Posts by Amanda Kelly

Are you seriously trying to find comfort in the constructors' championship?

stormybadger8 said:Look, regardless of anything else, Ferrari has been an absolute mess this season, and Alonso has been the biggest mess of the bunch.
☕
You can't expect much more than that from an inexperienced, green Red Bull crew.
Don't go expecting anything besides the usual from a seasoned pro like Webber.
And expecting any kind of serious business from a rookie like Vettel? Yeah, dream on.

But from a battle-hardened two-time World Champion with ten seasons under his belt—driving for a team that's dominated the world driver championship and world constructors championship more times than I can count—you should really expect a lot more professionalism.
☕

Look, in the last race, both of our drivers managed to move up one spot compared to their qualifying positions, while your guys dropped two.
You guys have a way more dominant car—well, except for that last race—but what’s the actual advantage here? A measly 13 points. It's honestly laughable.

stormybadger8 said:Look, regardless of anything else, Ferrari has been an absolute mess this season, and Alonso has been the biggest mess of the bunch.
☕
You can't expect much more than that from an inexperienced, green Red Bull crew.
Don't go expecting anything besides the usual from a seasoned pro like Webber.
And expecting any kind of serious business from a rookie like Vettel? Yeah, dream on.

But from a battle-hardened two-time World Champion with ten seasons under his belt—driving for a team that's dominated the world driver championship and world constructors championship more times than I can count—you should really expect a lot more professionalism.
☕

Well, looks like we've gone completely backward. It should have been a clean exit from Turkey, right? But what exactly went down over there?
Hockenheim doesn't have to be the ultimate benchmark, but honestly? It feels more like we're catching up to you than you're pulling away from us.
What would have happened if we weren't such a disorganized mess of a company?

stormybadger8 said:Look, regardless of anything else, Ferrari has been an absolute mess this season, and Alonso has been the biggest mess of the bunch.
☕
You can't expect much more than that from an inexperienced, green Red Bull crew.
Don't go expecting anything besides the usual from a seasoned pro like Webber.
And expecting any kind of serious business from a rookie like Vettel? Yeah, dream on.

But from a battle-hardened two-time World Champion with ten seasons under his belt—driving for a team that's dominated the world driver championship and world constructors championship more times than I can count—you should really expect a lot more professionalism.
☕

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is basically a PhD in driving science compared to those fanatics you call fans.

stormybadger8 said:I’m just sitting here hoping that Massa and that sloppy Turbo Ferrari finally opened the eyes of naive Horner and Matheka.🤣

If this isn't it, then I don't know what is.😂

Everything will come to light in Canada. That's where they should finally decide who the No. 1 driver is at Red Bull, and they need to stick to it strictly—even if it means firing a disobedient No. 2 driver.😬

There’s no other way. They need to be taught a lesson and shown how things actually work, especially since they still have the title in their pocket without breaking a sweat.☕

Otherwise, when you look at the situation:

Because they didn't have team orders, Red Bull only gave up 46 points in Turkey and Britain combined.
Vettel lost 44 points for the exact same reason.
Webber lost 10 points for the same reason.
Compared to Red Bull, who had nothing holding them back, Ferrari lost a massive 89 points because of those team orders.

Seriously, if we look at the facts, if Alonso and Massa had kept chasing each other like Webber and Vettel, a crash would have been almost inevitable.🤣

So, it's team order 89 versus zero team orders.😢

Do you seriously have the nerve to call Ferrari's engine Turbo sloppy? 😂

hollowhawk412 said:👍

Honestly, I found myself thinking yesterday that Massa might have done that on purpose just to make the whole thing look rigged... and after browsing some international forums, it seems I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.

When Alonso was right on the verge of overtaking him, the team radio was basically just broadcasting his sheer disbelief that they were playing games with the agreement; honestly, they could have collided at any second there...
I honestly suspect that everything unfolding later on was purely spontaneous, which might actually offer some clarity regarding Smedley's sheer clumsiness during that stretch...
I am more convinced than ever that Massa did that on purpose.

The controversy surrounding Halabuka exists for a reason, and honestly, it stems directly from the reality that Ferrari actually has the pace right now. That’s exactly why you see Horner scrambling, trying so desperately to prove himself and reclaim some ground. It's quite telling, really. But then you have his own driver essentially stating that being second isn't even a bad thing for the other guy, which just adds another layer to this whole mess.

Honestly, I think we’ve had more than enough debate regarding this particular situation...

Does anyone actually have a decent explanation for why Fettel blocked Alonso right at the start?
Honestly, when I took a look at the onboard footage from Massa's car, it struck me—actually, I'm absolutely certain—that Vettel was even slowing down, let alone clearly being blocked.
Is that actually permitted?

Yeah. Over the last 24 hours, I've gone from defending Massa to being pretty critical of him.
Seeing how he played it at the very end, I was almost relieved he even let up.
But once you step back, it's clear to me he's the root of this whole mess—the main reason Ferrari is dealing with this whole "not letting someone through" drama.

hollowhawk412 said:👍

Honestly, I found myself thinking yesterday that Massa might have done that on purpose just to make the whole thing look rigged... and after browsing some international forums, it seems I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.

When Alonso was right on the verge of overtaking him, the team radio was basically just broadcasting his sheer disbelief that they were playing games with the agreement; honestly, they could have collided at any second there...
I honestly suspect that everything unfolding later on was purely spontaneous, which might actually offer some clarity regarding Smedley's sheer clumsiness during that stretch...
I am more convinced than ever that Massa did that on purpose.

The controversy surrounding Halabuka exists for a reason, and honestly, it stems directly from the reality that Ferrari actually has the pace right now. That’s exactly why you see Horner scrambling, trying so desperately to prove himself and reclaim some ground. It's quite telling, really. But then you have his own driver essentially stating that being second isn't even a bad thing for the other guy, which just adds another layer to this whole mess.

Honestly, I think we’ve had more than enough debate regarding this particular situation...

Does anyone actually have a decent explanation for why Fettel blocked Alonso right at the start?
Honestly, when I took a look at the onboard footage from Massa's car, it struck me—actually, I'm absolutely certain—that Vettel was even slowing down, let alone clearly being blocked.
Is that actually permitted?

Alonso was completely justified, and it looked like he let him through simply because he didn't want to take unnecessary risks. The guy realized he was dealing with a joke.
And Smedley isn't off the hook either! He’s Massa's race engineer, so his closeness and loyalty to Felipe make sense. But he's also an experienced professional on the Ferrari payroll, and what he said is unacceptable in terms of responsibility to the team.
If Massa gets chewed out (stormyviper11 👍), Smedley should too.
Though Massa's fault is incomparably bigger. He could have handled the whole thing elegantly, and he should have.
That spring must have left its mark.

hollowhawk412 said:👍

Honestly, I found myself thinking yesterday that Massa might have done that on purpose just to make the whole thing look rigged... and after browsing some international forums, it seems I'm certainly not the only one who feels that way.

When Alonso was right on the verge of overtaking him, the team radio was basically just broadcasting his sheer disbelief that they were playing games with the agreement; honestly, they could have collided at any second there...
I honestly suspect that everything unfolding later on was purely spontaneous, which might actually offer some clarity regarding Smedley's sheer clumsiness during that stretch...
I am more convinced than ever that Massa did that on purpose.

The controversy surrounding Halabuka exists for a reason, and honestly, it stems directly from the reality that Ferrari actually has the pace right now. That’s exactly why you see Horner scrambling, trying so desperately to prove himself and reclaim some ground. It's quite telling, really. But then you have his own driver essentially stating that being second isn't even a bad thing for the other guy, which just adds another layer to this whole mess.

Honestly, I think we’ve had more than enough debate regarding this particular situation...

Does anyone actually have a decent explanation for why Fettel blocked Alonso right at the start?
Honestly, when I took a look at the onboard footage from Massa's car, it struck me—actually, I'm absolutely certain—that Vettel was even slowing down, let alone clearly being blocked.
Is that actually permitted?

Clear as day. It looks like Ferrari's updates are dialed in and working well. Both Red Bulls were outpaced, and the McLaren was more than half a second behind.
They aren't exactly thrilled realizing that Alonso now has top-tier machinery in his hands.

redheron12 said:Hmm, I doubt we were ever bragging about the car at McLaren—it was always pretty obvious that Red Bull had us beat. We were bragging about our drivers' smart driving, and honestly, today was no exception; the guys pushed it to the absolute limit.

Right now, we are indeed the third car on the grid, but let's not forget that even Ferrari was third—if not worse—during those first few races after they introduced the new diffuser, failing to score a single point in some of them.

Like I said before, during those first couple of races while we wait for the diffuser to settle in properly, it's purely about damage control. Today, we handled that perfectly, and Hamilton actually widened his gap over third place. As for Button, I'm not losing any sleep over him; I wouldn't be any happier or sadder if he took the title.

Ferrari looked incredibly strong today, but I suspect it comes down to the track configuration and the fact that they were over half a second faster than McLaren in the third sector.

We have another tough weekend ahead in Canada. That race will likely be another exercise in damage control—just trying to extract as much data as possible regarding the car and the diffuser. If we execute that well, we shouldn't lose our grip on either championship.

It's a shame Hamilton wrecked the car, and the rain didn't exactly help us when it came to testing the diffuser and dialing in the setup.

It is interesting to note that we were better than Webber today, whereas in the last race, Lewis couldn't even get close to him.

Hardly likely with a Red Bull like that. They certainly gave you guys a show today. But don't forget Felipe's contribution, too.
Gotta give credit where it's due to McLaren. Getting the job done perfectly is what matters most.

redheron12 said:Hmm, I doubt we were ever bragging about the car at McLaren—it was always pretty obvious that Red Bull had us beat. We were bragging about our drivers' smart driving, and honestly, today was no exception; the guys pushed it to the absolute limit.

Right now, we are indeed the third car on the grid, but let's not forget that even Ferrari was third—if not worse—during those first few races after they introduced the new diffuser, failing to score a single point in some of them.

Like I said before, during those first couple of races while we wait for the diffuser to settle in properly, it's purely about damage control. Today, we handled that perfectly, and Hamilton actually widened his gap over third place. As for Button, I'm not losing any sleep over him; I wouldn't be any happier or sadder if he took the title.

Ferrari looked incredibly strong today, but I suspect it comes down to the track configuration and the fact that they were over half a second faster than McLaren in the third sector.

We have another tough weekend ahead in Canada. That race will likely be another exercise in damage control—just trying to extract as much data as possible regarding the car and the diffuser. If we execute that well, we shouldn't lose our grip on either championship.

It's a shame Hamilton wrecked the car, and the rain didn't exactly help us when it came to testing the diffuser and dialing in the setup.

It is interesting to note that we were better than Webber today, whereas in the last race, Lewis couldn't even get close to him.

Webber wasn't quite himself today. Something definitely went sideways there.

Regarding all the chatter about whether Alonso's wins were actually deserved:

What I was getting at is that Alonso was clearly faster, and honestly, I think he would have overtaken Massa.
I can't say for sure, but that's my gut feeling.

To those who don't buy it—you aren't going to convince me that Massa could have definitely held off Alonso's attacks either.

What actually happened was just a rational way to handle the situation and squeeze out the best possible result for the team. I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but the fallout from any kind of collision would have been catastrophic. So, as far as I'm concerned, it's all straightforward.

Just a quick take on my Ferrari today:

Alonso was absolutely brilliant! 🙏
1. In qualifying, he was just two-hundredths behind Sebastian Vettel; everyone else was basically swept aside. A half-second gap in qualifying is a massive advantage.
2. At the start, if it wasn't for a poor launch and Sebastian Vettel's stupid, aggressive behavior, he would have taken the lead immediately. If that had happened, the gaps would have been even wider. Besides, Vettel couldn't do anything against Massa anyway.
3. Once things settled down after the pit stops, he was visibly faster than Massa.
4. One serious attempt at an overtake showed just how lacking Massa's situational awareness was. Alonso let him through. Smart move. Very smart.
5. After Massa laid down the law, he cruised to the finish.

Basically, a great weekend overall and a well-earned win.

I wasn't exactly thrilled by the post-race drama (based on what I'm reading here). I didn't watch much of it, but to me, the whole thing felt like excessive luck and over-the-top celebrating.

Massa drove a great race; I'm glad he managed to snatch those crucial points away from Sebastian Vettel.
Still, I find the misunderstanding of the situation baffling. We could have finished this without all the chaos.
I feel for him on a personal level, but if he can't grasp how things work, then he shouldn't be there.

All in all, a Luxury Ferrari performance.
We need another result like this—or something similar—to prove we're actually making real progress.

I can totally see why everyone is venting right now, especially over in the McLaren camp.

Like you said, McLaren is leading in basically every category, yet you've suddenly dropped to having only the third-fastest car. That's a weird way for things to turn out.
Now that Ferrari pulled off that 1-2 finish, McLaren is suddenly sitting there with just one decent car for the whole championship.
But when you guys were dominating with those 1-2 finishes, you were bragging about that exact same car.
And all this time, you've been constant critics of Ferrari's tech, their organization, and everything else.

Now that you actually have nothing but the third-best car, it’s no wonder you're all spiraling.
One thing people are glossing over here is how much ground Ferrari gained today.

Alonso ended up finishing 25 seconds ahead of Hamilton. If he hadn't been held up, it probably would've been another 10 seconds on top of that.
Being 35-40 seconds ahead over 67 laps means they were faster by more than half a second per lap. That’s huge. Honestly, I’d be worried too.

hollowgull5 said:Ferrari's own Fernando Alonso is basically saying he doesn't feel bad at all about how he snatched that US Grand Prix victory...

what a total loser 🤮

Why on earth should he be embarrassed?

He was faster during practice.
He was half a second faster in qualifying, which is huge for a lap this short.
And he was faster during the race, too—he just made the smart call to back off once he saw how much resistance Massa was giving him. Honestly, he probably should have kept pushing and let things go south. If Felipe can't figure out his job, someone clearly needs to sit him down and explain it to him.

Amanda Kelly said:Listen, folks, stop dreaming about who’s taking the win tomorrow.
It’s down to two guys: Alonso or Vettel. That's the whole list.

Between terrible qualifying sessions and botched starts, Ferrari has basically thrown away "100" points this season. It can't go on forever.

I get it—seeing Ferrari sitting this high up feels weird, especially since it wasn't exactly part of the master plan, but you better get used to it. This is just how the cards fall now.

🙏

Arguing over whether they missed a chance or not is just a waste of breath.

I said it here recently: I wouldn't trade Webber for Massa even if you offered me ten grand.👍

The McLaren drivers did great, and after us Ferrari fans, they’ve got the most to be happy about.

Meanwhile, the Red Bull drivers have every reason to be miserable. Both lost two spots from their starting positions. I get the frustration, but honestly, it's their own fault for not having a team that's as tactically or technically organized as Ferrari.

Michael Lee4 said:Hey Amanda Kelly, if you can actually guess who shows up on that MotoGP PDF, then the Americans are officially toast 😉 🍿

Forget about the English. This is going to be just like recent soccer in South Africa.

Your only hope is praying for Quote : Rain, but we aren't exactly known for our faith or our luck. Or maybe we're just unlucky. That's the polite way to put it, anyway.

redheron12 said:kajgod pila, I honestly think McLaren just used this to settle their internal hierarchy once and for all. You can't have drivers tearing each other apart on track like we saw at Red Bull, and you can't explicitly order Lewis to let someone pass at the finish line like they do at Ferrari—but you can always "accidentally" forget a wheel nut cover and let the natural order restore itself within the team.

I don't know if you've noticed, but since then, Button has been consistently slower—almost as if his car isn't right—and his attitude has become much more subdued. Meanwhile, Lewis seems absolutely bursting with confidence, driving the best car he's ever had. It reminds me a bit of listening to Kovalainen 😁

Nice one! 🙏
And it's not just that; their rivals still haven't figured out how to pull off a move like that intelligently. But hey, they're young. They've got plenty of time to learn.

Listen, folks, stop dreaming about who’s taking the win tomorrow.
It’s down to two guys: Alonso or Vettel. That's the whole list.

Between terrible qualifying sessions and botched starts, Ferrari has basically thrown away "100" points this season. It can't go on forever.

I get it—seeing Ferrari sitting this high up feels weird, especially since it wasn't exactly part of the master plan, but you better get used to it. This is just how the cards fall now.

Timothy Lee11 said:I agree—it’s honestly impossible to tell who’s got the bigger ego, Sebastian Vettel or Fernando Alonso. And with Felipe Massa in the mix, plus Mark Webber, things are going to get intense. It'll be incredible to see who comes out on top at the end of that massive straight... whoever crosses that line first is the true winner.

You really nailed that lineup of temperamental icons. Not wrong. 🤣

Looks like our time is finally coming.

Edward Howard2 said:I gotta disagree...
There wasn't any real war before Turkey, at least nothing this loud in the media.
It all kicked off in Turkey. It started with Vettel going after Webber, it started with Vettel, it started with that whole finger-wagging thing he did...

Everything since then has just been a confirmation of what we already suspected: Vettel is the clear number one in the team. The new part is realizing Webber isn't having any of it... and honestly, he’s got a point because Vettel isn't actually a better driver than Webber and definitely hasn't earned that top spot.
Webber didn't say a single word against Vettel or the team before Turkey. But look, even if you treat their collision as a total racing incident where Webber couldn't possibly be blamed, Vettel still shouldn't have been pointing fingers like "this guy is crazy." So, I wouldn't call Vettel an innocent bystander or some victim here. This photo pretty much proves he's anything but. 😉

Typical. Everyone sees things differently.

As far as I'm concerned, Webber is completely to blame. In a situation like that, he should've moved. For the paycheck he pulls and the car he drives, he owes something to the team. There were plenty of empty seats in the stands, but apparently, it was just too much to ask him to move aside for his faster teammate.

That same Webber took him out in the last race, too. And let’s not forget how he slammed into Hamilton and likely ruined his podium finish.

So, in my book, Vettel's expression is totally justified. Thanks for the photo.

silvercobra68 said:kajgot. Bridgestone sent out supersoft and hard compounds, so expect a repeat of Canada.

The internal fighting will also end the second Dieter Mateschitz decides to step in.

Did you see how Webber changed his tune? He said too much, and then Dieter insisted they all get treated equally even if it meant losing the championship. Dieter knows what the fans want—the audience needs to be satisfied—and that wasn't happening since most of the fans sided with Webber.

Is this someone's deliberate move just to stir up more drama and keep things moving?

silvercobra68 said:kajgot. Bridgestone sent out supersoft and hard compounds, so expect a repeat of Canada.

The internal fighting will also end the second Dieter Mateschitz decides to step in.

Did you see how Webber changed his tune? He said too much, and then Dieter insisted they all get treated equally even if it meant losing the championship. Dieter knows what the fans want—the audience needs to be satisfied—and that wasn't happening since most of the fans sided with Webber.

When you say "viewers," are we talking about people just buying Red Bull, or actual fans?

It takes two to tango, and I haven't seen Vettel even stepping onto the dance floor lately.

mistybear87 said:That’s exactly why you need a cold beer to wash it all down. 😉
It’s not just any heat, either; it’s that crazy spicy stuff you find at Oktoberfest.

That's exactly how it went down.
Next time, I'll just make sure to pack more prosciutto and cheese.

Joshua Newman2 said:I can't quite put my finger on why, but I have this nagging feeling that Mercedes might actually pull off something decent this race. It’s probably delusional, but intuition doesn't always need a logical basis. 😁

It’s a safe bet that Red Bull will be the class of the field, but given the increasing likelihood of them tearing each other apart in a sibling rivalry, they might just leave a window open for McLaren or Ferrari to make a dent. Honestly, if Fernando Alonso doesn't grab a win soon, he might just check himself into a clinic in Chicago out of pure frustration.

I’d love to see Robert Kubica, Jenson Button, and Mark Webber at the post-race press conference. Actually, if we could get Kamui Kobayashi in there too, he could probably fill in for any of them. :S

Doesn't look like an ideal track for Red Bull to me. It feels more like a McLaren setup.

As for those podium predictions of yours... I hope they stay as far from the podium as possible. When things go that way, it usually gives us something actually worth talking about.

I ate those sausages. Once was enough for a lifetime.
Seriously, it felt like they stuffed them full of every spicy seasoning from India to Mexico. You're basically just spitting fire afterward.