Singapore Grand Prix (Miami Grand Prix Circuit) - 09/23/2012

Nathan Jones98 said:I don't get why Smedley looks so annoyed—instead of being stoked that Massa is finally racing and pulling in points, he's just shaking his head.

It's because that overtake was a complete violation; it felt more like pure luck than actual skill.

Jason Campbell70 said:Looking back at the last five races, we’ve had a competitive car in three of them. 🤷

But today just wasn't it... Fernando couldn't keep up with Pastor during the first stint, and I really don't buy the idea that he was just managing his tires.
The way Fernando managed to jump Pastor wasn't because Ferrari suddenly found more pace; it was mostly because Pastor got stuck behind Kimi.
With the rest of the season ahead, there aren't many tracks that suit us. Maybe Brazil will be okay.

Reading FA's post-race comments, he’s making it crystal clear that things need to change. Personally, I wouldn't want FA's title to be remembered simply because his main rivals dropped out of the race.
"Today, we pulled out an advantage over three of our four main competitors, which is positive. In the end it went well," he said, clearly relieved. "But we definitely can't go on like this. It can't always be the case that my closest rival retires."

Raymond Anderson4 said:But today just wasn't it... Fernando couldn't keep up with Pastor during the first stint, and I really don't buy the idea that he was just managing his tires.
The way Fernando managed to jump Pastor wasn't because Ferrari suddenly found more pace; it was mostly because Pastor got stuck behind Kimi.
With the rest of the season ahead, there aren't many tracks that suit us. Maybe Brazil will be okay.

Reading FA's post-race comments, he’s making it crystal clear that things need to change. Personally, I wouldn't want FA's title to be remembered simply because his main rivals dropped out of the race.
"Today, we pulled out an advantage over three of our four main competitors, which is positive. In the end it went well," he said, clearly relieved. "But we definitely can't go on like this. It can't always be the case that my closest rival retires."

Suzuka?

At the very least, they should be ahead of Red Bull Racing at Suzuka.

If McLaren manages a 1-2 finish and Alonso takes third, I'll be perfectly happy.

Singapore is just a mirror image of Valencia. Sharp turns and short straights.
It’s hardly a surprise that this layout suits the RB8/Vettel combo.

Suzuka is a fast circuit, which is a plus, but how much downforce does it actually demand? More or less than Silverstone?
We performed well at Silverstone because it’s a high-speed track, but it doesn't rely entirely on aerodynamic dominance.

Is Vettel putting on a show right now because he's naturally strong on street circuits, or did Red Bull Racing find a bit more pace? Personally, I think it's more about Vettel, especially since Webber was looking pretty weak today.

They totally botched Mark Webber's strategy today--completely messed it up.
Called him into the pits way too early—just way too soon.

God, I hope not. There’s just no way he actually pulls off the title, right?
I mean, look, the kid is a total superstar—you can't deny that—but I’d much rather see the championship go to Kimi, Lewis, or Fernando...

I'm hoping it doesn't happen—but honestly, looking at how things are going, I've got my doubts
since the lead is down to just 29 points now, and let's be real, neither Alonso nor Kimi have the pace to pull off wins right now
Hamilton's got the speed, but man, I think today really took it out of him

Raymond Anderson4 said:Suzuka is a fast circuit, which is a plus, but how much downforce does it actually demand? More or less than Silverstone?
We performed well at Silverstone because it’s a high-speed track, but it doesn't rely entirely on aerodynamic dominance.

Is Vettel putting on a show right now because he's naturally strong on street circuits, or did Red Bull Racing find a bit more pace? Personally, I think it's more about Vettel, especially since Webber was looking pretty weak today.

Roughly the same.

At Silverstone, you've got the ultra-fast Copse, and at Suzuka, you have 130R.
At Silverstone, you deal with those complex S-curves at the start of the lap, and then you have the Maggots-Becketts-Chapel sequence.
At Silverstone, there's Luffield; at Suzuka, there's Spoon.
At Silverstone, you have that newer "Arena" section, whereas Suzuka gives you that 90-degree turn, the crossover, and then the Hairpin.

Ferrari performs well on "standard" tracks. Silverstone, Hockenheim, Spa.
We should be strong both at Suzuka and in Brazil.

Mind you, Suzuka depends quite a bit on the driver. And we're strong there too. Maybe even the strongest.

Raymond Anderson4 said:We were good at Silverstone because it’s a fast circuit, but it doesn't require aerodynamics to be the dominant factor.

Every track requires efficient aerodynamics—Silverstone included.

Nathan Jones98 said:They totally botched Mark Webber's strategy today--completely messed it up.
Called him into the pits way too early—just way too soon.

It's like they were using him as a crash test dummy or something...

Today we basically got the final proof that Red Bull has zero intention of letting Webber fight for the title.

Edward Howard2 said:It’s pretty funny how Toro Rosso doesn't show nearly as much enthusiasm when they're letting Mark Webber through as they do when they're busy messing around with those little finger things 🍿

Ricciardo was holding Webber back today and wouldn't let him pass, and honestly, over the last few races, you could see Toro Rosso drivers practically diving off the track the second they spotted him in their mirrors.
It's pretty obvious that Alguersuari's orders don't apply to Webber at all. ☕

Nathan Jones98 said:I'm hoping it doesn't happen—but honestly, looking at how things are going, I've got my doubts
since the lead is down to just 29 points now, and let's be real, neither Alonso nor Kimi have the pace to pull off wins right now
Hamilton's got the speed, but man, I think today really took it out of him

Kimi deserves a lot of credit, but honestly, compared to Hamilton, Jenson Button, and Sebastian Vettel, his car feels more like a bicycle than a real racer. He might snag a win here and there or land on the podium occasionally, but the reality is he's constantly fighting just to stay relevant against the Mercedes drivers (and if I recall, they're struggling just to hold onto a top 10 spot). At the end of the day, championships go to the teams with the big budgets, which usually means Red Bull Racing, McLaren, or Ferrari.

Edward Howard2 said:It's like they were using him as a crash test dummy or something...

Today we basically got the final proof that Red Bull has zero intention of letting Webber fight for the title.

Ricciardo was holding Webber back today and wouldn't let him pass, and honestly, over the last few races, you could see Toro Rosso drivers practically diving off the track the second they spotted him in their mirrors.
It's pretty obvious that Alguersuari's orders don't apply to Webber at all. ☕

that was pretty much set in stone two years ago... 😁

Nathan Jones98 said:I'm hoping it doesn't happen—but honestly, looking at how things are going, I've got my doubts
since the lead is down to just 29 points now, and let's be real, neither Alonso nor Kimi have the pace to pull off wins right now
Hamilton's got the speed, but man, I think today really took it out of him

If you ask me, he's still the guy, he looks like the absolute frontrunner for the title right now, and honestly, having Jenson Button on his side should give him all the help he needs.

There’s actually a grain of truth in what darkmarlin16 is saying: based on how everyone is performing right now, McLaren seems to be the only team with two drivers truly capable of fighting for the title. That kind of depth could prove decisive if things get tight toward the end of the season. Ferrari certainly can't bank on Felipe Massa jumping in between Fernando Alonso and the rest of the pack to mess with the points standings, and since Mark Webber isn't having much luck either, it looks like Red Bull Racing might be in a similar boat.

That's the second win of the season 🙂

Edward Howard2 said:It's like they were using him as a crash test dummy or something...

Today we basically got the final proof that Red Bull has zero intention of letting Webber fight for the title.

Ricciardo was holding Webber back today and wouldn't let him pass, and honestly, over the last few races, you could see Toro Rosso drivers practically diving off the track the second they spotted him in their mirrors.
It's pretty obvious that Alguersuari's orders don't apply to Webber at all. ☕

Yeah, spot on. We've been talking about this for a while now.
My only sympathy goes to Webber.

Look, fine, it's their right as a team. But if that's the case, don't be hypocritical and act like the only problem in the sport is Alonso.

Because everyone—and I mean everyone—is stuck in the system of team orders! Hamilton, Vettel, Kimi! They're all part of it.

Maybe at Mercedes they aren't allowed to boss people around, but honestly, they don't even need to.

Man, it would be nice to see a win from either Webber or Jenson Button for once.

Six races down, 150 points on the table, and the title fight is still wide open for the top four or five drivers alike.
McLaren clearly has the fastest car right now—I’d argue they're sitting in a better spot than Vettel despite the points gap—while on the other hand, Alonso rightfully holds that first-place spot at the moment.
Looking ahead at the next four rounds (Japan, India, Korea, and Brazil), there's a massive chance for Kimi to stir things up even more and spice this championship race.
Red Bull seems to only really suit Abu Dhabi, whereas McLaren looks dominant everywhere else, and Ferrari should be right at home in Suzuka, Brazil, or India.

Horner Said: "The championship is wide open. It's just annoying how Fernando keeps popping up on the podium right at the end of the Grand Prix.
"You have to include Mark, you have to include Jenson, even Kimi isn't far off and of course Lewis. There's six races left—150 points still on the table—so there's still plenty to fight for."
"Sebastian was trailing by 25 points with only two races left back in 2010, which just goes to show that anything can happen for any of these drivers.
"We need to keep taking points OFF Fernando, which really means we need to get a few more cars between us and him."

Man, Horner wants you to believe Mark is even in the conversation—you guys clearly have no clue.☕

😁

Look, everything you guys are typing here is perfectly clear to me, but I honestly don't get what Mark Webber's angle is here or why he's agreeing to this.

Yesterday, it felt like only the main duo actually drove a real race; everyone else looked like they were just showing up for qualifying.
Screw that.

Jerry Rogers6 said:Horner Said: "The championship is wide open. It's just annoying how Fernando keeps popping up on the podium right at the end of the Grand Prix.
"You have to include Mark, you have to include Jenson, even Kimi isn't far off and of course Lewis. There's six races left—150 points still on the table—so there's still plenty to fight for."
"Sebastian was trailing by 25 points with only two races left back in 2010, which just goes to show that anything can happen for any of these drivers.
"We need to keep taking points OFF Fernando, which really means we need to get a few more cars between us and him."

Man, Horner wants you to believe Mark is even in the conversation—you guys clearly have no clue.☕

😁

Look, everything you guys are typing here is perfectly clear to me, but I honestly don't get what Mark Webber's angle is here or why he's agreeing to this.

Yesterday, it felt like only the main duo actually drove a real race; everyone else looked like they were just showing up for qualifying.
Screw that.

I agree—Lewis is really the only one with a real shot compared to Vettel.
With a "subpar" Ferrari like this, Alonso is probably going to pull more points than Vettel over these last six races.

Jerry Rogers6 said:Horner Said: "The championship is wide open. It's just annoying how Fernando keeps popping up on the podium right at the end of the Grand Prix.
"You have to include Mark, you have to include Jenson, even Kimi isn't far off and of course Lewis. There's six races left—150 points still on the table—so there's still plenty to fight for."
"Sebastian was trailing by 25 points with only two races left back in 2010, which just goes to show that anything can happen for any of these drivers.
"We need to keep taking points OFF Fernando, which really means we need to get a few more cars between us and him."

Man, Horner wants you to believe Mark is even in the conversation—you guys clearly have no clue.☕

😁

Look, everything you guys are typing here is perfectly clear to me, but I honestly don't get what Mark Webber's angle is here or why he's agreeing to this.

Yesterday, it felt like only the main duo actually drove a real race; everyone else looked like they were just showing up for qualifying.
Screw that.

Mark absolutely botched that second SC period and the pit entry.😢
I seriously don't understand the logic behind pitting him for fresh rubber on lap 28, only to drag him back in again at lap 40.😵
I mean, Alonso pitted on lap 30 and just stayed out until the end...

If Mark hadn't gone in that second time—even with whatever insane tire degradation he was dealing with—he wouldn't have dropped below 5th or 6th.🤦
He was right on di Resta's gearbox on those yellows and about 5 seconds behind Vettel right when he dove into the pits. Who on earth thought that was a move? And more importantly, whose "brilliant" idea was it?🙄

If they were using his data to help Vettel, they should've done the exact opposite and kept him out longer to see how much life was left in those tires.😳

The only thing that makes any sense is if they thought everyone else would pit, allowing him to jump di Resta and Alonso. But even then, it’s pretty stupid considering they just shoved him straight into a massive traffic jam...
It would have made way more sense to hold him out until, say, lap 48 or 50, then go for a set of reds and try an ultra-fast final stint. This? This made zero sense.🤦

Huge congrats to Paul di Resta on hitting a massive career milestone 🙏