Nürburgring GP Recap: July 22, 2012

darkmarlin16 said:

Bow down to the king 🙏🙏🙏

My hat's off to the absolute legend 🙏🙏🙏

Why didn't we see a red flag during Q2 ??? 😠
It's because those two frauds driving the red cars were out in front. 🙂

Man, it’s been way too long since we saw back-to-back podium finishes

(think Italy and Singapore back in 2010)

Jason Campbell70 said:That two-time champ is getting burned again.

Just business as usual, I guess. ☕

He really got smoked. Starting P2 out of 24 drivers? How does that even happen?🤷

A new rain master has been born—Fernando Alonso !!!

If only we could get tomorrow’s race to look even half as much like the weather we saw during Q2...

I really find myself missing those genuine, unpredictable rain races...😢

I’ve got my money on Michael Schumacher taking the win tomorrow. Fuck it, let's go, Fernando Alonso! Forza Ferrari!

ruggedfox28 said:We can only hope that Ferrari and Red Bull have dialed in their wet weather setups just enough to leave them struggling once the track dries out tomorrow. 😬

🙂

There’s always that lingering hope for a clean start—that moment when things finally click and we all find our footing together. 😬

Spot on. We haven't seen a massive pileup right at the green flag in quite a while. This track is relatively narrow, and those tricky opening corners are practically begging for someone to make a mistake and trigger a collision.
Nico Hulkenberg, Michael Schumacher, and Sebastian Vettel might prefer to play it safe—especially if we assume Fernando Alonso is going to make things interesting right at the lights—but they’ve got Pastor Maldonado breathing down their necks. Even with all that mutual respect you'd expect between the Germans, that Venezuelan driver is the wild card who could absolutely blow this whole thing wide open, whether it happens during the opening lap or later in the race.

With all those penalties hanging over them, you really have to watch Sergio Pérez, Nico Rosberg, and Romain Grosjean. They’re exactly the kind of drivers who are going to trigger a massive collision right at the start—probably in those first few turns before the first lap is even over. It's because they're desperate to charge through the field and reclaim their rightful spots as quickly as possible.

The potential matchups for the collisions look quite promising.

I don't think I've ever seen such a massive rift within a single team
who's actually on which side—the driver or the mass of people at Ferrari this season? Unbelievable.

fadedwalker18 said:Just a recipe for a massive pile-up.

🙂

my twenty bucks is going straight to Grandpa

he couldn't handle watching Vettel's backside for too long—it's gonna be a total wreck, I'm calling it now

going to check how many people are actually rooting for Vettel ☕😁

Mark is lagging behind again—exactly what we love to see, stay worried☕☕☕

🤦

I honestly think everyone is going to blow past Schumacher—he just lacks the raw speed on dry tracks...

Emily Patel64 said:

🤦

Just to spite Vettel😁...

feralotter2 said:I don't think I've ever seen such a massive gap within a single team
between Leclerc and Massa at Ferrari this season. It's wild!

Don't sweat it. That kind of gap has existed in basically every team Alonso has driven for—except for McLaren, where they didn't exactly enjoy making his life miserable by picking favorites.

stormybadger8 said:She was fine in basically every team Alonso drove for, except for McLaren, where they didn't exactly enjoy playing nice with his teammate.

Exactly. Everyone else had Hamilton's level of talent, but getting bullied by the team really messes things up...

The other day, Fio mentioned he’d probably be a five-time champ right now if he hadn't spent all his time sucking up to the Spaniard.

Life is a bitch

Baaark. 🙂

Damn, sounds just like I'm listening to Barrichello. ☕

Man, those Finger and Red Bull fans sure act like they're the kings of the world whenever they start talking about how other teams' drivers get bullied... 🤦

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4sTFlI84-Q 🙏🙏

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anAFO...eature=related 🙏🙏

Nice one🤣
You’ve really added a whole new layer to that old "owl mocking its shadow for having a big head" thing.🙏🤣

Edward Howard2 said:Those "tough guys" among the Finger enthusiasts and Red Bull fans sure love to lecture everyone else about driver antics in other teams... 🤦

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4sTFlI84-Q 🙏🙏

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anAFO...eature=related 🙏🙏

Just a quick

hahaha, oh man, I am seeing this for the first time. Absolutely hilarious.

By the way, I’m not sure if any of you follow Jergović, but here is his take:
http://mladenjergovic.com/pazi-na-kimija

But all of that pales in comparison to the sheer speed shown by the 2007 World Champion during Q1 qualifying. This time around, he’s tucked into that black-and-gold car which, it seems, is finally turning left and right exactly how the driver envisions it. If he maintains that pace during the race, none of those names we listed earlier—even before Räikkönen—stand a ghost of a chance. Though, first things first, he actually has to make it through the first corner at Indianapolis without losing it.

Jose James44 said:Hey everyone, just dropping in to say hello.

Haha, I honestly haven't seen anything quite like this before; it’s absolutely wild.

I'm honestly not sure if any of you people actually bother reading Jergović, but since I've got it right here, I suppose I should share his latest prediction.
I really feel like we need to talk about the current state of things, because honestly, people aren't paying enough attention to what’s happening with Kimi, and frankly, it’s becoming impossible to ignore. There is this pervasive sense of complacency in the paddock, a sort of collective nodding along while the actual substance of the performance just slips through our fingers, and I find myself increasingly agitated by how little anyone seems to care about the technical reality of the situation. It’s one of those things where you look at the data, you look at the raw numbers, and you realize that the narrative being fed to us by the mainstream media is nothing more than a polished veneer designed to hide a much deeper, more systemic issue. We see these drivers being pushed to their absolute limits, yet the equipment they are handed is often fundamentally flawed, and instead of addressing the root cause, the conversation always drifts toward driver error or "unlucky" breaks. It’s a lazy way to analyze Formula 1, and quite frankly, it's insulting to anyone who actually understands the physics of the sport. When you consider the sheer complexity of the engineering involved, you have to accept a hard truth: it either works or it doesn't work. There is no middle ground, no amount of clever PR or strategic maneuvering that can compensate for a car that simply lacks the fundamental grip required to compete at the highest level. And when the weather turns and we see that lack of pace in the rain, it becomes glaringly obvious that the issues aren't just peripheral—they are foundational. I’ve spent a significant amount of time ruminating on this, watching how certain teams attempt to mask these deficiencies through aggressive media campaigns, and it strikes me as incredibly transparent. They want us to believe that everything is under control, that the trajectory is upward, but if you pull back the curtain even slightly, you see the cracks in the foundation. It’s frustrating to watch such talent be stifled by mediocrity, and even more frustrating to see the fans being led down a path of misinformation. We need to stop accepting the superficial explanations and start demanding a level of honesty that seems to be vanishing from the sport entirely.

But all of that pales in comparison to the sheer, unadulterated pace shown by the 2007 World Champion during Q1, especially now that he’s piloting this black and gold machine that actually seems to respond to his inputs instead of fighting him at every turn. If he can maintain that level of aggression throughout the race, none of the drivers we just discussed stand even a prayer against him, let alone anyone who came before Räikkönen. Though, realistically, he first has to navigate that opening corner at Indianapolis without making a mess of things.

I missed qualifying entirely, and I’ve only just now realized that Kimi was somehow miles ahead of everyone else in Q1...

Ovo dolje je postao jedan FInac na autosport-u

The lack of pace in the rain is honestly just mind-boggling, and I suppose it’s the singular obsession for the engineers right now as they scramble to find a solution. It is quite frankly baffling how we seem to lose every ounce of grip the moment the clouds break and the track gets slick. We aren't even running distinct setups for dry versus wet conditions—the car remains fundamentally the same regardless of the weather. At the end of the day, it either works or it doesn't work.

Indianapolis is an incredibly greasy track even when the surface is bone dry, but once the rain starts falling, you can’t even touch full throttle on the straights without feeling like you're driving on ice. It isn't just this specific venue, though; the car's performance has been lackluster in the rain at other tracks lately too, but the situation here feels significantly more dire. There is absolutely no downforce to speak of, leaving the car constantly aquaplaning and teetering on the edge of a massive excursion every single lap.

Every single time we've hit the track in dry conditions, the car has felt absolutely solid, truly dialed in. The real tragedy here is that we aren't walking into the race with a decent starting position, which complicates everything. Our entire weekend essentially hinges on nailing that opening lap—we need a clean start, zero incidents, and just pure execution. If we can navigate those first few corners without any chaos, the car definitely has the raw pace required to claw our way back toward the front. Plus, once we settle in, the DRS zones are some of the most forgiving overtaking opportunities on the calendar this year.

If you ask me, if that rain hadn't rolled in, we would have cruised into pole position without breaking a sweat, but at this point, there’s absolutely nothing left to be done about how things played out.

It’s honestly becoming a bit of a recurring nightmare at this point, isn't it? I was looking back at the data, and frankly, the lack of pace in the rain is just inexcusable for a team with these kinds of resources. You see them struggling out there, sliding around like they've never seen a damp track before, and you have to wonder if the engineers even bothered to simulate these conditions properly in the wind tunnel. It’s one thing to be fast when the track is bone-dry and everything is predictable, but once those clouds roll in over the circuit, the whole strategy seems to fall apart completely. It really comes down to a fundamental truth in this sport: It either works or it doesn't work. There is no middle ground, no "almost there" when you're staring down a soaked corner at a hundred miles an hour. You either have the grip and the setup to handle the chaos, or you're just a passenger watching everyone else drive past you. It feels like we're seeing a massive gap in technical preparation lately, and quite frankly, it's infuriating to watch such a high-budget operation look so utterly lost the moment the weather turns. It shouldn't be this difficult, yet here we are, watching the same mistakes being made season after season. I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but there’s been this persistent, almost grating sense of frustration brewing lately regarding how certain teams handle their strategy, and frankly, I think we need to address it head-on because the current state of affairs is nothing short of maddening. You look at the data, you look at the actual performance on track, and it becomes painfully obvious that when the weather turns, the entire tactical approach seems to fall apart under the slightest bit of pressure. The lack of pace in the rain is absolutely glaring, and it isn't just a minor setback; it's a fundamental failure in preparation that leaves drivers stranded while everyone else finds their rhythm. It’s one of those situations where you realize that in this sport, it either works or it doesn't work, and right now, for several key players, it simply isn't working. We see these massive investments, these high-tech simulations, and yet, the moment a cloud appears over the circuit, the decision-making process becomes erratic and, quite frankly, amateurish. It makes you wonder if the engineers are even looking at the same telemetry as the drivers, or if they're just hoping for the best and praying the chaos favors them. It’s exhausting to watch, especially when you realize how much potential is being squandered by a refusal to adapt to the most basic variables of racing.

Morning

Just dropping in to throw another 🤦 for McLaren

Waiting on lunch and the race to start ☕