2018 Car Reveal and Pre-season Testing

March 25th is coming up fast. We'll see how it all unfolds.

mellowtiger83 said:March 25th is coming up fast. We'll see how it all unfolds.

Bet on Ricciardo (or maybe Max) while you still have the chance.😉

Lujo is playing mind games, which is a dead giveaway that Red Bull actually has some pace...
I see Lujo over there whining about how much he fears Max, claiming Max is his only real threat, and now rambling about how Max absolutely crushed Ricciardo last year...
As if that wouldn't totally mess with Ricciardo's head...

Red Bull clearly looks fast if Lujo is already trying to play psychological warfare with their drivers.😁
And let's be real, Lujo isn't stupid. He knows Ricciardo is the actual threat because he’s consistent. Sure, Max could take him down—and probably do it brilliantly—but Max is still pretty green. There's a massive chance he'll just smash into someone at the next race, and then Lujo is back in the driver's seat.

So, the smartest move for Lujo is to stir the pot and get those Red Bull drivers to turn on each other and fight over points.

I’d probably put my money on Red Bull🙂 , if only they had an offer like ours ready to go. As it stands, I have to wait until May 23rd because nothing will be on the table before then.

stormybadger8 said:Bet on Ricciardo (or maybe Max) while you still have the chance.😉

Lujo is playing mind games, which is a dead giveaway that Red Bull actually has some pace...
I see Lujo over there whining about how much he fears Max, claiming Max is his only real threat, and now rambling about how Max absolutely crushed Ricciardo last year...
As if that wouldn't totally mess with Ricciardo's head...

Red Bull clearly looks fast if Lujo is already trying to play psychological warfare with their drivers.😁
And let's be real, Lujo isn't stupid. He knows Ricciardo is the actual threat because he’s consistent. Sure, Max could take him down—and probably do it brilliantly—but Max is still pretty green. There's a massive chance he'll just smash into someone at the next race, and then Lujo is back in the driver's seat.

So, the smartest move for Lujo is to stir the pot and get those Red Bull drivers to turn on each other and fight over points.

I'm just sitting here waiting on Templar to snap a photo of that paid ticket over at DraftKings. 🙂
And of course, I'll be sending him the cash for the ticket too.

Timothy Castillo6 said:I'm just sitting here waiting on Templar to snap a photo of that paid ticket over at DraftKings. 🙂
And of course, I'll be sending him the cash for the ticket too.

And what happens once you actually send him the money? The ticket is sitting right there in his account, and he's the only one who can request the payout.🙂
If it actually hits, naturally.🤣

Short and sweet—you’ll be a real pain in the neck, heh.🙂Well, perhaps Templar wouldn't be interested, but personally? I certainly would.

It’s like if I handed Tibij my cash to go place a bet for me, only for him to blow the whole thing on beers at a pub in London instead. He’d just sit there thinking to himself, "Well, what a total scam."

It was you and Templar.
I cannot process video links directly. If you provide the transcript or the text content from the video, I will rewrite it according to your instructions, maintaining the specific persona and applying all necessary entity substitutions.

Analysis

Formula 1—What kind of team standings should we be looking at for the 2018 season?

http://autorepublika.com/2018/03/10/...u-sezoni-2018/

I’m really hoping that what we see in Melbourne marks the beginning of a long, grueling battle for the championship title—that's all I'll say for now!

jadeseal7 said:I’m really hoping that what we see in Melbourne marks the beginning of a long, grueling battle for the championship title—that's all I'll say for now!

I really want to be proven wrong this season, but honestly? I'm feeling pretty pessimistic. Mercedes isn't going to deal with those opening-round growing pains they had last year and hand out scraps to the rest of the field. As far as I can see, Ferrari and Red Bull are basically fighting over third place on the podium, just praying for a massive blunder from the Silver Arrows.

neonfox65 said:Analysis

Formula 1—What kind of team standings should we be looking at for the 2018 season?

http://autorepublika.com/2018/03/10/...u-sezoni-2018/

It's a decent enough piece, though the analysis seems to be just a direct copy from Motorsport; naturally, I find myself disagreeing with certain aspects of their team rankings.

First off, I am certain that McLaren will outpace General Motors. Secondly, I am convinced that Haas will be faster than Red Bull Racing.

As for the big three, we have discussed them extensively already. Mercedes-Benz has clearly done an impeccable job, and frankly, their sheer speed is somewhat intimidating. Furthermore, I suspect Ferrari is in a much stronger position than current reports and forecasts suggest.

I am also skeptical that McLaren and General Motors will find it easy to stay ahead of Force India.

It appears Williams will be locked in a battle with Haas and Red Bull Racing.

Haas will likely sit comfortably ahead of those bottom three teams, yet I am not entirely sure they won't fall behind Force India and General Motors.

All things considered, there will be a very dense midfield, while the top three pull away, perhaps facing a slight threat from McLaren (meaning, specifically, Alonso).

mellowtiger83 said:It's a decent enough piece, though the analysis seems to be just a direct copy from Motorsport; naturally, I find myself disagreeing with certain aspects of their team rankings.

First off, I am certain that McLaren will outpace General Motors. Secondly, I am convinced that Haas will be faster than Red Bull Racing.

As for the big three, we have discussed them extensively already. Mercedes-Benz has clearly done an impeccable job, and frankly, their sheer speed is somewhat intimidating. Furthermore, I suspect Ferrari is in a much stronger position than current reports and forecasts suggest.

I am also skeptical that McLaren and General Motors will find it easy to stay ahead of Force India.

It appears Williams will be locked in a battle with Haas and Red Bull Racing.

Haas will likely sit comfortably ahead of those bottom three teams, yet I am not entirely sure they won't fall behind Force India and General Motors.

All things considered, there will be a very dense midfield, while the top three pull away, perhaps facing a slight threat from McLaren (meaning, specifically, Alonso).

Copied?

First off, I'm positive McLaren is going to outpace General Motors.

I'm not.

And second, I'm certain Haas will be faster than Red Bull Racing.

That’s not happening.

As for those top three teams, we've talked enough... Mercedes-Benz clearly crushed it, and honestly, their speed actually scares me.

Scares you? You're the one who called Ferrari the champions. Want to take that back? 🤔

WHO’S STARTING THE THREAD FOR AUSTRALIA?
Someone from the old guard around here really needs to step up and take charge.
I'm seriously counting down the days... 🙂

Raymond Anderson4 said:Lewis Hamilton made the move because he knew the Bear was going to get the best engine. 😁
It wasn't about bravery.

I don't recall hearing statements quite like that back at the end of 2012.

stormybadger8 said:Bet on Ricciardo (or maybe Max) while you still have the chance.😉

Lujo is playing mind games, which is a dead giveaway that Red Bull actually has some pace...
I see Lujo over there whining about how much he fears Max, claiming Max is his only real threat, and now rambling about how Max absolutely crushed Ricciardo last year...
As if that wouldn't totally mess with Ricciardo's head...

Red Bull clearly looks fast if Lujo is already trying to play psychological warfare with their drivers.😁
And let's be real, Lujo isn't stupid. He knows Ricciardo is the actual threat because he’s consistent. Sure, Max could take him down—and probably do it brilliantly—but Max is still pretty green. There's a massive chance he'll just smash into someone at the next race, and then Lujo is back in the driver's seat.

So, the smartest move for Lujo is to stir the pot and get those Red Bull drivers to turn on each other and fight over points.

Even during Ferrari's golden era, we never heard anything like "We're going to stroll our way to a title."
And certainly not from Mercedes-Benz... Toto and Lewis were busy "respecting the competition" even when they had a car two seconds faster than everyone else. 😁

Timothy Castillo6 said:WHO’S STARTING THE THREAD FOR AUSTRALIA?
Someone from the old guard around here really needs to step up and take charge.
I'm seriously counting down the days... 🙂

☕

Just hang tight until this weekend when I’ll finally have a spare second to actually sit down and whip up a proper thread for you guys!

Jason Campbell70 said:I don't recall hearing statements quite like that back at the end of 2012.

Even during Ferrari's golden era, we never heard anything like "We're going to stroll our way to a title."
And certainly not from Mercedes-Benz... Toto and Lewis were busy "respecting the competition" even when they had a car two seconds faster than everyone else. 😁

Give me a break, those guys were starting the season with some old, half-baked car that had barely been touched, and the actual new chassis didn't even show up until around the Spanish Grand Prix if I remember correctly. 😁

neonfox65 said:Copied?

First off, I'm positive McLaren is going to outpace General Motors.

I'm not.

And second, I'm certain Haas will be faster than Red Bull Racing.

That’s not happening.

As for those top three teams, we've talked enough... Mercedes-Benz clearly crushed it, and honestly, their speed actually scares me.

Scares you? You're the one who called Ferrari the champions. Want to take that back? 🤔

Look, I have zero clue if McLaren is actually going to outpace General Motors, but you can bet your life Haas is going to be faster than Red Bull Racing!

Looking at Haas and Red Bull Racing: it’s totally possible—maybe even likely—that Haas ends up higher in the standings, but I honestly don't think they'll actually be the faster car.

Come on, Australia, get here already!

Vettel stated that those testing sessions focused on race pace are completely irrelevant!
In other words, anyone here obsessing over race pace reports and comparisons can take those virtual spreadsheets and shove them.🙂

Just because Sebastian Vettel said 😂

neonfox65 said:Just because Sebastian Vettel said 😂

Who exactly was supposed to speak up? You, perhaps?
Sebastian Vettel is a four-time world champion who has been in Formula 1 since 2007. Do you honestly think he's an idiot?

mellowtiger83 said:Vettel stated that those testing sessions focused on race pace are completely irrelevant!
In other words, anyone here obsessing over race pace reports and comparisons can take those virtual spreadsheets and shove them.🙂

Anyone who’s actually bothered to follow Formula 1 should have realized from day one that Mercedes and Red Bull have absolutely nothing to do with a race simulator.

I haven't seen anything like this before. Seriously. I’ve been following this sport for ages, but this is a whole new level of absurdity. It’s almost impressive how they manage to mess things up this consistently. Just pure chaos.
I posted this ages ago. It’s not like Sebastian Vettel should have been the one to say it...

What are these journalists even talking about? Just pure nonsense meant to farm clicks. It's got absolutely nothing to do with reality.

So, what exactly have they been doing over at Red Bull and Mercedes? Are they actually faster than Ferrari or not? Who knows. And let's be real—that "famous" race simulator of theirs has absolutely nothing to do with a real race sim. You can see that from a mile away. ☕