re: 2026 Formula 1 (F1) Season Thread

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There’s actual footage and pictures and yet it seems like someone created this fake video for clicks.

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Oh, we're absolutely inundated with this. YouTube is filled to the brim now with AI crap. And yeah, it's 100% clickbait that does not contribute to our understanding of what they are purporting to visualize. But this video is not bad, it's trying to show how unlikely it was for a rock to hit the pull tab in just the right spot to dislodge it.

The worst AI videos I've seen so far on YouTube are the fake interactions between wild animals and humans, and between wild animal species. These are extremely dangerous because we already have a problem with Instagram idiots trying to get selfies with bison in Yellowstone and with other dangerous animals all over the place.

Uhh, stepping back to the Barcelona GP, this was exactly the type of race I like to see, a high-deg track that makes a three-stop strategy a possibility. In Jolyon Palmer's post-race analysis on F1TV, he said that their simulations predicted that Hamilton would have comfortably won the race even without the help of the VSC. Schumacher would do this back in the day. If he was starting from pole, that gave him the clear air to set a blistering pace, and many times he did one more pit stop than the conventional strategy.

I was never a fan of Lewis, I always rooted for the underdogs. But starting last year he became the underdog. Apparently, as we're learning now, a major issue he had was the Brembo brakes that had very different characteristics from the Carbon Industrie brakes he used at McLaren and Mercedes.

The story seems to be that because of Brembo's close business relationship to Ferrari, Hamilton had a hard time getting Ferrari to switch, but I am reading that they finally did it starting in Japan. The details are that the calipers and master cylinders are still Brembo, but the discs and pads are CI. So marketing-wise, it still says Brembo on the calipers so they can't complain. I'm reading that Shaarl also switched to the CI discs/pads starting in Barcelona. So in the last three races Hamilton has finished P2, P2, P1, and is now P2 in the championship.

At this moment I think Mercedes is still the favorite, but I like having Hamilton being the guy chasing Antonelli for the title. I always prefer a new champion to a repeat champion, so I am rooting for Antonelli, but having Hamilton chase him down and pressure him to the end will be awesome to see.

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I guess it's all the drama with the cars and new engine regulations but this is the most boring/disinterested I've been in F1 since I started watching. I'm still watching all qualifying and races but I find myself fast forwarding more than ever. Even in 2023 when Max had the most dominant season ever, it was more entertaining than this.

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I found Spain pretty interesting. Maybe it was disbelief of Lewis running away from Merc or just waiting for Kimi to school George.

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At this moment I think Mercedes is still the favorite, but I like having Hamilton being the guy chasing Antonelli for the title. I always prefer a new champion to a repeat champion, so I am rooting for Antonelli, but having Hamilton chase him down and pressure him to the end will be awesome to see

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I think Charles stays in the fight more that some of the RBR 2nd drivers have in recent past.

That said, having 2 drivers from Merc pip points off each other while Lewis has a better feel for the Ferrari means he doesn't need to score a win each time to stay on contention.

That and Merc reliability being a real question could leave him hanging around until well after summer break.