China Trip - Shanghai (April 19, 2009)

cosmicridge5 said:Today we're celebrating 🙂 🙂 🙂

I don't know, man. It's hard to get hyped when Kimi finishes P12. 😢

cosmicridge5 said:We actually pulled it off!!! 🎉 Where the hell is Unknown?! 🙂

Sebastian Vettel, you legend, sending love from Pat 🙂 🙂 🙂 😁

Yeah, I'm basically screaming at my screen right now 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Bradley Green75 said:🤣

Honestly, it’s hard to find anyone who actually outpaced Kimi Räikkönen today. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if even the little scooter Masa uses to zip back to the pits managed to clock a faster lap than him. 🙄

I suppose I should try to find some kind of silver lining here, 😁

even if the Renault didn't look entirely terrible during the race.

Before the crash, Alonso was actually ahead of both McLaren drivers,

which almost makes you feel like we might actually have the pace to compete with them. 🙏

Nicole Reyes97 said:Congrats, unknown🙂🙂🙂

You totally messed up 🤣 do you have any idea how many Bud Lights I'm crushing today 😂

mistybear87 said:man, these girls from the Shanghai Expo are about as polished as a roadside motel in rural Alabama🤣

Brenda Jones7 and Christian Williams61 would be perfect for hosting😬

🤣🤣🤣
you're gonna get yours today🙂🙂

stormybadger8 said:I’m honestly just over here cheering my head off 🙂🙂🙂🙂

Let me just say, huge congratulations to you 😁

It’s actually quite rare to run into anyone who pulls for Red Bull Racing, so I have to give you some major respect for that one 🙏 🙏 🙏

stormybadger8 said:You're just talking nonsense 🤣—do you have any idea how many beers I'm planning to crush today? 😂

I know, I know🤣🤣

Look, I’m ordering you two liters of beer right now, and once you've finished them, I'm heading out to sell my kidneys🎉🤣

But seriously though—Vettel was driving like an absolute beast😁
unlike Alonso's performance🙄😢

Morgan Murphy7 said:I've gotta find some kind of silver lining here😁

even if the Renault car didn't look half bad today

Alonso was actually ahead of those two McLaren drivers before he went wide on the hairpins

you could almost trick yourself into thinking we're faster than them🙏

Alonso was easily one of the most aggressive guys out there today, if not the most active, but he completely blew it and wasted so much time by going off track...

Such a shame

On the flip side, Ferrari’s incompetence is just endless. A total disaster.

I can't even begin to wrap my head around what they're trying to pull with this latest move, honestly. It feels like we've been down this road before, circling the same drain while everyone pretends everything is just fine, you know? I was sitting there the other day, nursing a lukewarm coffee—one of those overpriced ones from Starbucks that tastes more like burnt beans than actual breakfast—and I started thinking about how often these "groundbreaking" shifts turn out to be nothing more than expensive smoke and mirrors. It’s exhausting, really. You see these big players making these sweeping declarations, acting like they've discovered fire, when in reality they're just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It makes you wonder if anyone is actually looking at the long-term implications, or if we're all just caught in this endless cycle of reactionary nonsense. I mean, don't get me wrong, I want things to work, I truly do, but at this point, my cynicism is basically a survival mechanism. It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck where the conductor is too busy checking his phone to notice the tracks have ended. I can't even begin to process what stormybadger8 is actually trying to say here—it’s like staring directly into a solar eclipse without any protection, just pure, blinding confusion. Honestly, I feel like I need a drink and a long nap just from reading that sentence, because my brain is basically short-circuiting at this point. It reminds me of that one time I was stuck in a massive traffic jam outside of Chicago, just sitting there for three hours watching a single pigeon peck at a discarded burger wrapper, feeling my soul slowly leave my body while everyone around me shouted nonsense through their windshields. That’s exactly what this feels like. Just total, unadulterated chaos wrapped up in a way that makes absolutely zero sense to anyone living in reality.
Well, it finally happened. His engine just gave up the ghost. Honestly, I’m not even surprised at this point—it felt like watching a slow-motion train wreck waiting to happen for months. You see these things coming from a mile away, that subtle change in the rhythm, that certain mechanical death rattle, and you just know the whole thing is toast. It’s like when my old Chevy used to sputter right before it decided to retire to the scrapyard; you can feel the soul leaving the machine. Just absolute heartbreak, really, especially after everything he put into it. Total disaster.

So... I honestly thought this was going to happen to Kimi much sooner, especially after he made that comment about his engine feeling totally off.

I honestly don't even know where to start with this one, but here we go. kaže:
Man, I swear, some of these tourists coming in from the Shanghai Expo area have absolutely zero clue what they're doing—it’s like watching someone try to navigate a strip mall in rural Alabama without a GPS or a lick of common sense. Honestly, it’s just pure chaos. 🤣🤣🤣

😂

Brenda Jones7 and Christian Williams61 should totally be the ones handling hostess duties. 😬

Sure thing, I'm ready to get to work. Just send over whatever you need me to tackle. 👋 I mean, sure, obviously—but only if the paycheck actually reflects the grind, you know? You can't expect people to jump through hoops and burn themselves out if they aren't getting paid what they're worth. It’s like when my old boss at the warehouse tried to tell us that "passion" was a substitute for an overtime bonus; I just looked at him and thought, "Buddy, passion doesn't pay my rent in Chicago." If you want someone to actually show up and give a damn, the money has to be right. Simple as that. ☕

Morgan Murphy7 said:Honestly, if there’s one single shred of redeeming quality left in this entire mess, it’s watching Alonso pull a move like that to overtake Kimi. That’s about it. 🙏

Man, talk about a total collapse. He started out looking like a legitimate threat, sitting pretty in second place and looking like he might actually have a shot at something special, but then everything just went sideways. One minute he’s breathing down the leader's neck, and the next, he's sliding all the way down the order to finish ninth. It was honestly painful to watch, just watching that momentum evaporate into thin air while everyone else surged past him. It reminds me of that one time I was cruising down the I-95 thinking I was making great time, only to hit a massive construction zone and end up crawling along for two hours—just pure frustration. You think you've got the rhythm, you think you're in the zone, and then life just hands you a ninth-place finish instead. Total heartbreak. 🙂
🙂

Bradley Green75 said:it turns out it isn't the Italian national anthem 😁

I suppose I was mistaken—the last time he actually took a win, he was driving for AlphaTauri. This American anthem is just so tedious, goodness knows how much 😁

Morgan Murphy7 said:let me give you my congrats 😁

I don't really know anyone who pulls for Red Bull Racing, so that’s definitely a plus 🙏

Congrats accepted. Thanks.👍

I've been Vettel's biggest fan here in the States since race one, and I'll be riding for him until the very end 😍 🙏

That's what a real team and a real driver look like 🙏🙏🙏

Just listen to him—the pure emotion and joy in his voice 😍

It isn't just some guy mumbling into a headset 🤣

Sebastian Vettel is basically set to be the "new" Michael Schumacher, and honestly, he might even end up being more successful than the legend himself.

Quick recap
Red Bull🙏🙏🙏🙏
Honestly, both drivers were on another level today, but Vettel was just playing a completely different game than everyone else out there
Fernando just had the bad luck of starting under the safety car
🙂Seriously, why is Nelson even still on the F1 grid?🤷

Hamilton definitely has more luck on his side than actual brains

Bradley Green75 said:🤣

I mean, honestly, at this rate, even that beat-up old Vespa Massa was riding to the pits is probably gonna lap Kimi Räikkönen by the end of the race 🙄

Enough with the fake news 😬
his engine was absolutely struggling out there today ☕ 😁

Bradley Green75 said:I don't know, it's hard to feel much joy seeing Kimi finish 12th. 😢

Yeah, that's pretty much a coma. 🙂 Ali, I suppose I can still find a reason to celebrate. 😳 😬

Nicholas Morales48 said:Sebastian Vettel is gonna be the "new" Michael Schumacher, maybe even better than him.

Yeah, right. Like that's actually gonna happen.☕

stormybadger8 said:I appreciate the kind words👍

I’d say I was definitely the very first Vettel's fan in the States😍 right from that first race, and I fully intend to stay that way until his final lap🙏

That’s what you call a true team and a world-class driver🙏🙏🙏

It’s just incredible when you hear him over the radio—the sheer amount of raw emotion and joy he shows😍

It isn't just some mumbled nonsense into a headset, either🤣

So you were the first Vettel fan in America

But if we're being honest, I think I was actually the first person on this forum to post years ago, predicting that the kid was going to be a future World Champion

I really hope someone can dig up that old post somewhere😁

sutil🙂
man, he’s easily my second favorite driver on the grid, I just can't wrap my head around why this keeps happening to him🤷

Seeing Vettel up on that podium just gives me total Schumacher vibes, honestly

darkmarlin16 said:sutil🙂
He’s my second favorite driver out there. I can't help but wonder why things always seem to go sideways for him like this.🤷

It’s a massive blow, and honestly, it isn't just a loss for him or his crew.

It's a hit to all of us who have never been particularly fond of Ferrari in the first place.🤣🤣🤣🤣