2013 United States Grand Prix (Las Vegas) - April 21st

It’s actually quite impressive when you look at the numbers—Ferrari has secured more wins in Bahrain than any other team, and wasn't it Felipe Massa who managed to pull off two victories there himself?

Decisions about tires shouldn't be made—or changed on a whim—just three or four days before a race. I don't care who it helps or hurts.

Tires are an integral part of the car. They ought to be a significant factor in the outcome, whether people like it or not.
What really gets to me is that during this Pirelli era, the tire influence has become massive compared to everything else. Every strategy, every setup, every single preparation... even half the TV coverage is wasted just talking about rubber while the rest of the sport gets relegated to the background.

Amanda Kelly said:Decisions about tires shouldn't be made—or changed on a whim—just three or four days before a race. I don't care who it helps or hurts.

Tires are an integral part of the car. They ought to be a significant factor in the outcome, whether people like it or not.
What really gets to me is that during this Pirelli era, the tire influence has become massive compared to everything else. Every strategy, every setup, every single preparation... even half the TV coverage is wasted just talking about rubber while the rest of the sport gets relegated to the background.

It’s obvious they played themselves a little, and now they're finally dealing with the fallout of all that manufactured drama. To me, it looks like pure improvisation after fans started losing their minds once the reality of those super softs' durability came to light.
Honestly, finding any kind of balance in this mess of rules—between KERS, tires, DRS, and whatever other nonsense they throw at us next—is going to be an uphill battle. 🙂

swifttiger75 said:It’s obvious they played themselves a little, and now they're finally dealing with the fallout of all that manufactured drama. To me, it looks like pure improvisation after fans started losing their minds once the reality of those super softs' durability came to light.
Honestly, finding any kind of balance in this mess of rules—between KERS, tires, DRS, and whatever other nonsense they throw at us next—is going to be an uphill battle. 🙂

If they were to scrap all of it—strip away the DRS, the KERS, and all that artificial makeup used to dress up NASCAR—and return to the era of refueling, tires meant to last forty laps, reduced aerodynamic efficiency, higher RPM limits, and beefier HP engines, the entire grid would be completely shuffled. I truly believe even Red Bull Racing would find themselves stuck somewhere in the middle of the pack...

But, what if? At the end of the day, I am content as long as Ferrari is the one taking the checkered flag (even if they have to do it on three wheels):☕

Throughout this season, I find myself deeply curious to see how far Lotus can actually push against the upgrades coming from Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, and Ferrari, especially considering how much smaller their budget is compared to those powerhouse teams.

Brian Campbell36 said:If they were to scrap all of it—strip away the DRS, the KERS, and all that artificial makeup used to dress up NASCAR—and return to the era of refueling, tires meant to last forty laps, reduced aerodynamic efficiency, higher RPM limits, and beefier HP engines, the entire grid would be completely shuffled. I truly believe even Red Bull Racing would find themselves stuck somewhere in the middle of the pack...

But, what if? At the end of the day, I am content as long as Ferrari is the one taking the checkered flag (even if they have to do it on three wheels):☕

Throughout this season, I find myself deeply curious to see how far Lotus can actually push against the upgrades coming from Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, and Ferrari, especially considering how much smaller their budget is compared to those powerhouse teams.

It’s going to be a total lottery. My guess? Halfway through the season, teams will pivot entirely toward developing cars for 2014 and adjusting to the new regulations.

So, the next few races are critical. If Lotus keeps staying competitive... anything could happen. I don't think the budget is going to be the deciding factor here—once sponsors see the exposure, the money flows, and Lotus is definitely a team people want to be associated with on the grid.

They just need to keep this momentum up!

Drew Bennett68 said:It’s actually quite impressive when you look at the numbers—Ferrari has secured more wins in Bahrain than any other team, and wasn't it Felipe Massa who managed to pull off two victories there himself?

True, but back then, raw engine power was everything. Nowadays, it’s all about the aerodynamics.

I’ll be keeping an eye on the race coefficients. I might swing by the local sportsbook tomorrow to see which ones look good $17 for Saturday and Sunday.

swifttiger75 said:It’s obvious they played themselves a little, and now they're finally dealing with the fallout of all that manufactured drama. To me, it looks like pure improvisation after fans started losing their minds once the reality of those super softs' durability came to light.
Honestly, finding any kind of balance in this mess of rules—between KERS, tires, DRS, and whatever other nonsense they throw at us next—is going to be an uphill battle. 🙂

Do you really think one longer stint is going to make any meaningful difference?
Assuming they go with the OPPP strategy...

Honestly, people would be way better off if they just accepted the fact that these cars absolutely shred tires, no matter what else you throw at them

Ferrari looks solid this year even on hard tires, so I guess Red Bull might 👋

I don’t know about you all, but I find this schedule completely nonsensical. We’ve got a mere week separating China from Bahrain, yet we had three whole weeks between Malaysia and China. You don't need a PhD in geography to see how poorly this is laid out; it would have been much more logical to have a break between China and Bahrain.

Quote : Brian Campbell36

Sam Roberts8 said:Ferrari looks solid this year even on hard tires, so I guess Red Bull might 👋

Ferrari seems to be doing a solid job preserving their softer tires, but when it comes to the harder compounds, you can really see how much pace they're lacking. In my opinion, they’re still sitting about two tenths behind Red Bull Racing, which puts them right on par with Mercedes.

neonfalcon16 said:I don’t know about you all, but I find this schedule completely nonsensical. We’ve got a mere week separating China from Bahrain, yet we had three whole weeks between Malaysia and China. You don't need a PhD in geography to see how poorly this is laid out; it would have been much more logical to have a break between China and Bahrain.

There are plenty of those three-week breaks and consecutive back-to-back races this season. I’m not a fan either. Why they chose this specific pattern, I haven't a clue, though there's bound to be some logic behind it somewhere.

Maybe Bernard figured the tire situation would be particularly intense this year, so he's giving us three weeks to just vent all that frustration...

Raymond Anderson4 said:Quote : Brian Campbell36

Ferrari seems to be doing a solid job preserving their softer tires, but when it comes to the harder compounds, you can really see how much pace they're lacking. In my opinion, they’re still sitting about two tenths behind Red Bull Racing, which puts them right on par with Mercedes.

You clearly didn't account for those three tenths Alonso pulls out of thin air through pure driving talent.😁

Looking at the standings after those first three races in 2012 and 2013... Lotus is definitely on the upswing. At least once Romain starts driving like he actually knows what he's doing...
In Bahrain, if you ask me, there’s really only one question worth asking: Alonso or Kimi?

1 Lewis Hamilton 45
2 Jenson Button 43
3 Fernando Alonso 37
4 Mark Webber 36
5 Sebastian Vettel 28

1 McLaren-Mercedes 88
2 Red Bull-Renault 64
3 Ferrari 37
4 Sauber-Ferrari 31
5 Mercedes 26

2013

1 Sebastian Vettel 52
2 Kimi Räikkönen 49
3 Fernando Alonso 43
4 Lewis Hamilton 40
5 Felipe Massa 30

1 Red Bull-Renault 78
2 Ferrari 73
3 Lotus-Renault 60
4 Mercedes 52
5 McLaren-Mercedes 14

It’s high time that Felipe finally grabs his spot on the podium.

Amy Castillo4 said:You clearly didn't account for those three tenths Alonso pulls out of thin air through pure driving talent.😁

Goddammit😢
How on earth did Alonso get twice as bad this season compared to before? 😢

Samuel Ruiz4 said:Looking at the standings after those first three races in 2012 and 2013... Lotus is definitely on the upswing. At least once Romain starts driving like he actually knows what he's doing...
In Bahrain, if you ask me, there’s really only one question worth asking: Alonso or Kimi?

1 Lewis Hamilton 45
2 Jenson Button 43
3 Fernando Alonso 37
4 Mark Webber 36
5 Sebastian Vettel 28

1 McLaren-Mercedes 88
2 Red Bull-Renault 64
3 Ferrari 37
4 Sauber-Ferrari 31
5 Mercedes 26

2013

1 Sebastian Vettel 52
2 Kimi Räikkönen 49
3 Fernando Alonso 43
4 Lewis Hamilton 40
5 Felipe Massa 30

1 Red Bull-Renault 78
2 Ferrari 73
3 Lotus-Renault 60
4 Mercedes 52
5 McLaren-Mercedes 14

Felipe. 😍
The biggest improvement compared to last season. 😍
GO FELIPE GO!👋

Quote : Brian Campbell36

Samuel Ruiz4 said:Looking at the standings after those first three races in 2012 and 2013... Lotus is definitely on the upswing. At least once Romain starts driving like he actually knows what he's doing...
In Bahrain, if you ask me, there’s really only one question worth asking: Alonso or Kimi?

1 Lewis Hamilton 45
2 Jenson Button 43
3 Fernando Alonso 37
4 Mark Webber 36
5 Sebastian Vettel 28

1 McLaren-Mercedes 88
2 Red Bull-Renault 64
3 Ferrari 37
4 Sauber-Ferrari 31
5 Mercedes 26

2013

1 Sebastian Vettel 52
2 Kimi Räikkönen 49
3 Fernando Alonso 43
4 Lewis Hamilton 40
5 Felipe Massa 30

1 Red Bull-Renault 78
2 Ferrari 73
3 Lotus-Renault 60
4 Mercedes 52
5 McLaren-Mercedes 14

Interesting...
Last year, Alonso was sitting on a 9-point lead. This year? He’s trailing Vettel by 9. Funny how that works.😁

Funny how that works. Last year Ferrari was a total joke, but this year? They’re an absolute beast. 😵🤔😍

stormybadger8 said:Quote : Brian Campbell36

Interesting...
Last year, Alonso was sitting on a 9-point lead. This year? He’s trailing Vettel by 9. Funny how that works.😁

Funny how that works. Last year Ferrari was a total joke, but this year? They’re an absolute beast. 😵🤔😍

So I've reached my conclusion: he's twice the driver this season compared to last.

steelmaker83 said:So I've reached my conclusion: he's twice the driver this season compared to last.

When did I ever say that?

As far as I remember, last year, the year before, and so on, everyone was singing praises about how Alonso's pace was 0.6 seconds faster per lap. Honestly, it actually surprises me that it's dropped to just 0.3.🤷