2010 Bahrain Grand Prix

Alright, here's something to kick things off.
I was watching on ABC, and honestly, the directing and coverage were pretty rough—the only thing they got right was the picture quality.
I’m personally going to pass, but I’d tell others to tune in on the local networks. At the very least, you'll get plenty of useful info since there's so much new stuff happening with the teams, the people, and the rules.

At the top, I'd say, it's exactly what we expected.
Now we just have to see how everyone handles themselves during those long runs tomorrow.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but this season feels strangely off to me. It’s as if something fundamental is just missing from the experience.

Every car seems to blend together in this sea of sameness; honestly, the only thing providing a bit of visual relief to the entire grid is the Renault with its bright yellow livery.

Michael Lee4 said:I hope so... but then again, the real question is how much faster I can actually be when fully loaded, if they’re already this slow while empty? 🤔

For instance, I’d point to Red Bull.

Is Vettel a better driver than Mark Webber? Definitely. But is he a full second per lap faster? Not by a long shot.

Regarding the weight issues—if these faster drivers (Sebastian Vettel, Felipe Massa) were running more downforce than the slower ones (Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso), what happens when the car gets heavier tomorrow? Won't graining become a massive headache for Vettel and Massa?

Morgan Murphy7 said:I don't know about you guys, but this season feels totally off. Like something's just missing.

Every single car looks identical lately. Honestly, the only thing keeping things interesting is that bright yellow Renault—it’s the only splash of color in this whole depressing parade.

I'm with them on that.
That Renault looks ridiculous, though. They've got HP and Chevrolet plastered all over the side.

We're looking at a gap of over five seconds, and honestly, it feels like a massive deficit... Even seasoned veterans like Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen haven't been able to shave off even a single second for Lotus when compared to the more established teams...

Morgan Murphy7 said:I don't know about you guys, but this season feels totally off to me. Like, something just isn't clicking.

All the cars look pretty much identical—honestly, the only thing keeping things interesting is Renault with that bright yellow paint job brightening up the whole grid.

That 😳Renault looks just like a
USPS delivery van.
Maybe the season feels weird because there's so much new stuff happening—you probably just need some time to get used to the rhythm.🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:Look, just take Red Bull as a case in point.

Sebastian Vettel is clearly the better driver compared to Mark Webber—no contest there—but if we're talking about raw pace per lap? Yeah, he's definitely not pulling away by a mile.

As for the weight issue—if these faster guys (Vettel, Felipe Massa) were running higher downforce than the slower ones (Mark Webber, Fernando Alonso), then once the car gets heavier tomorrow, they're gonna be dealing with some serious graining issues. It’s gonna be a mess.

If Red Bull actually thought graining was going to be such a massive headache, they would've just handed the high-downforce setup to Webber instead of risking it all.😉

Alright... so we agreed that nobody knows anything yet 😁

And tomorrow, like I said yesterday, whoever survives will tell us 🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:If you want a clear example, I’d point toward Red Bull.

It’s an open-and-shut case that Vettel is the superior driver compared to Mark Webber, but if we're talking raw pace, he isn't ahead by a full second per lap—not by any stretch.

It’s actually because of Red Bull that I’ve started suspecting the real issue lies within their suspension setup strategy. Sure, Mark Webber isn't quite on Vettel's level, but it’s far from certain that he's actually that much slower.

Morgan Murphy7 said:I don't know about you guys, but this season feels totally off to me. It just doesn't feel right.

Every single car looks basically identical lately, though I guess that Renault with its bright yellow livery adds a tiny bit of life to the whole parade.

Exactly, but honestly, I've felt this way for a long time now.
When I think back to when the Silver Arrows actually looked silver and black, or those bright yellow Jordan cars, that old blue Benetton, the green Jaguar, or the classic blue and yellow Renault...🙂 you could tell exactly who was who from a mile away. I have this old recording of Monza somewhere from back in '98, I think, showing how beautiful and colorful all those cars looked lined up on the starting grid. Everything nowadays just feels like a blurry, monotonous mess.

Nicole Reyes97 said:That Renault looks just like a USPS delivery van😳

Maybe you're just finding this season a bit jarring because there's so much change happening at once; give yourself some time to adjust to the new rhythm.🙂

😁

Don't lose your soul over it.🙏

Morgan Murphy7 said:😁

don't even get me started 🙏

man, seriously... 😁 seeing that "Chevrolet" logo on the car—it honestly makes my hair stand on end 😠 they might as well have just slapped an "F1 shipping container" sticker on there instead ☕

😲 What a strange era we're living in... both McLaren and Mercedes are acting completely out of character lately... 🤷, I fully expected Ferrari to be fast and figured Red Bull was cooking up something special, but this whole situation just feels off.

Nicole Reyes97 said:And don't even get me started on seeing that "Chevrolet" branding on the car; it honestly makes my skin crawl. 😁 They might as well have just slapped an "F1 shipping container" logo on there instead. 😠 ☕

I haven't actually caught a glimpse of it myself yet, mostly because the crew over at ABC had those Renault cars looking like they were about 13 seconds off the pace on their broadcast. 🙏

shadowstag10 said:Does Red Bull really think graining is going to be such a massive issue? They want to take the risk anyway. They’d likely just give Mark Webber a car with more downforce. 😉

I pushed that point to the extreme, just to make the situation easier to grasp.

Of course, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. But it's pretty obvious that the two Red Bull cars are set up differently. I mean, it’s impossible for Sebastian Vettel to be a full second per lap faster than Mark Webber.

So I was stuck watching qualifying on ESPN,
Mark Webber is sitting there only 0.200 behind on his second lap, and then—get this—about 20 seconds later at the end of the lap, he’s suddenly down by more than a full second...
Honestly, it looks like a massive unforced error on his part rather than just a massive gap in car performance...

Arthur Doyle70 said:😲 What a weird time to be alive... both McLaren and Mercedes are acting completely bizarre...🤷, I knew Ferrari would be fast and Red Bull was cooking something up... but this is just strange..

Right now, it looks like Red Bull and Ferrari are the top tier, while Mercedes and McLaren are stuck in the second tier with Robert Kubica breathing down their necks.👍

Honestly, the only thing that trips me up is Mark Webber's time (could be the tires). If he hit traffic or just messed up, then this might end up being a better season for Red Bull than what Brawn GP had last year.😁

Sebastian Vettel was on softs, just like Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, and Michael Schumacher.
Being 1.5 seconds off—Jenson Button in a McLaren is clearly even among the worst of the bottom four teams.🤷

The only guy I actually noticed on the hard tires was Adrian Sutil.👍

EDIT:

Force India
Adrian Sutil (10th, Q3 - 1m 56.309s)
“I'm very happy. I think it was a great achievement to go into Q3 at the first race: our best start to the season for a long time. The team should be very proud of it, I am very proud of this, so let's see how it goes tomorrow. Our goal is now to finish in the points. At the moment I'm in tenth and hopefully we can make one or two positions up as I'm the only car on the hard tyre so it may be an advantage. I'm surprised that the others were on the soft tyres so our decision could pay off tomorrow. We are strong under heavy fuel loads but we were very fast in Q1 and Q2 when everyone was on soft tyres so there are a few more positions we could gain. We worked very hard over the winter and over the last four years and it's nice to see it giving dividends now.”

Yeah, but Alonso is simply slower than Massa, just like Michael Schumacher is to Nico Rosberg, and Mark Webber to Sebastian Vettel. Tire strategy has nothing to do with it.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82068

If Sebastian Vettel is surprised by Pierre Gasly's pace, then it’s unlikely the car is tuned specifically for qualifying. It really looks like Red Bull is the fastest and best thing on the track right now.👋

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82073

And yeah, Button said it too—McLaren is just plain bad. Looks like they missed something again. So far, nobody seems to be complaining about their rear wing.😬

Jason Campbell70 said:Rubens Barrichello 11.
Hulkenberg 13.

I'm having a great time over here. 🎉

Nico Rosberg 5.
Michael Schumacher 7.

☕

stormybadger8 said:it looks like Red Bull and Ferrari are the top tier right now, while Mercedes and McLaren are lagging behind with Robert Kubica just barely keeping pace👍

honestly, the only thing that feels off to me is Mark Webber's lap time—though I guess tire compounds play a part. if he was just stuck in traffic or messed up a turn, then we might actually be looking at a better season for Red Bull than what Brawn GP had last year😁

Sebastian Vettel was on softs, just like Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton, and Michael Schumacher
being 1.5 seconds off means even among the bottom four teams, Jenson Button in the McLaren is clearly struggling🤷

the only guy who stood out to me on the hard tires was Adrian Sutil👍

EDIT:

yeah, Alonso is just slower than Massa, just like Michael Schumacher is slower than Nico Rosberg, and Mark Webber is slower than Sebastian Vettel; you can't blame the tires for that

Everything gets even weirder when you look at this documenthttp://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre...fying-trap.pdf

I wouldn't go as far as saying McLaren is slower than Mercedes—which sounds crazy after they spent years trying to pull away from them—but listen to what the drivers are saying. first, Lewis Hamilton mentioned losing a full second in the middle sector and said he was actually thrilled with Fourth Place, then Jenson Button mentioned the car felt strange🤷 , and when you look at the gaps, there's only a second between P1 and P4😲 and just half a second between P2 and Third Place

mistybear87 said:Nico Rosberg 5.
Michael Schumacher 7.

☕

2. Felipe Massa
3. Fernando Alonso

☕

This is basically what I was getting at ☕