Sepang Grand Prix - March 30, 2014

ruggedhawk20 said:Never seen anything like it.😕 I saw him right in front of Fernando Alonso. The whole damn race.

Vettel was definitely a serious contender in Formula 1.😉
Fernando Alonso is basically in General Motors' top tier right now, mostly because he’s the only one driving a junker.😍
Some people claim Fernando Alonso isn't even driving in Formula 1 anymore. They think he’s competing in a completely different league altogether... you feel me?
You’ve gotta have eyes in your head to realize there are actually two different competitions and two separate races happening every single Formula 1 weekend.🤣

stormybadger8 said:Now, look—Sebastian Vettel was definitely a legitimate contender in Formula 1😉
But then you have Fernando Alonso, who is essentially competing in a different league entirely—mostly because he’s the only one out there driving a General Motors car😍
Some people act like Fernando Alonso isn't even racing in Formula 1; they think he's playing in a completely different sport altogether... if you catch my drift?
You really need to keep your eyes peeled and realize there are actually two separate competitions happening simultaneously during every single Formula 1 weekend🤣

Isn't that exactly what's happening here?

We really don't need to go overboard with the praise for Lewis Hamilton, just like we didn't after the last race with Nico Rosberg. Honestly, anyone on this grid could pull off a controlled victory if they were sitting in a car that dominant. That said, he’s certainly earned his seat in a machine like that throughout his career, so I have no complaints there regarding his talent.
The driver who truly deserves a standing ovation today is Fernando Alonso. He managed to drag an obviously subpar car to a fantastic fourth-place finish. Maybe we've become desensitized to seeing him perform like this, but that shouldn't stop us from giving him credit where it's due. On the flip side, Kimi Raikkonen’s performance really highlighted just how much of a struggle that car is, as he fought his way through what feels like the bottom three teams on the grid. Even after just two races, one thing is already becoming clear about Kimi’s move to Ferrari: he possesses both a stellar reputation as a top-tier driver and a massive, loyal fanbase.
Within that fanbase, you'll find plenty of people who can't stand Fernando Alonso—including some Red Bull Racing supporters. As the season progresses, we're going to be forced to face one of two realities: either Kimi is a fraud, or Alonso is genuinely an alien capable of performing miracles in a mediocre car. Given how things are looking, I suspect those who refuse to acknowledge either extreme will find it much easier to label Kimi a disappointment than to admit Alonso is a superhuman talent, but only time will tell.
Looking at the rest of the race, we have to talk about Red Bull Racing and their ongoing habit of essentially sabotaging their second driver. It seems like a calculated move to make the second driver look weaker, effectively clearing a path for the lead driver to climb the ranks. This strategy worked fine in recent years because Red Bull didn't have a real rival close to their pace, but this year, that kind of internal politics might actually cost them the Constructors' Championship, especially now that they have a serious challenger in Mercedes.

Jason Campbell70 said:This season's Mercedes is the most dominant car in history. ☕

Not even close.☕
Honestly, it’s way more dominant than anything we've seen in the last decade... basically, the only other car that actually stood a chance was the Ferrari 2004.☕
Nobody else comes anywhere near it. With this kind of effortless lead and massive gap, even Brawn GP wouldn't have touched them, let alone Red Bull Racing...

Remember how easy Rosberg made it look in Australia and Malaysia?
And aren't you one of those people who claims:

Jason Campbell70 said:And for Rosberg too. 🙏

Father of a fraud, son of an amateur.

Patrick Bailey4 said:We shouldn't be overhyping Lewis Hamilton, just like we didn't for Nico Rosberg last race. Any driver on this grid can cruise to a win when they have an obviously dominant car.
That said, he’s certainly earned the right to sit in a car like that given his career so far. I can't argue with that part.

Absolutely, my friend. Absolutely.

jadeseal7 said:Red Bull is only playing at Ferrari's level because of their own screw-ups. Give it two more races and they'll be right up there with Mercedes. As for Ferrari? They’re stuck where they are because mid-season car development is clearly a foreign concept to them.

Whatever happens, happens... but for now, Red Bull and Ferrari are dead even.☕

stormybadger8 said:That’s not even close.☕
It’s pretty undeniable. They've been leagues ahead of the rest of the field for the last decade. Honestly, if you look back, the only car that truly rivaled that level of dominance was the Ferrari 2004.☕

Yeah, true.☕That’ll certainly add some weight to all that complaining of yours. 😍

Lewis Hamilton opened up the race today, clocking lap times just over a second faster than the rest. Was that really the gap?
Wait, wasn't Vettel pulling laps that were two, maybe even two and a half seconds faster than everyone else at the start of last season? 🤔

stormybadger8 said:What was Nico Rosberg actually doing in Australia and Malaysia? And how did he make it look so effortless?
Aren't you one of those people who claims that...

Wasn't it Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who used to run circles around the entire grid back in the day? They were driving a car that was barely half a second off the pace of the competition.
Even Massa could pull that off. Or maybe even less.

stormybadger8 said:That isn't even close.☕
Honestly, they've been miles ahead of the rest of the field for the last decade. Is there anyone else even close? If you look back, the only car that truly stood in their way was the Ferrari 2004.☕

Yeah, "☕That will certainly add some weight to your rambling. 😍

Lewis Hamilton kicked off the race today, clocking in just over a second faster per lap. Is that enough to stay ahead?
Wait, didn't Vettel lead the pack last season with laps that were two and a half seconds faster than everyone else right out of the gate? 🤔

stormybadger8 said:What was Nico Rosberg actually doing during those races in Australia and Malaysia? And how did he make it look so effortless?
Wait, aren't you one of those people who claims that...

Remember when Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello were absolutely tearing up the grid? They were running a car that was barely half a second off the pace of the leaders. Wasn't that something?
Even Massa would have struggled with that.

stormybadger8 said:That isn't even close.☕
Honestly, they’ve been way more dominant than any other car on the grid over the last decade. If you really think about it, the only machine that truly rivaled that level of supremacy in recent history was the Ferrari 2004.☕

Yeah, right.☕That’ll certainly add some weight to all that complaining of yours. 😍

Lewis Hamilton kicked things off today, clocking in just over a second faster per lap. Is that enough to stay ahead?
Wasn't Vettel pulling laps that were two and a half seconds faster than everyone else at the start of races last season? 🤔

stormybadger8 said:What was Nico Rosberg actually doing back in Australia and Malaysia? And how did he make it look so effortless?
Aren't you one of those people who claims that...

Wasn't it just Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello absolutely dominating the field back then? They were running a car that was barely half a second off the pace of anyone else.
Even Massa could have done it with less.

stormybadger8 said:That isn't even close.☕
Honestly, they've been leagues ahead of everyone else for the last decade. Is there even anyone close? If you look back, the only car that truly felt superior was the Ferrari 2004.☕

Yeah, true.☕That will certainly add some weight to all that rambling of yours. 😍

Lewis Hamilton opened the race today, clocking in just over a second faster per lap. Is that enough to stay ahead?
Wasn't Vettel pulling laps that were two and a half seconds faster than everyone else at the start of races last season? 🤔

stormybadger8 said:How easy was it for Nico Rosberg in Australia and Malaysia? And just how effortless did he make it look?
Aren't you one of those people who claims that...

Wasn't it Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello who used to run circles around the entire grid back in the day? They were in a car that was only about half a second off the pace from the rest of the field.
Even Massa struggled with less than that.

A total four-way slap in the face.

Reddit ☕

Jason Campbell70 and the quadruple scam... oops, I mean quad-post🤣
powered by Reddit 🤣

I actually had to report this post for trolling. It’s like if someone walked up to me and insisted that Luka Modrić is better than Ronaldinho. There's a massive difference between making a serious comparison and just talking pure nonsense to stir the pot.

EDIT: I think I lost my quote formatting there, but I was specifically responding to TBF regarding the claim that Ferrari is faster than Red Bull Racing.

graniteharbor502 said:Just a few extra thoughts here.

Today, Felipe Massa basically ignored team orders. And you know what? Nobody called him out on it. There was no finger-pointing or criticism. Honestly, I doubt anyone's even going to boo him for it, and personally, I’m happy to see it. Sebastian Vettel didn't get that kind of grace last year.

Massa didn't actually violate any team orders. Claire explained the situation.
And it’s not like Sebastian Vettel broke them last year either. It's more that he went against the agreement.

Ouch.

Fourteen times (even if we only heard it twice on the TV Broadcast) they told Massa and Bottas that Finac was faster and needed to move up to try and hunt down Button. Zero points.

🤣

For crying out loud,

The forum has been down since this morning—finally get logged in, set my browser to remember my settings, catch a quick nap, add the usual suspects to my ignore list, and then wake up only to realize none of it worked. Now I'm stuck dealing with that lady who acts like she's Vladimir Putin's biggest fan, trolling everyone and just making a mess of things, even though I thought I had her blocked...

stormybadger8 said:🤣

Exactly, because we're all just supposed to take the word of the biggest clown in America, Mladen Jergović, and his imaginary connections within Formula 1.

All this bashing of Kimi Raikkonen is completely baseless.
He isn't responsible for the technical failures in either of these two races. This won't go on forever, either.
The car will get sorted out. I’m convinced that today's situation with Kevin Magnussen—and those technical hiccups from last time—will just be seen as part of the job when you're racing at this level. There's no reason for anyone to lose heart, and nobody is actually losing morale.

Roger Wright94 said:All this finger-pointing at Kimi Raikkonen is completely baseless.
He hasn't been responsible for any of the technical failures in either of these races. This won't go on forever.
The car will find its rhythm—I'm certain of it. Today’s scrap with Kevin Magnussen and those technical glitches from last time should be viewed as just part of the job when you're racing at this level. There’s no reason for demoralization, nor will there be.

Look at that—one consistent, realistic Ferkan fan!🙏🙏🙏

Though, I suppose expecting anything more or less than what Ms. Amanda Kelly provides is unrealistic, unlike the rest of you...

Roger Wright94 said:Honestly, all this constant bashing of Kimi is just completely baseless and, frankly, a total joke.
Look, I’m telling you right now, he isn't even remotely responsible for those technical glitches with the car in either of these two races. It's honestly ridiculous how people are pointing fingers, but it's just not him. And let's be real, this whole mess isn't going to drag on forever, no matter how much everyone wants to obsess over it.
They’re gonna figure it out, I’m telling you, I'm dead certain about this. Once they deal with the Magnussen situation today and wrap their heads around those technical hiccups from last time, they’ll realize that this kind of chaos is just part of the job description when you're actually out there racing. There’s absolutely no reason to get all demoralized over it, and honestly, nobody's even going to be bummed because it's just how the game is played.

I mean, seriously? He was stuck trailing behind Ericsson for what felt like an absolute eternity.

Way too much time on my hands.

Hey, Ericsson, rookieja over at Caterham.

🙄