Thread can be revived for F1 and the first race today.
Aston Martin has a top 3 car, which is pretty cool. Too bad they also have Stroll, though no doubt daddy Stroll's payroll has pushed the team forward. Alonso is a million times better off in a car that doesn't fall apart from under him.
Bottas' excellent start (wow, Valtteri not losing positions during lap 1) made Alfa Romeo look like a mid-pack team, but once again I worry, because Zhou's hands on that wheel don't impress. Hopefully this is because Bahrain is a full throttle track and Alfa is behind in straight line speed atm.
Also Verstappen will win another championship.
You got to it before me.
Alonso looked like a man on fire yesterday. I've always respected him as they can't wait to mention his being the "oldest driver on the grid"... and he's a year younger than me. Fuck, I'm starting to think my F1 career might be a pipe dream. But yes, I don't know if Aston Martin had some amazing development over the past year or if Alonso is THAT good, but to see him muscle out Mercedes
and Ferrari, they might be in contention...
... Then there's Lance. Kudos for vying in the midfield as he did, but he's not a driver, imho. He's a paid seat which, if my daddy was a millionaire and owned the team, I'd be out there myself. The incident with him and Alonso said it all. I'm not saying it was malicious or intentional, but if I were Lawrence Stroll, signing everyone's paychecks, me and my boy would be having a serious talk, i.e.: get your shit straight, or you're losing your drive.
And don't get me started on Bottas' start. Fucking brilliant. Best I've seen from my guy in a while; gained four places within the first lap. Finished in the points. I was over the moon. My girlfriend doesn't "get it," but Alfa Romeo looked competitive. At one point, the only cars in front of him that weren't expected to be Constructors Championship contenders were Aston Martin. P8? Yes, fucking please! I slept in my new Bottas hat last night.
Mercedes? I have no idea what's going on there. Toto Wolff has all but written the season off already, and that was
before the race even started. He cited that the car wasn't competitive. Hell, even George Russell has handed Red Bull the Championship already. They look pathetic, and I wish I had one ounce of sympathy for the once dominant team, but I absolutely do not. I know a win is a lot to ask for, but what I really want, at least once, is for Bottas to beat a Mercedes this season. I don't care if it's P11; if Hamilton or Russell are P12 or worse, I'm calling Bottas a fucking champion (despite my hating his new mullet. C'mon, Bottas, really? He could kill a child in front of me, and I'd rationalize away why he did it, but a
mullet??)
