388 replies to this topic

[FLB]

Hot Take: is Michael distracted with the F1 drama? Is it an inverse 1993?

As I posted earlier, I'm wondering the same.

 

 

This team feels like a boat without a rudder.

[FLB]

Here we go...

 

Romain Grosjean furious with Andretti teammate Rossi: 'He's an idiot' (nbcsports.com)

[prommer]

I don't get the podium ceremony. Only select team members and photographers can see it. Why no fan access?

 

The specific answer to that question is that you'd have to ask the track owner. There are other tracks such as Indy, Texas, and Detroit, where the podium ceremonies are visible and fan inclusive. I'd guess that the layout of mid-Ohio is such that most of the fans are very far away from either the Start or the Finish line. I recall when Rahal (Graham) won his home race he went all the way out to the Esses to do his victory donuts in front of the fans.

 

Come to think of it, that's also where Rossi did his infamous half-a-donut.

[red stick]

As I posted earlier, I'm wondering the same.
 
 
This team feels like a boat without a rudder.

It's probably not original to Tony Stewart, but many years back he referred to another driver, identity escapes me, as a "dart without feathers." That frequently seems apt in these situations.

 

EDIT:  Having taken the time to Google it, David Ragan was the culprit.

Edited by red stick, 04 July 2022 - 14:45.

[shotcaller]

2nd in the Fantasy League. By far my best results. 

[loki]

Hot Take: is Michael distracted with the F1 drama? Is it an inverse 1993?

 

 

As I posted earlier, I'm wondering the same.

 

 

This team feels like a boat without a rudder.

 

He doesn’t run the day to day of the race operations same as Floyd or The Captain.  He’s got people for that though there are certainly some intra team issues.

[juicy sushi]

Apparently time with Rossi in the driver-in-loop simulator solved a lot of their issues, and with the code mix-up today for Colton I think Andretti may be overthinking everything as an organization instead of getting the fundamentals right.

They need to unpack everything and turn it around to be “what do our drivers need?” and going from there.

Edited by juicy sushi, 04 July 2022 - 01:30.

[teejay]

Scottttttttttttttttttttty

[rghojai]

Belated...

 

[DS27]

How the hell did that happen, when I picked both McLaren drivers   

 

Jp

[jonpollak]

I don’t know how either DS but it is sure nice to see. !!

2nd in the Fantasy League. By far my best results.

Darn, I was sure you might be Coke Lot Fiasco.
Jp

[paulb]

How the hell did that happen, when I picked both McLaren drivers

Dang, you must have aced the podium. Well done.

I picked the McLarens and Scotty M and had a crap result. It pains me when jp posts the standings.

[jonpollak]

I’m sorry paul.
I too sometimes wince at the results thinking….
‘Nobody’s gonna wanna see this’.

Jp

[red stick]

Judging from my finish, I think picking one or both McLarens was a popular strategy yesterday.  Groupthink worked for us, for a change!

[red stick]

Race thoughts, or, Not-So-Instant Analysis:

 

1.  Psychology from a distance (and, to be honest, without any professional training¹) is always suspect, but after a blazing start to the season followed by quite the falloff in results, I'd venture that McLaughlin needed this.  He looked as relieved as happy post-race, but this is the kind of thing that can power a second-half run.

2.  Psychology from a distance, Part Deux, but could pre-Zen Master Will Power, if he really is back following the Road America rage, have pulled off yesterday's result.  I think not!

3.  Palou really is Dixon, the Sequel, isn't he?

4.  Say what you will about CGR and Penske, but results of 2-5-6, in CGR Prime², anyway, and 1-3-7 show you what a harmonious working relationship within a team, plus strategy, plus excellent preparation, looks like.  Compare to the, shall we say, Game of Thrones approach to atmosphere at Andretti, with yesterday's result of 15-17-19-21.

5.  Ericsson's going to be champion, isn't he?  Another anonymous, Dixon-like finish in the top quarter.

6.  VeeKay and Malukas certainly did nothing to dampen the thought that they are truly up-and-coming.

7.  Pit closure manipulation doesn't bother me, as long as safety is not compromised and it's done more-or-less predictably so it can be planned around.  Not that that would help, Andretti, or least Team Herta, anyway.

8.  Spec racing has led to remarkable reliability, at least historically, as both manufacturers and teams stay within a conservative window because there is little to be gained by pushing the limit on engines--your competitors will likely finish and beat you if you stray too far outside the lines.  So WTF is up at McLaren?

9.  MSR Note:  HCN had a timely Top Ten.

10.  MSR-Adjacent Note:  Harvey, for all his mid-race prowess, finished as the last car on the lead lap, in 20th.  What did I miss?

 

1.  Other than I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last week and you pick up a few pointers just being an attorney, if you care to try.

2.  7X not included. 

Edited by red stick, 04 July 2022 - 12:58.

[shotcaller]

It's probably not original to Tony Stewart, but many years back he referred to another driver, identity escapes me, as a "dart without feathers." That frequently seems apt in these situations.

I think it was David Ragan.

[SenorSjon]

Has Andretti exploded yet?

[red stick]

I think it was David Ragan.

Thanks!

 

I googled it about the time you posted and confirmed same.  Because I was thinking Logano, or maybe Spencer, either of whom would have been good candidates.

[red stick]

Has Andretti exploded yet?

The news tickers are quiet.  But it is a holiday . . .

[juicy sushi]

The news tickers are quiet.  But it is a holiday . . .

I think whatever went down in the hauler, stayed in the hauler, but as James noted, his upcoming podcast with Alex is likely to be extra spicy.

[red stick]

I think whatever went down in the hauler, stayed in the hauler, but as James noted, his upcoming podcast with Alex is likely to be extra spicy.

Maybe.

He can be remarkably closed-mouthed, particularly since he's leaving anyway.  It's just as likely he'll go off on a bad restaurant experience as Grosjean.

[Ross Stonefeld]

He's not the most expressive guy so I'm not expecting fireworks, ever.

[Jim Thurman]

If I had money, I think I might commission Grosjean to run that livery at Sonoma, just to be an a-hole.

 

Then go on Reddit AITA and ask 

 

It's artifical turf, so it doesn't play the same. If it was something to do with xeriscaping, that would work for California marketing. And, besides, the natural grass is safe at Sonoma. At least for the time being. Greedy developers are salivating as they view any "open" ground for future apartment, condo and housing development. Or, warehouses. Race tracks, golf courses, and any other recreational spaces are in their sights. They truly want to pave over every acre.

[Jim Thurman]

...and I quite liked the start command. It was refreshingly nice to have someone that didn't sound like they were channeling WWE 

[eibyyz]

Race thoughts, or, Not-So-Instant Analysis:

8.  Spec racing has led to remarkable reliability, at least historically, as both manufacturers and teams stay within a conservative window because there is little to be gained by pushing the limit on engines--your competitors will likely finish and beat you if you stray too far outside the lines.  So WTF is up at McLaren?

 

 

<Tinfoil Stetson>Between this race and Frozenqvist's Evel Kneivel impression at DET last year, I'm wondering if SPAM's doing something with the 1s and 0s.  Party Mode, perraps?</Tinfoil>

Edited by eibyyz, 07 July 2022 - 13:01.

[juicy sushi]

Chevy does not allow the teams to play with the maps, and Indycar does not allow the teams to play with the ECU, so, much like Palou's dead Honda at last year's Harvest GP, it's just random luck.

[Jim Thurman]

Oh, and not the best day for the NBC crew, though I loved Bell's remark when Colton Herta complained about the code word for pitting: "Code word!?...pit now!" 

 

Also enjoyed Hinch's remark about Grosjean complaining over the radio about moving over for Rossi: "There's the good team player!" 

 

I said to my brother, "When did Colton Herta become Graham Rahal?"

[Ross Stonefeld]

Chevy does not allow the teams to play with the maps, and Indycar does not allow the teams to play with the ECU, so, much like Palou's dead Honda at last year's Harvest GP, it's just random luck.

 

I think part of the Chevy gain this year was allowing more flexibility on engine/throttle mapping. But even so, it wouldn't lead to these engine issues, or the stuck throttle at Detroit last year, or various other things.

[juicy sushi]

I think part of the Chevy gain this year was allowing more flexibility on engine/throttle mapping. But even so, it wouldn't lead to these engine issues, or the stuck throttle at Detroit last year, or various other things.

They created multiple maps, instead of the dry/wet situation it apparently previously was, but the teams don't get the ability to create individualized maps, as I understand it.  Chevy/Ilmor make the maps, so McLaren aren't going to be coding their own, which was the implication in the post I was replying to.

[Dmitriy_Guller]

I’m a little sus of McLaren. They just seem to have too many issues around engines, in a series where people generally don’t experience engine problems. I wonder if they’re trying something different and occasionally failing hard at it.

[Ross Stonefeld]

They created multiple maps, instead of the dry/wet situation it apparently previously was, but the teams don't get the ability to create individualized maps, as I understand it.  Chevy/Ilmor make the maps, so McLaren aren't going to be coding their own, which was the implication in the post I was replying to.

 

I thought going back to their re-entry it was like 3 maps you could choose from in the dry, Honda was "whatever you want sweetie" and part of the overhaul this year was more flexibility? Which I assumed meant customization.

 

It kind of makes Chevy's performance all these years impressive, if they've been giving away that tuning flexibility to the Hondas.

[juicy sushi]

I thought going back to their re-entry it was like 3 maps you could choose from in the dry, Honda was "whatever you want sweetie" and part of the overhaul this year was more flexibility? Which I assumed meant customization.

 

It kind of makes Chevy's performance all these years impressive, if they've been giving away that tuning flexibility to the Hondas.

I know Honda allowed a lot more flexibility, but I don't know where the line was on what that meant.  As I understand it, the teams don't create them, the manufacturer does, so it wouldn't be a McLaren thing, it would be a Chevy thing.

[Dolph]

They created multiple maps, instead of the dry/wet situation it apparently previously was, but the teams don't get the ability to create individualized maps, as I understand it.  Chevy/Ilmor make the maps, so McLaren aren't going to be coding their own, which was the implication in the post I was replying to.

 

 

Interestingly Pato was on the radio saying "There's smth wrong with the map" - he was insisting on it for a while and wanted to switch maps. But the engineer told him that its not it.

[red stick]

I’m a little sus of McLaren. They just seem to have too many issues around engines, in a series where people generally don’t experience engine problems. I wonder if they’re trying something different and occasionally failing hard at it.

That was my thought when I raised the question, but I accept, being a rational person, that: 1) the persons describing the engineering the engine manufacturers do, and what they permit the team to do, is correct, and 2) that statistically, random failures can all hit the same team.  It's part of being random.  Just because it seems weird doesn't make it the result of some internal team shenanigans.  But the mind strives for a more "rational" excuse.  

[prommer]

That was my thought when I raised the question, but I accept, being a rational person, that: .  

 

Well, there's your problem...  j/k

 

But instead of bringing up the obvious "wrong shade of papaya" incident, anyone remember F. Alonso's first qualifying attempt in 2019, when he went out and there were sparks flying from underneath the car and he had to bring it back in as undrivable? Remember what caused that?

 

Seriously though, there could easily be just enough institutional entropy (is that the opposite of synergy?) between Indy and Woking that I can totally see the SPM people just wanting to do their regular jobs, and higher-up engineers in Woking with a lot of time on their hands poking and prodding and sticking their fingers in things just enough to cause some institutional silliness.

 

 

source: pure unadulterated speculation with no basis in fact

[loki]

 

But instead of bringing up the obvious "wrong shade of papaya" incident, anyone remember F. Alonso's first qualifying attempt in 2019, when he went out and there were sparks flying from underneath the car and he had to bring it back in as undrivable? Remember what caused that?

 

I believe the incorrect shade was quite a bit heavier and caused the car to bottom…

[Dmitriy_Guller]

That was my thought when I raised the question, but I accept, being a rational person, that: 1) the persons describing the engineering the engine manufacturers do, and what they permit the team to do, is correct, and 2) that statistically, random failures can all hit the same team.  It's part of being random.  Just because it seems weird doesn't make it the result of some internal team shenanigans.  But the mind strives for a more "rational" excuse.  

Spurious correlations do happen, but so do non-spurious correlations.  It wasn't possible for Ferrari to cheat with their engines either until it turned out to be possible.

[jonpollak]

very addicktive

 

 

Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 06 July 2022 - 22:37.

[paulb]

very addicktive

 

Jp

They have a good rhythm already. Scotty Mac is a gamer.

 

Another entertaining drunk fan segment. Creepy van segment may not get much traction.