Good grief, who am I even fighting here—a bunch of windmills? 🙄
And besides, who’s actually banning or capping fuel loads during Qualifying 1?
Nobody.
I mean, sure, Force India and those other bottom-feeders probably dump money into their Qualifying 1 runs, but even then, it’s clearly not enough to help them actually kill it in Qualifying 2.
stormybadger8, you gotta read my posts a little more closely—I never said Bourdais had less fuel in Qualifying 1 than in Qualifying 2 (that's not what I meant at all). I was saying he had just a tiny bit more, which is why he was only 0.233s faster in Qualifying 2 compared to Qualifying 1, unlike most of the other drivers who saw a massive jump in speed when they hit Qualifying 2.
But yeah, like I said, just fighting windmills over here.
Raymond Ortiz89 said:Yeah, but how can you be so sure he was just cruising through Qualifying 2?
I don't know, man. Just looking at the lap times—Bourdais has the smallest gap compared to the top 10 drivers between Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2. That’s how I’m getting there. 😉
Look, I'm not saying he can't drive. At all. I'm just saying we have to consider the possibility he wasn't even trying that hard in Qualifying 1.
I mean, if he was actually that fast in Qualifying 1, why did he tank so hard in Qualifying 2? Especially since he should've had way less fuel in the car (he was only 0.233s off his Qualifying 1 time)!
BTW, isn't it basically a rule that everyone takes it easiest during Qualifying 2 of the whole session?
stormybadger8 said:I wouldn't say😕 Bourdais nailed a perfect🙏 🙏 🙏 lap in Qualifying 1, since the cars are light for Qualifying 2😉. I mean, there's no way he had less fuel in Qualifying 1 than in Qualifying 2—that’s just impossible☕.
And why on earth is it "impossible" to run low fuel in Qualifying 1 just like in Qualifying 2?
Is there some secret rule stating you have to carry more fuel in Qualifying 1 than in Qualifying 2?
Just look at the times. You'll see Bourdais was only slightly faster in Qualifying 2 than he was in Qualifying 1. That tells me he was running almost as light in Qualifying 1 as he was in Qualifying 2. Compare that to the other drivers where the gap between Qualifying 1 and Qualifying 2 is massive . 😉
Raymond Ortiz89 said:That’s exactly what you should've said about Burda
Why though? He was flying in Q1 because he was running way lighter than everyone else—just look at the gap between his Q1 and Q2 times if you actually bother to check. The guys at the top were just doing the bare minimum in Q1 to get through.
On the flip side, sure, maybe Alonso cruised into Q3, but honestly, when you put him up against his own teammate, you gotta admit he absolutely crushed it.
Man, tough break for Alonso... though I’m actually looking forward to seeing what Renault brings to the table at the race in Austin, it should be a wild one. They might just end up being a massive thorn in the side of the championship leaders before the season wraps up.
At least Kovalainen walked away from that unscathed. 👍
The race itself? Pretty much as boring as you'd expect.
yo, just caught a glimpse of tomorrow's race start 😲: Kimi and Fernando manage to hold their ground at the launch, and then Hamilton goes absolutely mental on the start, slicing through the field until he hits the corner where everything goes sideways 😲, and thanks to some seriously gutsy moves from both drivers, they slam into each other, both spinning off into the grass and out of the race for good 😲
...but after seeing this, I totally get why people say "the best defense is a good offense." 🤣
🤣🤣 That really rubbed me the wrong way... My first thought was—okay, some self-proclaimed "expert" just popped in to see what we're talking about here—but then I saw his other post... 🤣🤣🤣
Edward Howard2 said:I think banking on an Alonso win is way too optimistic, but grabbing a podium this season? That’s actually pretty realistic. Plus, maybe Piquet finally cracks the points.
Yeah, a win is definitely reaching, and honestly, even a podium feels like a stretch. But hey, I’m an optimist at heart, so I’m still holding out hope that we see Alonso popping that champagne again.😁
Edward Howard2 said:It’s totally doable for Massa to blow past him right at the start if Alonso gets a shaky launch, but honestly, nobody else stands a chance until pit stops. Even if Alonso ends up being slower on pure track pace than the rest of them, he'll hold them off.
I don't even buy the idea that he'll be slower than the guys trailing him. Those Q2 times prove he's lightning fast. Only Kimi, Massa, and Robert Kubica were actually quicker.
If his race pace holds up, people are going to have a hell of a time trying to catch him out there.
Honestly, maybe Alonso was just taking it easy on them, like he was putting on a show for the fans... either way, that car looks way more competitive than before.
Man, I am freaking out thinking about tomorrow's start!!! I seriously can't wait!
Arthur Doyle70 said:Look, I don't think these practice times actually mean anything right now🤷, but one thing's for sure—Renault is gonna make some serious moves over the weekend
Yeah, I'm with you on that...
We'll see some improvement, sure, but nothing crazy. Even Fernando Alonso basically admitted that during the press conference.