Spain Matchday 27 - April 27, 2008

James Roberts87 said:they probably headed for that "fake" pole position just to please the crowd...

And tomorrow, those same fans will be right back where they started.😁

Roger Williams3 said:It’s also entirely plausible that Fernando Alonso was just taking it easy to put on a show for the fans... regardless, that car looks significantly more competitive

Good grief, I can't even begin to imagine what tomorrow's starting grid is going to look like!!! I am genuinely counting down the minutes!

Fernando Alonso ahead of McLaren🙂

It’s definitely lighter, though I wouldn't go as far as saying by much... maybe just a few laps worth of weight advantage

Just take a look back at Q2 when everyone was running on the exact same fuel load

I have to say, I’m feeling pretty happy for little Nelson Piquet🙂

👍Regarding Fernando Alonso 🙏🙏 🙏 regardless of how much fuel they have left, I suppose it wouldn't even surprise me if Lewis Hamilton 🙂 pulled into the pits ahead of him; if that actually happened, Lewis Hamilton would probably lose his mind 🤣, especially since Heikki Kovalainen is always there to clean up after him 😂 😂 and in a cramped pit lane like that 😬 everything just gets so chaotic 😁

hollowhawk412 said:It’ll be easier, sure... but not by much. Maybe a couple of laps at most.

I doubt it. They'll probably be hitting the pits 3 or 4 laps ahead of everyone else on average.

Bradley Nelson2 said:I have my doubts about that; I suspect they might head into the pits maybe three or four laps earlier than the rest of the field.

Are you suggesting that Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen 😬 might be running lighter than everyone else? I suppose that is technically possible, though I'm not entirely sure.☕

Bradley Nelson2 said:I highly doubt it, they’ll probably be hitting the pits about three or four laps ahead of the rest of the field.

Well, I was just sitting here listening to Mario Theissen...

he seems to think Mario Andretti might have a few laps of breathing room...

but if you ask me, it's more like two or three laps at most, especially considering how easy everyone looked during Q2.

Robert Kubica was actually two tenths faster than Fernando Alonso in Q2...
Felipe Massa was just a hair under that two-tenth margin
and Kimi Räikkönen was even closer than that.

And all of them were outperforming both McLarens and Nick Heidfeld...

I honestly believe Ferrari can squeeze out even more speed than that.

But let's face it, in races this tight, even the smallest driver error...
comes at a massive cost.

A single lap where the wind shifts—which happens quite a bit here—or some messy traffic could ruin everything.

That said, the reality remains that Renault is significantly faster...

though I don't expect any wild surprises once the race actually gets underway.

Ferrari possesses an incredibly solid race pace.

Still, I’d love to see Fernando Alonso hold his ground at the start, because I’m genuinely curious to see what happens
if Felipe Massa starts putting pressure on him right away.

But frankly, judging by how Ferrari has been handling their starts lately, I'm a little worried.

My only real concern is how that BMW Sauber starts. If they nailed the repairs, fine, but if Robert Kubica ends up buried too far back on the grid, we're in trouble. I’m calling it now: Fernando Alonso is fast enough that he’ll be slicing through the field. He'll likely jump two or three cars right after his first pit stop, if he doesn't pass them even sooner.

The new General Motors model seems to be quite a bit faster, 🤣😂🤣😂😂

Bradley Nelson2 said:I highly doubt it. He’ll probably be hitting the pits 3 or 4 laps before everyone else.

Come on, what makes you so sure? Did your buddy at Ford give you some inside scoop?😂😂

Do me a favor and actually check the lap times before dropping jokes like that...

Fernando Alonso was driving 0.020 slower than Kimi in Q2, and then 0.091 slower in Q3. All that tells me is Kimi's car is lighter than Alonso's, not the other way around.😛

Edward Howard2 said:Come on, what makes you think that? Did some insider tip you off? 😂😂

Check the timing before you start dropping jokes like that...

Fernando Alonso was only 0.020 slower than Raikkonen in Q2, and by Q3 he was up by 0.091. All that tells me is Raikkonen’s car was lighter than Alonso's, not the other way around.😛

Look, Briatore and I are practically joined at the hip...🙄
We'll see how things look tomorrow.😛

Bradley Nelson2 said:you'll see tomorrow 😛

man, you literally told me the exact same thing yesterday 😂😂😂

Bradley Nelson2 said:look, we'll find out tomorrow, but I honestly doubt Piquet makes it into Q3.

it's pretty much proven that your predictions aren't exactly spot on 😂😂😂

Estimates, or just one estimate?

Bradley Nelson2 said:Estimates, or just one estimate?

Just pure guesswork!!

You’ve made baseless claims like this before, and you’ll probably keep doing it too since you always let your gut feelings run the show instead of looking at the facts. 🤣

Look, if some hired gun can go on national TV and spout nonsense just because he's being paid, I can certainly 😛

Edward Howard2 said:Come on, what are you basing that on? Did someone give you a tip? Got some "inside info" or something? 😂😂

Check the lap times before you start making jokes like that...

Fernando Alonso was 0.020 slower than Raikkonen in Q2, and 0.091 slower in Q3. All that tells you is that Raikkonen's car is lighter than Alonso's, not the other way around.😛

Don't hold your breath. He'll be overtaken within a few laps....

Bradley Nelson2 said:Look, if some talking head on CNN can spout nonsense just because they have a paycheck, then I can definitely do the same right here. 😛

Fair enough. Since you're already admitting you're just talking trash... we'll keep that in mind when we read whatever else you decide to spout next. 😉

Fernando Alonso 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 honestly, it’s going to be absolute chaos on the track tomorrow; Robert Kubica managed to squeeze right past General Motors, which just shows how much they're struggling lately 😢 it feels like they've completely lost their way, and even though the car looks fast, they just can't seem to dial it in, whereas Ferrari is looking lethal and I wouldn't be surprised if they lock out the front row tomorrow unless
somehow pulls off some kind of miracle.

James Roberts87 said:Don't hold your breath, man. Everyone's gonna blow past him within just a few laps...

Look, maybe Massa pulls an early move if Fernando Alonso doesn't nail his start, but after that? No way anyone else catches him before the first pit stops, even if Alonso ends up being a little slower on pure pace out on track.

Edward Howard2 said:It’s totally doable for Massa to blow past him right at the start if Alonso gets a shaky launch, but honestly, nobody else stands a chance until pit stops. Even if Alonso ends up being slower on pure track pace than the rest of them, he'll hold them off.

I don't even buy the idea that he'll be slower than the guys trailing him.
Those Q2 times prove he's lightning fast. Only Kimi, Massa, and Robert Kubica were actually quicker.

If his race pace holds up, people are going to have a hell of a time trying to catch him out there.

Roger Williams3 said:I honestly don't think he'll even be slower than the guys trailing him.
The Q2 times show he's actually flying. Only Kimi, Massa, and Robert Kubica were faster.

If his race pace holds up, catching him on the track isn't going to be a walk in the park.

I feel like banking on an Alonso win is a bit too optimistic, but seeing him on the podium at some point this season feels totally doable. Also, maybe Nelsinho Piquet finally grabs some points for the first time.