Grand Prix of Japan (Indianapolis) 10/09/2011

stormybadger8 said:Since when did Liuzzi have a Mercedes up his sleeve? 😕😕😕

What are you doing at the pub or what's your problem?🤣

So, Liuzzi is stuck driving that HRT with a Cosworth engine. 🤣

It's true, 😬 🙂🙂🙂 😳

Brian Campbell36 said:Since the era of Michael Schumacher, no one has swept the competition quite like this.
If Sebastian Vettel manages to secure a third consecutive title, then we must extend our utmost respect to Red Bull and the tactical genius pulling all the strings behind the scenes.
While watching the rest of the field battle for a podium finish can be engaging, my true interest lies in observing how the drivers contend for those crucial 25 points at the top spot.
In this scenario, Vettel takes pole position (though even if he starts second in a worst-case case, Mark Webber would likely drop three spots 😕)
Between DRS (which essentially facilitates artificial overtaking) and the Goodyear tires, we should see a much more intense struggle for first place. However, I find myself agreeing with your thesis: who can blame them if they simply failed to harness the absolute potential of their cars?
The "big teams" have been complaining about "excessive front wing flexibility," but a master craftsman, finely tuning his craft, simply engineered it to perform at its peak.

If the rules hadn't shifted in 2009... if they hadn't introduced those cost-cutting measures... Red Bull might have been lucky to settle for third at best. It would have just been a straight fight between Ferrari and McLaren...

Lawrence Vaughn3 said:If the rules hadn't shifted in 2009... if they hadn't introduced those cost-cutting measures... Red Bull might have been lucky to settle for third at best. It would have just been a straight fight between Ferrari and McLaren...

Furthermore, is there any realistic possibility that the FIA might reconsider reinstating the testing sessions they abolished in the name of fiscal restraint?😕

Has there been any actual movement or quiet discussion regarding this matter lately?

It would be an absolute game-changer for the championship; teams would finally have the opportunity to scrutinize every single bespoke component and run the data, allowing them to determine with certainty whether a new part truly integrates seamlessly with the rest of the chassis.😕

Returning to the immediate matter at hand, can we actually count on rain for Sunday?

Based on the current data, it looks like we're in for a dry race.

http://www.weather-forecast.com/loca...recasts/latest

Yet, the BBC seems to be hoping for rain just as much as I am.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5007

🤷

ESPN.com says it’s going to be a scorcher, so expect a total washout on the track🤣

stormybadger8 said:ESPN.com says it’s going to be a scorcher, so expect a total washout on the track🤣

An interesting observation!
Is it just me, or is ESPN.com a complete and utter failure when it comes to their weather forecasting?🙂
Tomorrow, Mladen will provide us with the definitive forecast.

Goodnight, everyone. I'll see you all at the first practice session 😬 👋

mistybear87 said:Goodnight, everyone. I'll see you all at the first practice session 😬 👋

honestly, I’m not even gonna try to sleep ☕

darkmarlin16 said:honestly, I’m not even gonna try to sleep ☕

+1 ☕

Michael Lee4 said:It’s honestly wild that in 2011, people still haven't figured out how to code basic recording functionality. 🙏

They just can't get the recording right. 🙂

☕

I'm calling it now: Fernando Alonso is taking the win ☕

Wait... bad weather in the cockpit again? 🍿

Or did the big networks just decide to pull the plug on the digital broadcast too? 🍿

oho..🍿 looks like Vettel finally hit his limit 🍿

🙂 Vettel

Man, at least staying up this late wasn't a total waste of time... 😂

He's pissed 😳

Just talking about the optimistic side of Williams☕ 🙂

darkmarlin16 said:honestly, I’m not even gonna try to sleep ☕

Douglas Garcia24 said:+1 ☕

Some of us actually have to get some work done today, after all.
😬 Goodnight, everyone.

🙂

Williams. 😍

James Diaz8 said:oho..🍿 looks like Vettel finally hit his limit 🍿

Finally, we saw a similar trend back in Canada where he performed exceptionally well in both qualifying and the race itself.

I am almost waiting for Vettel to start making mistakes during the actual race—that is where the points are truly won—rather than just during Practice 1 or Practice 2.

He is giving his competitors a glimmer of hope; clearly, driving this track has become a bit too routine for him.

All eyes are on tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race, and if Alonso manages to pull off a victory, it would be a monumental achievement for the crew from Maranello.

Honestly, I suspect McLaren might cross the finish line first before Ferrari does, especially since their car looked significantly faster in Singapore; had Hamilton not had that contact with Massa, he surely would have finished ahead of Alonso, whom he nearly overtook if he had just stayed out for one more lap.

Regrettably, for Ferrari and Alonso, finishing in the top five will likely be considered a successful outing.🤣

🙂🙂🙂
Honestly, I’ve been lucky enough to miss every single practice session because I haven't been awake to catch them live. 🤦
I can only hope that all this downtime is actually part of some master plan for a victory this Sunday. 😬

Where on earth is Jergović? Seriously, why can't the guy just wake up this early? 🙄