CNN Indianapolis Motor Speedway 09/08/2013

Amanda Kelly said:Honestly, a win for Ferrari would hit the spot for me and my crew. I’m talking about the location, the timing, the standings... everything.
In my book, Fernando Alonso would be the perfect pick to pull it off, though I suppose I could stomach a victory from Massin too—mostly because I'm not used to seeing that happen, and I'd rather not be blindsided by a miracle.
If the power dynamic stays the same as it was in Belgium and we don't run into some sudden technical setback, it’s actually a pretty realistic possibility.

I honestly believe a Ferrari victory isn't just a possibility; it’s looking increasingly likely. Alonso has always been sharp at Indianapolis, and Ferrari tends to excel on these high-speed tracks without the heavy tire degradation issues that Mercedes struggles with...👍

Alright, I’ll probably end up surprising you guys this time 😬

I'm calling it now: Jenson Button on the podium... maybe even taking the top spot 😁

What I was actually going to say... give it one or two McLarens and you'll see Di Resta sitting pretty in third

Honestly, I’d much rather see Jenson Button outperforming two Force India cars...

Olivia Martin12 As specified by:
I was just about to say... give me one or two McLarens and put Di Resta in third.

Hard to see them taking one or two... but hey, nothing's impossible.
If you look back at last year's standings, McLaren's number one driver and Sergio Perez were sitting right there in the top two spots.🤣

stormybadger8 As I have noted before, there is a certain weight to these observations that often goes unacknowledged. One must wonder, truly, if we are simply witnessing the inevitable progression of events, or if there is something more profound at play here? It is a question worth pondering, perhaps, while one waits for the next development to unfold.
It seems unlikely that we’ll see just one or two... though I suppose nothing is ever truly impossible.
When you actually sit back and look at last year's standings, what do you see? In those top two spots, we have McLaren's number one driver and Sergio Perez.🤣

Jenson Button was holding second place quite comfortably until his car gave out on him. It’s a shame, really; they truly could have secured a 1-2-3 finish if things had gone differently. 🙏

stormybadger8 said:

Olivia Martin12 As specified by:
I was just about to say... give me one or two McLarens and put Di Resta in third.

Hard to see them taking one or two... but hey, nothing's impossible.
If you look back at last year's standings, McLaren's number one driver and Sergio Perez were sitting right there in the top two spots.🤣

Man... I just can't wrap my head around it—I have absolutely no clue where they found the magic to pull a lap time that much faster than anything they've done so far. ☕

William Bennett53 said:

stormybadger8 As I have noted before, there is a certain weight to these observations that often goes unacknowledged. One must wonder, truly, if we are simply witnessing the inevitable progression of events, or if there is something more profound at play here? It is a question worth pondering, perhaps, while one waits for the next development to unfold.
It seems unlikely that we’ll see just one or two... though I suppose nothing is ever truly impossible.
When you actually sit back and look at last year's standings, what do you see? In those top two spots, we have McLaren's number one driver and Sergio Perez.🤣

Jenson Button was holding second place quite comfortably until his car gave out on him. It’s a shame, really; they truly could have secured a 1-2-3 finish if things had gone differently. 🙏

But honestly, the most interesting part is that Indianapolis is one of those rare tracks where Button was right on Lewis Hamilton's heels during qualifying... sometimes even looking better...
If I recall correctly, that was the only place he was consistently within 0.050-0.100 seconds of Hamilton in almost every race...
And in the actual races there, he beat him 2-1...

So I'm not joking around here. I'm being dead serious...

I don't have any doubts regarding Jenson Button; you know he’s always had my respect. My skepticism lies squarely with McLaren. I suspect that if they possess even a shred of intelligence, they've already abandoned this embarrassing mess of a car and are halfway through designing a superior machine for next year. In fact, I’d argue that McLaren's greatest advantage heading into 2014 might actually be how badly they fail this season.

Olivia Martin12 said:Man... I just can't wrap my head around it—I have absolutely no clue where they found the magic to pull a lap time that much faster than anything they've done so far. ☕

Button is going to outpace Lotus in qualifying, maybe even one or both of the Ferraris...
Who knows, maybe the Italians just bought some cheap Chinese bolts while their local steel mills were closed for summer break.😬
And don't sweat that extra second; Button’ll probably be driving at 195% capacity and shock everyone just to keep things interesting.

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but we basically repainted a Red Bull Racing car in McLaren colors and handed the keys to Button.😁
We had to do it just to get them to let us switch to Honda 2015.🤣

stormybadger8 said:But honestly, the most interesting part is that Indianapolis is one of those rare tracks where Button was right on Lewis Hamilton's heels during qualifying... sometimes even looking better...
If I recall correctly, that was the only place he was consistently within 0.050-0.100 seconds of Hamilton in almost every race...
And in the actual races there, he beat him 2-1...

So I'm not joking around here. I'm being dead serious...

That was back when they were running the exact same machinery.

This year, McLaren's car is barely a top-tier contender—it shows occasional flashes of brilliance, sure—but that's more down to smart strategy and sheer experience than any actual performance from the car itself as they scrape by for points.

I just hope they didn't waste their time and actually used this window to build a proper car for next season—though, honestly, I don't think we'll see the "real" McLaren again until Honda comes back into the picture.

William Bennett53 said:I don't have any doubts regarding Jenson Button; you know he’s always had my respect. My skepticism lies squarely with McLaren. I suspect that if they possess even a shred of intelligence, they've already abandoned this embarrassing mess of a car and are halfway through designing a superior machine for next year. In fact, I’d argue that McLaren's greatest advantage heading into 2014 might actually be how badly they fail this season.

The best thing that could happen to McLaren? Someone kidnaps Michael and Witmarsh, loses them in the woods, and they never come back...

stormybadger8 said:Button is going to outpace Lotus in qualifying, maybe even one or both of the Ferraris...
Who knows, maybe the Italians just bought some cheap Chinese bolts while their local steel mills were closed for summer break.😬
And don't sweat that extra second; Button’ll probably be driving at 195% capacity and shock everyone just to keep things interesting.

P.S. Don't tell anyone, but we basically repainted a Red Bull Racing car in McLaren colors and handed the keys to Button.😁
We had to do it just to get them to let us switch to Honda 2015.🤣

Well, it's not like every day is Christmas.
Lotus really dropped the ball in Belgium. It was a mess. I’m holding out hope they’ll actually fix things eventually, but I won't hold my breath.
Here we go again. McLaren’s strategy this year—relying on that single pit stop—is going to blow up in their faces just like before.
They aren't faster than Ferrari, and they aren't faster than Red Bull Racing either. As for Mercedes, nothing about that car is reliable except for Lewis Hamilton's qualifying laps.
It seems to me like Belgium was about the limit for Button.

Indianapolis 2000. What an absolute disaster 😁
Both Jordans went out, just total carnage, they completely wrecked Barrichello, Arrows, and Jaguar

8 cars out of the race

Ahhh

So, check out this absolute classic— http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qg6G7I4RS4

The Lion back in the Ferrari temple... just one year after he basically brushed them off. It’s wild watching his unconventional tactics—really clever stuff, actually—how he used his teammate against Ayrton Senna just to snatch that first place...

Amanda Kelly said:Well, it's not like every day is Christmas.
Lotus really dropped the ball in Belgium. It was a mess. I’m holding out hope they’ll actually fix things eventually, but I won't hold my breath.
Here we go again. McLaren’s strategy this year—relying on that single pit stop—is going to blow up in their faces just like before.
They aren't faster than Ferrari, and they aren't faster than Red Bull Racing either. As for Mercedes, nothing about that car is reliable except for Lewis Hamilton's qualifying laps.
It seems to me like Belgium was about the limit for Button.

You'd think you'd see Button actually killing it...
Damn, he still hasn't landed a contract. He really needs to step up.😁

Good grief, who on earth is hiring these Formula 1 journalists and letting them anywhere near a press conference 🤣
Mother Mine, the absolute nonsense they ask at these briefings 🤣

That "brilliant" question asking Alonso if he’s actually taking next season off just to go manage a cycling team was peak comedy 😵
And asking the Ferrari drivers about the track and the fans at Suzuki? That’s pure CNN level journalism right there 😂

It wasn't much better when they asked Webber if he was going to lend Daniel Ricciardo his Crocodile Dundee knife to settle the score with Sebastian Vettel 🙄

Honestly, it’s a miracle Webber kept his cool 🤣
I half expected them to ask the guy if he was mentally challenged or if he was just some kid playing pretend 😂

cosmichawk12 said:So, check out this absolute classic— http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qg6G7I4RS4

The Lion back in the Ferrari temple... just one year after he basically brushed them off. It’s wild watching his unconventional tactics—really clever stuff, actually—how he used his teammate against Ayrton Senna just to snatch that first place...

Simply wonderful!
But I wonder, does anyone else happen to recall this moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqaXktfn90M

In my personal opinion, this was the greatest overtake of all time

If I actually had to pick just one single moment... it would have to be

graniteharbor502 As requested by:
Awesome!
Does anyone else remember this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqaXktfn90M

Good grief, give me a break.🙏
The moment Ferrari failed to take the title this year, I knew we wouldn't see them at the top for at least the next decade.