Bahrain Grand Prix (Outer Loop) | December 4-6, 2020

I don't get why you guys are still obsessing over Lewis Hamilton after Sergio Perez stood on top of that podium here. 😵

I’m honestly just counting down the days until Hamilton, Vettel, and Alonso all retire—then maybe we can finally let some fresh blood actually race.

graniteharbor502 said:No, I really think the issue stems from the track configuration itself, 🙏

No, it’s about the "poVVer" track. 🙏

That is what they claim.

frozenheron7 said:Comparing an elite athlete like Lewis Hamilton to a criminal, a con artist, a coke addict, a cheat, or some mob lackey is honestly just tasteless.
That handball goal and that dribble straight from the center circle? That basically sums up his entire career—both on the field and off. One word: fraud. Two words: selfish egoist.

Back to the topic at hand:
I assumed George Russell would perform well, but I definitely wasn't expecting him to clock such impressive times. Unless he ends up getting caught in a collision or a podium battle (which is looking way more likely now that Romain Grosjean isn't driving), it's almost a given the kid will pick up some points. I’m genuinely curious to see if he can carry this momentum into qualifying and if he'll manage to keep a clean sheet against his own teammate.

Kenneth Cruz67 said:I honestly feel like all those technical systems were perfectly legal when they were originally developed in full compliance with the regulations, and since the FIA eventually decided to ban them later on, wouldn't that effectively strip Mercedes of their top spot? I suppose it’s a bit of a stretch to try and compare those kinds of clever engineering feats to something as blatant as outright lying, cheating, or stealing, don't you think? 🤦

They don't even follow the rules. They aren't just breaking them; they’re exploiting every single loophole in the book.
It’s like they’re trying to make it illegal, but if you actually look at the rules, it doesn't strictly say you can't do that exact thing in that specific spot. 😁

That's just how Formula 1 has always been...
The whole point of this crew is figuring out how to screw over the regulators and their rulebook.

It’s honestly kind of weird that we've never seen a team from around here make it into Formula 1. 😁
Our crew has always been the absolute experts at finding loopholes and messing with the rulebook. 🤣

mellowtiger83 said:That is an accurate assessment. Alonso would have secured the world championship in 2017 and 2018 because he is simply a higher-caliber driver than Vettel. Unfortunately, Alonso was stuck in a Ferrari that wasn't even remotely competitive compared to what it could have been, yet he still managed to fight for the title.

Naturally, Tibi will deny this, as per usual.

Honestly, I don't even have the energy to debunk this nonsense anymore...
Vettel and Alonso settled their score on the track, so you guys can just keep enjoying life through those rose-colored glasses of yours...

And why even bother arguing? It's like trying to explain to a toddler why they need to move ten feet to the left; I could spend the next twenty years explaining it, but nothing's going to change...

cosmicstag16 said:I find this logic absolutely fascinating:

In 2008, Ferrari took the Constructors' Championship
- While Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) barely managed to clinch his title in an utterly dominant machine

Then in 2009, Brawn GP secured the Constructors' Championship
- Yet Jenson Button became the champion through sheer, superhuman willpower while driving what was essentially a glorified bucket on wheels

🙏🤣

Back in 2008, McLaren basically had 1.2 drivers while everyone else actually had two.☕
Let's be real, Kovas can't even be called a half-decent driver—the way he handled that McLaren was a total embarrassment...
Bottas is a joke, but compared to Heikki Kovalainen, he looks like an alien.🤦

We really just have to hold out for the final round of Q3. This track is a disaster. Cramming 20 cars onto a 53-second circuit is just plain ridiculous.
I was watching Free Practice 3, but I had to turn it off once I realized there was no point in watching a session where you can't even pull two clean laps in a row without getting stuck behind someone else.
This whole trend toward Americanization is going to ruin F1.
It’s exactly like those rating scales they use, grading everything from 1 to 10. It feels like they're just pandering to American viewers who only consume sports through stats and rankings. Your average fan doesn't care about the tactical nuances of the game; they just see that one quarterback threw three touchdowns while the other threw two, and decide the first guy is automatically better.

bluepuma9 said:I honestly don't get why everyone is acting so shocked by how quickly Russell has settled into the Mercedes-Benz seat.

Look at what Nico Hülkenberg pulled off with RP; he hadn't even touched a Formula 1 car for months before that. These guys are pros. That’s literally why they’re in the paddock and why their paychecks are so massive. Mind you, driving a Mercedes is probably a hell of a lot easier than wrestling a Williams.

And while nobody is actually debating whether Russell is a huge talent—we already knew that long before this race—he’s clearly one of the frontrunners to step in for either Bottas or Lewis Hamilton, assuming Lewis is the first one out the door at Mercedes.

Let's not compare apples to oranges here...
Hulk spent several seasons driving for Force India. He knows every single person on that crew, understands all the team procedures inside out, and knows everything there is to know about the car's setup—including the secrets. It went so far that the engineers at RP openly admitted his input helped their setup. 😳
Basically, they trust his feedback way more than they do Stroll's or Perez's. ☕
It’s a safe bet they had his seat and everything else custom-fitted for him since he was a long-term driver for them...

Russell practically knows nothing about the Mercedes; it's his first time ever seeing the DAS system.
That tiny bit of time he spent in testing isn't exactly "learning how the team functions during qualifying and races" or getting used to the actual procedures...

And no, I wouldn't say the Mercedes is easier to drive than the Williams...
Quite the opposite. The Mercedes is definitely much more complex and complicated when it comes to setup and handling.
The Williams is a basic model, which makes it almost certainly the simplest car possible.
If you mean the Mercedes is more comfortable to drive, then yeah, probably, because the car is more stable and likely "listens" to the driver a lot better than the Williams.
But calling it "easier" to drive? Definitely not.

Raymond Anderson4 said:We really just have to hold out for the final round of Q3. This track is a disaster. Cramming 20 cars onto a 53-second circuit is just plain ridiculous.
I was watching Free Practice 3, but I had to turn it off once I realized there was no point in watching a session where you can't even pull two clean laps in a row without getting stuck behind someone else.
This whole trend toward Americanization is going to ruin F1.
It’s exactly like those rating scales they use, grading everything from 1 to 10. It feels like they're just pandering to American viewers who only consume sports through stats and rankings. Your average fan doesn't care about the tactical nuances of the game; they just see that one quarterback threw three touchdowns while the other threw two, and decide the first guy is automatically better.

It is truly unwatchable. There are basically three straights and three turns. Honestly, a go-kart track at a state fair would offer a better racing experience than this. 🤦

bluepuma9 said:Yeah, I don't get the Giovinazzi thing either. It's hard to argue Ferrari doesn't have any real young prospects left, because he definitely hasn't proven himself yet. 🤷
I'm not even sure if Mick Schumacher made the right call jumping into Haas. His stock might just tank after a season or two there, regardless of how much talent he has. If I were him, I’d probably stick around for one more year in F2.

Why isn't he clear to you?
The guy is getting paid handsomely to drive...
On the flip side, Ferrari keeps him in Formula 1 solely because he's Italian. With this massive influx of British drivers, they need at least one local hero on the grid to feel connected to their roots...
I can't see any other logical explanation, because there's no way they don't have anyone better coming up through their own academy...
At the end of the day, Sergio Perez came out of their system, so if they had no other options right now, they could've easily landed someone as solid as Perez for Alfa Romeo...

To be honest though, I don't really get what they're playing at with this whole thing.
It's pretty weird that someone like David Valsecchi never got a shot or a push from Ferrari for that exact same reason. The guy was a GP2 champion and still never got a break in Formula 1... meanwhile, we've got this guy sitting there. 😵

Raymond Anderson4 said:We really just have to hold out for the final round of Q3. This track is a disaster. Cramming 20 cars onto a 53-second circuit is just plain ridiculous.
I was watching Free Practice 3, but I had to turn it off once I realized there was no point in watching a session where you can't even pull two clean laps in a row without getting stuck behind someone else.
This whole trend toward Americanization is going to ruin F1.
It’s exactly like those rating scales they use, grading everything from 1 to 10. It feels like they're just pandering to American viewers who only consume sports through stats and rankings. Your average fan doesn't care about the tactical nuances of the game; they just see that one quarterback threw three touchdowns while the other threw two, and decide the first guy is automatically better.

What does Americanization have to do with any of this? You guessed it. Absolutely nothing.

swifttiger75 said:I don't get why you guys are still obsessing over Lewis Hamilton after Sergio Perez stood on top of that podium here. 😵

I’m honestly just counting down the days until Hamilton, Vettel, and Alonso all retire—then maybe we can finally let some fresh blood actually race.

Well, Perez isn't exactly "young blood"...
He's just slightly less old than Vettel...

Besides, Perez should have been at the top long ago...
And let's be real, he only got there because Hamilton, Alonso, and even Vettel weren't in this last race...

Add to that Max and Charles Leclerc being out, plus the German team absolutely screwing over George Russell, and there you have it.

I'd love to see Russell snag pole just to watch the absolute meltdown that would follow. 🎉

With Esteban Ocon's result, we’ve now got a full split of the top 14 in the overall standings.

Huge congrats to Sergio Perez, he absolutely earned that win. 👍

I mean, look at the run he's had—last weekend he misses out on a guaranteed podium because of a mechanical failure, then goes out and claims a podium doesn't even matter as long as Romain Grosjean is okay, and then at Imola, his podium gets snatched away by some questionable calls from the pit wall. Now, Charles Leclerc blows past him on the opening lap and drops him straight to the back, and he's basically tossing Alexander Albon around like a toddler, but somehow the luck finally swings in Sergio's favor and he pulls off the victory. 🙏

Honestly, I'm shocked he walked away from that without any issues, considering how nasty that hit looked.

Valtteri Bottas has had such rough starts over the last two races, but I guess if he manages to grab pole today, maybe he could actually pull off a win tomorrow; it feels like it's about time he gets things back on track

stormybadger8 said:Well, Perez isn't exactly "young blood"...
He's just slightly less old than Vettel...

Besides, Perez should have been at the top long ago...
And let's be real, he only got there because Hamilton, Alonso, and even Vettel weren't in this last race...

Add to that Max and Charles Leclerc being out, plus the German team absolutely screwing over George Russell, and there you have it.

Your precious little pirouette hasn't been seen all season long🤣

stormybadger8 said:Honestly, I don't even have the energy to debunk this nonsense anymore...
Vettel and Alonso settled their score on the track, so you guys can just keep enjoying life through those rose-colored glasses of yours...

And why even bother arguing? It's like trying to explain to a toddler why they need to move ten feet to the left; I could spend the next twenty years explaining it, but nothing's going to change...

If I'm following the logic here:
-The cherry tree represents everyone who thinks differently.
-Voluntarily moving ten feet to the left means accepting an explanation.
-Twenty years is the timeframe where absolutely nothing changes.

It would make more sense to say:
-The tree can't be moved; Mother Nature made it that way, defying all belief.😁
-Moving left, or in any direction you want, is clearly an illusion—even to someone with bad eyesight.🤔
I mean, when has anyone actually seen a tree move, unless we're talking about Lord of the Rings?🤷
-Twenty years is the window of time during which nothing will change.

If people could just wait until Sunday, then if the results look like they did in Free Practice 1 or Free Practice 2, they can vent all they want.
Right now, this feels more like someone just grasping at straws.

Oh yeah, the way Russell charms Bottas was absolutely legendary 🙏

I mean, seriously, what happened to poor Bottas was an absolute embarrassment of epic proportions. Especially after that SC call. It was painfully obvious that Russell was flying while Bottas was just struggling to keep up, and even though Russell seemed to be holding back a bit—probably because he didn't want to end up in a massive collision—it was still brutal. But honestly, the poor guy was so rattled and terrified that he ended up choking and making his own mistake, and once that happened, Russell just tore through the field while Bottas was stuck in the weeds fighting off Lance Stroll 😂

Nicholas Newman2 said:If I'm following the logic here:
-The cherry tree represents everyone who thinks differently.
-Voluntarily moving ten feet to the left means accepting an explanation.
-Twenty years is the timeframe where absolutely nothing changes.

It would make more sense to say:
-The tree can't be moved; Mother Nature made it that way, defying all belief.😁
-Moving left, or in any direction you want, is clearly an illusion—even to someone with bad eyesight.🤔
I mean, when has anyone actually seen a tree move, unless we're talking about Lord of the Rings?🤷
-Twenty years is the window of time during which nothing will change.

If people could just wait until Sunday, then if the results look like they did in Free Practice 1 or Free Practice 2, they can vent all they want.
Right now, this feels more like someone just grasping at straws.

I suspect this is all just setting the stage, really. No matter how things actually shake out on the track, I imagine someone will inevitably try to spin the result to support whatever narrative they’ve already decided on.

I suppose if George Russell performs well, everyone will claim it's all thanks to the car. But if he struggles, then it'll be blamed entirely on him. In either scenario, it seems like Lewis Hamilton is just being viewed as a mediocre talent who happened to catch a lucky break with 😁

darkmarlin16 said:Your precious little pirouette hasn't been seen all season long🤣

Unfortunately, you're pretty much spot on.
I'm just counting down the days until he finally gets out of that team. 😁

You don't even find that funny...
Your boy Sainz is headed for the exact same nightmare Vettel went through this year and in seasons past...
He’d be a hell of a lot better off if he’d just stayed at McLaren.

Yesterday was freaking phenomenal...
I mean, seriously, if his engine was already dead and all they had left was some beat-up old unit to swap in, what kind of amateur move was it to not just put a fresh engine in the car?
If we aren't doing it before qualifying, then why on earth aren't we doing it after?
What’s even the difference? Starting 13th with an old, weak engine or starting dead last with a brand-new one... it's all the same misery.

Yesterday after the restart, Vettel was the only one on softs, and yet Norris just pulls away from him on the straights. How does he have two gears less than that guy? 🤦
Sebastian Vettel comes over the team radio and just lays it out plain and simple: "this engine is dead."

And on top of all that, he hands them two perfect pit stops on a silver platter. 👍
One guy gets a 4.5-second head start, then they crank it up and give the other one a 6.5-second lead. Typical. 🙏

What’s the stupidest part about this whole thing? Honestly, even the tactics were actually decent this time, and the start went better than expected...
The pace on hards was killer. If they’d actually pulled off a decent pit stop, he would've either cruised to the win or at least finished right ahead of Esteban Ocon. But of course, they had to mess up every single thing they touched...

And the absolute dumbest part of this whole mess? Giving him some ancient, washed-up engine was basically throwing the Abu Dhabi race straight into the trash.
Look, let’s be real: they have to swap him out. Whether they like it or not, if they don't make the change now, the guy is either going to completely conk out or perform even worse than he already has.
If they don't fix that starting position from the back, it's a lost cause. They basically just screwed over two entire races.
Thank God he's finally out of Ferrari. 🙏

Kenneth Cruz67 said:I suspect this is all just setting the stage, really. No matter how things actually shake out on the track, I imagine someone will inevitably try to spin the result to support whatever narrative they’ve already decided on.

I suppose if George Russell performs well, everyone will claim it's all thanks to the car. But if he struggles, then it'll be blamed entirely on him. In either scenario, it seems like Lewis Hamilton is just being viewed as a mediocre talent who happened to catch a lucky break with 😁

Man, you’re just not paying enough attention! Seriously. If Russell puts up a decent showing, everyone's gonna say, "Oh, the car is finally good." But if he struggles? Well, then it’s back to blaming the car again, because let's be real—Toto & Co are basically sabotaging him. It’s exactly what they do to Valtteri Bottas. They handicap George just enough so he can't actually show his true potential in a fair fight, which just makes Lewis Hamilton look like some kind of alien god by comparison. I mean, come on. We've talked about this a thousand times on here already: any absolute amateur could drive this Mercedes-Benz and look like a world champion. The reason they aren't all winning titles is because Toto Wolff is either nerfing the car or James is telling them to go grab a drink instead of focusing. It's a total setup.