“Not possible” to be fully up to speed after one-and-a-half days’ testing – Vettel

59 comments on ““Not possible” to be fully up to speed after one-and-a-half days’ testing – Vettel”

1. 

   Gilles82
   23rd March 2021, 0:29

   “…. they are taking a lot of money from it. And nobody knows where it goes.”

   Is the irony of his statement lost on Bernie?
   1. 

      Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
      23rd March 2021, 8:07

      I have to admit I thought the same…
   2. 

      Aapje (@aapje)
      23rd March 2021, 11:53

      I don’t think that private investors have an obligation to the public to divulge their finances like charities, especially since charities benefit from special tax rules.
2. 

   Aussie Rod (@aussierod)
   23rd March 2021, 0:38

   Can understand where Vettel is coming from but I get the impression the likes of Verstappen could be up to speed after simply rolling down the pitlane..!

   Hopefully everyone is rusty this first weekend and we get some mixed results.
   1. 

      DB-C90 (@dbradock)
      23rd March 2021, 2:37

      To a degree you’re right, but I think we’re interpreting Vettel’s “up to speed” a bit narrowly.

      Pretty sure he means being able to know exactly what the car’s nuances are and how to best set it up to maximise it rather than just being able to drive it fast around a track. The latter, they can all do in about 1/2 a lap even in a new car but even the best of them I think will need a couple of practice sessions/race weekends to truly get to know their car.
   2. 

      Mayrton
      25th March 2021, 8:19

      Absolutely, an uninspired remark by Vettel. Half or 3/4 of racing skills is adaptability to whatever material is underneath your butt. If you have a single racing style, you’re not worth much and I doubt whether an engineer can produce ‘your’ car. He lucked into one for 4 years and he has never shown anything spectacular since
3. 

   Maciek (@maciek)
   23rd March 2021, 0:48

   Ecclestone really, really, really needs to go away and stay away forever already.
   1. 

      S
      23rd March 2021, 1:24

      Maybe the media just needs to stop asking him stupid questions?
      1. 

         Maciek (@maciek)
         23rd March 2021, 1:49

         Right, well, I’m pretty sure ‘the media’ aren’t responsible for him being a conceited dinosaur – to use only polite language.
         1. 

            S
            23rd March 2021, 6:50

            Perhaps not – but they are responsible for printing/spreading what he says. And perhaps even provoking him to say it in the first place.
      2. 

         faulty
         23rd March 2021, 4:35

         bernie away form the media?

         I’m more worried about the ladies being near Emmo!
   2. 

      Spencer (@spencer)
      23rd March 2021, 3:01

      Bernie surely knows a thing or two about using people. In this case I wouldn’t dismiss his viewpoint.
      1. 

         Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
         23rd March 2021, 4:32

         Haha good one!
      2. 

         BasCB (@bascb)
         24th March 2021, 15:50

         Good point there @spencer. Bernie certainly knows his way about that!
   3. 

      Justabro
      23rd March 2021, 5:34

      @maciek It is a valid point though, you just can’t cover anything under the guise of social justice and making it unquestionable, like those religious groups that ask money and later you see the preacher in private jets, it’s just the other side of the “coin” or then the tax evasion of the f1 drivers or anyone enough rich for that matter, they are corrupt people everywhere, and you may find ok they are getting paid and maybe they use it for good or like you don’t care about what those other fools make with their money, even better if they burned it and in like those examples it’s ok ask where the money is going, you can call bernie whatever you like but at the end of the day that old man knows a thing or two, because no matter the “side” the schemes are the same, anyway it’s not like it’s my money but be open to opinions to be challenged
   4. 

      Aapje (@aapje)
      23rd March 2021, 12:11

      @maciek

      It’s hardly only ‘dinosaurs’ that are wondering where the money goes. Even people within the BLM movement were demanding clarification.

      But I guess that you don’t want your side to be questioned, even though there are a lot of questions that seem quite fair to me, like:
      – What are their plans to do with all the money they got?
      – Is BLM supportive of looting? Local BLM leaders have spoken out in favor, and the main organization didn’t speak out against that or fire them.
      – Is BLM supportive of murdering cops? All three founders said that a convicted cop murderer, Assata Shakur, is their role model. Part of Shakur’s manifesto is regularly spoken at BLM demonstrations, seemingly encouraged by the leadership.
      – All founders identify as Marxxist. Is BLM a Marxxist organization?
      – Is BLM supportive of far-reaching, far-left social changes, like abolishing the nuclear family, which they once proclaimed to be their goal, but quietly removed from their website? Is this no longer a goal, or did they stop being public about it.

      Note that there is decent scientific evidence that single parenthood causes worse outcomes for kids. Black Americans are very often single parents, which can explain part of the worse outcomes for black kids.
      1. 

         Aapje (@aapje)
         23rd March 2021, 12:12

         Note that the misspelling is intentional, to avoid the word filter.
      2. 

         Aapje (@aapje)
         23rd March 2021, 15:55

         @maciek

         Thanks for proving my point. Your unwillingness to entertain criticism of ‘new social movements’ means that you would have ignored criticism of the two most murderous ideologies that existed in the past. These were both ‘new social movements’ at the time and the only morals you seem to have, based on what you say, is that you back ‘new social movements’ that oppose the problematic establishment.

         Apparently, you don’t care whether those social movements themselves are problematic.
         1. 

            Maciek (@maciek)
            23rd March 2021, 16:31

            @aapje you extrapolate entirely ficticious notions of what you think I think about things we haven’t discussed while avoiding the original point, that being: Bernie’s total lack of social relevance in 2021 and indeed for the greater part of his public life.
   5. 

      bosyber (@bosyber)
      23rd March 2021, 20:41

      The contrast between that excellent 2nd article (ghost?) written by Pierre Gasly, and (what the headline implies about the quality of) the 2nd, it’s just a yawning chasm.
   6. 

      Mayrton
      25th March 2021, 8:22

      I get your point, but to some of us he is top notch entertainment, making a fool of himself over and over
4. 

   Markp
   23rd March 2021, 1:21

   Can’t see how football and motorsport can be compared in terms of minors. How old was Hamilton when McLaren signed him? Motorsport cannot be practiced in your back garden or local park, football kids only need a pair of boots and a ball, motorsport costs tens of thousands a year just for a reasonable go kart level never mind national level. Kids need to be signed up to compete in motorsport, it’s very expensive.
5. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   23rd March 2021, 5:53

   Corberi’s representatives highlighted the pitlane fracas between Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard when the former confronted the Scot at the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix.”

   Lol! And what did they say afterwards? “Remember Schumi storming into DCs garage and nothing happened? Yeah, that was completely the same as father and son physically assaulting another driver after trying to take him down throwing a bumper at him while he was on the kart at speed”
   1. 

      theRealMax (@millionus)
      23rd March 2021, 7:24

      +1 to this @fer-no65 . Massive difference between a push and shove to waiting by the track side to try and take your opponent out and put others in danger. Then there is the punch up of course…
   2. 

      baasbas
      23rd March 2021, 9:36

      Ah yea, that incident in Spa 1998. A soul scarring incident I might say. I believe it truly influenced Luca Corberi .. being 1 year and 24 days old
   3. 

      Balue (@balue)
      23rd March 2021, 14:59

      @fer-no65 Senna punching Irvine for unlapping himself would be more on point
6. 

   Patrick (@paeschli)
   23rd March 2021, 6:39

   It’s funny to see McLaren signing a 13 year old when some esports require you to be 15 to participate
   1. 

      Aiii (@)
      23rd March 2021, 7:41

      I mean, video games are about as toxic as any community I’ve ever seen. I doubt karting is even remotely as bad as that.

      It certainly never spawned a complete extreme right movement, as far as I know, that’s for sure.
      1. 

         Aapje (@aapje)
         23rd March 2021, 12:14

         @aiii

         Wow, you have some absurd beliefs.
      2. 

         Mayrton
         25th March 2021, 8:24

         Please do explain
7. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   23rd March 2021, 8:05

   I very much liked reading the piece of writing by Gasly. I’ve occasionally wondered would he be willing to fully open up on what happened at Red Bull Racing in 2019 in a more distant future, say ten years from now, not to mention further when the matter will be entirely out-of-date anyway?

   Re COTD: People should stop worrying as the minimum age limit for racing in F1 is still 18, so no difference in this regard.

   Weird for Corbelli’s reps to use the infamous 1998 Belgian GP incident as an example, even though Schumi never even touched DC, LOL. While they were at it, they should’ve also mentioned the post-2018 Brazilian GP FIA garage shoving.
   1. 

      Duncan Idaho (@didaho)
      23rd March 2021, 9:09

      It was a good read and I think pretty comprehensive with respect to Redbull from Gasly’s perspective. He doesn’t know what passed between Marko and Horner when he was sent back to TR or when they passed him over after his very, very good season last year. It sounds surprisingly like open communication was never established.
      1. 

         Aiii (@)
         23rd March 2021, 9:52

         I mean, Marko/Horner made it very clear last year, Gasly is performing well at AlphaTauri, but he was also performing well there before the RBR promotion, and Albon was performing similarly when he was there as well before his promotion. All in all, from all data, Gasly and Albon are pretty much on par in terms of performance: and if you’re going to replace Albon with someone else, why replace him with Gasly and end up in the exact same situation.

         Obviously there was the alleged factor of Gasly’s attitude, which apparently rubbed (certain) people at Red Bull the wrong way and they much preferred working with Albon. Which would just add to that. If he says from his side he didn’t feel supported, that might be related. From what we’ve seen last year with Albon, it didn’t seem to me RBR wasn’t willing to stick with an underperforming driver and try to help him along, so there must be a difference there. At the end of the day, perceptions will differ from either camp on that and the truth will undoubtedly be somewhere in the middle.

         But the initial point is irregardless of that. There’s no reason to expect another RBR promotion of Gasly over Albon to yield different results at this point and going for a 10-year-veteran like Perez is at least a chance of making an upgrade in performance from the 2nd car.
         1. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            23rd March 2021, 10:56

            @aiii My view regarding Gasly versus Albon concerning a possible re-chance in the senior team is as follows:
            If Gasly doesn’t deserve another chance, neither does Albon, given that Gasly has the advantage of doing proper racing this year and in F1, unlike Albon, who will only do some racing and, in a different type of car, which isn’t hugely relevant for F1 specifically. Giving Albon another shot instead would be somewhat questionable and hardly justifiable considering this, and especially, if Perez succeeds in where Gasly and Albon (last season) failed, i.e., should Red Bull use Perez only as a seat-warmer regardless of how well he does, they should replace him with the one who deserves it more, i.e., the one that actually does useful racing for 2022 prospects. I like both Albon and Gasly equally, but in this case, the latter is the one who should get a second chance, unless their fate is already decided and it’s that neither will get it. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised, if true because of Tsunoda’s presence.
            1. 

               BasCB (@bascb)
               24th March 2021, 16:00

               I rather expect that neither Albon nor Gasly will get a chance to have a second go. Much like Kvyat never was in with a shot of getting a second chance @jerejj.

               I do agree that Gasly has deserved it. And that Albon showed he might well be worthwhile as well. Until i see other explanations, I put at least some weight for why they were treated differently on their background – i.e. the second owner of RB having a Thai background.
      2. 

         Only Facts!
         23rd March 2021, 10:09

         Don’t really understand why Gasly burned that bridge in the article.

         But It shows one of the reasons why Marko decided to switch drivers. Gasly seems to be very vocal, he was going to expose the team eventually, like he just did.

         Saying bad things about you current boss (Alonso anyone?) never looked good, even when you’re right.

         He just made things too easy for Tsunoda now.
         1. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            23rd March 2021, 11:00

            @Only Facts! Alonso has achieved more things in F1 than Gasly, so perhaps people at Ferrari, Honda, etc., were more tolerant of his bad-mouthing than Gasly’s at Red Bull.
         2. 

            Mayrton
            25th March 2021, 8:31

            Yeah, this adds a lot more pixels to the picture. Gasly should have done his talking on the track. Mind you that this diminishes his chances to work for another team as well. Some drivers have some decent speed but just cant shut it. That weighs too when choosing your lineup. Ocon, Wehrlein, Alonso… they are their own worst enemy mixing confidence with arrogance
8. 

   Dave
   23rd March 2021, 8:38

   Re Corberi: Do it now, FIA. Don’t make me wait.
9. 

   Ancient1 (@ancient1)
   23rd March 2021, 10:13

   Love him or hate him Bernie has been around the world more than many.
   I honestly believe he is thinking about Lewis, to take care not to be used/abused by greedy people.
   #
   Have been viewing on Yu0tube some amazing tributes to the late Queen of the ‘Ring.
   The number of people at the circuit made them more moving. R.I.P. Sabine
10. 

    Retired (@jeff1s)
    23rd March 2021, 10:18

    The Fittipaldis are building a dynasty with each male of the family into motorsports!

    Russell’s a good driver but he’s making a bit too much about Mercedes. If he has a tough season and Hamilton and Bottas continue at Mercedes, his chance could be over and in any other team. I think it’s dangerous to rely that much on Mercedes only.
11. 

    Wellbalanced (@alloythere)
    23rd March 2021, 10:51

    If Bottas and Hamilton can do more of this type of thing (Mercedes’ results the first part of the 2019 F1 championship- 44 being the maximum number of points available to a team at an event) then Mercedes will not want to make a change.

    Australia 17 Mar 2019 44
    Bahrain 31 Mar 2019 43
    China 14 Apr 2019 43
    Azerbaijan 28 Apr 2019 43
    Spain 12 May 2019 44
    Monaco 26 May 2019 40
    Canada 09 Jun 2019 38
    France 23 Jun 2019 43
12. 

    jodrell (@jodrell)
    23rd March 2021, 10:51

    Can we all agree that while he was the reason F1 managed to grow into the money making machine global sport it now it, he’s also been a offensive, out of touch, anachronistic greedy old man for 10 years or more, and we should just stop paying any attention to him in relation to modern F1?

    Maybe we could lock him in a house with Eddie Jordan and never see or hear anything from either of them ever again…
    1. 

       Jere (@jerejj)
       23rd March 2021, 11:03

       @jodrell Not a bad idea. Add Flavio Briatore in the mix too. No one else comes to my mind at the moment.
       1. 

          Mayrton
          25th March 2021, 11:14

          Villeneuve?
    2. 

       S
       23rd March 2021, 11:30

       Close your eyes and put your fingers in your ears. There, he’s gone.
    3. 

       Aapje (@aapje)
       23rd March 2021, 12:24

       @jodrell

       Is it really necessary to have these kinds of comments every time Bernie gets quoted? Bernie may be an offensive, out of touch, anachronistic greedy old man, but at least he is not a complete bore like you and the other people who keep making these complaints.
       1. 

          Darryn Smith (@darryn)
          23rd March 2021, 18:11

          So why comment? Your constant whining and complaining about other people complaining are even more boring.
13. 

    Adam (@rocketpanda)
    23rd March 2021, 11:55

    That article by Pierre Gasly is probably more brutally honest than I’d ever expect from an F1 driver. I’ll admit I’ve been harsh on his form in the past – I do think he was poor at Red Bull, but what he experienced of being dropped and losing what was evidently an extremely dear friend and turning that weakness into strength is quite inspiring. The article feels emotional and probably most importantly quite human. Over his time from Toro Rosso/Red Bull/AlphaTauri he’s gone from a driver I felt was underperforming and poor to one with excellent potential and strength, and this article to be honest makes me like him even more.

    I think though the article and the way he describes his treatment at Red Bull may have almost certainly burnt whatever was left of that bridge back to his old seat, but it’s an interesting look at things from his perspective and may inform some of why Albon equally performed well at Toro Rosso but struggled at Red Bull.
    1. 

       kpcart
       23rd March 2021, 12:19

       He is a race winner now, forget the red bull time, he is a proven proper good F1 driver. Even greats have bad seasons, and gasly is still young.
    2. 

       Robbie (@robbie)
       23rd March 2021, 15:08

       @rocketpanda While I’m fine with the article and it is very touching, I wasn’t surprised by any of it as I thought he had pretty much said the same things before regarding his short time at RBR. He didn’t feel fairly or fully supported and at the same time I’m sure there is another side to the story and we are only hearing his. Horner and Marko I don’t think have gone into fine details either about what happened other than he just wasn’t ready. It is when PG makes a comment such as ‘the car wasn’t perfect’ that I do have to wonder what his expectations were, and what his ability was to adapt and work with the team, and at the same time when we have talked about this before someone did say here that his race engineer was new to that position, suggesting that didn’t help PG. When PG went back to STR Tost said he was not working well with his engineers, not trusting them, and that was part of the problem. Perhaps that was because he thought they weren’t the more experienced engineers on his side, but then it is not like PG had so much experience himself to know that or to expect the best of the best.

       For the most part I lean towards Horner’s and Marko’s side of this because I really doubt they would have brought PG in and not supported him. It is not like Max needs the team to have his teammates be treated lesser in order to make him look good or anything like that. And even if PG had a junior crew or at least race engineer, it is a team, and it is not one side of the garage vs the other, and I have to believe PG’s side of the garage had full access to help from Max’s side in problem solving how to help PG. I think it ‘simply’ boils down to what Horner and Marko have said which is that PG just simply wasn’t ready for a top team.

       It is great that he feels he is finding his way now though, and I don’t necessarily think he has burned a bridge at RBR with his testimonial, as I thought he had pretty much said the same things before. When I saw that he was going to talk about the truth and nothing but the truth I expected something more revolutionary than what he said. I’d be surprised if he got the seat back, but not because I think he has burned a bridge but just because I think RBR has moved on. I wish PG only the best going forward, and am very glad to hear him express how grateful he is, as he sits still employed by RBR.
       1. 

          bosyber (@bosyber)
          23rd March 2021, 20:48

          Well @robbie, from what I have seen, you just about always take that side. Having said that, his description of how, after Spa 2019, he got himself down to a different mindset, that to me does indeed say that before he hadn’t put in the same focus (even when there was a lot of effort), and it was interesting to read about that, but also seems to show that indeed he wasn’t ready for a top team. Though perhaps he might be now, even if it evidently won’t be at Red Bull.
          1. 

             Robbie (@robbie)
             23rd March 2021, 22:50

             @bosyber Yeah I think that is well said. Sounds like for him a combination of more experience and an easier car to drive as we’ve heard the AT described, which would have picked back up his confidence, and then on top of that the utter determination to prove something on behalf of his beloved friend. I truly wish him an onward and upward trend and a long and fulfilling F1 career. He will have drawn from the RBR experience as well and will find that experience useful when he is on a top team again, not that he won’t have drawn from it already.
14. 

    t1redmonkey (@t1redmonkey)
    23rd March 2021, 12:48

    To anyone who scrolled past the Pierre Gasly article; please go back and read it! Written in Pierre’s own words. Gives a really fascinating insight into his early years leading up to F1, his friendship with Antoine Hubert, and all of the lead up to his win at Monza last year.
    1. 

       Jim Sharpe (@jms90h5)
       23rd March 2021, 13:38

       +1 Thanks for the nudge. I was one of those that did scroll past and am glad not to have missed it.
    2. 

       Niefer (@niefer)
       23rd March 2021, 16:16

       +2. Very touching piece. Like @rocketpanda above, I also was harsh on his form at Red Bull, but his reborn at Toro Roso caught my eye and I started to respect his driving. Monza 2020 is one of the races I’ll keep in the memory for some time, not only because of Gasly, but Sainz as well. Their poised drive towards a chance of winning made me remember why I love this ill-treated sport and I genuinely felt happy with that podium. I can only hope both have a happy career from now on. In their own reality, those guys pass through hell to a point they rarely acknowledge the good life they’d conquered. And getting to read something uncoated with sugar is a breath of fresh air. In due time, may Gasly have his shot as Perez and Sainz are having now.
    3. 

       Moi
       23rd March 2021, 23:10

       I found Gasly’s article to be full of self-serving justifications and overly-dramatized-for-effect sentimentalism to be honest. He seems like one of those people who are determined to continuously see themselves as the starring centerpiece of their own drama movie. Instagram did these people no favors..
15. 

    Tommy C (@tommy-c)
    23rd March 2021, 19:41

    Thanks for the birthday shout out! Got biographies of Lauda and Rindt to sink my teeth into!
16. 

    KevinC (@kevinc)
    23rd March 2021, 20:21

    Understand COTD’s concerns about drivers being signed too young, but I think it’s quite a different scenario to football – a lot of these young drivers wouldn’t have the means to keep competing without backing.

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