Grand Prix Rejects

1. McLaren, they've shown that Baku was a false dawn.
2. Leclerc, even though he saved us from yet another Max pole, he just looked lost all weekend.

TomPryce wrote: ↑07 May 2023, 20:54 1) Formula 1.

I have really tried to love this season. I finally got back into the sport in 2020 and although Merc were still very good, there were genuine signs of actual competition happening.

How wrong I was.

There is something fundamentally wrong if one team can totally dominate. There has not been a genuinely competitive season of several constructors for over 10 years, and I think this race has finally led me to give it up. I am genuinely gutted. It just doesn't feel special any more.

I only say this as the only one who deserves the nod is De Vries for his first lap lock up. Nothing else deserved it.

James1978 wrote: ↑07 May 2023, 21:36 Actually I'll elaborate - I feel 2002 WAS worse. Ferrari were able to play games then like trying to stage a dead heat, switching at the last minute in Austria, and other games like slowing down then catching up again such as Hungary, or will they/won't they at Nurburgring. At least on this occasion Checo is allowed to race Max far more than Rubens was to Schumi.

Something that could make it more interesting in ban Red Bull from using DRS to still allow the other teams to use it

mario wrote: ↑07 May 2023, 22:19

James1978 wrote: ↑07 May 2023, 21:36 Actually I'll elaborate - I feel 2002 WAS worse. Ferrari were able to play games then like trying to stage a dead heat, switching at the last minute in Austria, and other games like slowing down then catching up again such as Hungary, or will they/won't they at Nurburgring. At least on this occasion Checo is allowed to race Max far more than Rubens was to Schumi.

Something that could make it more interesting in ban Red Bull from using DRS to still allow the other teams to use it

On the other hand, after five races in 2002, we'd at least seen another team manage to win a race - Williams taking a 1-2 finish in Mayalsia.

That said, as it stands, the gap between Verstappen and the next non-Red Bull driver, which is Alonso, is almost as big, relatively speaking, as the gap between Schumacher and the next driver in the championship back in 2002 after five rounds. It also looks as if Verstappen currently has a bigger points lead over the next non-Red Bull driver than any Mercedes driver had over a non-Mercedes driver during the period when people complained that Mercedes was too dominant over the sport.

Batty wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 02:32 I don't agree with Miami GP nomination tbqh. It doesn't feel like actual rejectfulness. The driver presentation/introduction is just what they do and won't be there for Imola or further races. It was just for a bit of fun and some people had fun, some didn't. Plus the race was dull but again it wasn't rejectful like everything ran smoothly.

IMO it does feel some of these nominations are going against what was F1 Rejects would do. 2023 Season has been meh but not the worst thing and this race was meh but again not the worst thing. We've had worse races like in India or in Spain. It feels like we're like more going towards what social media, Reddit or like people on Autosport would say rather than being all about the rejectfulness and seeing midfield battles and Nyck being bad. I also get that F1 has changed a lot in that the most rejectful team right now is literally Haas and that's not even that rejectful and Liberty Media is going in a different direction compared to what was done before and there are problems with that but also good things.

Charles being absolutely all over the shop, Lance being bad, and the Rookies finishing bottom 3, feels a lot more rejectful than the race, the season and Miami trying to do their own thing.

That's my take.

Wallio wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 16:37 Can I change my nomination to Anthony Davidson? It appears he was trying to toe the Sky company line and continue the "Red Bull hates Checo" narrative by claiming Perez was refused information on the gaps as Max ran his strategy. Which would be fine......if the public didn't have access to the driver radios. Checo was receiving info all race long. As usual. no apology or condemnation will occur.

Row Man Gross-Gene wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 16:56 I'm not following the commentary that closely, but I remember that statement and it felt to me like a mistake more than purposeful. In everyday life I notice things that seem like a pattern and I'll say it looks like X is happening and someone will point out I need to expand my window. I can accept that it is purposeful on Davidson's part, but it just didn't seem that way to me.

Wallio wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 17:24

Row Man Gross-Gene wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 16:56 I'm not following the commentary that closely, but I remember that statement and it felt to me like a mistake more than purposeful. In everyday life I notice things that seem like a pattern and I'll say it looks like X is happening and someone will point out I need to expand my window. I can accept that it is purposeful on Davidson's part, but it just didn't seem that way to me.

It is still just such an obvious thing to get wrong though, and then not correct. It'd be the same as claiming Checo was out on inters. We all have the data (and the radios) we know that's not true. If it was a mistake, ok fine, stuff happens. But correct yourself later on. And Sky has earned themselves absolutely no benefit of the doubt whatsoever with their antics.

Batty wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 02:32 I don't agree with Miami GP nomination tbqh. It doesn't feel like actual rejectfulness. The driver presentation/introduction is just what they do and won't be there for Imola or further races. It was just for a bit of fun and some people had fun, some didn't. Plus the race was dull but again it wasn't rejectful like everything ran smoothly.

noiceinmydrink wrote: ↑09 May 2023, 09:14So yeah, you're not alone in that take. I can empathise with a lot of the discourse surrounding the current direction of F1 but a lot of it seems hyperbolic and doesn't fit with, what I consider anyway, the ethos of what we talk about.