2010 Bahrain Grand Prix

Just more tabloid trash...☕ As soon as this guy opens his mouth, every other reporter out there jumps in to finish his sentences. Look, it’s obviously huge for a driver to have the right teammate by his side, but for him to be making those calls for the entire organization now? That feels a little off to me....

Nicole Reyes97 said:🤣🤣
You were busy working, I was busy sleeping... 😁

I just don't get why they hyped up such an exciting start when everyone pulled away like retirees.. 🤷 It was pretty sad to watch; the only highlights were the collision between Robert Kubica and Sutil and Fernando Alonso's overtaking 😢

Yeah... and I'm not exactly thrilled about them banning mid-race refueling either👎 It seems like every time they change something, they cause more problems than they actually solve😁

But whatever, the fact that Nando FINALLY has a competitive car again kind of makes up for everything else right now🙂 😁

Raymond Palmer8 said:obviously: Vettel.
He proved he’s got championship potential, first through qualifying, then by putting together a flawless race, and finally by managing to maintain enough pace with a broken car to salvage whatever points were left to grab.
I feel for little Vettel; he really doesn't have any luck.

That's all on Luscious Lucy 😬

I felt bad for Vettel too... but there's plenty of time left, I suppose the kid will make quite an impact eventually.🙏 😍

cosmicridge5 said:Yeah... and I'm really not digging the fuel flow restrictions either 👎 Every single rule change they roll out seems to do more harm than good 😁

But honestly, seeing Nando FINALLY back in a car that actually stands a chance—that pretty much makes up for everything else right now 🙂 😁

Don't even go there... Bernie Ecclestone would probably claim every single one of these tweaks is just to boost Formula 1 viewership 🤣 🙂

I'm genuinely happy for Fernando too 😍, but man, looking at that Ferrari car just leaves a bad taste in my mouth 🙄
I mean, who are you even pulling for this season... Vettel or Nando? 😛

Roger Wright94 said:I don't think the track is the issue here.
Rule changes have basically forced everyone into the exact same strategy.
In the past, you could actually play around with tire management or fuel loads. Pit stops used to be where the drama happened. Not anymore.

Drivers are just churning out laps, and today’s finish is a perfect snapshot of the actual performance gap between cars and drivers.
Take the tenths of a second lost per lap, multiply by the total laps, and there you have it.
The gaps are massive, which doesn't exactly give us much to cheer about if we were hoping for excitement.

They were driving like they were afraid to scratch the paint, probably just testing the waters to see how the tires reacted.🤷

Both the Ferrari and Vettel were just following the guy in front until Vettel's car started falling off. I think both had more pace left, but they weren't willing to burn through their tires. At the end of the day:

Alonso race - 1:58.287 - Q3 1:54.608😉
Vettel race - 2:00.218 - Q3 1:54.101😉

That puts Vettel 6 seconds off the pace (and yeah, he didn't even get a shot at a fast time), but even Alonso is 4 seconds back. There is zero chance that's real racing speed. This was just a glorified testing session; we haven't seen a real race at full tilt yet.

Just for comparison, look at Bahrain 2009:

Vettel - race 1:34.756 - Q3 1:34.015
Jenson Button (putting him in since he won) race 1:34.588 - Q3 1:34.044

It’s a shame Mark Webber didn't try diving for softs in the last 10 laps. If he could, he probably would have been dropping 1.5 to 1.6 seconds per lap. Based on qualifying, he should have been 5 or 6 seconds faster than anyone ahead of him on track at that stage. Even with a 22-25 second pit stop and losing 40-50 seconds over 10 laps, including some fast ones, he realistically had a shot at gaining 2 or 3 spots. Wouldn't surprise me if someone tries a gamble like that in future races.

If nothing else, they should have gone for those 4 points because they weren't getting them anyway. He likely would have fought back to 9th or 10th. Christian Horner simply lacks the guts to pull the trigger on a risky move.👎

stormybadger8 said:they were practically driving through hell, just testing the waters to see how the tires would react🤷

Both Ferrari and Vettel were merely shadowing the car ahead until Vettel’s machine started falling off the pace. In my view, both had plenty of speed left in the tank, but they weren't willing to gamble with their tire life. At the end of the day:

Alonso race - 1:58.287 - Q3 1:54.608😉
Vettel race - 2:00.218 - Q3 1:54.101😉

That represents a six-second gap for Vettel (who, let's be honest, never even stood a chance at dropping his time), but even for Alonso, it's a four-second difference. There is no way that reflects actual racing pace. This was nothing more than a reconnaissance mission—testing the surface. We haven't seen a legitimate race with genuine, blistering speeds yet.

Just for context, look back at Bahrain 2009:

Vettel - race 1:34.756 - Q3 1:34.015
Jenson Button (I'll use him since he took the win) race 1:34.588 - Q3 1:34.044

I partially agree. However, you have to account for the fact that last year's Q3 was run with enough fuel for a third of the race (roughly 62 miles), whereas this year they were running nearly bone dry. I doubt they were as low on fuel in the final lap as they were during qualifying (except perhaps for Massa, because the team was terrified he'd run out), as it's impossible to gauge full-race consumption based on a single liter. They likely kept a slightly larger reserve. Even when they were at their lightest, almost everyone—especially the leaders—was sitting on hard compounds. On top of that, Lewis Hamilton couldn't find any extra pace, Massa was managing his fuel, and there was really no reason for Alonso to push like a madman and risk a total disaster.

But yeah, all things considered, and especially following the changes to the points system, it seems everyone is just playing defense to protect their current position.

Morgan Murphy7 said:If I may, I’d like to offer a quick suggestion on how to make Formula 1 more exciting:

"Abolish all bans and restrictions." 🙏

That's it... 👍 the end justifies the means...

All jokes aside, they have certainly gone overboard with the regulations. All this refueling in the pits and the endless speculation about fuel loads is completely unnecessary. 😢

Nicole Reyes97 said:I'm happy for Fernando too 😍, but honestly, looking at that Ferrari car just leaves a bad taste in my mouth 🙄
Though, I'm not really sure who you're going to root for more this season... Vettel or Nando? 😛

Well, I guess I'm a bit of an atypical fan 😬 Last year I was torn between Nando, Vettel, and Kimi, but this year it's unfortunately a little "easier" (🙂), just Nando and Vettel 😁

But if we're talking about the championship title, I'm pulling for Nando 😳 Little Vettel still has plenty of time, whereas Nando probably needs to make up for all the mental exhaustion from these last few years 😁

And I really hope Kimi makes a comeback... I missed him today... 😢 While watching Nando jumping around happily on the podium, I couldn't help but imagine Kimi standing there instead, looking all moody in that way only he can pull off 🙂 😁

The old school rule—whoever takes the first win, takes the championship.

Opa:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82153

The friction between Vettel's Red Bull and the Renault engine powering him just isn't going away.

Joshua Newman2 said:Whoops:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82153

The messy relationship between Vettel's Red Bull and the Renault engine powering him just keeps going.

That Renault is done for. 🤦

They should have just gone with Cosworth. For crying out loud, at this rate, another title is just going to vanish into thin air.👎

I mean, what exactly were you expecting from Chevrolet's big debut in Formula 1 🤣
...

stormybadger8 said:that Renault engine is just a total wash🤦

they really should have just stuck with Cosworth, because at this rate, any chance of a championship is basically gone👎

Adrian Newey and Kim's missed titles... honestly, it sounds about right😉

Man, today was sooo boringrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It used to be just okay, you know? Like, we'd get maybe five minutes of actual action during the pit stops, but now? Now it’s just straight-up snooze fest territory.

It’s not on Renault. Honestly, whatever engine you shove into Newey's car is going to fail. It's just how it goes.

Classic Newey... prioritizing raw speed over reliability every single time. If they keep breaking down, they won't stand a chance against Ferrari, and Alonso and Massa will snatch up every opportunity left on the table 😁
Alonso absolutely thrilled me at the start, showing Massa exactly who’s in charge, not to mention how he outmaneuvered that rookie Vettel during the race. You can really see his maturity behind the wheel; if he gets a solid, reliable car, the competition is toast—especially with Red Bull's sloppy build and that lifeless, weak McLaren👎

Look, the season is long and anything can happen, even Button defending his title😂

dustyskipper77 said:plus being way smarter than that amateur Sebastian Vettel during the race itself.

I must have totally slept through this part...🙂

Nicole Reyes97 said:🤣🤣
you were busy working, while I was catching up on sleep.. 😁

I just can't wrap my head around why they hyped up such an exciting start when everyone pulled away like retirees heading to an early dinner.. 🤷 It was honestly a bit sad to watch; the only real highlights were the collision between Kubica and Sutil and seeing Fernando Alonso make his move. 😢

I certainly picked a good woman 😍 😬

Roger Wright94 said:I don't think the track itself is the issue here.
The rule changes have basically forced everyone's tactics into a corner—everyone is doing the exact same thing now.
Up until recently, you could actually play the game a bit with tire management or fuel loads. Pit stops used to be where the real drama happened—it kept things interesting. Now? That's pretty much gone.

The drivers were just churning out laps, and honestly, today's finish was a perfect illustration of the massive speed gaps between the cars and the drivers.
It’s simple math: take the tenths of a second difference per lap, multiply it by the total number of laps, and there you have it.
The gaps are just too wide, which doesn't give us much to cheer about if we were hoping for some nail-biting action.

The race was so incredibly dull that I actually found myself reading the newspaper to pass the time...☕

If you ask me, there's a very simple way to fix this boredom and the lack of overtaking on track:
Get rid of qualifying entirely. Set the starting grid based on the championship standings—so the leader starts dead last, the runner-up starts second to last, and so on, until the points leader is at the front. Then, let's say the first row is occupied by HRT fans, the second by Virgin supporters, and the third by the Lotus fans... now *that* would certainly spice up the overtaking!☕

cosmicridge5 said:I really hope Kimi makes a comeback... I honestly missed him so much today... 😢 Watching Fernando Alonso jumping around happily on the podium just made me wish Kimi was standing there instead—you know, with that signature moody look that only he can pull off. 🙂 😁

Imagine how much he'd hate being stuck with some fancy sparkling water instead of actual alcohol..🤣
It's hard to truly celebrate when you can't even toast to a victory with a proper drink, right?😁