#why is it formula 1 trainer silly season

[enlightining]

f1 trainers as soon as the season ended

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DRIVER MARKET: Why Wolff is absolutely confident Hamilton will extend his Mercedes contract amid silly season talk

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has provided another update on one of the big off-track topics in 2023, expressing full confidence that Lewis Hamilton will sign a fresh deal with the team. Hamilton is in the final year of his current Mercedes deal and speculation has grown over the seven-time world champion’s F1 future amid the squad’s ongoing performance struggles. READ MORE: ‘I’m a fighter’ – Hamilton insists 2023 Mercedes performance won’t determine his F1 future However, after Hamilton himself expressed “100% belief” in Mercedes heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and vowed to return to winning ways with them, Wolff offered a similarly clear response when asked about the driver market. “I have no idea what is being said in the silly season, I just know where we are with Lewis and George [Russell] – nothing else is relevant,” Wolff commented. “We’re talking when we want to do it and how, but we just need to change some terms – the dates, basically. I am absolutely confident [Hamilton will stay].” Mercedes endured a tricky start to 2023, with both cars finishing almost a minute off victory in Bahrain Asked if he had any concerns that Hamilton might start talking to rivals if the team’s struggles continue, Wolff said: “I don’t think that Lewis will leave Mercedes. He’s at a stage of [his] career where we trust each other. “We have formed a great bond among each other and we have no reason to doubt each other, even though this is a difficult spell. So nice it will be when we come out of this valley of tears and come back to solid performances. READ MORE: Hamilton announces split from long-time trainer and physio Angela Cullen “As a driver, nevertheless, if he wants to win another championship, he needs to make sure he has the car. If we cannot demonstrate that we’re able to give him a car in the next couple of years, then he needs to look everywhere. “I don’t think he’s [going to be] doing it at that stage, but I would have no grouch if that happens in a year.” Wolff also responded to Hamilton’s admission on Thursday that his recent choice of words to describe Mercedes’ early-season form was “unfortunate” – having claimed that the squad “didn’t listen” to him regarding the design of the 2023 car. Hamilton and Wolff have formed a strong partnership during their time together at Mercedes Addressing the situation, and any potential intra-team tension, Wolff said: “We speak all the time. It’s not a single word that matters in the team, because we know each other so well. “We know there are emotions at play with him, me, with many others in the team. We wear the heart on our sleeves. READ MORE: ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’ – Mercedes promise ‘visible changes’ to W14 after challenging season opener “Sometimes you say things that in the media are being very quickly translated in a controversial way or polarising, that inside the team never cause any waves, because we know the emotions can run high. “To be honest, if I’m watching a lap time deficit coming together or a race that’s not going well, I also would like to say that I’m not happy [about] where the car has been developed to. That’s okay inside of the team; we want the emotion high. “We have tough love, we are saying it straight out when it’s missing, and nobody is not going to take it on the chin in the team.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[ilovejevsjeans]

The inner steel behind Ricciardo’s smile – and why McLaren wanted it

Daniel Ricciardo is probably the smiliest, happiest Formula 1 driver there has ever been. Rarely, if ever, do you see the Australian frowning, even on the toughest of days – and, he’s had a few of those in F1. But that doesn’t mean he does not care – or that he doesn’t get angry. Quite the opposite in fact…

Punching through doors - literally

It's the autumn of 2018 and Ricciardo is having a torrid year, so much so he’s already shocked the F1 world by announcing he’s dumping Red Bull for Renault for 2019. After six races, he’d won two Grands Prix and was considered an outside contender for the title. But since his win in Monaco, he’s not stood on the rostrum since.

The frustration gradually builds. And at the United States Grand Prix in Austin he can keep a lid on it no more.

His race is just eight laps old when a mechanical problem forces him to retire from fourth. It’s his seventh DNF of the year. To make matters worse, team mate Max Verstappen finishes second after starting 18th.

“I scared myself in Austin 2018,” said Ricciardo, as we chatted on a sofa in the Renault hospitality unit, back in pre-season testing. “I remember walking back to the pits. I had the sympathy from everyone but I felt I had so much sympathy this year, it means nothing.

“I got back to my room and I started punching the door in my room. It was cheap material and I put my hand through it. Then my hand followed through and hit a metal bracket.

“Then I kicked it, and it went through into Max’s room. He was still on track, so it was fine. When he walked back, his trainer messaged us that night and said thanks for decorating my room.

“Then my hand started to swell. I got a little ultrasound machine to check if the bone was broken. For an hour or so, I was really dark on myself, because I was like, ‘I’ve just broke my hand’.

“But I hadn’t! I iced it the next three days because then we went to Mexico straight after. I was hoping ‘please be OK for Mexico’ and it was fine. The physio did the ultrasound thing, he said if you feel a tingly feeling, it means you’ve got a fracture. I didn’t even want him to do it. I didn’t want to know. But he said I had to do it. So he ran it over, and I really thought I was going to feel something – and I didn’t...”

Ordinarily, you’d expect your Team Principal to give you the hairdryer treatment for such an indiscretion, considering it could have stopped him driving. But that didn’t happen. Red Bull boss Christian Horner and Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko kept schtum given the circumstances.

“It was one of those situations where, because I had such a bad run, they couldn’t get angry at me for getting angry. It was just an awkward thing. But it was OK!”

Finding – and addressing – his weaknesses

Ricciardo has had similar frustration since joining Renault, the Australian managing just 54 points last year, with only one top-five finish. That is well below the high bar Ricciardo sets for himself, a seven-time race winner and scorer of 29 podiums, even if Renault were a midfield rather than race-winning package.

While sometimes there was disappointment with the team, when a mechanical issue had caused a DNF, there’s also plenty of frustration within himself. And here lies one of Ricciardo’s greatest strengths – but also one of his biggest pressures.

“I’m only hard on myself because two things – experience has taught me that brushing things under the carpet, you’re not going to learn,” says Ricciardo. “If you fully expose yourself, you will find your weaknesses and you’ll have a chance to improve and build on those. I’ve hate hearing excuses – I’ll watch other sports and I’m like ‘Dude, that’s just an excuse’. I don’t want to be that guy. Because someone is going to see this! I’d rather be honest, put my hands up!

“It also reminds people that we are human. We are professionals and sometimes we shouldn’t make silly errors, because this is our profession, but it does happen and there’s variables.

“And then the other side I’m hard on myself because I know what I’m capable of, I have that belief. When I’m hard on myself, I know I could have done better. There was Mexico qualifying last year, where I legitimately avoided the TV pen because I was too worked up.

“I went around the back trying to find something I could punch and break, because I just had so much anger in myself. The car wasn’t perfect, and I was frustrated at that, but deep down, I should be better. The car is never going to be perfect.

“I should be better, I should be able to find a way and I didn’t, I just wanted to break something.”

Keeping perspective

For the record, he didn’t find anything to break – “I need to see destruction, I need an inanimate object” – but he did calm himself down. “I took a few deep breaths – and it was fine. I am hard on myself because I really do believe in myself.”

Ricciardo doesn’t let the misery linger, though, which is why that smile is back so quickly. “I can also relatively quickly just change perspective in things,” he says. “Why am I furious right now? OK, it’s because the engine blew. It’s not in my control, so I can’t be angry with myself.

“It’s about perspective. I never want to be that guy in the room. Also, if it’s something like an engine failure, the team is already down. The Renault guys, for example, must feel like complete shit. If I start throwing things around in front of them, it’s not helping. They know they have work to do, things to figure out. I don’t need to compound that any more. Sometimes it does linger, but normally 24 hours and I’m good.”

Being a great racing driver isn’t just about speed – it’s about so much more.

Ricciardo has the speed, of that there is no doubt. But it is the pressure that he puts on himself to deliver, combined with his sense of perspective and desire to work with his team to push forward, which makes him such an attractive driver proposition.

And that is why McLaren snapped him up, having missed out on his services before, to partner Lando Norris next year. The Australian in a Mercedes-powered McLaren could – and should – be a formidable proposition. (X)

[solemnveloci]

Every Sony Pictures Animation  Movie Reviewed in 10 Words or Less!

In text form because I suck at talking off the top of my head. As a bonus, I’ll also do Warner Animation Group in 10 Words or Less because... eh, it’s April Fools. Also, they’ve got only 4 movies under their belt.

Thanks to @jelloapocalypse for the idea! I know he’s probably getting sick of them now, though.

Let’s start.

Open Season (2006): Why is the girl deer sexualized? AND STILL AN ANIMAL? 1/10

Surf’s Up (2007): *stares directly into the camera like I’m a surfboarding penguin* 5/10

Open Season 2 (2009): Get a freaking dog trainer. 3/10

Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs (2009): So… ending world hunger is bad? 6/10

Open Season 3 (2011): The racism metaphors in this are better than Zootopia. 4/10

The Smurfs (2011): Aah! Hyper-realistic Smurf! 6/10

Arthur Christmas (2011): A hearth-warming film. 7/10

Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012): Whaddya know, the sailors of the sea! 8/10

Hotel Transylvania (2012): Aw, your wife ceased out of existence, too? 9/10

The Smurfs 2 (2013): Aah! Hyper-realistic emo Smurf! 2/10

Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs (2013): Adam Savage never was the same after Mythbusters got cancelled. 8/10

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015): Why hasn’t Mavis aged? 4/10

Open Season: Scared Silly (2016): “OMG, stop gaybaiting Boog/Elliot!” 3/10

Goosebumps (2016): Huh, actually didn’t see that twist coming. Good work! 8/10

Surf's Up 2 (2017): Wavemania: You waited ten years to make a WWE crossover sequel. 5/10

Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017): Aah! …oh wait, they look fine now. 9/10

The Emoji Movie (2017): A Disney Channel love story buried under 900 YouTube ads. 1/10

The Star (2017): This movie has no right being this cute. 8/10

Peter Rabbit (2018): British. 5/10

Every Warner Animation Group Movie Reviewed in 10 Words or Less!

The LEGO Movie (2014): Chris Pratt’s voice is annoying! But this movie’s still great! 7/10

Storks (2016): Again, NO RIGHT. 9/10

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017): Suck it, Nolan. 10/10

The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017): Oh no! Not my... Ninjago fanfics! 6/10

Since he had the same problem with the Disney sequels, I’m also only doing a bottom three and top three. Though let’s get the honorable mentions out of the way, first.

Storks (2016)

 With movies I like and dislike, I’m usually ride or die for both opinions, but I can definitely see why this one has it’s detractors. You see, it follows the usual “subverted Disney knockoff” formula, that being, a whimsical event or figure being hilariously subverted. “What if whimsical thing... but they’re all jerks?”  “What if whimsical thing... but they’re the Avengers?” “What if whimsical thing... but pop culture reference?” 

Despite about a million roadblocks in it’s way, Storks manages to be both sweet and hilarious, aided by the talents of Key and Peele, and a genuinely amazing bond between the two leads. Fair warning, you’re probably going to hate this movie if you dislike fast-paced comedy. It’s- it’s everywhere.

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

An astounding movie that works as both a parody and homage to the Batman mythos. Every single joke stuck, every character was perfect, and the celebrity voice actors didn’t stick out at all. And, obviously, this is the only version where Babs/Batman isn’t creepy as hell. COUGH COUGH.

TOP 3

The Star (2017)

I wasn’t expecting this movie to be as good as it was. 

Yeah, not the nicest way to start off the best of the best list, but keep in mind this was 4 months after The Emoji Movie. After that train-wreck, Sony steps back into its stride, and creates a very sweet, very simple Christmas film. It’s still a movie for very little children, though. You know Jesus is going to get born, you know that the cute widdle aminals are going to make it through, and you know they're not going to kill off the Oprah camel and Kelly Clarkson horse.

Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)

A soft reboot is exactly what the Smurf Cinematic Universe needed. I’m not kidding, the characters are more likable, the stakes actually mean something, the animation is gorgeous and translates the DUCK Studios/Noble Animation versions into 3D perfectly, but I have just one question. Why didn’t they use this animation style in the first place? I’m sure it would’ve been better received than the terrifying, splotchy, blueberry gnome toddlers we got. 

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

My god, this movie knows exactly how to utilize CGI. Everything in this looks amazing! The story is just as fun, and the supporting cast is hilarious (maybe except for the love interest, who gets a little grating sometimes), and even watching the underwhelming sequel was entertaining because of how everything looked and sounded. Just, wow. Aesthetic, man. Aesthetic. 

Here’s to hoping the third one is good again.

BOTTOM 3

The Smurfs 2 (2013)

Gargamel makes Emo smurfs. Yup. Emo smurfs. They’re mean smurfs. They’re bad smurfs. Baaaaaad smurfs. Oh, and, uh, Lady Smurf is sad because everyone forgot her smurfing birthday, but it really was a surprise party. Smurfs to be her, I guess.

The Emoji Movie (2017)

It’s the freaking Emoji Movie. Do I even need to say anything else? Maybe I could point out that nobody is likable, they’re all selfish, and the only reason I didn’t tap out is because I honest-to-god wanted to see how the human kids turned out? 

Open Season (2006)

Yes. I think that Open Season is worse than The Emoji Movie. And why? Because Emoji movie never tried to force #FEELS into anything. It didn’t act like it was trying to be this beautiful, fantastical movie that would been seen with the likes of Citizen Kane. They cared about getting their cash, and that was that. 

But Open Season, you magnificent bastard, acted like after 80 minutes of poop jokes and the characters treating each other like trash, that it was this magnificent, astounding, feel-good film about love and friendship and ugh, every moment of “empathy” just feels so fake. WHY DID THEY MAKE THE ONLY NON-BIPEDAL, NON-HUMANOID, FEMALE IN THE MOVIE THE LOVE INTEREST, WHY.

Woman Yells at Dumb Animated Movies, 2018.

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Hamilton says tough Mercedes W14 pretty much the same as predecessor after tricky opening day in Jeddah

After struggling on the first day of running at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton labelled Mercedes' 2023 challenger, the W14, as a "tough car to drive", before also comparing it to its predecessor, the W13. Hamilton – who earlier on Friday announced that he had split from his long-time trainer Angela Cullen – finished the second practice session down in 11th after setting the sixth quickest time earlier in the day in FP1. DRIVER MARKET: Why Wolff is ‘absolutely confident’ Hamilton will extend his Mercedes contract amid silly season talk After jumping out of the cockpit for the final time on Friday, Hamilton was asked whether the car felt better to drive in the evening session, to which he said: “Pretty much the same. A second off or whatever it was. But for me I definitely struggled in the session, I struggled in both sessions.” Mercedes have spoken openly about the need to make radical changes to their car in a search for performance. But until that happens, Hamilton says the team must continue to work with what they have, and try to find a way to make the W14 "easier to drive". “We just continue to go into the details, try to improve the balance of the car to make it easier to drive,” said Hamilton, who won the first race in Jeddah back in 2021. Hamilton says the W14 is a tough car to drive “It’s just a tough car to drive. But I know everyone is working so hard back at the factory but it’s just a matter of time. We just have to be patient.” Hamilton was knocked out in Q1 at last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, in the W13. And when asked if the W14 felt better to drive around this circuit, the seven-time world champion replied: “Pretty much the same.” FP2: Dominant Verstappen leads Alonso at second practice session in Jeddah as track ramps up His team mate George Russell fared much better on the opening day of running, finishing fifth fastest in both sessions, and he reflected on what had been a day of “learning” for him and his team in Jeddah. “We need to go through it to be honest. I’m not sure what power modes everybody was running, that is always something in practice sessions,” said Russell. Russell finished fifth in both FP1 and FP2 in Jeddah on Friday Russell was overheard on the radio in FP2, saying his team needed to make big changes overnight. And when asked what those might be, he replied: “I think you just can go out there and maximise the package you’ve got. Try and get the set-up in the sweet spot. READ MORE: ‘I will win again’ – Hamilton says he maintains ‘100% belief’ in Mercedes as seven-time champ vows to fight back with the team “We know that we are not going to find a second overnight, as much as I would love to do that, and [with] all of the hard work everybody is putting in. But we need to try and understand [whether] the new direction we are taking as a team is the correct one.” He concluded: “That’s for the guys and girls back at the factory, everybody here to unpick the data. But for me this weekend, and sort of the small group of engineers, we just go out there and try and maximise what we got.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com