Posts by Amanda Kelly

Kimberly Davis61 said:I suppose we're looking at some serious wing clipping in that first turn... 🤷

Maybe try actually reading the article?

Kimberly Davis61 said:I doubt that's really a smart move for Michael Lee4 to have the McLarens getting caught up in a collision at Turn 1... though I suppose I feel the same way as ☕

Who even mentioned a crash?

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, don't hold your breath.👎
With DRS being what it is, nobody even bothers trying to fight for position at the start anymore.👎

Autosport: "McLaren: Early laps key to beating Red Bull Racing."

The folks over at McLaren don't see it that way. Having a strategy and the guts to actually pull off an overtake—under the right circumstances, obviously—is great.
Red Bull is the fastest car on the grid, sure, but they've got openings. A move into Turn 1 at Circuit of the Americas would be a perfect starting point.

stormybadger8 said:God, what an idiot move🤣

Are they out of their minds? Canceling stuff just a few days before the race🤦

Why wasn't the same decision made before the season even started?
We knew the effects were coming. We just had no clue how they’d actually play out for each team.

Frank Collins85 said:I can't help but wonder how Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, and Renault are going to embarrass themselves again while trailing behind those incredibly aerodynamically efficient cars owned by the big beverage corporations.

The Ferrari wasn't an embarrassment at all during the race in Turkey.
The pit crew? Sure. But the car and the drivers? Not even close.

@ TBF
I’m with you on all points. You hit the nail on the head—honestly, people around here say the exact same thing.

The only thing I disagree with is your take on how Red Bull handles their issues, specifically that they're just pretending the problems don't exist.
It isn't that they're ignoring them; it's that they actually can't fix them. They've been stuck for a while now. They're just powerless, and things have spun completely out of their control.

There’s zero protectionist benefit to having Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull. If there were, Mark Webber would be sitting right where Felipe Massa is now.

Anyone willing to start the Abu Dhabi thread?
I'd appreciate it, honestly—my nerves are already shot.
If someone does step up, considering how superstitious everyone here gets about starting race threads, I’d love it if a Ferrari-like or McLaren-like fan took the lead 🙏.

Joshua Newman2 said:I’ve been chewing on something that might be obvious, but I haven't really looked at it as a real possibility until now. There are two big headaches for anyone chasing the driver's title:

- Fernando is running an engine with questionable reliability (this will be his fifth race on this one, right?) and it wouldn't surprise me if it blew. If that happens, Red Bull wins by default because they basically hold fate in their hands.

- On the flip side, Red Bull is dealing with an internal team war right now. Despite how much everyone swears otherwise, it wouldn't be out of the question to see a collision similar to what happened in Turkey. In that scenario, Fernando takes it because he can just drive steadily without worrying if his engine is going to give up on him.

I wouldn't look at it that way.
People have speculated about this and every other scenario before, and it rarely ever pans out.

For both of them, the main concern is the other two drivers.
Fernando has the luxury of a points lead. He doesn't actually need to win to secure the championship.
The guys at Red Bull don't have that option. Only a win provides the massive points haul they both need to overtake the leaders.

The math is pretty straightforward; all the combinations are already worked out, and they know exactly what each one needs to do.

Personally, I'd focus more on the power balance in Abu Dhabi, the track layout, and things like that. That's where the real story is.

Douglas Parker61 said:No, once Scuderia Ferrari came out, Lewis Hamilton had to pit for a second time because his tires were shot. He ended up coming out right behind Jenson Button, so to avoid any potential collision on the track, Button pitted a lap later.

Fair enough. My bad.

Jason Campbell70 said:You’re probably thinking of that moment when Novak called it "little Button sending Hamilton packing." 🤔

Down in the pits, during the Safety Car.

Hold on a second. Button pitted first, while Lewis didn't go in until around lap 20 or 25. The Safety Car didn't come out until lap 50.
Does that mean Button was nearly 30 laps ahead of Lewis, sitting in P4 or P5?
And you're saying the Safety Car saved them in terms of how clean the move looked.

Given that Lewis made that mistake again while battling Alonso, I have to conclude that Button handled the USA race better than his teammate.

I’m still holding out hope that Hamilton can snatch a point from Red Bull's grasp, but he's definitely been unreliable lately (though I'll keep hoping for Las Vegas).

stormybadger8 said:Give me a break, mistybear87. What’s even the point of this forum if we aren't here just trkeljanje our heads off?🤣🤣 🤣

Trkeljanje is what we do. For me, it's an honor, a privilege, and a full-time job.😬 🤣

I mean, imagine how boring this would be if everyone actually agreed and everything we wrote turned out to be the official results after every race. Just a bunch of aces all the way through.😂

Exactly! 👍

We need to get an Abu Dhabi thread going ASAP.
I don't see much point in talking about today's race. It was a total snooze fest.

I did miss one specific moment, though.
How exactly did Lewis manage to get ahead of Jenson Button? How did he make that pass?
It’s not that I care about the result, I’m just curious how they pulled it off.

stormybadger8 said:If they'd just put their money on Vettel, he would've walked away with about 50 more points than Webber, and Nico wouldn't have stood a chance.

Webber only stayed in the hunt because of Turkey and Vettel pulling back, plus all that pushing and Vettel finishing 7th.

If Vettel had actually let Webber pass every single time, Webber wouldn't even have a title to his name. If they hadn't been constantly fighting each other, Vettel would have secured the championship way before Brazil.

You're right about most of it.
But you're forgetting one detail we've already chewed over here and mostly agreed on.
Do you honestly think Webber is the kind of guy who just lets people walk all over him?

mistybear87 said:in that scenario, if anyone in that team actually had half a brain or an ounce of authority, Webber would be taking the championship 😉

So you're telling me if you were in Vettel's shoes, you'd just step aside for Webber?
And why? Just to say thanks for his generosity and his big mouth!?

Edward Howard2 said:It's definitely better than finishing in this order with Hulk ahead of those four.

Obviously, I'm rooting for that outcome.
I'm also pulling for Sebastian Vettel; he's basically Fernando Alonso's biggest ally in these two races. 😍

If things end up looking like this, Abu Dhabi will give Fernando enough...
1. Sebastian Vettel, 2. Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso, 3. Lewis Hamilton, 4. Fernando Alonso
...to clinch the title.

Yeah, right. Vettel, because he's just so fast.
Lewis is an ally too, but I wonder how much that actually matters given how the McLaren is performing. Especially in Brazil, where he's trailing Fernando and the Red Bulls by two or three tenths per lap.
Still, Yas Marina might be his shot. Red Bull shouldn't have such a massive advantage there.

Edward Howard2 said:It’s great for Nico Hulkenberg that Sebastian Vettel is sitting right in second. It gives him the best shot at a win, regardless of how much the Williams struggles. We all know how "good" Sebastian is at overtaking on track, so if they both nail the start and hold their spots through the first lap, Sebastian becomes the perfect buffer for Hulk, keeping him away from the trio chasing him down. We could end up with a solid little Hulk train until the pit stops. With a bit of luck in the pits, he might even pull off the win, though it's a long shot to stay ahead of everyone through the stops. The gaps will be tight, so Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton, or even Fernando Alonso could jump in. We'll see how it all plays out... 😁

If Nico Hulkenberg manages to clear the first corner in the lead, we're definitely looking at a train.
The Red Bull duo will have Fernando and Lewis breathing down their necks, so anything can happen.
Fernando is only a tenth or two behind Sebastian, Lewis is about that far behind Fernando, and the Williams is roughly that distance behind the McLaren. A train is a 100% certainty.
I'm also worried about Rubens being right behind Fernando. He's a Brazilian racing in Brazil, after all.

Morgan Murphy7 said:Anyone actually want my two cents?

We’re all dying to hear what you have to say in your 6,000th post! 🙏

Jason Campbell70 said:So here’s the million-dollar question—who actually had the pace in Q1 when you consider the track conditions we're looking at for tomorrow's race?

Isn't the forecast calling for a DRY track tomorrow?

mistybear87 said:it wouldn't be the first time I've crashed on in my car🤣🤣🤣

What are we talking about here, a stretch limo or maybe a freaking fire truck? 😁
Anyway, congrats! I’d love to see that guy driving for Ferrari.

silvercobra68 said:March-May: Alonso
May-August: Webber
Late August: Hamilton
September: Alonso
October: Vettel
November: Alonso

😂 Man, what a ride!

Hey silvercobra68, still staying celibate by just watching the races?