Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

These Fernando Alonso fans have such short memories—we all know that back when he was at the peak of his powers as a two-time champion, he couldn't hold his own against a rookie, incredibly inexperienced Lewis Hamilton, and ended up running back to Renault in tears.

As far as I'm concerned, the two most dominant drivers in Formula 1 right now are Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton—followed by a group of three or four who are relatively close behind them, including Alonso.

On the other hand, it's already undeniable that Red Bull Racing has incredible aerodynamics, but then again, so does Ferrari.

George Ramos15 said:It feels just as pointless to me—especially since everyone knows Kimi Räikkönen is an incredibly talented driver. They also know that when Fernando Alonso manages to lap someone, it doesn't suddenly make him some untouchable maestro. If that single feat is his only claim to greatness, then people are essentially spitting on his reputation, which is ridiculous because Alonso is a top-tier talent in his own right. Look, I’m a fan, so like 90% of the people on this forum, I’m not being perfectly objective—but there are certain facts that even a blind man could see.

Exactly. I’ve never once gone out of my way to belittle Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Räikkönen, or Lewis Hamilton... What bothers me is seeing anyone in Formula 1 get dismissed simply because they don't have a famous last name or massive corporate backing. Everyone has their preferences, and at any given moment, one driver might just be better because they’re squeezing more out of the specific advantages their car offers—it's that simple. They all exist within a certain spectrum of skill, and success usually happens when the car finally aligns with their driving style. I mean, look at Ross Brawn—he tuned that car specifically for Jenson Button's style and secured the title. Is Jenson a complete hack? I don't think so, but he's certainly not one of the all-time greats. There have been better drivers who never won a championship, and worse ones who managed to snag one. It’s a bit of a tangent, but much like how Robert Horry has more NBA titles than John Stockton, even though they aren't even in the same conversation...

brightwolf48 said:Exactly. I’ve never once gone out of my way to bash Fernando Alonso, Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Räikkönen, or Lewis Hamilton in any of my posts. What really bothers me is seeing people tear down anyone in Formula 1 just because they didn't come from a massive family fortune or have huge sponsors backing them. Everyone has their preferences, sure, but sometimes one driver is simply better because they know how to squeeze every bit of potential out of the car they're given at that specific moment. It’s that simple. They all possess talent, provided the car actually suits their driving style. Look at how Ross Brawn gave Jenson Button a car that perfectly matched his approach, which ultimately secured the title. Is Jenson a total hack? I don't think so, but he isn't the greatest of all time either. There have been drivers much better than him who never won a championship, just as there are lesser drivers who might have more titles under their belts. On a completely different note, Robert Horry has more NBA rings than John Stockton, yet we wouldn't put them in the same conversation...

Like a mailman and Chris Bosh🙂

Anyway, Valtteri is faster than you honestly expected this ages ago 🤣
Besides, Rubens didn't just tell him he could shine just like he did back at Brawn 😬🤣

Who knows, maybe this year will be his version of my 2009.

Of course he can, it's just that Massa isn't going to roll over as easily as Rubens 🙏

George Ramos15 said:Like a mail carrier and Chris Bosh🙂

He basically took the words right out of my mouth—though I’m sure there are at least a hundred other examples like it out there.🙂

Richard Walker38 said:Valtteri Bottas and Daniil Kvyat definitely surprised and delighted me. A 19-year-old kid scoring points in his first two Formula 1 races—unbelievable! And Bottas will surely just keep getting better and better. He had that run-in with the wall and the penalty, but he's performing fantastically.

I missed the race, but I'm curious—were our two local morons actually reading Daniil Kvyat today?

James Ramos12 said:I didn't catch the race, but I'm curious—did those two idiots of ours spend the whole day butchering Daniil Kvyat's name?

I was watching the local HD broadcast, and yeah, they were definitely pronouncing it with our local accent.

James Ramos12 said:I didn't catch the race, but I gotta know—did our two idiots spend the whole day reading Daniil Kvyat's mind?

I don't watch our morons.

stormybadger8 said:What kind of fantasy land are you living in?
http://184.106.145.74/f1-championshi...rTimes_V01.pdf

http://184.106.145.74/f1-championshi...Speeds_V01.pdf

http://184.106.145.74/f1-championshi...stLaps_V01.pdf

Look, the Ferrari is faster than the Red Bull Racing car—not by much, but still a tiny bit better...

If I'm living in a fantasy land, you're straight up in a fairy tale. 🤷
The first link pretty much proves that Fernando Alonso is way ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, and Sebastian Vettel is slightly better than Ricciardo, which basically means Alonso is doing magic tricks with that Ferrari. Unless, of course, you think Ricciardo is actually better than Kimi. 🤷
Second link: since when does top speed even matter for how fast a car actually is? Like, what was Red Bull Racing's top speed in previous seasons anyway?
Third link: Alonso ended the race on soft tires, so obviously he clocked a faster lap. Meanwhile, Ferrari was pushing it to the absolute limit while Sebastian Vettel didn't even need to bother.
Bottom line: if it’s still not clicking for you, maybe go ask the neighbor the fox to explain it one more time. 😉

Richard Walker38 said:I don't even watch our local idiots.

Look, they aren't just idiots; they are—forgive my language—completely brain-dead. Novak still thinks Kimi had some broken suspension yesterday. It took them five whole minutes to realize that... The sheer amount of mistakes and lack of race prep is just awful. Two more races left, then I’m happily moving on to just using the streaming services. $12 You can count me out.

P.S. Maybe they could bring in Pilatus and TBD for some balance in the booth, and then have a whole Knights Templar setup with Renata Sopek in the studio.🙂

George Ramos15 said:Look, our guys aren't just idiots—they are, quite frankly, beyond help. Novak still seems convinced that Kimi had some sort of broken suspension yesterday. It took them five whole minutes to realize that... honestly. Such sloppy mistakes and a total lack of preparation for the race. It’s pathetic. Two more races left before I can finally say goodbye to these streams. $12 from my side, they can forget about me.

P.S. maybe they should hire Pilatus and TBD as commentators to balance things out, followed by some kind of knightly order led by Renata Sopek in the studio.🙂

I'm going to leave because of that P.S.; I was practically spitting on my screen laughing... just imagining Tempo and Beauty getting started...

dustycyclist19 said:If I’m living in a fairy tale, you’re living in a freaking fable.🤷
That first link basically claims Fernando Alonso is way ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, and that Sebastian Vettel is just slightly better than Ricciardo—meaning Alonso is pulling miracles out of a Ferrari. Unless Ricciardo is actually better than Kimi.🤷

Sure, let's compare Kimi's Ferrari, which was struggling with obvious handling issues just yesterday... and then to top it off, he got absolutely wrecked in a collision during the race and finished with a massive gap.
If we're going down that road of comparisons, why don't we look at Ricciardo's lap times at the end? Based on those, Red Bull isn't even driving; they're practically standing still.
😬

Therefore Vettel is performing miracles😲 in a car that can barely move from the starting grid to the podium.😲 🤣 🤣 🤣
And don't even get me started on Nico Hulkenberg; the guy is on another planet.🙏
God, Perez couldn't even manage a single lap in an hour and a half. That is how painfully slow the Force India is.😲

Now that's what I call a real car. It just leaves everyone else in the dust...

Kamui Kobayashi dragged Caterham up to 10th in the constructors' championship 😍

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, sure, let's go ahead and compare Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari—which was struggling with obvious car issues just yesterday and then got absolutely wrecked in a collision during the race today while falling way behind...
If you're really going to play the comparison game, why not look at Ricciardo's laps at the end of the race? At this point, Red Bull Racing isn't even driving; they're basically standing still. 😬

So yeah, Sebastian Vettel is pulling off actual miracles😲 driving a car that can barely manage to move from the starting grid to the podium. 😲🤣🤣🤣
And don't even get me started on Nico Hulkenberg; that guy is operating on a completely different planet. 🙏
Man, Perez hasn't even managed to complete a single lap in an hour and a half, which just shows how painfully slow the Force India actually is. 😲

Honestly, you're just twisting the truth to fit your own narrative.🤣
The fox is cunning, always finding ways to mislead people...

neonfox65 said:That’s what a real car looks like. It doesn't just look pretty!

Just goes to show how much better he is than this overhyped Alonso guy everyone on this forum obsesses over.🤣
Sebastian Vettel is nowhere to be seen, while Alonso is more than 10 seconds behind him. 😂😂😂

stormybadger8 said:It just goes to show how much better he is than this massively overrated Alonso guy on this forum🤣
Sebastian Vettel isn't even in the running, while Alonso is more than 10 seconds behind him😂😂😂

And looking at the standings, it seems Magnussen is ahead of Sebastian Vettel too🤣

dustycyclist19 said:If I’m living in a fairy tale, then you’re stuck in a children's fable.🤷
The first link suggests that Fernando Alonso is significantly outperforming Kimi Räikkönen—and that Sebastian Vettel has a slight edge over Ricciardo—which basically implies Alonso is pulling off miracles with that Ferrari. That is, assuming Ricciardo actually holds his own against Kimi.🤷
Second link here: Since when has top speed actually been the deciding factor for a car's pace? Looking back at the last few seasons—which RB was actually leading the pack when it came to raw top speed?
Check out that third link—it explains everything. Fernando Alonso was sitting on those soft tires at the end of the race, which is exactly why he was able to snatch that fastest lap. Meanwhile, Ferrari was busy playing catch-up with Max, whereas Sebastian Vettel didn't even need to break a sweat to stay ahead.
Bottom line: if you still don't get it, feel free to go ask the neighbor—that sly little fox—to break it down for you.😉

Look, no amount of links or data points will help you if you can't see that there isn't much of a difference between Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso—just like there isn't a massive gap between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, or Alonso and Lewis. The only real distinction between them is a championship title or two and the specific machinery they were handed. I’m saying this as someone who tries to stay somewhat neutral about Formula 1, but I still remember all those times Kimi would lose ten spots after qualifying because of some engine failure bullshit. In his career, Alonso hasn't exactly proven he's superior to Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, or Kimi Räikkönen, but there's also no reason to claim he's inferior to any of them. He’s right there in the mix—just as dependent on the car as every other driver on the grid.

neonfox65 said:See? That’s what having a decent car actually looks like. It wasn't stuck anywhere!

What do you mean "anywhere"?😕 I saw him right in front of Fernando Alonso—the whole damn race.

George Ramos15 said:@darkmarlin16/">@@darkmarlin16 Better get that thread ready for the next race, man. Clock is ticking🙂. We've got the next weekend coming up fast🙂.

It’ll be up tomorrow. 😉