Spanish GP (Circuit of the Americas) – May 15, 2016

Sebastian Vettel is on top of this

Way to go, Sebastian Vettel

Kimi Räikkönen is up next

Drew Bennett68 said:Lauda is out there claiming that Hamilton is the one to blame.

Honestly, I don't know who takes Lauda seriously anymore—it's kind of wild.

Kvajat needs to give up two spots

I mean, at this rate, does Ferrari ever actually stand a chance of taking the title?

So close

Sure

Sebastian Vettel is looking slower than Daniel Ricciardo after the first free practice lap...
edit actually he's looking a bit quicker in the second

It’s a shame there wasn't a gravel trap at Turn 1.

Kimi Räikkönen is solid

Pit stop's coming up fast

We’re still just sitting here waiting for Daniel Ricciardo to actually make that Ford engine bark, just so Max Verstappen can swoop in and snatch a victory in the first race for a team that doesn't even have a car capable of winning. If that actually happened, wouldn't it be one for the history books?

Sebastian Vettel is making up ground through the first two sectors

Taylor Watson15 said:Credit to Vettel for those defenses. Kimi was within almost a second of Max on the home stretch every single time, and Ricciardo was trailing by 0.4-0.6 seconds. I was honestly just worried Ricciardo would drive himself into a wall; Kimi didn't stand a chance against Max. Overall, not bad for Ferrari. Hats off to Max.

Ricciardo is too aggressive for my taste—honestly, he reminds me too much of Hamilton. An aggressor without any coverage. It's the same thing Ricciardo did to Vettel that Hamilton did to Rosberg. But Vettel managed to prevent him from being closed out completely, and Ricciardo ended up flying off because he was entering the corner too fast. If he had tried to squeeze him, he probably would have ended up just like Hamilton and Rosberg.

If my memory serves, Nico's dad used to do that a long time ago, Keke Rosberg, except he actually knew how to control the car after making those manic overtakes under braking before a turn.

Yeah, he defended masterfully and proved he's the most complete driver on the grid right now. Even the folks over at SK1 were saying something similar.

stormybadger8 said:"Nothing," you say... He had by far the best start of everyone.
He absolutely smoked Kimi right at the start—honestly, he was ahead of him the whole time and had better race pace. He only lost out because of the strategy...

My only real gripe regarding Vettel is that he didn't hold his position in front of Max right before the Mercedes collided on track...

That’s one single, massive blunder on his part—losing ground to Max and Sainz while trying to hunt down Ricciardo... Then the SC came out. If he’d just held his spot against Ricciardo or stayed behind him, the situation would be totally different, though I still wouldn't bet on Ferrari's pit crew not finding a way to screw that up too.😍

He had to watch out for Ricciardo because he’s just as aggressive as Hamus. He’s simply too reckless, especially toward the guy who clearly gets under his skin.

Jacob White49 said:Huge congrats to Max Verstappen—he’s got quite the future ahead of him
In my book, Fernando Alonso remains the absolute gold standard of the grid right now
It looks like Sebastian Vettel has officially slipped out of the top eight drivers today
Helmut Marko is set to step in for Maurizio Arrivabene
Joseph is running into some serious trouble

Alogoc is out...

Alonso hasn't shown anything yet, and I'm not sure what anyone is basing their claim on that he belongs in the top tier. But that's a conversation for another time...

Quote: The Best F1 driver

stormybadger8 said:Leslie, you're talking nonsense... Ricciardo finished P4.☕
He didn't lose anything point-wise because of that cracked tire; he only dropped about 30 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel. He still finished ahead of Valtteri Bottas in 5th.☕

I didn't realize everyone else was lagging that far behind. Honestly, the guy just proved he lacks any real tactical sense. You can only absolutely wreck your tires and abuse the car like that if you're nowhere near the level of the elite drivers. He’s just not there. Max made that crystal clear.

Quote: The Best F1 driver

neonfalcon16 said:So, there it is. History has been written. This young Max looks like he might just be our next world champion. Honestly, even the race at the Circuit of the Americas isn't nearly as dull as it used to be.

Alright, alright. That was quite a race, all thanks to Lewis. If he hadn't made that clumsy move on Nico, we’d be looking at a completely different story right now...

Quote: The Best F1 driver

gentlecobra23 said:The objectivity from those English commentators today was... well, let's just say it was "on another level."

I’ve never really taken them seriously...

Quote: The Best F1 driver

Tyler Bennett5 said:Do I really need to spell it out, or should I point out that Williams had the fastest pit stops again this race?

That makes 5 for 5 so far.

They were good...

Quote: The Best F1 driver

graniteharbor502 said:Just as a bit of information for everyone here, since his very first full season in the sport, Sebastian Vettel has never once fallen outside of the top eight, so I find myself wondering what on earth you two are even arguing about.🙂

Just haters...🍿

Wait, so is Alonso really sitting at 6th?

Red Bull going for three pit stops?

Daniel Ricciardo just isn't hitting his marks lately

Max Verstappen is pulling ahead.

The Mercedes drivers won't even take their helmets off. They’re keeping their faces hidden.