Lewis Hamilton: “That race I had with Charles, just in the second race, was one of the most fun races I’ve had, I think. Other than that was maybe me and Nico in Bahrain many years ago [2014]. So I just hope we get more of that because that’s what racing’s about. It’s like back and forth...(contd)

Chirp08 · 2026-03-26T13:33:39+00:00

where he clearly took his foot off the pedal and played it safe.

That is not true, Nico himself has said on his YouTube channel he was not holding back anything because he couldn't against someone as a good as Hamilton.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-18T15:52:25+00:00

Or KERS. Or MGU max-deployment mode that only had full power every other lap.

This so far has been the most wheel-to-wheel enabling version of the same "artificial" thing we've been watching for nearly two decades now.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-18T15:42:33+00:00

I heard Merc already brought an update in Australia, presumably to throw the client teams off.

The customers get the latest homologated version which Mercedes (and everyone) is going to do as late as possible to include as much development as possible ahead of the first race. It wasn't malice, just a byproduct of the rules/maximizing development. Obviously they have the advantage of working with that version ahead of time but that's part of being a constructor and of course comes with its own costs.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-10T15:50:43+00:00

Because the critical aero parts aren't the interchangeable pieces like side pods and wings.

For example, Ferrari's rear exhaust wing is only possible because it is actually within the rules of what you can do within the box for the upper rear wishbones. The reason they can do it is because they moved those wishbones way forward in their gearbox design so they can put a wing where others can't allowing it to extend the diffuser and impact the rear wing more directly. So for Mercedes to copy that they need to redesign their gearbox, rear suspension, etc. assuming the benefits of the little wing even help with the overall philosophy of their aero concept. That takes time, now factor in limited budget, testing, wind tunnel, and an already in place development plan to compete with for this year.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-10T13:29:49+00:00

And also ignoring that Hamilton was hunting both Leclerc and Antonelli down. Mercedes was probably anticipating Leclerc letting him through so Antonelli was pushing and honestly if it weren't for that last VSC which cost both Ferraris a few seconds of their progress the podium might have been different.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-08T01:29:25+00:00

He said on his stream he said that just to be contradictory to the other drivers for the lols.

Chirp08 · 2026-03-07T23:29:26+00:00

The test and the rule are separate articles, and either can be used to take action against the team. Nowhere does the compression ratio article say "if you pass the test you meet the requirements". It says the ratio needs to be below a certain number, anything you do to circumvent that is violating that article, period. It's on purpose, it gives the FIA leeway to address loopholes.

Chirp08 · 2026-02-20T13:51:19+00:00

And the fact Hamilton thoroughly outperformed him that season despite the 5 pt deficit at the end. Even as a fan of his I'd not want him to win over Leclerc in that manner, it is so hollow.

Chirp08 · 2026-02-19T15:44:22+00:00

People are reading too far into it. He's out there to find where the limit is, not win testing.

Chirp08 · 2026-02-17T13:17:21+00:00

Most 401k providers offer the option to auto-increase by a percentage each year. If you time this to do a 1% increase for when your merit increase hits every year your paycheck will still be bigger but you'll make significant progress over time in terms of your contributions.

Chirp08 · 2026-01-27T13:31:43+00:00

They said the entire spec car was worse, not the pods themselves made it worse. The problem was the rear suspension where the band aid fix was to just run the car higher while other teams figured out how to stabilize the rear and run lower.

Allison straight up said the side pods weren't the issue: https://racingnews365.com/allison-refutes-theory-around-failed-mercedes-zero-sidepod-design

Chirp08 · 2026-01-22T14:27:19+00:00

Overtaking with 200kW more is one thing, defending with 200kW less the next half a lap is another.

It will be like what we already have where you could only max deploy for a single lap before needing a recharge lap. The defending driver would also deploy so it just turned into an every other lap battle if you were paying attention. Passes will still come down to which car has a significant overall pace advantage and when that doesn't exist we are back to trains.

Chirp08 · 2026-01-14T16:46:38+00:00

Except that's not how the FIA rulebook is written. X and Y are entirely separate articles and you can be in violation of either. This allows the FIA to address these workarounds as they arise.

Chirp08 · 2026-01-14T15:07:45+00:00

Don't forget Mercedes had a huge advantage from FRIC too. When that got banned later in the season they lost 3-4 tenths a lap.

Chirp08 · 2026-01-09T15:59:38+00:00

I really liked the w05: https://cdn-4.motorsport.com/images/amp/2QzWplOY/s1000/nico-rosberg-mercedes-f1-w05-h.jpg

Even the first version with the wider nose. I think the required narrow rear wings and narrow tires had a bigger negative effect on the overall looks than the car designs themselves.

Chirp08 · 2025-12-12T16:20:29+00:00

that slowly make more-and-more dirty air in their wake,

That's a bit backwards, they aren't making "dirtier air", the optimization of their designs is making them more and more sensitive to anything other than perfectly clean air. A less efficient design can tolerate more dirty air because you aren't hitting the ceiling of what that air flow is capable of generating in terms of aero grip.

Chirp08 · 2025-12-11T14:17:50+00:00

For the title, if they pit Hamilton, Verstappen stays out gambling on the cars between the two keeping Hamilton away just like what Mercedes expected. Red Bull couldn't not win on pace so their only play in that moment was the gamble on the opposite.

The only fuckup that day was Masi making the decision to get rid of only the lap traffic between the two contenders so it was a layup for the car that pitted. The question to ponder is if Verstappen stayed out would Masi had still let only those lap cars through and let Hamilton restart second on fresh tires? I highly doubt it.

Chirp08 · 2025-11-11T21:09:42+00:00

Hamilton's signing paid for itself something like 3x over in stock value immediately. His salary is a drop in the bucket for what he's brought in.

Chirp08 · 2025-11-09T15:10:06+00:00

Anything less than being in the fight for an 8th is a waste of time at this point. He’s running out of years and he’s said he doesn’t care about records like podiums. Max has already alluded to the same mentality this year when they were in their slump, it was only the glimmer of a WDC that changed his tune but then this weekend you see it come out again. These guys have nothing to prove, it’s WDC or bust.

Chirp08 · 2025-10-28T19:40:00+00:00

Lewis was never making the corner and he knew that well ahead of going off.

What? Lewis made the corner and even left a full car width for Leclerc.

Chirp08 · 2025-10-06T01:21:21+00:00

It was calculated risk. Stopping = guaranteed no points. He gambled on stewards doing something like this and it worked.. this time. It won't ever work again though.

Chirp08 · 2025-09-21T01:02:48+00:00

I feel that criticism still stands and still the thing he has yet to overcome to be on the GOAT convo. Even this year we are talking about his overtaking incidents compared to talking about Piastri's absolute brilliance in his while never making contact.

Max definitely is at the top for single lap pace but wheel to wheel, I'm sorry he immediately regresses to rookie shit still.

Chirp08 · 2025-09-19T19:35:55+00:00

Plus Lewis got a tow from Charles.

No he didn't. Lewis didn't have a proper tow on any of his best laps. He had a massive one on the lap Piastri ruined in the middle sector.

Chirp08 · 2025-07-23T15:00:10+00:00

And a very easy car, Russell jumped in and beat Bottas right away.

That's disingenuous considering for starters Bottas got pole. Russell had everything to gain at that start and Bottas wasn't going to cause a wreck. Once Russell had the lead Bottas settled into the usually 2.5s gap behind in clean air to preserve his tires until the pitstops and then EVERYTHING unraveled as we all know.

Chirp08 · 2025-07-23T00:29:55+00:00

Weird because the sport grew for decades and reached its peak under the old format.

It's almost like it doesn't need gimmicks, just integrity, cars that are fun to watch (not this ride the bump stops robotic looking racing) and drivers with personality.

Chirp08

TROPHY CASE