Posts by Amanda Kelly

Anyone know what happened with Massa's KERS?

Edit: Just saw online that it was malfunctioning.
So, Massa finally lands P7, despite having a partially broken car and a messy run of luck at the start.
Honestly, I think Grosjean only made it past him because of a lucky break (this time).
If that car had been working right, he could have easily shaved 10-15 seconds off his time. He needs to drive harder and be more aggressive. There’s nothing left to wait for or lose. Not at the start, and certainly not during qualifying.

graniteharbor502 said:A perfect setup was achieved. But what about those who didn't find their rhythm, yet still manage to deliver a stellar race once they finally get out there?

The guy is giving them credit, and here you are, looking for something to complain about.

crimsonstag84 said:Heh, how was he supposed to defend? Mercedes was slower than a Caterham through Eau Rouge, and by the time Vettel actually hit the gas coming out of La Source after the start, you could already tell holding onto that position past Kemmel was going to be nearly impossible. 🙂

Up until Eau Rouge, I suspect Hamilton burned through most of his KERS while Vettel saved plenty since following in the slipstream was so easy. Hamilton clipped a curb a bit on the exit, which didn't help, but I don't think there was much else he could do. A 10s slipstream plus KERS and a bit more straight-line speed equals an overtake.

Maybe they leaned toward a wet setup given the higher downforce and that short RB-style 7th gear (196 miles/h limiter), or maybe they were just trying to find a balance with more downforce that they couldn't quite nail on Friday.

By the way, during those first 2-3 laps, Vettel was over a second faster in just the second sector compared to everyone else. 😂 That’s probably not just the driver at work. 😁 It looks like they absolutely nailed the setup.

If the second sector belongs to Red Bull, we already knew that.
I was expecting Mercedes to have the edge in the first and third.
As for Ferrari, I was hoping for some progress—and I got it.

If Hamilton can't hold off Vettel from pole, and even a Ferrari like this one can't crack the top two in qualifying, then we should all prepare for continued Red Bull Vettel dominance.

Jason Campbell70 said:Webber's post-race comments:

“The two practice starts before the race weren’t great and so we were a bit worried about the clutch going to the start, which put us on to the back foot. We tried our best, but lost a couple of rows off the line which is not good. We then had to try and clear people on the track, which was difficult, as we had set up the top gear to race in clean air, rather than to pass. The bad start put us out of position and it snowballs from there, as you use up the tyres trying to get back into position.”

Horner's post-race comments:

...Once he was compromised in his positioning within the pack, he wasn’t able to get a clean run through La Source and Alonso managed to get a run on him down the hill and pass him into Eau Rouge. Thereafter it was a matter of trying to find a way through, past the Mercedes and Ferrari ahead, but unfortunately whenever we got close enough we seemed to lose aero performance and so Mark couldn’t get close enough to make a move. We didn’t come here expecting to win today, so it’s great to get a victory to start the second half of the season.”

Well, I guess I was right then.
If Lewis Hamilton had just held on for a few more laps, Alonso would have walked away with the win.

Jason Campbell70 said:There's no need to play nice with the Vettel camp.

You mean TBF!? Because I can't think of anyone else in that circle.

What was I getting at?
I’m actually pretty happy with how Ferrari is looking. The car was fast in every condition—really fast. As for qualifying, I think that was just a lucky break.
To pull off a Red Bull Vettel combination today, you basically needed Alonso starting on pole to have any chance.
The Ferrari was powerful (almost like it was back in Barcelona) and Alonso was excellent, but unfortunately, it just wasn't enough.

The guy won the race with one lightning-fast move (one I didn't even see coming). I'm sure there was some kind of mistake by Lewis, but regardless, Sebastian Vettel's performance was flawless. I was watching the race on German TV and couldn't make heads or tails of the commentary. All I saw was that there wasn't even a hint of anyone closing in on the leader. Maybe the kid could have even been faster.

The only way things significantly change is if the cows die.

analogpilot16 said:No way—prestige would have caught up to him sooner or later. Honestly, Lewis was just a hair slower than him today; otherwise, he probably would have kept pace right up until Sebastian overtook him. To top it off, Lewis mentioned over the radio that he was pulling everything the car had, while Seb was just steadily gaining ground, inch by inch. Maybe if we'd seen a little more rain...

True, but Webber was stuck behind Mercedes without any real chance to pass. Meanwhile, the Red Bull (at least Vettel's) was dialed in for pure speed, and that's on a track where overtaking isn't an issue.
Was Webber's car set up differently, or is Vettel honestly just that much faster than Webber?
To me, it smells like the first one, though I can't say for sure. Red Bull can struggle when they're stuck in dirty air.

a) Was Massa running without KERS? For the whole race?

b) What kind of conditions would it have actually taken for Alonso to be fighting for the win today?
I don't know, his Ferrari just didn't look particularly powerful to me today. Honestly, the only way he had a shot was if he'd started on pole.
Hamilton basically killed any suspense regarding the win. I can't tell if it was a mistake, a lapse in concentration, or some technical issue—maybe overheating tires or something—but I find it unacceptable. If you take the pole and clear the first corner in the lead, you shouldn't let someone overtake you immediately in the opening lap. Just a pure pass, no technical assistance involved. I think anything could have happened if Lewis had just held on for two or three laps.

That doesn't take away from Vettel's move, though. The guy just has a nose for blood, and his execution was flawless.

stormybadger8 said:Hopefully he keeps up this magnificent style 🙏👍

😁🤣

You can tell he's a real driver. Honestly, with a maneuver like that, he could be out there filming action movies. 😁
Maybe it’s some kind of good omen, who knows.
Then again, he’s got Romain Grosjean ahead of him, which isn't exactly the most fearless guy to be battling at the start.

At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, even a high starting position doesn't guarantee much. Since qualifying was pretty mediocre and didn't really show how fast these cars actually are, there's still some uncertainty left. We won't know where things truly stand until the race is over. Today, we're seeing the cars as they'll be for the rest of the season.
That's the whole point of the championship—seeing if the power balance between the teams has actually shifted.

Haha, looks like Lewis Hamilton squeezed through by about 20k, if I'm reading this right.
Good luck to him, I guess.

shadowstag10 said:

basically, are you actually pushing it hard in sector 1 or sector 2 ☕

I honestly have no clue what's actually going on here.
So, Fernando Alonso was faster than Sebastian Vettel through the second sector, which also happened to be the fastest second sector we've seen yet.
Sebastian Vettel was faster in the first and third.

Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Maybe that Ferrari tunnel finally started working? Or maybe it was some other part of the car. Who knows.

By the way, Mercedes-Benz is looking seriously strong in the second sector.

stormybadger8 said:If Ferrari had actually made it into Q3, they would’ve been starting ahead of Lotus. They were clearly faster than them during qualifying, but then you have to wonder if Lotus could even keep pace with them—let alone find a way to overtake. 😉

It’s always stuck in my head. You just can't stop wondering if things could have gone differently.
Meanwhile, they’re busy defending that strategy call, of course. It’ll be a long time before we get the real story.
No, there's one thing I definitely regret. After that Q2 performance, it actually looked like we were making progress heading into Q3—which has been a massive pain point lately. I could have at least walked into the race feeling satisfied with where we stood.

graniteharbor502 said:Softer tires, a better starting spot, a cleaner launch. Maybe even a top 3 finish after the first lap. I highly doubt Ferrari would have burned through their rubber any faster than the rest of the field. The real question is whether Alonso could have actually held them off.

On paper, it makes sense. Everything seems logical.
(Looking back now that the dust has settled) Honestly, I don't think there was much to gain. The team had their reasons, and in the end, it looks like they called it right—even if we spent the whole race questioning them.
There were only brief moments where Ferrari could actually keep pace with Lotus. They couldn't even manage it during that final stint when the opportunity was wide open—an opportunity created by the SC, Webber's retirement, and a lackluster Mercedes performance.

We're still left with the issue of that too-short opening stint and a lot of questions about why the car struggled so much during that part of the race.

stormybadger8 said:Lotus definitely looked like the fastest car out there, especially after the SC...
Though honestly, Grosjean looked way faster than Kimi Räikkönen.

1. The whole mess was the Kimi vs. Grosjean battle popping up right when Grosjean was actually making a move on Vettel... and naturally, he started losing ground because he had to defend against Kimi instead of attacking Vettel...

2. Aside from that, I think Grosjean actually had much better and bigger chances... if they hadn't messed around and if he wasn't getting blocked by Kimi, he surely would have had more luck since he wouldn't have had to worry about the gap; he was already right on his tail anyway...
Besides, Lotus showed they manage their tires better than Red Bull Racing, so I could see him putting the pressure on in those last two laps.

Yeah, Grosjean was pushing hard.
Do you really think a 1-2 finish for Lotus was actually on the table!? (Kimi holding steady while Grosjean eventually overtakes)

Yeah, there's definitely a question regarding Kimi's strategy—specifically that Lotus play with Kimi.
Could Kimi have actually pulled off the win if he’d just stayed out on those old tires instead of making that final pit stop?
Or should they have called him in a lap or two earlier?

It’s entirely possible Kimi would've taken it either way.
Regardless, given how things played out yesterday, Lotus is looking like a serious contender. Honestly, they might even be the strongest on the grid right now, maybe just a hair behind Red Bull Racing. Sure, everyone's hungry for more wins after that season opener, but with what they've got in this Lotus, they have plenty of reasons to be satisfied.

Sebastian Vettel put on an absolute masterclass today.
Lotus had their shot, but they just couldn't pull it off. They were consistently a step short. Both drivers were great, though.
Fernando Alonso could only match those guys ahead of him in brief bursts.

Red Bull Racing definitely has the most versatile car, which is a massive advantage given this year's tire circus.

What else did we witness yesterday?
And where on earth did Force India disappear to?

Raymond Anderson4 said:They completely screwed over Felipe Massa. Thumbs down to Ferrari.
If Fernando isn't driving, then Felipe shouldn't be either.
Felipe had the pace to hit a 1.29:6.
I don't get it...

Clearly they're banking on this fortress tactic.
It works for me, even if I was holding out hope for a real fight for the front row.

The high heat actually suits Ferrari quite well.

stormybadger8 said:I'd say you're pretty far off...
Based on everything we heard on the broadcast, Hamilton clearly has the No1 driver status way more than Vettel does...
So when he starts singing about how he doesn't want it or didn't ask for it, save it. For Ross, Hamilton is No1, and at the end of the day, that's the only thing that matters.

You missed a tiny detail. I said FORMALLY.

Nico is number 9, Lewis is number 10.
Rosberg has two wins this season, too. Pretty interesting.

It’s honestly amazing how Ross Brawn has rearranged things again. 🙏
A very fast German in a very fast German Mercedes. And the fastest Briton, who also happens to be the favorite and...
Pure magic. The guy’s got a nose for this, I'll give him that. Marketing, business, the whole thing...

stormybadger8 said:Even if by some miracle that were true... who cares? It doesn't change anything.🤷
I said he was better in the race right up until everything went to hell...

Why are you making such a huge deal out of this already!?
Don't you get it? I gave your golden boy plenty of credit. For crying out loud, it’s not like I actually like him—I try to stay objective, even if it kills me.
Sebastian Vettel pretty much cemented his status as the No1 Red Bull driver during that race, while some others definitely failed to prove they belong on that level.

As for those miracles you're talking about, I'd say they don't exist. It’s exactly as I wrote it.

stormybadger8 said:It’s pretty funny how tire issues and podium failures ended up putting three inferior teammates on the step instead...

If things hadn't gone totally sideways, the podium could have easily looked identical in terms of teams and suits—only difference being, it would’ve featured the actual top drivers from each squad...

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Massa


A helmet keeps your head safe, I guess.🧐 😬 🤣

Out of those three, only Vettel is officially the number one driver on his team.

stormybadger8 said:It’s pretty funny how tire issues and podium failures ended up putting three inferior teammates on the step instead...

If things hadn't gone totally sideways, the podium could have easily looked identical in terms of teams and suits—only difference being, it would’ve featured the actual top drivers from each squad...

1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Sebastian Vettel
3. Massa


A helmet keeps your head safe, I guess.🧐 😬 🤣

Yeah, possible. Though, you have to admit, it only holds true in that specific moment.
Vettel, absolutely.
But honestly, I wouldn't be 100% sure about Massa or Lewis either.

And you're right, the teams came out okay. Especially Alonso with Perez. We should all be glad things didn't get even uglier.

Massa had the worst crash, right in a fast corner. He handled it like a pro and managed to walk away. What a driver, seriously.