Spanish Embassy (San Francisco-California) May 22, 2011

stormybadger8 said:Nah, Alonso just completely wrecked Red Bull's strategy, and that's what dictated the whole race.😳

Since Red Bull couldn't pass him on track, they went into the pits early. Everyone, including Alonso, ended up following them into the pits to cover the move. That happened twice within the first 30% of the race!

Around lap 20-25, everyone was running on their last set of softs (one from the start, set two around lap 10, set three around lap 20). Naturally, those hard tires had to last about 40-45 laps (two sets of 20+), so everyone's tires just gave up at the end. That’s why Button did so well—he was the only one not busy covering those early pit stops. It's also why Alonso was screwed, because his final set of softs were used ones (he trashed his softs in qualifying). Same for Webber, who put on new ones during the first stop, while Vettel and Hamilton went on new softs during their second stops. That's where the massive gap came from.

When you think about it, if he hadn't been overtaken at the start, he might have finished better. Or, if he’d just stayed out on track and ignored the Red Bulls, would Hamilton have passed him? Hamilton had to pit, and his tires were garbage in the first stint, so getting rid of them worked perfectly for him. Plus, the pace was relatively slow. 😉 But Button definitely wouldn't have caught him.

You talk about strategy in your intro, but the rest of your post is really just about tire degradation.
Ferrari is completely incompatible with hard tires. On top of that, they haven't made any meaningful progress with their downforce.
That’s why I’d say yesterday's race scenario for Alonso was actually pretty predictable, especially with that massive one-lap deficit. If he was neck-and-neck at lap 20 but a full lap down by lap 40, it means he was consistently losing about 2 seconds per lap. That’s a terrifying stat to face.

So, the final result was pretty much business as usual for him (except for the very end).
Alonso constantly loses ground compared to where he starts. Which basically means for him, starting 5th is already a success because holding onto it until the checkered flag is a struggle.
Still, based on those first 20 laps, I’d go as far as saying Alonso was the third-best driver in this race, right behind Vettel and Hamilton.

"Hard times, my friend..."

Amanda Kelly said:You talk about strategy in your intro, but the rest of your post is really just about tire degradation.
Ferrari is completely incompatible with hard tires. On top of that, they haven't made any meaningful progress with their downforce.
That’s why I’d say yesterday's race scenario for Alonso was actually pretty predictable, especially with that massive one-lap deficit. If he was neck-and-neck at lap 20 but a full lap down by lap 40, it means he was consistently losing about 2 seconds per lap. That’s a terrifying stat to face.

So, the final result was pretty much business as usual for him (except for the very end).
Alonso constantly loses ground compared to where he starts. Which basically means for him, starting 5th is already a success because holding onto it until the checkered flag is a struggle.
Still, based on those first 20 laps, I’d go as far as saying Alonso was the third-best driver in this race, right behind Vettel and Hamilton.

"Hard times, my friend..."

Look, I get it, but that's exactly my point. I think he would've lost way less time if he'd run soft stints of maybe 15-16 laps.😉

Then he could have done 20 on the hards. Instead, he ran about 40 on the hards, and clearly, these tires are garbage on every car—but on the Ferrari, they're absolute trash.
If he'd gone that route, I doubt Webber would have caught him, and who knows, maybe even Button wouldn't have either.🤷

That's why I said before the race: it looks smarter to run crappy softs, even if they drop off, rather than using these hards that are a complete disaster.🤦

With how bad these hard tires are, they're just making a mess of things even more.🤦

What kind of idiots think it makes sense for a tire to last 5-10 laps longer if it's 1-2 seconds slower per lap than the old hard compounds?🤦

In those 20 laps (if I can even stomach watching them), you'd easily give up a pit stop or even a lap and a half.😂

I'm genuinely curious about what happens in Canada. Half the grid won't have enough rubber left. There's no way they can stretch six sets through a full race if the tires stay this bad.😂

Honestly, the best move would be for everyone to just boycott qualifying.🙏

It honestly feels like Alonso is the only one single-handedly keeping the whole Ferrari operation from falling apart right now, and I really have to tip my hat to him for that.
I don't even have the heart or the patience to talk about Massa; he’s a decent enough driver, but what he's putting on display lately is just incredibly hard to watch.🤦
The Ferrari car is exactly what it is—it's hit a wall. Their strategy has been a total disaster for ages, but it's hard to tell if the team leadership is just playing dumb or if they genuinely haven't a clue what they're doing.
Basically, the race at Circuit of the Americas stripped that Ferrari car down to nothing, leaving it completely exposed.

Joshua Doyle11 said:It honestly feels like Alonso is the only one single-handedly keeping the whole Ferrari operation from falling apart right now, and I really have to tip my hat to him for that.
I don't even have the heart or the patience to talk about Massa; he’s a decent enough driver, but what he's putting on display lately is just incredibly hard to watch.🤦
The Ferrari car is exactly what it is—it's hit a wall. Their strategy has been a total disaster for ages, but it's hard to tell if the team leadership is just playing dumb or if they genuinely haven't a clue what they're doing.
Basically, the race at Circuit of the Americas stripped that Ferrari car down to nothing, leaving it completely exposed.

Honestly, it’s starting to worry me. If this keeps up, anyone else could run into the exact same mess. 😳

This isn't even the first time, either. Red Bull completely fell apart in China, too. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder how much life was actually left in Vettel’s tires—or in this entire race for that matter. Give it another two or three laps and it’s game over. Bye-bye.

This season is going to be full of more absolute garbage like this. And don't just pin it on Ferrari—everyone else is dealing with these tire disasters too, they just aren't getting hit quite as hard.

Maybe if they actually get on a track, their tires will just give up on them.

How's the sub compared to how they handle tires? Back in Canada, I used to bet on them taking one or two. 🙏

So, about those tires... weren't they supposed to have some kind of tougher, more heavy-duty compound this time around?

darkmarlin16 said:So, about those tires... weren't they supposed to have some kind of tougher, more heavy-duty compound this time around?

Sure, it lasts 30% longer and runs twice as slow.🤣

stormybadger8 said:Sure, it lasts 30% longer and runs twice as slow.🤣

Good grief, what is this even going to look like in Canada?🙄 Honestly, local news stations like CNN or Fox could probably pull off a win at this rate🤣, they'd all just need one single qualifying lap😳.

While everyone else is left sitting there with zero tires left🤣

stormybadger8 said:Honestly, it’s starting to worry me. If this keeps up, anyone else could run into the exact same mess. 😳

This isn't even the first time, either. Red Bull completely fell apart in China, too. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder how much life was actually left in Vettel’s tires—or in this entire race for that matter. Give it another two or three laps and it’s game over. Bye-bye.

This season is going to be full of more absolute garbage like this. And don't just pin it on Ferrari—everyone else is dealing with these tire disasters too, they just aren't getting hit quite as hard.

Maybe if they actually get on a track, their tires will just give up on them.

How's the sub compared to how they handle tires? Back in Canada, I used to bet on them taking one or two. 🙏

Basically, next time there's a race, I'm heading straight to the sportsbook before the US Grand Prix to bet my entire monthly paycheck on Sauber.🤣

Joshua Doyle11 said:Basically, next time there's a race, I'm heading straight to the sportsbook before the US Grand Prix to bet my entire monthly paycheck on Sauber.🤣

Honestly, if you’re just sitting around waiting for things to happen, you're basically asking for nothing to change, which—let's be real—is usually a recipe for disaster. It's like when people expect a promotion at a place like Google without actually putting in the hours or even bothering to learn the software; you can't just lounge on the couch and expect the universe to hand you a win. Laziness isn't some quirky little personality trait either, it's just a slow way to fail, and frankly, I'm tired of seeing people act like being unproductive is some kind of badge of honor when it's really just a one-way ticket to staying exactly where you are while everyone else passes you by.☕

darkmarlin16 said:Good grief, what is this even going to look like in Canada?🙄 Honestly, local news stations like CNN or Fox could probably pull off a win at this rate🤣, they'd all just need one single qualifying lap😳.

While everyone else is left sitting there with zero tires left🤣

☕

darkmarlin16 said:Honestly, if you’re just sitting around waiting for things to happen, you're basically asking for nothing to change, which—let's be real—is usually a recipe for disaster. It's like when people expect a promotion at a place like Google without actually putting in the hours or even bothering to learn the software; you can't just lounge on the couch and expect the universe to hand you a win. Laziness isn't some quirky little personality trait either, it's just a slow way to fail, and frankly, I'm tired of seeing people act like being unproductive is some kind of badge of honor when it's really just a one-way ticket to staying exactly where you are while everyone else passes you by.☕

What about Sergio? 😍

Frank Collins85 said:What about Sergio? 😍

nah☕
on the interstate☕

😁

Look, if you bet against it, you lost. That's just how it goes. You might as well pack your bags and move to Las Vegas right now.