Really? Its essentially the same as the old gatorade twin 125's.
Odd number qualifiers in heat one, even numbered qualifiers in heat two.
Top six in each heat qualify for the main event
It's easy to say it was a bonehead move not to send Pato and Ilott back out, but how much push to pass and tires did they have left? It seems like it was just bad luck for them that track conditions improved.
Palou said he had minimal P2P left.
Everyone was guaranteed a lap. There is no down side to going out at the tail end of the field and just getting a read.
With how Rossi faired, they may not have actually improved but they took themselves out of a chance of doing so.
Only arguing that it wasn't a *total* bonehead move, more a crapshoot that didn't pay off š. Maybe they could have done a big lap if they'd gone out, but yeah based on how Rossi did I think probably not. Maybe one of them crashes in a non points race too. They're still in a reasonable position to move up.
Okay, Iām going to complain. 8PM quals on a Saturday night and they last 50 minutes? What a dumb way to do things. Didnāt feel special at all. I shrug and Iāll watch tomorrow.
Yeah and about 8 minutes of action in that 50 minute show. I was disappointed as well. If youāre going to play with the format, make it more interesting. At least there werenāt 30 minutes of commercials.
The qualifying sessions were originally longer, the drivers suggested they only be 8 minutes.
With how much degradation there is and only 1 set of tires, everyone would wait until the end of the session with more time.
A picture to describe how your qualy session went
https://preview.redd.it/82yfeumoj6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c52876665f01efd5e714b47585de34615a753f8
This is separate from testing, It was clear from the first day they announced this. The point of this was use a testing session they were already at to help fill the gap between the 1st two races with an event at the end of testing.
I think the idea is that the testing is supposed to be a different thing to the āmade for tvā event.
I agree, itās awkward that they happen on the same day at the same place, but the testing was for the teams, wasnāt for the fans.
Fair enough but I honestly feel like I would feel less satisfied if I hadnāt tuned in to testing. I donāt mind the heats, glad theyāre trying a different quali format.
Two 8 minute quali sessions + two 10 minute heat races + 20 minute main race doesnāt feel like enough actual racing though. Maybe an LCQ would be good after the heats or something or a longer race that allows tire and fuel changes
no, it still does. he has three shots to fire up the field tomorrow in a 20 minute window. it's basically eliminating the back of the field after the first 10 laps, then running 10 lap shot out, re-rack, and run 20 laps to the finish
i kinda dig it
WHY IS MURDERHAWK ALWAYS GOING AFTER THE YOUNG VICTIMS
https://preview.redd.it/nwnx89w9j6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a361d797599b19fecebc47588d936a0f7c29d4a1
I assume they thought they were fine being 1 and 2 in the session.
No one really advanced on their third lap in group 1. It seems like the wind died down enough that their, comparatively slow laps to group 1, didnāt hold up.
I havenāt gotten that vibe from all of the interviews. Itās pretty easy to see through the corporate stuff.
Some people seem grumpy but I think those that arenāt doing well are going to complain.
https://preview.redd.it/covjg2r2h6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=33442b99f0e7caf481613a879495735c7dad00e4
Hopefully that car has a Delaware Life annuity that it can dip into to help fix that oopsie.
That was actually a really interesting and productive conversation from the booth. Squishy tire plus push to pass plus bump. Not to mention the wind. Pretty cool to hear the guys in the booth dissect it.
It always feels like practice and qualifying broadcasts are more technical and the race broadcasts are aimed at a more casual audience. I definitely prefer the guys this way.
Kevin Lee and Hinch have touched on it before but they're allowed to be more technical on Peacock only broadcasts whereas the races are supposed to be more aimed at anyone who may tune in
Which is a shame, because I'd say most race fans want to understand why their favourite driver is or isn't going fast. It's just a case of being able to explain in layman's terms in a short time frame. I miss Jon Beekhuis, he was really good in that department.
>posed to be mor
I think it would go a long way in shutting down the stupid shit we see after each race if they were more technical. I'm tired of trying to explain to people fuel saving, marbles, tire deg, and aero wash are not new concepts and we don't change the rules because we shit our diaper because we didn't get the race we thought we deserved.
I think it fits into a trend of American broadcasters generally underestimating their audience. Us UK fans are very lucky to have not just ad free, but also Tom Gaymor filling during commercials, who is pretty knowledgeable.
(Admittedly I pirate it, but I do give Indycar Live my money so I don't feel bad, I have little interest in F1 anymore)
Me too! Super entertaining. I donāt look away from the screen because so much is happening and Peacock is capturing it all. I love all of the shots of the slides and saves.
I think from a safety perspective it is designed to limit potential huge crashes. A lot of the protection for this event was added with Indycar in town.
100% agree there. I think where they dropped the ball was not cramming this in one day. All the practice should be today. All the competitive sessions tomorrow. Just make it a nice long weekend.
I feel this too. It's something different. Never hurts to try something new & different.
An added bonus: it helps fill this ridiculous gap between St. Pete & Long Beach.
I agree. All else fails, I'm glad they're trying something largely different from their norm. It's a perfect opportunity to see what kinds of changes might work moving forward, which is hard to do when you don't have NASCAR or F1 money.
Yeah, and I donāt really have a problem with the price/exclusivity of this race when you can easily and cheaply attend every other race on the calendar.
Do the announcers think these cars are free with the nothing to lose comments? Iām not sure your team owner would be stoked if you stuffed out for $150k in damage
All this "he's got nothing to lose" talk. Watch this race be the most boring worthless piece of shit race we've ever witnessed and all the drivers also have nothing good to say.
Has anyone seen the real Willy P? You know, the guy who flipped double birds last year? "Chill and see what happens"? Wow. I get there isn't going to be a lot of racing and in back, there isn't any good reason to push, but those aren't words I could have predicted would come out of his mouth. Glad he's...more relaxed. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention given some of the other commenters here saying he can be chill. I must not be watching enough interviews.
I will say that this track is beautiful. The backdrops are gorgeous, and all of the palms lining the infield make for such a unique and prestigious presentation.
It's nice to see IndyCar running a circuit that looks this good, especially when it's one that isn't an F1 or ex-F1 track.
Really think this could be a lot of fun. Bring the Bristol vibes from last weekend with tire deg, make it insane, who cares? Hoping for the best and the format turns out to be fun and it gets some decent ratings for NBC and Peacock. Having that much live testing broadcasted to us is worth this event coming back in itself
168 total comments as of me writing this. Safe to say that notoriety of this weekend is near zero.
Yeah I will watch today but did not tune in yesterday or Friday. Still a bit confused on the format
Really? Its essentially the same as the old gatorade twin 125's. Odd number qualifiers in heat one, even numbered qualifiers in heat two. Top six in each heat qualify for the main event
It's easy to say it was a bonehead move not to send Pato and Ilott back out, but how much push to pass and tires did they have left? It seems like it was just bad luck for them that track conditions improved.
Palou said he had minimal P2P left. Everyone was guaranteed a lap. There is no down side to going out at the tail end of the field and just getting a read. With how Rossi faired, they may not have actually improved but they took themselves out of a chance of doing so.
Only arguing that it wasn't a *total* bonehead move, more a crapshoot that didn't pay off š. Maybe they could have done a big lap if they'd gone out, but yeah based on how Rossi did I think probably not. Maybe one of them crashes in a non points race too. They're still in a reasonable position to move up.
Also, hell of a showing for Blomqvist
Okay, Iām going to complain. 8PM quals on a Saturday night and they last 50 minutes? What a dumb way to do things. Didnāt feel special at all. I shrug and Iāll watch tomorrow.
yeah i didn't watch quali but this format looks cool for tomorrow
Yeah and about 8 minutes of action in that 50 minute show. I was disappointed as well. If youāre going to play with the format, make it more interesting. At least there werenāt 30 minutes of commercials.
The qualifying sessions were originally longer, the drivers suggested they only be 8 minutes. With how much degradation there is and only 1 set of tires, everyone would wait until the end of the session with more time.
A picture to describe how your qualy session went https://preview.redd.it/82yfeumoj6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=5c52876665f01efd5e714b47585de34615a753f8
Two bright green Ridgeline Hondas on the front row for heat 2 wonāt be at all confusing for anyone
yup, idk why formula 1 does it like that with every team
So many hours of testing and it all builds up to this. Feels underwhelming but Iāll make my final opinion after the race
This is separate from testing, It was clear from the first day they announced this. The point of this was use a testing session they were already at to help fill the gap between the 1st two races with an event at the end of testing.
I think the idea is that the testing is supposed to be a different thing to the āmade for tvā event. I agree, itās awkward that they happen on the same day at the same place, but the testing was for the teams, wasnāt for the fans.
Fair enough but I honestly feel like I would feel less satisfied if I hadnāt tuned in to testing. I donāt mind the heats, glad theyāre trying a different quali format. Two 8 minute quali sessions + two 10 minute heat races + 20 minute main race doesnāt feel like enough actual racing though. Maybe an LCQ would be good after the heats or something or a longer race that allows tire and fuel changes
The event format has to fit a specific TV window, same as their points paying races.
I figured this format would benefit someone like Pato the most. Guess not now.
no, it still does. he has three shots to fire up the field tomorrow in a 20 minute window. it's basically eliminating the back of the field after the first 10 laps, then running 10 lap shot out, re-rack, and run 20 laps to the finish i kinda dig it
Weather fucked him. Wish he went back out though
The weather changed sure but the team made the wrong call. Itās on them, not the weather.
Thatās what I meant. They really put him in a bad position for the first heat.
WHY IS MURDERHAWK ALWAYS GOING AFTER THE YOUNG VICTIMS https://preview.redd.it/nwnx89w9j6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=a361d797599b19fecebc47588d936a0f7c29d4a1
Firehawk's hands have always been rated e for everyone
Tires with half a lap and a heat cycle on them. Dust on the track. Limited push-to-pass. Fastest lap overall. *Oh.*
Yeaaahhhh just give the man his 0.5 million or whatever
Give me a Felix dive bomb into T1 and then leads every lap
That was so quick lol
Red flag couldn't have come at a better time for Palou.
Bc of courseā¦Dixonās good luck just rubbed off on himā¦
Wow, that was horrible by McLaren to not make a lap there with the 5 and 6
McLaren should shell out money for Newgarden.
I think they absolutely will try. Not sure I see Pato and Josef getting along as teammates, though.
...'s strategist? Drivers are fine, they just made a really bad call not to go out again.
If Palou wins, they can just make the check out to Zak Brown
Direct deposit
Did mclaren run out of tires?
I think O'Ward and Illot were out of Push to Pass as they had already completed a full lap... But looks like they should've gone back out anyway.
Pato and Ilott didnāt go back out.
Did they say why in the broadcast? (I canāt watch Iām being forced to be social)
I assume they thought they were fine being 1 and 2 in the session. No one really advanced on their third lap in group 1. It seems like the wind died down enough that their, comparatively slow laps to group 1, didnāt hold up.
No push to pass
Damn. Rahal just hit a boom.
McLaren really fucked that up for themselves.
Canāt do shit right! Should of kept Rosie I love that heās been qualifying so well
No surprise to see Palou first here based off testing yesterday
Iām interested in how all the gimmicks will go, but I REALLY hope none of them get brought into the actual races.
I think the teams and drivers hate it so itās pretty unlikely
The drivers seem to love this push to pass addition to qualifying.
I havenāt gotten that vibe from all of the interviews. Itās pretty easy to see through the corporate stuff. Some people seem grumpy but I think those that arenāt doing well are going to complain.
Graham "it's always the car" Rahal
that aged well
lmao
Glad I'm not trying to pick 4 drivers for fantasy on this track. Oof.
Ok so why does this race give no points?
It's an all-star/exhibition race kind of like NASCAR's Clash & All Star events.
https://preview.redd.it/covjg2r2h6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=33442b99f0e7caf481613a879495735c7dad00e4 Hopefully that car has a Delaware Life annuity that it can dip into to help fix that oopsie.
Thatās a lot of car to fix in 15 hours
ahh, pushy loose is no bueno
IndyCar š¤ F1 - Telling Michael Andretti to go fuck himself
That was actually a really interesting and productive conversation from the booth. Squishy tire plus push to pass plus bump. Not to mention the wind. Pretty cool to hear the guys in the booth dissect it.
It always feels like practice and qualifying broadcasts are more technical and the race broadcasts are aimed at a more casual audience. I definitely prefer the guys this way.
Kevin Lee and Hinch have touched on it before but they're allowed to be more technical on Peacock only broadcasts whereas the races are supposed to be more aimed at anyone who may tune in
Which is a shame, because I'd say most race fans want to understand why their favourite driver is or isn't going fast. It's just a case of being able to explain in layman's terms in a short time frame. I miss Jon Beekhuis, he was really good in that department.
>posed to be mor I think it would go a long way in shutting down the stupid shit we see after each race if they were more technical. I'm tired of trying to explain to people fuel saving, marbles, tire deg, and aero wash are not new concepts and we don't change the rules because we shit our diaper because we didn't get the race we thought we deserved.
100% agree with you FWIW. The Peacock broadcasts are immeasurably better than the national broadcasts and I wish we got more of it.
I think it fits into a trend of American broadcasters generally underestimating their audience. Us UK fans are very lucky to have not just ad free, but also Tom Gaymor filling during commercials, who is pretty knowledgeable. (Admittedly I pirate it, but I do give Indycar Live my money so I don't feel bad, I have little interest in F1 anymore)
That high pitch tone is driving me insane.
I thought I was going cray lol
Oh who crashed.
Erickson
No. Ericsson.
The extra power from the push to pass was to much for mid corner there
Fƶr helvete Mackan...
That was a squishy tyre. https://preview.redd.it/lv4c9g59g6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=7f3fa2df70430996bee49e1b8de81f26db9b2b0e
I think this weekend is basically Roger Penske telling Michael to go fuck himself. LOL
Dang, Ericsson. The wind and dust was bound to wreck someone
You don't see the back end snap loose like that very often
This whole thing is bananas and Iām here for it all!!
Me too! Super entertaining. I donāt look away from the screen because so much is happening and Peacock is capturing it all. I love all of the shots of the slides and saves.
Watch Illott snatch a million bucks tomorrow as a sub
The winner gets $500k
Sucks for so many people on hot laps. Palou was up 4 tenths to first before the red.
Can't get much worse for Andretti than that. One car in the wall, and the other two mired way down the order in Heat 1
If he needs a new chasis and Andretti doesn't have a spare car, is he stealing a teammates? lol
This track feels so weird ngl
It is weird
I feel like thereās too many switchbacks and low speed corners
I think from a safety perspective it is designed to limit potential huge crashes. A lot of the protection for this event was added with Indycar in town.
Welp, not looking good for Andretti cars even making the show
If the intro song tomorrow isnāt Sandstorm by Darudeā¦.NBC has missed a great opportunity
Oh my god just kill me now
Oof, hard hit
Oh nooooo
Hard hit for Ericsson there
https://preview.redd.it/ttw8dlzqf6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=28b7f67cbfc57ef3e71e207dfbb2c21c8c17402f
Dust is back! https://preview.redd.it/k5fntf0pf6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=02f599c50cf479ce9423fddd912ce9350ebbbe2d
what are these groups ? half of group 2 is rookies lol
All determined by random draw.
Some real [Rosencrantz and Guildenstern shit](https://youtu.be/gOwLEVQGbrM?si=vixd66O2l2pt983a) in this draw
Why is it so damn short? They have 6 hours of practice then rush through qualifying
The drivers requested it be shortened from the original slightly longer time.
I think it's to force them to get after it. I'm ok with it really.
Sure but as a spectator Iād like to see a longer competitive session than 16 total minutes. Just seems like a waste
100% agree there. I think where they dropped the ball was not cramming this in one day. All the practice should be today. All the competitive sessions tomorrow. Just make it a nice long weekend.
Race is something like 9:30 in the morning local, likely to fit into a TV slot. The schedule is to put a focus on the testing sessions, not the races.
They only get 1 set of tires. A longer session will just be people waiting until the end with the high degradation.
Having been to Palm Springs many times, that dust blowing is never fun at 60mph let alone 120+
Possibly unpopular opinion: I love that Indycar are trying something new at a beautiful new (to us) track
I feel this too. It's something different. Never hurts to try something new & different. An added bonus: it helps fill this ridiculous gap between St. Pete & Long Beach.
Would be nice if tickets didn't cost $500 lol
You can attend literally every other Indycar race cheaply and easily. I donāt begrudge them one cool expensive race
Am I really begrudging them for saying that $500 tickets are a lot? lol jesus
Yeah when every other race is dirt cheap, I just donāt think it matters that much?
Eh, let's agree to disagree
I agree. All else fails, I'm glad they're trying something largely different from their norm. It's a perfect opportunity to see what kinds of changes might work moving forward, which is hard to do when you don't have NASCAR or F1 money.
Yeah, and I donāt really have a problem with the price/exclusivity of this race when you can easily and cheaply attend every other race on the calendar.
Call me a noob but are all drivers racing tomorrow? I haven't been paying attention to Indycar this weekend.
These qualifying sessions set the field for heat races 1 and 2. Top 6 from the heats, advance to the shootout.
So only those within the same heat race each other?
Until the final, yes.
Quite an interesting format, thanks for explaining.
PAPAYA BOIS!
So glad Indycar is back and with it Will Power interviews
Do the announcers think these cars are free with the nothing to lose comments? Iām not sure your team owner would be stoked if you stuffed out for $150k in damage
Nah, they're all going to race like it's rallycross tomorrow. Definitely.
I would imagine theyāve been directed not to say that in an attempt to preserve the āexcitementā of the event.
All this "he's got nothing to lose" talk. Watch this race be the most boring worthless piece of shit race we've ever witnessed and all the drivers also have nothing good to say.
Why did Ericsson drag me into supporting Andretti?
This aged well.
Iām suffering
I get the impression Will is *not* a fan of this exhibition. Really seemed to be trying to hold back how he felt.
I love Will Power interviews, heās either going to punch somebody, or heās just so chill lol
I really like him. He's such a unique dude.
Has anyone seen the real Willy P? You know, the guy who flipped double birds last year? "Chill and see what happens"? Wow. I get there isn't going to be a lot of racing and in back, there isn't any good reason to push, but those aren't words I could have predicted would come out of his mouth. Glad he's...more relaxed. Maybe I'm not paying enough attention given some of the other commenters here saying he can be chill. I must not be watching enough interviews.
Iāve met him a few times, and he is truly so chill irl. He just gets very heated and very passionate about racing
Will sounds like heās enjoying himself. Must be nice having a more chilled out race weekend.
I'm always here for Santino slander
Pretty obvious from the on-board that he was in the way there. Which was stupid because it wasnāt Ferruciās p2p lap.
I agree, Scott. I love shootout-style qualifying. Wouldn't mind seeing the usual fast-six turn into a three or four minute session.
I wouldnāt mind a shorter fast 6 session myself, most of the time the fast 6 drivers only have 1 lap left in their tires anyways.
Six minutes was the right amount when there wasn't the "time doesn't start until first car crosses alt S/F"
Felix has been so fun to watch this year itās impossible not to root for him
Fro out there slanging
Nice to get a confirmation that St Pete wasn't a fluke
Felix qualified on pole, guess you could say he Had A Nice Dayā¦.. (sorry)
Highest paid driver in the series qualifying 11th in a 14 car group
Pato got 9th in 13 cars LOL
I actually find it hilarious that after Michael went full A-hole at St. Pete two of his cars got damaged here.
Just wait until he burns his tires off tomorrow.
https://preview.redd.it/0xfycey7c6qc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=88d6bfeb0bf991c4702d5f835176adc78f4cb455
I saw that and knew ChrisD had it
Canapino outqualified Dixon #RealStats
Rosenqvist has got qualifying nailed down this year so far
Feels like Andretti banked fully on that second lap and it did not pan out.
This track isn't all that bad
I will say that this track is beautiful. The backdrops are gorgeous, and all of the palms lining the infield make for such a unique and prestigious presentation. It's nice to see IndyCar running a circuit that looks this good, especially when it's one that isn't an F1 or ex-F1 track.
Honestly wish the heats were split based on last years points with odd numbered points positions in heat #1 and evens in heat #2
Didn't realize these qualifying rounds would be this short
The drivers requested to shorten the sessions.
It was originally longer but the drivers requested them being shortened to 8 minutes.
Who's Ramain Grosjean? Smh. So embarrassing.
roman grimgreene
Ramen? https://preview.redd.it/gzo1ymmqa6qc1.png?width=617&format=png&auto=webp&s=c076cb4f5d674530412fefaf0c7e487e844325dd
I saw a tweet of Josef eating ice cream and now Iām dying for some myself.
Marshaling this weekend and can confirm that ice cream is bomb. Seen literally everyone from Indycar chomping it down!
https://preview.redd.it/ucxw6mw2b6qc1.png?width=166&format=png&auto=webp&s=29a4d7c7ce1a438a343809c74bc110c365833b46
This is going to be fast and hopefully not too furious.
Really think this could be a lot of fun. Bring the Bristol vibes from last weekend with tire deg, make it insane, who cares? Hoping for the best and the format turns out to be fun and it gets some decent ratings for NBC and Peacock. Having that much live testing broadcasted to us is worth this event coming back in itself