Posts by Raymond Anderson4

Jason Campbell70 said:So, a modern NASCAR bike is rock solid in the rain?
Does a modern NASCAR bike have a carbon monocoque to protect the rider during heavy impacts?
Do F1 drivers die because they lose front-end grip?

Regardless, these guys get out there and bite at every single corner and every inch of the track, even when the front wheel is lifting off the ground during hard acceleration.

I think you might be using today’s qualifying session as a bad example. The bikes were riding in rain that felt significantly lighter than the downpour that actually forced the qualifying sessions to be red-flagged. I was watching those sessions myself...
Secondly, motorcycle riders don't deal with visibility issues nearly as much as F1 drivers do. That’s a massive factor. It's why bikers can tuck right behind an opponent, whereas in F1, doing that is incredibly difficult.

Personally, I wouldn't be so critical of the F1 drivers.
They are our eyes on the track, and they know exactly what they're dealing with.

If several drivers in a row are appealing to stop qualifying because driving is simply impossible, then driving probably really isn't possible.

Visibility was genuinely terrible before the stoppage... I remember looking at the onboard cameras and I couldn't even tell which car was ahead. It was just a wall of rain obscuring everything. What is a driver supposed to do then? Drive completely off the racing line?

And I honestly don't get those comments about how people used to race. How drivers back in the day had "guts" while today's drivers supposedly don't.
What does that even have to do with anything? If drivers twenty or thirty years ago risked losing control and crashing, today's drivers have to face those same risks.
Someone close to me has followed F1 for about 35 years, and they've told me a few times that races in the past only continued because there weren't enough smart people to call them off—and because the top brass didn't care about driver safety. Races used to end with multiple casualties, with constant red flags due to crashes. What was the point of that??
Bruno explained it perfectly today... what’s the point of racing if cars are flying off the track constantly and causing yellow flags? You can't even complete a standard lap without hitting a flag in every sector.

Or let's try another comparison... if you remember that documentary about the history of F1.
How previous drivers raced in cars that were basically made of "paper"... every crash was more violent, and it was all too easy for a driver to end up in a morgue the next day.
Those drivers were often labeled as having "guts." Well, fine—let's put today's drivers in those old cars and see them race. If the old crowd had guts, let today's guys prove they have them too.

If the old guard could do it, why can't these guys? That logic seems pretty flawed to me.
Just because the attitude used to be "I don't care if someone hits the wall" doesn't mean we should apply that mindset today.
That’s why I think today's qualifying was stopped for good reason. For me, it was simply unwatchable; I couldn't see a single car clearly, and people were spinning off the track constantly.

The decision-makers in Formula 1 are acting like complete fools.
Now that the rain has stopped, they’re just sitting there waiting. Waiting for what exactly??
If they were so worried about the weather, why didn't they just call it during the first part of qualifying when it was actually pouring?

Just let them out on the track. Even if they end up setting lap times in the two-and-a-half-minute range, at least they'll be racing.

Eddie Jordan🙏

fadedwalker18 said:He probably slowed down because of those flags. It’s such a massive, massive shame for Mr. Gumbic. 😢

The final sector was absolutely drenched at that moment, and we were already seeing yellow flags flying.

fadedwalker18 said:accident !!?? 🤦 I can't believe this. Seriously.

Look, at the end of the day, we're talking about professional drivers. They aren't some kids playing around in their parents' driveway. 🤦
I want them out there driving. If they have to act like they're piloting jet skis just to get the job done... fine by me. Let's see them go.

They really should have thrown the red flag... what's even the point of qualifying when someone is flying off the track at every single turn?

hollowhawk412 said:The McLaren looks great on full wets, but they seem to struggle once the intermediates come out.

True, but if I recall correctly, I think Whitmarsh mentioned after qualifying that they didn't have any fresh sets of full wet tires left for Lewis Hamilton.

True, but Button was running two sets of fresh intermediates during those opening qualifying sessions... he isn't exactly in any better spot than anyone else either.

What a mess coming out of the pits🤣.
It’s pure chaos out there; nobody gives an inch, and everyone is just shoving their way to the front of the pack.

ruggedfox28 said:Rain. As things stand, it feels like a foregone conclusion for the entire race weekend, especially now that we're looking at how everything is shaping up for Sunday. 🙏 😬

I’m really hoping for some "normal" rain today. Otherwise, we’re looking at a full-on parade following the SC.
It seems like every time we get rain during the last few races, it turns into a complete downpour instead of just a light drizzle. It’s always a bit more intense than what anyone actually needs on the track.

Pretty much everything except for a win from Sebastian Vettel is going to be a shocker... so all we can really do is pray that the local meteorologist announces on Saturday night that we should expect nothing but heavy rain over the island this Sunday afternoon.

There's just no way... Allen probably messed up, so there's no chance Grosjean could have pulled off that kind of pace in the final laps on used tires.
If there had been even one or two more laps left, he would've caught Lewis.

Fernando Alonso isn't even in the same league as Jenson Button. It’s the same old story every single time—after every practice session and every race, he starts making those same excuses about how the car doesn't feel right, or how there's no balance, or how the rear tires are struggling with whatever else.

Jason Campbell70 said:We all knew Hamilton was going to crush it.

Honestly, we didn't know a thing. If you were looking at the race simulations during the FP-im, there was absolutely no way to predict Hamilton would drive like this.
Sebastian Vettel basically ran perfect space-age simulations...

Plus, Hamilton mentioned he was having tire issues and struggling as temperatures climbed. That actually supports the idea that no one saw this performance coming.

That said, I'm genuinely happy for Hamilton. He earned this one.

neonfox65 said:🤣🤣🤣

He was just joking...read his post again, but actually pay attention this time.

What’s going on with Vettelov's onboard?
Is it just me, or is it totally unclear?

I honestly think there's a very good chance Alonso finishes ahead of Hamilton... I just don't see enough consistency from Hamilton during the race, whereas Alonso seems to have the edge when it comes to pure race pace.
The start isn't exactly where Hamilton shines.

Sebastian Vettel is pushing.
He could have easily shaved off another two tenths if he hadn't been dealing with those traffic issues during the final laps...

@ Brian Campbell36 🤦

Staying on topic here.
If you aggregate the driver's fastest sectors, Fernando Alonso clocked a 1:13.892.
Essentially, he had the raw pace to dip under the 1:14 mark... he just couldn't string it all together into one single lap.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel managed to nail their absolute best sector times—all three of them—during the exact same lap that secured them those front-row starts.
Looking at the data, it seems like Fernando was actually about two-tenths faster than Lewis.

Michael Lee4 said:But why did he ruin it? And why does he always seem to be running into issues? 🙂

It’s because his qualifying setup has to be absolutely perfect right out of the gate.

Even a tiny imbalance throws him off. He isn't the type of driver who can muscle through those kinds of technical struggles, unlike Lewis, for example.

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, Sebastian Vettel was using those red tires😁
Running a full fuel load for a stint of about 20 laps, hitting identical times right around 1:19.😁

Overall, Red Bull Racing actually looks like maybe their best option so far this season.🙂

We could be looking at another one-stop race for some of these teams.
The tires seem to be holding up well, and since temperatures are a bit lower, that might be why.

During the Practice 2 broadcast, Ted Kravitz mentioned that nobody seems to have any issues with the rubber. 😢
Honestly? I want to see those tires fall apart. I want them to completely mess up the running order. 🙂
I just really want to see Nico Hulkenberg standing on that podium.🙂

Drivers can swap out gearboxes during the first two practice sessions without facing any penalties.

Tomorrow's battle for pole position should be a real nail-biter.
Lewis Hamilton looks fast, but I think Sebastian Vettel might have a slight edge since he hasn't even touched the soft tires yet—and his times on the harder compounds were already impressive.
I didn't get the impression that the two McClaren cars were pushing too hard today, but they definitely have the pace.
As for Lotus... they looked a bit quiet. It seemed to me like they were just running out laps with half a tank of fuel.
They didn't come anywhere close to the front of the pack.

Just hold on until the end of Sunday... we'll finally see where they actually stand then.
Right now, those upgrades don't really feel like they're giving them any real wind in their sails.

I’ve got to say, I'm not seeing much improvement from Ferrari when it comes to single-lap pace. My gut feeling? We’re looking at being about half a second off the pace again during qualifying.
Their speed trap numbers aren't exactly anything to write home about, either.