2012 Japanese GP (Suzuka) - Oct 7th

I’m honestly thrilled that Maldonado finally broke through and scored some points. It’s great to see him
proving to everyone that he can move on from his days with Grosjean and actually finish
a couple of races in a row without getting tangled up in incidents with other drivers.

We really need to check the onboard footage from Kimi's car before we jump to any conclusions. It’s nearly impossible to make a call based on a single frozen frame. As it stands, this looks like just another racing incident.
Also, for those defending Kimi, keep in mind that Kimi's front wing had to clear the centerline of Fernando's rear tire. Only after that point is Fernando obligated to give Kimi enough room to pass.
What Fernando messed up was failing to fully close the door on Kimi; instead, he left just a car's length of space, likely hoping Kimi wouldn't commit to the move...

Felipe Massa is going bald.

It actually just reminded me why I’m such a fan of Felipe. He’s a real human being who isn't afraid to show emotion—I can still picture those intense moments back in the US in 2008 and all his other heartfelt outbursts. It feels like Seb Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, and especially Mark Webber treat all this glory with such a cold, detached attitude. 🤮 It’s almost as if winning comes naturally to them without any effort!

Here is my take on it;
There is a genuine soul in Felipe. Remember how warmly he greeted Kamui? He gave him a friendly tap on the helmet and pulled him close after he climbed out of the car (since Kamui was clearly shaken and had wandered off toward his mechanics).
Compare that to Seb, who stood on the podium and mentioned remembering Kamui from their Formula 3 days, but he said it so hollowly, like he was just checking a box during an interview. That was it.

Felipe, please, for the sake of Bog and LdM, stay with Ferrari through 2013 (or at least stay in Formula 1)! At the end of the day, I’d much rather watch drivers who are actual people than just cold, calculating machines... 🙂

☕

Raymond Anderson4 said:You really need to check the onboard from Kimi's car before jumping to conclusions. It's impossible to tell anything from a frozen frame. As it stands, this was just a racing incident.
Same goes for anyone defending Kimi—his front wing needs to clear the center of Fernando's rear tire before Fernando is actually obligated to give him room to pass.
What Fernando messed up was failing to fully close the door on Kimi; he left just enough space the length of the car, basically hoping Kimi wouldn't go for the move...

It’s the exact same deal as what happened with Grožjan and Lujis at Spa... you can't just shove someone onto the grass during the start. Luckily, nobody got hurt here, though it was a close call where Alonso almost veered too deep into the track and nearly got caught in the chaos.

Raymond Anderson4 said:You really need to see the onboard from Kimi's car before jumping to conclusions. It's impossible to tell anything from a frozen frame. Right now, it looks like just a racing incident.
The people defending Kimi also need to realize that Kimi's front wing has to clear the centerline of Fernando's rear tire before Fernando is obligated to give him room.
What Fernando messed up was not fully closing the door on Kimi; instead, he left just enough space for the length of the car, clearly hoping Kimi wouldn't go for the move....

He was born yesterday, if he actually thought that would work.🤣

fadedwalker18 said:Felipe Massa went bald.

It just reminded me why I actually like Felipe. He’s a real human being who actually shows emotion (thinking back to the 2008 US Grand Prix and some of his other emotional outbursts). It feels like Seb Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, and especially Mark Webber just go through the motions of all this glory, totally cold and detached. 🤮 Like they were born for it or something.

Here is my take;
Felipe has genuine humanity in him. He gave Kamui-ija a warm greeting, gave him a friendly tap on the helmet, and pulled him aside when he climbed out of the car (Kamui was pretty shaken up and had headed over to his mechanics).
Meanwhile, Seb stood on the podium and mentioned remembering Kamui being on the podium with him back in Formula 3, but he said it so soullessly—just a pro forma comment. That was it.

Felipe, please, for God and LdM, stay at Ferrari through 2013 (or at least stay in F1)! Because, honestly, I’d much rather watch drivers who are actual people than these cold, calculating machines...... 🙂

☕

There's something to this.

steelmaker83 said:There's a point to this.

They aren't all the same. Saying they just go through the motions during celebrations is nonsense. Just like trying to lump Button into that group. He’s probably the only guy on the grid who actually talks to everyone and gives them a genuine congrats...

Michael Lee4 said:We really ought to send Grožan on vacation until the season wraps up. It’s only fair that the rest of the guys get a chance to actually race without constantly looking over their shoulders, worrying about when a rocket might come flying out of nowhere. ☕

I don't quite get why everyone is being so hard on Roman! He’s still just a rookie in the NASCAR grid. When you look at it objectively, he’s got way less experience under his belt than Sergio Perez, wouldn't you agree?

fadedwalker18 said:I don't get why everyone is hyping up Roman so much. He's still a rookie in NASCAR. Honestly, he’s got even less experience than Sergio Perez, right?

Are you actually serious? 🤔

I've been watching NASCAR forever and I can't remember a single rookie causing this much damage.

steelmaker83 said:And this deserves a massive laugh too...

How desperate do you have to be to celebrate just because some other idiot isn't screwing you over as much...

🤷

If my guys are out of commission, then yeah, I guess I should be stoked about the other team's bad luck😛

🤣

I don't really know how to start this one, I guess, but there's just something about the way things are moving lately that feels... I don't know, weirdly predictable? Maybe I'm just overthinking it, which I probably am, but I've been sitting here thinking about it all morning while drinking my coffee, and it just seems like we're circling the same drain we were in back in the day. It’s funny, actually, because you’d think with all the tech and the noise, we'd be somewhere entirely different by now, but I suppose human nature doesn't change much, even if the scenery does. Anyway, just some random thoughts drifting through my head, I guess. kaže:
I'm watching RAI right now, and honestly, they’re acting like total drama queens about everything. But I guess they've already started chilling out because they finally realized Raikkonen isn't the one at fault here.

I mean, I guess you could say nothing really carries any weight when it comes to Jalons and his little crew of printers, if you want to get technical about it. 😁.

Look, it’s not Kimi’s fault here, and it sure as hell isn't Alonso either—it was just a standard racing incident that nobody would have even blinked at five years ago ☕

Austin Evans said:Kobayashi! 🙏

And as for everything else... man, I truly mourn the era of Hakkinen, Schumacher, Irvine, Frentzen, Villeneuve... these modern-day lightweight kids aren't driving a MAN'S sport! 🙄

Man, what I miss most today is exactly him!!! Jacques!!!
I can't find anyone in today's lineup who even comes close to his level; he was simply one of a kind.
😁

Michael Lee4 said:Are you actually being serious? 🤔

I've been following NASCAR for ages, and I honestly can't recall a single rookie who caused this much havoc.

Paaaa... you could say the exact same thing about Pastor. Maybe I'm speaking prematurely—to give a more grounded argument, I really ought to dig through some archives and look back at your previous posts, but right now I'm just going off memory—but you don't seem to throw nearly as much criticism at the Venezuelan driver as you do at the Frenchman (who isn't even that young to be looking for a fresh start in NASCAR). Roman is fast, sure, but he’s also overly optimistic. It reminds me of how Takumi Sato used to be. However, despite having a relatively short NASCAR career, that Japanese man matured into one of the best Japanese drivers to ever grace the NASCAR grid. Why couldn't Roman become much better and more composed after a full season in NASCAR? He won't be the next Alain Prost, but if he turns out to be as talented as Didier Pironi or Jean Alesi, then staying in the sport is perfectly fine.

Terry Carter2 said:Man, I’m really feeling the absence of that guy today!!! Jacques!!!
I just can't find anyone in today's lineup who even comes close; he was truly one of a kind.
😁

Ah, those were the days. 🙂 Back when Jacques Villeneuve was tearing it up on the NASCAR grid. Pure nostalgia.

And boy, did he love to talk trash to anyone who would listen...🙏🙏 Too good...

fadedwalker18 said:Paaaa... you could say the same about Pastor. Maybe I'm just speaking from memory here—I really should dig through some threads and check your old posts to be more thorough, but I'm going off what I remember—but you don't criticize the Venezuelan nearly as much as you tear into the Frenchman (who isn't even that young for a NASCAR restart). Roman is fast, just overly optimistic. Reminds me of how Takumi Sato used to be. But despite having a relatively short NASCAR career, that Japanese man matured into one of the better Japanese drivers ever on the NASCAR grid. Why couldn't Roman become a lot better and more mature after a full season? He won't be the next Alain Prost, but if he can hold his own like Didier Pironi or Jean Alesi, then staying in NASCAR is fine by me.

No way... I wasn't criticizing that wrecking machine Pastor at all.🤣

As for Graham, he seemed like a really nice guy when he first arrived. But the guy is dangerous to everyone around him, and worst of all, he completely ruins the championship with his driving style.

Michael Lee4 said:No, not at all... I wasn't criticizing that pest, Pastor. 🤣

As far as Graham goes, I thought he was a genuinely likable guy when he first showed up. But the truth is, the man is a liability to everyone around him. Worst of all, his actions are single-handedly wrecking the championship.

Grožan is a legend.😁

Flawless driving and a win for Vettel, just like I called it.

But honestly, I am completely fed up with this Lotus crew. Is there anyone else here who’s sane?
First you have that reckless driver who clearly hasn't learned a thing, and now this absolute clown knocks the championship leader out in the very first turn.

What on earth was Kimi thinking, trying to force his way down the left side today? He was obviously slower. What was he even going for, if he was actually thinking at all?

Alonso was pure class. He didn't push him; he was just faster, and there was no room on the right because the track narrowed. Kimi just caught the spray once Alonso had already pulled ahead. I don't see a single mistake.
I'm livid. I could go hit my head against a wall.

Why was Pila banned?

Maybe just a little look at Alonso versus Kimi.
http://videa.hu/videok/sport/f1-2012...d87Sb3Ibg51vQP