Honestly, I’m hoping Red Bull can hold their ground... though I have my doubts. I don't want a repeat of last year, watching Seb struggle just to get the car moving on Friday. Ferrari seems to be wrestling with some serious understeer here. That new Williams just isn't clicking yet... they keep testing and testing, but I wouldn't be surprised if they revert to the old chassis for the race itself.
I'm crossing my fingers for a 3rd or 4th place finish tomorrow. That would be huge. Still, even grabbing 3rd feels like a bit of a stretch.
Roger Wright94 said:I’m getting worried about the crew over in Detroit. At the rate they’re going, even Our Lady won't be able to stop them. It would take a literal bolt of lightning from the heavens to change course.
They always seem to find their stride on Friday mornings... at least this season. Personally, I have a feeling they might actually carry this momentum right through the weekend.
He wasn't even pushing his absolute limit... he mentioned that getting a clean start was the priority, and after that, it all came down to tire management. I actually agree with him because Fernando drove incredibly well up to turn 6, and then I think he intentionally backed off a bit... Seb and Jenson were consistently breathing down his neck in sectors two and three, lap after lap. Alonso would pull away in the first sector, but through the second and third, those guys were always clawing back about half a second or so.
Mercedes-AMG seems to be struggling more and more as the heat climbs... they just can't seem to get any traction once the track temp hits 80 or 81 degrees.
Honestly, they could probably use a light drizzle of 😁 right about now.
Timothy Castillo6 said:At long last, Stake F1 Team is finally here!!! 🙂
The Stake F1 Team car looks incredible, but I honestly don't think Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi have the skill level required to actually pull off a win with a machine like that. It reminds me of how people used to talk about Lotus F1...
@Roger Wright94/">@@Roger Wright94: I suspect the McLaren fans just don't want to see anyone else splash them. 😁
Personally, my money is on Sebastian Vettel for this weekend.
Honestly, Christian Horner couldn't manage a preschool class of fifteen kids without losing his mind. 😬
But you're right, Domenicalli is definitely improving as time goes on. It was such a struggle to stay focused after that rough start to the season... I really have to give credit to Fry, Tombazis, and the rest of the crew. I’m actually glad they aren't rushing out upgrades just for the sake of it. They seem to be taking a very measured approach to development, which aligns perfectly with what Domenicalli mentioned in his post-race interview on Sunday. He noted how vital it is not to rush improvements; if you push things too hard too fast, it’s incredibly easy to lose your way.
The only thing that really bugs me about Seba is how he constantly tries to spin things... there’s just no reason for it. For instance, back last season driving for Suzuki, he claimed he didn't see Jenson Button in his rearview mirror, even though the onboard camera clearly shows him staring right at that right side mirror. To be fair, he wasn't breaking any rules—he closed the door on him properly, and I have to give him credit for that. I would respect him a lot more if he had just been honest and said, "Yeah, I saw him coming from that side, so I moved to close the gap." It would be better than dodging the truth with those silly little lies, especially when every viewer watching the replay can see exactly what happened just a minute after the start.
It's the same story with yesterday's incident. Look, I went off track because I was pushing hard to overtake him in the heat of the race while fighting for position. That's just racing. There's no need to claim I didn't see him when Jenson Button was right there next to him.🙄
stormybadger8 said:Honestly, I have to admit, the Red Bull Racing car just doesn't have the raw pace I was expecting.😢
It’s pretty clear that Ferrari is performing at a high level right now.😳 Huge respect to Fernando Alonso. That was a seriously convincing win.👍 Even if it didn't look like it on the surface, he was clearly in total control of the race from start to finish.
I swear, they’re just going to keep handing out penalties to Sebastian Vettel at this rate.😢
If you ask me, Red Bull Racing had the best race pace on the grid during this race. Just looking at how they handled themselves out there, they seemed to be in a league of their own when it came to maintaining speed over a long stint.
If I had to pick one car that truly owned the race pace this weekend, I’d have to go with the McLaren. It was hard to deny their speed once they got going. That said, things didn't exactly go smoothly for the drivers; both Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button struggled quite a bit with tire degradation, which definitely muddied the waters when you look at the race as a whole. It wasn't exactly a flawless performance, but if you look back at their free practice sessions, it was clear they brought the best package to the track for this specific event. Then I’d probably group Red Bull Racing, Ferrari, and Sauber—who was looking surprisingly solid toward the end—all into the same bucket. So, Lotus takes third place, and the rest follows suit.
Fernando Alonso was absolutely dominant right where it mattered most—tearing through that opening sequence from Turn 1 all the way to Turn 6.
Did Jenson Button miss a gear while overtaking Sebastian Vettel right after the pit exit? It looked like he was just going to breeze right past him, but as he pulled up alongside, it felt like he just hit a wall... he barely managed to squeeze by.
stormybadger8 said:Honestly, that RB car isn't nearly as fast as I thought it would be.😢
It’s clear that Ferrari is looking really strong.😳 Huge props to Fernando Alonso for a convincing win.👍 Even if it didn't look effortless, he clearly had the race under control from start to finish.
And man, they went and penalized Sebastian Vettel too.😢
He messed up a bit there... he really should have let Jenson Button through. He likely would have overtaken him anyway before the end, since there was only a lap and a half left, and he was clearly the faster driver. Jenson Button played a part in it too; he seemed to slide wide right as they exited the corner, which caused Sebastian Vettel to take a much wider line.
Maybe Lewis Hamilton just wasn't meant to be at McLaren... maybe he's had enough and wants a fresh start, though his options aren't exactly endless.
The cars from back in the day were definitely faster. I’m specifically thinking about that era between 1999 and maybe 2005. But honestly, that came down more to raw engine power than anything involving aerodynamics.
Just look at this. The data from Barcelona this year: http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...&gp=868&graf=3 And compare it to Barcelona back in 2000: http://en.mclarenf-1.com/index.php?p...t&gp=55&graf=3
Oops... if you guys are actually talking about even older cars, then just disregard my take.
Douglas Parker61 said:Mark Webber did a great job. Fernando Alonso messed up by pitting too early on that first stop, but second place is still a solid result.
Yeah, I was thinking the exact same thing when I posted earlier... but looking at how the race actually played out, that was really their best shot at a win. It probably would have been smarter for Fernando to start on the hard tires and then switch back to hards, just to build a decent cushion before moving to the softs... unfortunately, Ferrari just couldn't find any grip with those softer compounds. It’s a shame, honestly. I feel like Fernando earned that victory (though "earning it" is a bit of a relative term this season). He maintained a great pace for 40 laps and managed his tires beautifully during those first two stints. Congrats to Mark.
I suspect Fernando started losing ground right before his pit stop, but I'll need to double-check the lap times to be certain.
I’m actually rooting for some rain here, mostly because I placed a bet that Sebastian Vettel would take the win. ☕ And I've got a little extra riding on Sergio Perez finishing in the top three, too.
It wasn't a massive amount of money, but the payout is pretty decent if everything goes my way 😁.
At the end of the day, a win is a win, even if we have to sit through this race until 6:00 PM.
stormybadger8 said:CBS gave a solid explanation on this, but the reality is teams just don't want to race in the rain. Technically, they could easily swap out the car or adjust things to solve the water issues on the track, but it's more about their willingness to do it.
Is that actually doable? Would parc fermé regulations prevent them from doing that?
stormybadger8 said:For now, I haven't seen any news about whether Alonso actually gets penalized.🤷 Who even is this kid? Since when were you allowed to set a time for the Third Qualifying Session under yellow flags??? Button gets knocked out in the First Qualifying Session because of a yellow flag caused by a car spinning off just after the start-finish line, yet Alonso cruises through his fastest lap in the Second Qualifying Session like nothing happened.😕
What kind of joke is this, and what on earth is the FIA doing?🙄
Alonso slowed down in the third sector... I don't know by how much, but he claims he backed off and the telemetry backed him up. If anyone wants the guidelines for situations like today: http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...pendix_H_a.pdf check section 4.1.2.
Yellow flag: This is a signal of danger and should be shown to drivers in two ways with the following meanings: - Single waved: Reduce your speed, do not overtake and be prepared to change direction. There is a hazard beside or partly on the track. - Double waved: Reduce your speed, do not overtake and be prepared to change direction or stop. There is a hazard wholly or partly blocking the track. Yellow flags should normally be shown only at the marshals’ post immediately preceding the hazard.
The rules feel a bit vague; a driver could technically go just a tenth slower than their best sector time and still squeeze through.