IT'S race Week !!! United States Grand Prix Indianapolis Motor Speedway 03.20.2022

cosmicmoose2 said:Is it an aero issue or is the engine just total garbage?

It's the aerodynamics... they lower the car, and then during qualifying, they supposedly lift it up by two measly millimeters and suddenly everything magically works...

It’s interesting to note that on a track featuring three DRS zones, the Mercedes drivers aren't using DRS once during their fast laps.
They're even losing ground to the competition on the straights.

Red Bull and everyone else are using it, but for Mercedes, it's glaringly obvious they aren't.

Waiting for the Final Round.

cosmicmoose2 said:Is it an aero issue or is the engine just total garbage?

Maybe they just didn't get the tire pressure right? Could be why the car isn't sitting properly on the track.🤣

Jason Campbell70 said:It’s interesting to note that on a track featuring three DRS zones, the Mercedes drivers aren't using DRS once during their fast laps.
They're even losing ground to the competition on the straights.

Red Bull and everyone else are using it, but for Mercedes, it's glaringly obvious they aren't.

Waiting for the Final Round.

I didn't catch that with Lewis Hamilton, but George Russell was definitely using his DRS during his flying laps—multiple times, actually.

Check it out right here:



And again, right here:



Doesn't mean they aren't sandbagging, though. Obviously.

What's with all this jumping around on level ground? 🤣
Just hoping nobody ends up with a serious concussion.

So, I just finished watching FP2, and it looks like Mercedes is still struggling big time. If this is some kind of strategic sandbagging, then it’s going to go down in history because their pace just doesn't look particularly strong, especially considering they still have one more practice session before qualifying.

It seems like everything is going wrong for George Russell again. The guy just cannot catch a break. 🤣

Did the FIA seriously fail to predict that the cars would be bouncing like this?

This isn't exactly their first rodeo with ground effect; they have plenty of experience dating back to the 80s. 🤔

There were so many potential fixes available—everything from those Friction suspension systems back in 2014 to active suspension, or even the old-school sliding skirts. At the very least, they could have implemented mass dampers.

But no, the FIA went ahead and banned all of those systems. So now, we're stuck watching them bounce around until the car practically falls apart. 😵

I’ve carefully read through all the nonsense you guys have been posting lately, and I’ve decided to officially announce that I’ll be rooting for Sir Larbalestier Lewis Hamilton this year 🙏

After the miserable luck he dealt with last season, I guess I'm taking him under my special protection 😎

You might want to hurry over to the betting shops 😍

cosmicridge5 said:I’ve carefully read through all the nonsense you guys have been posting lately, and I’ve decided to officially announce that I’ll be rooting for Sir Larbalestier Lewis Hamilton this year 🙏

After the miserable luck he dealt with last season, I guess I'm taking him under my special protection 😎

You might want to hurry over to the betting shops 😍

If your whole strategy for picking a driver is just "whoever looks most miserable," then honestly, just go with McLaren. (Might as well let someone else suffer right along with me.)

I’m feeling pretty lukewarm about McLaren right now. I’m definitely not an optimist here. It looked like they were struggling quite a bit with brake issues, though I haven't been glued to every single testing session because work has been keeping me busy. Plus, with Daniel Ricciardo being sidelined by COVID, he hasn't had enough seat time to really get dialed in with the car. On the other hand, Alpine actually left the best impression on me out of all the midfield teams.

Sam Clark75 said:If your whole strategy for picking a driver is just "whoever looks most miserable," then honestly, just go with McLaren. (Might as well let someone else suffer right along with me.)

They didn't exactly shine today... I was actually hoping this would finally be their year, but looks like the Ferrari fans will be celebrating way before they do....
Maybe it was all an act today. Lando Norris was just messing around, and Daniel Ricciardo clearly wasn't feeling it. They'll tear it up tomorrow once that mechanic finishes tightening every single bolt on the chassis ☕

Elizabeth Mendoza said:I’m feeling pretty lukewarm about McLaren right now. I’m definitely not an optimist here. It looked like they were struggling quite a bit with brake issues, though I haven't been glued to every single testing session because work has been keeping me busy. Plus, with Daniel Ricciardo being sidelined by COVID, he hasn't had enough seat time to really get dialed in with the car. On the other hand, Alpine actually left the best impression on me out of all the midfield teams.

Word is Lando Norris is thrilled with how they fixed those brake issues, but we haven't actually seen any proof yet.
I was optimistic until today, but that doesn't mean anything now. We'll see tomorrow...
Alpine looks strong, but again, we'll see.

Nathan Doyle4 said:They didn't exactly shine today... I was actually hoping this would finally be their year, but looks like the Ferrari fans will be celebrating way before they do....
Maybe it was all an act today. Lando Norris was just messing around, and Daniel Ricciardo clearly wasn't feeling it. They'll tear it up tomorrow once that mechanic finishes tightening every single bolt on the chassis ☕

Man, I wish. But it looked legit serious—some fluid was leaking out of the car and they ended up pulling the engine out, so who knows what's actually broken. If they have to swap the whole engine before the first race, it’s gonna be a total disaster, and honestly, they haven't exactly been winning lately anyway.

Sam Clark75 said:I didn't catch that with Lewis Hamilton, but George Russell was definitely using his DRS during his flying laps—multiple times, actually.

Check it out right here:



And again, right here:



Doesn't mean they aren't sandbagging, though. Obviously.

It seems the folks over at the FIA might have overlooked a few details here. The Mercedes drivers were indeed utilizing their DRS during those flying laps.
For some reason, Lewis chose not to deploy it on the main straight at the end of the lap, yet he did engage it within the second DRS zone:


In contrast, Russell made sure to activate his DRS right on the finish line during his fastest lap:


If we take a moment to look back at last year's FP2 times, Max Verstappen held a lead of about two-tenths over Lewis Hamilton and was just under four-tenths ahead of Valtteri Bottas. Now, looking at this year's FP2 data, that gap over Lewis Hamilton has ballooned to a massive 1.2 seconds, while his advantage over George Russell sits at just under six-tenths.

When one considers the various technical struggles Mercedes has faced with their car's balance, isn't it becoming increasingly apparent that Mercedes faces a significantly steeper uphill battle to secure a win this season? If they manage to find their way onto the podium at all, perhaps they should simply consider themselves lucky.

Nathan Doyle4 said:Word is Lando Norris is thrilled with how they fixed those brake issues, but we haven't actually seen any proof yet.
I was optimistic until today, but that doesn't mean anything now. We'll see tomorrow...
Alpine looks strong, but again, we'll see.

Apparently, they spent today running through the race simulation with full fuel loads, and they're also testing out that new version of the brakes to make up for lost time, so the lap times aren't looking too bad at all, if you ask me.

Sam Clark75 said:Man, I wish. But it looked legit serious—some fluid was leaking out of the car and they ended up pulling the engine out, so who knows what's actually broken. If they have to swap the whole engine before the first race, it’s gonna be a total disaster, and honestly, they haven't exactly been winning lately anyway.

I hope you're wrong..

Kenneth Cruz67 said:Apparently, they spent today running through the race simulation with full fuel loads, and they're also testing out that new version of the brakes to make up for lost time, so the lap times aren't looking too bad at all, if you ask me.

I hope you're right.
They were tinkering with Ricciardo, sure, but Lando Norris's last outing didn't even look like real racing; it was like he was just out for a casual Sunday drive.
Either way, I hope things look better tomorrow.

Nathan Doyle4 said:I hope you're wrong..

I hope you're right.
They were tinkering with Ricciardo, sure, but Lando Norris's last outing didn't even look like real racing; it was like he was just out for a casual Sunday drive.
Either way, I hope things look better tomorrow.

Being a McLaren fan myself—I’m hoping too—but honestly? They haven't shown me anything yet. 😢

Your Mercedes seats are rattling like crazy 🙂🙂🤣

My guys over at McLaren, unlike those sycophants working for Toto Wolff, don't know how to fake it. If the brakes hold up, Lando might actually grab a podium 🙂

stormybadger8 said:

Your Mercedes seats are rattling like crazy 🙂🙂🤣

The whole crew was grinding all night—zero sleep—while the world tremble over whether we could actually fix these issues... and somehow, we managed to find a few seconds of improvement.

Post-qualifying statement.

Sam Clark75 said:I didn't catch that with Lewis Hamilton, but George Russell was definitely using his DRS during his flying laps—multiple times, actually.

Check it out right here:



And again, right here:



Doesn't mean they aren't sandbagging, though. Obviously.

I wasn't watching both free practice sessions—skipped most of the first one—but during Free Practice 2, what I described happened constantly. George Russell hits the track, does an out-lap, and then
bang, a fast lap or two, all without touching the Drag Reduction System.

As for Lewis Hamilton, we already know the deal: 19 miles/h slower on the straight, looking convincingly last.

Really strange.