CNN Indianapolis Motor Speedway 09/08/2013

graniteharbor502 said:A significant portion of your argument holds weight, I suppose. It seems to me that Lewis Hamilton's race was fundamentally compromised by yesterday's chaotic turn of events during Q2, for which he himself bears at least partial responsibility—though he did step up and take the blame. However, what truly occupies my thoughts is how much satisfaction the fans of Fernando Alonso can actually derive from today's performance. Is it not possible that, within a Ferrari of this caliber, Nico Hulkenberg might have proven to be a far more formidable competitor than Fernando Alonso himself?

I'm not an Alonso fan, but I'll weigh in.

From where I'm sitting, Hulkenberg wouldn't just be "more competitive" than Alonso in this field... he'd probably have the championship locked up by September.

Forget one or two titles. 🙏

Amanda Kelly said:Lewis Hamilton 🤷
In a car that gave him podiums for four races straight,
in the exact same car that our most dedicated forum regular claims is the biggest threat to his favorite driver and the whole team,
in a car where his own teammate finished over 20 seconds ahead of him.
So what? Even if he pulled off 330 overtakes, what good does that actually do him? What kind of success is that???
Unless, of course, you consider overtaking those two pathetic McLarens to be some kind of achievement.

I get it—everything checks out. She’s her own worst enemy when it comes to poor qualifying sessions. It’s actually a shame, because you could really see she had incredible pace at Indianapolis today—but thanks to two pit stops (while everyone else only needed one), she ended up with almost no points.
I honestly felt like he and Kimi Raikkonen were the only ones actually racing today; everyone else was just following each other in a line. A total snooze fest of a race. If it hadn't been for that puncture at the start, I think his tactic would have been a single pit stop too, which means he probably would have cruised onto the podium.
And he passed Nico Rosberg long before he even made his second pit stop.

Jason Campbell70 said:I'm not an Alonso fan, but I'll weigh in.

From where I'm sitting, Hulkenberg wouldn't just be "more competitive" than Alonso in this field... he'd probably have the championship locked up by September.

Forget one or two titles. 🙏

I wonder, which part of the question regarding how satisfied Alonso's supporters can be with his current performance remains unclear?

graniteharbor502 said:I wonder, which part of the question regarding how satisfied Alonso's supporters can be with his current performance remains unclear?

Look, obviously we aren't exactly throwing a parade over a 2nd place finish, but let's be real—that was absolutely everything he had in him today.☕

Raymond Thomas5 said:Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Nico Hulkenberg were basically the only ones who made this race worth watching so far.
Great drives from those first two—even if the actual results were a total disaster.
Ferrari is once again paying a massive price for yesterday's sloppy mistakes.

Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel certainly wouldn't have let that happen.

I'm with you on all of that.
I’ve mentioned this here before, but Sebastian Vettel has this incredible ability to execute. When he locks in, it’s basically perfection. This season, Nico Rosberg is the only one who has even come close to showing a hint of that kind of precision. No one else.
To be fair, maybe people write entire novels about him, so they don't take him that seriously anymore, but this isn't just some trivial thing. It shouldn't be brushed off. A penalty is still just one shot—a single chance you actually have to convert into a goal. And he isn't exactly doing it consistently, and he isn't doing it for everyone.

Raymond Thomas5 said:Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen, and Nico Hulkenberg were basically the only ones who made this race worth watching so far.
Great drives from those first two—even if the actual results were a total disaster.
Ferrari is once again paying a massive price for yesterday's sloppy mistakes.

Red Bull Racing and Sebastian Vettel certainly wouldn't have let that happen.

Just a little bit. No need to go overboard with it. The time gaps were barely noticeable anyway.
Let's not forget that Sebastian Vettel is an absolute master when it comes to qualifying and nailing a single fast lap.

And just to be clear, this isn't some attempt at pandering or trying to pay back Hardcore's last post. 😉

Jason Campbell70 said:I'm not an Alonso fan, but I'll weigh in.

From where I'm sitting, Hulkenberg wouldn't just be "more competitive" than Alonso in this field... he'd probably have the championship locked up by September.

Forget one or two titles. 🙏

Signature

Michael Diaz4

Raymond Thomas5 said:We’re going to need a bit of luck—and maybe a few DNFs from Seb or something to win the championship

Fernando Alonso admitted he needs his Formula 1 title rival Sebastian Vettel to run into some trouble during the rest of the season
if he actually wants a shot at that 2013 championship.//
Maestro

Hehehehe, that's too much, especially that nickname "Maestro"...😂

graniteharbor502 said:Sebastian Vettel simply outclassed Fernando Alonso with such ease, much like how Felipe Massa routinely let him slip away. And now, we watch as Fernando Alonso predictably lets yet another championship title slide through his fingers. Is there anything more predictable in this sport? Life truly is a beautiful thing, isn't it? 😁

Simply beautiful...😉

Amanda Kelly said:Look, that question applies to pretty much anyone. Period.
The only exception is Vettel + Red Bull, obviously.

Personally, I wouldn't swap out Alonso, but I’d dump Massu in a heartbeat. I’d bring in the best driver available right now, no hesitation.
I think a move like that would settle things and clear the air for the long term.
To be honest, it doesn't bother me—as a Ferrari fan—if you guys hate on Alonso, whether you have a reason or not.
What bothers me is seeing talent wasted when we could be squeezing every bit of potential out of this team and pushing it to a higher level.
Alonso isn't a magician.
If you bring in someone incredibly fast and mentally sharp, he'd be forced to squeeze out every last drop of sweat (if he hasn't already). That’s when we’d see where things actually stand. Massa isn't even a benchmark; you can't compare him.

Until then, all this bickering about FA is just noise.
That said, the Alonso lovers are way more justified than the haters, IMO. Honestly, the worship and the unbridled glorification is a lot more logical and positive than all that constant animosity.

Look, when you have a team where the drivers are on equal footing, even if they're absolute superstars, we've seen plenty of times where the title ends up going to some third guy entirely. That's why I suspect the dynamic at Ferrari will just remain this "lead singer vs. backup" situation for the foreseeable future, and honestly? I can't wrap my head around seeing Fernando Alonso stuck playing the backup role.

graniteharbor502 said:I wonder, which part of the question regarding how satisfied Alonso's supporters can be with his current performance remains unclear?

That part of your post doesn't matter to me. I didn't even address it.

Jason Campbell70 said:That part of your post doesn't matter to me. I didn't even address it.

You also failed to mention the fact that Nico Hulkenberg finished a mere five seconds behind The Spaniard while driving for Sauber. Wouldn't it be quite refreshing if Ferrari were to actually sign Nico Hulkenberg for the upcoming season, just so we could finally settle this debate once and for all?

So?
Last year, while driving for Sauber, Sergio Perez finished 15 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
And?

Jason Campbell70 said:So?
Last year, while driving for Sauber, Sergio Perez finished 15 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
And?

Then Alonso ended up disappointed because he didn't have enough points... And?☕

Daniel James8 said:Look, when you have a team where the drivers are on equal footing, even if they're absolute superstars, we've seen plenty of times where the title ends up going to some third guy entirely. That's why I suspect the dynamic at Ferrari will just remain this "lead singer vs. backup" situation for the foreseeable future, and honestly? I can't wrap my head around seeing Fernando Alonso stuck playing the backup role.

If you're thinking of 2007, I have to disagree.
First off, they weren't on equal footing back then. They should have been, sure, but they weren't.
Second, the main reason they lost that championship was Lewis Hamilton's lack of experience and his inability to handle the pressure, which led to those unbelievable, almost surreal mistakes.
I could go deeper, but I won't. With two races left, Lewis Hamilton practically had the championship in the bag—99.99% certain. And somehow, miraculously, he blew it.

Jason Campbell70 said:So?
Last year, while driving for Sauber, Sergio Perez finished 15 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso.
And?

And nothing happens. Perhaps we should consider if this is actually the right moment to judge him based solely on that single metric...

Edward Howard2 said:Some people here are whining about Massa out-qualifying Maestro... honestly, I’m feeling super optimistic about this one. I’m actually pretty stoked with how qualifying turned out. It’s way better having Massa and Hulk ahead of Maestro on the grid rather than Kimi and Lewis. Massa is gonna let him through immediately because he’s fighting for his contract right now. Even Maestro seems to be letting Massa stay ahead just to beef up his leverage in negotiations with Montezemolo. Hulk is also playing nice and letting Maestro pass since he's fighting for his own spot at Ferrari too. His buddy Mark Webber might pretend to hold him up for a second, but in the end, he’ll cave because he knows he can't dodge the pressure—Maestro will be right on his tail, and Webber will snap like a piece of popcorn once everything turns red in his rearview mirrors.
In the last six races, Maestro hasn't been this close to a win. The key is just to get past these guys quickly so Maestro doesn't pull away with a massive gap, leaving us watching the "Great Maestro" just finger-wagging at everyone after a few laps. 🙏

Let's go, Maestro! 🙏

Chasing that third title... 🙏



P. S. Come back, Flavio 🙏
We're waiting for you... 🙏

That photo combined with LDM's face basically screams, "We've been getting absolutely wrecked three times now, and I'm terrified we're about to get smoked a fourth time." 🙂
🙏🤣

brava Vettel 7 🙏🙏🙏

Seven races left... and this is the crew that actually still has a theoretical shot at the title...


Phenomenal. His 32nd career win, happening at the exact same spot as his first. 👋
And a massive leap toward that 4th title.🙏

Elizabeth Mendoza said:LOL, look at that flag! 🤣

That guy from a small town in Alabama is somehow more effective than Greenpeace🤣

Seriously, an organization spends 15 days prepping banners just for them to be totally invisible on the broadcast🤣
Then the next race rolls around and some guy from Alabama shows up with a flag so big even the cameras can't miss him🙏🤣

Honestly, Greenpeace should probably offer him a multi-million dollar contract🤣

Amanda Kelly said:Lewis Hamilton 🤷
In a car that gave him podiums for four races straight,
in the exact same car that our most dedicated forum regular claims is the biggest threat to his favorite driver and the whole team,
in a car where his own teammate finished over 20 seconds ahead of him.
So what? Even if he pulled off 330 overtakes, what good does that actually do him? What kind of success is that???
Unless, of course, you consider overtaking those two pathetic McLarens to be some kind of achievement.

Not exactly a win for Nico Rosberg either... considering a pit stop at Monza takes about 30 seconds, and Hamilton had an extra one because of a punctured tire...
Yeah, he messed up qualifying, had zero luck, and dealt with radio issues on top of it all...
But honestly, looking at that 33-second gap to Sebastian Vettel, it shows Hamilton should have been on the podium today—if not in first place.

And I think Vettel effectively clinched the title today... Not because he was better than Fernando Alonso or just because he extended his lead.
It's because he widened the gap to Lewis Hamilton by 23 points, who will likely have the best car to fight Vettel next season.

Monza and Spa are unique tracks, though. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ferrari falls off again and we find Mercedes ahead of Red Bull Racing at the start of the season...

Raymond Thomas5 said:It’s actually refreshing to see a Ferrari fan post something like this without immediately throwing Sebastian Vettel under the bus.

Jim Clark has always been more than just my favorite objective Ferrari fan—he's honestly one of the best people on this entire forum.👍

stormybadger8 said:That photo combined with LDM's face basically screams, "We've been getting absolutely wrecked three times now, and I'm terrified we're about to get smoked a fourth time." 🙂
🙏🤣

brava Vettel 7 🙏🙏🙏

Seven races left... and this is the crew that actually still has a theoretical shot at the title...


Phenomenal. His 32nd career win, happening at the exact same spot as his first. 👋
And a massive leap toward that 4th title.🙏

You really gave me a good laugh with that one.😁