US Embassy Austria (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Race: July 8th–10th, 2022

Rough luck for Schumi Jr.—really bummed for him

I guess if Max manages to squeeze Leclerc out right at the start, maybe Sainz could end up finding some advantage from that situation tomorrow.

Anthony Baker84 said:From what I can see, it’s the same target and the same gap as before Silvestrone (could be another anomaly in how the Mercedes behaves, like in Barcelona)

They slapped the old rear spoiler on him because he tore the new one, and they don't have a replacement ready. 🤣

Mercedes actually has some reason to be optimistic here. This track is relatively bumpy compared to Barcelona or Silverstone, and they didn't struggle with the kerbs at all. I suspect Lewis will show decent race pace, though his biggest headache is going to be traffic. Russell is stuck with that old high-downforce rear wing, so he’s unlikely to pull off any overtakes, but he might catch a break with lower tire degradation. With rain forecast for tomorrow morning, the track is going to stay green and grip levels will be low, which could work in his favor by keeping him from sliding around too much.

Jack Kelly5 said:Maybe Lewis pulls off a repeat of what happened in Brazil back in '21 during tomorrow's sprint.
🎉

I mean, looking back, it seems like there actually was some serious pace in that car in Brazil after all.
😬

Pretty much a snooze fest today. 🥱 Honestly, some kind of miracle needs to happen if we want to stop Red Bull from just sweeping this up tomorrow.

If things don't get messy right at the start tomorrow, we're in for a total snooze fest. Red Bull's pace on this track is just way too much...
Sainz was looking pretty good out there, but let's be real, he clearly isn't matching Leclerc's pace. Tomorrow could be a headache, at least during the opening laps, until Leclerc can finally break out of the DRS train.

Well, I suppose this season is officially wrapped up. Max is our champion, plain and simple. Time to shut down the workshop and pack up all the gear. I honestly think the remaining races will just be a bit of a tedious formality, almost like a slow procession.

Alex Albon is driving in absolute Mad Max mode today.

Max Verstappen is operating in total god mode today.

I’ve gotta say, Gasly is really starting to baffle me. He’s been absolutely falling apart this season. It feels like one step forward, two steps back at this point.

Look, he had a messy start today, just like he did back in the United Kingdom.

Honestly, those clowns carry a pretty big chunk of the blame themselves

The drivers had a meeting with the race director yesterday around 7 p.m.—just a quick sit-down, I assume.
Alonso and Vettel were both complaining about the double standards from the officials—it’s getting a bit ridiculous.
And then they reported them to the FIA—claiming their comments and overall behavior caused non-material damage to the FIA's reputation.

Vettel had to duck out of the meeting early...
And then they went and penalized him with... 25 miles. USD/EUR

I can't believe it.

cosmicmoose2 said:If things don't get messy right at the start tomorrow, it’s going to be a snooze fest. Red Bull just has too much race pace on this track.
Sainz looked sharp, but it's pretty clear he isn't matching Leclerc's pace. It could be an issue tomorrow, at least during the opening laps, until Leclerc manages to get out of the DRS window.

Everything changes if Leclerc manages to jump Max at the start.
To me, Max didn't look untouchable today. It seems to me that Ferrari is managing their tires quite well—not any worse than Red Bull.

The main thing keeping Red Bull at the top is their top speed. That’s exactly why Perez made such progress; his top speed was incredible, even when the driver ahead had DRS, Perez was still closing the gap.

This sprint format is just garbage. First off, it ruins the entire weekend, and second, it serves zero purpose other than rearranging the grid by raw speed, which just makes the actual race less interesting.🤦

James Harris34 said:What are you talking about? Lewis absolutely schooled him. that Maximilian is never going to see a title, not even this year, he's just not smart enough for it.

Alright, it looks like some people literally started following F1 yesterday. 🤣

Jack Kelly5 said:Ferrari has a great car, but they don't have Max.
Red Bull has both.
Last season, he outclassed Lewis, who was driving a Space Shuttle toward the end of the season. Yeah, that Merc was a Space Shuttle compared to everyone else on the grid, and he still got left in the dust.

Mercedes' dominance at the end of last season was unreal. They were better all season, but the way they surged in those last 5-6 races was unprecedented.
I've seen drivers win titles in cars that weren't the fastest, but I've never seen someone pull off a championship in a car that slow by the end of the season.

Jeffrey Brooks2 said:And that’s not even the worst part—how much a guy sinks after anything that isn't perfect is just awful.

Mental game. It's such an underrated factor in all sports, including F1.

Richard Walker38 said:Losers

The guy makes too many mistakes.

Compared to Max, he’s slower. Compared to Sainz, Leclerc's issues are his mistakes and his mental state. If he made fewer errors, Sainz wouldn't be serious competition. But he'll never be faster than Verstappen; the guy is just in a different league when it comes to pure speed.

northerncobra31 said:Red Bull has had the best car on the grid for the last two seasons.

Ferrari this season reminds me of Mercedes 2013. Fast in qualifying, but the race pace is terrible, plus you’ve got the Ferrari pit wall messing things up too.

That is some rare stupidity. Honestly, the only thing dumber than claiming Ferrari doesn't have the fastest car this year is claiming Mercedes didn't have it last year.

I really don't know what people are looking at, besides maybe having vision problems. Ferrari dominates qualifying, but they're better in the race too. Ferrari has had better pace in practically every single race this season. Seriously, if it weren't for reliability issues, driver errors, or strategic blunders, Ferrari would have literally won EVERY race this season. In every race Max won, one of those three things—or a combo of them—is what handed him the victory, while the car's raw pace was always on Ferrari's side. It's incredible how anyone can miss that.
So, we had Sainz winning in the United Kingdom, then Leclerc taking wins in Australia and Bahrain. In Canada, Sainz was squeezing Max, clearly faster, but just couldn't get past. Plus, the SC probably screwed him over. Leclerc was out of the running due to component changes (if he'd been in, Max definitely wouldn't have been able to hold off both of them). Then there was Azerbaijan with both Ferraris breaking down, Monaco with tragic strategic calls and bad communication, and Spain where Leclerc's component failed (thanks to team management). Miami saw a Leclerc error and Max overtaking, followed by Saudi Arabia where Max and Leclerc fought it out with a few mistakes from Leclerc (that was the race where Red Bull was closest). And finally, Italy, where Max predictably dominates in the rain, both Ferraris had desperate starts, Sainz had his mishap, and Leclerc got stuck behind a McLaren before being visibly faster than Perez, only to mess up and lose it all. That's basically the whole season. Maybe one or two races where the pace was equal or Red Bull was slightly faster, but Ferrari was faster in the vast majority of them.

Brian Garcia24 said:I honestly don't know what people are looking at if they have working eyes. Ferrari dominates qualifying, sure, but they’re better in the race too. Ferrari had the superior pace in practically every single race this season. If it weren't for mechanical failures, driver errors, or tactical blunders, Ferrari would have literally won EVERY race this season. In every race where Max took it, one of those three things—or a combo of them—handed him the win, while the car's raw pace was always on Ferrari's side. It's wild how anyone can miss that.
So, look: Sainz wins in the United Kingdom, then Leclerc takes Australia and Bahrain. In Canada, Sainz is breathing down Max's neck—obviously faster—but he just can't get past. Plus, a SC probably screwed him over. Leclerc isn't even in the conversation because of component changes (if he were, Max definitely wouldn't be able to hold off both of them). Azerbaijan was double engine failures for Ferrari, Monaco was a disaster of strategic calls and terrible communication, Spain was a botched call from the pit wall that cost Leclerc, Miami was Leclerc's mistake leading to Max overtaking, and Saudi Arabia was Max and Leclerc fighting it out with a few slips from Leclerc (that’s the race where Red Bull was closest). Then there's Italy, where Max does his usual thing in the rain, both Ferraris have a pathetic start, Sainz crashes, and Leclerc gets stuck behind a McLaren before being visibly faster than Perez but messing up and losing everything. That’s basically the whole season. Maybe one or two races where the pace was even or Red Bull was slightly quicker, but otherwise, Ferrari is faster in the vast majority of races.

blah blah blah...
There is absolutely zero debate here: Red Bull has a significantly better package than Ferrari. Not even "slightly" better—way better.
They were clearly better than the Bear last year too, yet Max still barely scraped the title.

Then there's the whole situation where the FIA basically looked the other way for Hamilton and Mercedes nearly every single race last year. They were blatantly favoring Mercedes and Hamilton right up until the final race of the season.
And then they try to play it off by acting all outraged, as if they aren't just trying to wipe away the shame and make it look like they're suddenly favoring Red Bull instead.🤣

But this season, Red Bull is a far superior package in every department except for the drivers. When it comes to qualifying pace, they're pretty much on level with Ferrari, but in everything else, they're miles ahead...
Since Max = Leclerc and Perez = Sainz, the driver quality is roughly the same—it's just nuances. It doesn't really matter.

Sure, Ferrari usually has the edge in qualifying, but you have to wonder how much of that is the car versus tire management or the driver just having an "on" day...
When it comes to race pace, it's undeniably Red Bull's territory.
As for tactics? Don't even get me started. There's a massive gulf there. Ferrari hasn't got a prayer against Red Bull when it comes to strategy...
Pit stop speed? Again, Red Bull is miles ahead.
Team management and making big calls—like which driver gets priority and when—is something you can't even put Red Bull and Ferrari in the same sentence about.
Regarding tires, Red Bull has the advantage during the race, even if they struggle more in qualifying...

Bottom line: Red Bull is the better package. It wouldn't even matter which drivers were in which cars; the result would be the same... because race results are what count, not qualifying positions.
Even if you swapped Max and Leclerc into the Ferrari and put Sainz and Perez in the Red Bull, Red Bull would still lead both championships...

Mick was losing his mind on the radio and again in those post-race interviews 😁. Finally, the kid is actually showing some teeth; he’s been way too polite and quiet for far too long, which honestly got boring. You just don't make it in F1 if you play it that safe.

stormybadger8 said:blah blah blah...
Red Bull is hands down a better package than Ferrari, and not even by much...
They were clearly better than The Bear last year too, so Max barely scraped the title regardless...

Another thing is how the FIA basically looked the other way for Hamilton and Mercedes almost every single race last year. They were blatantly favoring Mercedes and Hamilton right up until the final race of the season,
then they tried to claim they were just cleaning up the mess because of angry fans, acting like they weren't favoring Red Bull all along. 🤣

But this season, Red Bull is a far superior package in every aspect except driver talent and qualifying pace, where they’re pretty much on par with Ferrari, but in everything else, they’re miles ahead...
Since Max = Leclerc and Perez = Sainz, the driver quality is about the same—it's just nuances...

Ferrari usually has the edge in qualifying, but you have to wonder how much that's the car versus tires/drivers and whether they just happen to have a good day...
Race pace is undeniably on Red Bull's side.
As for strategy? Don't even get me started. There's a massive gap there; Ferrari can't even compete with Red Bull when it comes to tactics...
Pit stop speed? Again, Red Bull is miles ahead.
Team management and making big calls, like which driver gets priority and when, is a category where Red Bull and Ferrari aren't even in the same conversation...
When it comes to tire management during the race, Red Bull has the advantage, even if they struggle more in qualifying...

All in all, Red Bull is the better package. It wouldn't matter which driver was in the Ferrari and which was in the Red Bull; the result would be the same... because at the end of the day, it's the race results that count, not qualifying...
Even if you put Max and Leclerc in the Ferrari and Sainz and Perez in the Red Bull, Red Bull would still lead both championships...

"Blah blah blah"—that's the only way to describe your post, not mine. Race pace is clearly on Ferrari's side; I've analyzed this race by race, and you could see it practically every single time. Those are actual arguments, not just your "hands down" opinions.😵
Look, I'm talking about the raw pace of the car itself. When you factor in the drivers, strategists, team management, the pits, etc., then sure, Red Bull is a "better package," which is why they're at the top. But the car itself is faster for Ferrari.
Your comparisons of the drivers are ridiculous. Max is in a different league, while those three are probably within a hair's breadth of each other. You're comparing Max, Leclerc, and Sainz, yet Max leads Perez by over 40 points despite having more bad luck overall, while Leclerc and Sainz are within 10 points with similar luck—maybe even slightly more for Sainz. And look at last season, where Max tore Perez apart while Leclerc and Sainz were neck and neck. Sometimes I really don't know what you people are looking at.
Besides, rain has always been, and will always be, the true test of driver skill, and we've had plenty of it this year. If you can't see Max absolutely dominating the competition, then there's no point in me saying anything else. No use explaining things to the blind.

stormybadger8 said:bla-bla-bla...
There is absolutely no question that Red Bull Racing is a significantly better package than Ferrari right now—and I mean significantly.
Last year, they were clearly superior to the Bear, which is why Max barely managed to scrape that championship title.

Another issue was how the FIA basically looked the other way regarding Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes last season. It felt like they were blatantly favoring Mercedes and Hamilton right up until the final race of the season.
Then, suddenly, they started making excuses about needing to clean up their reputation, acting as if they weren't biased toward Red Bull Racing all along. 🤣

But this season, Red Bull Racing is a much stronger package in almost every department, except for the drivers. When it comes to qualifying pace, they’re pretty much on par with Ferrari, but in everything else, they are miles ahead...
If you look at the driver talent—Max Verstappen vs. Charles Leclerc, or Sergio Perez vs. Carlos Sainz—it’s roughly equal. It’s a matter of nuances rather than one being vastly better than the other...

Sure, Ferrari usually holds the edge in qualifying, but you have to wonder how much of that is the car versus tire management or just having a lucky day.
In terms of Race Pace, Red Bull Racing takes it without question.
And don't even get me started on strategy. There's a world of difference there; Ferrari doesn't stand a chance against Red Bull Racing when it comes to tactical decisions...
Pit stop speed? Again, Red Bull Racing is miles ahead.
Team Management and big-picture decision-making—like deciding which driver gets priority and when—is where Red Bull Racing leaves Ferrari in the dust. They aren't even in the same conversation.
Regarding tire management during the race, Red Bull Racing has the advantage, even if they struggle more in qualifying.

Ultimately, Red Bull Racing is the superior package. It wouldn't even matter which driver was in which seat; the result would be the same because races are decided on Sunday, not in qualifying...
Even if you swapped them—putting Max and Charles in the Ferrari and Sainz and Perez in the Red Bull—Red Bull Racing would still lead both championships...

If Red Bull Racing is indeed the better package, then they are simply better suited for the actual race.
What keeps Red Bull Racing at the top is Max and his experience, plus his deep connection to the team. It reminds me of the eras of Sebastian Vettel with Red Bull Racing or Michael Schumacher with Ferrari...

In Bahrain, they were neck and neck. Whoever had the edge in tire preservation took the win. In Bahrain, following the cars was tough because the tires dropped off so quickly. Charles Leclerc made the most of that.

Saudi Arabia—Red Bull Racing was slightly ahead, but that wasn't the only factor. By the end, we were watching a duel between identical cars because of how the tires were behaving.

Australia—Ferrari was ahead.

Imola—Red Bull Racing.

Miami Grand Prix—Red Bull Racing.

Spanish Grand Prix—Ferrari.

Monaco Grand Prix—Ferrari.

Baku—Red Bull Racing.

Canadian Grand Prix—neck and neck, though Red Bull Racing had the better strategy. I suspect the outcome would have been different if Charles Leclerc had been running right behind Max.

United Kingdom—I'm not sure; until Max had to pull out, it looked like a three-way battle with almost identical pace.

Brian Garcia24 said:I honestly don't know what people are looking at if they have working eyes. Ferrari dominates qualifying, sure, but they’re better in the race too. Ferrari has had the better pace in practically every single race this season. Seriously, if they hadn't dealt with breakdowns, driver errors, or strategic blunders, Ferrari would have literally won EVERY race this season. In every single race where Max took the win, one of those three things—or a mix of them—handed him the victory, while the car's raw pace was always on Ferrari's side. It’s unbelievable how anyone can miss that.
So, look: Sainz wins in the United Kingdom, then Leclerc takes wins in Australia and Bahrain. In Canada, Sainz is breathing down Max's neck, clearly faster, but just can't get past... plus the SC probably screwed him over too. Leclerc isn't even in the running because of component changes (if he were, Max definitely wouldn't be able to hold off both of them). Then there's Azerbaijan with both Ferraris breaking down, Monaco with those tragic strategic calls and terrible communication, and Spain where Leclerc's engine failed (thanks to Team Management). Miami saw a Leclerc error and Max overtaking, then Saudi Arabia was a scrap between Max and Leclerc with a few mistakes from Leclerc (that's the race where Red Bull was closest). And don't forget Italy, where Max does his usual thing dominating in the rain, while both Ferraris have desperate starts, Sainz gets unlucky, and Leclerc gets stuck behind a McLaren before being visibly faster than Perez but then messing up and losing everything. That's all the races right there! Maybe one or two where the pace was equal or Red Bull was slightly quicker, but Ferrari was faster in the vast majority of races.

Ferrari had an edge at the start of the season. Their last race where they actually had a significant advantage in the race was Australia. Though, before that, there was Saudi Arabia where straight-line speed is the deciding factor, and back then, Red Bull was miles ahead of Ferrari in top speed.

Since then, every single race (not qualifying, I mean actual races) has belonged to Red Bull, so you're dead wrong if you claim Ferrari has been stronger all season. It's the exact opposite. Look, Max is a hell of a driver, nobody's disputing that. But the car accounts for at least 60% of the success.
When you throw strategy and pit stop speed into the mix—like others have already pointed out—plus the fact that Ferrari keeps breaking down, you get that massive gap in the points standings.

It seems to me that some Red Bull fans, like yourself, aren't satisfied just seeing their driver win; they only value a victory if it's a "David vs. Goliath" situation. That's why every single season you push this narrative that Max is winning in an inferior car.

Max didn't even have an inferior car last year (maybe at the very end of the season when Mercedes pushed their engines to the limit), and he definitely doesn't have an inferior car this year.

This year, his path to the title is the easiest it's ever been. Partly because of the car, and partly because of Ferrari itself. If he somehow manages to lose this championship, it's entirely on him.