2023 - Race 2 Jedda

[F1nKS]

Already all the talking heads are crowning Red Bull the champion after one track, one setup. RBR won because they had a phenomenal lack of degradation on the softs. But on hards they had similar performance to other teams. Who knows if with a different track and different setup they will have the same performance.

Alonso also had very good pace in the last stint and was staying with Verstappen. It might have been a different race had he not got hit by Stroll and lost a place.

I still think Leclerc/Ferrari are still in the game.

I heard a rumor that Mercedes have a new side-pod design that will be coming along at some point.

[Steve Boyd]

I heard a rumor that Mercedes have a new side-pod design that will be coming along at some point.Just as soon as they can get the green paint off?

[airshifter]

It surely is humbling for a customer team to be looking that good against a works team. If this keeps up Toto will be losing his stuff. Then again, he was losing his stuff the last couple of years.

The Drive to Survive clip of him playing the "safety" card in the porpoising era was classic Toto. Nobody seemed to fall for that, or the acting from the drivers either.


It might take a few races to really sort out where the cars have strong and weak points. But right now it's looking really positive for both RB and AM.

[F1nKS]

Mercedes has responded with open letter to their fans


In an open letter to its fans, Mercedes said their performance in the opening race in Bahrain “hurt” after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh, respectively, beaten comfortably by the winning Red Bulls.

“First, we won’t panic or make knee-jerk reactions,” Mercedes said. “We have been open and searingly honest about where we find ourselves. And we are working urgently and calmly to build our recovery plan, focusing on what needs to happen short term, medium term, and long term to win.

“We already have developments in the pipeline for the next races – and there will be more to come. But this won’t be the work of a moment; there are no silver bullets in F1.”

https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/12/racefans-round-up-12-03-6/

[The Black Knight]

Mercedes has responded with open letter to their fans



https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/12/racefans-round-up-12-03-6/

Zero sympathy for Mercedes. They left the fans and Mercedes staff down after Abu Dhabi 2021. They should have burned the sport to the ground to ensure Lewis got that championship. Taken the case outside the FIA if they had to. Instead they let it drop like the gutless cowards they are. They’re getting exactly what they deserve i.e. nothing

[Tazio]

Oops!
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[Tazio]

:sailor: Sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry :dork:

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[Tazio]

Fred was really ringing the AMs throat.
Nice lap from Lec'. Carlos is nowhere, as is "The Boss"

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[Nitrodaze]

Here's one for the books, Redbull not looking bulletproof. How Ferrari and Aston Martin would be smiling right now.

[F1nKS]

This should be fun race. I was really hoping Alonso would capture pole.

Piastri making Q3 has to make Mclaren feel better. But you have to wonder what this does to Norris mentally.

[Nitrodaze]

Mercedes has responded with open letter to their fans

They have thrown in the towel so early. That says that are very lost on how to solve their current challenges. Tooo late for a change now, they have to ride it out in the midfield. I bet the designer of the W14 crap would get a pay rise at the end of the year.

[Nitrodaze]

Zero sympathy for Mercedes. They left the fans and Mercedes staff down after Abu Dhabi 2021. They should have burned the sport to the ground to ensure Lewis got that championship. Taken the case outside the FIA if they had to. Instead they let it drop like the gutless cowards they are. They’re getting exactly what they deserve i.e. nothing

They are looking so spineless at the mo. I was quite surprised at how they let Abu Dhabi 2021 go so easily, no fight no backbone which this sport is all about. Their driver do that for them every race weekend and when it came time for them to show some spunk, nothing!

[Tazio]

All 'stappen needs is a well timed safety car and he'll be right at the front. Hell he may be up front by lap 25 without one.
I guess it's up to 'troll, and Lec' to slow him down. Judging by top speeds forget 'troll that rig is too slow, I guess it's up to "Shal", or 'los

https://twitter.com/AlbertFabrega/status/1637171088147857410

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[airshifter]

Got crazy today, might actually get interesting tomorrow. I'm sure Fred will be trying to find that top step on the podium, and plenty of mixed drivers towards the top to keep it spicy.

[Tazio]

Got crazy today, might actually get interesting tomorrow. I'm sure Fred will be trying to find that top step on the podium, and plenty of mixed drivers towards the top to keep it spicy.https://youtu.be/VaqdQhuvPi8

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[airshifter]

It will be interesting to see if Checo can stay up front, and if so will he try to control pace to give Max a better chance to catch up quicker. The most Checo and Fred stretch things out, the farther Max has to catch up. And even more interesting to see if RB plays a hand in ordering a similar strategy.

Fred says the RB has the race pace... but then again he wouldn't admit it to the press if he thinks he can blow Checo out of the water either. :laugh:

[Nitrodaze]

It will be interesting to see if Checo can stay up front, and if so will he try to control pace to give Max a better chance to catch up quicker. The most Checo and Fred stretch things out, the farther Max has to catch up. And even more interesting to see if RB plays a hand in ordering a similar strategy.

Fred says the RB has the race pace... but then again he wouldn't admit it to the press if he thinks he can blow Checo out of the water either. :laugh:

If Checo can get off the line in the lead and negotiate backmarkers efficiently, it would take poor pitstops or safety car to bring Verstappen in contention with him. I think this a race for Checo to win or lose. But l fully expect Verstappen to be on the podium, he has some very troublesome fast cars to pass which may cost him time. I think he could win it if he can clear these cars ahead of him before midway into the race.

[Nitrodaze]

All 'stappen needs is a well timed safety car and he'll be right at the front. Hell he may be up front by lap 25 without one.
I guess it's up to 'troll, and Lec' to slow him down. Judging by top speeds forget 'troll that rig is too slow, I guess it's up to "Shal", or 'los

https://twitter.com/AlbertFabrega/status/1637171088147857410

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It would be quite interesting if Alonso steals a win from the second. It is not inconceivable that Checo's gearbox fails as well

[Tazio]

It would be quite interesting if Alonso steals a win from the second. It is not inconceivable that Checo's gearbox fails as wellOne can always hope. What a great story Fred has become! It is like all the haters disappeared. This could turn into the feel-good story of the millennium :eek:

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[Tazio]

https://twitter.com/AlbertFabr...?t=MQph5tw7LScPxEim7mOHqw&s=19

This is ominous. Checo has issues?

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[N. Jones]

Hoo boy this season looks like its between Checo and Max. Everyone else is fighting for third.
Except for McLaren, wow, what a disaster.

[Tazio]

Fred got robbed. Why it take so long to give him the penalty. Infraction happened on lap 18. If they had been expeditious with it at least he'd have a chance to go for the gap!

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[Tazio]

I guess it's ok to have the jack against the car........

https://twitter.com/lorenzo_dl...tatus/1637547765579251715?s=20

If you're 'stappen

Edit:

Fred got it back. Justice is served !

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SzDLQpKRp2Fcp9PG8

Vamos!


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[Mark]

The dream lives on!

Just think how great this year would be without the Red Bulls!

[Nitrodaze]

The dream lives on!

Just think how great this year would be without the Red Bulls!

Haha, i remember someone saying that when Mercedes was winning. It is what it is!

[Nitrodaze]

Hoo boy this season looks like its between Checo and Max. Everyone else is fighting for third.
Except for McLaren, wow, what a disaster.

Too early to say. The fifteen places drop sure gives that impression. If they start at the front together and we see a wheel-to-wheel fight without the Redbull pit wall giving instructions to Perez to back off, then we can say that. How it is, is Perez must win if Verstappen is unable to win. That was what Jeggah was all about. Besides, Verstappen would have won that race if he started the race anywhere in the top five positions.

[Nitrodaze]

I guess it's ok to have the jack against the car........

https://twitter.com/lorenzo_dl...tatus/1637547765579251715?s=20

If you're 'stappen

Edit:

Fred got it back. Justice is served !

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SzDLQpKRp2Fcp9PG8

Vamos!


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230319/f1e6641cee2d5fc7cf0091eec7e6f72e.jpg

Weird right? It appears they did not think it through before the penalize him.

[airshifter]

Overall not a bad race for Jeddah. I'm glad Fred got his podium back, and it looks like they intend to clarify things on that rule so it doesn't keep happening. As for the start infringement, a couple of the photos make it obvious that people are more off line than Fred.... not sure what is up with that. If they are going to enforce it, they should enforce it 100%.

VSC should have been more than enough for Lance's situation, but staying on the safe side doesn't risk anyone being hurt. It did help bring the cars that started on hards and hadn't pitted back into the race more. Ferrari did a great job screwing up that sequence, they seem good at mistakes lately.

No big incidents this year on the track, which is a good thing. Those walls can trash some cars in a hurry.

[Tazio]

Just a really well measured, and executed race by Fred. He seems to be really in touch with his car, and knows its limits. Sorry if I sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but it is great to see him in a really good car. I'm also happy that he's gotten this opportunity before he hung them up for good.

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[Bagwan]

Just a really well measured, and executed race by Fred. He seems to be really in touch with his car, and knows its limits. Sorry if I sound like I'm beating a dead horse, but it is great to see him in a really good car. I'm also happy that he's gotten this opportunity before he hung them up for good.

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Not washed up at all , Tazzy .
He'll be on the top step this year for sure , the way he's going now .

But there's a girl in his ear , whispering that this current two-year contract is enough , so it might be hard to keep him on board next time around .

Go Fred !

[Tazio]

Not washed up at all , Tazzy .
He'll be on the top step this year for sure , the way he's going now .

But there's a girl in his ear , whispering that this current two-year contract is enough , so it might be hard to keep him on board next time around .

Go Fred !
Yeah, I read the comments from "the temptress". However,
I think that if he had to make a choice between F1, and the tart......well....."Box Box". Wait, maybe on second thought that might be a bit ambiguous. Let's just say I think he could find a skirt that will encourage him to keep racing.

[The Black Knight]

They are looking so spineless at the mo. I was quite surprised at how they let Abu Dhabi 2021 go so easily, no fight no backbone which this sport is all about. Their driver do that for them every race weekend and when it came time for them to show some spunk, nothing!

And they wonder why they’ve dropped down the pecking order. Imagine being an engineer spending months away from your family, or working shifts night and day in Brackley, busting your balls to give Lewis the best car to win, only to be robbed of the championship. Initially your team throws a brief strop only to bend over and take it. Then that selfish prick Lewis Hamilton comes along and says he doesn’t want to win his 8th title in court without any regard for the ball busting work you’ve done all year because it’s really all about him.

I can’t imagine anything more demotivating from an engineers point of view. Screw’em, I hope they never win again.

[Nitrodaze]

And they wonder why they’ve dropped down the pecking order. Imagine being an engineer spending months away from your family, or working shifts night and day in Brackley, busting your balls to give Lewis the best car to win, only to be robbed of the championship. Initially your team throws a brief strop only to bend over and take it. Then that selfish prick Lewis Hamilton comes along and says he doesn’t want to win his 8th title in court without any regard for the ball busting work you’ve done all year because it’s really all about him.

I can’t imagine anything more demotivating from an engineers point of view. Screw’em, I hope they never win again.

Well, it is the lack of gusto that has allowed them to be relegated to the midfield as they failed to fight for those things that would prevent them from losing their advantages. They have weakly accepted all the propositions that ensure they lose the edge that was attained through great efforts and commitment. They seem to be in disarray and lacking a solid centre from which to regroup. I am not seeing a solid foundation in the team at the moment that would facilitate a quick turnaround. The hesitation to recognise that they need a shakeup to stop the rut is also not inspiring confidence in the team at the moment.

That said, Mercedes still have the competencies, resources and motivation to succeed. Hence, they may dig deep and turn things around. The way they are going at the moment, it may take a few years.

[Bagwan]

Well, it is the lack of gusto that has allowed them to be relegated to the midfield as they failed to fight for those things that would prevent them from losing their advantages. They have weakly accepted all the propositions that ensure they lose the edge that was attained through great efforts and commitment. They seem to be in disarray and lacking a solid centre from which to regroup. I am not seeing a solid foundation in the team at the moment that would facilitate a quick turnaround. The hesitation to recognise that they need a shakeup to stop the rut is also not inspiring confidence in the team at the moment.

That said, Mercedes still have the competencies, resources and motivation to succeed. Hence, they may dig deep and turn things around. The way they are going at the moment, it may take a few years.

You didn't mention anything about Mr. Knight calling Lewis a "selfish prick" .
Do you agree with him ?

[Nitrodaze]

You didn't mention anything about Mr. Knight calling Lewis a "selfish prick" .
Do you agree with him ?

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. To be fair, Hamilton is part of that as well. To let such an open afront slide without heavy criticism and exposure of the undelying manipulation of the the result is cowardly and facilitated it by not doing anything about it.

[Tazio]

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. To be fair, Hamilton is part of that as well. To let such an open afront slide without heavy criticism and exposure of the undelying manipulation of the the result is cowardly and facilitated it by not doing anything about it.I'm not sure what your answer is.
Are y'all Boyz giving a back-handed no, or a thinly veiled yes?
I don't think "The Boss" is any more selfish than about 80 percent of the pilots. I mean they all are a little. I think that his comments from the following link shows he actually is conscious of his responsibility to his crew. I think maybe he took advice from his father, and/or others in this matter. I think the guy deserves a break

https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2021/11/24/619e549622601d6b388b4617.html

"But anyways. I don't mind being the one that... I am not too big or too successful to have to back out to fight another day. I know that is sometimes the route you have to take. You have to be the smarter one," Hamilton said in an interview with the BBC.

"And sometimes you lose points in doing that, for sure, but it's not just about me. I have 2,000 people behind me and through that selfish decision I could make - 'No, I'm going to hold my ground' and don't finish - that costs all my team potential bonuses at the end of the year, all the hard work they have to do, the damage of the car. I am conscious of those things also."

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[Nitrodaze]

I'm not sure what your answer is.
Are y'all Boyz giving a back-handed no, or a thinly veiled yes?
I don't think "The Boss" is any more selfish than about 80 percent of the pilots. I mean they all are a little. I think that his comments from the following link shows he actually is conscious of his responsibility to his crew. I think maybe he took advice from his father, and/or others in this matter. I think the guy deserves a break

https://www.marca.com/en/f1/2021/11/24/619e549622601d6b388b4617.html

"But anyways. I don't mind being the one that... I am not too big or too successful to have to back out to fight another day. I know that is sometimes the route you have to take. You have to be the smarter one," Hamilton said in an interview with the BBC.

"And sometimes you lose points in doing that, for sure, but it's not just about me. I have 2,000 people behind me and through that selfish decision I could make - 'No, I'm going to hold my ground' and don't finish - that costs all my team potential bonuses at the end of the year, all the hard work they have to do, the damage of the car. I am conscious of those things also."

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It is not in the nature of these racers to be a loser, which essentially is what Mercedes and Hamilton accepted to be in 2021. Why did they accepted to be a loser in a situation where they were clearly robbed; l should say Hamilton was robbed and Mercedes had nothing to lose as they had won the constructors championship but failed to assist him in fighting the clear absurdity that transpired.

As fans, we watch these race weekends to see racing gladiators demonstrate great skill and gutsy feats of battles and overcome tough tribulations to triumph in some way. What we saw from Mercedes and to some extent Hamilton was cowardly; to say the least. If someone pisses on your shoes and shit in the middle of your bed and you say it is smarter to do nothing, they would come back in the future and do exactly the same because they know you would do nothing about it.

I would accept any view if whoever is presenting that view can say if the situation was reversed and it was Redbnull in Mercedes' shoes, that Redbull would let it go without a fuss as Mercedes did. I bet my car on it, that they would have made such a colossal fuss and may have probably got the decision reversed. Kind of like what Aston Martin did in Jeddah to get Alonso restored to the podium. Redbull would have at least made the FIA feel the heat of their displeasure and we may still be hearing Horner talking about it even today.

[Nitrodaze]

Talking about Alonso, the stewards are still very indecisive in their procedure of penalizing infractions of the rules. If the jack is not supposed to touch the car during a time penalty, this was the occasion to make that perfectly clear. Rather they did an embarrassing turn around which now creates a precedent "that jacks are allowed to touch the car during time penalties". They at least now leave it to the next occasion when this would happen and they expose themselves to the risk of being accused of having double standards if they penalize that occasion. They may get away with it if it was a Mercedes, they don't challenge anything, do they.

[Tazio]

It is not in the nature of these racers to be a loser, which essentially is what Mercedes and Hamilton accepted to be in 2021. Why did they accepted to be a loser in a situation where they were clearly robbed; l should say Hamilton was robbed and Mercedes had nothing to lose as they had won the constructors championship but failed to assist him in fighting the clear absurdity that transpired.

As fans, we watch these race weekends to see racing gladiators demonstrate great skill and gutsy feats of battles and overcome tough tribulations to triumph in some way. What we saw from Mercedes and to some extent Hamilton was cowardly; to say the least. If someone pisses on your shoes and shit in the middle of your bed and you say it is smarter to do nothing, they would come back in the future and do exactly the same because they know you would do nothing about it.

I would accept any view if whoever is presenting that view can say if the situation was reversed and it was Redbnull in Mercedes' shoes, that Redbull would let it go without a fuss as Mercedes did. I bet my car on it, that they would have made such a colossal fuss and may have probably got the decision reversed. Kind of like what Aston Martin did in Jeddah to get Alonso restored to the podium. Redbull would have at least made the FIA feel the heat of their displeasure and we may still be hearing Horner talking about it even today.I see you have stopped short of calling "The Boss" a "selfish prick", or you just don't want to express your opinion in this matter A couple of us were curious if you agreed with Blackie. It's all good mate.

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[Nitrodaze]

I see you have stopped short of calling "The Boss" a "selfish prick", or you just don't want to express your opinion in this matter A couple of us were curious if you agreed with Blackie. It's all good mate.

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That is because his decision was not selfish but cowardly. He probably has a good reason for deciding not to take action, l don't really know. But it looks cowardly from the outside looking in.

[airshifter]

Imagine a world where the 2021 drama stays in thread related to 2021. If only.

[airshifter]

As fans, we watch these race weekends to see racing gladiators demonstrate great skill and gutsy feats of battles and overcome tough tribulations to triumph in some way.

This is the type of statement that leads me to believe that you idolize drivers above reality.

They are good drivers, nothing more. Far from gladiators of any kind.

The fact that it's an elitist sport doesn't make it any more dangerous, nor the drivers any less human.

[Nitrodaze]

They are good drivers, nothing more. Far from gladiators of any kind.

The fact that it's an elitist sport doesn't make it any more dangerous, nor the drivers any less human.

You continue to surprise me with your comments. It goes to show how less you understand what F1 is about. These guys are more than merely good drivers, they are a showcase of the best racing drivers in the world. Since you cannot appreciate that if something goes wrong, they could pay the ultimate price with their lives is something you make ordinary by your comments, this gives me a reason to conclude that you do not get it.

[airshifter]

You continue to surprise me with your comments. It goes to show how less you understand what F1 is about. These guys are more than merely good drivers, they are a showcase of the best racing drivers in the world. Since you cannot appreciate that if something goes wrong, they could pay the ultimate price with their lives is something you make ordinary by your comments, this gives me a reason to conclude that you do not get it.

The best racing drivers in a very niche aspect of motorsport that probably excludes a very large percentage of people from ever trying it due to the amount of both time and money required by a family to get a person even started in the sport. Even then, pay drivers and money backing plays a huge role for many of them if their talents are noticed at all.

As for danger, a lot of lower level motorsports, jobs, even commutes, and daily live is just as dangerous for many people. It's no longer the 60's or 70's and F1 cars are among the safest racing cars made.

They are ordinary people who got fortunate enough to do something like this for a living. They aren't superhuman, exceptionally brave, or as talented as some make them to be. They are just the ones that made it to an exclusive sport.


If you want to worship them as gods feel free. I don't.

[Nitrodaze]

The best racing drivers in a very niche aspect of motorsport that probably excludes a very large percentage of people from ever trying it due to the amount of both time and money required by a family to get a person even started in the sport. Even then, pay drivers and money backing plays a huge role for many of them if their talents are noticed at all.

As for danger, a lot of lower level motorsports, jobs, even commutes, and daily live is just as dangerous for many people. It's no longer the 60's or 70's and F1 cars are among the safest racing cars made.

They are ordinary people who got fortunate enough to do something like this for a living. They aren't superhuman, exceptionally brave, or as talented as some make them to be. They are just the ones that made it to an exclusive sport.


If you want to worship them as gods feel free. I don't.

When l say you don't get it, you prove me right every time. F1 is the pinnacle of motor racing, or at least that is what the FIA and the F1M are aspiring to achieve. I would accept that they are yet to properly realize this aspiration, particularly because the career paths from various lower formulas are not ending up in F1, the absence of diversity in drivers and teams and the absence of women drivers in F1.

It is however the perceived pinnacle of the sport with a very limited number of seats in ten teams. This exclusivity is what makes the formula a special category of motor racing. If we go by your statement above, we would need a huge amount of cars to satisfy your perspective, and the racing would be ridiculous at best. I think if F1 can get up to 15 teams on the grid, it would provide more chances for more talent from more formulas to enter F1. The grid would be crowded on short tracks and some street tracks but necessary.

Appreciation is not worshipping, l get you can't tell the difference. That's ok!

[Tazio]

Yeah, I read the comments from "the temptress". However,
I think that if he had to make a choice between F1, and the tart......well....."Box Box". Wait, maybe on second thought that might be a bit ambiguous. Let's just say I think he could find a skirt that will encourage him to keep racing.What did I say baggie? The Battle-axe shouldn't have opened her pie-hole
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-11932029/Fernando-Alonso-reveals-sad-news-love-life-Andrea-Schlager-Australian-F1-Grand-Prix.html


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[Bagwan]

What did I say baggie? The Battle-axe shouldn't have opened her pie-hole
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-11932029/Fernando-Alonso-reveals-sad-news-love-life-Andrea-Schlager-Australian-F1-Grand-Prix.html


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Tires still good . Don't wanna box .

You nailed 'er , Taz .

[Tazio]

Tires still good . Don't wanna box .

You nailed 'er , Taz .Fred ain't going nowhere dawg!

In the words of Mick Goldmill (Burgess Meredith's character from Rocky);
He's a "greasy fast Italian tank".
Ok not Italian, but he is greasy fast.
May the Forza be with him! (And also with you)

"Now I find myself with the longest career ever in F1, and I'm still fresh, still motivated, still enjoying every single day. So yeah, there's a few more years for me."

https://www.gpfans.com/en/f1-news/105293/fernando-alonso-surprise-formula-1-retirement-intentions/

Now that he got rid of "the stink" he's made his intentions quite clear!

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