Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

Jason Campbell70 As I've mentioned before—and I think we’re all starting to realize this—it seems like everyone has an opinion on how things should be run.
So, darling, what exactly kind of damage are we talking about when it comes to that Finnish fraud's car? 🍿

Flat tires? Seriously? It takes you three whole minutes just to limp back to the pits, and you don't even have a clue if there’s actual damage to the car... And please, spare me the affection—I know you're only playing nice because some other user on here is your sweetheart, and trust me, you're definitely not my type.😉

So, you're actually gonna ask me to cough up some hard evidence that there was damage on the car? Seriously? Like I’m just sitting here holding onto some secret folder of telemetry data or something. You really think I've got photographic proof tucked away in my back pocket just waiting for someone to demand it? Please. I'm making a call here based on what I saw and how the thing was moving, not because I'm trying to play detective for the FIA or whatever. It was obvious, plain as day, and if you need a high-res macro shot of a carbon fiber splinter to believe me, then you're probably looking at the wrong guy.

So, wait, let me get this straight—are we seriously supposed to believe it only got trashed while he was tucked right behind someone else? Like, that’s just wild. Honestly, it sounds a bit convenient if you ask me.

brightwolf48 said:Empty tires? Why does it take you three whole minutes just to limp back to the pits without even knowing if there's damage? And don't try getting all sweet with me. I know you're just playing favorites with that other guy on the forum, and frankly, you're not my type anyway.😉

He made it back to the pits, swapped out the tires, and fixed the damage.

And then he finds himself stuck behind two drivers who have never even scored a single point in their entire careers—both driving for teams that have yet to see a podium finish in their history.

Listen. UnknownThat damage in the second lap hit him hard, but he didn't let it break him. He just kept fighting, dropping his lap times lower and lower as the race went on. By lap 36, he finally brought that Ferrari home.
Just about the damage.

Jason Campbell70 said:Fine, he limped back to the pits, swapped the rubber, and patched up the damage.

And then he gets stuck behind two drivers who haven't scored a single point in their entire careers—driving for teams that have never seen a championship point in their history.

Look, honey, that little mishap in the second lap hit him so hard that he actually started dropping his lap times—faster and faster. Then, in lap 36, he just gave up and drove straight into his FL.
That was "just" the damage.

Now, don't be like that—maybe the guy was just at Boban's getting ice cream and accidentally ordered vanilla instead of chocolate.

brightwolf48 said:Honey, don't be like that, maybe the guy was just grabbing an ice cream at Baskin-Robbins and decided to go vanilla instead of chocolate.

And those are the arguments we're working with here. Seriously. 👍

😂

darkmarlin16 said:That's basically the whole argument right there. 👍

😂

Kimi Räikkönen said:
"I had some damage after that, so we lost some downforce because the tyre damaged the floor."

stormybadger8 said:What would even happen if we just stopped worrying about it? Right now, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are basically neck and neck.☕

Ferrari looked faster during the morning session, so we were all basically neck and neck, but I guess the truth finally caught up with us—Red Bull Racing is just ahead. They say the truth comes out slow, but it always finds its way to the surface eventually.☕

Douglas Parker61 said:Kimi's statement:
"I had some damage after that, so we lost some downforce because the tyre damaged the floor."

Why even bother putting in the effort? These threads seem to be drifting further and further away from the actual race, don't they? It feels as though they are increasingly serving as nothing more than a sort of therapeutic outlet for frustrated trolls...

Douglas Parker61 said:Kimi's quote:
"I had some damage after that, so we lost some downforce because the tyre damaged the floor."

That’s an actual argument right there. That’s what I was looking for. 👍

Not just some mindless rambling or trolling for the sake of it. 👍

Douglas Parker61 said:Kimi's statement:
"I had some damage after that, so we lost some downforce because the tyre damaged the floor."

My apologies, really.

But the main thing? He clocked his fastest lap on lap 36.
Sounds like some pretty nasty damage.

dustycyclist19 said:Ferrari was faster during the morning session, so they were neck and neck. Now you finally see the truth: Red Bull Racing is ahead. They say the truth comes out slow, but it always finds its way eventually.☕

It’s obvious Red Bull Racing is ahead when Vettel is clearly outperforming Alonso... anything else would just be unnatural. 😍

Ferrari isn't bad at all. Honestly, they’re right up there with Red Bull Racing for now.
Look, the truth is Red Bull Racing has the superior aero and a better chassis overall, but Ferrari’s got the better engine—for now.😁)...

So, what's left to see? They’ll probably just delete the whole thread once they get their act together, but for now, we're still hanging on.
Don't forget, this was Vettel's first race ever—and the first time he actually managed to pull off a full race distance without breaking a sweat.

But honestly, when it comes to that race, you probably liked the opening best.
When everyone was stuck on the exact same strategy and running the identical tires.😉
I don't even know where to start with this one. Just... wow. First ten laps.
Ferrari and Red Bull are basically identical on pace right now. Both are sitting about a full second behind Lewis Hamilton per lap, and honestly, everyone else was feeling the heat during that stretch—even Lewis.

That 9/10th lap from Alonso feels off. I can't tell if he just completely botched it—maybe missed a braking point or spun out and cooked his tires—or if the Ferrari is just absolutely eating through rubber.🤷
It’s possible they’re just eating through tires. Honestly, maybe the Bear and Red Bull Racing totally messed up by even trying to shadow him in the pits. Red Bull's pace hasn't even jumped like that after longer stints.

stormybadger8 said:It's obvious Red Bull is ahead when Vettel is outperforming Alonso...

Unknown. 😁 Honestly? I'm not so sure about that. Personally, I think Vettel gets way too much credit.

Lewis absolutely crushed the competition, which honestly feels like a total miracle... I was already bracing myself for some metaphorical engine failure or a massive breakdown after about 30 laps. Ricciardo is being a complete disaster once again.

I’m worried the Bear might just cruise through this and pick up easy wins. They’ve still got some tricks up their sleeve, and the car is set up such that their current lead could become untouchable by the time anyone else catches up.

Red Bull Vettel looks solid—Ricciardo is just continuing the second driver karma at Red Bull. At least we know it wasn't like the Mark Webber days 🤣. But in my opinion, they definitely have more potential than Williams or McLaren. Williams seems okay at first glance, but I’m afraid they’ll just stagnate at this level while everyone else clearly moves forward.

Glad to see Ferrari thinks their main issue is just a lack of horsepower, though they really should have squeezed more out of that engine if they wanted to—by any means necessary. So, I expect the Prancing Horse to play a much bigger role for the rest of the season. Honestly, I think their only shot at winning is if both Bears suffer a massive failure.

Shoutout to Terrible—he pulled a miracle out of the Lotus and actually finished the race.

We really miss Kamui😁
He actually managed to crack the top 10 twice... once even landing him in 8th place.😁
If Kamui isn't out there grabbing points for the backmarkers, then what's the point of even having him on the grid?

Sometimes I feel genuinely bad for Felipe Massa... his entire career just seems to follow this same heartbreaking pattern.

stormybadger8 said:It’s pretty obvious Red Bull has the edge when Vettel is outperforming Alonso... anything else would just feel wrong😍

But honestly, Ferrari isn't bad at all; they're basically neck-and-neck with Red Bull right now...
The reality is Red Bull has the superior aerodynamics and a better chassis overall, though Ferrari's got the stronger engine for the moment😁...

We'll see how things shake out by the end... they'll probably blow them out of the water eventually, but that's not quite the case yet
Though you have to remember this was Vettel's first race, and his first time ever pulling off a full race distance in one go...

As far as the actual race goes, the beginning was the most telling part.
When everyone was running the exact same strategy on identical tires😉
For about the first ten laps
Ferrari and Red Bull were identical in pace... both trailing Lewis Hamilton by roughly a second per lap, and during that stretch, everyone was pushing hard... everyone, even Lewis...

Now, that lap 9 or 10 from Alonso was a bit weird; I can't tell if he just messed up—like he went wide or braked too hard and cooked his tires—or if Ferrari is just absolutely eating through rubber🤷...
It’s possible the tire deg is the issue and the Bear and Red Bull made a mistake by following him into the pits... because Red Bull's pace hasn't even been climbing much after those longer stints

I don't feel like digging through old threads, but weren't you saying just last month that Alonso is still the best?🤷

Same old story here... just fans constanty picking on Kimi because they’re still clinging to this delusion that he’s actually doing something significant, even though he hasn't really moved the needle in eight years.
The race itself was just one big forgettable mess. Lewis handled it perfectly, I guess. super Vettel dropped a spot, which is a bummer for Kimi and Ricciardo... meanwhile, Hulk and Bottas were solid again.

Bottas jumped up 10 spots. In my opinion, Massa really should have let him through so he had a shot at overtaking Button.
Maybe he wouldn't have pulled it off, but at least he would have given it a real go. Massa didn't even attempt to put any serious pressure on Button.
Back in Malaysia, Pat Symonds wasn't there, so maybe things would have been handled with a bit more tactical finesse. Since Steve Smedley is heading to Bahrain, we'll
likely see the drivers coordinating their strategies a little better.
Williams is struggling with rear downforce. That’s why they looked so much weaker in the wet, which was pretty obvious during both qualifying sessions.
On the flip side, it gives them a bit more straight-line speed. Based on what I could gather regarding fuel consumption, they were among the most efficient out there.
All in all, I can be happy with these first two races. We might have missed out on an extra point or two, but honestly, seeing the
progress they've made compared to last season makes watching these races so much more enjoyable.

swifttiger75 said:I’m worried that Mecca might get complacent and start catching mice. They still have hidden cards up their sleeves, and the car is built so well that their current lead could become untouchable by the time anyone else catches up.

Sure, it’s only the second race, but honestly, what would it take for Mercedes-Benz to lose this?

We saw during pre-season testing that the car is incredibly reliable and consistent.
Now we're seeing in actual races that they are easily a full second faster than the rest of the field.
That massive tire degradation that plagued them last season? It clearly isn't an issue for them anymore. (Actually, it's not an issue for anyone, apparently.)
With a car this dominant, it feels harder to find a driver who wouldn't win the title with it rather than the other way around.

Like someone already mentioned— and so be it, Lewis earned it.