Posts by Jason Campbell70

darkmarlin16 said:everything is just so unclear

The worst part? On my TV, there are two channels sitting right between ABC and ESPN, so the difference is glaringly obvious.

It's actually fascinating how much the image quality varies.
Honestly, even a low-quality web stream looks better than this. 🙏🙏🙏

stormybadger8 said:Besides, Ferkan, Lotus, and Mercedes are going to get crushed by this tire warm-up ban and the new pressure regulations...

Mercedes getting crushed?

Everything seems designed to boost Mercedes' competitiveness. Between Pirelli and the FIA giving them testing leeway, introducing rear tires with operating temperatures 10 degrees lower, and using harder compounds almost every race compared to last season... isn't it obvious?

Mercedes is too massive a player on the global stage to settle for mere scraps.

Brian Campbell36 said:If Mercedes was a full second ahead during FP1, they’ve lost their edge.

Lewis Hamilton seems a bit slow compared to Nika.🤷

There is another possibility here.
That Mece is sacrificing qualifying to prioritize the race.

Ever since that testing session in Barcelona, their tire management has been excellent—a massive improvement from what we saw leading up to the US Grand Prix.
Even yesterday, their tire preservation was top-tier; Nico actually hit his best time around lap 25 during his prime stint.

They didn't run into any issues with the rear tires either; the Kevlar setup worked perfectly for them.

No matter how shady their tactics might seem, they are going to be damn dangerous for the rest of the season.

Brian Campbell36 said:Tasty, especially with Sebastian Vettel holding a 0.5 lead over the next guy.🙂

I just don't get it. Is it a lack of competent engineers on the other teams, or what exactly is going on? This is getting exhausting.

Or are they just playing their cards close to the chest?

And hey... if my memory serves me right, actual qualifying doesn't even start until around 2:00 PM.

Emily Patel64 said:+ 0.004 🙂

PS: the last qualifying session was up by 0.009 🙂 🙂

Hardly a coincidence.

A genuine gap between them now.

Pure wisdom from Johnny Herbert. 😍

Raymond Anderson4 said:Felipe Massa was on the Barcelona setup, while Fernando Alonso used the British Grand Prix spec.
I’m not a fan of this mixing parts. I watched them do this last season too...

Fernando Alonso wasn't running the "Indianapolis Motor Speedway spec" (whatever that implies).
At Indianapolis, he had the new rear wing and no monkey seat.
Now, during Practice 2, he's back to the old rear wing and using the monkey seat.

The issue with mixing components—especially these recent upgrades—stems from the fact that they weren't even properly tested at Indianapolis.
That latest front wing? It hasn't been tested at all during the Indy race.
Remember, the rain ruined Friday at Indianapolis.

So, this weekend was actually the first real chance to test that new front wing properly.
And then things fall apart again; Alonso comes out in Practice 1 with a grid violation because the ECU died.

darkmarlin16 said:Are we in deep trouble now?

Not really.
They're trailing the leader by just six-tenths. Could the leaders struggle with tire degradation? It seems possible.
The soft option is a hell of a lot faster—we're talking a full second—but the longevity? It’s barely anything. Maybe just over ten laps if you're lucky.
Whoever can manage to stretch those option tires out further on Sunday is going to see a massive advantage. It’s that simple.

Even though Fernando basically skipped Practice 1, and despite all the talk about those "upgrades," things didn't look half bad today.
Like I said, we're only six-tenths behind. And that includes one incredibly solid—actually, let's call it excellent—race simulation from Massa.

Besides, it’s probably best if our own drivers just tell us what they really think:

Fernando Alonso
Today felt more productive than last Friday. We still have a massive mountain to climb, but it feels like we’ve finally taken a step forward. It seems like we're regaining that competitive edge we had before Indianapolis Motor Speedway. One bright spot? The tires. They behaved beautifully today without any drama. We did lose the morning session due to a glitch in the ECU programming—we've swapped it out now—but that cut our schedule in half. We’ll have to pull an all-nighter this evening to catch up. We already have a plan in place for the adjustments, though. Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, and Lotus are still pulling away, and frankly, settling for third or fourth in the standings isn't enough for us.

Felipe Massa
We had a massive workload today. We pushed to squeeze in every possible lap to make sure the program stayed on track. Most of our time was divided between evaluating the Pirelli tires and running those extended stints. There’s a noticeable gap between the compounds; the softs just drop off much faster than the mediums. How much that affects the actual race remains to be seen. As always, the winning strategy will come down to making the right calls.
Qualifying continues to be our Achilles' heel. We typically struggle more during those sessions compared to our pace on race day, so the goal is simple: do everything in our power to secure the best starting position possible. On the long runs, however, the car felt solid. That gives me plenty of confidence heading into Sunday.

If the current performance gap holds through Sunday... if Fernando manages to line up right on the heels of Red Bull and Mercedes... and if we can just avoid a collision at the start? We might actually see a massive result.

There are too many "ifs" floating around, but didn't things look better today than they initially appeared?

Degradation issues, graining, and some understeer.

Most likely.

Though temperatures should climb by Sunday.
Today's 66/84°F should probably hit at least 77/something.

The AT&T commentator describes Child's lap: "Squirming around all over the place". 😂

Haha, look at how violently this Walkman junk is bouncing around. 🤣

Fernando Alonso had to swap out his ECU, so he sat out
FP1.

What’s that supposed to mean? Minimum tire pressure at 16 psi? 😂

Right, what's the schedule looking like for the free practice sessions?

What time are they starting on Friday?

Raymond Anderson4 said:Ferrari showed up with two different Williams setups and a Monkey Seat.
A Monkey Seat isn't exactly great news. Experience tells us they reach for that when they know they're lacking downforce.

They've reverted the Williams back to the Barcelona spec, which isn't a great sign either. Development seems stuck. Stefano will likely step in again to calm things down and lecture everyone on the right way to work, but honestly? They've been at this for four years now and still can't put together a car capable of winning consecutive races.
I'm anxious to see how they handle Sector 1 during the FP's and qualifying.
The Ferrari looks sluggish through the slow corners, almost like it's lost its agility.

And that old rear wing. 😁

If we base our predictions solely on what we saw this Thursday—we aren't looking good.
But I'll say it again: this is just Thursday. During the last VN weekend, we didn't even have half the floor on the car by Thursday. 😁

By the way, did you catch the new Mečkin nose? 🍿
Looks like not everyone spent the last three days idling around.

Here are some shots from AMuS:

ruggedfox28 said:They're being a bit more gentle with the tires. Seems like they prefer the warmer weather. Not that I'm exactly thrilled about it, but hey, it is what it is. 😬

I wouldn't mind seeing that top forecast play out... but honestly, even God only knows how those new tires are going to hold up.
Ferrari should have had the upper hand at Silverstone, but we all saw how that actually played out.😁

darkmarlin16 said:I might try opening that Canadian account. But between the EU regulations and this 6-to-6 grind, I don't even get a second to touch my computer.

You've always been a gentleman. 🙂

stormybadger8 said:Maybe...
Even without all that tire bullshit, I still think it would have been Felipe Massa first. 🙏
Man, you only see a start like that once every twenty years.😳

Just brilliant... just as good as Lewis's qualifying lap. 🙏

Webber's? 😁

A stellar way to kick things off. 🙂
Not a single word written, just a handful of random photos instead.

There’s a clear trend lately toward increasingly mindless and useless thread openings... and this one just set the bar incredibly high.

Predictions for the race? Nothing yet. Still waiting on a tip from an insider.

stormybadger8 said:That’s just pure envy. It's what happens when miserable, frustrated people who can't accomplish a single thing in their actual lives decide to lash out and spit on those who actually are
u ☕

Whoa, look at you, playing psychologist.

cosmichawk12 said:So

was

it

yesterday

really

with

the tires

?

Pirelli/graining on the edges/both?

Tragic and comic, comic and tragic... what a tragicomic sport this is...

The only thing actually worth mentioning was Lewis Hamilton's brutal pole lap 🙏 he absolutely crushed

I mean, there were a few solid overtakes during the race too—especially in that sprint at the end—even if I honestly couldn't care less

The edges.

Man, it isn't the first time the track itself has basically ruined a race for certain drivers.

Remember Brazil '03.
Only that was an even bigger joke when it came to the tires.

Look, shit happens... what else can you say?