2014 USA GP Thread

[journeyman racer]

I note that the points standings could lead to a situation where Rosberg could dnf in Brazil and Hamilton could win, then the reverse could happen in AD, which would mean Rosbrg picks up the title by one point! Us neutrals know that Hamilton has done more to earn the title, relative to Rosberg. But we know that hardened Hamilton fans deserve the situation I stated to happen

Is it too good to be true? I don't know. You know what would be particularly funny? If Rosberg makes a blatant howler of a driving error that costs him points in Brazil, to then go on and win in AD, while Hamilton retires form the lead in AD!

Come on Racing Gods! Make it happen!

[Duncan]

I note that the points standings could lead to a situation where Rosberg could dnf in Brazil and Hamilton could win, then the reverse could happen in AD, which would mean Rosbrg picks up the title by one point! Us neutrals know that Hamilton has done more to earn the title, relative to Rosberg. But we know that hardened Hamilton fans deserve the situation I stated to happen

Is it too good to be true? I don't know. You know what would be particularly funny? If Rosberg makes a blatant howler of a driving error that costs him points in Brazil, to then go on and win in AD, while Hamilton retires form the lead in AD!

Come on Racing Gods! Make it happen!

Yes, this was what I was suggesting earlier. More to the point, there is no result in Brazil that makes Hamilton safe in the event of his having a DNF at Abu Dhabi. If he were to retire, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that Nico would go on to win assuming he didn't also have a retirement. That would hand Nico the title irrespective of what happens next week.

[Edit] But no, I'm not suggesting that would be a good thing. It would turn the season into a farce...

[Storm]

Interesting to note that even if Hamilton wins at Interlagos and Rosberg has a DNF at that race, the points gap would still be exactly one point shy of making Hamilton the world champ because of the double points at Abu Dhabi.

Anyway, whatever. A great race, and particularly for me personally since it was the first time I actually got to see a race at the track. I've been an F1 fan my entire life (literally - from the youngest age I used to sit in front of the TV with my dad at weekends and watch F1) but I've never made it to a race until this weekend. Definitely puts a whole new perspective on everything.

Just goes to show how silly the double point thing is

As for getting to your 1st race, congrats! I have been meaning to go ever since I started earning money - more than a decade and still haven't managed to inspite of having had a GP in my country. I don't know when I will watch a race live though I hope it is in the next 5 years or so.

[rjbetty]

...There is no result in Brazil that makes Hamilton safe in the event of his having a DNF at Abu Dhabi. If he were to retire, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that Nico would go on to win assuming he didn't also have a retirement. That would hand Nico the title irrespective of what happens next week.

I hear Hamilton's getting a new engine?

Have a feeling ironically this could blow up whereas keeping the old one would probably have lasted! Like Barrichello in Brazil 2002, the team forcing him to keep the 2001 model in the name of reliability while Schumacher got a new one. Then Barrichello retired anyway.

[Duncan]

Just goes to show how silly the double point thing is

Yes, it does. I understand the whole thing of making the last race not a lame duck, but it also means that a DNF turns into an effective double-DNF and greatly increases the chance of the championship being decided on a freak mechanical malfunction. Really hoping that doesn't happen.

As for getting to your 1st race, congrats! I have been meaning to go ever since I started earning money - more than a decade and still haven't managed to inspite of having had a GP in my country. I don't know when I will watch a race live though I hope it is in the next 5 years or so.

Thanks! And you should definitely make the trip to a race. It's a blast, and really gives you a whole new perspective on both the race and the track (whichever track it happens to be). Although I've never been to a race before, I did make it to a pre-season test at Barcelona a couple of years back, and that was great too, but nothing like watching a race. Watching the cars fighting for position is much crazier when you see it for real.

Also, one big surprise for me was that I find you don't look at the track in quite the same way again after you've been there; from the TV the track is much more a disjointed set of corners and you don't get a sense of how everything fits together. Austin has much more elevation changes than is apparent from TV. It's more than just the turn 1 hill; there's a significant climb through the esses and then a big drop as you go down to turn 11. Definitely worth taking the time to walk around the whole of the track while one of the practice sessions is going on. Barcelona likewise - big elevation changes and the whole thing is incredibly compact because of the way it's folded in on itself.

[Duncan]

I hear Hamilton's getting a new engine?

Have a feeling ironically this could blow up whereas keeping the old one would probably have lasted! Like Barrichello in Brazil 2002, the team forcing him to keep the 2001 model in the name of reliability while Schumacher got a new one. Then Barrichello retired anyway.

I was wondering about that. Specifically, whether a whole bunch of drivers might opt to take a new engine in Brazil just to make sure that they're not having to worry about unexpectedly finding they have to start from the pit lane in Abu-Double...