2015 Bahrain Grand Prix - Sakhir

Ricciardo & Bottas 2014 mode on.

Man, it’s a real shame I'm stuck on the road right now, so I won't be able to catch this live. Let's get to work, though—show everyone how a real racing machine is built.

graniteharbor502 said:Man, Ferkan is looking like a serious threat in qualifying already 🙏

Ferkan?

Only one Ferkan actually posed a threat during qualifying. The guy in car number 5.

The one in number 7? Just blew smoke, as usual.

So, what should Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa even bother doing in the race tomorrow?
They might as well just log onto a message board and have a chat with us.
The guys at the front are pulling away by nearly a full second, while those trailing behind are lagging by at least half a second.
Honestly, you could probably just wave some Harley-Davidson tapestries in front of them and they’d be just as likely to see where they're going in the dark.

Tyler Bennett5 said:What exactly are Bottas and Massa supposed to accomplish in the race tomorrow?
They should just log onto an American racing forum and chat with us instead.
The guys at the front are faster by nearly a full second, while the ones trailing behind are lagging by at least half a second.
Honestly, they might as well carry some old Harley-Davidson emblems around to poke at if they need help seeing through the dark.

Exactly! I was actually just about to mention how they seem to be driving in a complete vacuum.
Their best bet is to quietly scrape together whatever points they can while Red Bull and/or McLaren-Honda are still sleeping. I’m genuinely worried that once those teams wake up, even third place in the WCC might slip through their fingers.

Drew Bennett68 said:Exactly, I was actually just about to mention how they seem to be drifting in mid-air right now.
It’s probably best for them to just quietly rack up points while Red Bull and/or McLaren-Honda are still sleeping; I’d be genuinely worried about their shot at 3rd place in the WCC if those teams suddenly find their pace.

Do you really think Red Bull can wake up?
They'll likely burn through every engine they have before we even hit Silverstone.

Where on earth did Hulk come from to grab eighth? I haven't had a chance to catch the practice sessions or qualifying, and I haven't seen anything about them bringing upgrades to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I'm happy to see him making it into Q3, but I honestly have no clue how they pulled that off. 🤷

Tyler Bennett5 said:Do you really think Red Bull can find their way back?
By the time they hit Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they’ll have burned through every single engine they have left.

Just imagine if Ford and Red Bull actually click, and they start clawing their way up from those 5th to 8th place spots—or even better! If they manage to push Willie down to 9th and 10th, and we still have such a long season ahead of us... wouldn't that be something?

Think I can nurse these tires through 17-20 laps on softs without absolutely killing them? If so, they might actually pull off the win

Jack Kelly5 said:not good... really not good.
Tomorrow's looking like a red sea—with Kimi right at the top, obviously...
🎉

Looks like you called it perfectly. 🙂

mellowtiger83 said:Besides, if Kimi actually beats Vettel, it’d be a massive psychological blow to Pilatus and TBF—honestly, those two might never recover from it.

As far as I'm concerned, 🤣
I couldn't care less about what happened with Ricky, and I definitely wouldn't give a damn if Kimi—who's my second favorite driver on the grid—actually beat him one of these days.😁

Brian Campbell36 said:What is going on with Ferrari? When are they actually dropping an update 🤔

Ferrari is holding off until the Spanish Grand Prix, while Mercedes already brought a decent update to China 🤣

Forget about a motor update for the Spanish Grand Prix. That’s been pushed back until Canada...

Anthony Baker84 said:Can I push those Mercedes on softs for 17-20 laps without shredding them? If so, they probably win the race.

Maybe for Rosberg, but it doesn't look like Hamilton can 😍
Rosberg actually made sense explaining why he was slow in Q2...
He claims he was saving tires for the race, which is obviously what both Ferraris were doing too...
meanwhile, Hamilton clocked almost the exact same time in Q2 as he did in Q3...
so yeah, expect Hamilton's tires to be the first ones to blow up.

But then Rosberg let another thing slip—he says he was saving rubber in Q3 too.🤣
Honestly, he’s probably just making excuses because Vettel is kicking his ass, but it's possible Rosberg (and then likely Hamilton) is planning a three-stop strategy 😁 SU, SU, SN, MN...
And if that's the case, even Kimi would lose his mind.😁

Hamilton is messing with Rosberg 🤣

I was under the impression that the tires used during Q3 had to be returned, and that we would actually be starting the race on the set from Q2.

rowdyrider12 said:I thought you had to go back to the tires from Q3, and actually start on the ones from Q2.

You start on the Q2 tires, but you have to swap one set out... though it can be any set. Usually, it's the one used in Q1 plus whatever they ran during that first lap in Q3.
It’s totally possible Nico Rosberg let Sebastian Vettel ahead on purpose. 🤔
Let's be real—he knows he can't touch Lewis Hamilton, and honestly, he isn't even allowed to mess with him during the race, otherwise Niki Lauda, Low, and Frank Williams would tear him a new one on the spot.
But he can definitely stay on Vettel's tail and force him to burn through those tires that already took a beating in Q2.
Then, Rosberg could potentially jump him during the pit stops. If there's clear track behind him, Germany can't really play games with those "equal strategy" rules. 😁

The erosion started during qualifying too. :klap:
There’s definitely a shot at something bigger here.
This is the first legitimate threat to Lewis Hamilton.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. 🙂 We'll see if those supposedly better Ferrari long runs on soft tires actually hold up enough to snatch another win.

stormybadger8 said:They head out on the tires from Q2, but they have to bring one set back... though honestly, it could be any set. Usually, it’s just whatever they used to get through Q1 and then maybe that first flying lap in Q3...
It’s entirely possible that Nico Rosberg actually let Sebastian Vettel pull ahead on purpose 🤔
because, let's be real, he knows he can't challenge Lewis Hamilton, and he certainly isn't allowed to do anything during the race itself—otherwise, Niki Lauda, Low, and Frank Williams would be giving him a massive earful on the spot...
But Vettel? He can absolutely stay glued to his gearbox and force him to burn through those tires that already took such a beating in Q2...
And then, Rosberg might even leapfrog him during the pit stops. If there isn't a clear gap behind him, Germany can't really mess around with those "equal strategy" rules...😁

That's a given. 👏

Roger Wright94 said:The erosion started during qualifying. 👏
There is a chance for something more here.
This is the first serious threat to Lewis Hamilton.
It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. 🙂 Whether Ferrari's supposedly better long runs on soft tires prove significant enough to secure yet another victory remains to be seen.

It will be difficult for Sebastian Vettel to beat Lewis Hamilton, who is clearly in high spirits. Personally, I would love to see them go wheel-to-wheel in a direct battle at some point; if Vettel manages to get ahead of Lewis Hamilton, he will be biting like a madman to overtake him again.

People often forget Kimi Raikkonen, who had a better race pace than Sebastian Vettel in the last two races. His attack on the German was only thwarted by Max Verstappen and a safety car.

A duel between the two Ferraris would be interesting, and Nico Rosberg also put himself on fresher tires compared to Lewis Hamilton after the Second Qualifying Session.

The race could end with the top four within ten seconds of each other. Of course, that depends on the start; if someone from Williams finishes ahead of one of the Ferraris or Mercedes, it will be hard to neutralize them if they don't settle things within the first two laps.

The race pace at the start will be insane, I am certain of that. Whoever falls behind early will likely never recover.

And perhaps a safety car might emerge mid-race, in which case anything could happen.

Lewis Hamilton is obviously the primary favorite, and Sebastian Vettel must hold second at the start. Nico Rosberg absolutely cannot get ahead of him, because if he does, Lewis Hamilton will pull away.

One must watch Kimi Raikkonen very closely as well. If Kimi gets a good start, he is, in my view, a greater threat than Sebastian Vettel, given that his race pace was slightly superior in the previous two outings.

mellowtiger83 said:It’ll probably be an interesting battle between the two Ferraris, especially since Nico Rosberg managed to grab some fresh tires while Lewis Hamilton was stuck on old rubber during the Second Qualifying Session.

I guess the top six drivers are left with one unused set of soft tires for the race. 😉

I guess everyone just went out and used their Q1 setups for the Third Qualifying Session.