2013 Car Reveal & Winter Testing Kickoff

Jason Campbell70 said:Given how radically different the front suspension on the new MP4-28 is compared to last year's MP4-27, wouldn't you say that a significant portion of the credit actually belongs to the new chassis?

Niki Lauda.
When it comes to the accuracy of these forecasts and analyses, where do they actually stand? Honestly, they’re about on par with Gary Anderson's.
Then again, Gary Anderson actually has a track record. He’s handled car design before and he’s certainly seen some success. Doesn't that count for something?
Did Lauda ever actually get a single prediction right? Not that I can recall. 😁

Talk about an absolute, massive, legendary fail.🤣🤣🤣

I still remember seeing Lauda in the paddock before the 2007 US Grand Prix when he loudly proclaimed, "This is Sebastian Vettel—he's going to be a multi-time world champion."☕

So... yeah.😍

I honestly don't even bother reacting to this kind of blatant nonsense anymore😁

Jerry Rogers6 said:blah, I doubt we'll ever see the same guy again
I'm not so sure the flaws he carries are actually fixable

Mark even mentioned that they should probably introduce an extra starting slot just for him 🤣😁
We'll know if Mark won't pull it off 😳

Lauda was highlighting how good Lotus was all through last season.
Yeah, the same Lauda you claim is constantly talking nonsense and doesn't have a clue about anything.
☕

I don't remember that. Maybe he got mixed up and was actually bashing Caterham, which used to be Lotus

Besides the fact that he was bashing them, there wasn't even much to say about Lotus last year

They only actually made some real progress this year

Jason Campbell70 said:Given how radically different the front suspension on the new MP4-28 is compared to last year's MP4-27, wouldn't you say that a significant portion of the credit actually belongs to the new chassis?

Niki Lauda.
When it comes to the accuracy of these forecasts and analyses, where do they actually stand? Honestly, they’re about on par with Gary Anderson's.
Then again, Gary Anderson actually has a track record. He’s handled car design before and he’s certainly seen some success. Doesn't that count for something?
Did Lauda ever actually get a single prediction right? Not that I can recall. 😁

Please, Lauda is a total joke. A complete clown and a court jester—nobody takes him seriously.

I still remember—it was coming out
during that first stretch of the season, specifically... I watched the qualifying sessions more times than I can count back when I was staying over at my friend's place in Chicago.

stormybadger8 said:
Talk about an absolute, massive, legendary fail.🤣🤣🤣

I still remember seeing Lauda in the paddock before the 2007 US Grand Prix when he loudly proclaimed, "This is Sebastian Vettel—he's going to be a multi-time world champion."☕

So... yeah.😍

That was Jackie Stewart talking—not Niki Lauda.

ruggedhawk20 said:Please, Lauda is a total joke. A complete clown and a court jester—nobody takes him seriously.

On this forum, certain things are absolutely untouchable, obviously.
When you take a quick peek over the fence, you see these absolute morons—look at them go—clinging to his opinion like it’s gospel. 👎 It’s honestly pathetic. 👎

Jerry Rogers6 said:On this forum, certain things are absolutely untouchable, obviously.
When you take a quick peek over the fence, you see these absolute morons—look at them go—clinging to his opinion like it’s gospel. 👎 It’s honestly pathetic. 👎

just go ahead and jump the fence then—hang out with his little fan club and pretend his "brilliant" takes are actually worth something.

Look, man, you have to admit—his insights can actually be pretty sharp and spot-on when he's on a roll. Just deal with it.

Plus, if you're actually paying attention to his takes, you can make some serious bank on your sports bets now and then.🙂😁

ruggedhawk20 said:Please, Lauda is a total joke. A complete clown and a court jester—nobody takes him seriously.

You see certain individuals who just soak up Laudine’s nonsense like a sponge.

It’s a shame that old burnout couldn't hit his mark for once. At least then Alonso might have added another title to his collection, and maybe Schumacher would've been climbing the top step of the podium last season.

🤣

ruggedhawk20 said:That was Jackie Stewart talking—not Niki Lauda.

I saw Stewart on some random German channel on cable, heard him speaking German, and my brain just swapped him for Lauda... I must've been hammered.🤣

stormybadger8 said:I saw Stewart on some random German channel on cable, heard him speaking German, and my brain just swapped him for Lauda... I must've been hammered.🤣

Could've been Christian Danner—or maybe Marc Surer, honestly.

Kimi - two-time world champ

stormybadger8 said:I saw Stewart on some random German channel on cable, heard him speaking German, and my brain just swapped him for Lauda... I must've been hammered.🤣

Well... you've always had quite the reputation for having an impeccable memory when it comes to names and specific quotes.

The Williams crew spent the entire day today just drilling pit stops.
I’m really hoping all that practice pays off on race day. Hopefully, they also took some time to walk Maldonado through the basics
regarding what those pit lane lights actually mean—and specifically, explaining that if someone starts waving him off aggressively
right next to those signals, they definitely aren't trying to help him pass along any friendly greetings from Pastor to Chavez.

Jason Campbell70 said:Well... you've always had quite the reputation for having an impeccable memory when it comes to names and specific quotes.

I remember Vettel's first race like it was yesterday.😁

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/105674

"That’s obviously the goal, but let's be real—the car was trailing by a second, sometimes even two, last season, and we haven't clawed back a single second yet.

"Plus, everyone else is going to find a full second over the winter break. So, bottom line? We didn't magically gain three seconds. That's just math.

Looks like the guys in red started a whole new trend of whining and bellyaching last year, and now it’s spreading through the paddock like the flu.🤣
Mercedes is still lagging by 3 seconds. 🙏 🤣
Who knows, maybe Haas will actually start passing them on the track this season now that they've got KERS.😬

All this debating about whether Force India should run one or two drivers is getting interesting.
Looking back at how things went down:
Jerez:
Bianchi Force India 1m18.175s
di Resta Force India 1m19.003s
Rossiter Force India 1m19.303s

Barcelona:
Sutil Force India 1m22.877s
Di Resta Force India 1m23.971s

Hmm, Sutil and Bianchi looked pretty sharp, so picking between them won't be easy...
But honestly? If I'm calling the shots, I’d stick with di Resta and bring both Sutil and Bianchi along for the ride.🤔

And what exactly makes you think Sutil and Bianchi were running on the same setup as Resta? 🤔

Is there any way we could rank these teams based on actual potential, rather than just what they're showing on track? Because some of these guys are definitely hiding their true pace.
Lotus looks like they’ve got a lightning-fast car right now... might actually be outperforming Ferrari and McLaren. Red Bull is playing it smart and holding back, Mercedes is struggling, while Haas and Sauber look solid. I’ve also got a feeling Williams has a sleeper hit on their hands.
1. Red Bull
2. Lotus
3. McLaren
4. Ferrari
5. Williams
6. Mercedes
7. Sauber
8. Haas

just my two cents so far...