Formula 1 United States Grand Prix 2015 (Los Angeles - Central Park) 03/15/2015

jadeseal7 said:the German 🙏

No matter how much their style grates on us, you have to admit they're making history here.

Let's just hope they at least eat through their tires. 🤣

With this kind of gap, they could pit once more than Ferrari or Williams and still walk away with a 1-2 finish. 🙂

Honestly, it’s brutal for McLaren. I bet they’d rather throw a tantrum in the garage than let the German leave them in the dust for five or six laps straight. 🤦
Man, look at the difference:
Hamilton - 1:26.327
Button - 1:31.422
Five seconds per lap. 😲
If my memory serves me right, last year they weren't even getting bullied by Caterham or Marussia by this much...

Does anyone happen to have the data on when McLaren last finished at the back of the pack—and specifically, if they've ever actually started from the very last position due to something other than a penalty?

I found their decision to run on soft tires during Qualifying 1 to be equally nonsensical.
He had already begun to harbor the delusion that he could pose a genuine threat to the German teams.
All that effort and raw pace displayed during testing, only for them to narrow the gap by a mere 0.2 seconds compared to last season? In truth, the most pleasant surprise was Daniel Ricciardo; despite driving that absolute junk and dealing with constant setbacks, he still managed a respectable qualifying result.

Does anyone have sector times posted anywhere?

What kind of absolute nonsense are they pulling with these tires?

Honestly, just give them the easiest car on the grid and the softest tires that can actually last three laps—something so basic even a toddler could set a decent time. It’s that simple. And during the race? Just let everyone pick their own poison; have them run on hard compounds or go full softs, I don't care which one they choose to satisfy their own whims.

If I had been in charge for three seasons instead of Ecclestone, I think I could have wiped out every single one of these idiots they've forced upon us.

George Anderson5 said:I thought it was pretty stupid when they went out on softs for Qualifying 1, too.
And he was already acting like he could actually threaten the Germans.
All that effort and speed during testing, and they only managed to close the gap by 0.2 seconds compared to last season. Honestly, the biggest surprise for me was Daniel Ricciardo. Considering the absolute junk car he’s driving and all those issues, pulling a solid result in qualifying is actually pretty impressive.

And which genius thought it was a bright idea to start comparing last year's qualifying to this year's? 🤷
Man, if I remember right, last year's qualifying was absolute chaos because the rain couldn't decide whether it actually wanted to show up or not.
So, even with this messy weather, we’ve still got plenty of options on the table—softs, mediums, inters, and full wets.
Trying to make comparisons based on those lap times is just pointless. Honestly, it's a complete waste of time.

Here you go, and here's why:
Australia 2014 Qualifying 3 - Fernando Alonso 1:45.819
Australia 2015 Qualifying 3 - Sebastian Vettel 1:27.757
So, is Vettel really about 18 seconds faster than Alonso, or is this year's Ferrari just 18 seconds faster than last year's? 🙂

A more accurate comparison would have been Barcelona, where the qualifying sessions were actually normal and the gaps looked like this:
Mercedes vs Red Bull — about a second gap.
Mercedes vs Williams—about 1.4 seconds.
Mercedes vs Ferrari—we're looking at about a 1.9 second gap.

Besides that, both Williams and Ferrari basically blew it in Qualifying 3. Ferrari messed up their tire strategy back in Qualifying 1, which pretty much screwed them over when it came time to actually perform in Q3. Then you've got Valtteri Bottas, who just couldn't get it together during either of his laps in Q3.
Felipe Massa was the only one who actually put together a decent run in Qualifying 3. Honestly, we all expected him to be the slowest of that top four anyway. 😉

Williams. Man, I am seriously looking forward to seeing what they pull off this year. It’s going to be such an interesting scrap against Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton absolutely dismantled Nico Rosberg, much to my satisfaction. He’s the favorite for tomorrow; I honestly don't see how Nico can mount a challenge.

Ferrari should be ahead of both Williams cars tomorrow. Their race pace was simply superior, and even Massa noted that the Ferrari pace is nothing short of intimidating.

Daniel Ricciardo was excellent. It seems he squeezed every ounce of performance out of the Red Bull Racing car. Carlos Sainz did similarly well for Ferrari, and Lotus might actually pose a threat tomorrow—perhaps even securing a top six spot.

I suspect Sebastian Vettel had more speed during qualifying. I'm not entirely sure what went wrong during his final stint.

Kimi is also holding his own, which is pleasant to witness.

The standout performers from qualifying were definitely Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, and I must say, Massa surprised me as well.

Kyle Edwards5 said:Do they have sector times posted anywhere?

http://www.fia.com/sites/default/fil...rTimes_V01.pdf
You can find pretty much whatever you're looking for on the FIA's websites 😉

Anyway, here are the sectors from Qualifying 3

mellowtiger83 said:I think Vettel had more pace in qualifying, no idea what happened in his final stint??.

Kimi is driving well too, it's great to see.

Qualifying drivers are definitely Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, and even Massa surprised me.

Probably...
But he was on used tires. He basically only ran one incredibly fast sector in Qualifying 2 and part of the second, even hitting a purple sector at the time.
By Qualifying 3, he was already way slower in that same first sector compared to his previous time, so there was just no point in pushing further...

stormybadger8 said:http://www.fia.com/sites/default/fil...rTimes_V01.pdf

Anyway, if you're looking for anything specific on the FIA's website, 😉
just let me know.

It looks like Ferrari is really struggling to find pace in the second sector—interestingly enough, both Ferraris actually clocked faster times than Nico Rosberg in the first one.

It’s quite curious how Kimi managed to beat Sebastian Vettel in all three sectors, yet somehow just can't seem to put together a single fast lap when it actually counts.

jadeseal7 said:Ferrari loses the most time in the second sector, though both Ferraris actually outpaced Nico Rosberg in the first.

Funny how Kimi is faster than Sebastian Vettel in all three sectors, yet can't seem to put a decent lap together when it actually matters.

Same pattern kept popping up for both of them on the live feed...
If they nail a fast S1, they cook the tires and wreck S3. If they play it safe with a slower S1, then they end up with a better S3...

And honestly, that was basically everyone, except for Lewis Hamilton...

By the way, Ferrari's best combined time was 1:27.394, which is pretty much what you'd expect from Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, and Sebastian Vettel if they had actually driven a decent Q3.
Just about 0.3 better than Massa...

stormybadger8 said:I wonder which genius decided that comparing last year's qualifying times to this year's was a productive use of time.🤷
As far as I can recall, last year's qualifying sessions were absolute chaos due to the unpredictable rain showers...
which means those lap times were set on everything from softs and mediums to intermediates and full wets.
Trying to draw any meaningful comparison with those conditions is entirely, completely pointless...

Here is why:
Australia 2014 Q3 - Alonso 1:45.819
Australia 2015 Q3 - Vettel 1:27.757
therefore, is Vettel somehow 18 seconds faster than Alonso, or is this year's Ferrari actually 18 seconds quicker than last year's?🙂

A legitimate comparison would have been Barcelona, where we had standard qualifying conditions and the gaps were roughly:
Mercedes vs Red Bull - approx 1 sec
Mercedes vs Williams - approx 1.4 sec
Mercedes vs Ferrari - approx 1.9 sec

Beyond that, both Williams and Ferrari essentially botched Q3... Ferrari with their tire choices in Q1 preventing them from delivering in Q3, and Valtteri Bottas struggling through both laps in Q3...
The only one who managed Q3 reasonably well was Felipe Massa, though one could realistically expect him to be at the bottom of that quartet.😉

How "meticulous" some people are.
Who is actually comparing times here? It is simply a comparison of the performance gaps between this season and the last.
It is the same track and the same conditions for everyone, both this year and last.
I truly wish to see Ferrari close the gap to Mercedes or perhaps even overtake them, but wishes are one thing and harsh reality is quite another. It is as if everyone assumed they could catch Mercedes and hoped they might stumble. I grew tired of watching Niki Lauda smirk at the end as if to say, "we fooled you again."
Perhaps those trailing behind will provide us with more entertainment.
To hell with it all when, after the first qualifying session, it becomes clear that only one driver is truly contending for the title.
And maybe Nico Rosberg and Lujo will settle things on or off the track just to keep us amused. Though Lujo seems much more composed this season, then again, Nico has probably been practicing his breathing exercises all winter to ensure he doesn't overheat too quickly.

It’s still looking pretty uncertain whether Valtteri Bottas will actually line up for tomorrow's race due to those back issues:

Claire Williams couldn't say for sure if he'd be fit enough to compete tomorrow

Respect for the matador's junior. 🙏 🙏
I spent years following the senior in rally, so I wouldn't mind rooting for the junior in Formula 1. 🙏
We'll see how things unfold over the course of the season, but right now, I have the impression that both members of that roster of young guns are performing better than the second driver on the top-tier teams. 🙏

Tyler Bennett5 said:Valtteri Bottas might actually struggle to even get off the line tomorrow—apparently his back is killing him:

exactly what I’ve been saying all along—these cars are way too stiff. they're just rigid bricks. none of the energy is being absorbed, so it all just slams straight into the driver's spine or head

🤣

ruggedhawk20 said:That’s exactly my point—these cars are just too stiff. They’re over-engineered for rigidity, which means they aren't absorbing enough of that impact energy. Instead, all that vibration and force just gets dumped straight into the driver's body or head.

I mean, what exactly should an F1 car feel like? It's not like they're driving off-road through the desert or anything.

William Bennett53 said:We'll see how the season plays out, but right now? I'm getting the feeling that both drivers on those bottom-tier teams are actually better than the second drivers over at the big teams. 🙏

I used to think Red Bull Racing was actually worse than STR in basically every single way. Almost everything.
It’s a bit of a stretch to pin everything on Renault. I mean, look at STR—they clearly aren't struggling with the Power Unit the way Red Bull is.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... turns out, they were right.

Remy’s sitting there all by himself like a total loner. A whole crowd of teams is passing right by the Red Bull motorhome, and he hasn't moved an inch. The only person who even bothered to stop was Marko, and honestly, it looked like he was just trying to hurry him along.

Honestly, let's call a spade a spade: Renault is largely to blame here. It’s just a fact. STR is even slower on the straights than Red Bull, actually 6.2 miles/h slower than Williams, Ferrari, Lotus, and Sauber.

While Red Bull was still faster than Toro Rosso, I really don't think their updates have landed yet. Once they do, I wouldn't be surprised if they pull more than half a second on STR. Also, word from the STR camp is that they've never built a car this good, so I'm thinking that usual gap between the two sister teams might not be quite as massive this year.

In my opinion, Renault has totally botched this one—it's not going to be an easy comeback from this mess. They only burned through two fewer tokens than Ferrari did, but they look miles behind, whereas Ferrari has closed the gap to Mercedes significantly regarding the engine, which both Lauda and Wolff mentioned during the races.

Check out the top speed data right here.