US Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) Sept 27-29, 2019

Jules Bianchi is likely looking down from somewhere right now, feeling immense pride in Charles Leclerc. They were friends since they were kids, and Jules was basically the mentor who introduced him to the racing world when they were both just starting out.

Jules, thank you for giving us a driver like this.

mellowtiger83 said:Jules Bianchi is likely looking down from above with immense pride at Charles Leclerc right now; they were lifelong friends, and Jules was essentially the older mentor who introduced him to the racing world during their childhood.

Jules, thank you for leaving us a driver of this caliber.

Look at him, suddenly a die-hard supporter of Ferrari and Charles. 👍
Is this entire persona merely a calculated attempt to rack up reputation points on the F1 Pulse forums? It seems you have completely abandoned your previous allegiance to Lewis Hamilton just to avoid being targeted by the Ferrari faithful.

Brian Campbell36 said:Mercedes-Benz remains the dominant car under race conditions, and Ferrari still suffers from much higher tire degradation compared to Mercedes-Benz. Think about how many times Hamilton has managed to pull off the fastest lap on tires that were already xy laps old; it happens constantly.

Yet here we are, with everyone acting like Ferrari is suddenly ascending to the heavens just because they had three decent races. 🤦

The reality is that Mercedes-Benz simply slowed down after holding such a massive lead leading up to the summer break; people got a little too comfortable. On the other hand, Ferrari finally seems to have hit the mark with their aerodynamics after xy years of trying...

Even Toto Wolff admitted it, and he certainly knows more than we do;

"We haven't made enough progress lately. The issue is that we haven't focused enough on the car's upgrades.”

Everything you said holds water, but I am specifically talking about the drivers...

By the way, I posted a poll before the season kicked off, Vettel vs Leclerc...
And looking at things now, it seems like the kid is definitely going to be the one running errands for Sebastian Vettel...

Richard Ross11 said:Everything else is fine, I am strictly discussing the drivers...

By the way, I ran a poll before the season kicked off—Vettel vs Leclerc...
And now it looks like the kid is absolutely going to be running circles around Sebastian Vettel...

You set up the poll, but on that very same day, as soon as I heard he was headed to Ferrari, I made this prediction:
"Leclerc will surpass Vettel once he settles into the new team and gets used to the car, probably around race five."

Unknown.

Brian Campbell36 said:He’s just way too soft—we all know he’s crying on the inside from pure frustration. He really should have been breaking Michael Schumacher's records by now.
He's had a dominant turbo car since 2014, so if Charles Leclerc had been behind the wheel of that machine for five years, he'd already be the GOAT.

If she were a guy, her name would be Doug.

mellowtiger83 said:Is it just me, or does it seem suspicious that Sebastian Vettel looked visibly happy after Q3?

It feels like a tactical move. Maybe he’s setting himself up for a better payoff at the start tomorrow.

Yeah, right. A tactical decision to look like a total clown.

Over at Monza, they were actually telling both the Renault and McLaren drivers over the radio to quit wasting time trying to overtake each other. We'll see if anyone actually steps up to give Max some real trouble, assuming my math isn't totally off and he's starting ninth.

mellowtiger83 said:Even though he's starting P3, Vettel will likely grab the top spot because his car is a rocket on the straights—he’ll just slice right past those two ahead of him.
I'd be genuinely shocked if he isn't sitting in P1 after the start tomorrow.

Yesterday, both Leclerc and Vettel mentioned needing to find a balance between qualifying pace and race trim. To me, it looks like Sebastian leaned much harder into his race setup, which explains that gap.

In short, Vettel is the heavy favorite to win. If he gets clear air, we all know how dangerous he becomes when he's dictating the pace of the race.

You guys gave up on him way too early.

Sebastian Vettel is essentially retired; you just haven't admitted it to yourself yet...

mellowtiger83 said:I like to think Jules Bianchi is looking down from above, incredibly proud of Charles Leclerc. They were lifelong friends, almost like an older brother guiding him through the racing world since they were kids.

Jules, thank you for leaving us a driver like this.

That’s a beautiful sentiment.
Thank you, Jules Bianchi. 🙏🙏

mellowtiger83 said:A Medium tire start only works for Hamilton if he can snatch P1 right away. Otherwise, it's a disaster.

Starting on any tire works for Hamilton, provided he can jump into P1 at the lights.
Similarly, starting on anything else is a mess if Ferrari manages to secure a 1-2 at the start.

If Ferrari leads out with a 1-2, they could easily pull off a tactical win for one of their drivers without much effort.
And if Sebastian Vettel ends up in first place, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton, then that's just how it goes.
"We were returning the favor from Belgium."

Which is perfectly fine by me.

Jules Bianchi is up there laughing at us right now, just like he is in my avatar.

The guy was practically an alien.

Red Bull gave us some false hope back on Friday. Some articles suggested it might be due to new engine components, but over the weekend, the team—and Max specifically—clarified that while there were minor tweaks to the engine, nothing significant changed regarding its actual power output.
So, seeing that gap in qualifying isn't really a shocker; everything is pretty much where we left it.

Roger Wright94 said:Better get used to it

LOL. Let's stop playing dumb and face the music: Mercedes has basically locked up both titles already. They’re already pouring everything into the car for in 2020, which is why they aren't bringing updates right now (they won't have anything until Japan). Meanwhile, Ferrari is stuck doing the work of Sisyphus trying to save a 2019 season that's already dead in the water by throwing every possible upgrade at a lost cause.😵

In 2020, Lewis Hamilton is going to crush the competition and wrap up the title before the summer break, just like he's doing this year. Why? Because Mercedes will actually be prepared while Ferrari stays one step behind on development.

Look, there are six races left. Even if Charles Leclerc wins four of them—assuming Lewis Hamilton crashes out or finishes outside the points—they'd only just be tied. What are the odds of both those things happening at once? Exactly zero percent. Ferrari can take this whole "fight" and shove it.

Even if Leclerc goes on a tear and wins all six races, plus grabs every single fastest lap point, he'd still only hit 356 points. For Lewis to beat him, he only needs 61 points in that stretch. That’s nothing! He could just finish fifth five times and fourth once, and he'd still walk away with it.

It’s gonna be interesting to see just how far Alexander Albon and Daniil Kvyat can actually push things, basically acting as the last two guys left on the grid.

mellowtiger83 said:Jules Bianchi is probably looking down from above feeling pretty proud of Charles Leclerc right now—they were buddies since they were kids, and Jules was basically the big brother showing him the ropes of racing.

Jules, thanks for giving us a driver like this.

enough with the pathetic stuff

Gary Palmer8 said:wait... Ferrari 1, Ferrari 2, Red Bull 1, Red Bull 2, then Mercedes 1/2

So basically, this looks like a total joke to me—honestly, I’m a bit worried you guys missed how obvious this was. Maybe I set the bar too high when we were hanging out at the frat house...

huh?

ruggedcyclist56 said:LOL. Let’s stop playing pretend and acknowledge the obvious reality: Mercedes-Benz has already effectively locked down both titles, and they are already pouring their resources into developing the car for 2020. That is precisely why we aren't seeing any upgrades right now—they won't have anything significant until Japan—while Ferrari continues its Sisyphus-like struggle through this 2019 season, bringing every possible upgrade to a battle that was lost long ago. 😵

In 2020, Lewis Hamilton will once again crush the competition and secure the championship before the summer break, mirroring exactly what is happening this year. Why? Because Mercedes-Benz will possess a fully optimized machine, while Ferrari will inevitably find themselves one step behind in the development race.

With six races remaining, even if Charles Leclerc were to win at least four of them—assuming Lewis Hamilton either retires or finishes outside the points—they would only just reach parity. What are the odds of both those scenarios occurring simultaneously? Exactly zero percent. Ferrari can take this little display of drama and throw it in the trash for all it matters.

Even if Charles Leclerc were to sweep all six remaining wins and snatch every single fastest lap point, he would finish the season with a maximum of 356 points. For Lewis Hamilton to match that, he would only need to scrape together 61 points in that timeframe; a mere string of fifth-place finishes and one fourth-place finish would suffice.

Go ahead and celebrate if you must, but if Mercedes-Benz were truly a serious organization, they would actually allow Valtteri Bottas to compete for the WDC. Instead, because Bottas acts like a well-trained lapdog, they offer him a mere one-year contract extension. But really, who is to blame? Is it not Bottas himself for permitting such indignities?
During the first half of the season, even Ferrari found themselves questioning things, yet whether it was due to the green streak of Charles Leclerc or those persistent mechanical failures, they simply failed to capitalize. My prediction? By next year, Charles Leclerc will be leading the WDC standings well before the summer break even arrives.
Last year, the WDC title was essentially handed to the Briton due to the intense scrutiny surrounding Charles Leclerc and the FIA, specifically regarding those mysterious sensors that seemed to make Ferrari vanish from the competitive radar entirely.

The Mercedes-Benz camp is in such a state of desperation that they are back to complaining about the legality of the Ferrari power unit. They seem incapable of finding a way to innovate on their own merit; instead, everything is served on a silver platter. It appears the FIA would rather truncate the wings of the competition just so Lujo can artificially shatter every existing record. 👎

Jason Campbell70 said:Ten in a row.

Man, Adrian Newey is a straight-up wizard.

even if you ran that math with Max being a total amateur driver

Gary Palmer8 said:Let's see... Ferrari 1, Ferrari 2, Red Bull 1, Red Bull 2, then Mercedes 1 and 2.

Honestly, looking at this ranking, I have to think the fifth spot is just a joke. It actually worries me a bit that this kind of logic hasn't crossed anyone's mind yet. Maybe I set my expectations too high when I was back in college...

First off, Red Bull isn't better than Mercedes.

Don't judge Mercedes based on Valtteri Bottas.

copperdrifter26 said:I don't recall that. Even Chuck Ric didn't have a lead quite this massive—maybe around 0.05-0.1.

This is straight-up bullying. Total overkill.

Don't get carried away. Ayrton Senna was consistently better than Alain Prost in qualifying, yet nobody called it "overkill" since Prost was the one pulling in more points per race on average—by like 21%. And at the end of the day, it's all about the points.

True, Charles Leclerc crushed Sebastian Vettel in qualifying, but so far Leclerc has only pulled in about 3% more points per race than Vettel.