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

stormybadger8 said:Everyone's going to be hunting Kobayashi down. Honestly, my bad for not picking him for the podium in our forum championship.🙂

If you want to kill him off, he's actually looking at a podium spot. Why do I think that? Here's the deal:

He's starting on hard tires from the clean side of the grid. If his launch is solid, he might even jump Webber—maybe even Massa or Hamilton if they end up clashing, which they probably will.🤣

He'll pull the longest stint on those hards, and Sauber is quick enough on the straights to stay ahead of the pack despite everyone having DRS.😁
If he manages to hold out and only has to pit twice, a podium is basically in the bag.👋 Then, he'll come out at the end on totally fresh rubber, and I'm expecting a total Kobayashi show in the final 5-10 laps.😍
I'd bet the fastest lap is almost certainly his, or maybe Rosberg's.😳

He'll just line them all up like ducks in a row during those closing laps.👋

And Shin-Byung-I will be there to help him out.😍

stormybadger8 said:Vettel might skip winning in Japan and every other race from here on out, and he'd still walk away as the champion celebrating that title.☕

There’s basically no way Button pulls off five wins in a row.☕

The real question is how Vettel clinches it tomorrow: by winning the race, standing on the podium, grabbing points, or simply because Button doesn't take first.

If Vettel pulled it off, why couldn't he?😕

Nancy Scott5 said:If Vettel pulled it off, why couldn't he?😕

There isn't really a dominant car this year... plus, the gap was more like 50 points, not 124.😁

Nancy Scott5 said:If Vettel pulled it off, why couldn't he?😕

Why can't he just be as good as Vettel?☕
Why didn't Vettel just sweep every single win while he was at Red Bull?
Why on earth are Alonso, Hamilton, and Webber driving like that? Honestly, you could probably squeeze Schumacher, Rosberg, or even Massa ahead of Button in some races if they just found an opening.
Why is it so likely that we'll see more "safe bets" coming out of McLaren?

☕

stormybadger8 said:Kamui 👋

has a massive shot at this race😍😍 😍

and he's looking at the win 👋

He’s the only one starting on hard tires, plus he still has one fresh soft left over😁

Whoa, you're quite the optimist...😁
Personally, I'm just hoping he finishes in the top five and gives us a spectacular show while he's at it..👋

Hey, does anyone know what time the race starts tomorrow?

Brian Campbell36 said:We can start popping the champagne once he actually crosses that finish line tomorrow and secures that final point.
Lest we forget last year, when Vettel sat third in the standings and snatched everything right from under the noses of both Webber and Alonso.

Anything could happen to Vettel—he could have another "Black Friday" disaster, or perhaps some driver might accidentally clip him and puncture his rear right tire; at that point, anything is possible.
Let us just wait until tomorrow morning; by around 10:00 AM, we will finally have our answer!

A single point means finishing tenth. If he doesn't manage to land at least tenth place tomorrow—which, let's be honest, there's a 99.99% chance he'll crush it and grab a podium spot—he still has four races left to scrape together one lonely point. Is anyone seriously sitting here doubting him?

So, lap 8 is where the race actually starts

Brian Campbell36 said:Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber) is starting in seventh, while Schumacher takes eighth—apparently, according to the official statement from the Elizabeth Hughes, it was all a matter of tire management;

http://en.espnf1.com/japan/motorsport/story/60881.html

Button really squeezed every ounce of performance out of his car today, though one has to admit that sometimes a little bit of luck is just part of the game;

http://en.espnf1.com/japan/motorsport/story/60888.html

The reason I find Vettel so grating is becoming even clearer now; he’s actually bragging about taking first place despite having a crash yesterday;

http://en.espnf1.com/japan/motorsport/story/60881.html

🙂 Those stupid Pirelli tires and that strategy of missing out on Q3 until the very last second 🙂
I guess I'd drop anyone who can't pull off a fast lap by ten positions; just a total mess. 🙄

Maybe Vettel crashes tomorrow so I don't have to listen to him screaming, thanking the crew, and all that PR stuff 🙂 maybe Hamilton loses a duel with Deda and ends up crying again 🤣 I'm hoping for a Button win, an Alonso podium, and that Kamui finds his rhythm. 🤣

nimblesurfer17 said:Whoa, you're quite the optimist...😁
Personally, I'm just hoping he finishes in the top five and gives us a spectacular show while he's at it..👋

Yeah, yeah, super optimistic. Truly. 😁

I have no clue why, but I’ve got this gut feeling that this might actually be the best race of his career—and man, it's going to blow us all away. 👋

Honestly, I think tomorrow is going to be the best race of the season. I can't wait. 👋

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, yeah, super optimistic. Truly. 😁

I have no clue why, but I’ve got this gut feeling that this might actually be the best race of his career—and man, it's going to blow us all away. 👋

Honestly, I think tomorrow is going to be the best race of the season. I can't wait. 👋

So, if I follow your logic, is it worth waking up at eight tomorrow morning and skipping tonight's night out on the town just to witness this supposed "race of the season"?

Let's go KK, the whole country is behind you 👋

Rebecca Fox4 said:Let's go KK, the whole country is behind you 👋

From what I can see, everyone is counting down the minutes until the Grand Prix Japan starts tomorrow 🙂

Brian Campbell36 said:From what I can see, everyone is counting down the minutes until the Grand Prix Japan starts tomorrow 🙂

To be completely honest, I’ve been feeling a certain level of exhaustion regarding this season for about five or six races now. It’s getting harder to stay genuinely invested when things feel this stagnant, isn't it?🙄

Edward Miller9 said:🙂 Those stupid Pirelli tires and that strategy of missing out on Q3 until the very last second 🙂
I guess I'd drop anyone who can't pull off a fast lap by ten positions; just a total mess. 🙄

Maybe Vettel crashes tomorrow so I don't have to listen to him screaming, thanking the crew, and all that PR stuff 🙂 maybe Hamilton loses a duel with Deda and ends up crying again 🤣 I'm hoping for a Button win, an Alonso podium, and that Kamui finds his rhythm. 🤣

🤷
Tomorrow's screaming, thank-yous, and PR circus will be legendary. It's worth recording, because people will still be watching and listening to this years from now.

Yesterday, by some stroke of bad luck, I ended up watching qualifying on RTL. After a massive commercial break, they played clips of Schumacher clinching the title back in 2000 (with Ferrari, obviously) at Suzuka. I can't even describe the wave of nostalgia that hit me 🙂 (honestly, I was close to tears).
Watch it. Enjoy it. And remember. These are the moments that make history.🙏

Edward Miller9 said:🙂 Those stupid Pirelli tires and that strategy of missing out on Q3 until the very last second 🙂
I guess I'd drop anyone who can't pull off a fast lap by ten positions; just a total mess. 🙄

Maybe Vettel crashes tomorrow so I don't have to listen to him screaming, thanking the crew, and all that PR stuff 🙂 maybe Hamilton loses a duel with Deda and ends up crying again 🤣 I'm hoping for a Button win, an Alonso podium, and that Kamui finds his rhythm. 🤣

🙏 🙏 🙏

Jason Campbell70 said:A few years?

Let me guess, since 2009.?

Well, the real Professor did it his entire career, winning in all sorts of machinery and fighting for titles in just about everything.

If you ask me who the greatest driver ever was, my heart would say Michael Schumacher, but my head would say "definitely Prost."

And let's be honest, even Sebastian Vettel can't be put in the same conversation as the most successful Formula 1 drivers of all time.

Exactly!🙂
Nowadays, the decisive factor is simply the car and its various complex technologies.
A decade ago, the sport was far more compelling because a driver's raw skill was actually valued; today, if you have Adrian Newey and a superior aerodynamic package, your championship is practically guaranteed.
The era where engineers competed to see who could build a machine with the highest horsepower is gone, replaced entirely by a relentless pursuit of nanotechnology.

Alex Fowler5 said:You don't even need consecutive wins to be a two-time or multi-time champ.

Oh man, I thought we were talking about Vettel.

Not some weird hypothetical scenario.

Huge congrats to Sebastian Vettel on clinching the championship, kudos to Jenson Button for taking the win, and of course, a shoutout to Sergio Perez, who once again
showed us all how it's done with those masterclass tire management skills!!!!

http://www.statsf1.com/en/statistiqu...mpion/age.aspx

2010 Sebastian Vettel 23y 04m 11d - 1st title
2011 Sebastian Vettel 24y 03m 06d - 2nd title

2005 Fernando Alonso 24y 01m 27d - 1st title
2006 Fernando Alonso 25y 02m 23d - 2nd title

Some people are totally lost. Vettel became a two-time world champion almost before Alonso even secured his first title, let alone his second.☕