EU, June 25–27, "Miami street Circuit

Alonso absolutely crushed the second practice session 🙏

Let's go get that win! 🙏

Practice Session 2:
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m39.283s 🥳 😳
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m39.339s + 0.056s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m39.427s + 0.144s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m39.650s + 0.367s
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m39.749s + 0.466s
6. Robert Kubica Renault 1m39.880s + 0.597s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m39.947s + 0.664s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m40.020s + 0.737s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.029s + 0.746s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m40.174s + 0.891s
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m40.287s + 1.004s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m40.387s + 1.104s
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m40.618s + 1.335s
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.906s + 1.623s
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.945s + 1.662s
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1 m41 1m41.115s + 1.832s
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m41.371s + 2.088s
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.457s + 2.174s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m42.467s + 3.184s
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1 m42 1m42.993s + 3.710s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m43.811s + 4.528s
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m43.854s + 4.571s
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m44.095s + 4.812s
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1 m44 1m44.566s + 5.283s

I actually tuned out during practice with about 25 or 26 minutes left on the clock. I mean, how is it that nobody managed to improve on those top ten times? 🤷
It looked like Fernando Alonso and the Red Bull guys were actually putting in some work, while everyone else just seemed to be cruising around the track. 😁

Joshua Newman2 said:http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84702

Teams suspect they’ve cracked the code behind Red Bull's freakish pace for most of this season. The theory is they're leveraging exhaust gases to boost diffuser efficiency. It looks like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Renault are already bringing modified exhausts to the Miami Grand Prix Circuit (rumor has it Ferrari actually tested this during a recent promotional run), while McLaren and Williams are aiming to have their version ready by Silverstone.

It will be interesting to see if this actually shifts the power balance or if it turns out to be just another technical dead end.

It seems the theory holds water after all...
We'll find out how much actual speed is gained during tomorrow's qualifying sessions (though we know Friday practice often provides a murky, unreliable picture), but Mercedes, Renault, and especially Ferrari—who arrived today with upgrades—don't seem to be trailing McLaren. In fact, some are even ahead. Of course, it isn't strictly down to the exhaust (Renault brought a massive upgrade package, including a new front wing), but since everyone mentioned here has made strides compared to McLaren, there's likely something to the exhaust trick.

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton are already complaining: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84745

One thing still puzzles me, though: if this exhaust gas trick for better diffuser efficiency works for qualifying, will it cause issues during the race? Specifically, the thermal stress from melting components exposed to that hot air? We'll see. It would be a nice development if this pushed Renault a bit further up the grid.

It’d be pretty hilarious if Ferrari and Mercedes started falling apart just like Red Bull 🤣

and then Renault and Petrov/Robert Kubica just started winning everything in sight 🤣

stormybadger8 said:It’d be pretty hilarious if Ferrari and Mercedes started falling apart just like Red Bull 🤣

and then Renault and Petrov/Robert Kubica just started winning everything in sight 🤣

Your dreams seem a little too ambitious for me.
Ferrari and Mercedes might actually give Red Bull a run for their money👋 👋(if we're going by what you said about things ending after Turkey).

Amanda Kelly said:Your dreams seem a little too ambitious for me.
Ferrari and Mercedes might actually give Red Bull a run for their money👋 👋(if we're going by what you said about things ending after Turkey).

Yeah, right. Ferrari fans will be waving furiously at Red Bull while they're getting lapped by them.😁
Nico Rosberg too—even if you try twice as hard, he'll lap you by two full circles.🤣

stormybadger8 said:Yeah, right. Ferrari fans will be waving furiously at Red Bull while they're getting lapped by them.😁
Nico Rosberg too—even if you try twice as hard, he'll lap you by two full circles.🤣

😂

I’m keeping an eye on the current timing sheets from free practice, and honestly, qualifying this afternoon could be quite a spectacle. Right now, everyone is still fine-tuning their setups and finding their rhythm, so there isn't much consistency yet—the top 15 are all packed within a single second. From what I can see, Ferrari seems to have found some serious pace, sitting right up there alongside Red Bull. Robert Kubica is also looking incredibly sharp. I’m counting down the minutes until 2:00 PM. 🙏

Robert Kubica... just let him go...

Third Free Practice Session:



Robert Kubica! 🙏 🙏 🙏

It would probably just turn into a complete mess...🙏

What on earth? Rubinjo finished sixth 😲 🤣

Both Rubinjo and Vitantonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil are way ahead of that incredible duo from McLaren 🤣

That was an interesting third practice session 😁 It’s pretty hard to say for sure what’s actually going to happen 😁

cosmicridge5 I can't even begin to process this. It's just one thing after another.
Rubinjo, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Adrian Sutil are nowhere near being on the same level as that incredible duo over at McLaren. 🤣

Don't forget that those two are absolute masters at driving when there's money on the line. And she’s right on their heels heading into Q3.

Amanda Kelly said:

cosmicridge5 I can't even begin to process this. It's just one thing after another.
Rubinjo, Vitantonio Liuzzi, and Adrian Sutil are nowhere near being on the same level as that incredible duo over at McLaren. 🤣

Don't forget that those two are absolute masters at driving when there's money on the line. And she’s right on their heels heading into Q3.

😁😁😁

It all feels pretty bizarre regardless, I guess. 🙂 😁

cosmicridge5 said:😁😁😁

It all feels pretty bizarre regardless, I guess. 🙂 😁

But it’s only surreal for their fans. Not for me.

Now, instead of expecting a routine 1-2 finish, they're probably actually sweating a little. It's less about the results and more about having to deal with all the trash talk.

One of those races where Saturday is way more interesting than Sunday ☕

Robert Kubica is looking solid 🙏

Rubinjo 🙏🙏