F1 Italian GP - Monza (Sept 2, 2018)

Richard Walker38 said:To, to 🙏It’s always someone else's fault—it’s never the guy behind the wheel.

It’s pretty clear at this point—Kimi is the one to blame for all of this. 🕺🙏😁

Jeremy Reyes4 said:Man, seriously... this guy’s got way more luck than actual brains. Just a total lucky bum.

Why are you getting so worked up over nothing, man? Chill out.

Richard Walker38 said:So, so... 🙏It’s always someone else’s fault—never the guy behind the wheel!

I honestly thought Clark was pulling way more weight than Best—but hey, I guess it’s all pretty much middle of the road!

Roger Wright94 said:👍
Yeah, Mercedes handled the tactics well today. They kept pace with Ferrari. Bottas was business as usual. It would have been even more intense if the rain had started falling while they were waiting for Lewis to pit.
But despite the criticisms floating around here, I don't see any major blunders from Ferrari.
Kimi's pit stop was fine. You can tell because the order stayed intact. Lewis actually had the chance to pit right after Kimi. Still, what Mercedes did made sense.

As for Vettel? I'll check the replays later, but I think Kimi is the main factor. He had a poor start. Vettel was faster, but he couldn't find a way past—it just wasn't enough time. Then Kimi slowed him down again, which led to the incident. I don't see any specific driving errors. Once an incident like that happens, damage control becomes nearly impossible.

Another disappointment for Ferrari.
I guess the only thing bigger than this is how much people are overreacting here.

In my view, Ferrari's only real mistake was falling for that trap at the chicane. It turns out expecting those hard tires to last until the end was asking too much.

Regarding Vettel, I’ll just repeat what I said before the race: he really should have just focused on Luja, and everything else likely would have fallen into place. Vettel messed up entering the chicane (Lesmo, I think?) for the exact reason I mentioned. He needed a little help from Rajko and Luju-hebiga.

Take a look and decide for yourself.

Roger Wright94 said:Vettel? I’ll have to check the replays later, but honestly, I think Kimi is the main factor here. He had a rough start. Vettel was clearly faster, but he just couldn't find a way past—there wasn't enough time. Then Kimi holds him up again, and that leads straight to the incident. I don't see any major driving errors on his part.

I almost agree with you.
Almost.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Kimi absolutely wrecked him during qualifying yesterday—he had that tow, then today he botched the start and completely ruined his race. Zlocko and that loser Kimi are just a mess.

#freeVettel

mellowtiger83 said:Tibi, get out of here! Nobody's asking you for anything. Let’s actually talk about the master himself, Vettel, behind the wheel.🙂

What do you need from me, sweetheart? 😍

Roger Wright94 said:Vettel? I'll probably check the replays later—though I suspect Kimi might be the main factor here. He had a rough start. Vettel seemed faster, but he just couldn't make the move in time, I guess. Then Kimi slows him down again, and that leads to the collision. I don't see any glaring driving errors, really.

Oh boy. 😲

🤣

Richard Walker38 said:Kimi totally wrecked him in qualifying—he had that tow, then today he just had a sluggish start and ruined his whole race. Zlocko and that guy Kimi are just trouble.

#freeVettel

I honestly think Ferrari overestimated themselves—they thought they were good enough to just focus on having Kimi snatch points away from Lewis... but like I said before, as long as they keep acting like Vettel is this untouchable superstar, it’s basically handing an advantage straight to Lewis and Mercedes.

Jason Campbell70 said:In both fast Q3 laps, the geniuses are basically using driver number one to pull driver number two along.
When you consider driver number one is fighting for the championship, while driver number two has zero reason to care about points other than helping driver number one secure the title.
At Indianapolis.

OK, I think I've seen it all now.
GG WP.

GG WP on the race, too.

Gary Palmer8 said:I honestly think Ferrari overrated themselves. They thought they were good enough to just focus on having Kimi snag points away from Hamilton... but like I said before, as long as they keep acting like Vettel is this top-tier driver, they're basically handing an advantage to Hamilton and Mercedes.

It’s not on Ferrari; it’s just terrible driving from Vettel. During qualifying yesterday, he was constantly sliding off into the gravel and taking wide lines, which cost him precious time in every single Q session. Blaming the slipstream is nothing more than pure damage control.

Then in the race, he made a total rookie mistake and paid the price. If he had actually been smart—since he's clearly so confident in the car's pace—he could have let Hamilton pass and then hunted him down on the very next opportunity. After that, if necessary, he could've just let Kimi through during the pit stops.

He basically tripped over his own feet here. It’s his own fault, plain and simple. He can't blame the crew or his teammate for this one.

Roger Wright94 said:Then Kimi slowed him down again, which led to the collision. I don't see any major driving errors here. Once an incident happens, though, damage control is always a nightmare.

I take responsibility for the incident myself; he could have even faced a penalty since Hamilton had half a car ahead of him at the moment of contact... Sebastian Vettel seemed on edge from the start, and Kimi would have let him through if it had been necessary later in the race.

But now I'm wondering, what on earth is that Mercedes-Benz made of to be so incredibly tough? 😁
And this isn't even the first time they've walked away from contact without a scratch.

stormybadger8 said:No need to worry about me, honey. 😍

It’s nothing. I just feel bad about what happened to Sebastian Vettel. That’s all.

Forget it.😁

Brandon Evans5 said:He knew himself that arrivaben would sort things out and let Kimi through; he just needed patience, but clearly, he ran out. Sometimes he’s just like Max—there’s something weird going on in that Red Bull school

He knew they weren't going to order Kimi to move aside. That much is obvious to anyone with half a brain...
arrivaben literally adores Kimi, and he's certainly not a huge fan of Vettel...
It's pretty clear Vettel asked them to get rid of him and just got shut down...
I don't see why else he'd be that aggressive at the start, especially against Kimi. Lewis Hamilton is just the fallout from all that anyway...

Still, it was definitely a total brain fart by Vettel. It should have been obvious he had enough pace to overtake Kimi during the race without making a scene,
but the guy goes in attacking like an idiot instead of just handling it, and naturally, he ends up in the mess he created himself 🤦

Today, the red team was basically in "stupid mode," if that's even possible...
Ferrari's tactics were 🙏

I'm also getting a little worried about the car. For some reason, they absolutely shredded those soft tires, which is pretty bizarre...
Vettel could've cruised to a podium if he wasn't worried about his tires being completely trashed. Who knows, maybe he would've even made it there if they'd just gone straight to mediums...
What's actually shocking, and shows just how screwed they were on those softs, is Vettel's gap to Kimi...
Jesus, only 8 seconds at the end of the race, and that's even though Vettel effectively started from the back and fought his way through, plus hitting the pits again after the SC...
In the end, his biggest deficit to the leader (pretty sure it was Kimi) was about 42 seconds at one point...
If the race had lasted five more laps, I'm not even sure Kimi would've finished in the top 10. Seriously, what kind of kid is this? You lead by a massive margin for over half the race only to get overtaken on track by Sergey Sirotkin 😵

I honestly don't get why Sebastian Vettel didn't just play it smart and let Hamilton go down with him. He could have easily claimed he lost grip, both end up with a DNF, and he walks away with those 17 points intact. It sounds much better than taking a -30 hit.

Now, Vettel is stuck praying for a Hamilton DNF, which would still leave Hamilton with a 5-point cushion.

All the pressure has shifted entirely onto Vettel. One more mistake and his championship hopes are dead in the water, whereas Hamilton can afford to mess around and still stay right in the hunt.

mellowtiger83 As I was saying:
I honestly can't wrap my head around why Sebastian Vettel didn't just play it smart regarding Lewis Hamilton. I mean, wouldn't it have been so much easier to just claim he lost grip or that the car slid out from under him? If they both ended up with a DNF, those 17 points would still be sitting right there on the table. Wouldn't that sound a whole lot better than taking a massive -30 point hit? Why take the fall when you could have just played it off as a racing incident?

Now we've reached that frustrating stage where Sebastian Vettel basically has to sit there and pray for a DNF from Lewis Hamilton, just so he can maintain that five-point lead. Isn't it strange how much the championship comes down to pure luck at this point? You find yourself rooting for someone else's misfortune just to stay in the hunt.

I won't even get started on the sheer amount of pressure weighing on Sebastian Vettel right now. It’s honestly intense. One more little slip-up, one tiny mistake, and his shot at the championship is basically history. Meanwhile, look at Lewis Hamilton—he can practically do whatever he wants, drive like a maniac, and still find himself right in the thick of the title fight. Isn't it wild how much breathing room one driver gets while the other is walking a tightrope?

I’ve definitely had that thought cross my mind before—you know, the whole "die a man" mentality where you just grit your teeth and take whatever comes your way—but honestly? I don't think Sebastian Vettel is that kind of guy. He's just not built that way.
Nothing’s actually been settled yet. We still have seven races left on the calendar, which is basically a third of the season remaining. Honestly, I have a feeling Lewis Hamilton is going to struggle in his next outing—maybe even sooner than that. At this stage, you really have to be lucky, don't you? You need to grab every single opportunity that comes your way and, for heaven's sake, stop handing out free gifts to the competition.

mellowtiger83 said:I just don't get why Vettel didn't play it smart and blame a slide. He could've just said the car lost grip, both end up DNF, and he keeps those 17 points. Sounds way better than taking a -30 hit.

Now Vettel’s basically praying for a Hamilton DNF, and even then, Hamilton would still be up by 5 points.

And don't even get me started on the pressure. It's all on Vettel now—one more mistake and his championship hopes are dead. Meanwhile, Hamilton can mess around and still stay right in the fight.

He probably thought Bottas was lunging at him. I mean, that's pretty much classic Bottas tactics, right?😁
Plus, we all know his rearview mirrors aren't exactly top-tier.😬

If Ferrari needs to make any changes, it should start with their strategists—period. They pit Kimi while he’s leading, leaving Lewis Hamilton to grind through another 6 or 7 laps on old tires, only for Kimi to get stuck behind Valtteri Bottas, which puts Lewis right on his tail with fresh rubber.

Honestly, forget them; if you ask me, Kimi should just say goodbye to those incompetents at Ferrari.

Walter Anderson43 said:If Ferrari needs to fire anyone, it’s definitely the strategists. They pit Kimi while he's leading, then leave Hamilton out on old tires for another 6 or 7 laps, only for Kimi to get stuck behind Bottas, leaving Hamilton right on his tail with fresh rubber.

Honestly, screw them. In my book, Kimi should just say goodbye to these clowns at Ferrari.

What happened with Kimi makes zero sense...
From a strategic standpoint, someone at Ferrari deserves to be fired immediately—right now—because of that call. 😳

I mean, even with Vettel, they couldn't be 100% sure his softs would go that fast...
but they knew damn well what was happening with Kimi's tires 🤦 since Vettel's tires were already completely trashed by that point.

Drew Bennett68 said:I've definitely thought about it too—just go out there, fight like a man, and deal with the fallout later. But let's be real, Sebastian Vettel isn't built that way.
Nothing is settled yet. We’ve got seven races left, which is basically a third of the season. Lewis Hamilton is bound to have a rough outing soon, maybe even at the next one. He needs to get lucky, grab the opportunity, and stop handing out freebies to everyone else.

Looking at the stats for Singapore, things might look a little kind to Sebastian Vettel, even though Mercedes-Benz has absolutely owned that track for the last two seasons. It’s going to be intense.