Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

We really ought to start a poll here... what kind of disaster is Daniel Ricciardo facing at the next race?
- fuel consumption issues (sensor failure)
- engine reliability
- gearbox trouble
- electronics (ERS and all that other junk)
- a flat tire
- colliding with thin air and losing a front wing for no reason at all
- something else (anything not listed above)

gentlecobra23 said:I must say, at no point during the race did I actually perceive the Renault cars being sluggish, particularly when looking at the Red Bull. One might argue that Kimi’s struggle to clear Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean serves as sufficient evidence regarding how slow the Renault was. Furthermore, the notion that Vettel was incapable of outpacing Rosberg is quite another matter entirely. It appeared to me that Daniel Ricciardo maintained his position ahead of Vettel right up until those inexplicable sensor issues began—and then, by some strange stroke of fate, a wheel was lost in a manner that somehow threatened Vettel's standing. Isn't it curious how such things occur?

The only thing weighing on my mind is whether that fuel consumption graphic is actually telling the truth; based on what we're seeing, it looks like the Williams is practically running on fumes.😁

And really, what is one even supposed to say in response to that? To suggest he was incapable of passing Rosberg—a driver who has already proven his caliber while piloting the premier car powered by a Mercedes engine, which, let's be honest, is significantly faster than Vettel's machine on the straights? Who is truly being irrational here? 🤷

shadowstag10 said:Now you've gone and brought rainy qualifying sessions into the comparison. Even Fernando Alonso "crushed" Kimi in qualifying, yet I wouldn't go so far as to claim he is vastly superior to him because of that.

Well, credit where it's due for overtaking the number two driver, but that was essentially the extent of his performance.

He was only posing a threat for so long before they alerted Rosberg to pull away slightly; in essence, it was a completely negligible "threat."

As for the cars powered by Renault, one must offer compliments to Red Bull for once again delivering a brilliantly engineered machine.

Yes, Alonso outperformed Kimi, who was dealing with balance issues in his car. However, perhaps more importantly, regardless of his teammate's situation, Vettel managed to contend with the Mercedes cars during qualifying—and in the rain, mind you.

Goodness, after that second pit stop, he was right on his tail. He posed a genuine threat, entering the DRS zone within less than a second of the leader. That is hardly a trivial matter. In any case, every car powered by a Mercedes engine secured points today, with the sole exception of Sergio Perez, who didn't even make the start. Nuff said.

graniteharbor502 said:I mean, come on—after that second pit stop, he was practically glued to his gearbox. He was breathing down his neck, hitting that DRS zone with less than a second to spare. That’s not nothing. Besides, basically every car running a Mercedes-Benz engine walked away with points, except for Perez, who didn't even get on the grid. Nuff said.

Alright, so what?

Fernando Alonso "threatened" Ricciardo too, and apparently that was just pathetic.

And Alonso finished ahead of every single car powered by a Mercedes-Benz besides the actual Mercedes-Benz, yet you don't see anyone calling it pure artistry.

Just a pretty average race for both of them, nothing more, nothing less.

Panhard said:Like I said, I didn't see Red Bull being slower than Mercedes at any point—not even for a second during the race.

That tiny gap was just because he missed the line going into the first turn and had a garbage start. That’s it. Other than that, his pace was right up there with Rosberg's.

And you're clearly just hating on him too—it's obvious Mercedes is the fastest car on the grid, they just need to step on it a bit more and they're good.

Honestly, you're acting just like those Red Bull fanboys from last season.

Panhard said:Like I mentioned before, I haven't seen any evidence whatsoever suggesting that Red Bull was slower than Mercedes. Not at any single point during the race.

That small gap of a few seconds exists solely because he failed to secure the lead coming out of the first turn and suffered from a poor start; there isn't anything more to it than that. Otherwise, his pace was perfectly on par with Rosberg.

One really ought to ask themselves why things unfolded that way, shouldn't they? If you simply examine the free practice sessions and the fastest lap of the race, the answer becomes quite apparent to anyone paying close attention.

jadeseal7 said:He even went after Fernando Alonso until the guy actually stepped on it—maybe try putting things into perspective regarding where Ferrari is actually at right now.

Where exactly are they? 🤷

shadowstag10 said:So what exactly is the issue here?

Even when Fernando Alonso was supposedly "threatening" Daniel Ricciardo, he was clearly struggling under the circumstances.

Furthermore, if one considers that Alonso managed to finish ahead of every single car powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine—with the exception of the Mercedes-Benz itself—is it not evident, despite any attempts to downplay it, just how much sheer skill he displayed?

It was a perfectly average race for both drivers, nothing more and nothing less.

The gap separating Red Bull from Ferrari at this moment seems significantly narrower than the chasm between Mercedes-Benz and the rest of the field, wouldn't you agree? And did it not appear to me during the free practice sessions, under those dry conditions, that Ferrari actually looked swifter than Red Bull?

graniteharbor502 said:So, let's look at qualifying. How much did Vettel trail Hamilton—who’s arguably one of the fastest guys on the planet right now when it comes to single-lap pace—given he was in a slower car? We're talking about a full second gap on this track. Isn't that worth some respect? And where does Ricciardo's time stack up against Vettel's?
Then look at the race itself. After losing a spot at the start, Vettel manages to slice straight back through the field in an identical car. Who else is pulling stuff like that off these days?
After that, Vettel slowly starts chipping away at his teammate while simultaneously breathing down Rosberg's neck, all while driving a car that's clearly nowhere near the level of the Mercedes-Benz. If that doesn't prove what a talent he is, I don't know what will. 🤷
You can also see how the rest of the Renault-powered cars finished in the standings.

Honestly, it feels like we might be watching two different races here.🤷
If you're going to quote my previous post, just answer me this: who’s the better driver, Kimi Räikkönen or Ricciardo?
Look at Vettel's race: he loses a spot to Ricciardo at the start, then easily claws it back and settles in behind Rosberg. Ricciardo and Alonso are stuck about 2-3 seconds behind Vettel for pretty much the whole race, until Ricciardo runs into trouble... Meanwhile, Kimi—supposedly a top-tier driver—gets caught in a collision (behind Alonso) and spends the entire race dragging along at the back.
Vettel put in a brilliant performance, while Ricciardo spent the whole time glued to his bumper (with some questionable tire management going on). 🤷 Kimi, a guy considered elite, is stuck at the tail end. Mercedes-Benz is dominating (not quite like Red Bull was last year), Red Bull is second, and then everyone else follows. Ferrari definitely isn't outperforming McLaren or Williams. It's just that Alonso is better.☕

dustycyclist19 said:It’s starting to rain out there, and Vettel mentioned he thinks he sees an oil leak coming from Rosberg's car.😂
Come on, America, just open up a little.🤣

That was such a tactical move... they tell him to slow down and he just takes off anyway. 😂😂😂

graniteharbor502 said:This race really highlighted two things for me: that the Mercedes-Benz is easily the class of the field right now, and that Sebastian Vettel truly earned his four world titles. Honestly, I think he deserves a massive amount of credit just for pulling off those qualifying times in such a slower car—nearly grabbing pole like that—and then managing to stay right on Nico Rosberg's heels once the track dried out. 🙏

Kimi's having a bit of a rough one again. 😢

I'm not really sure what to make of the whole situation with Vettel; it felt like Ricciardo was breathing down his neck from the very start, right up until things went south.

graniteharbor502 said:And I should probably mention that Nico Hülkenberg proved once again just how incredible a driver he really is. 🙏

That’s just how it goes, really—they're basically just sitting there waiting for a real shot at something, provided they don't go under before that chance actually shows up. 😢

It feels like either Renault and Red Bull were playing some kind of clever game behind the scenes, or maybe Red Bull is just doing an incredible job lately, because they seemed just a tiny bit slower than everyone else today.

I've been a die-hard fan of both Kimi and Ferrari for a long time, but honestly, seeing them struggle this much against a team like Caterham is just really hard to watch. 🤷

It really looks like everyone is playing it safe with their fuel management out there. You could see it in how Lewis Hamilton was pulling away, or even how Fernando Alonso was effortlessly staying within a second and a half of the pack toward the end; it’s obvious they're all being incredibly conservative. Even the Mercedes-Benz seems to be much more efficient than the rest of the field, and while Ferrari is slightly ahead of Renault, they aren't even close to the level of Mercedes-Benz. Honestly, the guys at Mercedes-Benz have done such an incredible job with their engine concept—they've managed to find more power and better low-end torque while still being more fuel-efficient. If the regulations don't change to allow higher RPMs by the end of the season, I don't think anyone is going to be able to touch them.

It looks like Massa basically signed a contract saying he’d have to let others pass, so I guess the folks over at Ferrari are just following their usual playbook to make sure he plays ball. If you ask me, it feels a little selfish that he held onto his position instead of giving Valtteri Bottas a shot, especially since Bottas wasn't really going to make much of an impact anyway.

graniteharbor502 said:Right now, the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari is way smaller than the massive canyon between Mercedes-Benz and everyone else. Didn't Ferrari look faster than Red Bull during those free practice sessions (when it was actually dry)?

Free practice sessions are a garbage metric for actual speed.

What kind of speed are we even talking about here? One-lap pace or race trim?

If you mean race pace, then come on—show me some actual data on their stint times.

And if you're accidentally talking about qualifying, then we need to check if the track conditions were even remotely the same during practice versus qualifying.

I’m honestly not in the mood to argue over nonsense on such a beautiful, sunny day. Peace out. 👍

shadowstag10 said:Where exactly is it located? 🤷

It’s pretty much right up there with Force India.

Look, Red Bull has a solid car—probably the second best out there. The real question is whether they can catch up to Mercedes-Benz with this year's engine development.
I don't think they'll actually overtake them in terms of raw power, but I’d say they have a fighting chance to close the gap and become equals. When it comes to aerodynamics, though? They might already be sitting at the top.
Just look at where Red Bull was during the pre-season versus where they are standing right now. The team is packed with top-tier experts, and honestly, all those technical regulations aren't the massive roadblock people make them out to be. They seem to be the best at turning constraints into advantages. If the last couple of years have taught us anything, it's that they have the most consistent development curve throughout the season.

Daniel Ricciardo just caught a penalty. 🤣

That means he’s dropping 10 spots on the grid for Bahrain 🤣

Basically looks like 🤣 🙏

dustycyclist19 said:It honestly feels like we aren't even watching the same race.🤷
If you're going to quote this post of mine, then do me a favor and answer one question: who is actually the better driver—Kimi Räikkönen or Daniel Ricciardo?
So, looking at Vettel's race: he loses a spot to Ricciardo right at the start, but recovers it quite easily and settles in behind Nico Rosberg. Behind Vettel, you've got Ricciardo and Alonso hovering just two or three seconds away for pretty much the whole duration—at least until Ricciardo runs into some trouble... On the flip side, Kimi gets caught up in a collision (though it’s behind Alonso) and spends the entire race dragging along at the back.
Vettel put on a brilliant performance, while Ricciardo spent the whole time glued to his gearbox—though there was some suspicious "tire management" going on there. 🤷 Meanwhile, Kimi, who is widely considered a top-tier driver, spent the whole afternoon struggling at the tail end. Mercedes is clearly dominant (though maybe not quite on the level of Red Bull last year), followed by Red Bull, and then everyone else falls off. As for Ferrari, they definitely don't look better than McLaren or Williams. In my book, Alonso is the standout here.☕

Your posts are so incredibly unbiased that it's almost hard to believe—I mean, a person could lose more time driving to the pits and sitting through a pit stop than the actual gap! According to your logic, Ferrari is absolute garbage, so what's your next big take? Come on now, kids, it's time for bed.

graniteharbor502 said:The gap between Red Bull and Ferrari is actually much smaller right now than the gap between Mercedes-Benz and everyone else. Didn't Ferrari look faster than Red Bull during the practice sessions (under dry conditions)?

Well, you have to remember that Ferrari always goes all out during FP. It’s practically their trademark at this point... I don't even consider their FP times to be reliable data anymore.
They looked decent toward the end of the session, but that’s just how they operate—the car has these brief moments where everything clicks and it suddenly flies, but most of the time, that isn't the case.

jadeseal7 said:Your takes are so incredibly unbiased that I basically lost half my life expectancy just trying to drive to the garage plus all the pit stop time, so yeah, Ferrari is absolute garbage, what else would you even say? Seriously, go to bed, kids.

Fair point, but let's be real—he was fighting against the three worst teams on the grid right now; he barely scraped by with Caterham and Marussia, and he couldn't even touch Lotus.

dustycyclist19 said:Mercedes-Benz is clearly the one to beat right now—not quite at that untouchable level Red Bull showed last year, but they’re leading the pack. Red Bull is sitting firmly in second, and then there's everyone else just trying to keep up. Honestly, I don't think Ferrari is looking any better than McLaren or even Williams at this stage. That said, Fernando Alonso is still the superior driver.☕

I honestly don't see it. I wouldn't go so far as to say that Red Bull's car last year was more dominant than what we're seeing from Mercedes right now.
It looks like the Mercedes-Benz clearly has the edge here. Lewis Hamilton has been babying the throttle since lap 20; honestly, if he could have pushed even harder, I'm sure he would have.

Look, if Rosberg doesn't take the lead by the end of the first lap, he's basically done for. Unless half the field suffers a mechanical failure, there's just no way he's fighting for the win.

jadeseal7 said:Your takes are so incredibly unbiased that I actually lost track of time just trying to get to the pits, plus all that pit stop time... basically, Ferrari is total trash, so what else would you say? Alright kids, bedtime.

I don't recall ever saying I'd agree with you. Honestly, I’m pretty stoked with how Alonso’s race went—couldn't have asked for more.🤷
And if you want a real look at Ferrari's current state, just watch Räikkönen struggling through those Caterham and Lotus days. Seriously, aside from Alonso, just look at where the other car running a Ferrari engine ended up. That engine is easily Ferrari's biggest handicap.🙄

darkmarlin16 said:That’s a fair point, but let's be real—he was fighting against the three weakest teams on the grid right now; he barely managed to get past Caterham and Marussia, and even then, he couldn't quite crack the Lotus.

Honestly, I didn't see any real struggle when it came to overtaking the Caterham and Marussia cars—you just have to be a bit more cautious when you're navigating around two other cars at once, so it took a little longer, but he did eventually clear them. As for the Lotus, there just wasn't enough time left on the clock, and the tires were pretty much shot by that point.

And then you have to factor in Ferrari, which just doesn't have the pace lately—luckily, they managed to get at least one FIAT car ahead of Williams, McLaren, and FI.

Raymond Anderson4 said:I don't know, I really can't get behind the idea that Red Bull Racing had a more dominant car last year than what we're seeing from Mercedes-Benz right now.
Looks like Mercedes-Benz has the edge here. Lewis Hamilton was basically just feathering the throttle from lap 20 onwards; honestly, if he’d pushed any harder, he probably would've cooked the whole thing.

Look, if Rosberg doesn't pull away right after the first lap, he’s basically toast—unless half the field's engines decide to blow up, there's just no way he's grabbing that win.

Sebastian Vettel has been pulling that exact same move since the third lap last year.☕