2018 Formula One Thread

Flatspotter said:
Ricciardo has signed with Renault for 2019!
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Smart move on his part. They are getting it together and have been steadily improving the last couple of years. I think they will be contending for podiums and wins in a year or two (if not sooner). Depending on the lottery after the 2021 rule changes they may even be able to go after a championship.
 
Well that was a disappointing race. I'm surprised because Spa usually delivers some pretty exciting races.

Alonso has the worst luck at Spa. That's the second time he's been involved in what could have been a horrific crash through no fault of his own. I think he's glad to never have to race there again.

And poor Raikonnen. He looked really fast all weekend, all for it to unravel at the first corner, again not his fault.

It looks like Ferrari are the team to beat now. If they take a double podium at Monza next week, I think the Tifosi will start a riot.
 
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That Alonso crash sure made a strong case for the Pro-Halo crowd. Scary shit right there. Rarely see a race where that many legit podium contenders get taken out through no fault of their own. What a complete shitshow.

It is nice to see some actual competition for WDC and Constructors crown finally after so many years of watching one driver/team effectively clinch both in Australia. The Scuderia is making a statement for sure.
 
Decent Monza race, but too bad Vettel was never in it, and too bad Kimi couldn't pull off the win. I agree with Paul DiResta that the Vettel/Hamilton dust up was 100% on Vettel. He's made a lot of stupid mistakes the last couple of years considering he's a 4x world champ. I don't think this is going to be his year even though he has the car to do it.
 
I'm no fan of the red cars, and I've made no secret about rooting for Hamilton but I really wanted to see Kimi win. Ferrari screwed Kimi on strategy but that doesn't surprise me. Ever since Kimi got there their strategy seems to have been the old guy is slow so let's just make him a moving road block. The things is if they would quit kissing Vettel's ass for a couple of minutes they might realize that Kimi is faster than Vettel. As for Vettel, give him a fast car at the beginning of the season and a big point lead and he will be World Champion. Make him fight for every point and he will crack. I think you're right, Vettel will not be WC this year. I also think if he doesn't win next year someone else's butt will be in his seat in 2020.
 
Flatspotter said:
I think this is true of Hamilton, too.
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Really? Hamilton had pretty good fight last year with Vettel until Singapore. Rosberg gave him no quarter and he beat him 2 out of 3 times, and the one he lost was due to a very unreliable car. And IIRC he barely won his first wdc in 2008.
 
TomcatMF said:
Really? Hamilton had pretty good fight last year with Vettel until Singapore. Rosberg gave him no quarter and he beat him 2 out of 3 times, and the one he lost was due to a very unreliable car. And IIRC he barely won his first wdc in 2008.
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Hamilton MUCH more so than Vettel. Lewis has a very lengthy rap sheet for losing his composure after being rattled and taking himself and at least one innocent driver out of the race. Once you shake his confidence, he's off in Pastor Maldonado territory.

Vettel has shown an incredible ability to overcome adversity in a race after being dealt a shitty hand. Especially during his RB years, you could never count him out of a race. He has also had his WTF moments (after a couple of wasted years in a woefully uncompetitive Ferrari), but with a good car, he can sweep through the field like a man posessed.

They can both be petulant, but Hamilton is king douchebag.
 
TomcatMF said:
Really? Hamilton had pretty good fight last year with Vettel until Singapore. Rosberg gave him no quarter and he beat him 2 out of 3 times, and the one he lost was due to a very unreliable car. And IIRC he barely won his first wdc in 2008.
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Don't forget, Hamilton has won 3 of his 4 WDCs in a totally dominant car. Ferrari hasn't been really competitive until this year. Put Hamilton in a Red Bull and he wouldn't win a race. Put Alonso in a Red Bull and he'd win a few.

He beat Rosberg 2 of 3 because Rosberg was slower than him. He was much closer to Hamilton than Bottas, though. He also lost the WDC in his rookie year because he beached it on pit entry in China.
 
I've been expecting Ferrari to dump Kimi for the last 3 years and have been surprised when they didn't. He hasn't won a race since he came back, but they took at least 2 or 3 wins away from him.

Leclerc is damn quick. It will be interesting to see what he can do in a fast car. Vettel might find himself fighting for the #1 spot. I really hope Renault gets their shit together in a hurry. I'd love to see Hamilton, Vettel, Leclerc, Ricciardo and Verstappen all fighting for wins.
 
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Flatspotter said:
I've been expecting Ferrari to dump Kimi for the last 3 years and have been surprised when they didn't. He hasn't won a race since he came back, but they took at least 2 or 3 wins away from him.

Leclerc is damn quick. It will be interesting to see what he can do in a fast car. Vettel might find himself fighting for the #1 spot. I really hope Renault gets their shit together in a hurry. I'd love to see Hamilton, Vettel, Leclerc, Ricciardo and Verstappen all fighting for wins.
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Definitely going to be an interesting season next year. I was shocked that Kimi took another seat instead of retiring.

More pedals than the Tour De France
 
Hamilton on pole again, Max 2nd, Vettel 3rd. Looks like Ferrari dropped the ball again. The start should be interesting. I hope Max can get the jump on Hamilton. Vettel will probably crash into Bottas or Kimi.
 
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Well, that was pretty boring. Ferrari steps on their dicks again. Vettel is going to need some major Hamilton bad luck to have any chance of winning the WDC.
 
I think the championship is pretty much over. Vettel cannot get it done, and Ferrari once again have gone back to making some stupid strategic decisions. They have the fastest car on the grid, yet they haven't fully exploited their advantage. I'm looking forward to next year.
 
That was a snoozer of a race. The only interesting part was Verstappen's amazing run from last to 5th in the space of 10 laps. Of course when your car is 1.5s faster than everyone else that's kind of easy to do.
 
TomcatMF said:
That was a snoozer of a race. The only interesting part was Verstappen's amazing run from last to 5th in the space of 10 laps. Of course when your car is 1.5s faster than everyone else that's kind of easy to do.
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I thought (and hoped) that Vettel's nail biter overtake on Hamilton would stick, but the Mercs are just too damned fast on the straights, and with DRS activated they can rocket past any other car out there. That thing has disgusting speed compared to the rest of the pack.

LeClerc is slowly but surely making the Scuderia bosses look like geniuses. That kid has the goods and isn't a total spaz like other recent proteges a la Verstappen.

Pretty much time to start thinking about 2019. Will anyone finally find the speed to truly challenge the Silver Arrows? Will Vettel lose his shit the first time LeClerc out qualifies him? Will Kimi Raikkonen be responsible for the single best full season of in-car radio snippets ever? Will Danil Kaviat surprise us all by demonstrating maturity and poise, or will he make Crashtor Maldonado look like Ayrton Senna?

More pedals than the Tour De France
 
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