Spain Matchday 27 - April 27, 2008

hollowhawk412 said:I mean, what can you expect... McLaren always acts like they're the big shots, but they just can't seem to clinch a win, whereas Renault is either total
garbage or they're taking home the championship. 😉😉

You've got a point there.😢

Alonso snagged P3 in free practice again...

Roger Williams3 said:Fernando Alonso is sitting in third again during free practice...

I honestly don't think these practice times tell us anything useful about how things actually stand🤷, though I'm pretty sure Renault is going to make a serious move over the weekend

Arthur Doyle70 said:Look, I don't think these practice times actually mean anything right now🤷, but one thing's for sure—Renault is gonna make some serious moves over the weekend

Yeah, I'm with you on that...

We'll see some improvement, sure, but nothing crazy. Even Fernando Alonso basically admitted that during the press conference.

Roger Williams3 said:that’s exactly my take on it...

we might see some marginal improvements here and there, though certainly nothing earth-shattering, which is precisely what Fernando Alonso admitted during his own press conference.

Look, I'm telling you...

In all reality, we're looking at a four-team battle...
well, they've closed the gap to the top three, although if you ask me, there isn't really a "top three" anymore.
It’s more like Ferrari leading the pack, followed closely by the duo of McLaren and BMW, and then everyone else just trying to keep up.

Renault could very easily emerge as the best of that secondary group...and frankly, it's quite likely...

The main reason I single out Ferrari is their race pace....

absolutely nobody can match them when it comes to sustained speed during those long runs. 😢

1 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:21.269 19
2 David Coulthard Red Bull 1:21.465 16
3 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.599 16
4 Robert Kubica BMW 1:21.717 23
5 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.771 21
6 Sébastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.942 19
7 Nelson Piquet jr. Renault 1:21.992 18
8 Jenson Button Honda 1:22.060 17
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:22.075 16
10 Timo Glock Toyota 1:22.081 23
11 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:22.094 15
12 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:22.174 19
13 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:22.176 18
14 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:22.189 16
15 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1:22.220 16
16 Sebastian Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.292 20
17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:22.350 17
18 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 1:22.466 22
19 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:22.689 21
20 Takuma Sato Super Aguri 1:23.726 16
21 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri 1:23.921 15
22 Mark Webber Red Bull no time 2

Something feels a little off about these practice results 🤷, I suppose they might just be running different strategies or something, because I find it hard to believe they'd only be fine-tuning the cars this late in the game; it's more likely just down to the varying fuel loads during the session 🤷

That said, the BMW seems quite fast, and I guess we might see another PP for them; yesterday Kimi lap time was 1.21.935, though the day before he was sitting at 1.20.649, but Heikki Kovalainen wasn't anywhere near that kind of pace

Kimi is looking like he’s taking pole today

I just really hope we don't end up seeing a double podium for Ferrari at the top

neonharbor18 said:1 Nick Heidfeld BMW 1:21.269 19
2 David Coulthard Red Bull 1:21.465 16
3 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:21.599 16
4 Robert Kubica BMW 1:21.717 23
5 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:21.771 21
6 Sébastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:21.942 19
7 Nelson Piquet jr. Renault 1:21.992 18
8 Jenson Button Honda 1:22.060 17
9 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:22.075 16
10 Timo Glock Toyota 1:22.081 23
11 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:22.094 15
12 Nico Rosberg Williams 1:22.174 19
13 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:22.176 18
14 Kazuki Nakajima Williams 1:22.189 16
15 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 1:22.220 16
16 Sebastian Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:22.292 20
17 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:22.350 17
18 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India F1 1:22.466 22
19 Adrian Sutil Force India F1 1:22.689 21
20 Takuma Sato Super Aguri 1:23.726 16
21 Anthony Davidson Super Aguri 1:23.921 15
22 Mark Webber Red Bull no time 2

Something feels off about these practice sessions 🤷; maybe they're just playing with different strategies, because I find it hard to believe they'd be tweaking the cars this late in the game—it’s probably just the fuel loads being different during practice.🤷

BMW is clearly flying, though, so we might see another PP for them; Kimi clocked a Kimi lap time of 1.21.935 yesterday, even though he was pushing a 1.20.649 the day before,but Heikki Kovalainen wasn't anywhere near that kind of pace.

Honestly, Kimi is likely looking at a PP, especially since Heikki Kovalainen dealt with a mountain of issues during practice and the team already admitted they were struggling with car stability, while for BMW, Kubica could easily land in the top three, and I wouldn't be surprised if Fernando Alonso puts up a solid time in qualifying—maybe even better than anyone expected.

hollowhawk412 said:I don't think there's even a top three anymore
it's just Ferrari leading the pack, followed by the duo behind them (McLaren and BMW), and then everyone else...

Man, you hit the nail on the head.

Seriously though, what on earth are those wings on the Honda? Are they actually planning to take off?

The local idiots haven't even started talking about it yet, while I'm sitting here watching the German broadcast in 16:9. If I want to watch this like a normal person, I have to constantly mess with my settings. 😠

Sébastien Bourdais is outperforming Sebastian Vettel again, and by more than half a second at that!

Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet are looking way better than I expected, but we won't see their true pace until Q2 hits.

EDIT:
Alonso is sitting in 4th for Q2! And he’s only 0.260s behind Felipe Massa!

I am loving this. It looks like Renault actually made some massive strides with the car.

Even Piquet is right there in the mix.😁

Man, I’ve got nothing but frustration for HRT right now; I honestly can't wrap my head around what this broadcast setup is even supposed to be 😠. It’s just this weird, jarring mix of soccer and advertisements 😠.

Sebastian Vettel🙈

I suppose if we're looking at the standings, BMW might have the PP👍 and another spot, with Renault sitting in second and Ferrari holding onto third😬

neonharbor18 said:Sebastian Vettel 🙈

I'm thinking BMW holds PP👍 and second place, with Renault sitting in second and Ferrari taking third😬

but honestly, who can actually predict anything when they're playing these games with the fuel mixtures...

Personally, I find Q2 to be quite a relaxing watch, whereas Q3 always feels far too bogged down in excessive, tedious calculations for my liking.

Roger Wright94 said:Look, you're spot on with every single point there.

But honestly, what in the world are those wings on the Honda? Are they actually going to take flight or what?

Our local idiots haven't even tuned in yet, meanwhile I'm sitting here watching ESPN with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and if I want to watch this thing like a normal human being, I have to constantly fiddle with the settings just to make sense of the screen. 😠

Just try that link I posted a few pages back.

Fernando Alonso is grabbing P2 on the grid!!!

👋

Fernando Alonso 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank goodness, even Renault seems to be performing well 👍, so I suppose this could turn out to be an excellent season 👍

hollowhawk412 said:honestly, who can really say for sure given the fuel situation they're dealing with...

Personally, I find Q2 to be quite enjoyable, whereas Q3 seems to involve just a bit too much calculated risk-taking for my liking.

It’s the same for me whenever I have a data transfer to deal with😠 ,and since I was trying to be smart and opted for the starter bundle😵 ,I’ve already burned through 6 GB of data😬

neonharbor18 said:Fernando Alonso 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thank God, even Renault is actually performing for once.👍 I honestly think we’re looking at an absolutely stellar season ahead.👍

I have a very good idea exactly why you hold that particular thing in such high regard. 👍

Honestly, maybe Alonso was just taking it easy on them, like he was putting on a show for the fans... either way, that car looks way more competitive than before.

Man, I am freaking out thinking about tomorrow's start!!! I seriously can't wait!

Alonso ahead of McLaren 🙂

And that was probably just because they headed toward the "fake" pole position area to get closer to the fans...