US Grand Prix - Indianapolis Motor Speedway 09.02.2018

Richard Ross11 said:If I remember right, they were doing that while Moss was still around...

Yeah, they were. And they couldn't even handle a simple temper tantrum properly.🤦
That’s why I say they probably would, if they actually had the guts to pull it off.😁

Let's take a trip down memory lane and look at some other absolute classics from the same country:

I want a woman (pit babe):


One-Two-Three (race results):

stormybadger8 said:Hamilton’s definitely going to pull the trigger on that... I mean, let's be real, it was never even a question whether the Polish guys would find it easy to toss Bottas to the curb, so why should it be any different now that Wolf has basically gone public with the whole thing?

Then again, Ferrari might actually want to pull it off, but honestly? I highly doubt they have the slightest clue how to actually make it happen. 🤦
Maybe they’ll actually give it a shot, but let’s be real—these guys are so incredibly clumsy that they’re bound to screw up the timing. They'll probably just end up launching Kimi out there in a way that leaves someone else stuck between him and Vettel, or Vettel will just blow right past him before he even gets a decent chance at a slipstream, making the whole plan a total disaster.

So, word on the street is that Mercedes is actually sitting around thinking about whether they should stick with Bottas as their second driver, which honestly feels like they’re just staring at a blank wall waiting for inspiration to strike or something. You’d think after everything, they'd have a clearer idea of who they want in that seat, but instead, we've got this whole "maybe" situation hanging over them like a bad cloud, and frankly, I'm not holding my breath for any sudden genius moves from the top brass.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
So, I was just scrolling through some news and honestly, the whole situation at Mercedes right now is such a mess that it’s almost impressive how they manage to fumble things. Everyone is obsessing over who is going to take that second seat next year, and frankly, it feels like watching a slow-motion car crash where nobody can decide which direction to steer. You’ve got the team basically staring down the barrel of a massive decision, trying to figure out if they want someone who can actually push the car or just someone who won't break it every five minutes. It’s all this endless speculation about whether they should stick with what they have or gamble on some fresh talent, but let's be real—with the way things have been going, a "fresh start" might just mean a fresh way to disappoint the fans. It’s wild how much weight one single seat carries when you consider the sheer chaos of the current driver market, but yeah, keep your eyes peeled because this drama isn't ending anytime soon.

darkmarlin16 said:🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
https://www.f1puls.com/32414/mercede...drugog-vozaca/

I don't really get why everyone's laughing—it's two different things. It’s one thing when you have a clear No2 from race one, like how Ferrari handles Kimi, but it's another when you just let them race; though, the skill gap is so obvious here that eventually, you have to tell the slower driver they're officially the wingman—their whole job becomes helping their teammate grab points away from the direct rival.

Besides, once Mercedes pulls the trigger, there's going to be so much drama—mostly because Bottas will probably just end up messing with Vettel. Ferrari can't play that card since Kimi is generally faster than Vettel, so the red team has to figure out how to let Kimi go after Hamilton without him accidentally outperforming Vettel. That's basically why Kimi looks the way he does right now...

Word on the street is it’s going to be absolutely soaked today. Honestly, I doubt we'll even see many cars out on the track...

Rear wings:

Alberto Fabreg

Looks like the wings are basically identical to the ones they used at Spa.

FP1 Stream: http://whostreams.net/live/wam6q8

The track is basically a swimming pool—it’s starting to rain again, I guess.

Ricciardo is running into more "unforeseen" issues—just half a lap in. 🤣 🤣 Looks like an engine failure.

So, Horner—speaking with Natalie Pinkha—pretty much admitted that Max is the top priority, while Ricciardo (whom he referred to as a "Renault representative") is just the test subject.

With sunny skies forecast for tomorrow and the day after, today's conditions don't really matter much. Otherwise, Ricciardo is swapping out some components on the car, which means he's looking at a penalty—so we might be smelling an FL if nothing unexpected happens. There’s also a chance we could try one more thing: betting on Kimi Raikkonen for pole position. He’s the only real threat to Vettel here, and since Vettel has already grabbed pole and stays right on his heels during qualifying this season, I think taking those 6.0 odds is worth a shot...

Gary Palmer8 said:I don't really get why everyone's laughing about this. There’s a massive difference between having a clearly defined second driver from the very first race—which is exactly how Ferrari handles Kimi—and just letting them race freely when there's such a glaring gap in skill. Eventually, you have to sit the slower driver down and make it official that they are the No2, and their primary mission is strictly to support their teammate to maximize points against their direct rivals.

Besides, if Mercedes ever actually pulls this off, people are going to lose their minds because Bottas will just be looking for any chance to screw over Vettel. Ferrari can't even play that game because, let's face it, Kimi is generally faster than Vettel, so the red team has to scramble to find a way for Kimi to mess with Hamilton without accidentally outperforming Vettel in the process. That’s basically why Kimi's performance looks the way it does right now...

Yeah, but it's also pretty ridiculous because this is supposedly "news" being revealed now, even though the entire world saw exactly how much of a subordinate role Bottas was playing during the races in the United Kingdom and Germany.
Kimi is noticeably weaker during qualifying and at the start, so it’s pretty obvious he’s going to be the No2 driver; those Italian teams definitely know how to manage that kind of hierarchy.

Gary Palmer8 said:I don't get why everyone's laughing. There's a massive difference between having a decisive second driver from race one, like how Ferrari handles Kimi, and just letting them race when one is clearly outclassing the other. Eventually, you have to tell the slower guy he’s No2 and his sole job is to help his teammate grab as many points as possible against their direct rivals.

Bottas would have to be completely blind and incredibly dim to not realize he's the No2 driver at Mercedes. 🤦
Seriously, why don't you explain to us how they justified his qualifying run at the GP Belgium? They had him running Q2 on softs, then sent him out in Q3 ahead of Hamilton with specific orders to provide a slipstream...
And that's despite everyone knowing since Monday that even if he grabbed Pole, he was going to start from the back anyway. 🙂

Naturally, Bottas starts on those trashed, hard tires, finds zero grip, and ends up trailing behind the Williams... all because of a slipstream for Hamilton that he couldn't even pull off properly.

But I'm sure they managed to convince him that everything he did in qualifying—and everything he suffered because of it—wasn't because he's No2. Oh no, it was actually "brilliant tactics." Apparently, he's still totally equal, and at Spa, his strategy was supposedly even better than Hamilton's, making him the real No1... since, you know, he was the first one past Lujo in qualifying. 🙂

crimsonhawk23 said:Ricciardo is having "random" issues again—just half a lap 🤣 🤣 Looks like an engine failure.

It doesn't seem all that random when he's running that spec3 engine—the one the Renault representative said they weren't even sure was reliable enough to use in a Renault...

Does Red Bull Racing have Honda engines already?

Ericsson did a decent job tidying up the Sauber, but then he just flew right off during braking!

Richard Walker38 said:Does Red Bull Racing already have Honda engines?

Yes, they do.

I honestly think Aston Martin is sitting at third on the grid right now. Red Bull is looking pretty shaky, to be honest.

Richard Walker38 said:It looks to me like Aston Martin is currently the third fastest team on the grid; Red Bull is clearly struggling right now.

Give me a break.

Seb had a massive excursion through The Parabolic Turn, for starters.😁

Joseph Flores15 said:Man, he really sent it wide in The Parabolic Turn 😁

Using Kimi's car again, haha...

Joseph Flores15 said:Give me a break.

He basically flew right off at The Parabolic Turn anyway.😁

Word is they sacrificed some downforce to squeeze out more straight-line speed—which means that lack of grip is going to hurt exactly at The Parabolic Turn.🍿

Joseph Flores15 said:Good grief...

He had quite a slide through The Parabolic Turn, too 😁

Just the other day, Kimi went wide on a virtual hot lap, too 🙂

He was driving one-handed. Most of the time, he was just messing around on that simulator. What an absolute legend, Kimi!

Regarding Kimi, I’d definitely suggest checking out Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen | Grill the Grid: Truth or Lie?. The guy is just a legend 🙏 😬—and I suppose Seb is pretty great too 👍
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