2012 British GP @ Silverstone

Marquis handled that with pure class.

How about that, ladies and gentlemen? 😍

Douglas Parker61 said:CBS gave you the rundown pretty clearly. When there's a yellow flag, you can set your personal best, just not within that specific sector. Alonso lost a ton of time in the final sector—or, as they put it on CBS, he didn't grab a green sector, which basically means he slowed down. Nothing to argue about here. If anything, people were just surprised Jenson Button didn't pull the same move.

Button just doesn't have Alonso's brains😁

Jack Kelly5 said:He slowed down so much he almost got lapped by a fraction of a second. If it wasn't for that, he would've set a track record. Yeah.
😁😁

Honestly, given how he drives, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.😬

There you go.
Alonso was slower than his previous best past the yellow flags so should get the ok from the stewards.

But honestly, I just don't buy it...😂

I wasn't able to catch the qualifying sessions live, so I've been catching up via various news outlets. Apparently, there's talk that Fernando Alonso might face a penalty for tomorrow's race 🤣—wasn't it because he failed to slow down sufficiently during those yellow flag periods when the marshals were waving them?

As for the race itself, I fully expect Alonso to pull away by a 20-second margin over the course of 20 laps, much like what Sebastian Vettel managed during the TV Europe race, provided he isn't handed a penalty.

Looking at the timing, I see only the top four drivers within a 0.5-second window. Felipe Massa is sitting at +1.319, and I anticipate that everyone ahead of him will be more than 1.5 seconds clear on the podium tomorrow. 😕

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were quite disappointing, finishing 8th and 18th respectively. ☕

Seriously, what kind of penalty is that? I mean... it's Ferrari. 👋

neonfox65 said:What kind of penalty is that? Honestly, you expect nothing less when dealing with Ferrari.👋

So, let me get this straight? Is it really only Hamilton who seems to be catching all the penalties while Fernando Alonso is essentially guaranteed that pole position? It feels like a complete double standard, doesn't it?

Lewis Hamilton just checked out LOL

If he’d caught a penalty already, people would be losing their minds and celebrating right about now
Luckily, Romain Grosjean isn't anywhere near him at the start—so there's a real shot Alonso pulls ahead
BUT, we're looking at a rainy race, which means a Safety Car is basically inevitable... so all that sprinting from Alonso might just be for nothing
Still, you've gotta keep an eye on Michael Schumacher, Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel, and Kimi Räikkönen—wouldn't be surprised if one of them clinches it

stormybadger8 said:For now, I haven't seen any news about whether Alonso actually gets penalized.🤷
Who even is this kid? Since when were you allowed to set a time for the Third Qualifying Session under yellow flags???
Button gets knocked out in the First Qualifying Session because of a yellow flag caused by a car spinning off just after the start-finish line, yet Alonso cruises through his fastest lap in the Second Qualifying Session like nothing happened.😕

What kind of joke is this, and what on earth is the FIA doing?🙄

Alonso slowed down in the third sector... I don't know by how much, but he claims he backed off and the telemetry backed him up.
If anyone wants the guidelines for situations like today:
http://www.fia.com/resources/documen...pendix_H_a.pdf
check section 4.1.2.

Yellow flag:
This is a signal of danger and should be shown to drivers in two
ways with the following meanings:
- Single waved: Reduce your speed, do not overtake and be
prepared to change direction. There is a hazard beside or
partly on the track.
- Double waved: Reduce your speed, do not overtake and be
prepared to change direction or stop. There is a hazard wholly
or partly blocking the track.
Yellow flags should normally be shown only at the marshals’ post
immediately preceding the hazard.

The rules feel a bit vague; a driver could technically go just a tenth slower than their best sector time and still squeeze through.

stormybadger8 said:CBS gave a solid explanation on this, but the reality is teams just don't want to race in the rain.
Technically, they could easily swap out the car or adjust things to solve the water issues on the track, but it's more about their willingness to do it.

Is that actually doable?
Would parc fermé regulations prevent them from doing that?

So, the real kicker here is that Alonso actually made it into the Third Qualifying Session.
Everything else is manageable, but this? This is pushing it. How are we even supposed to survive an Alonso pole position? It’s looking like a total disaster, isn't it?

Don't let it get to you too much. If the forecasts are right and it stays wet during the race, we're looking at a total lottery—basically a circus where nobody knows what's going to happen. In those conditions, a pole position doesn't mean nearly as much as usual. Whoever takes the win is going to have to fight tooth and nail just to stay on the track. That's just how it is.

I don't even want to imagine what happens if, heaven forbid, Alonso actually wins. The odds are slim, though, since he's mostly been winning from deep in the pack this year. This whole anti-Ferrari-Alonso alliance would be in serious trouble, and honestly, I'm worried about my friends on this forum. Just think about it: we've got one driver with three wins, while six others are sitting there with just one.

So, it's going to be wet, and Alonso is starting on pole. The chances are slim. Really slim.
But, if there's any silver lining, it's that Alonso's slim chances are still way better than anyone else's—especially the Red Bull fans and the Mercedes crowd. 😁

Michael Lee4 said:I honestly think the radio hosts are just...

[Jason Campbell70]That was a rhetorical question[/Jason Campbell70]

Fernando, you absolute legend 🙏🙏🙏

First PP for Ferrari since Singapore 2010 👋

Roger Wright94 said:So, the real issue here is that Alonso actually managed to make it into the Third Qualifying Session.

Of course it’s a problem when you're looking at a double scam.
Qualifying was halted just because Alonso spun out on track, and there is zero chance he would have reached the Third Qualifying Session if Charlie hadn't played favorites with Ferrari—not to mention that whole yellow flag nonsense.

Total clown show. With those FIA decisions, Sauber basically got robbed blind.

The later PP was just a result of that, and they earned it fairly enough, proving Ferrari actually has pace. But let's be real: in that Third Qualifying Session, it shouldn't have been Alonso, Massa, Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, or Pastor Maldonado.
Even in the First Qualifying Session, drivers were spinning off everywhere and nobody thought to stop the session. It’s all just protecting the big teams. Pure arrogance.

Honestly, this thread should just be renamed "On the Edge of Science." It’s always some kind of endless, nonsensical debate... and now we're acting like everything changed because of what Alonso said regarding the red flag. They stopped, then they just picked it back up later. Besides, the first session wasn't even nearly as wet as the second one. Everyone needs to just calm down...

darkmarlin16 said:[Jason Campbell70]That was a rhetorical question[/Jason Campbell70]

Fernando, you absolute legend... 🙏🙏🙏

The first PP for Ferrari since Singapore 2010... 👋

I honestly couldn't believe it 😁 ... I was certain the pole would go to either Vettel or Hamilton, but then out of nowhere, it's Alonso. I hadn't heard the team radio, so I have no idea what Andrea told him...

stormybadger8 said:Of course there’s an issue when you’re dealing with a double scam.
The Second Qualifying Session was halted because of that same Alonso guy spinning out on track. There is zero chance he makes it into the Third Qualifying Session if Charlie wasn't playing favorites for Ferrari, and then we have that whole mess with the yellow flags.

So, the Second Qualifying Session gets stopped just because Alonso asks for it? He's pretty powerful then.

Was Alonso really the only one saying driving under those conditions was impossible?
How many times did Schumacher spin out during those couple of laps? I felt like we were just watching a replay of his mistakes. Was that even normal, or okay?

Did stopping the Second Qualifying Session—if you can even call it that given the irregular conditions—actually break any rules?

I get it, Alonso is a huge thorn in everyone's side, but being blinded by rivalry (or whatever animosity people have toward him) shouldn't stop you from seeing the forest for the trees.

stormybadger8 said:Even during the First Qualifying Session, drivers were spinning out all over the track, yet nobody seemed to think twice about calling off qualifying...

How could you possibly know that, or how can you be so sure?
We’ll probably get more details in the coming days. I’m betting they were weighing the rain situation from the very start. I'm also pretty certain Alonso wasn't the only one complaining about the conditions on the team radio. But let's be real: Alonso is the star, he's driving for Ferrari, and at that moment he was out of position. Naturally, the broadcasters are going to air his complaints because that's what sells.
And who's to say there weren't five others complaining, or even more before that? Who can actually claim to know for sure?

Roger Wright94 said:How on earth do you know that, or how can you be so sure?
We’ll probably get more details in the next few days. I’m positive they were looking at the rain situation from the very start. I'm also pretty sure Alonso isn't the only one complaining to the team about the conditions. But let's be real—Alonso is the star, Alonso drives for Ferrari, and Alonso was out of contention at that moment. Naturally, the broadcasters are going to air Alonso's whining because it makes for the best TV.
And who's to say there weren't five others complaining, or even more before that? Who can actually claim otherwise right now?

Look, it's hard to track every single person who complained, but the fact remains: that pit stop call clearly favored Ferrari and absolutely screwed over Sauber.
Even if Vettel might have dropped out of Q3 (he was sitting in 10th at the time), I still think they should have just finished Q2 properly.
Stopping qualifying or a race for every little thing is just plain stupid.🙄

They didn't stop qualifying because there was a car stuck in the middle of the track—they didn't.
They stopped it because they were worried about someone potentially flying off.

Bravo, Clark. I’m right there with you on everything you said, but honestly... I just don't have the energy to type it all out 😁.
I seriously doubt there wasn't more team radio regarding the track conditions, but we all know who they choose to let through the airwaves. You can't draw any real conclusions based solely on the broadcast; it's like watching a reality show like 😁. They only feed us what they want us to see, leaving the rest of us to struggle with the scraps.