Posts by Joshua Newman2

Maybe Mom will actually pull off a decent opening here, and then mistybear8 can pin this thread to the top. 🤷

I'm hoping for a solid showing from Renault. I’d love to see Robert Kubica pick up plenty of points, and hopefully, Vitaly Petrov can snag at least one.

I'm anticipating a strong performance from McLaren, ideally putting them right in the mix with Red Bull for the win. Somewhere in that battle, I expect to see Alonso fighting for Ferrari.

If the rain doesn't show up, I'm genuinely worried this race is going to be a total snooze fest.

hollowhawk412 said:Mark Webber is also tall... pretty similar to those two...

True enough. But why bring up Webber?

I brought up Robert Kubica because he’s about 20 cm taller than Nick Heidfeld, so I assume that played a role in how BMW decided to size their cockpits.

Webber is 9 cm taller than Sebastian Vettel, which isn't nothing, but it's certainly not the massive discrepancy we saw with the BMW duo.

@Morgan Murphy7

According to the official stats, Vitaly Petrov is 2 cm taller, but you know Americans—they're a proud bunch. They’ll likely claim they're taller just to edge out the competition, even if they're actually the exact same height. 😁

Kimberly White63 said:Even Vitaly Petrov is tall, just like Robert Kubica. We used to joke that Renault's engineers wouldn't have any trouble configuring the car for two drivers of such different sizes. So, you're telling me he won't be able to manage either way? 😢

I assume they ran into similar issues at BMW a couple of years back; Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were quite different in stature, which likely meant the cockpit design had to be a compromise (or maybe Nick was just sitting on a cushion 😁). This year, Renault knew Robert would be their primary star, so I imagine they tailored the interior specifically to him. Since it turns out Petrov is also on the taller side, it seems like a win-win for everyone involved.

stormyviper11 said:No one in the top-tier teams is an average driver; they are all elite, and at this level, everything comes down to the fine margins. The detail that decides things—both in the short term and especially over the long haul—is what Americans might call "killer instinct." It’s that innate ability to capitalize on every single opening, whether it’s on the track or when fighting for dominance within the team itself. Of the drivers out there today, three certainly possess it: Schumacher, Alonso, and Hamilton. Button and Webber lack it, though Button, much like Damon Hill or Mika Hakkinen back in the day, is a driver of supreme consistency and pace when the car is right, capable of a title if the stars align. As for Vettel and Rosberg, it’s harder to judge; I actually find it more likely that Rosberg has it in his DNA. Vettel possesses god-given talent and raw speed, but it remains questionable whether he has enough ruthlessness to turn that into sustained dominance or to mold the team entirely around his own needs.

Felipe Massa is the ultimate enigma in this regard. At times, he shows flashes of true greatness; at others, he simply folds. I deeply respect how he has visibly improved season after season, but he's facing an uphill battle now. Part of it is just bad luck—we often see drivers returning to the spotlight only to lose that razor-thin edge of speed or that final ounce of decisiveness. But more importantly, it’s about his role within the team. He started as a pure number two driver whom nobody expected much from, then fought his way into a leadership role, albeit with the lukewarm support of a teammate who didn't seem particularly invested. Now, he has Alonso breathing down his neck—someone who, just like him, will live and breathe the team, spending every waking hour at the factory working on development. Massa has to elevate himself to a level he hasn't quite reached yet, and whether he’s actually capable of doing that—if he doesn't want to settle for being the second driver—is the big question.

As always, hats off to you, stormyviper11. 🙏

stormybadger8 said:I think we already have some bets placed🤣
Maybe the mechanics saw the FIA out on the track and instinctively hit a button labeled "Brake No. 2, for heaven's sake"🤣. You never really know, do you? 😬

Hey there. 👍

stormybadger8 said:Personally, I see Massa as a much more formidable threat than Alonso. If you look at the trajectory, I suspect the end-of-season points gap will favor Massa—or perhaps Alonso might scrape by with a slim lead. Meanwhile, over at Red Bull Racing, it’s looking like a total blowout, probably 19-0 in favor of Vettel, provided he actually manages to finish his races without a DNF.

Anyone want to take a bet on that? 🙂

I think it’s high time I stopped keeping you all in the dark and gave you an exclusive breakdown of the mystery surrounding Vettel's engines (and a few other things, for that matter).

It’s all Flavio Briatore's fault.

The story kicks off at the start of last season when early testing confirmed the Renault team's darkest suspicions: they had engineered yet another dud. They knew this wouldn't do anything to help retain Fernando Alonso, who is practically screaming for wins and dreaming in scarlet. Since it was already obvious that Alonso's stay wouldn't be a long-term affair, the groundwork had to be laid for his inevitable return once he eventually exits.

At that point, Briatore ordered his team to devise subtle, hard-to-detect ways to sabotage Vettel's engines. This was the masterstroke: a plan to fuel Vettel's growing frustration within the Red Bull car, while ensuring the Renault engines remained bulletproof for everyone else on the grid.

Simultaneously, he pulled a low blow by threatening Ron Dennis, hinting he'd expose his little affair with John Hewitt unless Ron vetoed Red Bull's move to Mercedes engines. It was a calculated play to protect his own interests regarding excess production capacity at the engine plant, while simultaneously preventing Red Bull from opting for reliable power that wouldn't fail them. We all know how it played out: the veto was issued, Ron Dennis slunk away from the F1 world in disgrace, and John Hewitt even nudged the Japanese contingent to clear out entirely, preventing a scandal that would make Max's entourage look virtuous by comparison.

By the end of last year, Alonso made the expected jump to Ferrari, leaving Renault to mourn their most decorated driver. It was immediately apparent to everyone that Felipe Massa wouldn't be able to keep pace, and that Kimi was essentially gone. Ferrari would need a second driver capable of matching the perpetually simmering Alonso, and they would look for salvation in none other than the increasingly frustrated Vettel—whose engine failures will once again conveniently prevent him from clinching a championship.

With Vettel arriving at Ferrari, Alonso will find himself reliving that old, somewhat forgotten anxiety he felt back in 2007 when Lewis Hamilton was busy giving him driving lessons at McLaren. Beyond the bruise to his massive ego, his dream of a perfect red squad—where he could pair up with a seven-time champion and announce their joint retirement to a life of bingo and trashy TV—will go up in smoke.

Returning to McLaren is, of course, off the table, as Hamilton will have evolved from the lead driver into the team principal and his own personal race engineer by then. As for Red Bull, nobody in their right mind would sign up there, given their reputation for blowing up engines more reliably than Jacques Houdek makes pastries. However, there is one team where he has always been welcome, a team that treated him with nothing but care. He just happens to find himself there alongside his closest friend among the drivers (that boy with the prominent nose), and stepping back into the cockpit of the team management will be his mentor and friend, Flavio, who is trading a year-long sabbatical in the style of Ross Brawn for a stroll along the pit Wall.

And they shall live happily ever after.

There you have it. Now you know.

Opa:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82153

The friction between Vettel's Red Bull and the Renault engine powering him just isn't going away.

stormybadger8 said:they were practically driving through hell, just testing the waters to see how the tires would react🤷

Both Ferrari and Vettel were merely shadowing the car ahead until Vettel’s machine started falling off the pace. In my view, both had plenty of speed left in the tank, but they weren't willing to gamble with their tire life. At the end of the day:

Alonso race - 1:58.287 - Q3 1:54.608😉
Vettel race - 2:00.218 - Q3 1:54.101😉

That represents a six-second gap for Vettel (who, let's be honest, never even stood a chance at dropping his time), but even for Alonso, it's a four-second difference. There is no way that reflects actual racing pace. This was nothing more than a reconnaissance mission—testing the surface. We haven't seen a legitimate race with genuine, blistering speeds yet.

Just for context, look back at Bahrain 2009:

Vettel - race 1:34.756 - Q3 1:34.015
Jenson Button (I'll use him since he took the win) race 1:34.588 - Q3 1:34.044

I partially agree. However, you have to account for the fact that last year's Q3 was run with enough fuel for a third of the race (roughly 62 miles), whereas this year they were running nearly bone dry. I doubt they were as low on fuel in the final lap as they were during qualifying (except perhaps for Massa, because the team was terrified he'd run out), as it's impossible to gauge full-race consumption based on a single liter. They likely kept a slightly larger reserve. Even when they were at their lightest, almost everyone—especially the leaders—was sitting on hard compounds. On top of that, Lewis Hamilton couldn't find any extra pace, Massa was managing his fuel, and there was really no reason for Alonso to push like a madman and risk a total disaster.

But yeah, all things considered, and especially following the changes to the points system, it seems everyone is just playing defense to protect their current position.

There’s been plenty of chatter about this lately. Honestly, as much as I might admire Kimi Räikkönen, I suspect Lewis Hamilton would have found things significantly more difficult if he were paired with Robert Kubica.

Regarding Kubica... the man is a top-tier talent, pure and simple. If Hamilton hadn't pulled strings to block his move to McLaren, this season would be delivering a rare, high-stakes internal rivalry within one of the heavyweights.

After all the hype building up at the start of the season, this entire race felt like a bucket of ice water thrown in my face.

Fernando Alonso reminded everyone exactly why he’s a two-time champion. 🙏
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel seems to be bracing himself for yet another season defined by mechanical failures.

On a different note, regarding the intense dynamic between Massa-Alonso: I suspect this friction will hold steady as long as Alonso remains the superior driver, or at least until the summer break. 🤷

The only real shock was seeing how the internal battle at Mercedes-Benz played out. I can't tell if Michael Schumacher is simply lacking his old edge, or if he decided to take one for the team just to keep the championship interesting. 😁

Standings after Turn 1:

1. Robert Kubica
2. Kamui Kobayashi
3. Fernando Alonso

(when everyone else is talking nonsense, I might as well join in 😁)

Hmm, I don't know these players personally, but it feels to me like the tension between them goes much deeper than just being a star and their fan base.😍🙂

Jason Campbell70 said:If you want a clear example, I’d point toward Red Bull.

It’s an open-and-shut case that Vettel is the superior driver compared to Mark Webber, but if we're talking raw pace, he isn't ahead by a full second per lap—not by any stretch.

It’s actually because of Red Bull that I’ve started suspecting the real issue lies within their suspension setup strategy. Sure, Mark Webber isn't quite on Vettel's level, but it’s far from certain that he's actually that much slower.

Michael Lee4 said:I hope so... though honestly, the real question is how much speed I can actually squeeze out when the tank is full, if they're already this sluggish when empty. 🤔

I was reading an interview recently with one of the constructors—kill me now, I can't recall which one—and the guy was explaining that the weight delta between the start and the end of a race is massive. Apparently, it's virtually impossible to dial in a car so that it maintains perfect balance throughout the entire distance. So, if you have to pick a specific window where the car will be at its absolute peak, those tactical shifts might just explain why we see such massive gaps during The Finals. We'll find out for sure tomorrow, though.

These massive gaps we're seeing in Q3 are strange. It’s possible some teams dialed in their setups for a full fuel load, hoping to have a bit more bite right after the lights go out tomorrow. 🤷

Kubica finished fifth!!! A massive win for our guy!

It looks like Massa finally dealt Fernando Alonso his comeuppance!

Edit:
He was sitting in fifth for a moment, but now he's been overtaken by everyone. 😢

Second Qualifying Session:

1 Sebastian Vettel
2 Fernando Alonso
3 Mark Webber
4 Felipe Massa
5 Nico Rosberg
6 Lewis Hamilton
7 Robert Kubica
8 Adrian Sutil
9 Michael Schumacher
10 Jenson Button
11 Rubens Barrichello
12 Tonio Liuzzi
13 Nico Hulkenberg
14 Sébastien Buemi
15 Vitaly Petrov
16 Pedro de la Rosa
17 Kamui Kobayashi