Interesting race. High track temps are Mercedes weakness it seems. MAX/Redbull was too fast for Merc no matter what strategy they employed. If he had a competent number 2, they could really pressure Merc.
Leclerc and Racing Point did well, although the late pit stop for Hulk, while ahead of Stroll was shifty.
Mclaren seems to be falling behind, and once again, the main man, thug Vettel spun on his own. Luckily there were no victims.
What the hell was the point of the late stop for Hulk? They gave up 2 positions with that call.
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Yea...Seb was lucky enough to have his foot in the pedal in the soft stuff...Surprising the tires/air pressure was an issue after last week's lesson. Apparently Pirelli changed compounds- Looks like 93F today in UK, Barcelona appears to be cooler in high 80's...maybe temperature will be off the table for next race.
It was nice seeing Max take the win. At this point, anytime someone not in a Mercedes wins I'll be excited. Albon had a nice, aggressive race as well.
It certainly seems that Vettel doesn't like the low DF setup on the Ferrari. Sad to see how this year has gone for him, and the way the team has handled everything this year leads me to believe have to blow up the front office again and start over. It feels like they need a serious culture change.
I believe they're saying he had extreme vibration issues up front.
Bottas just seems eternally cucked. Lacks aggression. Too nice of a guy. Just let's himself be number 2. Sad.
Thank goodness for Max Verstappen. Everyone giving him a hard time about the driving like a grandma comment. lol Don't apologize man.
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02.92 325is / 06.72 2002 / 02.91 XJ / 08.04 R53 JCW
I feel like Ferrari canning (or not proceeding with extension talks) Vettel before the season, after last year and to the start of his Ferrari tenure, has made Vettel just not care anymore. There are really no open seats anywhere, so I can totally see him moving on from F1. I hope he doesn't, because I do think he has something left in the tank.
As much as I am getting bored with the turbo hybrid Mercedes dominance we've seen since 2014, I was equally bored with the last 2 years of Red Bull's run from 2010-2013. Ferrari signing some secret agreement and agreeing not to develop their engine further (at least that's how I read Elkann's statement that it will be 2 years before Ferrari can compete again) is BS now that only Red Bull and Mercedes can compete. Force India has pure pace, but I don't think their driver lineup can take advantage of it, and god forbid they pass a Silver Arrow.
I don't mind Bottas, I think he drives as aggressively as he can without endangering Hamilton, like a good #2 driver should.
As for Max, I used to dislike him, but I've grown to appreciate his style and really enjoy watching him race. Watching him and LeClerc fighting last year was awesome.
The rumors are still flying around that he's joining next years Aston Martin (Force India/Racing Point) racing team. I really hope that's true!
Possibly, but given that multiple teams were having tire issues I don't think it's too hard to believe that Hulk was having vibration issues. As for questionable calls, I would think that someone with Vettel's history would warrant not completely fucking him in favor of Stroll, especially if he proves to be much quicker in the same machinery.
That he is. Which is what's so pathetic.
He's going to have to become a danger to Hamilton if he wants to beat him. He's going to have to take strategy into his own hands. He's got to be absolutely ruthless. He's got to be willing to rock the boat and risk his ride. Until then, he's just a totally cucked servant to Lewis.
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02.92 325is / 06.72 2002 / 02.91 XJ / 08.04 R53 JCW
Well, they're paying him to do a specific job, so I can't really fault him for that. Have they intentionally fucked with him like Ferrari has their own drivers throughout the years? Seems Mercedes is willing to let either guy win so far, and they're fine with inter-team battles as long as they're aren't crashing into each other or ruining their races.
I thoroughly enjoyed that race! Thank God someone other than Hamilton won. Verstappen should have taken last week also.
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