GP Germany - 07/25/2010

Well, there you have it—the damn thing actually pulled it off.
Now all those fans can go ahead and lose their minds over this "masterpiece."🤣

They managed to stretch their lead from 17 to 21 points in the championship—all despite having a car that was running about 25 seconds slower than the competition👋

cosmicridge5 said:How many posts did you guys manage to pump out while I was busy making my way through the Metro? 🙂 😁

Anyway, I agree that banning team orders is a complete joke. That rule is basically just dead ink on paper at this point. Nobody actually enforces it, nobody can realistically enforce it, nobody actually wants to enforce it, and I doubt anyone here is under any illusions about how that works. 😁 So why the sudden shock today, then? 😁 What have you guys seen lately?

Does it bother anyone else that there was just so much going on? I guess I'm wondering if it felt a bit overwhelming to everyone else too. Obviously.Yeah, I agree. It looks ridiculous, honestly. It’s just embarrassing to watch the drivers being forced to act like idiots for no reason.

Everyone involved—including us—is well aware that team orders and strategic decisions aren't going anywhere. They exist in every single garage on the grid. It's common knowledge that in Formula 1, the team's overall interest takes precedence over any individual driver's ego. Personally, I think that’s actually quite reasonable given the circumstances, and it’s honestly how things have to work if you want to win.

It’s pretty obvious that within McLaren (and even outside of it), Lewis is treated as the clear number one driver. Even though he's technically officially labeled as number two— The current world champion.😲 Even though he definitely still has a shot at the title. 😉 Lewis might have that slight edge in raw pace, but if you ask me, Button makes up for it with other qualities. Honestly, though, if we’re being real about it, the biggest injustice here has to be at McLaren. I guess if anyone deserved to be number two more than anyone else on the grid, it probably wasn't Button.

When you look at the numbers, Massa was clearly outclassed by Alonso. There’s really no debate about who the more complete driver is when you weigh everything up. Honestly, given the massive gap in points between them, I guess Ferrari's move was pretty much the only logical step left. The reasons behind it are obvious and have been discussed to death already.

Someone mentioned that this isn't quite the same situation as when Kimi took his title, arguing that back then it came down to the final race and whether he could clinch it or not. I guess it’s not all that different here, though. Massa doesn't really have a realistic shot at the championship anymore, whereas Fernando still has a path if everything aligns perfectly—assuming he drives flawlessly and gets a decent bit of luck on top of it. From where I'm sitting, Ferrari was facing a real dilemma today: they could either play this hand and stay in the hunt for the title, or just throw in the towel entirely. And apparently, this is all because of some supposed "moral code" regarding avoiding team orders? We all know those exist; honestly, teams don't even try that hard to hide them, let alone anyone else.

In my opinion, the only way Ferrari actually messed this up was by ignoring what everyone else is doing—something we all know for a fact is working. Everyone’s getting to work. He didn't exactly make it "less obvious." I guess it’s a massive blunder once you actually take a closer look. wow. 😁It’s pretty obvious Ferrari knows the Formula 1 fanbase isn't stupid, so there's really no point trying to insult our intelligence by hiding or using some nonsensical camouflage for things everyone already knows are happening. 😁 It's standard practice for basically every team on the grid.

I agree this was laughably transparent, but it just proves how unenforceable this ban is—given how much people use coded language anyway—and how ridiculous it is. They should just scrap it.

Now, if we want to talk about the moral side of things, which seems to be what everyone here loves to lecture one another about, then from a purely ethical standpoint, it makes zero difference whether something "immoral" is done overtly or subtly. 😁

It doesn't make an act any less immoral if, for instance, Kimi wins a title because of the exact same reasons, it just happens that Kimi is everyone's favorite, so we all happily cheer him on. Meanwhile, if Alonso does it, it's suddenly seen as more immoral simply because he's the easiest target for people to hate. 😁

It's funny how our little forum sweetheart is suddenly so concerned about Button.😍

Button was never a "number two" driver; nobody ever actually said that or ordered him to let Hamilton past. The only thing was that he wasn't permitted to engage in those foolish, risky, and completely unnecessary battles against his teammate. We saw exactly how that plays out over at Red Bull.

By using a smart, disciplined approach, a team with only the third fastest car can actually lead both the constructors' and drivers' championships.

I suppose we’re about to see a massive wave of trolling now that Massa is busy congratulating the winner.

Jason Campbell70 said:True, but why even bring up "respect for the sport"? It’s obvious everyone else—and by that, I mean McLaren too—is trying to make fools out of those of us actually watching Formula 1.

I guess it's more like McLaren makes us look like idiots by being "subtle" about it, pulling these masterclass maneuvers to cloud our vision, when it's actually quite clear what's happening... rather than Ferrari, who doesn't even attempt to pull any nonsense to mislead us.😍

😁

Fernando Alonso 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Huge props to the kid, he absolutely crushed it out there 🙏

silvergull10 said:I suppose we’re about to see a massive wave of trolling now that Massa is busy congratulating the winner.

As if he’d actually shake hands with that piece of trash.

In this race, the only one actually deserving a congratulations is Felipe baby🙏🙏
and Vitaly Petrov👍

feraltrucker5 said:Look, it's just a job, plain and simple. You think the cashier at Walmart is out there worrying about "dignity" or "sporting spirit"? Not a chance. The only difference here is that she gets paid a few bucks an hour while he's pulling in millions.

When are people going to stop swallowing this manufactured mythology and actually face the real world?

Yeah, I really can't picture Kimi actually laughing. 😁

How many more millions does he actually need? How long is he gonna keep humilitating himself? Is it over when he finally says, "I've got enough cash now, screw you all, I'm too damn good of a driver for this crap"?

Edward Howard2 said:I saw him get passed, and after that, he wasn't allowed to push him back. Plus, the whole thing was confirmed at the press conference—you could see it all over Lewis Hamilton's awkward face.😉

So, not only are you totally lost, but you're clearly missing what's right in front of you too...

I wonder why they haven't stepped in to ban those barcodes yet? 🤷

Thomas Lee7 said:How many more millions does he actually need? How long is he gonna keep humilitating himself? Is it over when he finally says, "I've got enough cash now, screw you all, I'm too damn good of a driver for this crap"?

Since when did doing the job you're actually getting paid for and following the terms of your contract become some kind of humiliation? 🤔

Honestly, my heart is just breaking for poor Massa. 🙂

Whatever, let him just head over to Force India and sweep the championship; that’ll really show those jerks at Ferrari what kind of driver he actually is. 👍

Joseph Young57 said:As if he’d actually shake hands with that piece of trash.

Man... that was painful to watch. 😢🤣🤣🤣

It’s a hell of a feeling when you win and don't even bother celebrating. ☕

hollowgull5 said:If he was faster during the race
then why didn't he just blast past Massa instead of letting that guy just hold him up...😕

Man, stop whining...😉

Look, it’s the same story every race: you need to be about two seconds faster to make a clean pass. Alonso was only half a second quicker, so the math just doesn't work for a smooth move. He could've gone full kamikaze on his teammate like Hamilton does, but that wasn't happening.🙂

So, where'd they go...?

... just to show up and celebrate this massive win right here 🙏

cosmicridge5 said:I guess it's more like McLaren makes us look like idiots by being "subtle" about it, pulling these masterclass maneuvers to cloud our vision, when it's actually quite clear what's happening... rather than Ferrari, who doesn't even attempt to pull any nonsense to mislead us.😍

😁

Come on, cosmicridge5, please don't mess this up.

When was the last time a driver at McLaren was actually ordered to let someone else through?

If I recall correctly—and I try to keep my facts straight—Coulthard was sensible enough to know when to yield without being told.

Kovalainen was painfully slow back then; I doubt anyone even needed to give him orders.

Then there was Alonso, who essentially wrecked the team's chances—yet he was never ordered to move for Lewis, and we lost the title by a single point because of it.

It seems pretty clear to the drivers themselves where things stand—who holds the better position—and they should be able to make those calls on their own.

Take Kimi, for instance—he let Massa through once, but nobody panicked about it, mostly because it's understood that Kimi is intelligent enough to handle things without being micromanaged.

So, just STFU!

Way to go, Fernando Alonso! That is exactly how the real champions do it!!

NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Michael Lee4 said:It’s a hell of a feeling when you win and don't even bother celebrating. ☕

And then there's that moment when someone brings up how Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel basically grew up with a silver spoon in their mouths, and now everyone is just handing these wins to them on a platter...

redheron12 said:Come on, cosmicridge5, please don't mess this up.

When was the last time a driver at McLaren was actually ordered to let someone else through?

If I recall correctly—and I try to keep my facts straight—Coulthard was sensible enough to know when to yield without being told.

Kovalainen was painfully slow back then; I doubt anyone even needed to give him orders.

Then there was Alonso, who essentially wrecked the team's chances—yet he was never ordered to move for Lewis, and we lost the title by a single point because of it.

It seems pretty clear to the drivers themselves where things stand—who holds the better position—and they should be able to make those calls on their own.

Take Kimi, for instance—he let Massa through once, but nobody panicked about it, mostly because it's understood that Kimi is intelligent enough to handle things without being micromanaged.

So, just STFU!

Well, baby Felipe is plenty smart too. 🤷 It's just that once they told him Alonso was moving faster, he basically decided to clear a path on his own initiative (🤣) and get out of the way. 👍