2012 US GP - Circuit of the Americas

[astracrazy]

So red bull could do the same with webber? And cancel out alonsos gain?

[Ray]

I just realized that Pirelli brought the two hardest compounds to a brand new track where the temps are pretty cold. What an extremely stupid decision. Why not bring the soft tire to help rubber the track in quickly? Who's the moron who made that decision?

What if I told you that on brand new pavement, hard tires have better "grip" than soft ones?

I suppose that's why all the cars were slipping all over the place, and the track wasn't rubbering in? Seems that every driver, team manager, and engineer disagrees with you because all I heard from any of them is that there is a distinct lack of grip, and the track isn't rubbering in to improve that.

[Redragon]

Haha Ferrari cheaters!
They want to make a gearbox change so Felipe gets a 5 place penalty and Alonso can start on the clean side of the track...

They are not cheaters, it is between the rules as the flexiwing of Redbull

[Juzh]

Here is the link about Dominacelli visiting and complaining to the FIA after Abu Dabhi

http://www.marca.com/2012/11/14/motor/f ... 07544.html

please translate or dont post non-english content omg.

[Ray]

Vettle got to change all his car settings when he was punished, to help him come though the field. so man eat man in this sport

well the rules allow you to do that if you start from the pitt lane. Anyone could opt for this. Win pole, but elect to start from the Pit lane and you can do as you please. Simple

Its not the same as cynically sacrificing ones driver's good work for anothers shoddy work only to gift the advantage back to the shoddier driver. Can't understand why Massa wants to stay at Nando's team

You miss the entire point. Starting from the pitlane is suppose to be a penalty, allowing a car to be changed in any way circumvents that penalty completely. Why do parc ferme rules not apply when they should? It's complete crap to allow a car that starts from the pitlane to be allowed anything the rest of the field can't. It's not like Vettel or Alonso were driving HRT''s. HRT has nothing to gain starting from the pitlane, they are already at the back of the field and major changes aren't going to help them. Being a front runner and starting from the pitlane is and effective penalty, and letting them do anything to the car nullifies that penalty.

[Ray]

Here is the link about Dominacelli visiting and complaining to the FIA after Abu Dabhi

http://www.marca.com/2012/11/14/motor/f ... 07544.html

please translate or dont post non-english content omg.

Use google chrome and it'll do it for you. omg.

[Harvey]

Isn't all this gearbox malarkey as "unsporting" as pitting your team mate at a suboptimal point to get him out the way, or having your B-team drivers not defend their position as hard as they necessarily should, or even having your team mate backup the field so as to create a pitstop window?

If a loophole (for want of a better word) is there, why not exploit it? It's par for the course in the technical department.

[Redragon]

Here is the link about Dominacelli visiting and complaining to the FIA after Abu Dabhi

http://www.marca.com/2012/11/14/motor/f ... 07544.html

please translate or dont post non-english content omg.

Read the rules of the forum, doesn't say I can't post articles on other languages than english
you can translate it with the browser

[myurr]

I just realized that Pirelli brought the two hardest compounds to a brand new track where the temps are pretty cold. What an extremely stupid decision. Why not bring the soft tire to help rubber the track in quickly? Who's the moron who made that decision?

Is it? Bear in mind why they're in F1 - it's to sell tyres. Given all the unknowns do you really think they would gamble on bringing too soft tyres and have them disintegrate in front of a market as large as America?!

If they disentegrate on a brand new track in cold weather, yes. If Pirelli can't make a tire stay together in 40F weather on a brand new track I hope they would lose face. There's absolutely no reason to bring the hardest tires to a slick/new track. It's a stupid decision. The track has a noticeable lack of grip due to almost no rubber being laid down.

To be clear I agree that they should have brought softer tyres here, probably even the supersoft and soft or at least the super soft and medium. That said I can understand why they've been so conservative, especially considering how negative some people have been about the tyres at the start of the year.

Remember that before the season they said they were going to be aggressive with the tyres and they still faced a public battering when the teams struggled to understand the tyres early in the season, with even people on this forum who should have known better saying it was a lottery. Pirelli couldn't afford that in the USA and played it safe. Not right for the racing, but understandable.

[shelly]

i think the massa gearbox change has been made mainly for getting the clean side of the track for both drivers, but also for not risking to have a phase fo the race with massa ahead of alonso of more than one place, which would have made a team order more difficult.
I am curious to see how massa will race today, if he will react with a strong performance or if he will be demotivated.

[Redragon]

Now my question is, Can Massa choose his tyres or have to stay with the same?
Also would it be any difference if he does or can?

[Jersey Tom]

I just realized that Pirelli brought the two hardest compounds to a brand new track where the temps are pretty cold. What an extremely stupid decision. Why not bring the soft tire to help rubber the track in quickly? Who's the moron who made that decision?

What if I told you that on brand new pavement, hard tires have better "grip" than soft ones?

I suppose that's why all the cars were slipping all over the place, and the track wasn't rubbering in? Seems that every driver, team manager, and engineer disagrees with you because all I heard from any of them is that there is a distinct lack of grip, and the track isn't rubbering in to improve that.

The track is slick. That's what you get with new pavement. Seen it first hand several times over the past couple years. Has to be worn in before ANY tire has any grip.

And when that's the case, soft rubber doesn't do you any good. Bear in my I'm super critical of Pirelli in general, but this IMO is easily the right call by them.

[SchumiSutil]

I am curious to see how massa will race today, if he will react with a strong performance or if he will be demotivated.

I would give up, if I was him.

[Jersey Tom]

Like I say, the teams are correct in that there's a lack of grip. It's because the TRACK isn't worn in yet. I'd wager soft tires would do nothing to help that, if anything probably would be worse, and more than likely would just get hot and blister and throw treads.

[Ray]

Pirelli couldn't afford that in the USA and played it safe. Not right for the racing, but understandable.

As a US consumer, they have nothing to worry about. Their tires are so far beyond ridiculously overpriced I was never a customer to begin with. Same goes for Michelin for that matter, but it's still incredibly dumb in my eyes to bring the hardest compounds you have to a brand new track with no support races to speak of to help rubber in the track.