Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

ruggedhawk20 said:I mean, seriously...😕 I saw him right behind Alfons the whole damn race.

I guess since he's supposedly "The Best NFL player," everyone on this forum expects him to win every single time, right?

A quick side note:

People claim Red Bull is just a "beverage factory" with "no interest in Formula 1 beyond marketing"—and then, apparently, they decide to sabotage their own marketing potential by screwing over their second driver for three or four years straight just to ensure their lead driver cruises to another dominant championship. According to some people online, his teammate is even seen as a legitimate threat. It’s pretty clear that Didi is an idiot if he’s willing to sabotage his own brand like that. On the flip side, you have teams actually fighting for every scrap of points because their survival depends on it—take Lotus, for instance—or setups like Ferkan, where it's common knowledge that Fernando is the undisputed star. Why all the bitterness just because a "beverage factory" actually succeeded?

If their only goal really is marketing—as much as people love to claim that's their sole purpose—it would actually make more sense to keep the competition close and maintain the suspense for as long as possible, rather than just smashing every record in sight...

neonfox65 said:I mean, everyone on this board expects him to win every single race just because he’s "The Best NFL player," right?

Well, he *was* ahead of "Alfons," wasn't he?

I mean, people are expecting him to win just because he's supposedly the best Formula 1 driver out there—but he ended up finishing third. Or maybe we weren't even watching the same race? ☕

neonfox65 said:People are expecting wins from him because he’s supposedly "the best Formula 1 driver," yet he finished third—unless we were watching two completely different races? ☕

Honestly, those attempts at trolling are just a bit silly.

Of course, those two from B&N kept mispronouncing Kvyat, probably following some weird logic where they thought it sounded more like Wyatt...😂Honestly, the folks over at ESPN aren't much better (though they're getting closer), because it isn't just Kvyat, it’s actually KvJAt...it’s incredibly easy to fact-check if you actually bother to look: https://audioboo.fm/boos/1677393-daniil-kvyatbut then again, who is going to put in all that extra effort for such tiny paychecks? I mean, how long did it take them to finally get Ros Braun right as Bron...☕

wanderingbison9 said:Of course—the duo at B&N was still butchering Kvyat's name again. I suppose they’re just following some internal logic where they think it should be pronounced like Wyatt or something similar. Typical.😂 Even the folks over at Oracle aren't much better—though I suppose they're getting closer—because we aren't even talking about Kvyat here; it’s actually KvJAt... which is incredibly easy to double-check if you bother to look! I’ve been sitting here thinking about Daniil Kvyat—you know, that unpredictable force of nature—and I can't help but feel we haven't quite given him enough credit for his sheer resilience. Looking back at his trajectory, especially through those intense periods at Red Bull, it’s clear he’s always operated with a certain kind of raw, unpolished energy that most drivers just lack. He isn't exactly the "safe bet" type, is he? No, he's much more interesting than that—a bit of a wildcard who wears his heart on his sleeve, which, if I'm being honest, makes him incredibly easy to root for even when things aren't going perfectly. There was that stretch where everything seemed to be hitting the fan, yet he always managed to find a way to stay relevant in the conversation. It’s that specific grit—that ability to take a hit and keep pushing—that reminds me of why we love this sport. Even when the politics of the paddock or the technical shifts at the team seemed to be working against him, he stayed true to himself. He wasn't trying to be some corporate, polished version of a driver; he was just Daniil. And honestly, in a world that feels increasingly sanitized, there's something deeply refreshing about someone who refuses to play the game by everyone else's rules. It’s a bit messy, sure—maybe a little too much for the suits in the high-rise offices—but that’s exactly what makes his story worth following. But honestly, who is going to bother doing all that work for such tiny amounts of money? I mean, just look at the sheer amount of time and effort it took to turn Ros Braun into Bron—it was quite the journey!☕

It seemed to me like I caught a snippet of them talking about that on Sky—I could have been mistaken, of course, but it definitely sounded like they were heading in that direction.

wanderingbison9 said:Of course that duo B&N is still butchering Kvyat's name, probably because they’ve convinced themselves it sounds like Wyatt or some other nonsense—honestly, they must have some weird internal logic going on to be that consistently wrong.😂 Even those guys over at Oracle aren't all that much better (though they're getting close), because let’s be real, we aren't even talking about Kvyat here—it's clearly KvJAt... which is incredibly easy to fact-check if you actually bother to look : I’ve been thinking about Daniil Kvyat lately—honestly, just sitting here chewing on how much of a wild ride his career has been. It's one of those things where you look back and realize just how chaotic the whole scene was. You have this guy who comes in with all this raw energy, and then you see him navigating the madness of the grid, dealing with different teams, different pressures... it’s a lot. I mean, if you really dig into it, the way he handled himself at places like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during those intense sessions? Man, that takes a specific kind of mental toughness that most people just don't get. And let's be real, when you talk about the legends, you can't help but compare everyone to the absolute titans of the sport. It’s like comparing a solid starter to the Best NFL player ever; the gap is just massive, and you feel it every time they step onto the field—or in this case, the track. But even with that context, Kvyat had this vibe, this grit, that made him impossible to ignore. He wasn't just some placeholder; he was a character in a high-stakes drama. I was actually reading some stuff earlier—shoutout to neonfox65 for bringing up similar points in a thread once—about how certain drivers just seem to fit a certain era better than others. It’s funny because you look at the roster, you see names like Vettel or Massa, and you realize how much the landscape shifts. One minute you're part of the elite circle, and the next, everything changes. It's a brutal business, totally unapologetic about it. Anyway, I'm probably rambling now, but I just think we don't give enough credit to the sheer chaos of being a pro driver in that era. It wasn't just about driving fast; it was about surviving the politics, the technical shifts, and the constant comparison to the greats. It's a heavy lift, and honestly, most guys would have folded under half the pressure Kvyat faced. Just my two cents, though. Take it or leave it. I mean, seriously, who’s actually going to bother doing all that heavy lifting for such tiny change? Like, come on. Just look at how much time and effort it took for Ros Braun to finally turn into Bron. It didn't happen overnight, folks.☕

Idiots. Honestly, what else is there even to say?

Kvyat. Honestly, they probably ought to learn how to read Cyrillic too, given they’re clearly from that era. I bet you anything they’re spelling him Kvyat anyway. 🤦

Man, I literally just sat my ass down and fired up the stream specifically to catch this race on our local broadcast. 🍿

It's Kvyat—not some phonetic mess—and honestly, I doubt most Mexicans even have the right letters to pronounce it properly if they were trying.

HRT2, the duo B and N, and those Mislen pneumatics😍

Well... I suppose "Mislen" actually aligns quite well with how you'd pronounce it in French 🤷

A few additional observations.

Today, Massa complied with the team orders, and interestingly enough, nobody threw any stones at him for it. There was no outcry, no public condemnation, and frankly, I doubt anyone will be booing him later this week. I actually find myself quite pleased by that development; after all, Vettel didn't enjoy such grace from the fans last year.

On another note, what possible benefit could Red Bull possibly gain from sabotaging Ricciardo? None whatsoever, of course. That broken wing might just be the unfortunate aftermath of that disastrous tire change, where the crew had to pull him back toward the pits and one of them inadvertently stepped on the front wing, causing the damage. It’s truly a stroke of bad luck for Ricciardo. However, let us not lose sight of the fact that Vettel also faced significant issues during the first race and was forced to retire; so, to all the conspiracy theorists out there, please don't overlook that specific detail.

Lastly, following Magnussen's momentary lapse in judgment, Kimi ended up with underbody damage, which forced him to stretch his stints much longer than the leaders were able to. This should explain why his pace seemed so sluggish during the race. As the old saying goes, third time's a charm: I am anticipating that we will finally see a strong result from Kimi's side once we get to Bahrain. 🙂

wanderingbison9 said:Well... I suppose it does sound a bit like "mish-lan" with that French accent 🤷

In French, it’s more like "mish-lan," but hey—they certainly gave it a solid shot!

graniteharbor502 said:Look at qualifying. How much did Vettel trail Lewis Hamilton—arguably one of the fastest drivers on the planet right now—when he was in a slower car? It wasn't just a gap; it was about a full second on this track. Isn't that worth some respect? And where does Daniel Ricciardo's time stack up against Vettel's?
Now look at the race. After losing ground at the start, Vettel manages to overtake directly on track in an identical car. Who else has pulled that off lately?
From there, Vettel steadily builds a lead over his teammate while putting pressure on Nico Rosberg's second-place spot. All this in a car that is significantly slower than the Mercedes-Benz. If that isn't proof of pure skill, I don't know what is 🤷
. You can also see the results for the rest of the Renault-powered cars in the standings.

Wow. Is that really the most positive thing you could find to say about him today? 😂

ruggedhawk20 said:.

Honey, since when was that post of mine even written? 🥳

Well, it looks like he's only halfway there...😬

Today's leaders:
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg
3. Fernando Alonso and Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz is miles ahead. The only real question is how hard they were pushing—do they actually have any more in the tank?
Red Bull is trailing Mercedes, while Ferrari is stuck behind Red Bull Racing.
You can clearly see them losing ground in the corners. Plus, the Ferrari looks way too twitchy in spots where it should be planted.

I honestly think people overhype the aerodynamics. Especially since everything is stripped down compared to back in 2013.

This race is a slog. Looks like we're in for a long, boring stretch of this.
The only thing remotely interesting might be the intra-team battles, if you can even call them that.

dustycyclist19 said:You're just twisting the truth to suit yourself.🤣
A Fox is cunning, after all. They know how to play people...

Yeah, right... if anyone is distorting reality here, it's you.🤣

We’ve already seen the actual power rankings:

Mercedes-Benz is miles ahead of everyone else.
Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are about a second behind the Bear, basically neck-and-neck—one is faster in certain phases, then they swap. But both are lagging behind that Mercedes engine.
Then you've got Williams, Force India, and McLaren trailing behind. Honestly, it's still hard to tell that middle group apart since we haven't had any decent qualifying sessions yet.
STR is the best of the rest, picking up whatever scraps they can find...
Sauber is in a massive hole, but they're still better than Caterham or Marussia.

stormybadger8 said:Oh, please... if anyone is twisting the facts here, it's definitely you.🤣

Here is what the actual power balance looks like right now:

Mercedes-Benz is miles ahead of everyone else.
Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are about a second behind Mercedes-Benz—honestly, they're practically neck-and-neck, with one being faster than the other depending on the phase of the race—but both are clearly lagging behind that Mercedes-Benz engine.
Then you've got Williams, Force India, and McLaren trailing behind them; frankly, it’s still a bit tough to pin down that middle group since we haven't seen any truly consistent qualifying sessions yet.
STR is definitely the best of the rest and is doing a great job picking up whatever scraps are left over...
Sauber is in a real tight spot, though they're still performing better than Caterham or Marussia.

Red Bull Racing is only hovering near Ferrari because of the issues they've been dealing with—give it two races and they'll be right up there with Mercedes-Benz—whereas Ferrari will likely just stay stuck where they are, considering mid-season car development seems to be a foreign concept to them.

stormybadger8 said:Even more dominant than the 2009 Brawn car, actually.

The seasonal Mercedes is easily the most dominant car in history. ☕

I’m calling it now: I fully expect to see Williams standing on that podium in Bahrain: