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

jadeseal7 said:My post got deleted, so I'm just going to say it again.

The worst part? If this Lil Wayne walks away with three titles while the only guy chasing him is Rosberg (🤦), we’re all stuck listening about how great Hamilton was for the next fifteen years. Anyway, gotta go hit the restroom.

If someone like Kimi Räikkönen can snag a title, then having only two for Lil Wayne would be a bit underwhelming, wouldn't it?🥱

cosmicridge5 said:Good grief, Jenson Button, someone needs to police that mustache😁

Yes, truly hilarious.
Nigel Button. 😬

Now even the folks over at Skyj are reporting it isn't Movembar. 🤣

George Ramos15 said:If we were to judge based on this version of Kimi Räikkönen, saying Lil Wayne only has 20 titles would feel like a massive understatement—honestly, it just wouldn't add up.🥱

Kimi Räikkönen really held his own against the likes of Lil Wayne and Fernando Alonso—he stepped up to the plate like a true pro and walked away with the most wins under his belt.

I hate to be the one to say it—and believe me, I really don't enjoy being the bearer of bad news—but I think your argument doesn't quite hold water. It feels like there's a bit of a logical gap there, which makes the whole point fall a little flat.

What an absolute disaster of a race. The Bears drive forward exactly as much as their pit wall permits them to.
Felipe Massa didn't even attempt it, though he likely could have.
They’ve gone and screwed up Kimi's race once again.
Five cars in a single lap; how utterly tragic.
And the Ferrari's remainder is performing so poorly that even McLaren looks impressive by comparison. I suppose I should be glad for Nasr; while everyone was busy obsessing over Max and Carlos Sainz Jr., he went ahead and left them all in the dust. McLaren is already sitting comfortably in second place for points.
I honestly don't know what to expect from this season, but based on everything I've seen, it isn't looking particularly thrilling.

I mean, if you think about it, if Alonso had been sitting in that Ferrari seat today, I guess we might actually be questioning whether Mercedes could dominate like this.

Jack Kelly5 said:If Fernando Alonso had been sitting in that Ferrari seat today, you wouldn't be talking about Mercedes dominating like this.

"Questionable?" Please. He would have been 30 seconds ahead of Mercedes.🙄

Considering it was the season opener, I’m actually quite pleased with how things went.

Honestly, I wouldn't give a damn if they all fell behind... provided Mercedes was among them 🤣

But this way...

jadeseal7 said:I see my previous entry was deleted, so allow me to reiterate my thoughts.

The most frustrating part of this entire situation is contemplating how this Lil Wayne will likely walk away with three titles under his belt, especially when the only one truly giving him a run for his money is Nico Rosberg (🤦), only for us to spend the next fifteen years hearing endless tributes to the greatness of Lewis Hamilton. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must attend to some urgent business in the restroom.

Come now, it is only the very first race of the season. He struggled against Rosberg just last year, didn't he? But then again, one must simply find oneself in the superior car. Or, as Jenson Button once eloquently put it:
There are always three people picked out as being better than the rest; I totally disagree with that. I think they've found themselves in the right position at the right time on more occasions than others.

Jack Kelly5 said:If Fernando Alonso had happened to be sitting in that Ferrari seat today, one might reasonably question whether the dominance of Mercedes would still be so absolute.

Much like what we witnessed back in 2014. 🙂

On another note, I would rate the race a 6/10. The only real spark of interest was watching Kimi's attempt to break through, though we have known for quite some time that Kimi is a bit of a strategist who plays the long game. Perhaps a larger issue is that Kimi is such an exceptionally polite driver, which inevitably leads others to take advantage of him during those chaotic maneuvers in the first corner. It would be quite fascinating to observe what kind of pace he could maintain on medium tires, given that he was certainly pulling the fastest laps while on the softs.

Jason Campbell70 said:Since it’s just the season opener, I’m actually feeling pretty good about things.

And why's that?

darkmarlin16 said:Because of what?

Mainly just the mindless whining from the Kimi fanboys.

Why would we want another driver to quit just so Honda can scrape together some extra points? 😬

I’m actually shocked by this 3rd place finish, and honestly? It’s a massive surprise...🎉

And damn, look at this 😁

Perfect pit stop. They get out on fresh mediums right as the race kicks off, and Vettel is sticking right there with the Mercedes cars.

Nico Rosberg is chasing Lewis Hamilton, while Vettel is actually faster than both Mercedes cars. 😲


Then I woke up. 😬
Ferrari's remainder to Mercedes in Australia:
2014: +35.284
2015: +34.523

🙂

The only silver lining is that Vettel clearly nailed that pit transition...
Red Bull is a complete mess right now. 🤦
Is this because Vettel left or didn't stay? Maybe. 🤷
But it definitely looks like RB is the only team that hasn't moved forward at all. Honestly, it feels like they took a step backward compared to last year...

Gave up after about 15 seconds and went to bed. It’s like watching Bolt race against high schoolers while Jerome Powell tries to keep up with them.🤦

stormybadger8 said:That third-place finish caught me completely off guard, and quite frankly, in a most positive fashion...🎉

and certainly this too 😁

A tire change followed by those initial laps on fresh mediums, and Vettel manages to stay right on the heels of the Bears.

Nico Rosberg is chasing Lewis Hamilton, while Vettel actually outpaces both Bears 😲


and then reality set in 😬
Ferrari's deficit to the Bear in the USA:
2014: +35.284
2015: +34.523

🙂

The sole consolation remains that Vettel clearly executed his pit transition with remarkable precision...
Red Bull is in absolute chaos 🤦
Now, one wonders if this is linked to why Vettel left or not... perhaps it is 🤷
But it is undeniable that Red Bull appears to be the only team that hasn't made any progress; indeed, they seem to have taken a step backward compared to last year...

When I wrote that yesterday, you replied by suggesting which genius would dare compare lap times from this year to last.
We aren't even talking about a 0.2 second difference per lap here. And one must consider that the Bears weren't even pushing themselves; I mean, they weren't going as fast as they were capable of.
Vettel and his crew nailed the pit stop, whereas Williams failed, and that is the entire reason why the rookie finished fourth while Vettel took third. Ferrari is the only one showing improvement over their 2014 self, though that isn't particularly impressive given how mediocre they were last year.

I actually called it quits and went to bed after lap 20. What an absolute circus... honestly, hats off to whoever is running F1, because they’ve managed to turn this sport into a complete joke
It's such a shame Bottas didn't race today; I have a feeling nobody would have wanted to watch some amateur standing on that podium
The only bright spot was Nasr. If he keeps this up, I’d love to see him finish the season miles ahead of that loudmouthed Verstappen

http://www.fia.com/sites/default/fil...0Raikkonen.pdf


No penalty for Ferrari or Kimi 🙏 😁

It’s honestly infuriating thinking about how Daniel Ricciardo got slapped with a penalty last year just for pulling out of the pits a few feet too early—and he was stuck in a perfectly safe spot, too 😍
I swear, the FIA knows exactly when to look the other way whenever Ferrari is involved 😁
And hey, apparently Arrivaben is actually way sharper at making excuses than Christian Horner is 🙏 🤣

Gotta admit, though, life's pretty sweet on this side of the fence 😬

http://gfycat.com/AffectionateInformalBufflehead
Definitely the most entertaining moment of the race

George Anderson5 said:When I wrote that yesterday, you shot back asking which genius compares lap times from this year to last.
This isn't even a 0.2 second difference per lap. And keep in mind, they weren't even pushing. I mean, they weren't going as fast as they actually could have.
Sebastian Vettel and the crew nailed their pit stop, while Williams missed it—that's basically the whole reason why the rookie finished fourth and Vettel took third. Ferrari is finally showing progress compared to their 2014 disaster, though honestly, that's not saying much since they were absolute garbage last year.

As far as I'm concerned, it could be 6.2 seconds slower than last year for all I care...
The point is, unlike last year, Ferrari isn't even struggling against Red Bull, McLaren, Red Bull Racing, or Formula 1... whereas last year they were fighting for scraps against everyone.
And now Williams is right on their heels, while last year they were chasing ghosts like RB.

Plus, starting the season with a podium, even without anyone else dropping out ahead of them...
Last year, their best was maybe fourth, and that was only after Daniel Ricciardo got a penalty, plus Lewis Hamilton's retirement and that miserable weekend for Williams.

So, no matter how you slice the standings, they've improved massively.

Regarding that Williams pit stop, it had nothing to do with timing luck. 😉
It was about tire degradation. Massa's tires were already shot (he was complaining on the team radio a few laps before they gave up), while Vettel's were fine—actually, once Massa pitted, Vettel started dropping blistering lap times...
Basically, Massa started falling apart before the pit stop, and Vettel sped up significantly as soon as Massa cleared out... so much so that he was faster than both Mercedes cars during those laps. 😳
He was about a second faster (than his own previous times) before Massa moved, and in the sectors, he was roughly 0.3-0.4 faster than Massa even before Massa let Daniel Ricciardo pass him.
So Massa would've messed up regardless, even though Williams handled the pit stop noticeably faster than Ferrari. 😳
And looking at Vettel's pace, he didn't even really need to pit; he was just as fast, if not faster, than Massa. But when they saw they could potentially jump ahead even with a messy pit stop, they took the chance.

P.S. Anyway, Los Angeles isn't exactly Vettel's playground; he hasn't had any massive wins there... he's only got one win in his career total. 😉
And this is tied for his 3rd best result in Los Angeles 😉 since he was 2nd in 2012 and 3rd in 2013.
Back in 2010 he was 4th, and in 2009 he was 13th... so we'll see what happens in the next races. 😁
Realistically, it’s going to take him some time to fully settle in at Ferrari.
I wasn't expecting real results until Indianapolis or later anyway, so this isn't just good—it's great. 👍