US Grand Prix 2010

stormybadger8 said:fighting against headwinds is just a losing battle..

What's your problem with my beautiful, perfect headwinds? 🙂

Cloudy as hell for FP1 🍿

Well, I don't have a satellite feed to check, so I'm just relying on some local stream, but it doesn't look particularly overcast to me. There's one darker cloud drifting by, but the rest of the sky—as far as I can tell through the screen—looks pretty clear. 🤷

Button, old man Mike, Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel...

Vettel was inches away from slamming into the walls a few times; honestly, it's a miracle he didn't wreck the car.

And some kind of animal was darting across the track—an otter or something... luckily, nobody ran into it.

Here are the results from FP1:



As expected, McLaren looks strong, but Mercedes is showing some unexpectedly encouraging pace. Kubica spent most of the session sitting at the top, though Rosberg and Vettel managed to snatch it away in those final minutes. Vettel looked like he was flirting with the wall during that last flying lap—if he wasn't actually inches from disaster, then he certainly had a close call. Ferrari is trailing the leaders (Alonso), with Massa falling significantly behind. Webber is also struggling to keep pace.

The fastest time is roughly a second and three-tenths slower than the 2008 qualifying speeds, so we should see things pick up significantly tonight and tomorrow.

He didn't hit him that hard, but it was still close enough to sting

Finally, an actual race where McLaren is the absolute favorite🙏

briskhound76 said:Finally, a race where McLaren is the absolute favorite.🙏

Chill out, guys. We've still got plenty of time before tomorrow at 8:00 PM. 😁

Michael Lee4 said:Chill out, guys. We've still got plenty of time before tomorrow at 8:00 PM. 😁

And even more time before the day after tomorrow at 8:00 PM. ☕

Michael Lee4 said:Chill out, guys, we've still got plenty of time before tomorrow at 8:00 PM 😁

You're not wrong, though first the French have to go settle some scores with Uruguay😁...but honestly, when it comes to F1, I really think our guys should be the ones taking this one home!!!

Now they just need to figure out if it's going to be Lewis or Jenson... as long as things pick up right where they left off in Turkey🙏

Joshua Newman2 said:Here’s how FP1 shook out:



McLaren looks strong, just as you'd expect, but Mercedes is showing some surprisingly encouraging pace. Kubica spent most of the session sitting at the top, though Rosberg and Vettel managed to snatch it away from him in those final minutes. Vettel looked like he was flirting with the wall during that last flying lap—honestly, if he wasn't actually inches away from a collision, he was definitely feeling the pressure. Ferrari is trailing the leaders, with Alonso keeping pace while Massa is lagging pretty far behind. Webber isn't doing much better either.

The best time was about a second and three-tenths slower than the 2008 qualifying times, so we can probably expect things to get a lot faster tonight and tomorrow. .s

Word is Mercedes is working hard on their F-duct system; they clearly seem to be heading in the right direction...🤷

Chandok was absolutely brilliant 🙏

briskhound76 said:you're right, first the French have to go fight the Uruguayans😁...but when it comes to F1, I think our drivers should be the ones taking this!!!

let them figure out if they want Lewis or Jenson... the main thing is picking up right where things left off in Turkey🙏

I'm always down for a 1-2 finish, but let's take it easy 😉

btw... Uruguay is going to win 😎

Joshua Newman2 said:Here are the FP1 results:



McLaren looks strong as expected, and Mercedes is surprisingly quick—definitely encouraging. Kubica spent most of the session at the top before Rosberg and Vettel snatched it away in the final minutes. Vettel practically kissed the wall during that last flying lap (I don't know if he actually hit it, but if even a fly had been between him and that barrier, he would’ve lost his mind). Ferrari is trailing the leaders (Alonso), and Massa is way back. Webber is also lagging significantly behind.

The best time is about a second and three-tenths slower than the 2008 qualifying times, so we can expect some serious speed increases tonight and tomorrow. .s

Almost every qualifying session this season has been faster than last year's best times, yet look at this: http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/793/6517/ This means it's 2.5 seconds slower than the fastest time from the last race. I'm expecting qualifying times to land somewhere around 15.500. ☕

These were obviously full-tank testing runs.

Michael Lee4 said:anyway... Uruguay is gonna walk away with 😎

locals, maybe😁

Morgan Murphy7 said:Chandok is doing great 🙏

You have to admit, this is one of the more pleasant surprises of the entire season.

Back when he and Senna were teammates in GP2 back in 2008, Senna was absolutely tearing him apart all season long. But now, for a few races in a row, Karun has clearly been outperforming Bruno.

It's strange—strange, to say the least. Even though Bruno Senna is my favorite, I think Chandok is handling F1 much better. And if the rumors are true that he might replace that clown Liuzzi at Force India, I predict a very bright future for him.

stormybadger8 said:Almost every qualifying session this season has outpaced last year's fastest laps, yet look at this: http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2008/793/6517/ Comparing it to the fastest lap from the last race, this is 2.5 seconds slower. I’m expecting qualifying times to hover somewhere around 1:15.500.☕

Those were clearly testing sessions conducted with full-spec cars.

Of course, you're right; my apologies, I miscalculated: these 2008 qualifying practice sessions trail by 2.3 seconds, not 1.3.
There wasn't actually a race held in Canada last year, and since it isn't a purpose-built circuit anyway, speeds will climb significantly once the rubber starts laying down on the asphalt.

What I can't be bothered to go look up—and frankly, I have no desire to verify it—is whether qualifying was faster last year or the year before. Given how strange those cars were last year, perhaps they were lagging behind or at least plateauing compared to the 2008 models, which would explain why we're seeing such a consistent beat of last year's times this season.🤷

I suspect the best qualifying time will settle somewhere in the 1:15.400 to 1:15.500 range.☕

silvercobra68 said:you have to admit, this has been one of the more pleasant surprises of the entire season.

Back when he and Senna were teammates at iSport in GP2 back in 2008, Senna was absolutely running circles around him all season long. But now, looking at the last few races, Karun is clearly outperforming Bruno.

It’s strange—strange, to say the least. Even though Bruno Senna is my personal favorite, I think Chandok is handling the transition to F1 much better. And if the rumors are true about him potentially replacing that clown Liuzzi over at Force India, I’d say his future looks incredibly bright.

Last year, I couldn't wrap my head around why Toro Rosso gave Alguersuar an extension for this season, but the kid has since proven he isn't just some filler. This year, however, I'm baffled by why the hell FI is sticking with Liuzzi. Then again, who knows? If they swap him out, maybe I'll have to eat my words.

As for young Senna, I didn't expect much from him, and honestly, that's exactly what he's delivered so far. ☕

Joshua Newman2 said:Yeah, you're right. My bad—I miscalculated. Those 2008 qualifying sessions are actually about 2.3 seconds faster, not 1.3.
Since there wasn't even a race in Canada last year, and let's face it, it's not exactly a high-grip circuit, times should jump significantly once they get some rubber on the asphalt.

What I don't know (and honestly, I can't be bothered to check) is whether qualifying was faster last year or the year before. With those weird cars we had last season, maybe they were lagging behind or just plateauing compared to the 2008 stuff. That might be why we're seeing such steady improvements over last year's times this time around. 🤷

I'm guessing the best qualifying time will settle somewhere around 1:15.400-1:15.500. ☕

Spain:

2010 - 19.995

2009 - 20.192

2008 - 20.701

Times were noticeably faster last year than back in 2008 too.😉

I'm telling you, this practice session is totally useless.🤣

I wouldn't even be shocked if pole position dips below 1.15.

Honestly, I expect 1 or 2 Red Bull cars to dominate both qualifying and the race, unless they end up taking each other out. 😬

stormybadger8 said:To be perfectly honest, I’m expecting one or two Red Bulls to dominate both qualifying and the race itself, unless they end up taking each other out on the track, 😬

Which is exactly what I'm rooting for—along with a strong showing from McLaren. 🙂