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

Gregory Brown94 said:Lewis tested positive for COVID-19.

Anyone know which idiot infected him? 😬
Is he still hanging out with that weird little group of his? 🤔

If Terbal just stuck by his girl, we wouldn't be having this problem...

The heist of the century...

Sent from my phone via Reddit

wiredfalcon2 said:Neither.

Look, it doesn't have to be limited to just those two...

stormybadger8 said:Oh, I definitely have. 😍

I just didn't shove the whole McLaren-Honda reputation meltdown down your throat...
Because honestly, I felt bad for him and his fans...
Just like I felt bad for grandpa, and damn it, I feel bad for Lewis Hamilton now too after this...

It's still not clear why Wolff did this to him.
Realistically, his reputation is going to tank, and the media is going to absolutely lose their minds over Valtteri Bottas...
Either this guy is a total jerk, or Russell is the golden boy that the F1 media (aka the British media) is going to push at Mercedes day and night...
Poor Bottas will be running through the paddock to hide from the Sky commentator, now that's a real race...

Poor Valtteri Bottas after today's race:

mellowtiger83 said:This is a fundamental misunderstanding of Formula 1. Truly elementary. Whoever steps into that seat isn't going to be anywhere near Valtteri Bottas's level. Not because they lack talent, but because they are entering an entirely foreign driving environment with an unfamiliar car, new mechanics, and all that.

Relying on such theories is frankly ridiculous.

For instance, the idea that if Daniel Ricciardo from Renault replaced Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, he would just get washed out—or that if Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas took over, they’d dominate him—it ignores the reality of that first race under replacement conditions.

Exactly...
And honestly, if whoever steps in ends up stuck with Valtteri Bottas, it’s such an absolute joke that he should probably just be fired on the spot.🤦

vividlynx68 said:Good grief, did Sergio Perez actually take third? 🙏 🙏 🙏

Nope. He took first.

coastalwolf6 said:True enough.

But only if you count his close encounters with the walls. 🤣

Like Lewis Hamilton in Germany back in 2019, right? Honestly, if you're gonna try and butcher my sentence and twist my words just to change the context, maybe check your vision first. You clearly aren't seeing the full picture here.

Amanda Kelly said:I don't see how those blunders in the Mercedes pit lane actually changed anything today.
Not a damn thing, if you ask me.

Everything was pretty much set in stone before that even happened. You can't just erase 60 laps of Russell dominating the field. Or, to put it another way, those final 20 or 30 laps—and the eventual result—don't change the fact that Russell was absolutely crushing it all weekend long.
With a Mercedes car this good, you could drop in some rookie who hasn't scored a single point in his last 35 races and he’d likely take the win. He’d be paid about what a benchwarmer on a bottom-tier MLS team makes. Give him a day or two to get used to the seat, and he's golden.

Mercedes really screwed Lewis over. Not specifically today, though. They did that the moment they decided someone else was stepping into his seat for this race. You could see how that test would play out from the very beginning.

Lewis shouldn't have let himself get too comfortable with the crown. A pro at his level really should have seen that coming.

But hey, that's kind of the whole point of Formula 1, right? It’s a constructors' championship, not a driver's trophy hunt. The goal is to build the fastest machine possible so that any driver on the grid could jump in and cruise to a victory.
At the end of the day, the big money follows the constructors' standings and the team title. The drivers' championship is cool for the prestige and the bragging rights, sure, but it brings exactly $0.00 in direct prize money to the team that wins it.

So, let me just repeat myself here:

Alex Barnes93 said:BREAKING NEWS: Reddit just dropped a massive bombshell—turns out Formula 1 is actually a constructors' championship, meaning the fastest car wins regardless of who’s behind the wheel.

More details coming your way soon...

mellowtiger83 said:This is a fundamental misunderstanding of Formula 1. Truly elementary. Whoever steps into that seat isn't going to be anywhere near Valtteri Bottas's level. Not because they lack talent, but because they are entering an entirely foreign driving environment with an unfamiliar car, new mechanics, and all that.

Relying on such theories is frankly ridiculous.

For instance, the idea that if Daniel Ricciardo from Renault replaced Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, he would just get washed out—or that if Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas took over, they’d dominate him—it ignores the reality of that first race under replacement conditions.

Look who's talking.

You can't tell Ayrton Senna apart from Alessandro Pierro.

Alexander Wurz told ABC that both George Russell and Valtteri Bottas were handed mixed sets of tires.

stormytiger4 said:Look, it doesn't have to be limited to just those two...

Look, you and I? We're in the exact same boat.

Amanda Kelly said:I don't see how those blunders in the Mercedes pit lane actually changed anything today.
Not a damn thing, if you ask me.

Everything was pretty much set in stone before that even happened. You can't just erase 60 laps of Russell dominating the field. Or, to put it another way, those final 20 or 30 laps—and the eventual result—don't change the fact that Russell was absolutely crushing it all weekend long.
With a Mercedes car this good, you could drop in some rookie who hasn't scored a single point in his last 35 races and he’d likely take the win. He’d be paid about what a benchwarmer on a bottom-tier MLS team makes. Give him a day or two to get used to the seat, and he's golden.

Mercedes really screwed Lewis over. Not specifically today, though. They did that the moment they decided someone else was stepping into his seat for this race. You could see how that test would play out from the very beginning.

Lewis shouldn't have let himself get too comfortable with the crown. A pro at his level really should have seen that coming.

Mercedes didn't screw Lewis over at all. All he lost today was one more shot at a win. Nothing more, nothing less. Let's just hope he makes a 100% recovery. People act like catching COVID is some kind of joke.

I generally agree with you all, but honestly, a top-tier driver jumping into a Mercedes mid-season isn't going to fail. They might not squeeze out every ounce of potential, but they certainly won't tank it.
Beyond the fact that the Mercedes is a competitive car, how the entire team operates matters just as much.

It’s a completely different story whether you're sitting in a Racing Point or a Red Bull Racing.
I’d argue that if Hulk were in a Red Bull Racing or a Mercedes, he’d see better results—not just because the car is faster, but because of the overall team environment.
And we shouldn't overlook the fact that while Hulk might not be at the absolute peak of the grid, he still put in a really solid performance at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

ruggedhawk20 said:Look, Alain Prost wasn't carried to his '86 title either

And neither Schumacher 1995 both

Both those titles were won in the second best (for Schumacher) or third best (for Prost) car of the season.

I feel like you didn't actually name a driver who won thanks to a truly dominant car or anything like that; instead, it seems like you're just talking complete nonsense. 👍

wiredfalcon2 said:The perfect race for all those armchair conspiracy theorists and people who don't have a clue what they're talking about.

Honestly—that’s such a salty quote because they clearly realize Lewis Hamilton is the Greatest of All Time. If they actually knew what they were talking about, it wouldn't matter to them. And this whole idea that they intentionally screwed over Russell and Valtteri Bottas? Total joke.

shadowmarlin22 said:Honestly, screw it all—Brawn Rosberg and Schumacher built everything 🤦
Let’s just look at the facts for a second...

Back when those three were running the Mercedes, there wasn't any real progress—they were sitting 4th, 4th, 5th in the standings, basically sliding backward every single year. The first year they brought in Wolff and Lewis, they jumped straight to second place, and then eventually became champions—though, let's be real, they didn't turn it all around in just one season.
Obviously, they probably hit their peak dominance this year because I'm guessing Brawn developed the foundation seven years ago and they finally cracked the code now. 🤣🤣🤣
Tibi, seriously, go get some help.

Look, they didn't build it all from scratch, but they definitely moved the needle in the right direction to make Mercedes become this absolute powerhouse. Even Toto Wolff says so (and hey, maybe he's the one who actually needs help given how much he repeats himself):

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Toto Wolff has described Michael Schumacher as the "founding father" of his team's huge Formula 1 success, on the seven-time world champion's 50th birthday.

"Michael is one of the founding fathers of the success we have had in the last five years," said Wolff.

"There is no other driver like him and his vast experience contributed tremendously in the development of our team.

"He played a crucial role when we rejoined F1 and was One of The People Who laid The foundation for Our futur success. We're extremely grateful for everything he did for us."

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/s...wolff/4318884/

He basically says the exact same thing every time someone brings up how dominant Mercedes is. It’s in every interview, every single podcast.

Nicholas Newman2 said:I generally agree with you all, but honestly, a top-tier driver jumping into a Mercedes mid-season isn't going to fail. They might not squeeze out every ounce of potential, but they certainly won't tank it.
Beyond the fact that the Mercedes is a competitive car, how the entire team operates matters just as much.

It’s a completely different story whether you're sitting in a Racing Point or a Red Bull Racing.
I’d argue that if Hulk were in a Red Bull Racing or a Mercedes, he’d see better results—not just because the car is faster, but because of the overall team environment.
And we shouldn't overlook the fact that while Hulk might not be at the absolute peak of the grid, he still put in a really solid performance at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Obviously, it’s a given they wouldn't fail, but under these circumstances, just finishing in the top 10 isn't exactly "failing"...
In my opinion, getting a top 10 result in that car is a realistic goal for any solid driver like Sergio Perez or Nico Hulkenberg...
But honestly, even if they pulled Fernando Alonso out of retirement right now, I wouldn't expect much more from him given the situation...

A podium is already a massive stretch for almost everyone, and for an absolute top driver in peak form, maybe 3rd place is the limit (if someone dropped Lewis Hamilton into that car—he'd be dealing with a totally unfamiliar machine and crew, so I wouldn't expect miracles)...
Realistically, even giving Max Verstappen or Valtteri Bottas a shot is a huge ask considering how chaotic it would be to suddenly throw them into a new car and team.
But based on the car itself, a top finish for Perez, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, or Daniel Ricciardo is technically possible, even if it's incredibly tough—and you’d still need to be an elite driver to pull it off.

Expecting a win or even 2nd place is just pure fantasy for anyone...
Expecting Bottas to win when he's actually in his element is totally unrealistic.
And expecting Max? Forget it. Honestly, I don't think even Bottas could beat him.

Let's goooooo Pereeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I’ve been sitting here listening to an interview with Russell, and I have to say, the guy is incredibly mature, composed, and grounded...

Anyone else in his position would probably be breaking down, pointing fingers, and whining about everything... and I won't even get into names right now... 🙂

I truly wish him nothing but the best in his career; he absolutely deserves to be behind the wheel of a top-tier car...

Mercedes gets hit with a $22k fine, but George Russell keeps his points

Quote : this was caused by a radio communications technical issue wherein The piti wall ’ failed to tell the crew that Car 63 was heading into the pits before Car 77. Because the driver of Car 63 talked over the radio at the exact same time, the crew never heard the instruction. This led to the front tires of Car 77 accidentally rolling right over Car 63 since they were double-stacked in the box.

Look, this is a straight-up violation of the rulebook. Usually, you're looking at a heavy sporting penalty or even a full-on Disqualification. But, they decided to cut them some slack here because of some extra complicating factors beyond just that radio glitch.