Posts by Amanda Kelly

I sat through the whole race yesterday, start to finish.

The winner was Lewis Hamilton.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Anyway, getting back to the point... I’m bracing for a disaster from Ferrari. This track is even worse than Canada... temperature adjustments won't save them here.
Mercedes will probably grab pole. Red Bull? Doubtful they take pole, but they should be strong during the race.

I'm actually expecting a great race from Ferrari.
Hoping for a P1 or P2 start.

stormybadger8 said:Signal is a total train wreck. 🙂
The TV signal is absolute garbage right now. My DirecTV keeps cutting out constantly. At least I can still catch ORF or RTL, even if watching Mexican channels is driving me insane.

What’s there even to say about the race? Honestly, I don't know where to start.😢
Total mess with that breakdown, but honestly, thank God we've got Mark Webber.😁
He just smothered the competition again, which helped minimize the damage.

The maestro absolutely nailed it—he messed up so spectacularly that even he realized it himself.🙏
It feels like Lotus and Ferrari have completely checked out of the title fight. With how much luck everyone else has been having and all those trophies flying around, the gap between them and the leaders isn't even shrinking anymore. It’s basically over.
Exactly what I’ve been dreading since the start of the season is starting to happen.😳
Mercedes is a damn beast of a machine. Both Hamilton and Rosberg are definitely going to be title contenders.
Dammit, if it wasn't for that tire issue and the gearbox failure, I'm not even sure Vettel would have stood a chance. Honestly, Hamilton probably would've had him before he could even blink.
He was fast, sure, but he only made it into the pits twice.

Across the board, Mercedes has become serious competition for both titles.

I'd mostly agree with this.
Except for that first part. They haven't exactly been the golden children of luck lately either.

Drew Bennett68 said:I honestly think Ferrari is going to cruise to a win here, provided the weather stays clear. The track layout is packed with those high-speed corners that this year's Ferrari setup absolutely loves—plus, they shouldn't have any trouble managing their tire degradation.
Besides, I can't help but feel like these next two races are going to be absolute game-changers for the championship standings. It’ll either be Fernando Alonso making a massive dent in that points gap, or we might see Sebastian Vettel sliding down toward fourth place.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself with the predictions, but hey... if Red Bull shows up with a fast car on these "aero-heavy" tracks, it would mean they finally cracked the code on their tire issues.

So you think Spain is the key? Sure, on paper, this looks like a win for Ferrari. I’m guessing the tire strategy is going to be just as much of a gamble as it was back in Spain.
I just can't wrap my head around the idea of us seeing four pit stops again. Word on the street is the track surface isn't nearly as abrasive this time around, and since the pit lane is such a slog—we're looking at about 25 seconds in there—it feels more like a two or three stop race to me.

So, now we’re left wondering: what's the deal with the upgrades?
Three weeks have flown by, and I’m betting we’ll see a decent haul of upgrades soon. I'm honestly curious to see how Lotus plans to play this. We might get an official word from Pilastradamus tomorrow.

Don't forget how much Red Bull has owned this track over the years. It didn't happen by accident. This circuit just plays right into their hands. It’s clear that the layout rewards exactly what makes them elite: their damn aerodynamics.
Beating Red Bull at Indianapolis would actually matter more than just taking the win itself.

Drew Bennett68 said:I honestly think Ferrari is going to cruise to a win here, provided the weather stays clear. The track layout is packed with those high-speed corners that this year's Ferrari setup absolutely loves—plus, they shouldn't have any trouble managing their tire degradation.
Besides, I can't help but feel like these next two races are going to be absolute game-changers for the championship standings. It’ll either be Fernando Alonso making a massive dent in that points gap, or we might see Sebastian Vettel sliding down toward fourth place.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself with the predictions, but hey... if Red Bull shows up with a fast car on these "aero-heavy" tracks, it would mean they finally cracked the code on their tire issues.

It’s about time Ferrari actually starts using Massa for something useful. And I don't mean just picking up easy points to pad the standings—I mean putting him in a position to actually fight for podiums.

Look, it all comes down to one thing: neutralizing Vettel’s advantage. If Alonso can somehow pull ahead, that win would be the ultimate prize—a glimmer of hope in this whole fight. But if Vettel takes it? We're probably looking at the championship being decided before the summer break even hits. I'm talking about the next two real tracks, especially this upcoming one.
Alonso drove a hell of a race in Canada. I’m looking for actual consistency here, not this constant back-and-forth speculation.

The whole Webber situation is pretty interesting. I’m expecting even less patience for Vettel from here on out.

Indianapolis is a track where Red Bull usually shows some serious pace.
That’s why this weekend serves as a real benchmark for everyone else—it'll show us if they can actually hold their own on Red Bull's home turf.
So, I won't act shocked or overly dramatic if Red Bull pulls off another win.
But honestly? If anyone manages to go toe-to-toe with them and actually takes the win, that would be a massive statement of intent for the field (especially for Ferrari, though I'm rooting for Kimi too).

Jason Campbell70 said:Good morning to my fellow forum members, and everyone else can go jump in a lake. 😍
Whichever way you want to spin it... honestly, I don't care. 😍

Man... I was dreaming big.
Both Ferraris finishing in the top three, both fighting for the win...
Even Massa actually making it onto the podium.

Andiamo Ferrari, let's go Fernando!

We're in the same boat here. Pretty much the same situation at my place.
I just don't get what Jerry Rogers6 is on about. 🤷 What exactly are we supposed to be afraid of?

stormybadger8 said:If I recall correctly, he even handed him a win earlier this season...

Looks more like he was just settling a debt from last year. 😉

stormybadger8 said:What makes you think Massa, Rubens Massa, or Mark Webber had an easier time grabbing wins while stuck behind multiple world champions as teammates? You could name anyone else in history for all I care...

My point is, Mark Webber won everything he could in top-tier cars—absolute championship contenders at the time.
Rubens Barrichello was in the same boat.
But Felipe Massa actually beat out the reigning champ from his own team (who, let's be honest, gets way more hype) and missed the title by a hair with six wins in a season.

That’s the context we should be looking at. Just counting up wins or points doesn't tell the whole story.

Emily Patel64 said:Whoops 🙂 didn't realize that was such a huge bold font 🙂

Let's not get carried away here.
Ralf Schumacher has six wins under his belt too.
And two of my favorite Brazilians have eleven each.

Beyond just raw numbers, you have to look at the context—the conditions and the environment surrounding any given result.

swifttiger75 said:Everyone eventually hits that point where they switch to the "dark side." City just remembers the Canadian Grand Prix and that qualifying mess with Lewis Hamilton. Fernando was acting pretty "moral" back then. But let's be real—the stakes are too high. When championships are on the line, history shows everyone is willing to do whatever it takes.

I’m curious, though. Suppose Fernando moves to Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel goes to Ferrari. How would you view Fernando then? Who would you actually be rooting for?

It's obvious for me.

But there's another factor at play here. A big one. Respect.
If Fernando decided to jump ship tomorrow—purely hypothetical, since neither he nor Ferrari are that crazy—I'd still respect him. Regardless of the lack of titles, his stint at Ferrari was incredibly impressive, and I'm happy with how it went.
I feel the exact same way about Kimi, Sebastian Vettel...

graniteharbor502 said:Results. Do you have a better metric, or are we just going to rely on the "luck" and "satisfaction" (extremely objective criteria, clearly) that Alonso's driving gives you?

Luck and satisfaction are feelings, not metrics. In Formula 1, at least, there’s absolutely nothing I can do to control the events that serve as the input for my feelings.

Half a million people will tell you that results—as in, the standings—aren't the sole, absolute measure of a driver's talent. But hey, if that's how you want to play it, I'm done.

Michael Schumacher won three titles in '96 and '97 back when Ferrari had a car that was significantly inferior to Williams. Back then, I was incredibly happy and satisfied, convinced Ferrari was on the right track and that Schumacher was a better driver than Hill or Villeneuve. Fast forward to 2006, when they lost the title to Fernando Alonso, and I felt exactly the same way.
I wasn't even slightly bummed about losing the title compared to how much it sucked seeing Schumacher retire.

graniteharbor502 said:Kudos. It’s actually refreshing to see an objective Ferrari fan on this forum for once.

So, I guess you're just the baseline for objectivity now.
And by that logic, anyone who agrees with you is automatically objective too.
You really didn't need to go there.

swifttiger75 said:Right now, Vettel is a better driver than Alonso. That’s just the reality, unless you Ferrari fans—with your obsession over those fallen horses—actually manage to prove otherwise.

What kind of scale are we using to measure this nonsense?

graniteharbor502 said:People talk about the other drivers too. But you just see what you want to see...

🙂 More empty rhetoric.

How much have you actually spent talking about anyone else? Maybe 10%? Go ahead, tell me. Who else have you written about, and how often?
The issue is that you and people like you can't stand it when one of us gives Alonso some credit. And he deserves it, in moderation.
What if we actually started praising him based on his real achievements instead of going overboard? 😂

steelmaker83 said:Sometimes you read posts that make you wonder... but hey, if I have to say it, I will:

Regarding point four—I feel like an idiot even having to explain this, but you're persistent, so here we go...

It’s a good thing you wrote this for everyone else's sake.
To be honest, he’s clearly messing with us. It's obvious as day. But I'm not even mad. There's actually plenty of reason to be happy right now.

Sebastian Vettel won, his lead grew, Mercedes are better but still struggling, Lotus catastrophe, McLaren tragedy... Webber finished fourth despite having the best car on track... You can find enough stuff like that.
The real issue is that Alonso overtook four of them to take second. For two days straight, all anyone talks about is Alonso.

I'm just wondering what comes next.

stormybadger8 said:Bottas... 😉

That first lap was pure fantasy, even if the guys at Ferrari won't admit it and are pretending they saw nothing...
But honestly, seeing him keep Alonso behind him and defend his position twice? That was the highlight of the race for me.
Williams is a total junk heap compared to Ferrari—and I mean a heavy one. The Magnificent almost caught him for the entire first lap.
Someone get Bottas a better car so he can actually give us something to watch more often.😁

Fair enough regarding Bottas. But you're saying the highlight of the race was a defense in the first lap???
So we’ve really hit rock bottom when the excitement peaks just because Alonso couldn't overtake someone within two miles during the opening stint.
Good grief, how much did you guys love Abu Dhabi 2010 then? Must have been an absolute orgasmic race!

And don't even get me started on the last race. Try defending against Pérez in Monaco. Once Bottas actually manages to pass someone, maybe then he'll earn some respect.

My bad, I forgot I was talking about a joke when it comes to Alonso—aka The Magnificent. Here I am worrying about Pérez and Bottas. Where is my head?

My driver picks for the Canadian Grand Prix:

1. Fernando Alonso
Climbing from 6th to 2nd is a hell of an achievement. He sliced through all four cars ahead of him during overtaking. Three of those were absolute monsters—both Mercedes drivers and Mark Webber, who was, let’s be honest, in a winning car. It was a masterclass: aggressive, smart, clean. Just the classic Alonso we’ve come to expect. A couple of bad qualifying sessions probably cost him the win.
He had a little scrap with Lewis Hamilton, but I wouldn't call those mistakes.

2. Sebastian Vettel
He basically won this thing on Saturday with a phenomenal qualifying lap, then left Mercedes in the rearview mirror at the start. When conditions are perfect for him, he delivers a convincing victory. The only stain on his performance was two massive errors that easily could have sent him into the wall. Someone once said "fortune favors the bold." In this case, I’d say "fortune favored him more than common sense did."

3-4-5
Felipe Massa — Honestly, I'm surprised I even put him here, but I can't ignore that overtake on Kimi Räikkönen at the end, nor his overall vibe today. He threw away way too much time in qualifying. If he’d actually made it into Third Qualifying Session, he had the car and the pace to be in the top five.

Jean-Éric Vergne deserves huge credit. Started 7th, finished 6th against that field. Phenomenal.
Paul di Resta was also deluxe (jumping from 17th to 7th), though he played a different tactical game.

PS: Sergio Pérez a) beat Jenson Button again b) didn't wreck anyone.

It’s dry, and there’s hardly any chance of moisture in the air.
Temp is hovering just north of 70. Not exactly blowing me away—could definitely be warmer.
Whatever. It is what it is. Let's see if we can actually make something happen in this weather.

Richard Vaughn62 said:I expect to see him in the Hall of Fame. ☕

You think, you hope. That’s fine. It’s alright.
I mean, I honestly don't know what you're basing that on. Why would you expect more from him than anyone else?

Brian Campbell36 said:Hard luck, but rain is basically Vettel's lucky charm for winning tomorrow.
This season, he's been lightyears ahead of everyone else in Q whenever it starts pouring...
It’s going to be a struggle for Alonso to grab the title when Vettel has Newey on one side and Heavenly Help on the other.

New York City doesn't demand pole position for the winner. You can actually overtake there, so starting spot isn't everything.