2021 Emilia Romagna GP (Imola) | April 16-18

Joshua Wood5 said:Comparing the crashes of Sebastian Vettel in 2018 and Lewis Hamilton in 2021.

Vettel after sliding into the barrier.




From the moment of impact, it took him less than two seconds to start pounding the steering wheel, swearing, and crying. The guy literally broke down in under two seconds.

The GOAT after sliding into the barrier:
"I remember just sitting there looking at the barrier and I refused to think the race was over. "

I refused to think the race was over.

It's because of moments like these that we love Formula 1.

Jason Campbell70 said:With that incredible W12, the second Mercedes driver finished near the back in Q3, dropped two spots at the start, and then spent nearly 30 laps unable to overtake a single soul on track. And it wasn't just that he couldn't pass anyone—he couldn't even pull away from George Russell in that absolute junk heap of a Williams. A Williams, mind you, which didn't manage to score a single point all last season.

No matter how much Mercedes is paying Hamilton—supposedly around $50 million for this season—it’s absolutely worth every penny. There isn't a single development area for the car that could provide as much of a performance leap as Lewis Hamilton himself does.

What Hamilton is doing right now is only comparable to what Michael Schumacher did at Ferrari in the late 90s.
This is exactly why we love Formula 1.

Oh, come on, how can you say that? In the last race, Valtteri Bottas was dead last in that rotten car, not pacing alongside Hamilton and Max.

Or look at McLaren—that car is basically scrap metal considering Daniel Ricciardo was trailing behind Lando... Or let's take the W8, where Hamilton in Miami looked like he was driving an old McLaren while Bottas was busy fighting off Ferraris.

What I'm saying is, sometimes the tires just aren't in the "window," or a driver simply has an off weekend where they just can't find a rhythm with the car. That doesn't mean the car isn't great, because the W12 is definitely a fantastic machine. If anyone thinks it's on par with a Williams just because Bottas was scrapping with them last weekend—while in that very same "Williams," Hamilton is setting fastest laps right next to Max in the Red Bull Racing—then they really need to rethink their perspective.🙂

One truly encounters an endless variety of opinions on this forum, does one not? It ranges from the bold assertion that Mercedes is barely outperforming Williams to those rather colorful descriptions of how a driver might find himself spinning off the track and straight into the catch fencing 🙏

copperdrifter26 said:If anyone actually thinks they're on par with Williams just because Valtteri Bottas was fighting them for position this weekend—while Lewis Hamilton is out there setting fastest laps right alongside Max Verstappen in that Red Bull Racing—then maybe I should try whatever it is you guys are taking.🙂

What exactly are we gaining by claiming Bottas was on par with Williams, especially when Hamilton was setting faster laps than Max Verstappen in the exact same car?
Live timing.

😁

graniteharbor502 said:Man, you can read just about anything on this board. One minute Mercedes is basically a Williams, the next we're acting like driving straight into the barrier is some kind of masterclass. 🙏

If Mercedes were actually "on par" with Williams, you'd see George Russell and Valtteri Bottas fighting tooth and nail for the same spot. Even Sheikh Zayed showed us those two drivers are equally matched. It’s simple math—logic as clear as day.

Lewis Hamilton didn't end up in the barrier—he finished P2. All that matters is where you cross the line after the final lap. Whatever nonsense he was doing in the laps before that is completely irrelevant.

The guy who actually ended up in the wall was Sebastian Vettel back in 2019 at Indianapolis, because that happened to be his final lap.

Drew Bennett68 said:

😁

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, though in this particular instance, I would argue it represents far more than just a thousand posts from dedicated fanboys.🙏🙏🙏

graniteharbor502 said:Honestly, a single picture says more than a thousand words—or in our case, way more than those thousand endless posts from the fanboys...🙏🙏🙏

He's absolutely right; that shot perfectly captures how the GOAT locks in when he's looking to tear through the field.

ruggedhawk20 said:Sebastian Vettel ended up off-track and stuck in the barrier back in 2019 at Indianapolis—it was basically his final lap there.

2018.

graniteharbor502 said:Ferrari is running two drivers who didn't make a single mistake during the race—honestly, they would have finished way ahead of Lewis Hamilton if George Russell and Valtteri Bottas hadn't collided. Just saying...

If Lewis had been at the same level his whole career as guys like Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, or Max Verstappen, he’d probably have 9 titles by now and be chasing number 10.
just my two cents...

graniteharbor502 said:That's just what happens when you're driving the best car on the grid. Mistakes tend to fly under the radar back then. But this season? Mercedes-Benz doesn't have that massive edge over Red Bull Racing anymore, so those errors are going to start catching up to them. I'm actually expecting more mistakes from Lewis now that the pressure is really on.

With 100 wins already in the bag, he definitely has a lot of pressure on him right now. 😁

Drew Bennett68 said:

😁

The way they're mocking him really tells you everything you need to know about their character... just a bunch of couch potatoes living life from the sofa to the fridge and back again...

gentlemoose57 said:That’s spot on—that photo perfectly captures how the GOAT locks in when he's ready to break through the field.

Yeah, exactly that...

Gary Palmer8 said:The fact they’re resorting to mockery tells you everything you need to know about their character... it’s just endless leisure, couch-fridge-couch...

Exactly my point...

This marks the second time someone has resorted to an ad hominem attack against me. First, I was targeted, and then anyone who doesn't see eye-to-eye with you gets labeled a racist.

Let’s try to keep this constructive, shall we?

Drew Bennett68 said:That’s the second time someone's gone for an ad hominem attack against me—firstly with myself, and then anyone who doesn't see eye-to-eye with you gets labeled a racist.

Just trying to be constructive here.

Well, I'm just being constructive by pointing out where the logic trips up...

Gary Palmer8 said:That is exactly it...

Look, I totally get why people are losing their minds—it’s hard watching your childhood idols get overtaken by someone like Lewis Hamilton—and I get the frustration, but honestly? Sometimes the vitriol online is just straight-up disgusting.

I've been chewing on something from this race, just one little battle that seemed to fly totally under the radar. Basically, Kimi was holding off Ocon, Alonso, and Perez for like 15 or 20 straight laps! I mean, maybe Alpine isn't all that, or maybe Perez was just having one of those off days, but even Alfa Romeo isn't exactly a powerhouse right now. BTW, all three of them were constantly stuck in each other's DRS while Kimi stayed out front without any help. For you guys who actually watch the deep technical stuff, what's the verdict... is Alfa finally turning a corner?

Peter Carter6 said:Is Alfa Romeo finally turning a corner?

Ferrari has found its footing again.

I don't get the logic behind making Lando Norris the Driver of the Day. 🤔
Sure, the race stoppage helped him out, much like it did for Lewis, and he definitely showed progress compared to his qualifying performance. That part makes sense—he started 7th and ended up on the podium in 3rd Place. I can wrap my head around that.

But before the red flag, he was averaging about a second per lap slower than Charles Leclerc. We're talking 26 or 27 seconds over 30 laps. In a field where cars are supposed to be neck-and-neck, that’s a massive gap.

So, I'm sitting here wondering what actually happened.
Maybe it was all about the car setup. It's a safe bet that Ferrari went for higher downforce. 100%.
Once the race resumed, the track was likely a lot drier, which might have made that extra downforce a bit of a hindrance for Leclerc. Lando Norris managed to jump past him right at the restart, but he couldn't pull away or build any kind of comfortable cushion. They basically split the better laps down the middle, which suggests they were pretty evenly matched.

Coming back to the Driver of the Day thing—I wouldn't say Norris actually earned it. I just don't see the merit there.
If anyone actually agrees with this choice and feels like explaining why, I'm all ears.

Roger Wright94 said:I honestly don't get why Lando Norris is Driver of the Day ??? 🤔
Sure, the red flag helped him out—just like it did Lewis—and he definitely made up ground compared to qualifying. That part is easy—he started 7th and ended up on the podium in 3rd Place. No arguments there.

But before the race was halted, he was averaging a full second behind Charles Leclerc per lap. We're talking 26-27 seconds over 30 laps. For cars this close, that gap is massive.

So, where's the catch?
It probably came down to setup. Ferrari was definitely dialed in for more downforce—that's a given.
Once the race restarted, the track was likely way drier, so maybe all that extra downforce actually worked against Leclerc. Lando jumped past him right at the restart, but he couldn't pull away—couldn't build any real breathing room. They split the better laps pretty much fifty-fifty, so they were basically neck-and-neck.

Going back to DOTD—I wouldn't say Lando actually earned it. I just don't see the merit there.
If anyone actually agrees with his pick and wants to try making sense of it, I'm all ears.

The fans vote for Driver of the Day. The only people who can answer your question are a bunch of British teenagers glued to their phones during the race, clicking buttons for Lando Norris.

Driver of the Day is totally irrelevant. Completely meaningless.

Exactly...
Ever since they brought that into Formula 1, the Department of Defense selection has been a total joke...
I mean, I remember Max being picked by the DOD a couple of times, even after he wrecked his car in the first lap. 🙏🤣

Gary Palmer8 said:The way people are mocking this says everything you need to know about their character. It’s just endless recreation—basically a cycle of couch, fridge, couch.

🙂

I guess we’ve also got some TRX installed in between.

With Alonso's and Kimi's (and maybe even Max's soon) portraits right there in my field of vision... 😳

Well, that’s probably a bit too much TMI for a place like this, so I won't go into the specifics.