2014 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix

P1K3Y_M1k3Y
I have to say, Daniel Riciardo is starting to show that Vettel may not be as good as some people make him out to be, not trying to take anything from Vettel, he is after all 4x World Champion, but with the best car. I can't help but feel that put in the same car of some of the other great drivers (HAM, ROS, ALO etc) they would simply outclass him.
People have said that for ages, but I always defended Vettel, but Riciardo is making it look like they were right :lol:
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I know it is early in the season, but just stating that is how it is starting to look from these early races, at the end of the day these new car's are drivers car's and the great drivers have adapted quickly, Vettel hasn't. On the other hand, maybe we can really start thinking about adding Daniel into that class of driver, if this form continues :D
 
^ With a blown floor car. Webber blew him away before that floor worked. All your seeing now is the real Vettel. He is great with a blown floor and ordinary with a normal car.

As always, it's the car that is the star, for him and for everyone else.
 
GTPorsche
Vettel has 4 consecutive WDCs. Can't say he isn't a great driver...

He didn't exactly walk into all of them.
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P1K3Y_M1k3Y
I have to say, Daniel Riciardo is starting to show that Vettel may not be as good as some people make him out to be, not trying to take anything from Vettel, he is after all 4x World Champion, but with the best car. I can't help but feel that put in the same car of some of the other great drivers (HAM, ROS, ALO etc) they would simply outclass him.
People have said that for ages, but I always defended Vettel, but Riciardo is making it look like they were right :lol:
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Come on guy's read my post's properly before jumping on me :lol:
 
Tired Tyres
^ With a blown floor car. Webber blew him away before that floor worked. All your seeing now is the real Vettel. He is great with a blown floor and ordinary with a normal car.

As always, it's the car that is the star, for him and for everyone else.
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Do you really believe the "real" Vettel its just a mid-pack runner?
 
No. He is a valid World Champion, just like every other Champion, but he along with all of them owe that to the car above anything else.

Adrian Newey has won 4 championships in a row TWICE. He's the star.
 
Tired Tyres
No. He is a valid World Champion, just like every other Champion, but he along with all of them owe that to the car above anything else.

Adrian Newey has won 4 championships in a row TWICE. He's the star.
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Yes but F1 has always been about the best driver/car combination. That doesn't necessarily mean the best driver objectively but the one that can get the most out of the currently best car.
 
Samus
You've just seen that with Alonso, as well.
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GTPorsche
Qualified 3rd, but still nearly a second behind the pole time.

As for Vettel, I just don't think he's adjusted his driving to suit the new car yet. He hasn't looked comfortable at all this year with the car. Once he figures it out, he'll be back up there at the top.. behind Mercedes.
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Seems similar to the problems Alonso had with the Ferrari before. The car was horrible to drive, and he adapted to it superbly, leaving Massa in the dust. When Ferrari finally sorted it, making it more driveable, Massa started outqualifying him from time to time.

Vettel was so perfectly attuned to the EBDs that he'll have to unlearn a lot to get back in the game this season. With the EBD, the focus is more on steering precision and using the throttle to balance the car out. Here, you can't always keep the car from sliding, the challenge is more on feeling out those rear tires and figuring out how much throttle you can give. Hamilton loves this stuff... he's good at pushing a car out and catching it, and these cars need to be caught. Might as well be the one to make that break happen than to be caught unawares, right?
 
Tired Tyres
Webber blew him away before that floor worked.
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Uh... when? Since Vettel started with Red Bull Racing, he has consistently outqualified and outscored Mark Webber. The only time Webber matched Vettel in qualifying was in in Vettel's second season with Red Bull, right before the blown floors. Vettel was faster in the first season. Webber caught up for a time, they introduced the floors. Vettel adapted. Mark didn't. Mark managed not to embarrass himself, but Vettel was, in general, faster the whole time they were team-mates.

EDIT: Outscored... that one is open to interpretation, of course, because of the times they've moved Mark over for Vettel... and the time Vettel took him out... and the time... :lol: ...but Qualifying, that's where the real battle is.
 
I guess Perez told heard you guys and reacted, I over slept and missed the Quali shouldn't have gone out last night with my friends but oh well.
 
RBR's advantage last year was around 3 or 4 tenths of a second. Now Mercedes' advantage is around 1 second. I can see it's gonna be a "very exciting" season, with no battle for the first place whatsoever. Is this what's F1 is all about? Where is the competition?
 
GTPorsche
Vettel has 4 consecutive WDCs. Can't say he isn't a great driver...

He didn't exactly walk into all of them.
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Wrong sir! He did too walk in to them

MasamuneDate
RBR's advantage last year was around 3 or 4 tenths of a second. Now Mercedes' advantage is around 1 second. I can see it's gonna be a "very exciting" season, with no battle for the first place whatsoever. Is this what's F1 is all about? Where is the competition?
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Wow this again? Perhaps you don't know how F1 works or has been for decades
 
MasamuneDate
RBR's advantage last year was around 3 or 4 tenths of a second. Now Mercedes' advantage is around 1 second. I can see it's gonna be a "very exciting" season, with no battle for the first place whatsoever. Is this what's F1 is all about? Where is the competition?
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At least 1 second. I honestly don't believe they've hit their limits. The way they go out, do one lap, and put up those times with little effort seems like they have room for going faster, but they know they don't need it... yet.
 
Great lap by Nico Rosberg, pretty much nailed qualifying lap two years in a row now at this track. Strong showing by Daniel again.

MasamuneDate
RBR's advantage last year was around 3 or 4 tenths of a second. Now Mercedes' advantage is around 1 second. I can see it's gonna be a "very exciting" season, with no battle for the first place whatsoever. Is this what's F1 is all about? Where is the competition?
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Spanish Grand Prix onwards should be interesting to see how well the two top teams go. I wonder how much potential Mercedes have left to make on their engine, Renault look like they will make big gains and don't really know what Ferrari situation is.
 
GTPorsche
No it wasn't.
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Oh, really? At the time we had Schumacher battling toe to toe with Damon Hill and Villeneuve's Williams. And then we had Mika Hakkinen with the McLaren against both Ferrari. You didn't often see a race leader being more than a second faster than the chaser.
 
MasamuneDate
Yes, I do know. I have been watching F1 faithfuly since 1994. Back then the competition was far more fierce.
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Um no it was not. I've been watching for the same amount of time. There was either one or two dominant forces. 94 both of those forces as most long time fans know where Williams and Benneton, and then Benneton stole the show in 95 with Schumi at the wheel and then if you look years after that it's the same. If anything I'd say that 2012 was probably the best season in a very long time that wasn't this two car or one car dominance.
 
LMSCorvetteGT2
Um no it was not. I've been watching for the same amount of time. There was either one or two dominant forces. 94 both of those forces as most long time fans know where Williams and Benneton, and then Benneton stole the show in 95 with Schumi at the wheel and then if you look years after that it's the same. If anything I'd say that 2012 was probably the best season in a very long time that wasn't this two car or one car dominance.
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I get your point, but still, we have only one dominant team this season. There were lots of complaints about Red Bull's dominance over the last few years, and now we still have the same scenario, with the difference that Mercedes is even more dominant than RBR was then.
 
MasamuneDate
Oh, really? At the time we had Schumacher battling toe to toe with Damon Hill and Villeneuve's Williams. And then we had Mika Hakkinen with the McLaren against both Ferrari. You didn't often see a race leader being more than a second faster than the chaser.
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That's still only two cars battling it out. That's not fiercer competition than what's happened in any recent years.
 
From '94-'96 Schumacher had a free pass because of Senna's death and only Hill could make him sweat, I agree that almost all the years i've seen so far (since '92), there were at most 2 drivers from 2 teams going head to head for the championship and the others were fighting over the scraps.

In a year of radical rulechanges that even goes down to only 1 team like with the Brawns for example. So yes F1 has always been this way and it is also in 2014. I think we're gonna have a good year with Rosberg and Hamilton going head to head anyway.

Also a fellow West Flemish has won his first GP2 race today; Stoffel Vandoorne! :bowdown:
He's from Kortrijk so i bet he started indoor karting over there were i always went if i did karting with a mate; hope he's gonna shine when he arrives in F1 :cool:

Belgian Senna fanclub is also in Kortrijk if i'm not mistaken :D
 
GTPorsche
That's still only two cars battling it out. That's not fiercer competition than what's happened in any recent years.
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We might not even see two cars battling it out for the lead this season. The only chance Mercedes has to lose a race is by both of their cars breaking mid-race, which is very slim.
 
MasamuneDate
I get your point, but still, we have only one dominant team this season. There were lots of complaints about Red Bull's dominance over the last few years, and now we still have the same scenario, with the difference that Mercedes is even more dominant than RBR was then.
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Yeah because they prepared? That's what happens these groups knew that new rules were coming and Mercedes did what they could to ensure their works team and teams using their power units got the most. They did an incredible feat of engineering and if others cant match that too bad, they shouldn't have to hear people moan about it. Anymore than RBR should have to when they did it or Ferrari, or McLaren and back and back and back. IT seems a bit childish from fans as if "it's not fair" this isn't a spec series, people willing to watch should know what they're getting into, blame others for not being able to match.

MasamuneDate
We might not even see two cars battling it out for the lead this season. The only chance Mercedes has to lose a race is by both of their cars breaking mid-race, which is very slim.
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I can ensure you with the matched speeds of Nico and Lewis this weekend they'll be fighting for this win. And if they royally screw it up (knock on wood). Then we could see another Turkish GP like in 2010.
 
MasamuneDate
We might not even see two cars battling it out for the lead this season. The only chance Mercedes has to lose a race is by both of their cars breaking mid-race, which is very slim.
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It's a one second difference which can be overcome during the season, especially because testing is allowed again.
 

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