2014 USA GP Thread

[steveaki13]

So after a three week break, we move into the last few weeks of another season.

I cannot believe how quick it has gone.

Sad state of affairs with only 18 cars showing up. Caterham & Marussia both missing and I for one will miss them

1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	291
2	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	274
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	199
4	Valterri Bottas	Williams	145
5	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	143
6	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	141
7	Jenson Button	Mclaren	94
8	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India	76
9	Felipe Massa	Williams	71
10	Kevin Magnussen	Mclaren	49
11	Sergio Perez	Force India	47
12	Kimi Raikkonen	Ferrari	47
13	Jean Eric Vergne	Toro Rosso	21
14	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	8
15	Danii Kyvat	Toro Rosso	8
16	Jules Bianchi	Marussia	2
17	Adrian Sutil	Sauber	0
18	Marcus Ericcson	Caterham	0
19	Pastor Maldonado	Lotus	0
20	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	0
21	Max Chilton	Marussia	0
22	Kamui Kobayashi	Caterham	0
23	Andre Lotterer	Caterham	0

1	Mercedes	565
2	Red Bull	342
3	Williams	216
4	Ferrari	188
5	Mclaren	143
6	Force India	123
7	Toro Rosso	29
8	Lotus	8
9	Marussia	2
10	Sauber	0
11	Caterham	0

56 Laps

Lap Record: 1:39:347- Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull

Session Times - Local & (Uk -Sorry )

FP1: 10:00-11:30 - (15:00 - 16:30)
FP 2: 14:00-15:30 -(19:00-20:30)

FP3: 10:00-11:00 - (15:00-16:00)
Quali: 13:00 - (18:00)

Race: 14:00 - (20:00)

Previous Winners

2012: Lewis Hamilton - Mclaren
2013: Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull

Multiple Winners

Michael Schumacher - 5 wins
Graham Hill - 3 wins
Jim Clark - 3 wins
Jackie Stewart - 2 wins
James Hunt - 2 wins
Carlos Reutemann - 2 wins
Ayrton Senna - 2 wins
Lewis Hamilton - 2 wins

Ferrari - 9 wins
Lotus - 8 wins
Mclaren - 8 wins
BRM - 3 wins
Tyrell - 2 wins




So there we go. 3 Rounds left and yet with double points we have no sign of who will win the Championship.

I hope you enjoy the race

[Duncan]

Yes, be a shame not to have Caterham and Marussia there, but it looks like they just don't have the money. Sauber and Lotus aren't looking too great either.

Anyway, for this circuit I've got to pick Lewis and Nico closely followed by Valtteri and Felipe. There's always a possibility of Nico and Lewis coming together on the first corner and taking each other out, but I'm kind of assuming that at this stage of the season it's in both their interests to be careful. But who knows?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

The problem with this circuit is that it is so wide the cars look like toys!

[The Black Knight]

Looking forward to this GP. I really like this track and I think the first race here was an awesome drive by Lewis to win. Hopefully it will be a clean fight for the two Mercedes drivers. Lewis only needs a race win and two second places to win the championship now even with the retarded double points rule. Since Nico has not managed to win back to back races this year it's looking good for him but needs to keep on driving like he is for the next 4 weeks and a half weeks!

It's tragic that Marussia won't be there. Of all the back runner teams you always felt they were the ones that might break it into the midfield. Caterham having been mismanaged I can't see them surviving but hopefully Marussia will pull through.

[Doc Austin]

Sad state of affairs with only 18 cars showing up. Caterham & Marussia both missing and I for one will miss them.

I won't really miss them because they were never a factor. The biggest news either team has ever produced was one ninth place finish. The only time you see either team is when they are getting lapped.

Of course, I feel really back for everyone who might lose their job, be it drivers, mechanics or engineers. I am certainly not callous about that aspect of this mess.

The problem for these teams is that they can't generate the kind of funding it takes to compete at this level. In fact, it's more than they can do just to merely show up. Is this because they are inept at raising funding, or is this because the cost of F1 is so ridiculously high?

The problem of teams coming and going is never going to end as long as Bernie has an attitude that as much as amounts to "**** 'em." All the money that cat makes and he let the original Lotus and Brabham teams disappear. Certainly it's not Bernie's business to burn money on teams that are going broke, but if he will let those two teams slide off into history, don't expect him to help Caterham or Marussia.

In fact,. I think Bernie wants all the small teams to go broke so he can have his three car teams. Maybe he thinks it's better than all we have in F1 is big, glamorous names, even if it's only two or three of them. You know, Ferrari, McLaren and Williams running seven car apiece.

It is not hard to imagine Sauber or Lotus dropping out in the off season, and who even knows what kind of financial trouble Force India has. Those three teams are probably on the teetering point, and if you take them out, we're down to 12 cars.

Basically, there is not enough money out there to finance 22 cars on an unlimited budget. The world economy sucks right now, so it's not like the 80s when there was so much money we had to have pre-qualifying before qualifying. That would be a nice problem to have, but we are never going to have that kind of grid again even in good times if it's still too dammed expensive.

[Bagwan]

There is enough money out there , if there was a budget cap .

As it is , the ones who win are the manufacturers , but only really because they can call it exposure .
It's all bent towards them to start off so they won't leave , but they spend it all to win .

You have to have Bull dollars to get into the real money at the front , and patience money , too , because you don't get your cut until you've been around long enough .


It's time soon for a crisis meeting , where the remote possibility of some common sense prevailing could be on the cards .
We have two definitely down , and a few more not very healthy .

Sauber , Lotus , and Force India should be able , easily , to make the cost cap case very real to all those involved .
And , to be sure , right now is the time , as they are due to sign on to next year on November 1st .

[Duncan]

There is plenty of cash being generated by F1 as a sport to finance all of the teams, but the distribution is so heavily weighted in favor of the most successful teams that it appears effectively impossible for new entrants to climb the ladder. There's always going to be a good deal of advantage given to the highest performing teams having the greatest access to development funds, but the dropoff towards the back of the grid is just too steep. You can lay blame at the door of team management in some cases, but it looks like we'll be starting next year without any of the three recent new teams with HRT, Caterham and Marussia biting the dust in order. At some point you have to conclude that the problem is systemic and not specific.

I really don't think the issue is overall lack of money in the sport. It's the distribution...

[steveaki13]

I won't really miss them because they were never a factor. The biggest news either team has ever produced was one ninth place finish. The only time you see either team is when they are getting lapped.

And so half the entries in F1 history are meaningless, do know why they all bothered.

Sorry but I dislike this attitude. F1 has forever seen teams like them involved and IMO its a damn sight better for them being around.

[dj_bytedisaster]

And so half the entries in F1 history are meaningless, do know why they all bothered.

Sorry but I dislike this attitude. F1 has forever seen teams like them involved and IMO its a damn sight better for them being around.

Agree. Such cyniscism is ridiculous. Especially considering that the three new teams in 2010 were lured in under false premises. Word was there would be a cost cap - it never came.

[Doc Austin]

Sorry but I dislike this attitude. F1 has forever seen teams like them involved and IMO its a damn sight better for them being around.

I never said I wanted them gone or didn't care. I just won't miss them. It's not like the battle for 20th gets a lot of TV time, does it?

Perhaps you did not read my entire post.