Well, the new F1 season is upon us. Winter break is done. Short testing is done. Realistically, nobody knows who's doing what until Q3 on Saturday when it actually means something. RB still look to be the king of the hill, but hopefully it won't be as anticlimactic as last season. Then again, if the Silver Arrows were in that position, I wouldn't have cared. I just want Hamilton to get to 8, but it may be difficult again this year. Not as bad as last year, but still.... March 5 can;t get here soon enough.

Welcome all the race n00bs and old timers. All are welcome, no question or comment is too stupid. NASCAR, GP, NHRA, Touring, all are welcome.

Green, green, green, go, go GO!!!!!!

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

Think it's some kind of mystical limit. NASCAR has Petty, Earnhardt, and Johnson all at 7, and Indy has AJ Foyt at 7. Dixon could get a 7th, but that would probably be it. And Schumi got stuck at 7. So I think that's it.

Now, WRC and NHRA don't appear to have a cap like that, since Loeb got 9, and John Force has 16. But off-road and drag are very different forms of racing.

So I think Lewis has gotten all the universe will allow him to get.

Still bitter...

I still want him to get 8, and Rossi has 9 too technically I think, so now you've made me want him to join Rossi and Loeb.

---------------------
Obviously White

and it's not cuz i hate Lewis, it's cuz it's boring if he wins (unless you're a big fan or want Mercedes to win). boring cuz he's won so much, i get that he'd have the record which i GUESS isn't boring

and, if Max wins again, i'mma start hoping anyone else wins next time.

but, hopefully it's not such a runaway year again. can't believe Max won 15 races, lol.

very suprised Danny Ric didn't get picked up, unless no one wanted to pay his price - but then i'm like what price did he take to be a reserve driver. cuz, even tho he had a BAD year by his standards, in a sport where there's only 20 starting jobs, he barely finished outside of the Top 10...so he's still an upgrade over at least 6 drivers near the bottom of the field and those bottom of the field teams are typically desperate to pick up points.

I mean, I'm a fan so I want him to win, but I get it when they were repeating every year. But after what happened in 2021, and to come into the new regulations just falling off, I think another win now shouldn't be boring as an idea. I admit I do enjoy the idea of them reestablishing themselves, I like when a dynasty proves who they were after a slip, I enjoyed the Lyon women's soccer team schooling Barcelona in the CL final last year after everyone thought they'd been replaced as the best team in Europe.

Also, there's no way Mercs would run away with it if they did, so if them winning it actually meant we got a RB/Merc and Lewis/Max fighting at the front again, it would we worth it and not boring either way. Especially if Ferrari still keep throwing away their chances.

I am already of the I don't want Max to win category, I'd take any other driver if not Lewis.

The Danny Ric situation is all a bit odd, with the way Summer contact signings were working out and he was just dropped unexpectedly in the middle of it, but I'm also not sure he wanted a seat lower down the grid. He's obviously made some seat changes that haven't worked out for him and I don't know if getting in with Haas or AT or Williams would have helped him get back in a winning car which I think he wants (they all do, but he kinda knows he has a shot).

---------------------
Obviously White

He finished with 1/4 of his teammates points, which is embarrassing. And you say he just finished out of the top 10, but Lando finished 7th, and in practical terms that means McLaren had the 4th best car on the grid. So he finished 11th bug should have been no worse than 8th.

Worse still, he cost McLaren 4th in the constructor's, which means a loss of millions of dollars for the team (plus reduced sponsorship opportunities). Even if he'd just managed to score half of what Lando scored, McLaren would have nabbed 4th.

So all told, including his salary, Ric probably cost his team north of 100 million last season. And there was just no sign of him getting better.

Tough for him, but I wouldn't sign him, to any team. Some guys just lose it. It happens.

If he gets to 8 he breaks the tie with Schummacher, which is the last remaining stat people can use to claim he's not the GOAT. Most wins, poles, 'chips. Plus, the narrative of 'he's always got the best car/team' loses some merit after the '22 season of sadness with the W13, so the next 'chip has a bit more weight. All due respect for any and all drivers before him, but if Hamilton gets to 8 championships, if he isn't the GOAT you're a hater or racist. People have no problem claiming Mike S as the greatest, but if Lewis has all his records and doesn't get the same recognition.

On top of all that, he's still 1 of 1. What else could it be?

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

They may have thought his rights would roll over to the team if they did nothing, but someone didn't read the fine print. They may also have misread Alonso's desire and got caught off guard when he bolted for Aston.

Still, even with egg on their face hiring Gasley was a good move for Alpine. Now free from Red Bulls shadow, Pierre has to shine in the next 2 seasons

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

obviously he failed at Red Bull but i think he was a victim of youth and the focus on Max combined.

he's seasoned now and has shown his talent driving lesser cars. Alpine, by all accounts, has a good car so if he doesn't shine, yeah, that's gonna be a huge L.

To get points from that? He probably had the best drive outside of Alonso.

but I'm very curious to see how well George Russell will do, especially given how well I'm hoping Hamilton will rebound from last season. Very curious if and how Mercedes will prioritize between those two. Dude was pretty consistent in terms of top five finishes from what I remember in the prior season.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Lance got back in the seat like 10 minutes ago with his wrist stapled back together and still almost nabbed 6th.

Getting beat by your customer team...lord have mercy. Now Toto talking about having to change the whole car concept.

Still think experience and resources mean they out-develop AM and wind up 3rd regardless, but it'll be fun while it lasts.

Good for Gasly getting points from the back.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

Gasly, then Bottas putting in a top 10 under the radar. Williams with race pace as well.

There is a serious chance AM finishes 2nd in the constructors, which is fantastic.

That said, it may be boring watching RBR go 1-2 every damned race.

The gap between Stroll and Alonso isn't like, say, Max and Gasley/Albon, but we have seen Stroll for years, and he is the driver we see. Flashes of speed, but not exactly consistent, to put it kindly. On any team competing for a championship, he is going to be the weak link.

Worst case scenario, the finishing order between Hamilton/Russell and Alonso/Stroll will be enough to keep Mercedes in 3rd, but barely. That absolutely is NOT what the Silver Arrows wants

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

And lose this boring ass track. It's just nothing.

Is Merc faster than Ferrari already, or was that just circuit characteristics?

Other than that, what else is there to talk about. McLaren are horrible? Sargeant ain't bad at all? Alonso still quick?

but I wonder how much better Hamilton would have done if he ran with the mediums instead of the hard tires at the start of the race yesterday; the safety car probably would have resulted in any potential advantages he would have gained lost anyway.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Especially at a track like that, which is just pure pace and not much tire management. Maybe he cycles past Russell for 4th at the first round of stops, and hangs on to it, but 4th or 5th...doubt he cares at all. They were the 3rd fastest car, and finished 3rd fastest.

Battle for 4th in the closing laps was great fun.

Marquez: clumsy, man.

It was nice to see some exciting racing. The Sprint was pretty cool too.

Marquez finds himself in these situations a bit too often lately. He should really calm down a bit, even if to just stop hurting himself. Doing it to the Portugese hero at his home race was even worse.

I like Oliveira too, hope he can keep doing well on last year's Aprilia. The 2023 Aprilia seems a decent race bike too, and the KTMs aren't as far back as they usually start the season. There are some interesting story lines there (Oliveira and Jack Miller being so close in the sprint after Jack took the KTM seat), and I do hope the Japanese manufacturers find there way again, it's pretty wild actually, I'm pretty sure there was a time not too long ago where Honda and Yamaha both being seemingly uncompetitive seemed impossible.

---------------------
Obviously White

I'm sure baring any 1st lap shenanigans, Max peaces out and wins by 17 seconds. I'm just here to watch Stroll let the AMR side down

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

Leave my Canadian rich kid alone. I'm sure he says sorry enough to the team, but Alonso finally has a decent car again and by the transitive property that's technically thanks to Lance.

Interesting quali, hopefully the weekends conditions help the race be a bit more interesting somehow. I'd enjoy a fun start ganging up on Max for a bit, even if I know he'll be back past once he has DRS probably.

Moto GP race weekend in Argentina too already. Great sprint race today, Brad Binder going P15 to P1! Hopefully the Aprilia's have better long race pace.

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Obviously White

Have to feel sorry for Russell and the Mercedes team in general. Hamilton got a huge gift in a sense from that second caution car as Alonso was on his ass before the car came out.

This is a very minor observation, but something I noticed as I'm a bicycle commuter; why on earth does that Aussie track have what seem to be bicycle lanes on it? I couldn't help to notice the bicycle lane markings on the overhead view.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

and probably doesn't favour cars I guess.

The engine blowing up for Russell was unfortunate. Honestly, I would have liked to see a few more laps of the two of them in front, because it seemed like Hamilton having DRS was the best way for both of them to possibly keep Verstappen behind, but there was only one lap's example of that to go on.

I can't believe he we still bitching about Turn 3 Lap 1 after the race.

Such a weird way for the race to finish. I really don't know how I feel about these FIA decisions now, they're not breaking rules anymore but it seems like they'll do unnecessary things to finish under green conditions.

Moto GP was fun in the rain, even if the winners kinda ran away with it with some pace no one else found. Bagnaia crashing out of good positions again. Aprilia's went from looking like a 1-2 in the sun to nowhere.

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Obviously White

Lewis didn't run him wide, he held his line. But Max doesn't let anything go and complains unless he's doing it. To be fair to him though, I think a lot of drivers do the same in the heat of the moment, but Max seems to have a little extra. Go figure

Could a DRS tow game kept Mercedes ahead of Max? Maybe for a few laps, but that would be maximum push, which would kill the tires quicker and let Max walk back up into DRS range and blow right past them. I have no clue how RB set their car up to gain so much speed with DRS engaged, but it is super impressive. At the same time, seeing Mercedes legitimately in the mix was impressive for the first time in a long time. May be a one off, but it may be hope? Who knows.

I would have loved to see 2 straight up laps at the end, no DRS, but the utter carnage on that last restart was absolutely wild. I guess the only two options would be call the race dead at that point, or reset and basically do a formation run, locking in the finishing positions. It was the better of untasteful choices, even if it meant Hulk lost out on a podium and Alonzo got back on. Now, if Max and Lewis made it through the first sector time trap, it would have been different.

Kinda feel bad for Sainz, but 5s is the standard penalty for causing an accident, which clearly he did with Alonso. At that late in the race, the 5s would hit after the race was over, regardless of if they actually ran those 2 laps or not (he couldn't serve it in the pits at that point). Sitting in pit lane waiting to queue up knowing you lost hurts, but I guess it's better than finding out after you're in the cooldown room about to get a trophy and then get pulled...

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

Probably wouldn't have changed anything but who knows.

SO I started a pool with 10 people, I randomly assign each person 2 drivers then randomly pick a Position from 1 - 10 and 11-20 which will split the pot. So this week was P6 and P11, Sainz really made that shit fun at 4:30 in the morning.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

>Probably wouldn't have changed anything but who knows.
>
>SO I started a pool with 10 people, I randomly assign each
>person 2 drivers then randomly pick a Position from 1 - 10 and
>11-20 which will split the pot. So this week was P6 and P11,
>Sainz really made that shit fun at 4:30 in the morning.

I suppose that's one way to induce maximum engagement. I applaud your confidence in wanting to gamble on a sport you just started to watch. To be clear, I'm a new jack myself.

Out of curiosity, do you decide the bets before or after the qualifying runs before each race?

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

so now 2 races in a row I convinced 9 others to care about F1 against their will. Very proud of my efforts.

Ive placed bets on all 3 races so far. Im also an idiot.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

to bring up that contact he had with Hamilton in the post-race interview given how relatively stress-free his race was. If memory serves me correct, I don't think the interviewer even asked Max about that incident; he magically brought that up on his own volition. I suppose that's the stuff that makes Max a champ.

I wonder what that post-race cool down room with Max, Hamilton, and Alonso would look like if the cameras and recording microphones weren't there. The replay that ran on that big screen in the room showed the contact Hamilton and Max had, correct? I had to run an errand while that portion was televised, so I didn't notice.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

I actually missed the post-race broadcast, my recording cut out on that last lap when they were talking about the crown trying to get on the track.

I just read that he mentions that the "rules weren't followed" which is the part that is just rich coming from them/RB. It's almost like one of the April fools articles I read about Horner's reaction to the SC driver's recent interview about 2021.

I know why people would've wanted a fight between Max and Ham and maybe Alonso, but it's still unnecessary and this result if kind of why. Like the mention of the sun setting and being in their eyes in that direction isn't a joke. Some things should just finish under yellow, it's not always a bad thing, it's not like there was a close race on that it ruined or would have made anti-climatic, they tried to make something out of what wasn't there I think. I know this wasn't in your post but others.

---------------------
Obviously White

Even with Max going off track he was still 7 seconds up on the field. The most tense battle was between Hamilton and Alonso, which played out for a good chunk of the race, seeing whether or not Lewis could keep Fernando out of DRS range. Every time Zo would close in, Ham would eek just that much out. THAT was extremely entertaining. So the chance to get two laps between the three of them with no DRS was pretty tantalizing.

Though after K-Mag's accident and the restart chaos, there really wasn't much else they could do, rules or safety wise. Finishing under yellow wasn't possible, as there were too many cars and too much debris to continue those last 2 laps. They were already looking at the race timing out anyway (can't exceed 2 hours on regular race; if red flags, total time can't be over 3 hours). So while a two lap sprint race between 3 world champs was in the cards and what everyone wanted to see, it just couldn't happen after the chaos, and nobody should be mad or disappointed (unless they don't understand how the rules work, I guess).

Mind you, the FIA has either played loose or misinterpreted the rules so many times I get some level of skepticism or disappointment. But in this race, I think it was pretty fairly handled. At most you could argue the restart order, but again, they weren't through a full sector, so unfortunately some people lost out through no fault of their own (see: Haas).

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

oh just to clarify my stance, I don't think that second red (KMags) was warranted is what I'm saying. Like they mention the debris, but they really did that for the possible battle. Even the gravel in the first one seemed odd. I don't think they needed to, just let it finish under yellow if they can't clean up the loose tire, none of that restart mess happens, no third red, which was the most warranted, yeah, but arguably the FIAs doing.

I feel like teams are going to start expecting them to press that red button more often, and it's going to make a mess of the pit stop decisions too if this is a pattern. It used to be pretty explicitly about track condition (weather, fixing barriers) now it's like, wondering if race control is thinking about "going motor racing" and finishing under green, which isn't what a red is reallllly for but is just their reaction to AD2021.

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Obviously White

He was skidding way too far down the track with the broken suspension. Had it just been a tire, maybe virtual safety car and get it. But as far as he drove before he slowed down and the shower of suspension parts and carbon fiber? I'm not mad at erring on the side of caution there. Clean the track, repair the barrier, take it from there. I don't think setting up the 3 way battle ever came into the decision.

That said, again, this is the FIA, and even if Masi isn't running things, while I doubt they would be that blatant I can't say I'd be surprised if that was the reasoning.

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

>Such a weird way for the race to finish. I really don't know
>how I feel about these FIA decisions now, they're not breaking
>rules anymore but it seems like they'll do unnecessary things
>to finish under green conditions.

I hated all the red flags, and I think standing restarts are stupid generally. They're gimmicky. One start to the race is all you need, and after that, if it has to be red, just a rolling start after the safety car is fine.

It's all gone to shit since Charlie Whiting died, basically.

>Moto GP was fun in the rain, even if the winners kinda ran
>away with it with some pace no one else found. Bagnaia
>crashing out of good positions again. Aprilia's went from
>looking like a 1-2 in the sun to nowhere.

Unfortunately had other obligations and had to miss this one. Check the highlights tonight.

seemingly inane question.

That track looks very very very well maintained for being a part of city/municipal park. Perhaps I'm thinking too much from a NYC-centric point of view, but that track looks brand spanking new for being part of a park the general public can use and doesn't appear to be rundown or over used at all.

I question the addition of pebbles on the outer lap of the track especially since there's a turn at that portion, but I suppose wiser heads thought it wise to put that on a F1 course.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Widened the circuit in places, reprofiled some of the corners, and repaved everything. So yeah, it did look new.

Also, the rest of the world isn't as disgusting and trashy as the US is. Some cultures take care of their nice shit.

If you're looking for some action during the F1 break.

I felt the need to post now, watching the pre-race for Moto 2, home rider Sean Dylan Kelly is going around on his bike which apparently has an OnlyFans sponsorship on it. Never noticed it before lol

---------------------
Obviously White

For a while it seemed as though nobody wanted a podium.

Those Ducatis are seriously fast on the straights. COTA seemed to amplify this.

Wish I'd seen it as it happened...drama of Bagnaia crashing out would have been much heightened.

I'm glad Rins stayed upright. Pretty insane level of attrition, but does show how sensitive the grip and tires are to those temperature changes, it's almost worse than bad weather because they don't understand the limits. In the lower classes, someone crashed their bikes on the warm up lap in Moto 3 and Moto 2.

When Marini passed Quartararo on the straight it was definitely shocking, but also, I was surprised he hadn't done it sooner considering how fast he looked. Being so fast you can't even slipstream them was always a Ducati quality, even when they first entered, but the bike wasn't as good overall as it is now.

Bagnaia crashing out of 2 good positions is surprising, it really seemed like he solved this 'problem' in his comeback last year. Still, he doesn't seem that far behind yet.

---------------------
Obviously White

So Friday qualifying is happening right now. Different format, this qualifies for the race only, tomorrow will have a Sprint Quali and the Quali race with no effect on the race grid from this qualifying (outside of penalties etc.) Baku usually makes for some crazy exciting race situation, not sure if a short sprint will be better or worse for it. We already have a Red in Q1.

Moto GP in Jerez this weekend too.

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Obviously White

Long damned break.

Interesting to see somebody other than Max on pole. Not sure if that's Ferrari making the absolute most of the time off, or just raw power on the Baku straights. Maybe both. Not an especially representative circuit.

Say the same about McLaren...car probably still a dog, but goes fast in a line anyway. Still happy to see them in Q3.

The format...what little interest I had in the sprint races from the outset is...still diminishing, regardless of the tweaks. But I'm cranky and old fashioned.

...through a crowd of people...lord have mercy.

On the other hand, that was about the most interesting part of the race. Thought about halfway through Max would have something for Checo, but not today.

Now to read about failures of communication, reprimands, fines, and hopefully some firings.

Last 5 laps, Binder v. Bagnaia was superb.

Yeah, it's nice to have Moto GP to watch after the F1 races. Already in Miami next week though, after that month break, is wild.

Kinda odd that Moto GP had two red flags this weekend while F1 didn't have any in either race in Baku. Hopefully Perez can keep making it interesting Championship wise, I don't quite believe it's competitive yet.

I'm not happy about how these former Champs are doing my boy Oliveira! Was cool to see KTM with two double podiums.

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Obviously White

>Hopefully Perez can
>keep making it interesting Championship wise, I don't quite
>believe it's competitive yet.

Or this car really does suit him better this year than it does Max. But it may be one of those things where it just comes down to luck and/or reliability. Max blows an engine or two, Checo just keeps plugging away...you never know. How would Max react to being behind a teammate in points, late in the season? Think the last time was 2017, behind Ricciardo, who was still the #1 there, at that time. Hm.

>I'm not happy about how these former Champs are doing my boy
>Oliveira!

That crash was pretty nasty. Kinda feared the worst there for a bit, once the camera started only showing those wide-angle helicopter shots of the scene.

Need more street tracks for Checo! lol I think part of the reason I want it is to see how Max reacts. Hope he loses Monaco again. Checo does seem more comfortable, but yeah, I'm not sure he's on his level on a normal weekend, I feel like we'll really know when we're a bit into that busy 'Europe' season.

When they cut away from Quartararo just lying there, I was worried. That Oliveira came off worse was just terrible luck. He might be the best Aprilia on race day.

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Obviously White

Not that they shouldn't do it, but in any series, that cut is stressful.

I know they don't want to show something that might be real bad, but yeah, the moment they do that you start assuming the worst. Start hoping for replays cuz that means it's not that bad.

---------------------
Obviously White

in interpreting Sunday's race as being a poor one from Mercedes' perspective, or am I being too harsh?

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

>in interpreting Sunday's race as being a poor one from
>Mercedes' perspective, or am I being too harsh?

But about on par for how good this year's car is, which is probably 4th. If they end up 3rd or better, it'll be because either Ferrari dumbassed their way out of a ton of points, or Aston couldn't keep pace with Ferrari/Mercedes in-season development and fell way behind.

But given where things stand right now, 6th and 8th is about right.

>>in interpreting Sunday's race as being a poor one from
>>Mercedes' perspective, or am I being too harsh?
>
>But about on par for how good this year's car is, which is
>probably 4th. If they end up 3rd or better, it'll be because
>either Ferrari dumbassed their way out of a ton of points, or
>Aston couldn't keep pace with Ferrari/Mercedes in-season
>development and fell way behind.
>
>But given where things stand right now, 6th and 8th is about
>right.

Hamilton had some terrible luck when he pitted to switch from the medium to hard tires; I wonder if he would have waited just a little bit longer, he could have beat out the Ferrari he was chasing late in the race. Probably not as I'm guessing the difference in when he pitted wouldn't have help with the tire degradation that late in the race.

Has to be pretty sobering for Hamilton to be so close to beating Verstappen two seasons ago to having such relatively humble results at the moment.

Pardon me if it seems I'm over-reacting as I just started to follow the sport two or so years ago; I don't know if drivers relatively falling off like Hamilton is seemingly doing is normal.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

I mean, the Hamilton falloff is a lot of media and internet trolling. The car has fallen off more than anything. Schumacher didn't fall off when he came back for a few Mercedes years. Vettel didn't really fall off when the Red Bull wasn't the same after his 4 year run. Everyone always likes to point out that Alonso might be the best driver on the grid all the years he signed for crap cars, Hamilton is still Hamilton.

He actually had a good comeback after the SC from his position drops. I don't think pitting later would have helped him, I don't think he was passing that Ferrari unless he could've undercut them in the pits, which the SC prevented at all, even if he didn't go early.

---------------------
Obviously White

George seems to get on top of the car a little quicker, but he's used to driving a Williams, so almost anything would feel better to him (that's a little unfair, but...). Come race day, Lewis usually looks better, but the car is just not where it needs to be or where he's used to. It's painful to watch, but it's not his fault. We saw Danny Ric and Alonso go through it, Vettel never quite had the success at Ferrari after the RB switch. Hamilton will be fine. I hate how 2021 shook out, but had he won just one other race (take Baku, where he hit the 'magic lever' and took himself out the race at the restart) he would have 8 chips. Mercedes and Hamilton have something to prove, and I have faith they will figure it out before Hamilton does start to fall off and calls it quits.

3rd of 4th is where I suspect they end up. History shows Ferrari is gonna Ferrari, so they will likely take themselves out the running. As for Aston, Alonso will hold his side up, but Stroll? Competent driver, but he will always be the weak link they can't replace because it's daddy's money paying for everything.

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

that said, championship drivers falling off when there's a spec change is like the most normal thing


www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

I know it's only Friday but the Mercs did what they did last year again, topping the timesheets in first practice as a random surprise (especially since the upgrades aren't supposed to be there yet). Hopefully they stay close enough up there with others to make the race interesting.

---------------------
Obviously White

I'm no engineer, but what I think is probably happening is that FP1 is generally (in non-sprint weekends) the installation/test new parts/general setup session, and most teams don't run anywhere near the limit, since they just want to see if the new wing works or the revised brake inlet or whatever. But since Merc has an entire overhaul planned and full seconds to make up on the top of the field, I think they're using FP1 as a full testing/data gathering session, which requires running right at the limit. Before the cost-cap, they could probably just do everything they needed to in the wind tunnel and CFD, but this year, I think they have to maximize every second of on-track time. So yeah, Russell going round at 98% is faster than Max at 85%, but I don't think they're gonna be anywhere close until/unless they bring a whole B-spec car to the track.

Now, having written that, watch Lewis qualify on the front row this afternoon.

Track still sucks, but it did produce some overtaking, at least where there wasn't a DRS train involved. Interesting how fast the Mercs got by the end of the race, while the Ferraris went backward.

Other than that, weird to not have even one yellow. Seems like its been ages since that happened.

McLaren...man. I like Zac Brown, but that team...I don't know.

Max being faster on those tyres is pretty jarring

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

I do think his team should have given him a little more guidance through when to conserve tire and when to push on his medium stint at the beginning, and definitely that he had to put the hammer down early in the hard tire stint. But between the track getting quicker as it wore in because of the heat and rubber being put down and Max being that fucking fast anyway... Things just didn't quite break Sergio's way in Miami. It sucks when someone comes from that far back, but I'm not even sure what they could do

<-- Dave Thomas knows what's up...
__________________________

Jay: Look here homie, any nigga can get a hit record. This here is about respect.
Game: Like Gladys Knight.
Jay: Aretha Franklin.
Game: Word, I like her too.
Jay: Nigga...

as I switched the channel from ABC to ESPN so I could watch the rest of the Celts/Sixers game yesterday; how tense were things between Verstappen and Perez in the tiny post-race cool down room?

I imagine both drivers know the cameras/microphones are on and know better than to air out any potentially dirty laundry, but I'm curious if there was any overt tension you could pick up on through the TV.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

and it's clear that Sergio just picked the wrong tire strategy and he has to eat this.

>and it's clear that Sergio just picked the wrong tire
>strategy and he has to eat this.

http://i.imgur.com/vPqCzVU.jpg

so, unless he's lying to save face for the team i'd take HIS word for it.

is that what you're accusing him of doing?

To make that strategy work, he needed to get way, way out front on the softer tire. He didn't. Part of that was the speed differential between medium and hard didn't turn out to be very much, probably partly because of the overnight rains resetting the track. But in any event, he needed to be miles ahead come his pit stop. Didn't happen. And then Max on new mediums with light fuel vs. him on aging hards...no chance.

The reason Checo didn't have anything bad to say post-race was because he saw the result coming probably back on lap 20 or so. He knew his lap times, knew Max's, knew what everybody else was doing on the hards, and knew his pace on mediums wasn't going to get it done. Just one of those things.

I know DTS makes everybody look for intrigue and backstabbing, but sometimes you go with a strategy and the shit just don't work.