Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

dustycyclist19 said:Where on earth did I say I was going to divide anything? Honestly, I am just absolutely thrilled with how Alonso's race turned out—it truly couldn't have gone any better!🤷
Honestly, if you want to get a real sense of how much Ferrari is struggling right now, you only need to look at Kimi Raikkonen's absolute nightmare season driving for Caterham and Lotus. It’s pretty telling when you step back and look at the big picture—I mean, aside from what Fernando Alonso is managing to scrape together, just look at where the other car running a Ferrari engine ended up. At this point, that engine is easily becoming Ferrari's biggest handicap.🙄

If we weren't talking about Kimi Raikkonen, I’d be tempted to say the issue lies squarely with the drivers—but since it actually is—I can only conclude that Ferrari is simply underwhelming. They’ve managed to drop the ball yet again this year, and honestly, seeing zero progress is just disappointing.

jadeseal7 said:If we weren't talking about Kimi Raikkonen, I’d probably blame the drivers, but since we are, all I can say is that Ferrari is just a mess. They blew it again this year and haven't moved the needle at all.

That's exactly my point here.😉
I honestly feel like their biggest headache is the engine, because the car itself actually looks pretty decent, kind of like how things are playing out with Red Bull Racing.

dustycyclist19 said:That’s exactly my point here😉
It seems to me—if I'm not totally off base—that most of their headaches stem from the engine, whereas the chassis itself actually looks quite solid. It reminds me a bit of what we saw with Red Bull Racing.

They're lacking horsepower, and I mean a significant amount—probably at least 70 hp. I recall hearing whispers during testing that they were running about 60 hp behind Mercedes. Honestly, though, it's just baffling that they can't squeeze a little more out of that power unit... especially considering the massive resources and the prestige they have at their disposal. It's a bit of a mystery, really.

darkmarlin16 said:Daniel Ricciardo just got slapped with a penalty. 🤣

That's a massive 10-place grid penalty coming for him in Bahrain 🤣

3/2 🤣 🙏

🙂

darkmarlin16 said:Looks like Daniel Ricciardo picked up a penalty—just when things were starting to get interesting! 🤣

The top ten starting positions for the Bahrain Grand Prix. 🤣

3/2 🤣 🙏

It’s honestly unbelievable—I truly feel for the guy. He has so much raw potential, but I worry that Red Bull Racing might just end up sabotaging everything he’s capable of.

I honestly wish the race had started sooner.
It was just so dull and clinical; we haven't seen anything that sterile in quite some time.
Hats off to Lewis Hamilton, though—a masterclass drive in a top-tier car, staying untouchable from the moment the lights went out until the checkered flag.
I won't even bother commenting on Nico Rosberg because, frankly, I can't make heads or tails of his performance.
Sebastian Vettel drove very well, with Mark Webber—well, actually Daniel Ricciardo—keeping him covered.
Fernando Alonso was just being Fernando Alonso; a very solid drive, I suppose you could call it standard. Unfortunately, the Ferkan cars seem to be stuck in the same rut as previous years, lagging behind the Mecama machines by at least half a second, if not more—and it feels like they aren't even the fastest through the corners anymore.
Hulk is a fantastic driver trapped in an average car; it's such a shame he didn't finish in a real contender (the red 😁).

🤷

jadeseal7 said:It's honestly wild, I feel for the guy... he’s clearly got the talent, but Red Bull has this knack for just completely wasting it.

I'm not saying they're actively sabotaging him, but it always seems to be him and Mark Webber getting the short end of the stick, which makes you wonder why they don't pour as much effort into his car as they do into Sebastian Vettel's.

silentbadger17 said:Man, I really wish this race had started a bit later.
It was honestly one of those incredibly dull, sterile races—the kind we haven't seen in ages.
Kudos to Lewis Hamilton, though; he put in a masterclass performance in a top-tier car, looking absolutely untouchable from the moment the lights went out until the checkered flag waved.
I won't even bother commenting on Rosberg—I just can't make heads or tails of his performance today.
Vettel drove a very solid race, with Ricciardo right there keeping him honest.
As for Alonso, well, he did what Alonso does—a very good drive, if you want to call it that. Sadly, it seems Ferkan is still struggling just like last year—they seem to be about half a second to a full second behind Mecama, and if I'm not mistaken, they don't even look like the fastest on the straights anymore.
Hulk is such a fantastic driver in a mediocre car; it’s a real shame he didn't end up in a proper top-tier machine (like a red 😁).

🤷

I was just about to type something similar—it's genuinely sad to see an Alonso who can't even catch the Force India until his tires completely give up, only to then watch a Ferrari struggle to stay competitive using DRS on the straight... it's a total disaster. They really need to take a hard look at what they're doing.

dustycyclist19 said:I’m not outright saying they’re sabotaging him—that might be a stretch—but why does it always seem to happen to him and Webber? It would be nice if they put as much effort into his car as they do into Vettel's.

It seems pretty obvious that he just isn't a priority to them... honestly, what a massive waste of potential points and a total drag on his ambitions. Now, I’m not claiming this is 100% sabotage—mechanical errors can happen to anyone, after all—but the number of mishaps Webber has dealt with was already excessive, and now we see this whole saga is just continuing.

The absolute peak of the tension was when they started breaking down that fuel consumption graph
they’re claiming Red Bull isn't even in the same zip code as the rest of the field 🙄

dustycyclist19 said:I’m not saying they’re sabotaging him, but why does it always seem to be him and Webber? It would be nice if they worked on his car with the same level of dedication they give to Vettel's.

Look, mistakes happen. When Felipe Massa was dragging that fuel hose behind him, nobody was jumping to conclusions about sabotage. In my view, teams naturally gravitate toward their No. 1 driver—it's just how things work in every outfit. The best mechanics end up focused on the lead driver, so the second driver ends up taking the brunt of the pit lane errors more often. Now everyone is obsessed with the idea that Ricciardo is being targeted, yet nobody mentions how Vettel had a total dog of a car last race and had to retire simply because it wasn't competitive.

As for Kimi, considering how many miles that engine has to pull this season, it makes sense that he’d baby it a bit during a disastrous race—not to mention the question of what kind of damage the chassis took after spending an entire lap limping around on a rim. Personally, I found the whole thing incredibly dull and predictable.

Lewis Hamilton was absolutely clinical—true champion form right there. Being nearly 20 seconds ahead of the guy in the exact same car is nothing short of incredible driving; honestly, he probably could have padded that lead even further. It looks like this car is a perfect match for him—it’s gentle on the tires and fuel, yet still lightning fast, which is ideal given how meticulous Hamilton is with his setup.

Sebastian Vettel was solid, I guess, though nothing to write home about. Little Daniel Ricciardo strikes me as having massive potential—he’s incredibly quick, reminding me of those days back in Formula Renault or whatever they called it then.

Fernando Alonso? Nothing special—probably the most overrated driver on the grid. The real question is how much faster he would've been compared to Kimi Raikkonen if he hadn't suffered that punctured tire at the start, costing him all that time and momentum. Plus, the Ferrari is just so sluggish on the straights that even with DRS, it can't pull away from the backmarkers.

brightwolf48 said:Well, hey, mistakes happen—it’s just part of the game. I mean, did anyone even blink when Felipe Massa was dragging that fuel hose behind him? Nobody called it sabotage then! In my view, teams naturally gravitate toward their No. 1 driver, so the second driver often ends up bearing the brunt of pit lane blunders—since while everyone has their own crew, the "A-team" is almost always focused on the lead driver. It seems to be the standard setup in every outfit. Now, suddenly, everyone is jumping on the idea that Ricciardo was sabotaged, yet there wasn't a peep about Vettel having a total disaster of a car last race and being forced out simply because it lacked any competitive edge.

As for Kimi, considering how many miles that engine has to cover throughout the season, it actually makes sense to me that he had a rough outing and was perhaps being a bit conservative with the power—plus, one has to wonder what kind of shape the car's balance was in after spending an entire lap limping around on a rim. Personally, I found the whole thing quite dull and predictable.

You are absolutely spot on... if I were in Kimi's shoes, I probably would have just pulled into the garage and called it a day.

Some of these new kids didn't exactly blow anyone away this time around. 😢

👋. Increasing

silentbadger17 said:Man, I wish this race had started earlier.
It was honestly such a boring, sterile mess—haven't seen anything that dull in ages.
Kudos to Hamilton, though—absolute masterclass driving in a top-tier car, just cruised from the green light straight to the checkered flag.
Not even gonna touch the Rosberg situation because that whole thing feels totally off to me.
Vettel drove a solid race, with Ricciardo basically playing bodyguard for him.
Alonso being Alonso—solid drive, nothing crazy. Sadly, Ferkan looks just like last year—lagging behind Mecama by at least half a second, and if you ask me, they aren't even winning on the turns anymore.
Hulk is a killer driver stuck in an average car; such a shame he didn't land a real seat (the red 😁)

🤷

Facts. Boring and clinical. Honestly, all I care about is that Vettel finished ahead of Alonso again—that's the only reason I'm even watching F1.

The only reason I'm here is so I can talk trash to all you arrogant jerks with my "expert" takes.

Richard Walker38 said:

👋. It’s frustrating

And when I start thinking about how many times Kimi has been slapped with penalties because of engine failures right after a solid qualifying session, it honestly makes me sick. Personally, I’ve never found any joy in seeing an athlete get screwed over by a mistake from their own pit crew. This is just a raw loss for Daniel Ricciardo—the poor guy didn't do a single thing wrong. And despite all the conspiracy theories floating around, having followed Formula 1 for years as someone who actually loves the sport, I don't think Red Bull Racing is celebrating this one either. No matter how much money the boss has, they're still a team that needs to stay at the top of the constructors' standings, and starting the season like this really puts them in a compromising position.

Richard Walker38 said:

👋. Gustanje

Honestly, it would've been way easier if they just kicked him to the back of the pack. They're acting crazy... maybe it'd be simpler if they just banned him from the next race and called it a day.

ruggedhawk20 said:It’s true. It feels dull and sterile lately. Honestly, the only thing I actually care about is seeing Sebastian Vettel finish ahead of Fernando Alonso again. That alone is enough reason to keep tuning into F1.

All I really want is to have some ammunition to poke fun at the arrogant blowhards on this forum with my little salad of observations.

Well, good for you. What can I say? 🤷

Good grief—what kind of penalty is this, both during the race and for the next one?