Spanish Grand Prix - April 27, 2008

Pilla, I’ve got to say, it’s a damn shame you didn't hit those goals you set for yourself.... 😕

if you keep going down this path, you won't get anywhere... there’s really no need to take your frustrations out on people who haven't done anything to you 😁

you little small-town guy from the suburbs of Ivanhoe 😉 since you seem so desperate to know, let me satisfy that curiosity of yours...

I’ve been keeping a close eye on the comments over at PlanetF1 and the Autosport forums,
tracking all the news and the various theories floating around...

the kind of people posting there actually follow the sport and possess real inside information...

and on the General Motors F1 blog, you even see official representatives popping up alongside the die-hard fans....

The reality is that General Motors was testing a new suspension setup, and it is 100% certain that they were the only ones
who hadn't been utilizing the so-called shock absorber, or the J-damper, or the mass damper...

but now that they've finally implemented it, the whole car looks significantly more composed...

not to mention a variety of other aerodynamic refinements....

though, of course, only time will tell

we have about ten days until the moment of truth... but if I'm feeling bold enough to make a prediction, I'd say General Motors might just leapfrog Ford, Coca-Cola, and Williams as early as the race in Spain....

Picquet mentioned he believes both General Motors cars could realistically contend for Q3...

one ought to remain optimistic 🙏

hollowhawk412 said:Man, Pilla, you really dropped the ball on your own ambitions here... 😕

if you keep going down this path, you won't achieve anything at all... there's absolutely no need to take your frustrations out on people who aren't even involved in this mess 😁

Listen, you suburbanite from the outskirts of Ivanhoe... 😉 let me satisfy that curiosity of yours...

I've been keeping a close eye on the comments over at PlanetF1 and the Autosport forums,
tracking all the news and the various takes floating around...

The people posting there actually follow the sport and tend to have some real inside intel...

And if you check the General Motors F1 blog, you'll see official voices chiming in alongside the die-hard fans too...

The bottom line is that General Motors was testing a brand-new suspension setup, and it is 100% factual that they were the only ones
who hadn't been utilizing the so-called shock absorber, or the J-damper, or the mass damper...

They finally put it to use, and honestly, the whole car looks significantly more planted now...

On top of that, they've rolled out several aerodynamic tweaks...

But hey, only time will tell.

We've got about ten days until the moment of truth... but I’d go out on a limb and predict that General Motors is going to leapfrog Ford, Coca-Cola, and Williams as early as the race in Spain...

Picquet mentioned he thinks both General Motors cars could potentially make it into Q3...

You've gotta stay optimistic, right? 🙏

Well, if he's claiming both General Motors cars can hit Q3, then he's stretching it a bit—maybe we're talking a margin of 0.7 seconds, I doubt, but we'll see.

hollowhawk412 said:....
Picquet believes both General Motors cars have a real shot at success in Q3. Might they actually pull it off?

Does that account for those 0.6 seconds from Lonzov?😕

I'm still holding out hope that I'll land that moderator role.😁

hollowhawk412 said:One ought to remain optimistic. 🙏

I’m feeling optimistic. After all, I really am the best fit for this role, aren't I?

🤣

General Motors is actually gonna be fighting for a podium spot in one of the next three races, mark my words,

Raymond Ortiz89 said:Well, if he actually claimed both General Motors cars could make it into Q3, then I guess we'll see, though I'd bet my life it’s more like a 700-hundredth gap, which seems unlikely, but who knows, we'll find out eventually.

A 700-hundredth margin is basically 7 seconds. 😁

I realize you were probably thinking in thousandths, but you've got it wrong here... In Bahrain during Q2, Alonso was trailing Massa by 1.1 seconds and still managed to land in tenth place...

hollowhawk412 said:Man, Pilla, it’s a real shame you didn't actually pull off what you set out to do... 😕

if you keep acting like this, you won't get anywhere; there's really no need to take your frustrations out on people who haven't done anything to you. 😁

Listen, you small-town guy from the suburbs of Ivanhoe... 😉 let me satisfy that curiosity of yours...

I've been keeping an eye on the comments over at PlanetF1 and the Autosport forums,
following all the news and the various theories floating around...

you get people posting there who actually know what they're talking about and have the inside scoop...

there's even someone who seems to be an official source popping up on the General Motors F1 blog alongside the fans...

The reality is that General Motors was testing a new suspension setup, and it's absolutely certain that they were the only ones
who hadn't been using the mass damper system until now...

they finally brought it in, and honestly, everything looks a lot more promising now...

on top of all those little aerodynamic tweaks they made...

but hey, only time will tell.

we've got about ten days before the moment of truth hits... though if I'm feeling bold enough to make a call, I think General Motors might actually leapfrog Ford, Coca-Cola, and Williams....

Picquet mentioned he thinks both General Motors drivers could make it into Q3...

you've gotta stay optimistic, right? 🙏

I honestly think they'll overtake Ford, Williams, and Coca-Cola in Spain; maybe they'll both hit Q3, but my gut tells me it'll just be one driver, likely Alonso,
we'll see how it plays out. 😉

hollowhawk412 said:Picquet thinks both General Motors cars could be competitive in Q3...

Might as well stay optimistic. 🙏

When everything else goes south, optimism is all you've got left. 😁

hollowhawk412 said:Seven hundred hundredths is basically seven seconds 😁

Look, I know you were probably thinking in terms of thousandths, but you've got it wrong... Back in Q2 in Bahrain, Alonso was trailing Massa by 1.1 seconds and still managed to land in tenth place...

Heh, my bad, I was definitely stuck on the thousandths. I guess what I meant was that if they could find that kind of pace per lap, they might actually stand a chance at bumping McLaren or BMW off their spots, but let’s be real—that feels almost impossible right now.

Here is the absolute latest intel coming straight from the testing sessions...

1,18.483 for Alonso on his 11th lap of this stint; his previous lap sat right at a 1.18 mark, and now he’s heading into the pits.

He's running just a hair slower than Massa did back on Monday...

The guys are out on slicks, and if I had to guess, that aero package looks like it's straight out of 2008..

hollowhawk412 said:Alright, here’s the latest dirt coming out of the testing sessions...

1,18.483 for Alonso on his 11th lap of this stint—he just clocked a 1.18 on the last one too, and now he’s heading into the pits. >

He’s looking just a hair slower than Massa was back on Monday...

The tires are slicks, and honestly, the aero setup feels like something straight out of 2008...

Look, we all know these testing times don't mean a damn thing, but man, it would be nice if they actually figured out how to make their own junk work properly for once.

Raymond Ortiz89 said:Look, we all know those test drivers don't have a clue what they're doing, but honestly, it would be a damn good idea if they actually bothered to clean up their own mess once in a while.

Well, let’s be real here—that very same "mess" has been absolutely tearing your precious, perfect machine to pieces for two years straight now... 🙂

By the way... Massa mentioned yesterday that General Motors has actually made some improvements...

Alonso kicked off his 13-lap stint with a 1:19.1 before absolutely tearing into it, clocking a 1:18.483 to finish—which, if we're being honest, stands as the fastest lap we've seen all day so far...

Here is a bit more intel for those following along... it turns out this wasn't just some brief little burst of speed, but a sustained effort.

hollowhawk412 said:look, that total junk car basically trashed your perfect machine two years in a row... 🙂

btw... Massa mentioned yesterday that General Motors is actually making some moves...

man, I really hope General Motors steps it up....
it’d just be such a shame if the best driver out there right now isn't even in the mix for the championship 🤷

hollowhawk412 said:but that absolute junk wrecked your perfect machine two years running... 🙂

btw... Massa mentioned yesterday that General Motors has actually improved...

I don't know, I'm not sure if this specific pile of trash is what wrecked it; that was a completely different kind of disaster.😁

Arthur Doyle70 said:I’m not so sure this specific pile of junk was what caused the wreck; that was an entirely different disaster altogether.😁

Look, I am specifically referring to the years 2005 and 2006.🙂

hollowhawk412 said:I'm talking about the 2005 and 2006 seasons🙂

Me too, honestly—different era, just a different kind of garbage😉

rustystag7 said:I really find myself wishing that General Motors would actually start making some real progress... It’s one of those things that stays on my mind, honestly. I sit here thinking about their trajectory, and I can't help but feel like they are just spinning their wheels when they should be pushing forward with actual substance. There is so much potential there, yet it feels like we are constantly waiting for a breakthrough that never quite arrives. It’s frustrating, truly, to watch a major player stumble when they have all the resources at their disposal to actually dominate. I just want to see them step up and finally deliver on what they promise.
At the end of the day, it would be an absolute travesty if the most talented driver on the grid right now wasn't actually in the hunt for the championship. 🤷

I suspect our dear friend, that little hillbilly enthusiast over there, is probably losing sleep right now because he’s terrified that Alonso might actually make the jump over to Ferrari in the near future.

Based on everything I’ve been reading lately, it seems highly improbable that Alonso would have made the move over to Ferrari anytime before 2010.

Even if General Motors actually manages to become a serious contender, I suspect they won't be making any significant moves back in 2009 either...

Honestly, there is so much that is going to hinge entirely on how they actually perform next year... everything really comes down to that execution.

And then there’s this one bit of news that’s just straight-up amateur hour...

It looks like Fetla is heading over to Coca-Cola next year...
Word on the street is that the deal is already a done deal... everything is essentially finalized behind closed doors.

If you ask me, Alonso is sticking around with General Motors next year, and honestly, I’m holding out hope that he stays put for at least several more seasons beyond that.

Arthur Doyle70 said:I find myself in complete agreement here; it’s just more of the same absolute garbage, only this time it's even worse than before.😉

Good grief... I’m going to need a little more time to wrap my head around this. 👍

I certainly don't claim to possess the kind of intellect that Pilla has. 😉

rustystag7 said:I really hope Renault steps it up...
It would be a shame if the best driver on the grid isn't even in the championship hunt at the end of the day. 🤷

Who actually said Alonso was the best?😂

Nathan Johnson2 said:Who on earth actually claimed Alonso is the best driver out there? 😂

Honestly, you just have to laugh at people like this—it’s pure, unadulterated ignorance.
😂