Roger Wright94 said:It feels like Alonso might actually pull this one off.
Honestly, it’s so hard to call. I was thinking about Singapore—even after those mediocre qualifying sessions, I thought things would improve during the race. Between the soft and medium tires and that high pace, it looked like a win-win situation. Then, unfortunately, he ended up a minute behind in the race. South Korea should be similar. With the medium tires, there should be some action, especially since they wear out after just two or three laps. And don't even get me started on how Ferrari performs on the harder compounds.
At that specific moment, Jenson Button wasn't allowed to set his best sector time because of those yellow flags—if I remember the rules correctly. If he actually did that, then the penalty is justified.
Douglas Parker61 said:I'm hoping Fernando Alonso gets a solid launch and that Sebastian Vettel doesn't just bolt ahead after the first two turns. Though, there's a chance Mark Webber has a great start while Vettel "naps" at the lights, which might leave Alonso stuck behind him.🤔
Vettel is in the clear here. I don't see him having a sluggish start, so he shouldn't be an issue for Fernando. Seb is a pretty decent starter...
We’ve seen this exact pattern play out a few times already this season. They look like leaders on Friday, but by Saturday, Red Bull Racing and McLaren find another gear, while Ferrari just ends up stuck with their Friday pace.
I can't help but feel like all this effort might be for nothing if Sebastian Vettel is going to be running "slow" 1:25s tomorrow—and honestly, he could easily dip below that mark.
Even Felipe Massa mentioned today how tough it is to expect much progress as the weekend moves along...
Well😁...looking at the results, you could say that, but there were certain tracks where I honestly thought Seb was pushing that Red Bull Racing car even harder than I anticipated... China or Monaco, for example...
Still, this particular track feels like it belongs to them... right from that very first turn, and then immediately into turn two... It reminds me a bit of Barcelona, though the corner after the first one there was an outside turn, whereas this one is an inside turn. That said, the traction here is going to be the deciding factor.
Then there’s turn 10, where traction is absolutely everything. I’d love to get my hands on some telemetry comparisons—specifically looking at the exit speeds. I have a feeling if we compared how Ferrari handles that corner versus how Red Bull does, Red Bull would absolutely smoke them😁.
But hey, those are just the fine details☕... or maybe they aren't...
It feels like this track was practically designed by someone from the Red Bull Racing camp... If Vettel actually wanted to win here, he could probably pull it off with a thirty-second cushion easy.
stormybadger8 Asks: So, where exactly did they land on that penalty for Fernando Alonso at Monza?🙄
It wasn't there because it shouldn't have been there in the first place. Look, Alonso actually gave Vettel some breathing room there. If he hadn't moved, Vettel would've ended up spinning out into the grass. Instead, he tucked into his right side to clear a path and let him through. That was Vettel, and he said it right there at the press conference. By the way, this comment isn't related to today's start, and I'm not trying to draw any parallels here.
Brian Campbell36 said:The regulations are made transparent to everyone at the start of the season. For instance, why should anyone hold Ferrari accountable when they perform catastrophically on the hardest compound tires? I fail to see where the grievance lies; McLaren Racing and Red Bull Racing are more than happy whenever Ferrari opts for that specific tire specification. I was actually quite surprised today; I had fully expected Fernando Alonso to suffer a setback due to the persistent issues Ferrari has faced all season, yet somehow, this outcome feels entirely unexpected.😕
Then there is the matter of the aerodynamics at the beginning of the year—what an endless string of complications. One can only hope that Ferrari finally engineers a truly competitive car for next season, rather than relying on nothing but optimistic rhetoric. I just pray that Adrian Newey doesn't design a powerhouse that leaves the entire field in the dust.
That’s exactly how it’s going to go. Ferrari should be more competitive next year, but Adrian Newey has already hinted that next season's car will be even better than this one. 🙂All respect to the master.
stormybadger8 said:Button and Alonso are the real threats here. ☕
Vettel was probably just managing the gap, thinking he’d settle for points.
Hamilton would've probably blown a tire before the first pit stop.☕
Regarding Alonso, if this were a ten-lap sprint, maybe... but we'll likely see a repeat of what happened two weeks ago. It'll be tough for him to make the podium unless someone crashes out or retires. Plus, Massa isn't exactly a weak starter.
And I don't think Vettel will just sit back and control things; if he comes out in the lead after the first turn, he's going straight for the win.
Brian Campbell36 said:It seems Red Bull has simply settled into a calm state—the proverbial calm before the storm. Tomorrow during qualifying and again on Sunday, everything will finally be laid bare.
There is no way Vettel and Red Bull are going to just hand McLaren and Button the front row on a silver platter.
People seem so incredibly certain about the outcome that they are already mentally preparing for the 2012 season; frankly, whether they finish first or twenty-fourth in Practice 1 or Practice 2 hardly matters at this point.
When Sunday arrives, the only thing that truly carries weight is the points.
Exactly. It’s not the first time I've seen Red Bull treat Friday practice like a casual Sunday drive. I remember seeing Ferrari sitting at the top of the charts on Fridays before, making you think they had something special. Then Saturday rolls around, everyone else finds another gear, and suddenly it turns out Ferrari was just faster during those specific Friday laps. They can't seem to replicate that pace once the pressure of qualifying hits. It just stops dead.
Chris Ortiz said:Lochte is the man. It’ll be a tragedy if one of them two isn't at 100% when they get to London. I honestly felt like Michael Phelps almost had him at the end—he probably would have taken it if there were just another 5 or 10 meters left. But man, what a race.🙏 🙏 🙏
He took gold in the 200 backstroke in Beijing, gold in the 200 IM in Rome, and now he's looking at gold in the 200 freestyle, the IM, and likely the backstroke too.🙏
That means in London, we might see him take the butterfly or breaststroke on top of everything else.🙏
Thank God water polo is played so far away from here. Honestly, that sport is just broken. Nowadays, whenever the Mexican national water polo team falls behind by 3 or 4 goals, the refs seem to constantly give them an extra player or call every single attack. Then, when it's tied 13-13 at the end, a Mexican player goes straight for the goalie, a Canadian pulls him from behind, and the ref calls an offensive foul.
Michael Phelps is a master. He already has 4 medals, and he’ll likely head home with 5. If Ian Thorpe joins him in London, it’ll be the perfect setup for Phelps beast mode—or a massive world record alert.
Federico Pellegrini is still young; he can easily dominate his events for another 4 or 5 years.
I’m really hoping Button's qualifying session goes well. Since this track tends to be a bit slower than what we usually see at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, tire management is going to be the name of the game—and he’s always been excellent at preserving his rubber.
If the temperature stays high enough to favor those soft and super soft compounds, I think we might see Ferrari(Fernando Alonso) back in the hunt for something big.
Joshua Rivera56 said:What makes you say that? That crew left Ferrari long before Alonso did. My point was strictly about Clark comparing this current era to the days when Schumacher ran the show.
By the way, if you look on YouTube, there’s plenty of team radio from when Alonso goes into full loco mode. http://youtu.be/ZF2ATYT_UZM And who exactly did he drive off the track? You’d probably have to ask Chris Dyer about that... He likely expected to overtake people by radioing the pits, assuming Smedley would tell Petrov that Alonso was right on his tail and moving faster.😉
Look, my apologies for my previous comment. I misread part of your post and reacted poorly.😉
Regarding Alonso—I don't really see this as him proving he's superior at Ferrari... it's just how he is. Check out this team radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4GDG...eature=related
Joshua Rivera56 said:Fernando Alonso is the absolute king of this team. If you just look at who was running Ferrari back during the Schumacher era (Brawn, Todt, Byrne, Martinelli) compared to who’s there now... honestly, you only need to listen to his tone on the team radio to realize exactly where everyone stands. Alonso is untouchable; the only person who can actually push back against him is Montezemolo.
That’s just nonsense. Did Alonso kick out Brawn, Todt, or Byrne?
And what's the big deal about how he sounds on the team radio?🤣 Is he threatening to take them all out or something?
You're going to see plenty of drivers winning races in inferior cars eventually. Sometimes they'll even grab a first-place finish, but usually, it’s just a fluke of circumstance—maybe the guy ahead breaks down, the weather turns, or a safety car comes out.
Every single champion out there won because they managed to pair elite driving talent with an elite machine.
Even back in 2004, Fernando Alonso was already an incredible driver, but he couldn't secure a title because his car simply wasn't competitive enough. Then in 2005, he finally got his hands on a top-tier car, and suddenly, there it was—Alonso becomes a world champion.
So, why wasn't Mark Webber performing at that same level five, six, seven, or eight years ago?
Sebastian really proved what he was capable of back in 2008, when he put in those standout performances driving for Toro Rosso.
To be honest, I find modern Formula 1 a bit frustrating sometimes. Take the final sector in Miami, for example, where Red Bull is absolutely flying—they're literally half a second faster than anyone else. It doesn't matter how much raw talent you have or how phenomenal your skills are; in a situation like that, Red Bull is just going to pull away. You can sit there and watch them go, but that's about it. There's no talking your way out of it... the car is just untouchable.
I'm not quite sure I follow what you're getting at here.
What exactly is Vettel's fault for being the fastest man on the grid and consistently locking out pole position? How is it his fault that nobody can catch him once the lights go out?
Besides, Vettel is about to turn 24. I honestly find it exhausting when people fixate on one tiny slice of a driver's career and then try to use it as some kind of definitive proof for their entire argument.
I’m really holding out hope for a win from Vettel—something like a five-lap cushion and a fastest lap by a full minute and ten seconds, just to spite Whitening and that old timer Bernie.
Does anyone happen to have the viewership numbers for Formula 1 on ESPN? I was watching the race earlier and noticed a heavy influx of commercials. It makes me wonder if today's ad load is tied to a particularly strong average audience turnout.