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

James Harris34 said:Lewis Hamilton would have the exact same points advantage over everyone else in this Ferrari as he currently does in the Mercedes-Benz.

yeah, right—just like he did back in 2010, 2011... total genius move there.

ruggedhawk20 said:Let's not get carried away. Ayrton Senna was consistently faster than Alain Prost during qualifying, yet nobody complained about bullying because Prost was the one pulling in more points per race on average—about 21% more, actually. At the end of the day, it's the points that count.

It's true; Charles Leclerc dominated Sebastian Vettel in qualifying, but so far, he's only pulled in about 3% more points per race than Vettel.

Robert Kubica did the same thing to George Russell, and Tarso Marques once did it to Fernando Alonso; there are plenty of examples.

I am frankly exhausted by these statistics. I'd rather just get on with it.

It is quite significant that we finally received a fresh nickname for the driver from our esteemed, dark-haired colleague.

Charles Presvetli Leclerc is now officially fair game for public use.

The Catholic, Presvetli, The Finger, El Maestro, and so on...

mellowtiger83 said:Look, Kubica did the same thing to George Russell—just like Tarso Marques did to Fernando Alonso back in the day. There's plenty of examples.

I'm honestly sick of these "stats" people obsess over—just get it done already.

So what?

Robert Kubica outscored George Russell. That’s just a cold, hard fact. He's sitting higher than him on the standings, too. At the end of the season, based on how things are looking right now, Kubica is going to be the more successful driver compared to Russell.

Speed doesn't matter—points do.

That's just how the sport works.

mellowtiger83 said:Hey, at least we got a fresh nickname for the driver from our esteemed, dark-haired colleague.

Charles Leclerc—the "Presvetli" version—is officially fair game now.

Catholic, Presvetli, Finger, El Maestro, whatever...

I was actually the one who personally dubbed Charles Leclerc "Presvetli"—and honestly? It’s not just official and permitted, it’s mandatory across every single thread in this entire PDF.

ruggedhawk20 said:Oh, really?

Robert Kubica has outscored George Russell. That is a matter of fact. On the standings, Kubica sits above Russell. At the end of this season, if things continue as they are, Kubica will be the more successful driver compared to Russell.

Speed doesn't count; points do.

That is simply how the sport works.

That logic might hold water for some amateurs at a local dive bar, but anyone actually following F1 knows the truth: Kubica was getting absolutely demolished.

mellowtiger83 said:Maybe that logic works for some idiots at a local dive bar—but anyone actually following F1 knows Robert Kubica got absolutely wrecked.

Not sure about that—Williams Racing sees things a bit differently, considering that one-armed porn star basically secured their entire budget with that single point.

mellowtiger83 said:When was the last time someone actually dominated a multi-time world champion like that in qualifying?

Last time? I mean, I can think of a few times back in 2016 when Nico Rosberg just had the edge over Lewis Hamilton.

Robert Cox46 said:The last time? I’m thinking of Nico Rosberg beating Lewis Hamilton a few times back in 2016.

Both right and wrong at once. Rosberg used to edge out Hamilton in qualifying quite often, but he wasn't even close to the level of dominance Charles Leclerc shows now.

So why is the answer considered correct? You nailed the Rosberg part, but you compared him to the wrong teammate. The last time someone pulled that off was Rosberg against Schumacher, and before that, nobody managed it until we look all the way back to 1988.

Since it seems everyone's memory is failing them here, let's be clear: it was Fernando Alonso and Vettel and Raikkonen who did it.

mellowtiger83 said:Right answer or wrong, it's happening at once. Rosberg used to beat Hamilton pretty often in qualifying, but he wasn't even close to what Leclerc does!

So why is the answer considered right? You nailed Rosberg, but you completely misjudged his teammate. The last time someone did that was Rosberg to Schumacher, and before that, nobody really touched that kind of dynamic until we went back to 1988.

Since it seems everyone’s memory is failing them here, let's remind you: it was Alonso and Vettel and Raikkonen who pulled those moves.

And what about Kimi being a multi-time world champion? How's your memory doing now?

mellowtiger83 said:Right or wrong, you're making a point. Rosberg used to beat Hamilton pretty often in qualifying, but he wasn't even close to the level Leclerc is at right now!

Stop talking nonsense. I've told you this a hundred times already. 🙄

Rosberg actually smoked Hamilton in qualifying during the 2014 season, it just didn't help him much in the end...
In 2014, it was Rosberg with 11 poles vs Hamilton with 7, and 12 total wins vs 7...

As for Vettel and Leclerc, I think the ratio is around 8 vs 6 or maybe 9 vs 6...
We'll see how things look by the end of the season, but I doubt it'll be any worse than that 12 vs 7 split.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Red Bull gave us false hope on Friday. Some articles hinted at new aero tweaks around the engine, but by the end of the weekend, Red Bull—or rather Max—clarified that while they did some minor engine work, it didn't actually change the power output.
So, the qualifying deficit isn't exactly a shocker—it’s just business as usual.

Same old story: falling behind in qualifying. They mentioned they're running the Spec-4 engine, which they've used before anyway. Maybe they're saving themselves for that big race in Suzuka where the new fuel arrives—or maybe they just went back to an older setup today?

Since Verstappen was basically destined to start six or more spots back (maybe even ninth) regardless, the real focus should be on race trim and overall pace. Still, being 0.6 seconds off isn't exactly nothing. If he manages to clear those three Renault-powered cars at the start, he might find himself hunting down the Mercedes-Benz cars on mediums 😁. Or, he'll just pull his trademark messy start and dive into Turn 1—he always seems to struggle when he's starting on the outside.

It should be a tactical chess match. And don't forget about the TR and Red Bull cars sitting at the back of the pack, slicing through the slower teams just for a little bit of early-race fun.

wiredseal7 said:It’s the same old story—a qualifying deficit. But they already mentioned they're running the Spec-4 engine, which we've seen used before. They might be saving the best stuff for the big race at Indianapolis where the new fuel arrives, or maybe they just reverted to an older setup today?

Since Max Verstappen was basically destined to start six spots back—maybe even nine in the end—it's more about the race trim and long-run pace. Still, being 0.6 seconds behind isn't exactly nothing. If he manages a clean getaway and clears those three Renault-powered cars early on, he could find himself right on the tail of the Mercedes-Benz cars on 😁 mediums. Otherwise, he might fall victim to his trademark poor starts and that tendency to dive into Turn 1 from the outside.

Tactically, this should be a fascinating race. Beyond the frontrunners, don't forget the TR and Red Bull Racing cars sitting at the back of the pack; they'll likely carve through the midfield just for a bit of early excitement.

Articles from the last few days were all claiming an upgraded Spec-4 was arriving for Indianapolis, but clearly, according to Max, that isn't the case.

The latest sector times are in.
https://twitter.com/DiFrancescoM93/s...70166585540608

wiredseal7 said:Same old story, just a qualifying deficit. But they already announced it’s the Spec-4 engine, and they’ve run those before. They probably have to save the good stuff for the big race at Suzuka where the new fuel arrives, or maybe they just went back to the old maps today.

Since Max Verstappen was basically doomed to start six places back—actually, make that nine—anyway, the setup and race pace matter way more than qualifying. Still, being down 0.6 isn't nothing. If he manages to clear those three Renault-powered cars at the start, he might actually end up breathing down the necks of those Mercedes-Benz cars on 😁 mediums. Or, you know, he'll just pull his trademark terrible start and smash into someone at Turn 1 because he always struggles when he’s on the outside of the corner.

Tactically, this one should be interesting. And don't forget about the TR/Red Bull cars sitting at the back of the pack, slicing through the slower teams just for a little bit of early-race fun.

I don't see how Honda has anything on Renault. Honestly, if Red Bull Racing had been running Renaults all season and dealing with this much reliability crap and all these penalties for changing engines, they’d be crying bloody murder.

Raymond Anderson4 said:Look at those mini-sector times.
https://twitter.com/DiFrancescoM93/s...70166585540608

Interesting...
Vettel 8 vs Leclerc 5...

Keep in mind, Leclerc’s fastest mini-sectors usually happen coming out of slow corners—basically his acceleration. Vettel, on the other hand, grabs his on the straights and exiting high-speed turns.

Looks like the Ferrari setup is worlds apart.🤔

stormybadger8 said:Don't try to lecture me, I've already told you this a dozen times 🙄

Nico Rosberg actually beat Lewis Hamilton pretty convincingly in qualifying during the 2014 season, it just didn't help him much in the end...
In 2014, it was Rosberg with 11 pole positions versus Hamilton with 7, making it 12 to 7 overall...

I think Vettel and Charles Leclerc have a ratio around 8 to 6 or maybe 9 to 6...
We'll see how things shake out by the end of the season, but it definitely won't be anything significantly worse than 12 vs 7...

But Hamilton wasn't a multi-time champion back in 2014.

James Harris34 said:But Hamilton wasn't a multi-time champion back in 2014.

That isn't how I meant it. It doesn't matter if he was a one-time or multi-time champ; I was referring to things like a 9:0 run or similar stretches.

Furthermore, regarding the point about having different setups—which is what I was getting at—it seems likely that Sebastian Vettel was running a more aggressive race setup compared to Charles Leclerc.

I’d bet anything he would have taken P1 right after the start tomorrow, simply due to the slipstream from the two cars ahead combined with superior straight-line speed.

ruggedhawk20 said:Yeah, right, just like they had back in 2010 or 2011...

I'm not sure what you're getting at here, but looking at the big picture, Ferrari has the best car this season. If they haven't walked away with four or five more wins in the first ten races, you can only blame it on their drivers' lack of execution.

Tomorrow, we’re likely looking at a DNF for either Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel. Honestly, it could be both. I wouldn't be surprised if they're out by the second turn, or maybe even during that opening lap. ☕

🍿