US Grand Prix - Indianapolis Motor Speedway 09.02.2018

mellowtiger83 said:Looking at this video, there’s absolutely zero talk about Kimi being in a slipstream. Vettel was way too far ahead on the straight to provide any kind of slipstream, and he didn't pull Kimi along anywhere else during the lap either.

The guy was basically three seconds ahead of Kimi. I have no idea what kind of "pulling Kimi along" nonsense people were talking about after qualifying. Vettel just had a bad drive, and then everyone started making excuses claiming Kimi benefited from his slipstream. It’s such a massive no-no to say someone drove faster than another driver—I honestly don't know what journalists are even playing at with these questions. It's a total circus.

The real truth is he was sliding all over the track every single lap, hitting the gravel and even the grass a few times. He was taking too many corners too wide and just throwing away time.

Let’s be real for a second here. We’ve got four-time, two-time, and one-time champions all sitting on the grid. So, when you look at the whole picture—career trajectory, luck with the car, motivation levels, getting kicked out of Formula 1 and all that—it still boils down to one fact: Kimi is definitely the most talented driver of the bunch, even if he is the oldest. I guess if he had Alonso's grit, combined with Seb's luck or Louie's chance to sit in a dominant car during his prime, he probably would have walked away with way more titles and wins, assuming they actually gave him the chance... He’s older, sure, and maybe a little lazy, but he’s still easily the most gifted guy on the grid.

Richard Walker38 said:The guy was practically hugging Kimi—only three seconds ahead—so I’m not sure what all this talk about Kimi gaining an advantage after qualifying was even about. Sebastian Vettel just had a poor run, and they started arguing that Kimi somehow profited from the slipstream.

I actually had to switch to full screen just to spot the guy ahead of Kimi.😁

On a different note, the camera work and optics today were much better—the feed over at JPMorgan Chase was shaking like crazy because of zero stabilization—but it’s interesting to see how much calmer Kimi looks in the car, whereas JPM seems to be bouncing all over the place as if he isn't even strapped in. The lap time difference isn't massive, I suppose, but the actual progress between the cars is quite significant.🕺

Tyler Ross56 said:But the fact remains that Kimi is definitely the most talented driver among everyone mentioned, despite being the oldest. If he had Alonso's character, combined with Seb's luck and Louie's luck of sitting in dominant cars during certain eras, he probably would have walked away with far more titles and wins... provided he was given the chance. He’s older, maybe a bit lazy, but still arguably the most talented person on the grid.

👍

Here is how much slipstream Kimi actually got from Seb:

Seb was practically in another zip code.😁

Just got back from Kevin Magnussen's presser—he didn't hold anything back regarding Alonso. He claimed "the guy literally thinks he's a god," and mentioned he’s looking forward to his retirement. More to come...

😁

I have to say, I appreciate how Magnussen just doesn't care what anyone thinks, even when he's talking nonsense like this. Meanwhile, Alonso seems even less concerned with the state of Formula 1 as a whole right now, which makes this all pretty entertaining 😬

It seems Alonso's comment about Haas's drivers being at the bottom of the grid really stung Magnussen—he practically snaps every time they get close on track 🤣 That "suck my balls" moment directed at Nico Hülkenberg last year was quite something too 😬

If memory serves, they barely tolerated each other back in 2014, though they kept it quiet thinking they might end up on the same team one day. Clearly, those restraints are long gone 🙂

crimsonhawk23 said:I completely agree. Thank you... 🙂 I managed to resolve the issue by utilizing a rather pleasant approach... I am looking for some assistance...:



I actually find it quite peaceful not being a die-hard fan of any of the frontrunners; it allows me to just sit back and enjoy the race regardless of how things turn out... 😁 I can't say I agree with that assessment, mainly because I’m expecting the exact same outcome. Ferrari seems to be showing a bit more consistency in their performance throughout the weekend, and if things continue this way, maybe even that guy living in the apartment upstairs will finally catch a break and stop feeling like he's racing at full speed every single weekend... 🙄Have a wonderful weekend...

Sebastian Vettel drove flawlessly in Baku, and if he hadn't suffered those embarrassing setbacks in Germany, he could have easily been sitting in a comfortable lead right now. But I suppose this way is much more intense and exciting... 😬 It has been an absolutely wonderful season so far, even if the battle seems to be strictly limited to just two drivers and two teams...

I've been using that ignore tool—if you can even call it that—for maybe a year now. To be honest, there’s only ever been one single person I’ve actually bothered to put on my ignore list... and I don't regret it for a second... 🙂

It’s going to be pretty wild to see if they all end up bunched up in the same lap tomorrow, though I really wonder if Red Bull Racing can actually keep pace with Mercedes and Ferrari when the pressure is on.

Man, just look at how Kimi is driving this year, seriously... if Ferrari had actually gone with him as their number one driver from the jump, they’d be absolutely crushing it at the top of the Drivers' Championship right now.

Brandon Evans5 said:It will be interesting to see how many of them end up in the same lap tomorrow; the real question is whether Red Bull Racing will be keeping pace with Mercedes and Ferrari

They’re likely the only ones where Daniel Ricciardo might actually be in danger.
Red Bull Racing pace isn't bad; in my estimation, they could give Max Verstappen a gap of at most 25 seconds tops.

I’d love to hear from our esteemed forum members—what are your theories on how Kimi might lose his lead tomorrow:
1. A total "los start" right at the lights
2. A questionable pit stop "strategy"
4. Something like pushing Sebastian Vettel off the track during the start in "Singapore"
5. A radio call from the pit wall saying, “Kimi, Seb is right on your tail and he's destroying his tires”
6. That last-minute gearbox change for "Felipe Massa" just before the start

Or perhaps something entirely new that we haven't witnessed yet? 🙂

By the way, I've been browsing other forums, and it looks like Kimi has really put them in a tough spot now... 🙂

Los takes the lead, Vettel charges through the field, and Kimi will probably try to hang tough right ahead of the Mercedes.

What a guy. "You've got pole," he says. "Okay," comes the reply.🙂🙂

I’d love to hear from our esteemed forum members—what are your theories on how Kimi might lose the lead tomorrow:
1. A complete "los start" right at the lights
2. A questionable pit stop "strategy"
4. Something like "Singapore," where Seb gets pushed during the start
5. A radio call from the pit wall saying, "Kimi, Seb is right on your tail and he's destroying his tires"
6. That time Felipe Massa had to swap out a gearbox just before the start

Or perhaps something entirely new that we haven't witnessed yet? 🙂

By the way, I’ve been browsing other forums, and it seems Kimi has really put them in a tight spot now... 🙂

Nicholas Newman2 said: Honestly, the blindness is nauseating—and it’s not even limited to just the die-hard Louie fans.
Some people here offer great constructive takes, while others just joke around, but some people are just blindly rooting for him no matter what.

Exactly. It’s like Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are brothers in certain ways, and their fanbases are just as tight.
I’m a Ferrari fan through and through, but I feel "forced" to root for Vettel since he's basically the #1 guy on their team right now... man, if only we could have had Kimi paired up with Bottas at Ferrari instead (maybe in some parallel universe). 😁

Richard Ross11 said:I used that ignore tool—don't mind me—maybe a year ago... honestly, it was just one person I had to block... and I don't regret it one bit! 🙂

To be fair, I blocked someone too—what a jerk, haha—but everyone else is totally fine, if you ask me. 🙂

darkmarlin16 said:With the way Kimi is driving this year—if Ferrari had actually treated him like their number one driver right out of the gate, they'd be leading the championship by now.

I've said it before, but honestly? He’d have at least 20 points on Lewis.

Gary Palmer8 said:It’s just not serious to compare Kimi's standing at Ferrari to how Bottas was treated at Mercedes...

We can agree on that. Absolutely.

Fernando Alonso earned a lot of respect in my book today after calling out Magnussen’s absolute lack of discipline. The guy actually lunged past him on the entry to the Parabolica right before the straight, rather than just backing off, waiting his turn behind Alonso, and potentially grabbing some useful slipstream from the McLaren.
It was obvious Alonso was fed up. He made that move intentionally, effectively ruining the lap for both himself and Magnussen, even if he likely intended to hunt for a massive tow later on.🙂

Maybe the kid should have learned that you actually have to wait your turn when approaching the Parabolica.

Gary Palmer8 said:he would've had at least a 20-point lead over Lewis

And those two prima donnas wouldn't have stopped whining—"he stole it, he took it, boo hoo."🤣

mellowtiger83 said:Alonso really earned my respect today—he called out Magnussen's questionable driving. The guy actually overtook him before the Parabolica, right where it leads into the main straight, instead of just slowing down to wait his turn behind Alonso and maybe grabbing some slipstream from the McLaren.
Alonso was clearly annoyed; he made that move on purpose, which ended up messing up both his own lap and Magnussen's, even if he probably wanted that monster tow later on.🙂.

Maybe the kid needs to learn he actually has to wait his turn heading into the Parabolica.

👍

https://streamable.com/agi4g

Alonso was definitely in the right here. The nonsense Renault is pulling isn't acceptable in qualifying. He ruins Alonso's lap, so Alonso gives it right back—it seems pretty fair to me.

Alonso really screwed himself and his teammate on that lap, but hey, at least he proved his point. On the other hand, Magnussen looked like a total rookie in front of everyone.