2013 Chinese Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (April 12-14)

Amanda Kelly said:Qualifying sessions like this aren't even worth watching anymore. Everyone just does one single lap and calls it a day. That old tension—the thrill of seeing who can shave off a hundredth of a second over two or three laps—is dead. To make matters worse, by the final round, half the grid seems more focused on not driving at all than actually competing.
It feels like that hour or hour and a half would be better spent doing literally anything else, whether that's something actually fun, exciting, or just useful.

And someone needs to tell Bernie Ecclestone that we’re done tuning in for qualifying, and his viewership numbers are going to tank because of it. He’s the only one who can deal with these people over at Pirelli. This nonsense with the tires is definitely being done on purpose, dictated by someone behind the scenes.

It's rough... the drivers are complaining, but let's be honest, nobody listens to them anyway...
Modern Formula 1 doesn't stay afloat because of the drivers; it stays alive thanks to sponsors like Randstad, Shell, Telmex, and Siemens.

Raymond Anderson4 said:It's rough... the drivers are complaining, but let's be honest, nobody listens to them anyway...
Modern Formula 1 doesn't stay afloat because of the drivers; it stays alive thanks to sponsors like Randstad, Shell, Telmex, and Siemens.

Modern Formula 1?
Just ask any casual fan what they think about the sport over the last few years.
Those people aren't tuning in for the Practice Sessions or even qualifying. They couldn't care less about tire degradation or delamination or any other technical jargon.
You don't have to look far; just check out the threads regarding the races in Vietnam on this forum.

Most people just don't give a damn.🙂

Amanda Kelly said:Ferrari isn't messing around with their tire choices this year.
Lotus pulled off a win in Australia thanks to a clever strategy, but this time they’re playing it safe by sticking to the standard plan. On top of that, Kimi Räikkönen is looking at his best starting position yet.
Out of the top three teams—and those occupying the first six spots on the grid—Mercedes-Benz is the biggest tire eater, especially Lewis Hamilton.
That gives Ferrari a real shot here. A very good shot.
I just hope Romain Grosjean doesn't do anything reckless at the start. He needs a solid result, and honestly, Kimi could be in the exact same boat.

What I'm actually wondering about is what kind of tire strategy everyone sitting behind 10th place is going to pull.
Are we going to see just the top seven running on softs while the rest of the grid settles for hards? Or will things actually get interesting?

Lotus pulled it off in Australia by running fewer pit stops; the situation was similar to this one where they started on Super Softs and then switched to Mediums, allowing them to pit less than the field😉.
I can't say for sure about tomorrow, but a repeat of the Australian scenario—fewer stops than the leaders—is definitely on the table, though I'm not so certain about Ferrari.
As for Grosjean, don't go pinning everything on him; the kid hasn't made a single mistake in these last two races, especially at the start. People talk, but if he had been performing like this last season, Lotus would likely be much higher up in the constructors' standings.

Even he’s slowly starting to realize that this whole thing just doesn't make sense.
The top-tier drivers are all here, but like I’ve mentioned before, today’s drivers lack any real grit. They’d probably agree to a race requiring ten pit stops if it meant staying on track.
Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton are actually saying something about it, but everyone else is being pretty quiet.
At the end of the day, it’s about their paychecks. If the money keeps rolling in regularly, they’ll happily take all five stops.

Amanda Kelly said:Qualifying sessions like this aren't even worth watching anymore. Everyone just does one single lap and calls it a day. That old tension—the thrill of seeing who can shave off a hundredth of a second over two or three laps—is dead. To make matters worse, by the final round, half the grid seems more focused on not driving at all than actually competing.
It feels like that hour or hour and a half would be better spent doing literally anything else, whether that's something actually fun, exciting, or just useful.

And someone needs to tell Bernie Ecclestone that we’re done tuning in for qualifying, and his viewership numbers are going to tank because of it. He’s the only one who can deal with these people over at Pirelli. This nonsense with the tires is definitely being done on purpose, dictated by someone behind the scenes.

GP1 is reporting that this was the record for the fewest laps driven in qualifying since this format was even introduced...


Seems pretty obvious to me what that means...

Jason Campbell70 said:"Five laps"? ☕
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykG4b7Q-xfA#t=1m13
Are we still saying "five laps"? ☕

Tires puncture. Sometimes they just fail for no apparent reason.
What happened to Sebastian Vettel in Dubai back in '11?

I heard on Sky during the Practice Sessions that he’d only done five laps. Just kill him already.😕
Guess I didn't drink enough coffee this morning.🤷

Is there ever a time when you guys think Ferrari *doesn't* have a shot? 🤣

These guys just chew through tires and fall behind... Lotus can't stay consistent so they drop off... McLaren is basically in a tailspin right now, so they're out... Everyone hates on Red Bull, so they automatically lose out to something bigger... the rest are just too much for Lazari to handle, so they're gone... Honestly, Ferrari is the only one with a real fighting chance at winning in Vietnam 🤣

I mean, seriously, what have they even been doing for the last four years then? 🤣>

Raymond Anderson4 said:Even he’s slowly starting to realize that this whole thing just doesn't make sense.
The top-tier drivers are all here, but like I’ve mentioned before, today’s drivers lack any real grit. They’d probably agree to a race requiring ten pit stops if it meant staying on track.
Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton are actually saying something about it, but everyone else is being pretty quiet.
At the end of the day, it’s about their paychecks. If the money keeps rolling in regularly, they’ll happily take all five stops.

It wasn't just Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton, though. Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, and Sebastian Vettel were complaining too, and I think there were a few others. Meanwhile, Christian Horner is constantly whining about "tire management."😁
Honestly, it feels like everyone is fed up with this tire drama...

In the end, they'll probably just bring back qualifying tires and let them start on whatever they feel like.

Everyone seems to be obsessing over the tires lately, so I figured I’d weigh in on the subject with a bit of substance. 🤣 🤣

What time does this whole race farce even start?

And what if Ferrari hadn't made such a fuss about it? It isn't as if Bridgestone was just sitting there waiting to be manipulated, allowing Ferrari to claim they were testing tires just so the manufacturer could produce custom rubber "to order."

ruggedfox28 said:Is there ever a time when you guys think Ferrari *doesn't* have a shot? 🤣

These guys just chew through tires and fall behind... Lotus can't stay consistent so they drop off... McLaren is basically in a tailspin right now, so they're out... Everyone hates on Red Bull, so they automatically lose out to something bigger... the rest are just too much for Lazari to handle, so they're gone... Honestly, Ferrari is the only one with a real fighting chance at winning in Vietnam 🤣

I mean, seriously, what have they even been doing for the last four years then? 🤣>

It kind of baffles me why Ferrari isn't pulling off a 1-2 finish every single race. 🤣

Well... they’re going to tear through the competition, even if they have to start from the back of the grid—mark my words. 🙂

Tensions are definitely ramping up—between the Red Bull drama, Alonso pulling out of Malaysia, the tire situation, and whatever else... it's just been one thing after another. Plus this three-week break makes it feel even longer...

God, am I really the only one here dying for tomorrow to get started?!

I'm actually watching the race with my wife tomorrow! 🙂
Last time we did that was back at Monaco, ages ago. She was rooting for Montoya.

Mind you, as an eco-conscious person, she thinks Formula 1 is the most disgusting sport on the planet. 😁

redheron12 said:Well... they’re going to tear through the competition, even if they have to start from the back of the grid—mark my words. 🙂

😉

I have a feeling that an early SC really plays into the hands of the teams starting on those harder compounds. If you look at the data from the race in Vietnam, it feels like the SC factor sits right around 43%, doesn't it?

stormybadger8 said:If Webber actually starts from the back, he’s got zero chance at a podium. But Vettel starting 9th? He still has a shot.☕

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/106731

Nico Rosberg:

"With those tires, it's less about how many laps you can go and more about how many corners you'll actually survive!"

Button Quote:

In Q3, we had one car in the garage and two cars just wandering around like 'Miss Daisy'—and yeah, I was one of them.

So, Jenson Button is officially Miss Daisy from now on.🙏 🤣

Give me a break, Tibi... the guy is nothing if not a class act☕

ruggedfox28 said:Is there ever a time when you guys think Ferrari *doesn't* have a shot? 🤣

These guys just chew through tires and fall behind... Lotus can't stay consistent so they drop off... McLaren is basically in a tailspin right now, so they're out... Everyone hates on Red Bull, so they automatically lose out to something bigger... the rest are just too much for Lazari to handle, so they're gone... Honestly, Ferrari is the only one with a real fighting chance at winning in Vietnam 🤣

I mean, seriously, what have they even been doing for the last four years then? 🤣>

And what about you?
Does it bother you that they might actually be in a good position?

Webber is out of the pits...
The car is dialed in and ready to hunt. Honestly, I’m expecting Webber to absolutely tear up this track.🙂

Quote: Rain

stormybadger8 said:Webber is out of the pits...
The car is dialed in and ready to hunt. Honestly, I’m expecting Webber to absolutely tear up this track.🙂

Man, this is gonna be such a wild ride to watch. I mean, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds, but I've got a feeling it's going to be pretty intense. 🙂