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

Is DRS banned during qualifying this year?

EDIT: Just realized it isn't. But man, this video is pretty confusing.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B49_...Zzg/view?pli=1

What can we actually expect from this track? Is anyone anticipating Kimi coming out swinging at the start tomorrow, only to get bogged down by a dirty surface or some other nonsense? I’m also genuinely curious about how Ferrari plans to handle things this year. They didn't run into nearly as many issues last season, but looking at the field right now, that duo is breathing down their necks.

silvergull10 said:Is there even any room to drive on this track? Are we really expecting Kimi to blame his starting position, a dirty track, or some other nonsense tomorrow? I’m genuinely curious how Ferrari plans to handle their drivers this year. They didn't have these issues last season, but this duo is looking dangerously close to one another.

They'll handle it the same way every other teammate duo has handled it: they'll play nice until the first controversial moment, and then they'll go for each other's throats. And my money is on Vettel being the one to pull the trigger; he's already proven that's how he operates.

McLaren’s car is absolute garbage. 🤮 Honestly, anything else I say is just redundant, though I guess people expect me to complain anyway.
Junior Sainz. 🙏

I was basically staring into a crystal ball earlier and all I saw for tomorrow was one Mercedes, one Ferrari, and maybe a Martini on the podium.

And yet, we're all sitting here itching for the race to start... watches are wound and ready! 👍

Post-practice quotes from the Ferrari garage:
http://www.gazzetta.it/Formula-1/14-...04069537.shtml
Seb: "Our race pace looks solid; we've definitely got enough grit to be fighting for a spot on the podium."
Kimi: "I messed up my line there, I really could've walked away with third."

A bit of a curveball, honestly. It feels like Mercedes is operating on a completely different planet right now. If Ferrari can actually get their tire management act together, I wouldn't be surprised to see them duking it out with Williams.
As for McLaren-Honda, well, they did what we expected. All that optimism they were trying to sell us? Total soap bubble, really, because those tests screamed that they have a mountain of issues to climb if they ever want to catch the top three. But hey, maybe we'll give them the benefit of the doubt for a couple of races and see if they can actually pull it together. Though, if things don't change, they might just get absolutely smoked by the heavy hitters tomorrow 🤦.
I wouldn't be shocked if the fallout from that concussion ends up dragging on through the whole season, too.
😬

Honestly, I’m kind of praying that Ferrari is still absolute garbage in qualifying just like they've been the last few seasons—anything to make this race more interesting than what everyone's expecting right now 👍

shadowstag10 said:I find myself harboring a quiet, perhaps somewhat cynical, hope that Ferrari remains as underwhelming during qualifying as they have been over these past few seasons; after all, if they continue to struggle to find that elusive single-lap pace, wouldn't that simply make the upcoming race far more unpredictable and engaging than the current projections suggest? 👍

I cannot help but find myself wondering if anyone at the Formula 1 Australia race will actually be able to stand on equal footing with the Mechanics, though I fear the answer may be a rather somber one. It seems quite likely that we are looking at an insurmountable gap, does it not? Perhaps, if fortune favors us, we might see a more balanced contest once the season moves toward a different circuit later this year.

Jack Kelly5 said:If Ferrari handles their tires right, we should see a solid battle with Williams.

Felipe Massa in that Williams is ahead of us.
Smart enough, I suppose.

graniteharbor502 said:I have a feeling nobody can touch the Mechanics at Formula 1 Australia.

Quite a bold claim.

silvergull10 said:Is there even any racing on that track? Should we expect Kimi to wreck himself at the start because of a dirty track or some other nonsense? I’m also curious how Ferrari plans to handle things this year. They didn't have issues last season, but this duo is looking incredibly close.

Sebastian Vettel is several classes above a washed-up Fin, so don't sweat it—(i) it'll all sort itself out this year anyway.

Jason Campbell70 said:We've got Massa ahead of us in that Williams.
Smart enough, I guess.

He’ll probably just get eaten alive right at the start. It wouldn't even be the first time Massa fumbles a launch, honestly. Or maybe he’ll just end up tangling with one of those Mercedes cars in the first turn. Whatever, man... stuff happens.

I’m honestly rooting for Nico Rosberg to go for a hard, aggressive dive right into Hamilton at the start.

😁

Going into that first turn, Kimi's sticking his nose in front of Vettel and Massa... maybe even Rosberg too.
Just being a fan, I guess...

Samuel Ruiz4 said:Just speaking as a fan here.

There you go. If you hadn't pointed it out—no one would have even thought of it. 🙂

Kimi Räikkönen is a better starter than anyone else on this list, period... just a fact

I can only conclude that Kimi might actually have a fighting chance if he were running with one fewer pit stop per race.

rowdyrider12 said:The only way I can see this working is if Kimi manages to pull off something significant while operating with one fewer pit stop than the rest of the field.

go Kimi 🎉

Can we finally see Kimi standing on that podium? 👋

I don't believe I saw that coming—so it'll likely happen just fine 😁

Even after those first qualifying sessions, it’s becoming painfully obvious that Honda is a total bust. It isn't just about the reliability issues; they look fundamentally slow, too. I have to admit, it's pretty disappointing, though I suppose we should give them at least one race (or maybe a few more) before we pass final judgment.

To be honest, I’d be pretty shocked if Kimi Räikkönen managed to beat Sebastian Vettel, let alone put up a real fight. I don't usually have strong feelings about Vettel, but I still expect him to handle an aging 36-year-old Finn who is clearly on the decline without much trouble.