Started by Drew Bennett68 · · 👁 20 views · 357 replies
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ruggedhawk20 said:So, we've got the GOAT sitting in the cockpit, and despite all the chaos and bad luck they've been dealing with, he still manages to grab second place, snatch the fastest lap, and stay at the top of the standings.
I guess no one else—not even a George Russell, a Valtteri Bottas, or even Max Verstappen—could have pulled that off. Not a single person. Maybe the FIA back in the mid-90s, though.
Roger Wright94 said:Bottas getting paid 15M? 🤔 Come on, ruggedhawk20—take a breath and double-check that, you might be overdoing it.
It’s not about the cash.
It's about having an obedient soldier who follows orders via remote control.
And if he's pulling in more than 5M, it's just so Toto can have a little puppy—on a very short leash.
stormybadger8 said:They are probably right about this...
Bottas likely wouldn't be defending his position this aggressively against Red Bull, McLaren, or Ferrari... But against Williams—and specifically against Russell, who is clearly gunning for his seat—he absolutely would.
That being said, I wouldn't say this is entirely Bottas's fault...
He fell for a rookie's trick, the kid blinked, and then he went flying off into the grass...
Roger Wright94 said:I am constantly analyzing Formula 1, and I maintain a very clear perspective on things. That includes my take on Bottas.
Perhaps it hasn't occurred to you that this particular weekend was simply a disastrous one for Bottas?
It seems he just didn't deliver his usual standard.
I spoke quite highly of Lewis's driving (though apparently, you're too blinded by bias to notice), so check my previous posts if you doubt that.
I truly believe he drove an excellent race, but I also don't consider it a monumental achievement to outpace six or seven other cars in this year's Mercedes-Benz that are a class below him—especially when they were all bunched up in such tight formation.
Furthermore, I am firmly convinced that at least half of the grid could have pulled off that same result. I didn't say everyone, nor did I say any specific individual; I said "at least half the grid"!
wiredseal7 said:A little detail about that race restart—the part where the "great master" Hamilton actually got overtaken by Tsunod at the jump:
Jason Campbell70 said:Everyone who got penalized earned it.
Every penalty was proportional to the mistake.
The way they handed them out was nothing new compared to what we usually see.
ruggedhawk20 said:If the Mercedes-Benz was actually the best car on the grid, Bottas would be hitting podiums regularly. But let's be real, it's just not happening.
stormybadger8 said:How exactly was there no deviation???
I mean, when was the last time we saw a call about someone going off track during an overtake coming down six hours later? Hello—six hours—or basically 55 laps plus three and a half hours 😵 after the actual thing happened on track 🤔
And remember when they didn't even decide on the penalty for those Vettel mechanics until a third of the race was already over...
Back under Charlie Whiting, those calls were made almost instantly—like, top of mind within 5-10 laps...
Instead of having the Sky Sports crew get roasted by the stewards in the post-race interview just to find out someone barely grazed the grass during a pass 🤦
Jacob Castillo70 said:I’d say George was just playing mind games. He probably wouldn't have been that aggressive on that corner if he wasn't trying to take a shot at Bottas. He saw him and thought, "If I overtake him in this Williams, it's a slam dunk proof that I'm taking Bottas's seat next season." If it had actually worked, everyone would be shouting about how it's finally Russell's time at Mercedes today. Instead, everything that could go wrong went exactly wrong.
Jacob Castillo70 said:Bottas is just there to play the Webber or Rubens role—keep things steady and make sure the constructors' points stay safe without making waves. That’s why Toto isn't obsessing over Russell nearly as much as people claim, and he basically confirmed it yesterday. Wolff has zero interest in repeating the absolute chaos that defined the Hamilton and Rosberg rivalry.
Look, everything changes if Perez actually starts driving at the front—I know he wasn't there for the first two races, but still. If Mercedes starts sniffing around that Constructors' Championship title and threatening Red Bull, then Valtteri is gone. Period.
stormybadger8 said:If Bottas is ever gonna see a podium again, Mercedes needs to be faster than everyone else by at least a second—maybe even two if things get messy or the weather starts acting up.
Even if he had a car half a second faster than everyone else—he wouldn't stand a chance at a podium. Not even close.
Look, Lewis is Lewis—if he wants to shave another second off his time, he'll do it. Period. He just isn't pushing the Mercedes to its absolute limit because he doesn't want people giving him hell about how much they're wrecking the car.
We’ve seen this movie before—one second Lewis is pulling those insane gaps because Bottas starts closing in on Luja, then suddenly, out of nowhere, Lewis just finds an unexplained extra second and leaves a totally bewildered Bottas in the rearview.
In this mess, even in the absolute wildest scenario, the Bear is maybe half a second ahead of everyone—or honestly, they're probably way ahead with Red Bull. Even looking at McLaren or Ferrari, they're still pretty close, but let's be real: Bottas' ceiling is basically 5th to 8th place.
ruggedhawk20 said:Charlie Whiting is gone now. You all spent so much time hating on him while he was still here.
I suppose you’ll just have to learn how to navigate this world without Charlie Whiting now, won't you?
Robert Cox46 said:I guess you just don't grasp the sheer scale of it—the level of artistry and skill he used to climb back into the lead pack.
ruggedhawk20 said:Charlie Whiting is gone. You all spent his whole career hating on him.
Now you just have to learn how to live in a world without Charlie Whiting.
ruggedhawk20 said:So you'd rather believe Bottas is just slower on the brain than admit the Mercedes is an absolute beast of a car.
Look what being a hater does to a guy.
stormybadger8 said:Seriously—you never realize what you had until it's gone...
The old guy had his moments, but this Mass guy? He's easily five times worse. 🤦
stormybadger8 said:Why would he be an idiot?
Because saying he's even remotely close to Hamilton's level is what's idiotic—I honestly don't follow your logic at all...
stormybadger8 said:How exactly was there no deviation?
When we see a race where officials decide whether someone left the track during an overtake nearly six hours later—hello? Six hours? Or roughly 55 laps plus three and a half hours after the actual incident on track? 🤔
Under Charlie, those calls were made almost instantly. Maybe within five to ten laps at most...
