Racing Discussion II. It's light's out and away we go!

[Vassenor]

Aw...first the Lotus but not really Lotus thing now this.

We just need Hass to be better. I feel bad because They never finish any higher the 20 and 19. Unless someone is out of the race. Also anybody hear that Rick Wear Racing will be more 'competitive' next year?

That's what happens when you're carting around a blatant pay driver like Haas is right now.

#daddyscash

[Cannot think of a name]

We just need Hass to be better. I feel bad because They never finish any higher the 20 and 19. Unless someone is out of the race. Also anybody hear that Rick Wear Racing will be more 'competitive' next year?

That's what happens when you're carting around a blatant pay driver like Haas is right now.

#daddyscash

That’s 2/3rds of the field in F1. Unless you’re Mercedes, Red. Bull, McLaren or Ferrari you’re just there to fill the field just hoping to score a point.

[Vassenor]

That's what happens when you're carting around a blatant pay driver like Haas is right now.

#daddyscash

That’s 2/3rds of the field in F1. Unless you’re Mercedes, Red. Bull, McLaren or Ferrari you’re just there to fill the field just hoping to score a point.

Yes, but unlike Mazepin they actually have talent.

[The Two Jerseys]

Mostly I just hate the whole fakeass "playoff structure" they have with Chase or whatever they call it.

Does anyone actually like that?

IIRC the host of NS Sports NASCAR RPs has had to explain multiple times that we have a Chase because RL NASCAR has a Chase, not because it should have a Chase. It's kinda funny watching people grouse about it.

While we're at it, ditch the stage racing.

[Cannot think of a name]

That’s 2/3rds of the field in F1. Unless you’re Mercedes, Red. Bull, McLaren or Ferrari you’re just there to fill the field just hoping to score a point.

Yes, but unlike Mazepin they actually have talent.

Ha, this entire time I thought we were talking about that Stroll kid whose dad bought the Aston Martin F1 team to give him a ride.

This is a racing-wide problem, really. The barrier to entry is money. Hamilton's dad apparently ended up working multiple jobs to support his son's racing career, luckily he was fast as fuck. There's no community race track were people can take a ten dollar ball and learn the game, working their way up through school sponsored teams. So far as I know no one is being plucked out of the community leagues at indoor karting tracks, you need to be in a family at least well off enough to invest in a race car that has a championship track. I don't know if Skip Barber still exists much less has their program where you could volunteer to work on their school cars in exchange for a ride in their spec series, but even if it does, those programs aren't as ubiquitous as high school sports and you'd have to be pretty into it just to know those programs exist. I came from two generations of race car drivers (only one pro, my grandpa) and my dad was a developer (a not great one, but just good enough to build the foundations of a divorce by spending money he didn't really have buying his kids (and himself) race cars), otherwise there's no way I would have gotten seat time. My brother couldn't manage to get my nephew in a race car (though ironically I guess, he'll beat us all to a professional team, even if it's in the pit garage it's closer than either of us got and my brother had multiple championships and an epic loss for the nationals.*

The gist is, racing is a sport for moneyed folk. It's bad for F1, but even my preferred category, sports car...absolute worst. They have a whole classification for 'gentleman drivers,' people rich enough to buy their way into the series complete with a whole tier system of gold, silver, and bronze so that an extra rich person doesn't just surround themselves with Patrick Long Jorge Bergmeister and Scott Pruitt. If I'm being honest, it's the final resting place of the people not quite quick enough in a higher profile series racing against rich douchebags and a handful of legit sports car stars. (two from my hometown...area...well, outside of sports car three, and I raced against one of them, but that's a humblebrag for a different time).

I remember watching in frustration as my favorite team, Flying Lizards, tried a Daytona Prototype to win the 24 hours of Daytona and with his roster of top flight driving talent and of course Porsche power the team was dominating...until the rich ass owner of the team took his stint and couldn't keep the damn thing on the road.

Though both Haas and Aston Martin F1 teams seem to underline the point a bit. Mazepin's teammate is the younger Schummaker who also can't seem to score a point and Stroll is only doing marginally worse than his teammate Sebastian fucking Vettel who, while he was in a Red Bull had his own dominate four season run as champion. But now that he's in the Aston Martin he's only managed a single visit to the podium. Despite Ferrari's complaints it doesn't look like Vettel was the one holding them back as their drivers can't break the top five in standings. either as last of the legitimate teams of first of the also rans.

Aside from my tacit understanding that ultimately cars were a bad bet for society and the environment in general and far more focus should have been put into designing living spaces around other forms of transportation, the fact that I'm basically tuning in to watch the rich douches that are destroying the world compete in their boxes that are also destroying the world and really liking it is my little contradiction I get to live with.

I just woke up, I think this wandered all over the place. I'll spoiler it so that people can just cruise on by this nonsense...

[Cannot think of a name]

Does anyone actually like that?

IIRC the host of NS Sports NASCAR RPs has had to explain multiple times that we have a Chase because RL NASCAR has a Chase, not because it should have a Chase. It's kinda funny watching people grouse about it.

While we're at it, ditch the stage racing.

Is that what that whole 'competition yellow' is all about? Yeah, fuck that.

[Rick Perry]

We just need Hass to be better. I feel bad because They never finish any higher the 20 and 19. Unless someone is out of the race. Also anybody hear that Rick Wear Racing will be more 'competitive' next year?

That's what happens when you're carting around a blatant pay driver like Haas is right now.

#daddyscash

Well idk that's for them to find out

[Rick Perry]

While we're at it, ditch the stage racing.

Is that what that whole 'competition yellow' is all about? Yeah, fuck that.

Yeah. Iracing seems to be doing well without stage racing. So down with the stage racing.

[Vassenor]

Yes, but unlike Mazepin they actually have talent.

Ha, this entire time I thought we were talking about that Stroll kid whose dad bought the Aston Martin F1 team to give him a ride.

This is a racing-wide problem, really. The barrier to entry is money. Hamilton's dad apparently ended up working multiple jobs to support his son's racing career, luckily he was fast as fuck. There's no community race track were people can take a ten dollar ball and learn the game, working their way up through school sponsored teams. So far as I know no one is being plucked out of the community leagues at indoor karting tracks, you need to be in a family at least well off enough to invest in a race car that has a championship track. I don't know if Skip Barber still exists much less has their program where you could volunteer to work on their school cars in exchange for a ride in their spec series, but even if it does, those programs aren't as ubiquitous as high school sports and you'd have to be pretty into it just to know those programs exist. I came from two generations of race car drivers (only one pro, my grandpa) and my dad was a developer (a not great one, but just good enough to build the foundations of a divorce by spending money he didn't really have buying his kids (and himself) race cars), otherwise there's no way I would have gotten seat time. My brother couldn't manage to get my nephew in a race car (though ironically I guess, he'll beat us all to a professional team, even if it's in the pit garage it's closer than either of us got and my brother had multiple championships and an epic loss for the nationals.*

The gist is, racing is a sport for moneyed folk. It's bad for F1, but even my preferred category, sports car...absolute worst. They have a whole classification for 'gentleman drivers,' people rich enough to buy their way into the series complete with a whole tier system of gold, silver, and bronze so that an extra rich person doesn't just surround themselves with Patrick Long Jorge Bergmeister and Scott Pruitt. If I'm being honest, it's the final resting place of the people not quite quick enough in a higher profile series racing against rich douchebags and a handful of legit sports car stars. (two from my hometown...area...well, outside of sports car three, and I raced against one of them, but that's a humblebrag for a different time).

I remember watching in frustration as my favorite team, Flying Lizards, tried a Daytona Prototype to win the 24 hours of Daytona and with his roster of top flight driving talent and of course Porsche power the team was dominating...until the rich ass owner of the team took his stint and couldn't keep the damn thing on the road.

Though both Haas and Aston Martin F1 teams seem to underline the point a bit. Mazepin's teammate is the younger Schummaker who also can't seem to score a point and Stroll is only doing marginally worse than his teammate Sebastian fucking Vettel who, while he was in a Red Bull had his own dominate four season run as champion. But now that he's in the Aston Martin he's only managed a single visit to the podium. Despite Ferrari's complaints it doesn't look like Vettel was the one holding them back as their drivers can't break the top five in standings. either as last of the legitimate teams of first of the also rans.

Aside from my tacit understanding that ultimately cars were a bad bet for society and the environment in general and far more focus should have been put into designing living spaces around other forms of transportation, the fact that I'm basically tuning in to watch the rich douches that are destroying the world compete in their boxes that are also destroying the world and really liking it is my little contradiction I get to live with.

I just woke up, I think this wandered all over the place. I'll spoiler it so that people can just cruise on by this nonsense...

Yes, but there’s still a difference between drivers like Stroll (remember, he was still able to drag a podium out of a Williams when they were in decline) and Perez who still bring talent to the table, and Mazepin who is literally only there because of Daddy’s money. And the reason Schumacher jr is tooling around at the back (while still conclusively beating Mazepin) is because the team is effectively running last season’s car (which was itself stifled by Rich Energy screwing up the team funding in 2019) that the team decided not to develop further to focus on next years regs change.

[Cannot think of a name]

Ha, this entire time I thought we were talking about that Stroll kid whose dad bought the Aston Martin F1 team to give him a ride.

This is a racing-wide problem, really. The barrier to entry is money. Hamilton's dad apparently ended up working multiple jobs to support his son's racing career, luckily he was fast as fuck. There's no community race track were people can take a ten dollar ball and learn the game, working their way up through school sponsored teams. So far as I know no one is being plucked out of the community leagues at indoor karting tracks, you need to be in a family at least well off enough to invest in a race car that has a championship track. I don't know if Skip Barber still exists much less has their program where you could volunteer to work on their school cars in exchange for a ride in their spec series, but even if it does, those programs aren't as ubiquitous as high school sports and you'd have to be pretty into it just to know those programs exist. I came from two generations of race car drivers (only one pro, my grandpa) and my dad was a developer (a not great one, but just good enough to build the foundations of a divorce by spending money he didn't really have buying his kids (and himself) race cars), otherwise there's no way I would have gotten seat time. My brother couldn't manage to get my nephew in a race car (though ironically I guess, he'll beat us all to a professional team, even if it's in the pit garage it's closer than either of us got and my brother had multiple championships and an epic loss for the nationals.*

The gist is, racing is a sport for moneyed folk. It's bad for F1, but even my preferred category, sports car...absolute worst. They have a whole classification for 'gentleman drivers,' people rich enough to buy their way into the series complete with a whole tier system of gold, silver, and bronze so that an extra rich person doesn't just surround themselves with Patrick Long Jorge Bergmeister and Scott Pruitt. If I'm being honest, it's the final resting place of the people not quite quick enough in a higher profile series racing against rich douchebags and a handful of legit sports car stars. (two from my hometown...area...well, outside of sports car three, and I raced against one of them, but that's a humblebrag for a different time).

I remember watching in frustration as my favorite team, Flying Lizards, tried a Daytona Prototype to win the 24 hours of Daytona and with his roster of top flight driving talent and of course Porsche power the team was dominating...until the rich ass owner of the team took his stint and couldn't keep the damn thing on the road.

Though both Haas and Aston Martin F1 teams seem to underline the point a bit. Mazepin's teammate is the younger Schummaker who also can't seem to score a point and Stroll is only doing marginally worse than his teammate Sebastian fucking Vettel who, while he was in a Red Bull had his own dominate four season run as champion. But now that he's in the Aston Martin he's only managed a single visit to the podium. Despite Ferrari's complaints it doesn't look like Vettel was the one holding them back as their drivers can't break the top five in standings. either as last of the legitimate teams of first of the also rans.

Aside from my tacit understanding that ultimately cars were a bad bet for society and the environment in general and far more focus should have been put into designing living spaces around other forms of transportation, the fact that I'm basically tuning in to watch the rich douches that are destroying the world compete in their boxes that are also destroying the world and really liking it is my little contradiction I get to live with.

I just woke up, I think this wandered all over the place. I'll spoiler it so that people can just cruise on by this nonsense...

Yes, but there’s still a difference between drivers like Stroll (remember, he was still able to drag a podium out of a Williams when they were in decline) and Perez who still bring talent to the table, and Mazepin who is literally only there because of Daddy’s money. And the reason Schumacher jr is tooling around at the back (while still conclusively beating Mazepin) is because the team is effectively running last season’s car (which was itself stifled by Rich Energy screwing up the team funding in 2019) that the team decided not to develop further to focus on next years regs change.

I'm sure I'll catch up with it all when the Netflix series about the season comes out. ;p

[The Two Jerseys]

While we're at it, ditch the stage racing.

Is that what that whole 'competition yellow' is all about? Yeah, fuck that.

No, competition yellows are used when final practice is rained out, basically it gives the drivers a few laps to see how the car is handling under race conditions then they get a free caution to pit and make adjustments.

[Neo Bretonnia]

Trying to get a read: Am I the only one who finds it annoying when the F1 announcers talk as if the world is off its axis when Hamilton isn't winning?

[Rick Perry]

Trying to get a read: Am I the only one who finds it annoying when the F1 announcers talk as if the world is off its axis when Hamilton isn't winning?

All I hear is.

"IT LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO JEHAMEKHDNBUDHEIDJENDBIWKENDJJDJENDHDJJSJSJIEDHHEWJJDJDNDNJDJDJDJDHDHDDJJEJJDHDJDJDJDHFNDJDJDJDHFJEJEJDHCNDJEJIWKQKQLSKJDNEWKQKJENWKAKQKENNUDJWNWJJDSKQMQNJEKSKEWMWJDJDHWN!!! for the first few moments of the start

[Neo Bretonnia]

Trying to get a read: Am I the only one who finds it annoying when the F1 announcers talk as if the world is off its axis when Hamilton isn't winning?

All I hear is.

"IT LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO JEHAMEKHDNBUDHEIDJENDBIWKENDJJDJENDHDJJSJSJIEDHHEWJJDJDNDNJDJDJDJDHDHDDJJEJJDHDJDJDJDHFNDJDJDJDHFJEJEJDHCNDJEJIWKQKQLSKJDNEWKQKJENWKAKQKENNUDJWNWJJDSKQMQNJEKSKEWMWJDJDHWN!!! for the first few moments of the start

You aren't wrong.

But then for the rest of the race it's a discussion of how Hamilton is so brilliant for leading the pack, or what he can do to get back ahead of the pack, or how Mercedes can employ strategy to get him to the front of the pack.

It's like in Turkey... "These midfield cars aren't racing for the championship so they don't need to fight Hamilton."
5 minutes later:
"Hamilton makes it look so easy to overtake the midfield cars!!!" <3<3<3

[Vassenor]

All I hear is.

"IT LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO JEHAMEKHDNBUDHEIDJENDBIWKENDJJDJENDHDJJSJSJIEDHHEWJJDJDNDNJDJDJDJDHDHDDJJEJJDHDJDJDJDHFNDJDJDJDHFJEJEJDHCNDJEJIWKQKQLSKJDNEWKQKJENWKAKQKENNUDJWNWJJDSKQMQNJEKSKEWMWJDJDHWN!!! for the first few moments of the start

You aren't wrong.

But then for the rest of the race it's a discussion of how Hamilton is so brilliant for leading the pack, or what he can do to get back ahead of the pack, or how Mercedes can employ strategy to get him to the front of the pack.

It's like in Turkey... "These midfield cars aren't racing for the championship so they don't need to fight Hamilton."
5 minutes later:
"Hamilton makes it look so easy to overtake the midfield cars!!!" <3<3<3

It's almost like a British commentary team is going to focus on the leading British driver.

[Neo Bretonnia]

You aren't wrong.

But then for the rest of the race it's a discussion of how Hamilton is so brilliant for leading the pack, or what he can do to get back ahead of the pack, or how Mercedes can employ strategy to get him to the front of the pack.

It's like in Turkey... "These midfield cars aren't racing for the championship so they don't need to fight Hamilton."
5 minutes later:
"Hamilton makes it look so easy to overtake the midfield cars!!!" <3<3<3

It's almost like a British commentary team is going to focus on the leading British driver.

...racing for a German team while ignoring other British drivers/teams.

[Rick Perry]

All I hear is.

"IT LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO JEHAMEKHDNBUDHEIDJENDBIWKENDJJDJENDHDJJSJSJIEDHHEWJJDJDNDNJDJDJDJDHDHDDJJEJJDHDJDJDJDHFNDJDJDJDHFJEJEJDHCNDJEJIWKQKQLSKJDNEWKQKJENWKAKQKENNUDJWNWJJDSKQMQNJEKSKEWMWJDJDHWN!!! for the first few moments of the start

You aren't wrong.

But then for the rest of the race it's a discussion of how Hamilton is so brilliant for leading the pack, or what he can do to get back ahead of the pack, or how Mercedes can employ strategy to get him to the front of the pack.

It's like in Turkey... "These midfield cars aren't racing for the championship so they don't need to fight Hamilton."
5 minutes later:
"Hamilton makes it look so easy to overtake the midfield cars!!!" <3<3<3

I feel like team Mercedes is kinda a fake. But I can't tell.

[Vassenor]

It's almost like a British commentary team is going to focus on the leading British driver.

...racing for a German team while ignoring other British drivers/teams.

I mean there's only three British drivers on the grid right now.

[Neo Bretonnia]

I feel like team Mercedes is kinda a fake. But I can't tell.

I'll give credit where credit is due... Mercedes has their act together. Can't deny that.

Their undoing is, paradoxically and IMHO, Hamilton's success. Bottas was a great teammate right up until Mercedes made it painfully obvious that he was never going to be allowed to reach his full potential as long as they needed him to help get Hamilton's numbers up. That's when he started phoning it in and I can't blame him. At any other time, Bottas in a Mercedes would be a championship contender in his own right.

Additionally, because Mercedes is the team to beat with what has in recent years been the fastest car, other good teams (not run by Binotto) have been engineering their cars specifically to counter Mercedes. Midfield cars are designed to beat each other. Haas are designed to beat Nissan Altimas. Leading teams' cars are designed to challenge Mercedes.

I do agree that they present a much more solid and cleaned up façade than what's actually beneath the surface, but they must be getting it right more often than they get it wrong.

[Neo Bretonnia]

...racing for a German team while ignoring other British drivers/teams.

I mean there's only three British drivers on the grid right now.

True, but so what? The announcers sound to me like Hamilton fanboys a lot more than objective F1 commentators. Look at George Russel. They should be singing his praises too. He drove Hamilton's car about as well as Hamilton drives it, which tells me an awful lot about the relative skill levels of the drivers.

My point is this: Hamilton is overrated. yes he's very talented, obviously... but his success has as much to do with the car he's driving and a well run team as his own ability but you'd think, from listening to these announcers talk, than Hamilton would be winning races even if he were in a Haas.

[Vassenor]

I mean there's only three British drivers on the grid right now.

True, but so what? The announcers sound to me like Hamilton fanboys a lot more than objective F1 commentators. Look at George Russel. They should be singing his praises too. He drove Hamilton's car about as well as Hamilton drives it, which tells me an awful lot about the relative skill levels of the drivers.

My point is this: Hamilton is overrated. yes he's very talented, obviously... but his success has as much to do with the car he's driving and a well run team as his own ability but you'd think, from listening to these announcers talk, than Hamilton would be winning races even if he were in a Haas.

Also keep in mind that they're at the mercy of the Liberty Media TV director, and all their questionable decisions about what to show (Monaco 2021 cough cough).

[Neo Bretonnia]

Also keep in mind that they're at the mercy of the Liberty Media TV director, and all their questionable decisions about what to show (Monaco 2021 cough cough).

I'm not familiar with what you mean regarding Monaco?

[Cannot think of a name]

What it needs is Jacky Stewart back telling us it’s a “great day for motor racing…”

I imagine Hamilton gets the coverage because he’s one of the two drivers who will win the race, what are they gonna do, talk about the also rans just churning laps hoping to get close enough to get their sponsor on tv?

[Neo Bretonnia]

What it needs is Jacky Stewart back telling us it’s a “great day for motor racing…”

I imagine Hamilton gets the coverage because he’s one of the two drivers who will win the race, what are they gonna do, talk about the also rans just churning laps hoping to get close enough to get their sponsor on tv?

It's not the coverage. It's the sycophantic tone.

[Vassenor]

Also keep in mind that they're at the mercy of the Liberty Media TV director, and all their questionable decisions about what to show (Monaco 2021 cough cough).

I'm not familiar with what you mean regarding Monaco?

During the 2021 Monaco GP the TV director decided to cut away from an ongoing side-by-side battle (itself a rarity at this circuit) between Sebastien Vettel and Pierre Gasly to show a replay of Lance Stroll making a mess of things and bouncing his car over the sausage kerbs by the swimming pool corner several laps ago, meaning the resolution wasn't televised.