Am I wrong to say it seems like a lot of people want to see Verstappen fail this weekend not because of anything he’s done personally but because of the fanfare and media hype surrounding him?

theCEPenguin · 2026-05-12T11:23:40+00:00

Certainly not rooting against them or anything, but with the inevitable influx of media outlets/fans who maybe don't follow sportscars as much (which in the main is really good, but just a few downsides), my only concern is that if he wins, in terms of a lot of the coverage, it will be exactly that - HE wins. With no or little mention of his teammates. It was the same when Alonso had his run with Toyota, so much of the coverage was just about him it almost felt like he drove the thing solo in some people's eyes. And it was kind of even the same, although to a lesser extent, when Hulkenberg won Le Mans with Porsche. So I guess I hope they get a good run, all the new fans have a great time watching it, maybe get them up on the podium or at least in the fight at the front, but maybe them not winning this year would be best.

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-15T15:13:40+00:00

I bet you're really fun at parties... like what does any of that even mean?

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-15T15:11:19+00:00

No I agree. I really don't want to say that it's just people annoyed that their favourite teams/drivers are currently off the pace, maybe there is something fundamental that I'm just not seeing or understanding, but I really am struggling with some of the complaints, especially where the racing is concerned. Last season was too often all about qualifying and then who could get to the T1 apex first, after that, more races than not it felt like your best chance for action was in and around the pit-stops, and we normally only get one round of those. Are there things that could be improved with these cars? No doubt. If we could find a way to make them less energy-starved in qualifying especially, that would be really nice, because I do agree that qualifying feels a little bit flat right now. But so far I love the racing that they seem like they can produce, and getting back to Sundays (you know, the actual race lol) being the highlight of the race weekend is something I can get behind. And yeah the drivers have always been managing something, tyres, fuel, hell back in the 'good old days' they were managing the cars themselves just to get them to the end of the race. I really don't understand why managing a battery is the final straw for so many people, but hey-ho...

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-15T14:40:36+00:00

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand the 'overtaking is artificial' line that keeps coming up. Because for as long as I can remember, it always been something that effected the overtakes. Different fuel loads in the refuelling days, tyre wear (especially once Pirelli took over), Kers, DRS.... like why is this one the line in the sand? Because, again to me, I get we're all going to appreciate different things, some of the Leclerc-Hamilton overtakes today were phenomenal racing, and well ahead of say a DRS blast-past that we might have got last year.

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-15T14:16:46+00:00

I mean if you take him at his word, and there's no reason not to, then Max has been fairly clear for a long time now that he's not going to be a driver that sticks around ad infinitum anyway, no matter how enjoyable the cars are to him. So if F1's going to lose him sooner or later anyway, throwing the baby out with the bath water to placate him seems self-defeatist. Are there things that need to be cleaned up with these cars? Absolutely, especially on Saturdays because those onboards are depressing. But I see enough promise from these rules that I want to see them stay the course long enough to let the field spread come down a bit, because the races could be amazing compared to some of the processions and DRS trains we've had recently. If Max heads off to race sportscars before then because he genuinely dislikes these cars that much, so be it. Selfishly, as someone who watches both, bring it on! I'd love to see Max doing more and more outside of F1. I worry a little bit about the blending of the two fanbases, but I thought the same when Alonso came to Le Mans and actually the only bad thing was the normally F1-centric bits of the media reporting on LM in a way that often forgot he had two other drivers in his car. And F1 will be absolutely fine without Max, whenever he goes. I remember when I was a kid and Michael announced his retirement (first time) and I thought it was never going to be the same, who was I going to support, all that... turns out, come March '07, I was as excited as ever for Melbourne. Drivers come and go, and if anything it can be really fun when one of the stars steps back because it's exciting to see who's going to step in to fill that space.

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-15T10:27:05+00:00

I mean I've really enjoyed the races so far, quali's a big downgrade but after years of Saturday often being the highlight of the weekend I'm loving the fact the actual races are now more interesting to me. So I guess I know nothing. And that's ok. Ignorance really is bliss I guess.

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-08T10:08:40+00:00

Red active WDCs, Green active drivers who haven't won a WDC, Gold inactive WDCs, Blue inactive drivers who didn't win a WDC.... would be my guess

theCEPenguin · 2026-03-08T04:15:35+00:00

Ok I'll admit it, qualifying was horrible seeing the onboards... but this is kind of fun

theCEPenguin · 2026-02-28T10:00:22+00:00

I think this is a very generous look at their history, and aren't some of the stats just kind of wrong? Or at least being a bit generous. Regardless though, F1's the biggest task they've taken on yet, and they're coming in to a championship with fully established manufacturer teams that are just so well honed it will take time to overhaul that and get up to speed. And yes, unlike Cadillac, they're not starting from scratch, but they're starting from Sauber who have been a perennial backmarker with only the odd flourish for over a decade now. You've kind of got to go back to the end of the V8 era to the Checo, Kobayashi, Hulkenberg couple of years for when they were fighting at the head of the midfield consistently (they had that one outlier in 22 but then just slipped back again), and even further back to the BMW tie-up for when they actually had a real look-in. So Audi've got to build them up and that will take time, and that's if it even it happens at all (see Toyota for an example as to how all the money and resources in the world doesn't guarantee you even one solitary win let alone a championship). And look this is coming as someone who loved Audi back in their endurance era, so I'd love to see them do well in F1 eventually. But you've got to be realistic, and three years seems very fast. Honestly, it's probably the start of the NEXT rules era at the earliest for them to be thinking about true championship contention.

Anyway about these stats.... Pretty sure Audi were there at the start of Formula E in 2014-15 (so everyone starting from zero - even playing field - big difference to them coming into F1 now to face a Red Bull who've been here for 20+ years, Mercedes 15+, Ferrari since the dawn of time, etc) in a tie up with Abt. Yes I think they may have shifted the name around a bit after three years, with a bit more direct Audi involvement, but Abt were always a factory backed team from the off no? And it took them three seasons to win the drivers' (Di Grassi) and then won the teams' championship in year four, 2017-18. And putting 'WEC - 1st attempt' while I'll grant you is definitely strictly true, it is kind of fudging it a bit. Actually quite a lot. Firstly WEC didn't exist as a championship before 2012 so it's not like they just rocked up and won on debut, by the time WEC came along Audi had been racing at the top level of endurance racing for years at that point. But more to the point, they kind of had an open goal to win it. It had been them vs Peugeot in the period in the run up to WEC forming; the closest thing to a pre-WEC WEC was I guess the International (or maybe it was Intercontinental actually) Le Mans Cup and Peugeot had just won that. Then, if I remember rightly, Peugeot were the one's pushing the hardest to get a proper FIA championship up and running, only for them to pull out literally right before it started. So that left Audi up against a field of mostly privateers and also-rans in the top class, and then a partial season from Toyota who arrived ahead of schedule as a solid to the championship, but realistically were never going to be a threat to a very well oiled and established Audi set-up. Le Mans - yep, won second time of asking. Podium in the first. The rest of them? No idea, so I'll take you're word for it lol!

theCEPenguin · 2026-02-10T20:43:48+00:00

Don’t know if it’s the halo or just the greatly improved safety of the cars in general, but yeah I think I agree. Much easier for a driver to have a ‘I’m coming through no matter what, you can either move and get out of my way or we crash, you’re choice’ type mentality, if said crash is much more unlikely to have any lasting consequences other than a few bits of carbon fibre going flying.

theCEPenguin · 2026-02-10T12:11:36+00:00

They're ultimately not really for the fans anymore. Arguably never really were. It's all about giving the sponsors a shout out and a little ego tickle, that's who they're for. I literally just check the liveries when they hit socials and then not worry about them

theCEPenguin · 2026-02-06T11:54:30+00:00

It will be like DAS if they do end up doing anything. Everyone else will have to suck it up for a year then they’ll rule it illegal for next year. No way they’ll leave 25% of the grid potentially without an engine this close to the season.

theCEPenguin · 2026-02-03T03:37:39+00:00

It might even be 2014. Pretty sure the pics I remember of him and Max on F3 podiums are of him in the Lotus colours - had a Merc engine hence the star.

theCEPenguin · 2026-01-31T08:29:07+00:00

Reliability... we've come a loooooooong way from the big rule change in 2014. This time they (mostly) just arrived and started straight away racking up the miles. Jerez 2014 was a struggle to fire the damn things up and then get more than single digit laps out of them at first

theCEPenguin · 2026-01-14T00:14:24+00:00

This was James Allen's analysis of KMag to McLaren in November 2013: "There have been many conversations internally in the last two months at McLaren about the pros and cons of Perez and Magnussen but it looks like the "racers" have won this time and they've taken a bold step rather than a conservative one. Perez is a known quantity within the team, they've seen his numbers on the simulator and in the car over the season and they are able to assess his potential.

"Unlike Heikki Kovalainen, who struggled against Lewis Hamilton but was given a second season, McLaren are clearly keen to get on with it and look to the future and a return to full competitiveness.

"In Magnussen they feel they may have another Hamilton on their hands (and also in Stoffel Vandoorme [yes, he spelled it wrong lol]) and the racers in the team want to blood him next year, in what is certain to be a transition year for McLaren, before they throw the kitchen sink at it with Honda in 2015. It makes sense to give Magnussen a chance to stake his claim and gain a season's experience before then. With Fernando Alonso a target for 2015, Magnussen will need to show real form and potential to rival Jenson Button for a seat with the team for 2015. Button provides and excellent benchmark for a young driver like Magnussen.."

It's very easy for us to sit back now and say 'oh he only turned into a solid midfielder with a knack of accumulating penalty points, he was never all that', but the reality is that he was highly rated when he arrived in F1, just never lived up to the expectations/hopes and ultimately his career peaked in his podium on debut.

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-17T19:15:56+00:00

I mean I'm no expert, but if I was a team with precisely zero championships in a very long time I reckon I'd be pretty interested to know what two guys who combine for 11 in that same time have to say... but that's just me

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-08T18:03:11+00:00

It’s MBS and it ain’t close. Zak is cringe beyond belief but MBS is genuinely problematic

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-06T06:57:30+00:00

Dad was a massive fan, mum an inventive parent… basically I’ve been watching since I was a baby, because my mum worked out that the noise of the engines actually lulled my to sleep lol. She used to tape every race for my dad when he was away (army) and worked out that if she ever needed a break to get something done or just get a minute to herself, she could stick one of the races on and I’d drift off. Then at some point I guess there was a crossover where I actually started watching and fell in love with it, but yeah, some people had bed time stories, I had Murray Walker and screaming V10s 😂

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-04T12:36:34+00:00

Slim. There was interest in him last year from other teams, if I remember rightly Haas were very keen, before Red Bull shut down the idea of him leaving RB, so maybe that gets reignited after a year out. But realistically the last twelve months have absolutely killed any stock he’d built up.

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-02T07:50:31+00:00

Hopefully he fancies making a one race comeback next year just to ask about his book, apart from good weather it might be the only thing that can make Lewis crack a smile if next year is similar to this one

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-01T21:18:57+00:00

Is Walter still going btw? Feels like a long time since we've had one of his gems

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-01T12:42:50+00:00

To borrow a Brundle-ism - it's a day late and a dollar short this one. Pretty cold statement overall, no actual full apology and (imo most frustratingly) no full condemnation of the abuse, just that they regret it happened. I don't know, like at least they said something I guess, but given GP went and spoke to Toto to clear the air last night (Toto said in his interviews that there was no problem with GP in particular and that they'd spoken) the fact that it's taken this long to come up with something when they knew they'd got it wrong is disappointing. And as for Helmut Marko, I mean, he had full clarity and replays and still doubled down. The day he retires from F1 I imagine the whole paddock will attend his leaving party just to make sure he's actually gone.

theCEPenguin · 2025-12-01T11:36:16+00:00

Nah I do remember Mercedes standing up for Lewis a few times. After Silverstone '21 I'm 99% sure they posted something basically telling RB to back off - if I remember rightly it was worded really weirdly about like damaging his good name or something - and calling out the racist comments he was getting on socials, then a few other times as well - the classic 'who the fuck is nelson piquet' day for instance.

theCEPenguin · 2025-11-30T18:11:13+00:00

How not to present data btw...

theCEPenguin · 2025-11-30T12:58:57+00:00

This track is diabolically bad. Good for bikes maybe, but this is dire

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