São Paulo Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) | November 12-14, 2021

Raymond Anderson4 said:He drove that thing flawlessly. You need a driver—or maybe two—who can actually tap into a car's full potential the way he did today. It makes you wonder why Sergio Perez isn't matching Max Verstappen's pace when they're sitting in the exact same machine. At some point, you have to admit it comes down to the person behind the wheel.

Obviously. Lujo is elite, whereas Perez and Bottas just aren't in that league...

stormybadger8 said:I forgot to mention—he'll probably get the order to move out of the way in Turn 1.🤣
Toto knows exactly what he's doing and exactly where Bottas needs to get out of the way.
It's pretty interesting how he still follows orders without question, no matter what happens.

Is there some kind of clause in his contract? 🤷

Drew Bennett68 said:It looks like Lewis thinks he’s going to be picking up a penalty tomorrow, or at least that’s what the folks watching Sky are saying.

They really ought to implement a rule where, in situations like this, the team gets to decide exactly when they take their penalty. Ideally, it should happen before qualifying begins... 🙂
And perhaps, if they take it on Saturday, it would result in a 3-place penalty since it's the sprint race, whereas if they wait until Sunday, it would be a 5-place penalty... 🙂
But again, I maintain that they should have to declare their intentions BEFORE qualifying starts... 🙂

It’s honestly pretty sobering to see just how devastatingly fast this Mercedes is right now.

Max absolutely has to pull this off tomorrow. If you ask me, if he doesn't grab the win here, I think we're going to see Mercedes carrying all that momentum through the final three races of the season. This is still a winnable fight, isn't it?

So, I’m sitting here watching Antonio Giovinazzi struggle, and honestly, it’s kind of painful. Kimi Räikkönen just came out of the pits and still managed to finish a few spots ahead of him anyway. And then, of course, there’s all this complaining about the team supposedly sabotaging him, which seems a bit much, I guess.
😬

Honestly, I just don't see Max finishing ahead of Lewis this Sunday. That Mercedes-Benz is absolutely flying right now, and on a track like this, there's nowhere to hide.

Red Bull Racing messed up by going with mediums—softs were clearly the play here. Max should have a good shot at putting Valtteri Bottas on the inside tomorrow...

Plus, Carlos Sainz had a killer start on those softs, jumping right in to snatch a point that Checo Perez was counting on.

Lujo is just slicing through the midfield like they aren't even there—it’s like they can't offer any resistance at all.
In the end, Red Bull's whole "DRS strategy" payoff boils down to that +5 position gain (finishing tenth) and Max picking up extra points from the sprint (extending the lead to maybe 21 instead of 18). But let's be real, the actual race won't be this easy. The gaps stay wider in the main event, tires take a much harder hit when you're pushing like that, and catching that DRS window becomes a lot tougher.

If Checo Perez manages to break through early, I'm calling Lewis Hamilton for fourth.

stormybadger8 said:I forgot to mention—he'll probably get the order to move out of the way in Turn 1.🤣
Toto knows exactly what he's doing and exactly where Bottas needs to get out of the way.
It's pretty interesting how he still follows orders without question, no matter what happens.

What do you mean "follows orders"? If it weren't for that Safety Car, he would've finished fourth—total disaster.

And it's not even about following orders, his contract is up. He didn't earn an extension, and I'm pretty sure he knows that too...

Linda Peterson43 said:They really ought to implement a rule where, in situations like this, the team gets to decide exactly when they take their penalty. Ideally, it should happen before qualifying begins... 🙂
And perhaps, if they take it on Saturday, it would result in a 3-place penalty since it's the sprint race, whereas if they wait until Sunday, it would be a 5-place penalty... 🙂
But again, I maintain that they should have to declare their intentions BEFORE qualifying starts... 🙂

No, the penalty applies to Sunday and there's no reason to mess with that.

Drew Bennett68 said:It’s honestly pretty sobering to see just how devastatingly fast this Mercedes is right now.

Max absolutely has to pull this off tomorrow. If you ask me, if he doesn't grab the win here, I think we're going to see Mercedes carrying all that momentum through the final three races of the season. This is still a winnable fight, isn't it?

And honestly, isn't it quite remarkable when you stop to think about it—that one could actually lose a championship while driving a machine of that caliber?

mellowtiger83 said:He absolutely did everything he could. First, he squeezed Valtteri Bottas out of the way, then he dealt with Lewis Hamilton, and then there was that little pinball action on the straightaway. It’s quite a mystery how he didn't walk away with a five-second penalty. 🙂

But that is just racing; let's leave it at that. I suspect that shoving Lewis Hamilton won't simply vanish without notice. There will be plenty of chatter about it once the race concludes, and most likely, it will end up being discussed in a boardroom as well.😁

Give me a break...
What we actually need is an objective neutral who isn't busy rooting for Lewis Hamilton.😁 🤣

Well, isn't that just just typical? It turns out Hamilton's DRS failed inspection:

“The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car number 44 for compliance with Article 3.6.3 of the 2021 Formula 1 Technical Regulations,” Bauer noted. “The requirement for the minimum distance was fulfilled. But the requirement for the maximum of 85mm, when the DRS system is deployed and tested in accordance with TD/011-19, were not fulfilled.”

https://www.racefans.net/2021/11/12/...in-qualifying/

Talk about a bombshell!

Drew Bennett68 said:It’s honestly pretty sobering to see just how devastatingly fast this Mercedes is right now.

Max absolutely has to pull this off tomorrow. If you ask me, if he doesn't grab the win here, I think we're going to see Mercedes carrying all that momentum through the final three races of the season. This is still a winnable fight, isn't it?

If we’re just realizing that now, then we’re screwed.🤣

What we’re actually seeing is Lujo in full beast mode...
This might be the first time all season we've seen the real Lewis Hamilton.☕
The angry, driven, aggressive, and lightning-fast version.
Everything else this year has been unrecognizable, but this? This is finally the best version of him.☕

stormybadger8 said:Give me a break...
What we actually need is an objective neutral who isn't busy rooting for Lewis Hamilton.😁 🤣

Look, man, I just commented that Max Verstappen did everything within his power, honestly.

I suppose you’d prefer if Max had kept that 21-point lead instead of everything falling apart due to that "accidental" failure to turn the wheel and those "unintentional" braking issues before the turns.

Personally, I am more interested in the duel between Alonso and Vettel, even though his own teammate is doing a massive job trying to sabotage him at every turn.

I am pulling for Charles Leclerc, man.

Drew Bennett68 said:Well, isn't that just just typical? It turns out Hamilton's DRS failed inspection:

“The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car number 44 for compliance with Article 3.6.3 of the 2021 Formula 1 Technical Regulations,” Bauer noted. “The requirement for the minimum distance was fulfilled. But the requirement for the maximum of 85mm, when the DRS system is deployed and tested in accordance with TD/011-19, were not fulfilled.”

https://www.racefans.net/2021/11/12/...in-qualifying/

Talk about a bombshell!

😂

Finally something interesting today—honestly, those qualifying rounds were probably the most boring I've seen in forever.

EDIT: Wait, who the hell actually sued Horner? 😂

Elizabeth Mendoza said:Everyone seems to be conveniently forgetting that Max Verstappen started out on mediums. He didn't even begin closing the gap to Valtteri Bottas until lap 20. At the end of the day, Bottas admitted his tires were absolutely spent and they lasted just about as long as they could.

It’s honestly a joke that Max couldn't just cruise to an easy win while sitting on those mediums.🙄

Around lap 14 or 15, he was sitting with a 1.1 or 1.2-second lead behind him, if I remember correctly.
The tires weren't the issue at all. The real headache was how unstable the Red Bull was through Turn 12 and the Turns 1-3 complex.
Max was losing about two tenths every time he exited Turn 12. It happened repeatedly, which eventually pushed him over that one-second mark and left him vulnerable to the DRS.

The whole weekend felt like one giant mockery of Mercedes-Benz.
First, they rolled out with an illegal car—basically a "if we get caught, we get caught" gamble. Luckily for the rest of the civilized world, they didn't get away with it, though they still managed to dodge a bullet. Instead of the standard disqualification or starting from the pits, which is what should have happened, they got to start on the grid for the sprint race. That basically gave them an easy 25 laps to fix the mess they made the day before, leaving them with much less to deal with during the actual race. If it weren't for the fact that they exploited every single loophole imaginable to manipulate the weekend, Max Verstappen wouldn't have been overtaken for first place.
They pushed that engine to its absolute limit, and there's a good chance it won't survive all three remaining races. But then again, they don't need it to; they only need two. If they manage to win the next two with that machine, they can just bring back the engine from Mexico—which I doubt is actually broken, they're probably just saving it for the finale, assuming Max Verstappen's Honda even makes it to the checkered flag.
Lewis Hamilton’s whole "f...k them all" attitude, the constant calls to degrade him because of his race, and the way they're mocking the Brazilian flag by comparing him to little Ayrton Senna... it was disgusting to watch. It’s just bad for the sport.
Max made a mistake today when he was forced off the track, but honestly, it would be a joke if they penalized him for it, especially considering everything Lewis Hamilton has done to him all season while walking away with nothing more than ridiculous, meaningless penalties...

https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-...-infringement/

Lewis Hamilton is under investigation for his DRS being too open

https://twitter.com/ChrisMedlandF1/s...081670144?s=20
The uppermost rear wing element adjustable positions were checked on car number 44 ... The requirement for the minimum distance was fulfilled. But the requirement for the maximum of 85mm, when the DRS system is deployed and tested in accordance with TD/011-19, were not fulfilled.

Hmm—if it turns out they were cheating with the Drag Reduction System... though it could just be a technical glitch on the team's end.
edit: looks like it's already been posted 🙂

wiredseal7 said:Red Bull Racing messed up by going with mediums—softs were clearly the play here. Max should have a good shot at putting Valtteri Bottas on the inside tomorrow...

Plus, Carlos Sainz had a killer start on those softs, jumping right in to snatch a point that Checo Perez was counting on.

Lujo is just slicing through the midfield like they aren't even there—it’s like they can't offer any resistance at all.
In the end, Red Bull's whole "DRS strategy" payoff boils down to that +5 position gain (finishing tenth) and Max picking up extra points from the sprint (extending the lead to maybe 21 instead of 18). But let's be real, the actual race won't be this easy. The gaps stay wider in the main event, tires take a much harder hit when you're pushing like that, and catching that DRS window becomes a lot tougher.

If Checo Perez manages to break through early, I'm calling Lewis Hamilton for fourth.

If Sergio Perez manages to make an early move and break through the field. 🤣

Let’s be honest here: the man simply isn't on the same level as Carlos Sainz. I don't know what we're even talking about at this point.

The level of mental gymnastics being performed by certain Red Bull Racing fans on this forum is truly nothing short of incredible.

To hell with the lot of them!

:tzerek: