US Grand Prix (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) 08/25/2013

shadowstag10 said:Just try explaining to me how you're supposed to know if you need a 1:55 or a 2:10 for a lap in those final frantic minutes. Even their fancy, high-tech, state-of-the-art weather sensors can't predict that stuff. The fact that the track dried out just enough? Yeah, that's definitely luck.

But hey, if Alonso hadn't been sitting on that +10 second gap with two laps to go, there's a massive chance he could've squeezed into that last timed lap.

Yeah, because that's basically nuclear physics.🤣
That’s exactly why they run four laps in situations like that.☕
1 - an in-lap to get moving.
2 - a fast lap around 2:00.
3 - a slow lap around 2:30.
4 - then they time a fast one to catch those last few seconds...
And that's precisely why they hit the track at a specific time before the end; they're actually pretty good at calculating exactly how much time they need.
During that slow lap before the final one, they can figure out their pace and speed up or slow down depending on the situation to make sure they cross right at the finish.
They've got the tech in the car and they aren't idiots...

For the crew, the real headache is fuel—making sure they don't have too little or way too much.
Timing and pacing isn't even half the battle compared to managing the fuel.

darkmarlin16 said:Nah, he’s actually better. ☕

Fetl never pulled off a win unless he was sitting right up front in the top two rows on the grid. Honestly, I can't even remember if he ever actually won a race after starting from fourth or lower. 🤔🤷 He might have done it once, maybe, but that's about it. 😂

Well, obviously he didn't. 🤷
He isn't even incompetent enough to mess up his pace during The third quarter and end up starting in row 5. 😁

BTW Sebastian Vettel won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while your favorite never did... plus, Vettel actually has more podiums in the US than him, even though his F1 career is half as long as Alonso's... ☕

stormybadger8 said:Well, obviously he didn't. 🤷
He isn't even incompetent enough to mess up his pace during The third quarter and end up starting in row 5. 😁

BTW Sebastian Vettel won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while your favorite never did... plus, Vettel actually has more podiums in the US than him, even though his F1 career is half as long as Alonso's... ☕

They clearly don't know how to build a car in Italy that remains so competitive that even when facing a deficit against the Red Bull Racing machine (Vettel), the performance remains virtually untouched, as if nothing had happened (US Grand Prix 2012).☕

One driver possesses a car so superior that they could arrive at the podium on two wheels and two rims, whereas someone like Maestro must exert 150% effort just to earn the opportunity to challenge the most dominant car in the universe.

That is precisely why Maestro earns such respect and admiration for weeks after outperforming Red Bull Racing, while Vettel? Nobody gives him a second thought.

stormybadger8 said:I mean, seriously? Ferrari was easily the fastest car on track all weekend whenever conditions got messy, only to completely fall off a cliff during Q3—and specifically when the weather was acting up...
FP1, Q1, even Q2...

And I honestly can't wrap my head around how they were sitting nearly 10 seconds behind Fernando Alonso in that first timed lap of Q3.😕
Did someone pull the plug on them, did they spin out, were the timers broken, or did some kid mess with the gear?

My take is that he was simply too close to Kimi Raikkonen during that first timed lap. I recall Martin Brundle mentioning something about that, though from where I was sitting, the distance looked fine—maybe about 5 or 6 seconds behind.
Then they messed up by leaving the pits way too late.
It doesn't make sense to me. If it's raining, it doesn't matter if you leave Box 4 or six minutes before the end of qualifying. The intermediate tires are more resilient and hold up better. You get out there, you drive, and you hope the rain lets up or you manage to squeeze out one extra lap.

Brian Campbell36 said:They clearly don't know how to build a car in Italy that remains so competitive that even when facing a deficit against the Red Bull Racing machine (Vettel), the performance remains virtually untouched, as if nothing had happened (US Grand Prix 2012).☕

One driver possesses a car so superior that they could arrive at the podium on two wheels and two rims, whereas someone like Maestro must exert 150% effort just to earn the opportunity to challenge the most dominant car in the universe.

That is precisely why Maestro earns such respect and admiration for weeks after outperforming Red Bull Racing, while Vettel? Nobody gives him a second thought.

Aha... so it's the Alonso effect... 😢
Too bad Ferrari was the most successful team at Spa-Francorchamps and managed to pull off three straight wins in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Since the "150%" guy showed up, we've seen absolutely nothing.

Raymond Anderson4 said:My take is that he was simply too close to Kimi Raikkonen during that first timed lap. I recall Martin Brundle mentioning something about that, though from where I was sitting, the distance looked fine—maybe about 5 or 6 seconds behind.
Then they messed up by leaving the pits way too late.
It doesn't make sense to me. If it's raining, it doesn't matter if you leave Box 4 or six minutes before the end of qualifying. The intermediate tires are more resilient and hold up better. You get out there, you drive, and you hope the rain lets up or you manage to squeeze out one extra lap.

What do you mean "too late" onto the track???
Alonso spun on track and trashed his qualifying run...

And Massa was the first one out on track right behind Sebastian Vettel. It wasn't that he went out too late, he actually went out too early...

After Sebastian Vettel, it was Massa, then everyone else in a line. The real question is who stayed out and who made it back for that final timed lap, not whether someone exited the pits too late...

stormybadger8 said:What do you mean "too late" onto the track???
Alonso spun on track and trashed his qualifying run...

And Massa was the first one out on track right behind Sebastian Vettel. It wasn't that he went out too late, he actually went out too early...

After Sebastian Vettel, it was Massa, then everyone else in a line. The real question is who stayed out and who made it back for that final timed lap, not whether someone exited the pits too late...

Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue anymore.
😳

Certain forum members have been quite vocal in their criticism of Sebastian Vettel, casting doubt upon his reputation simply because he made a maneuver on the track during free practice sessions; yet, curiously, when Fernando Alonso performs a similar feat in the heat of qualifying, the conversation immediately shifts to how he manages to extract 150% from his car. If we are to accept that squeezing 150% out of a Ferrari this underwhelming constitutes a triumph, then claiming a ninth-place qualifying result makes me nothing more than Santa Claus.

Brian Campbell36 said:What kind of expectations could one reasonably hold for Ferrari? In previous years, I would have predicted they’d be fighting just to stay in 9th or 10th place after the first corner, watching the entire race unfold from the safety of their pit boxes.

I cannot bring myself to agree that the top three were merely lucky; rather, they demonstrated a clear understanding of exactly when to hit the track to maximize their lap times under those specific conditions.

A podium sweep for Mercedes-Benz Energy Drinks

If you're that certain and think you know everything so perfectly, why don't you just put some money on it and collect the cash...

And I won't even get started on the "luck" factor. Conditions changed three times in just ten minutes... If they actually knew what they were doing, they probably would have just sat around and waited to hammer out one lap on intermediates right before the finish line.

graniteharbor502 said:Certain forum members have been quite vocal in their criticism of Sebastian Vettel, casting doubt upon his reputation simply because he made a maneuver on the track during free practice sessions; yet, curiously, when Fernando Alonso performs a similar feat in the heat of qualifying, the conversation immediately shifts to how he manages to extract 150% from his car. If we are to accept that squeezing 150% out of a Ferrari this underwhelming constitutes a triumph, then claiming a ninth-place qualifying result makes me nothing more than Santa Claus.

Not everyone uses the same yardstick.☕

Tomorrow, everything is on the line.

Someone's dreams are the last thing to fade. Right there at La Source.
Let the neighbors bury all the cattle. 👋

Is it actually going to stay dry tomorrow? No sign of rain in the forecast, I hope?

The forecast says it’s gonna be absolute chaos!

So then we just sit around waiting for the first corner only to be hit by at least three more SC-s 🍿

Alex Fowler5 said:The forecast says it’s gonna be absolute chaos!

Well, not exactly😁

http://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Raci...s-Circuit.aspx

cosmiccyclist8 said:Well, not exactly😁

http://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Raci...s-Circuit.aspx

:klap:

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, because that's basically nuclear physics.🤣
That’s exactly why they run four laps in situations like that.☕
1 - an in-lap to get moving.
2 - a fast lap around 2:00.
3 - a slow lap around 2:30.
4 - then they time a fast one to catch those last few seconds...
And that's precisely why they hit the track at a specific time before the end; they're actually pretty good at calculating exactly how much time they need.
During that slow lap before the final one, they can figure out their pace and speed up or slow down depending on the situation to make sure they cross right at the finish.
They've got the tech in the car and they aren't idiots...

For the crew, the real headache is fuel—making sure they don't have too little or way too much.
Timing and pacing isn't even half the battle compared to managing the fuel.

Look, they were also absolutely certain during that slow entry lap that the track would dry out and that they needed to stay out as long as possible before hitting that last lap.
Give me a break.
You're forgetting that back then, we all—and I mean everyone, including you, I bet—thought the guy from Indy had done a flawless job and that the track was just getting faster and faster because the pole belonged to him. It was pure luck, honestly.

Looks like we're in for some rain tomorrow according to the forecast...

stormybadger8 said:Well, obviously he didn't. 🤷
He isn't even incompetent enough to mess up his pace during The third quarter and end up starting in row 5. 😁

BTW Sebastian Vettel won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while your favorite never did... plus, Vettel actually has more podiums in the US than him, even though his F1 career is half as long as Alonso's... ☕

You're lying again. That's just not a good look for you. ☕

Rain, grit, Scuderia Ferrari, clouds, sunshine, victory ☕

edit:



Is this even allowed?

I realize Romain Grosjean doesn't carry nearly the same weight as Lewis Hamilton, but how much longer must we tolerate this circus just to ensure Lewis Hamilton in that Mercedes can actually contend with Sebastian Vettel for the title?

And why am I even nitpicking this small detail when they’ve gone and tested thousands of miles illegally and gotten away with it completely unpunished... reminds me of how things work back home in the States.