GP Germany - 07/25/2010

Michael Lee4 said:I can already picture the press conference and the look on Williams' face if things stay this way.

😬

But honestly, I doubt it... Nando would probably grow wings before he actually lets that happen. 😁

rustystag7 said:I mean, if they're just going to spend the whole season cannibalizing each other's points, what's the point of putting two top-tier drivers in the same garage anyway?🤷

And then you hear them talking about how every team should have three cars... man, imagine the chaos if that actually happened.🙄

It actually works if the car is a total beast (think '88 or '89 McLaren, or maybe '96 Williams). In those cases, both guys fight for the title while everyone else is just playing catch-up.

Good grief, a 2.9-second pit stop for tires... 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

Is anyone else seeing this? It seems like absolutely nobody is talking about it.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85532

slydrifter39 said:I think they were talking about that mess from five or six races back when Jenson Button jumped Lewis Hamilton, only to get yelled at to save fuel, which basically handed the lead right back to Lewis.

What’s actually controversial here? Did Lewis Hamilton let Button through on purpose, or did Button yield to Lewis? I don't think so.

In fact, if you ask me, it's more honorable that neither of them listened to those frantic radio calls from the pit wall—they just settled it out there on the track.🤷

Until the checkered flag drops, I am primarily focused on watching the battle between Hemić and Gumbek. My intuition tells me that Gumbek holds the edge in raw pace, and I fully expect him to make his move as we approach the closing stages of the race. To be perfectly honest, I have a strong conviction that McLaren is subtly, and quite unfairly, prioritizing Hemić's position over the other, which is something I find deeply dissatisfying. This race should provide some much-needed clarity on the matter.

Maria Nelson2 said:Look, if Jenson Button ends up crashing out and Lewis Hamilton slides right into his spot, people are going to start crying foul again, claiming they’re just falling back on that old Renault playbook where they pick a favorite and run with it.
Wall of Victory!!!! 🤣🤣

Honestly, it was a decent enough race for us, I suppose.👍It’s not a bad start, considering the whole system is still running at half-capacity anyway.☕

And once again, Fernando Alonso comes out on top... 🙄
I’m genuinely curious which of today's drivers would actually adopt that kind of strategy if they weren't so worried about their reputation..😁

Lonzo decided it was time to take matters into his own hands🙏

The race was 🙂, so here’s a little something for all the McLaren fans out there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epI6u6uA8hM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Sai_jLQG4
😁

Jason Campbell70 said:With the Williams hydraulic jacks, the front mechanic wasn't supposed to stand directly in front of the car during the descent either; they stayed to the side.😉

So, this Ferrari solution follows the Williams blueprint, with one major catch: the actual lifting is still left to the mechanics' muscles, since machine-assisted lifting is strictly against the rules.

He wasn't really "off to the side" if the lift was positioned vertically, forcing him to reach out with his arms fully extended just to touch it.
The Ferrari guy doesn't even have to struggle; he can just pivot the lift toward himself and maybe even sip a beer with one hand while adjusting the jack with the other. 😉

Maria Nelson2 said:Look, if Jenson Button ends up crashing out and Lewis Hamilton slides right into his spot, people are going to start crying foul again, claiming they’re just falling back on that old Renault playbook where they pick a favorite and run with it.
Wall of Victory!!!! 🤣🤣

Honestly, it was a decent enough race for us, I suppose.👍It’s not a bad start, considering the whole system is still running at half-capacity anyway.☕

I don't know—I mean, Button is still sitting in second in the standings despite having a weaker car, which I suppose speaks volumes.

Chris Ortiz said:Until the checkered flag drops, I am primarily focused on watching the battle between Hemić and Gumbek. My intuition tells me that Gumbek holds the edge in raw pace, and I fully expect him to make his move as we approach the closing stages of the race. To be perfectly honest, I have a strong conviction that McLaren is subtly, and quite unfairly, prioritizing Hemić's position over the other, which is something I find deeply dissatisfying. This race should provide some much-needed clarity on the matter.

I’d have to agree with 😳. Actually, they’re pushing him way more than they push Ferrari Alonso. You can see it clearly now... if Hemić were trailing Button (just like Nando is behind Massa right now) and still had this many points in the standings, things wouldn't look like this. There's no way they'd let Button have a shot at this 😳

And honestly, the gap between Button and Hemić (in terms of skill, points, and the fact that Button is the reigning world champion!) is much smaller than the massive gap between Nando and Massa when you look at everything else 😳

redheron12 said:What’s actually controversial here? Did Lewis Hamilton let Button through on purpose, or did Button yield to Lewis? I don't think so.

In fact, if you ask me, it's more honorable that neither of them listened to those frantic radio calls from the pit wall—they just settled it out there on the track.🤷

Jenson Button let Lewis Hamilton back past and then he was gone, totally out of reach. 😉
They were saving fuel. 🤣

mistybear87 said:He wasn't really "off to the side" if the lift was positioned vertically, forcing him to reach out with his arms fully extended just to touch it.
The Ferrari guy doesn't even have to struggle; he can just pivot the lift toward himself and maybe even sip a beer with one hand while adjusting the jack with the other. 😉

Same level of efficiency, just a different approach. ☕

Joseph Young57 said:It comes down to the sport itself.
And honestly, nothing bugs me more than those idiots who pull the whole "but everyone else does it, so why can't they?" excuse.☕

Why on earth would anyone act like such fools?
Would they really be fools if they didn't pull out every single tool in their arsenal just to clinch the title? I mean, when you think about it, isn't that exactly what greatness requires?

If we’re being completely honest with ourselves here—and I mean truly, brutally honest—Felipe Massa was sitting 31 points behind Fernando Alonso and roughly 80 points adrift of Lewis Hamilton. Looking at those numbers, can anyone really stand there, without a shred of embarrassment, and argue that Massa had any realistic shot at clinching the championship with a deficit like that? It just seems mathematically impossible, doesn't it?
It looks like Fernando Alonso is going to have a hell of a time trying to close that 34-point gap to Lewis Hamilton before the season wraps up, let alone actually snatching the championship away. As for Felipe Massa, honestly, it feels like an almost impossible mission at this stage.

Those people drawing comparisons back to 2002 are honestly barking up the wrong tree. Back then, MS had such a massive lead in the championship that it wouldn't have mattered if Red Bull had let him through or not. For anyone who caught the latest episode of Top Gear a couple of weeks ago, you probably heard the actual truth about what went down—something that certain analysts clearly haven't bothered to grasp. It wasn't even a case of Red Bull needing to let him past on that final lap; the real story is that the team was locked in this heated argument with the pit wall for the last eight laps. It only happened because they finally pulled rank and issued a threat to him... though I won't say exactly what that threat was.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to the championship hunt. It’s perfectly understandable why they made that move, regardless of whether you think it was fair or not. Money moves the needle in this world, doesn't it? ☕

Here you go, take a look at those Williams pit stops; even then, the mechanic still has to step back at least once, whereas the Ferrari crew doesn't have to ☕



The efficiency is just on another level, a completely different way of solving the problem ☕

Nancy Scott5 said:The race was 🙂, so here’s a little something for all the McLaren fans out there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epI6u6uA8hM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9Sai_jLQG4
😁

I mean, hello? In both instances, Kimi Räikkönen just kept losing ground—he was significantly slower than Lewis Hamilton. Even if he had just missed him once, it wouldn't be an issue, but this... he was absolutely disastrous in both races.

Edward Howard2 said:Lonzo decided it was time to take matters into his own hands🙏

Come on 👋 👋 👋

veli Blaž claims that if you use *if only* logic, Nando would be leading the championship 😍 😁 But if we hadn't dealt with all those trophies and penalties, I guess 😳 😁

redheron12 said:I mean, hello? In both instances, Kimi Räikkönen just kept losing ground—he was significantly slower than Lewis Hamilton. Even if he had just missed him once, it wouldn't be an issue, but this... he was absolutely disastrous in both races.

He's Kimi Kovalainen🤦 and everything that crawled out of Renault-owned is absolute garbage. 😁

Putting Kimi Räikkönen in that car is like handing a toddler a Rolex-owned watch to play with. 🤣🤣 🤣

cosmicridge5 said:I’d have to agree with 😳. Actually, they’re pushing him way more than they push Ferrari Alonso. You can see it clearly now... if Hemić were trailing Button (just like Nando is behind Massa right now) and still had this many points in the standings, things wouldn't look like this. There's no way they'd let Button have a shot at this 😳

And honestly, the gap between Button and Hemić (in terms of skill, points, and the fact that Button is the reigning world champion!) is much smaller than the massive gap between Nando and Massa when you look at everything else 😳

Besides, Button is better looking and taller. 😁

PS Webber was a total disaster during the whole race.

cosmicridge5 said:Give me a break. If Button had about 60 points right now and we were looking at this exact scenario over at McLaren, you really think they wouldn't do whatever it takes to ensure Lewis finishes first? Anyone who thinks otherwise is being incredibly naive. Whether it’s done through direct orders or some subtle coded messages, the end result is just as unfair. Though, I suppose you could argue whether it even counts as "unfair" when you consider the massive stakes, the money, and the underlying politics, much like what Blaze and Novak were mentioning earlier.

That whole fuel situation at McLaren is basically just a team order 🤷 wrapped in a slightly more sophisticated disguise, but it's still transparent to everyone watching. We all know team orders exist; it’s nothing new or surprising. The only difference is the method—at McLaren, they use fuel levels, whereas here they just tell Mass that Nando is faster, which he actually 😁
was.
So, what is the actual difference in the grand scheme of things? Let's not be hypocrites 😁

That's exactly how PAto works!

If you ask me, these bans are completely pointless.

If everything had been played fair back in 2007, Kimi Räikkönen would never have been champion because he wouldn't have had to yield to Felipe Massa.

Of course the team is going to order someone to let another pass when even a fool can see that 25 points are far more vital for Alonso than for Massa, given that the latter still has a shot at the title.