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

mario550 stormybadger8 said:Points only matter until you're talking about Sebastian Vettel. Once it’s Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton, suddenly everyone acts like they're life or death.

Logiga Maminjo logic.

Honestly, I have no clue what you're even trying to say. 🤔

copperdrifter26 said:Mecca has at least a 0.3 to 0.5-second advantage in car pace over RB, and they’re sitting a full second ahead of Ferrari. But you have to look closer—if you compare Mecca's second driver (whether it's Valtteri Bottas or George Russell today) against the other drivers at RB and Ferrari, like Alexander Albon and Sebastian Vettel, you start to see the real story of where those secondary drivers actually land compared to their lead teammates.

George Russell finally sat in the car yesterday, and get this—he went from having the absolute worst car on the grid straight into the best one. It took him exactly three hours of practice to end up just 0.026 behind Valtteri Bottas, who’s been tearing it up at Mecca for four seasons now. Honestly, it makes you wonder how good George would be if he could just spend three or four race weekends in a row at Mecca, or maybe even an entire season? I really think he’d blow past Bottas. If you followed the junior formulas, you know the kid was incredible; he was absolutely dominating Alexander Albon and Lando Norris back then. Sure, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are the top tier right now, but they've had time to mature. I bet if George got a seat at Mecca, he’d be giving Bottas a much harder time than Lewis Hamilton does these days.

I honestly think having Valtteri Bottas around gives Lewis Hamilton such a massive boost. If you look back at how Lewis was driving during that 2015-2016 era, he was on a completely different level—just lightyears faster than the driver we’re seeing today.

Yeah, > has that kind of advantage on a standard track length. In qualifying when there's no traffic. Everything was the exact opposite of that today.

ruggedhawk20 said:Well, we’re going even harder than that—if only George Russell had actually won.

Because he proved anyone can win in that car. But more importantly, he proved Mercedes will do absolutely anything—even screw themselves over for extra points they don't even need—just to keep up the illusion that Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT.

Anyone with half a brain sees that Russell didn't just finish eighth yesterday; Mercedes practically shoved him into eighth place. And they did it twice. Russell—who is a totally mid driver—could have won in the most dominant car in Formula 1 history despite one intentional pit stop blunder. They literally had to mess up twice just to pull him in.

See, Russell has given us plenty of proof to realize that Lewis reached all those records simply because he's driving the most dominant car ever and gets absolute preferential treatment from the team because he's good for marketing. He's a handsome, well-spoken guy who dominates the media and social feeds effortlessly. Of course, they're going to let him dominate the track, too. Lewis is indeed the GOAT—but not for his driving, for his influencer game. He's the best influencer among drivers and the best driver among influencers. He's leagues above a Handball player, but barely reaches the ankles of Niki Lauda.

So yeah, we've got more than enough reason to go wild. And we'll be doing it for a long, long time. You can read it or you can ignore it—whatever. Your call.

Honestly, George Russell and this race have proven a few things;
First, that imagination was clearly born right here on the F1 forum, so all this intense hype probably couldn't happen without consequences.😂😂
Second, there really are people here with a genuine sense of humor.👍

There are also people here who don't understand F1 at all,
yet they desperately want their opinions to carry weight.👎

And sadly, there are people full of hate, treating this place like a gladiator arena instead of a spot where we can just have fun and learn something new.🙂

On the contrary, for those types, this is the one place where they finally find purpose—where they can try to compensate for how miserable their actual lives are.

They act bold and defiant here, when in reality, they're more like a coward.🙂

Thanks for the freedom of choice, Madam President.🎉

graniteharbor502 said:But if that were the case, how much of an advantage would Max Verstappen have? Would we be looking at a full second difference?

Since when was Max actually better than Charles Leclerc? And what makes you think he is? If you ask me, Charles Leclerc is the superior driver, or they're at least neck and neck.

Both of them would leave Lewis Hamilton in the dust.

Why the need for such a massive life story?
Look, we already know who you are and we've accepted you just fine 🙂

But hey, if you really feel the urge, there's a dedicated thread for introductions where you can go ahead and introduce yourself properly 👍

It doesn't really matter how George Russell stacks up against Valtteri Bottas tomorrow.
For Bottas, this is all about pride, and the pressure to beat a one-off replacement is going to be intense.

George Russell actually walks away a winner regardless of what happens here, so he shouldn't lose any sleep over it.
If he beats Bottas, everything is perfect—it's a massive win.
If he doesn't, nobody is really counting on him to pull that off given the circumstances.
The real catch is if he can hold his own against Max Verstappen—basically everyone else.
That’s the actual test for Russell tomorrow. Beating Max. That’s how we find out what kind of grit the kid actually has.

Personally, I wouldn't bet on it. I doubt he'll take down Max.

Alex Barnes93 said:Something I totally missed while watching the broadcast—and honestly, this was the absolute highlight of the race—was how Valtteri Bottas sat in the pits for 37 seconds only for them NOT to change all his tires before sending him back out 🙏 I mean, even Ferrari couldn't pull off a mess that bad 🙏

Check it out: https://streamable.com/1meknp

Man, they didn't even swap out a single 🤦 🤣 They take off the hards, slap on new mediums, then rip off the mediums and just shove those same used hards right back on 😂

E2: The craziest part of this whole circus is that neither Russell nor Bottas even needed to pit in the first place.

Ferrari can't even attempt anything like that because they don't have two drivers who are actually close enough to each other to make it work ☕🥱

Alexander Albon and Sebastian Vettel were just messing around on the team radio the whole time after getting knocked out in Qualifying 2, while Lando Norris actually stepped up and admitted it was his own fault.

ruggedhawk20 said:Well, we’re going even harder than that—if only George Russell had actually won.

Because he proved anyone can win in that car. But more importantly, he proved Mercedes will do absolutely anything—even screw themselves over for extra points they don't even need—just to keep up the illusion that Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT.

Anyone with half a brain sees that Russell didn't just finish eighth yesterday; Mercedes practically shoved him into eighth place. And they did it twice. Russell—who is a totally mid driver—could have won in the most dominant car in Formula 1 history despite one intentional pit stop blunder. They literally had to mess up twice just to pull him in.

See, Russell has given us plenty of proof to realize that Lewis reached all those records simply because he's driving the most dominant car ever and gets absolute preferential treatment from the team because he's good for marketing. He's a handsome, well-spoken guy who dominates the media and social feeds effortlessly. Of course, they're going to let him dominate the track, too. Lewis is indeed the GOAT—but not for his driving, for his influencer game. He's the best influencer among drivers and the best driver among influencers. He's leagues above a Handball player, but barely reaches the ankles of Niki Lauda.

So yeah, we've got more than enough reason to go wild. And we'll be doing it for a long, long time. You can read it or you can ignore it—whatever. Your call.

Yeah, moments like this make enduring the rest of the season worth it. 🙏 🙏 🙏 😁

Look, if we actually talk about this, it’s just gonna make things way more awkward for everyone, so let’s all just collectively pretend it didn't happen. Like, can we please just ignore the fact that they pulled Sebastian Vettel into the pits with basically 15 minutes left in Free Practice 3, only to swap in that second engine—you know, the absolute dud they've been lugging around all season—just an hour before qualifying starts?

How was the Bahrain Grand Prix (outer loop)?
negligible
bearable
good
very good
excellent
top-tier
total scam

Did Kimi have some kind of issue with his car that caused him to fall so far behind his teammate?

Quote:Well, I suppose

freelancer says: How would you describe the state of VN Sakhir (Outer Circle)? neglected tolerable good very good excellent top-tier total scam

one might put it
roughly like that, 👍though I find myself wondering if any single word could truly capture the complexity of such an experience.

northerncobra31 said:Did Kimi have some kind of issue with his car that caused him to fall so far behind his teammate?

Go ask one of those armchair experts, they're the ones obsessively tracking Kimi's every move.

wiredfalcon2 said:Yeah, > has that kind of advantage on a standard track length. In qualifying when there's no traffic. Everything was the exact opposite of that today.

We aren't even talking about a 3-5 tenth gap anymore—it’s closer to 2. There are tracks out there where people clock 1:15s and more, and this isn't even that much shorter. Besides, Red Bull Racing actually brought their summer updates, whereas Germany didn't.

Alex Barnes93 said:Look, if we actually talk about this, it’s just gonna make things way more awkward for everyone, so let’s all just collectively pretend it didn't happen. Like, can we please just ignore the fact that they pulled Sebastian Vettel into the pits with basically 15 minutes left in Free Practice 3, only to swap in that second engine—you know, the absolute dud they've been lugging around all season—just an hour before qualifying starts?

Come on, stop lying. Everyone knows Vettel has arguably the best Ferrari he's ever driven. The issue is clearly him, not the car. The guy is a four-time fraud. 😁 😁

He isn't some influencer who could win a championship even in a Williams Racing. 😁 😁

Exactly. That’s my point all along: Ferrari has been riding Vettel like a tired workhorse, yet he handles it like a gentleman because he's honoring his contract until the end.

I honestly don't get what idiots are running Ferrari. Every single damn point matters when you're fighting for the prize money.

wiredseal7 said:We aren't even talking about a 3-5 tenth gap anymore—it’s closer to 2. There are tracks out there where people clock 1:15s and more, and this isn't even that much shorter. Besides, Red Bull Racing actually brought their summer updates, whereas Germany didn't.

My only thought is that the layout feels almost like an oval, you know? With just two or three chicanes and these massive straightaways, it doesn't really feature any proper, technical corners.

silverviper44 said:Come on, stop lying. Everyone knows Vettel has arguably the best Ferrari he's ever driven. The issue is clearly him, not the car. The guy is a four-time fraud. 😁 😁

He isn't some influencer who could win a championship even in a Williams Racing. 😁 😁

Exactly. That’s my point all along: Ferrari has been riding Vettel like a tired workhorse, yet he handles it like a gentleman because he's honoring his contract until the end.

I honestly don't get what idiots are running Ferrari. Every single damn point matters when you're fighting for the prize money.

I honestly find myself wondering how Ferrari can be this clueless sometimes. I mean, they pulled the exact same stunt on Charles Leclerc in Austin last year—forcing him to run with that old engine right before qualifying just because the one from Free Practice 3 was basically junk. It’s hard to wrap my head around.

It’s honestly unbelievable what they’re doing to poor Sebastian Vettel.🙂

Alex Barnes93 said:Look, if we actually talk about this, it’s just gonna make things way more awkward for everyone, so let’s all just collectively pretend it didn't happen. Like, can we please just ignore the fact that they pulled Sebastian Vettel into the pits with basically 15 minutes left in Free Practice 3, only to swap in that second engine—you know, the absolute dud they've been lugging around all season—just an hour before qualifying starts?

Didn't they pull the exact same stunt on Charles Leclerc in Austin last year? Or is there always some sort of conspiracy theory floating around whenever Sebastian Vettel is involved? Seriously though, what happened with that gearbox failure during Free Practice 2 yesterday?

silverviper44 said:Come on, stop lying. Everyone knows Vettel has arguably the best Ferrari he's ever driven. The issue is clearly him, not the car. The guy is a four-time fraud. 😁 😁

He isn't some influencer who could win a championship even in a Williams Racing. 😁 😁

Exactly. That’s my point all along: Ferrari has been riding Vettel like a tired workhorse, yet he handles it like a gentleman because he's honoring his contract until the end.

I honestly don't get what idiots are running Ferrari. Every single damn point matters when you're fighting for the prize money.

I suppose you could argue they didn't degrade him just because they favor Charles Leclerc more, but rather, he sort of let himself slide due to some really shaky driving, those silly little mistakes, unnecessary spins and wobbles, a lack of self-control, and just letting championship wins or podium opportunities slip right through his fingers.

I mean, how can you even talk about degrading a driver when they're performing like that? 😁

Lucky for them their engine was a total junk pile, so they managed to wreck that too 😍
Honestly, thank god the car was just as much of a disaster, otherwise they wouldn't have trashed the tires so fast...
The only real shame is that Mattia Binotto wasn't a complete failure himself, so we could finally see him degrade too 🙂

That guy is just straight-up incompetent. It’d be hard to find that level of uselessness anywhere else in the States 🤦
I’ve got a feeling if anyone handed Microsoft over to him, he’d bankrupt the whole company within a year...