Roger Wright94 said:Just try and find me even one of those countless situations. If there really are "countless" instances, then finding ten of them shouldn't be much of a struggle for you.
I wouldn't even know where to start looking, since a driver who pulls an overtake like that usually just disappears into the pack without anyone noticing. 🤷 Maybe stormybadger8 can track it down; they have a knack for digging things up.
But come on, Amanda, are you seriously telling me you aren't aware of the rule? Let's drop the fanboy nonsense—have you really watched Formula 1 in this day and age and never seen a driver forced to give back a position after cutting a chicane to overtake? I highly doubt there's a single Formula 1 enthusiast alive who doesn't know that.
Here’s a link to a case where Hamilton was penalized despite trying to correct his position, simply because he retook it too early.
I just watched the footage of Alonso overtaking Kubica... honestly, neither he nor his teammates at Ferrari have their heads on straight. We see moves like this all the time, and typically, the driver who takes the shortcut through the chicane is forced right back into position before the very next turn. I have no idea what they were thinking.🤷It feels like Ferrari is starting to act as amateurish as Red Bull.
We can dance around the subject all we want, but Jenson Button—ranking just behind his teammate and certainly ahead of whoever survived the wreckage of that defunct Red Bull seat—is my pick for this year's championship. His approach is essentially "slow and steady wins the race." He isn't out there pulling off jaw-dropping, heart-stopping maneuvers, but he remains consistently sharp without ever getting himself into unnecessary trouble. He’s like an unwanted Alain Prost. 🙏
Someone mentioned earlier that McLaren is the only team truly deserving of the title this season, and honestly, I have to agree. Right now, Red Bull is acting like a bull in a china shop, Ferrari is performing well below anyone's expectations, and I won't even dignify Mercedes or Renault with a mention... If we’re talking fan favorites among the serious contenders, I’d personally love to see either Jenson Button or Mark Webber take the crown. If we weren't forced to deal with reality, the favorites would probably be the Renault drivers or Kamui Kobayashi, but when you look at who actually deserves it, McLaren and their drivers are the ones showing the most maturity right now.
Hey everyone! I spent the entire day breathing in the salt air under some pine trees and ended up missing the whole race. From what I’m hearing, things got heated, and Webber finally started showing some teeth to a team that seems hell-bent on turning him into the next Barrichell. 🙏
wearypanther34 said:Everything just went completely sideways today. Honestly, there’s no telling who’s footing the bill and who’s just out there drinking the profits away.
wearypanther34, wouldn't you, as a die-hard McLaren driver, be relatively satisfied with silver and bronze? 🤣
I have to tip my hat to Kobayashi! From the moment he broke onto the scene, I’ve been a member of his fan club, and today he gave us yet another masterclass in why we follow him. 🙏 🙏 🙏
If you were watching for anything other than the start, Mark Webber's daring move, and Kobayashi slicing past Fernando Alonso and Sebastien Buemi, you missed the entire point. Everything else was just filler.
stormybadger8 said:Honestly, this just feels stupid. Either Ferrari steps up their game or Alonso stays stuck in neutral. Or is the plan just for Massa to suddenly become a superstar? It makes zero sense. This is supposed to be Alonso's home turf, yet lately, Massa has been absolutely tearing him apart, which is pretty ugly to watch. And now, out of nowhere, he’s pulling ahead 🤷 If we were talking about the US, I might get it—it's Massa's backyard, nothing surprising there. But this? This is just baffling 🤷
It's just weird. There's this huge gap between Hamilton and Button, but then this tiny, strange little gap between Alonso and Massa 🤷 Everything else seems mostly normal, except for the Mercedes slump. Actually, given how much Mercedes has dropped, Williams stepping up makes total sense. They look like they've made a massive leap forward since they jumped past Force India quite convincingly. I really hope this isn't just a fluke and they keep consistently beating Mercedes and Force India
It would be pretty sweet to see old Rubens thriving while he laps his Grandfather by a full circuit 🤣
Button mentioned he overshot the final corner during the flying lap. 🤷
stormybadger8 said:Wait a second, just noticed this—both Williams drivers have the exact same time.😲 Is this just a typo or a copy-paste fail?🤷 What logic did they use to put Hülkenberg at 8 and Barrichello at 9?🤷
You noticed it too—the official timing pages are showing the exact same numbers. It looks like they’ve gone ahead and applied the Bjesomar standard. 😁
Christian Williams61, let’s be realistic here. There isn't actually that much heat on Fernando Alonso—aside from the usual whining from people who can't handle his attitude, though I have very little doubt regarding his raw driving talent. The real targets of scrutiny are Jenson Button, because people constantly question if he actually has the skill, and Sebastian Vettel, because they argue whether he even has the ability to turn that talent into results.
Christian Williams61 said:What kind of pressure are you guys even talking about? Look, everyone knows Ferrari isn't the top team right now, so you couldn't realistically expect pole or even a second-place finish, let alone more. 🤷 I mean, if Alonso had won every single race until now, then sure, there would be pressure to prove himself on home soil. But since that's not the case, I don't think you two know what you're talking about. It's just the same old story every race weekend: everyone just jumping on the bandwagon to throw stones at Alonso. 👍
Alonso is sitting near the top of the championship standings, so calling his season a failure is a bit of a reach. However, when you consider the miracles he pulled off in that half-broken Renault (let's not even mention that win in 😁), it's obvious he isn't seeing those same opportunities in the Ferrari. Personally, I think he's one of the elite drivers on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton and Robert Kubica (and yes, I’ll admit I have a soft spot for the latter), but I also can't help thinking that if he were still riding with the form he showed back in, say, 2005 or 2006, his current points tally would look much more impressive.
With age, Alonso seems to be developing a rather unfortunate tendency to crumble when the pressure mounts. 🤷 Back during those golden years at Renault, he drove that car without making a single mistake. Judging by the practice sessions, I was honestly expecting more from him, and frankly, something decent from Rosberg too. Instead, we got this absolute embarrassment. 😂
I had actually pegged Robert Kubica for a top spot, so seeing Vitaly Petrov squeeze his way into the Third Qualifying Session was a genuine surprise. And credit where it's due to Williams Racing—it would be a welcome change of pace to see them finally find some momentum.
I’m keeping an eye on the current timing sheets from free practice, and honestly, qualifying this afternoon could be quite a spectacle. Right now, everyone is still fine-tuning their setups and finding their rhythm, so there isn't much consistency yet—the top 15 are all packed within a single second. From what I can see, Ferrari seems to have found some serious pace, sitting right up there alongside Red Bull. Robert Kubica is also looking incredibly sharp. I’m counting down the minutes until 2:00 PM. 🙏
Teams suspect they’ve cracked the code behind Red Bull's freakish pace for most of this season. The theory is they're leveraging exhaust gases to boost diffuser efficiency. It looks like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault are already bringing modified exhausts to the Miami Grand Prix Circuit (rumor has it Ferrari actually tested this during a recent promotional run), while McLaren and Williams are aiming to have their version ready by Silverstone.
It will be interesting to see if this actually shifts the power balance or if it turns out to be just another technical dead end.
It seems the theory holds water after all... We'll find out how much actual speed is gained during tomorrow's qualifying sessions (though we know Friday practice often provides a murky, unreliable picture), but Mercedes, Renault, and especially Ferrari—who arrived today with upgrades—don't seem to be trailing McLaren. In fact, some are even ahead. Of course, it isn't strictly down to the exhaust (Renault brought a massive upgrade package, including a new front wing), but since everyone mentioned here has made strides compared to McLaren, there's likely something to the exhaust trick.
One thing still puzzles me, though: if this exhaust gas trick for better diffuser efficiency works for qualifying, will it cause issues during the race? Specifically, the thermal stress from melting components exposed to that hot air? We'll see. It would be a nice development if this pushed Renault a bit further up the grid.
If there were ever a race where I’d rather not have Blazic calling the play-by-play, this is it—mostly because I am completely exhausted by his endless, mindless rambling about the Super Bowl. Since we all know the qualifying session is going to be the only actual highlight of the weekend, perhaps we should just ask ABC to put Milanović in a tennis commentator's chair instead. Honestly, not even to talk on his phone, but just to say a few words and then let us sit in peace for an hour and a half, medicated by the monotonous drone of Formula 1 engines coming through the TV. 😁
Hey Michael Lee4, what happened to that Bastard?! 😲
Good grief, I’m just sitting here waiting for James Wilson to finally make an appearance around here. 😁
@Kimi, please don't take it personally; I certainly didn't mean any harm. My reaction stemmed from the fact that we have an exceptionally well-informed group here—people who are already scouring all the major F1 news outlets anyway—so I figured a more concise approach might actually land better. Though, of course, I could be wrong there. Regardless, I appreciate the effort you put in. 🙏
Don't get mad, Kimi Raikkonen, but this is a textbook example of how not to open a thread: way too much text and it isn't even in English... I highly doubt anyone is actually going to slog through all of this, even if the idea of quoting statements from the key players is brilliant. If you had just picked two or three, it would have carried much more weight.
Regardless, I'm expecting a good nap during the race. If Blažičko were in charge, we'd be stuck listening to endless complaining about the America's Cup again, but luckily, since this guy is just a local working at JAR, the other managers should spare us the headache. I’m anticipating a comeback from Red Bull; in my view, they have a car that's simply too fast and drivers far too talented to let a third consecutive win slip away. A strong showing from Ferrari is also on the cards.
I'm holding out hope for a fifteen-minute downpour right after the start followed by the track drying out by the end—and, of course, a strong performance from Renault. It would also be wonderful to see Sauber pull themselves together and secure a decent result.
