Grand Prix 2013 United States Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

So we head back to Texas for the second time since its inception. Can we hope that the exceptional racing last year will induce Bernie to leave it on the calendar for a couple more years at least? That will probably be down to this year’s result and his ability to run things from a jail cell! Al Capone managed it though!

Over 117 thousand peeps rocked up to watch the inaugural GP. If that level of interest is maintained this year, the economics could forestall any negative plans that BE might have for this track.

For a Tilke track, it was received well by most drivers and fans alike. It was something new and unknown and it certainly tested the drivers and the fans’ expectations. 2012 was a ‘good’ race.

However, in 2012 we weren’t quite sure that RBR had taken both the WCC and the WDC – this year there is no such uncertainty.

We are now looking at a race that will involve the drivers who suddenly come to life at contract time; those who have a point to prove; those who are retiring or in limbo. Those who haven’t been paid seem to have their own agenda – the grid maybe a tad smaller, if only by one.

We saw elements of this in Abu Dhabi with Massa, Perez and Gutierrez pulling their respective fingers out. Kimi driving with his eyes shut, even Webber was hoping for a better-than-usual result. Whilst Kimi gave up the will to live, Grosjean thought “sod it, I’m here to race”.

Vettel, of course, will prove a point and, maybe, add to his impressive tally of records. Of course, he didn’t win in 2012, so that will probably be his goal in Austin.

For some drivers, there is all to play for. For others, they are there to fulfil their contract. We, the fans, have no influence here!

But how will it be for the disillusioned fan and there seem to be many? Those who have lost faith in F1 in general. It would be great to believe that Austin will once again rekindle a passion for racing – it was an eye opener last year and, hopefully, again this year.

I’m still an optimist and hope to see some stunning racing on a better-than-average track. As ever it will be down to the drivers and their desire to win.
 
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For those that have never read the lyrics (like me) of Born in the USA

Born down in a dead man town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up

Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a.
I was born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a.

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

Born in the U.S.A...

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man said son if it was up to me
Went down to see my v.a. man
He said son, don't you understand

I had a brother at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone

He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run aint got nowhere to go

Born in the u.s.a., I was born in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., I'm a long gone daddy in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., born in the u.s.a.
Born in the u.s.a., I'm a cool rocking daddy in the u.s.a.

So, an anti-war song from the Democrat supporting Bruce Springsteen. Who'd a thunk it.
 
Just watched qualie and, despite having seen the result as my Sky box put the F1 on all by itself, that was a stunning lap from Vettel. Slower than Webber in S1 and S2 and then pulling it back in S3. Nice job by Kovi and if someone doesn't give Hulkenberg a decent drive for next year F1 is full of ****ing idiots.
 
Claire Williams was very calm and collected about it and politely dismissed it as just something said in the heat of the moment. Maldonado seems to be really going out of his way to criticise Williams in the media though and he's making himself look like a right dick. He seems to think he's above Williams and worthy of something better but his recent behaviour and his performances relative to Bottas this season suggest otherwise. I really hope he doesn't get the Lotus drive... but maybe he feels he can say these things because he already has something in the bag.
 
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For Button, Rosberg and Massa to have not made Q3 is a real surprise to me, especially with both Saubers making it there.

I agree that Maldonado, whom I consider THE most over-rated driver is F1, to continually mouth off is absurd. I really hope that he is without a ride next year.
 
siffert_fan - Especially considering when they did build a race winning car for him, he spent the vast majority of the time junking it. He has got a real nerve.

He finished 15th in last years championship with a race win boosting his scores. Without Barcelona, he'd have only beaten the Toro Rossos amongst the Big 9, and his win managed to catapult him above the nostalgist's pay driver, Bruno Senna. He was 4 points behind Michael Schumacher - which you can attribute entirely to the podium Schumacher shouldn't have scored at Valencia because Maldonado made a complete arse of passing Lewis Hamilton on almost literally no rubber whatsoever.

They gave him the world and he pissed it away. 9 noughts on the spin in a race winner? Unacceptable. It is possible that he could be a contender if he calms the hell down and drives, but until he's proved that he ought to shut his arrogant, entitled mouth and thank his lucky stars someone paid off the Circuit de Monaco (!) to get rid of his life ban.
 
Has anyone seen this? Shouldn't it be Webber on pole?

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I had once said here that, there wasn't any driver on the present grid today that I truly disliked.....well Pastor's recent dumbass comments surely put an end to that Illusion.
 
That's very interesting Plutus, anywhere else on the web picked that up? I recall commentary on that lap saying he was well down in first and second sectors and thinking that his sector three must've been epic.
 
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