2012 Canadian GP (Hungaroring) - July 29th

How many times is he going to pray for rain just because he's sitting in a prime spot behind Grojean?
I’m honestly hoping he misses the Indianapolis Motor Speedway tomorrow 😁 so Grojean can cruise in second
and maybe—just maybe—put some pressure on Lewis Hamilton 👍

It’s going to be a total scrap for those Lotus points tomorrow... Lewis Hamilton doesn't stand a chance against Romain

David Anderson72 said:They really ought to prioritize finding a solid starting spot. Pole position matters quite a bit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 🤷

Michael Schumacher, 2004.

The last time anyone actually won from pole here was in Canada.

I'm expecting rain tomorrow—and a killer performance from Fernando Alonso. If he can pull off a win in Valencia starting from 11th, there's no reason he can't do it here too...

🙂 seriously, maldonaldo 🙂 when are they actually going to kick him out??? 😠

Jason Campbell70 said:Michael Schumacher, 2004.

The last time anyone actually pulled off a win from the pit lane was back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ouch... man, that was a lifetime ago. 😲 At this rate, Lewis Hamilton (has to) be the one to finally break that streak tomorrow.

Tyler Richardson4 said:I was really rooting for Kimi to grab second place because he’s been lightning fast this weekend. Maybe we'll see him on the podium tomorrow at least. Also, the commentators are absolutely driving me crazy!

Personally, I think Romain has shown throughout the season that he holds a slight edge over Kimi when it comes to raw single-lap pace... but everyone is pushing Kimi hard right now. 🤷

To me, Romain seems incredibly fast, but his struggle is maintaining that consistency once the race actually gets underway.

Emily Patel64 said:😁

Calling for rain... yeah, right—especially after those qualifying sessions 😁

I honestly don't think Mark Webber needs to worry about summoning the rain, considering his track record when things get a little slick 😁

Tyler Richardson4 said:Does anyone actually know how much time it takes to switch from a dry setup to a wet one? I ask because Kimi looked seriously fast during Q1 and Q2—plus his free practice times were solid—but he just didn't step it up at all in Q3. He shaved off two tenths, sure, but if he already hit that kind of pace on mediums in Q2, then switching to softs didn't really move the needle much. I'm really hoping he went to a wet setup, though I'm worried there just isn't enough time between Q2 and Q3 to make that change.

There’s no such thing as a "wet setup" in Formula 1 anymore—that hasn't been a thing for years.

Kimi looked great in practice when it was a bit cooler than this afternoon, but once the heat kicked in... well, you have to look elsewhere for why he lost that pace.

placiddriver48 said:I honestly don't think Mark Webber ever actually summons the rain—given the "quality" of his driving whenever the track gets wet. 😁

Who exactly are you supposed to be now? Seriously—take a seat and get real for a second. 😁

nu

I’ve been sitting here staring at this footage, trying to make sense of how things actually unfolded on track, and honestly? It’s a mess. If you watch the clip closely—and I mean really pay attention to the lines being taken—you can see exactly where the strategy started to unravel. It isn't just about raw speed; it's about that split-second decision-making when the pressure is mounting. It reminds me of how some teams approach a high-stakes play in the NFL—they have a perfect game plan on paper, but the moment the field gets chaotic, they lose their rhythm because they're playing too reactive instead of proactive. You see it happen in real-time here. One driver makes a slight adjustment, a millisecond too late, and suddenly the entire gap is gone. There's a lot of noise surrounding this specific moment, but if you strip away the commentary and look at the telemetry—metaphorically speaking—it's clear that the tire degradation played a much bigger role than anyone is willing to admit in the post-race analysis. It wasn't just a driver error; it was a systemic failure to account for how the surface would react under those specific thermal conditions. We'll see if the engineers actually take this on board for the next race, or if we're just going to see the same mistakes repeated once they hit the track again.

Look, there's the statement right there—just head over to their official website and take a look for yourself.
It’s gone. Not on YouTube anymore.

Yeah, it’s really coming down out there. 😁 Look, it’s really just somewhere between him and whatever potential rain might roll in later. 😎😁

Look, at the end of the day—and I really mean this—we're all just here to enjoy the ride.

Tomorrow, I’m expecting a little bit of magic from the legendary Fernando Alonso 😁
...

shadowtinker29 said:The idea of a dedicated "wet setup" hasn't really been a thing in Formula 1 for years now.

Kimi seemed to have a solid pace during the practice sessions when things were a bit cooler than they are this afternoon. If we're looking for why his speed dropped off, we should probably be looking at other factors instead.

Wait, so you're saying the heat is the only thing bothering him???

Brian Campbell36 said:As far as I can tell, those Mercedes-Benz cars are falling behind the leaders by much more than their legendary 0.5 second gap.🙂

They’re running a wet setup today. Even Mark Webber was struggling, so I wouldn't be surprised if F1 drivers are feeling it too.

Not sure if I’m pulling for the Mercedes crew or the Lotus guys this time...😵

Tyler Richardson4 said:I mean, seriously—what's his big deal with the heat?

😁

A car that runs perfectly at 82 degrees isn't going to be perfect anymore if it jumps up to 91—especially if you, as the driver, finally found that sweet spot at the lower temperature.

And honestly, stop rambling about those old rainy-day setups. That whole thing basically died out somewhere around 2008.

shadowtinker29 said:You guys are still rambling about rain setups. That concept died out somewhere around 2008.

And what exactly died?

Higher wing angles?
Smaller brake cooling ducts?
Ride height?
Suspension stiffness and other settings—which are crucial for tire warm-up?
Differential settings?
Brake bias?

I mean, what kind of "rain" are we talking about here with just 0.9 mm and 32 degrees Celsius? Is that actually enough to justify a wet setup?😁

Jason Campbell70 said:Michael Schumacher, 2004.

That was the last time someone actually won from pole at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

True, but wait—didn't Lewis Hamilton take pole back in 2007? 😁

Jason Campbell70 said:What exactly died out?

Higher wing angles?
Smaller brake cooling ducts?
Ground clearance?
Suspension stiffness—and all those other settings (which are huge when you factor in tire warm-up)?
Differential settings?
Brake bias adjustments?

Like I was saying, the classic wet setup basically went extinct about four or five years ago. With all those little tweaks you mentioned—most of which can be adjusted with just a flick of a switch on the steering wheel or a quick turn of a wrench on the wings—today's cars wouldn't even stand a chance against cars from ten years ago if they were running a traditional rain setup.

The last car to actually run a "real" wet setup was the Red Bull Racing entry at Monza back in 2008.

If the weather keeps acting up... this button takes over... ☕
The car is fast, but they completely botched that pit stop during practice...

Anyway, what’s everyone’s take on "the old man"? Honestly, looking at how he's been spinning out in the rain lately, I think the whole "rain master" myth is totally falling apart. Sure, he had some solid wet races back in the day, but plenty of other drivers pulled those off too... This pattern of sliding all over the track whenever it gets wet is more what you'd expect from someone like Massa or Maldonado, or just your typical mid-field filler, not a legend with a reputation for dominating in the rain... 🤷