2009 Grand Prix of China - April 19th

Nicole Reyes97 said:🤣
So, anyway... what’s your take... you think Fernando can actually pull off a podium finish tomorrow?😁

I really have no desire to make predictions
😉

let's go Felipe! 🙏🙏

Man, those qualifying sessions were wild. I only caught the first part and a bit of the second before I had to head into work 🙏

Huge respect to Fernando Alonso 🙏

It looks like the Ferrari crew is really making moves lately; honestly, they actually looked like they could hold their own out there 😁
I wonder just how tough this race is gonna be...

So, I see Felipe Massa landed at 13th, but Kimi Raikkonen isn't actually that far behind him—only about a tenth or a tenth and a half in the Second Qualifying Round 🙏

Tomorrow is going to be intense, mostly because the gaps between the cars seem tiny, though I guess a lucky fuel load could totally flip things on their heads 🙏

Great qualifying session... Vettel, Alonso, and especially Nelson Piquet really impressed me. 🙏

Is someone actually pulling my leg here? 😁

I’m sitting here staring at the qualifying results, scanning the back of the grid to find my guy, and wouldn't you know it...

Nelson Piquet is right where he always seems to end up 😍

while Fernando Alonso is nowhere to be found

And then I read that one comment again claiming he didn't miss his chance 🙏

but it looks like everyone else did 😲 😲 😲 🤣 🙏

I can't find the car's weight anywhere 😕

Anyone know what the deal is with 🤷

Heh...

It really comes down to this:

General Motors finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and then sliding all the way back to 17th. 😍

Morgan Murphy7 said:heheheh

So basically, it’s just

General Motors 1-2-3-17 😍

Nelson Piquet is proving he’s a phenomenal driver🙏 😬🤣

stormybadger8 said:Nelson Piquet is proving he’s an absolute sensation behind the wheel🙏 😬🤣

I didn't quite catch if they applied that specific setup to Nelson Piquet or if it was just for Fernando Alonso🤷

Morgan Murphy7 said:I can't tell if they gave Nelson Piquet that new aero package or just gave it to Fernando Alonso🤷

It looks like Fernando Alonso is the only one running the updated car... honestly, I couldn't be more sure if I tried.🤷

stormybadger8 said:I can't find the car weights anywhere😕

Anyone know what the deal is with 🤷

autosport.com

Pos. Driver Car weight
1. Sebastian Vettel 644.0kg
2. Fernando Alonso 637.0kg
3. Mark Webber 646.5kg
4. Barrichello 661.0kg
5. Jenson Button 659.0kg
6. Jarno Trulli 664.5kg
7. Nico Rosberg 650.5kg
8. Kimi Raikkonen 673.5kg
9. Lewis Hamilton 679.0kg
10. Buemi 673.0kg
11. Nick Heidfeld 679.0kg
12. Heikki Kovalainen 697.0kg
13. Felipe Massa 690.0kg
14. Timo Glock 652.0kg
15. Nakajima 682.7kg
16. Bourdais 690.0kg
17. Nelson Piquet 697.9kg
18. Robert Kubica 659.0kg
19. Adrian Sutil 648.0kg
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 679.5kg

Just like I thought, Alonso is running the lightest car on the grid. Looks like they're playing a high-risk game with a super short first stint on softs since those things shred after 5 or 6 laps, then they'll probably settle in on hards for the rest of the race.

Arthur Doyle70 said:Feels like Alonso is the only one with an updated car... not sure though...🤷

Yeah, only Alonso got the new parts, look:

Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering:
"Fernando's front row position is a tribute to the hard work from everyone back at the factory to get the new diffuser on the car following the result of our appeal earlier in the week. It's working as expected although we had some problems on the bodywork this morning as it burnt slightly, but once again the technicians here did a great job to get it fixed. Now we must get the same equipment for the rookie and give him the chance to move up the standings."

Now, I've got no clue if they'll actually have those parts ready by tomorrow's race or if we're waiting until the next US Grand Prix...

Arthur Doyle70 said:Maybe it’s just Alonso who actually has an updated car... I don't know.🤷

Either that... or Nelson Piquet is just adapting to his surroundings incredibly well. Who actually cares about making it through the Second Qualifying Round? That's for losers. 🙏

http://formula-1.updatesport.com/new...ttel/view.html

😠What on earth are these kids dreaming up now? 🙄 😱 Probably just more nonsense coming our way... 👎 🙂

Roger Williams3 said:autosport.com

Pos. Driver Car weight
1. Sebastian Vettel 644.0kg
2. Fernando Alonso 637.0kg
3. Mark Webber 646.5kg
4. Barrichello 661.0kg
5. Jenson Button 659.0kg
6. Jarno Trulli 664.5kg
7. Nico Rosberg 650.5kg
8. Kimi Raikkonen 673.5kg
9. Lewis Hamilton 679.0kg
10. Buemi 673.0kg
11. Nick Heidfeld 679.0kg
12. Heikki Kovalainen 697.0kg
13. Felipe Massa 690.0kg
14. Timo Glock 652.0kg
15. Nakajima 682.7kg
16. Bourdais 690.0kg
17. Nelson Piquet 697.9kg
18. Robert Kubica 659.0kg
19. Adrian Sutil 648.0kg
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 679.5kg

It’s exactly what I anticipated; Alonso is running quite light on the grid. My sense is they are planning a very aggressive strategy involving a short opening stint on those soft compounds—which tend to degrade after just five or six laps anyway—before switching over to the harder tires for the remainder of the race.

True, only Alonso benefited from the new components, but take a look at what
Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering, had to say:
"Fernando's front row position is a tribute to the hard work from everyone back at the factory to get the new diffuser on the car following the result of our appeal earlier in the week. It's working as expected although we had some problems on the bodywork this morning as it burnt slightly, but once again the technicians here did a great job to get it fixed. Now we must get the same equipment for the rookie and give him the chance to move up the standings."

I find myself wondering, though, whether they will actually manage to get those parts installed before tomorrow's race, or if we won't see them until the next round in Bahrain...

Quite interesting ☕

Roger Williams3 said:autosport.com

Pos. Driver Car weight
1. Sebastian Vettel 644.0kg
2. Fernando Alonso 637.0kg
3. Mark Webber 646.5kg
4. Barrichello 661.0kg
5. Jenson Button 659.0kg
6. Jarno Trulli 664.5kg
7. Nico Rosberg 650.5kg
8. Kimi Raikkonen 673.5kg 😲
9. Lewis Hamilton 679.0kg 😲
10. Buemi 673.0kg
11. Nick Heidfeld 679.0kg
12. Heikki Kovalainen 697.0kg
13. Felipe Massa 690.0kg 😲
14. Timo Glock 652.0kg
15. Nakajima 682.7kg
16. Bourdais 690.0kg
17. Nelson Piquet 697.9kg
18. Robert Kubica 659.0kg 🤔
19. Adrian Sutil 648.0kg
20. Giancarlo Fisichella 679.5kg

Just as I thought, Alonso is running light on the grid. My guess? They’re planning a super short first stint on those soft tires that fall apart after five or six laps, then switching to hards for the rest of the race.

Yeah, only Alonso got the new parts. Look:

Pat Symonds, executive director of engineering:
"Fernando's front row position is a tribute to the hard work from everyone back at the factory to get the new diffuser on the car following the result of our appeal earlier in the week. It's working as expected although we had some problems on the bodywork this morning as it burnt slightly, but once again the technicians here did a great job to get it fixed. Now we must get the same equipment for the rookie and give him the chance to move up the standings."

Now, I have no clue if they'll actually get those parts by tomorrow's race or if we're waiting until Bahrain...

McLaren and Ferrari either have or don't have Hybrid Energy Recovery Systems 😕they're pretty heavy on fuel☕

Nico Rosberg looks weak, and he's actually fairly light🤷

stormybadger8 said:McLaren and Ferrari either have the Hybrid Energy Recovery System or they don't, but they're both absolutely loaded with fuel😕 ☕

Nico Rosberg is looking seriously weak, even though the car is pretty light🤷

It’s just the McLarens and Nick Heidfeld—those are the only three cars actually using the Hybrid Energy Recovery System

edit: Just checking the lap times... Fernando Alonso was way faster in the Third Qualifying Round than he was in the First. Either the guy is lightning fast or he was just cruising during the first round.

Nelson Piquet is stuck at a brutal 697.9 again 😁

It’s actually just General Motors playing the long game

Think of Piquet as a mobile refueling station—basically a heavy-duty tank circling the track, just waiting for an aggressive driver like Fernando Alonso to catch up during a long stint so they can perform a mid-race pit stop on the fly 🙏

Roger Williams3 said:It looks like the McLaren cars and Nick Heidfeld are the only three entries actually making use of the Hybrid Energy Recovery System.

But then you have to wonder what Robert Kubica is using to be that good.

What kind of secret sauce is he on?😍

Roger Williams3 said:McLaren and Nick Heidfeld are the only three cars running KERS

Hmm 🤔 so we can expect Lewis Hamilton and Nick Heidfeld to be sitting somewhere between 4th and 8th by the second lap🤷 what a mess they made of Kubica 😕

Morgan Murphy7 said:And Piquet is back at his usual sluggish self, clocked in at a measly 697.9😁

That’s just how Renault plays the game.

Piquet is basically acting as a fuel tanker circling the track, just waiting for an Alonso to latch onto him during a long stint without a pit stop so they can top up on the fly.🙏

Now that would be a hell of a sight🤣 🤣 , you should probably send that little suggestion over to the FIA , since having a teammate serve as a mobile refueling station sounds like a brilliant plan......🤣 🤣

This race could get pretty interesting...
From what I can tell, Brawn's cars look heavier than the ones leading the pack—with Kimi and Hamilton lurking somewhere up there—and I’m genuinely curious to see how those heavyweights, Heikki Kovalainen, Felipe Massa, and Piquet, handle their driving..🤷
That said, I'm really looking forward to seeing Kimi finally show his true colors now that he's running without KERS..😁
By the way, I caught an interview the other day where Kimi admitted he actually drifted off for a split second right before the start of his very first Formula 1 race! Luckily, he woke up just in time..🤣🤣The man is a total legend..🙏🙏