2012 Formula One United States Grand Prix

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I'm failing to see exactly where everyone is comparing Alonso to Senna or God. I'm not a fan of Alonso, but I think your posts regarding how some of the users are abit extreme.


I haven't said "the people here" I have said "people":)
 
So Vettel was fastest in P1, P2 and P3, also Q1, Q2 and Q3. I wonder if he can win the race with fastest lap for the ultimate clean sweep, plus possibly clinching the title whilst doing it. Doesn't get better than that.

I hope Alonso can climb up the grid as he has done so many times before this season. I want Vettel to win the title but it would be a better end to an already incredible season if the title race went right down to the last Grand Prix.
 
So Vettel was fastest in P1, P2 and P3, also Q1, Q2 and Q3. I wonder if he can win the race with fastest lap for the ultimate clean sweep, plus possibly clinching the title whilst doing it. Doesn't get better than that.

I hope Alonso can climb up the grid as he has done so many times before this season. I want Vettel to win the title but it would be a better end to an already incredible season if the title race went right down to the last Grand Prix.

Vettel is going to absolutely walk it tomorrow (as long as his alternator holds up), but I don't think he'll clinch the title here.

It's nice to have the race in the evening from the perspective that I don't have to keep away from the internet all day until highlights are shown, though I'll probably end up having to watch it on Monday if it appears on iPlayer really late.
 
Doesn't get better than that.
Yes, it does. He retires and gets a ten-place penalty for Brazil for causing an avoidable accident at the start, while Alonso wins the race and pulls the rug out from under him to take the title by a single point.
 
I haven't said "the people here" I have said "people":)

Maybe it was just the awkward timing you started posting, but initially that was what I was under the impression of.
 
Note to self: liking Alonso instantly makes you a fanboy.
Now I have to be more careful while supporting him.
 
Dear FOM,

Please take most of the cameras in the third sector (leave the ones at Turn 19) and put them in the first sector. I do not want to see the cars burbling slowly through a double hairpin. I want to see the drivers nailing the first sector so that I can see them grinning through their helmets.

Love,

Prisonermonkeys
 
Note to self: Telling other people that I like Alonso instantly makes you a fanboy.
Now I have to be more careful while supporting him.

Fixed :)
 
Doesn't get better than that in my eyes.
Yes, it does. He retires and gets a ten-place penalty for Brazil for causing an avoidable accident at the start, while Alonso wins the race and pulls the rug out from under him to take the title by a single point.

Perhaps I should have been a little more pedantic about it.
 
Alonso continues to defy common sense and logic:

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/95256.html
That is what his title challenge from start is based upon, picking up points while others not doing as well as they should do due to various issues.

Anyway his chance of winning title might rely a bit on Magneti Marelli and how good a job they have done for either Renault or Fiat... (I'll leave it at that :sly:)



It was good to see Hamilton's lap on BBC, he sure hooked it up in first sector. Vettel and his car was super fast through last sector, over three tenths faster if comparing both of their best sector times and Hamilton did Turn 19 quite well on his fastest lap. Should make an interesting race, will be disappointed if there is many first lap incidents.
 
Just watched F1 Debrief on Speed and I just lost it when I saw David Hobbs and Steve Matchett with these giant hats :lol:

I could not watch the rest of that show with a straight face.

Edit: lol, here's some irony I just spotted while watching a re-air of qualifying. There's a sign that reads this:

Bernie says "think before you drive"
 
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That is what his title challenge from start is based upon, picking up points while others not doing as well as they should do due to various issues.

McLaren ruined it by letting Red Bull beat them.
 
The double Hockenheim switchback desperately needs fixing. It was suggested during the design process by Kevin Schwantz, and as he was a motorcycle rider, I suspect he may have had motorcycles in mind at the time, since the circuit was openly trying to attract MotoGP ever since the project was started. I have no idea what it might be like on a bike, but it looks horrendous in a Formula 1 car; the Hockenheim stadium works because the preceding corner - Agipkurve - is faster than Turn 12 at this circuit. It should not be too difficult to fix, though. This would not be too bad, turning the entire complex into a model of Tamburello rather than a double Hockenheim.

That said, Turn 19 is the big surprise. When the circuit was first revealed, it looked like filler to connect the circuit back up to itself, but it's surprisingly good. It's faster than it looks on paper, but it's not a whole lot faster, so it's easy to make a mistake and come into it too quickly when trying to set a good lap time. I suspect its genius comes down to the way nobody over-thought it. Like I said, I think Tilke tries to break circuit design down into a mathematical formula, one that will always produce good racing if it is followed properly. But I suspect nobody put that much thought into Turn 19, and just connected the dots instead ... and in the process, they created a monster.

Turn 20, on the other hand, is filler, and needs work. It if were more of a sweeper, the cars could carry extra speed onto the straight and up the hill to the first corner. It would also make the final sector very tricky.
 
I like the track change suggestion you made PM, looks much better than the low speed stuff they have 👍.
 
Ideally, I would swap the straight and the esses around. The circuit would remain the same from the start line to Turn 2, and that would feed into the almighty Longhorn Straight. The hairpin that is Turn 11 would become Turn 3. Then it would go through what is currently Turn 9 and Turn 10 before feeding into the esses (currently Turns 3 to 8). Then I'd probably have the Tamburello section, and finish the lap off as it is.
 
PeterJB
Vettel is going to absolutely walk it tomorrow (as long as his alternator holds up), but I don't think he'll clinch the title here.

It's nice to have the race in the evening from the perspective that I don't have to keep away from the internet all day until highlights are shown, though I'll probably end up having to watch it on Monday if it appears on iPlayer really late.

Yep, even if he doesn't clinch it here, the title is already his anyway. But i hope we have a wacky race, and see Alonso out score Vettel, so we can have a thrilling end in Brazil.
 
Ideally, I would swap the straight and the esses around. The circuit would remain the same from the start line to Turn 2, and that would feed into the almighty Longhorn Straight. The hairpin that is Turn 11 would become Turn 3. Then it would go through what is currently Turn 9 and Turn 10 before feeding into the esses (currently Turns 3 to 8). Then I'd probably have the Tamburello section, and finish the lap off as it is.

Wouldn't that basically be Korea though?
 
Ferrari have been beating them too you know. McLaren need to start scoring big points to get second in constructors.

I think they can still clinch 2nd in the constructors, but that's just a bittersweet way to end a year that could have been brilliant for them.
 
It was good to see Hamilton's lap on BBC, he sure hooked it up in first sector.

In glorious standard definition too.

At least the race highlights will shown in HD. Normally anything shoved on to BBC2 gets shown on BBC's second HD channel "BBC HD" at the same time but not F1 quali.

Interesting to read about Alonso's gear changes, when watching the belated SD highlights, I noticed Alonso shifting up and down a lot. Didn't count them compared to others but he was maybe trying to eek out something and fell behind Massa in the end. On-board looked a bloody disaster. Poor Alonso.

Really impressed by Vettel despite being in Newey's wonder car, and Hamilton. Lewis showed time and again how he can get the ultimate speed under difficult circumstances, we'll see if Perez can do something similar but I think McLaren have lost a genuine top class driver.

This season has really shown how annoying McLaren can be. This should've been Hamilton's championship.

Also impressed overall by the track and scale, very fitting to F1 and already looking at home. Hope this can be a solid US venue. Really great job so far.
 
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You think they would go that far to make Massa ruin Vettels race?
 
Felipe outqualifies Fernando;

Ferrari changes his gearbox.

They both would start on the clean side of the grid and if that is as advantageous as some are saying then Alonso may have gained a lot from gaining the position and Massa may not have lost so much.
 
My prediction..another easy sunday drive for Vettel!..but a podium for Alonso..thus taking the title fight to Sao paulo next weekend..
 
My prediction..another easy sunday drive for Vettel!..but a podium for Alonso..thus taking the title fight to Sao paulo next weekend..

I don't know, the start will be so interesting and as the track continues to evolve we might start to see some very odd strategies. We don't how easy it will be to overtake either, Alonso may find himself stuck behind a car which is kinder on its tyres.
 
Felipe outqualifies Fernando;

Ferrari changes his gearbox.

Unless RBR decides to screw them over and changes the gearbox on Webber's car too ;)

Then the next one does, until the entire grid change theirs and we are back to where we started.:dopey:
 
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