tactics might seem, they are going to be damn dangerous for the rest of the season.

There’s really only one explanation here... it’s exactly what Adrian Newey used to say about building a damn masterpiece of a car that absolutely shreds its tires

It feels like the days of compromising or sacrificing qualifying pace just to save rubber and hope for a miracle during the race are over...

On top of that, Ferkan, Lotus, and Mercedes are going to get absolutely screwed by this tire deflection ban and the new pressure regulations...
I basically just wasted my money, so I'm heading out tonight to celebrate Sebastian Vettel's 4th title instead.😁🤣

stormybadger8 said:Besides, Ferkan, Lotus, and Mercedes are going to get crushed by this tire warm-up ban and the new pressure regulations...

Mercedes getting crushed?

Everything seems designed to boost Mercedes' competitiveness. Between Pirelli and the FIA giving them testing leeway, introducing rear tires with operating temperatures 10 degrees lower, and using harder compounds almost every race compared to last season... isn't it obvious?

Mercedes is too massive a player on the global stage to settle for mere scraps.

I’ve been totally out of the loop with everything going on this week, so if someone could please give me the lowdown on all the chaos so far, I’d really appreciate it

mučas grasijas 🙂

At the finish line, though...
Without that, they’d be borderline terrifyingly dominant. Still, catching Vettel seems like a massive stretch given how big the gap actually is...

But it’s almost a lock that Mercedes takes the Constructors' Championship...
As for the Drivers' title? It’s going down to a fight between Rosberg-Vettel-Hamilton...
And honestly, that’s exactly what’s going to wreck Mercedes. Ross will make his call, Hamilton will end up looking like a fool, and in the end, Vettel walks away with the title.🤣

stormybadger8 said:in the end, if they hadn't...
Without that factor, they would have been quite frankly, disgustingly dominant; however, I find it difficult to believe they will actually catch Vettel, given that the gap is already rather substantial...

But it is almost certain that Mercedes will secure the Constructors' Championship...
While the fight for the Drivers' title will likely boil down to Rosberg-Vettel-Hamilton...
And that is precisely what will sabotage Mercedes; Ross will make his decision, Hamilton will lose face, and ultimately, Vettel will snatch the title.🤣

I wouldn't go that far; it isn't as if Red Bull Racing wasn't also struggling with their tire management.☕

Quite simply put, aerodynamics—which seems almost absurd given the octane cycle—plays a much more critical role than the engine itself, especially now that RPMs are being limited.

Once the engines were throttled back, it was like a wake-up call for a genius like Adrian Newey, and that is exactly why we are witnessing this level of dominance for the fourth consecutive year.

Yet, nothing is truly decided just yet; Vettel hasn't secured a win in July, so anything remains possible—perhaps divine intervention might tip the scales in favor of the others.

It’s such a shame that Lujo is struggling with the car right now. I really had a feeling he was going to snatch Pole Position, though I honestly have my doubts about whether one of the German drivers will actually take the win tomorrow.
I can see Mercedes and Red Bull Racing sitting right there in the top two, leaving whatever is left over for everyone else.

stormybadger8 said:The pace today was just unreal—seriously fast 😲😲😲
That's 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 from 2011...

And all of that was just during Practice 3... imagine what they'll pull off in qualifying.😲

Maybe they shortened the track or something?😕 🤷

hehe

Isn't it funny how they move the goalposts while our competitors are still busy messing around with bolts in Practice 3?🤣

God, what a team.🙏 🙏

PS—I mentioned earlier that it’s probably going to take them a few years just to catch up to us.🥳

Dammit!!! I've gotta go find the race on ESPN 😠

What the hell are they even acting like?

Too bad it's not on ESPN...
Luckily I've got cable🤣

man, do they even have VAR or anything? Like, are they actually gonna show highlights from the previous races 🤦

darkmarlin16 said:For heaven's sake!!! I’ll have to switch over to ESPN to actually see what's happening.😠

Who on earth are they trying to fool with this?

What absolute nonsense! Qualifying has already kicked off, yet here they are, wasting everyone's time by broadcasting highlights from previous races instead.

talk about terrible timing for getting DB screwed over😠

They always seem to know exactly when the real action is about to kick off...

Could someone please send a text to Sepi...

(I recall a time at the local community theater when a production of *Tosca* had a completely different ending because the rifle squad was running late coming from the stagehands' area. The orchestra had already played the gunshot by the time they finally rushed onto the stage. To save the scene, the squad leader ended up improvising a bayonet kill instead. 🤣👍)

SPTV 🤦
Sky:
http://www.viponlinesports.eu/motors...am-online.html

graniteharbor502 said:What absolute idiots. Qualifying hasn't even kicked off yet and they’re already wasting everyone's time with highlights from previous races.

It hasn't even been a full minute and the commercials are already rolling in. Honestly, who is actually running this show?🙂

😱

what the hell even is this?!!!!???

it’s all just one big shady mess

It’s a huge plus living so close to the border near Canada, since I can always catch the SLO2 broadcast.

Did they forget how Formula 1 works, or did their studio just crash?

Looks like Maldonado just absolutely shredded his front right tire with some heavy braking.