F1 Fanatic Live: IndyCar 2017

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991 comments on “F1 Fanatic Live: IndyCar 2017”

  1. Looks like starting at the front was not the way to go today! Not a bad race to start the season though. Great job from Bourdais and his team. And yeah, looks like Honda has solved their Indy issues at least, good fuel economy was probably part of that win

    1. He did! Got a bit lucky with strategy when he stopped under green and then the lead of the field went in a few laps later under yellow. But he passed Pagenaud for the lead and never gave it up, even pulled away with traffic too. Deserved win

  2. My respect and admiration for Fernando Alonso as a racer has gone up immensely. Not just because of his IndyCar experience so far, but a cumulative effect particularly over the last year or so in F1 as well. Even with a questionable car (at best) in F1 he just wants to race.
    Watching the interview after his qualifying run it was impossible not to be infected by his enthusiasm and excitement for what he is doing.

  3. Hi I´m watching the page of racecontrol at indycar.com and trying to guess what is the Att number that shows the page for each driver, for Alonso is 4120 and for example Montoya is 576, Is it about the number of laps remainig each driver is allowed to make at indianapolis?

          1. F1 shouldn’t be so uptight on power units. I know they are a lot of money but let the teams have a new one every other race or every race so they can push them to the max

          2. They are being pushed to the max regardless of how long they have to last. If they get one engine per race they would just make them less durable.

  4. Let’s hope for a safe day. I don’t know how people can say Indy is boring. It’s safer then before but it’s still life and death. I want Alonso to win this but I don’t want him pushing over the limit being new to Indy

  5. I am really impressed with how Alonso has handled the change from F1 to Indy and genuinely hope he proves his capability next weekend…

    I’m really pleased that for the first time in a very long time he gets to see the lights and have a chance for the top step.

  6. Even if you start fifth. How much impact does that normally have on a 500 lap race with so much slip-streaming (from what I understand). Also, from what I understand, you can’t lead all the time due to fuel. So, is pole more immaterial in a race of this nature?

    1. The Pole gives you the smallest likelihood of crashing at the start, especially if there’s a gentleman’s agreement made between the top 3 guys about respecting each other’s starting position in the first 2 corners.
      Also, you get a championship point for a pole. An Indy pole might perhaps give you more (have to google that).

  7. Still really not a fan of the current qualifying format. They changed it 2-3 years ago & now both days just lack the tension & excitement you used to see with any of the previous formats.

    What used to be bump day is now the 1st day rather than the last & is effectively meaningless not just because there isn’t any bumping (Needs to be more than 33 cars entered for that) but because it now effectively only sets the running order for day 2.

    Also don’t like how there having to just let the #18 car start without qualifying to fill the field. Just highlights how badly they need to ensure they have more than 33 cars entered. If there was 34+ they wouldn’t have needed to do that.

          1. It’s a party for the whole week after qualifying. There’s a tent city that’s nothing but a party all week like at a music festival

  8. Alonso looking comfortable in the pre race interviews. He is quite the superstar there now. Looking forward to him bringing his metronomic laps here. It will serve him well being consistent. Good luck!

    1. I’ve been thinking for years that F1 doesn’t understand how silly it looks when it runs the Monaco GP on the same day as the 500. As much as Monaco has the challenge and prestige as a race it’s a complete farce.

    1. A 5s lead this early isn’t really a good thing anyway. There will 100% be another full course yellow so you’re better off trying to save a bit of fuel by having someone to draft.

  9. Three stops remaining for everyone save Helio, Power and Chilton. Expect the field to make stops around laps 115, 145 and 175. The other 3 drivers would come in around laps 100, 130 and 160. Lap 160 to the end is too long, even for a Rossi run.

    1. That’s way people love it in America it’s just the rest of the world don’t know for the most part. It’s fast it’s competitive and life and death as we saw with Dixon

    1. Nah. Looking like his last stint will be 25 laps. Sprint race. Run the car full rich for max speed. Thing is, nearly everyone else who has chance to win is on the same strat.

  10. It’s amazingly the 500 used to be part of the F1 championship. I think they should put it back on! Think about it buying an Indycar and running it would be a drop in the bucket for a F1 team. I know it won’t happen and not logical but one can dream

          1. What I’m saying is trying to pit at 124 is justttt a few laps too early. But this current yellow changes a lot.

  11. So 3 strats:

    Lap 124 stoppers: Yellows helping massively and probably need more yellows to make the finish
    Marco, Kimball, Jones, Chilton, JR

    Lap 133 stoppers: Yellows helping and might make it without more yellows
    Rahal, Pagenaud, Davison

    Lap 139 stoppers: Should make it without yellows and rich
    Alonso, TK, Sato, Rossi, Helio, JPM

    1. Everyone probably made their last pit stop. So the only way to make up track position is to pass. The wrinkle is, everyone will have to save fuel. Who saves the best probably wins.

  12. As expected. Still, at least he got to have more fun than he would have driving around in last place at Monaco. If he can get a deal to drive in Indy with a Chevy engine next year, he should go for it!

  13. First and last time to watch such lottery racing. They love their yellows :)
    Sorry but F1 is much better at rewarding deserving teams (if not drivers) and 80% predictable, unlike this 20% predictable.

  14. Brilliant job by Sato. You have to say most of the Andretti team had a chance to win that one and it was a bit of a lottery with the popping engine,s but you can’t argue with a guy who takes the chance he gets good work.

    And hopefully we get to see Alonso take another crack at it one day!

        1. Where will he go in F1 though? He won’t stay at McLaren because they won’t be competitive so it’s either Bottas’ or Kimi’s seat or else he’ll do a season in Indycar.

  15. Thanks guys for answering the questions. I used to see the indycar when I was younger and it has been a long time since I saw one of these races. You guya helped a lot getting into it and understanding it again. Thanks Keith as always!

  16. I thoroughly enjoyed that. It must be said that I would not have enjoyed it as much had Alonso not been there representing F1. Well done. You have made fans of a lot of us. You have been humble and conducted yourself with great maturity. You have changed my mind about you from your egotistical younger years. The disappointing thing is that I smell a retirement announcement coming from this great racer.

          1. It’s actually one of my favorites… Anyway didn’t see any racing yesterday so can’t comment on that. Man I wish Alonso’s IndyCar stint would’ve been extended to this weekend.

        1. As much as I want Disney to kill off their Indy coverage, I fully expect them to get the 500 next year. Because Jesus hates me. And will all the ESPN layoffs, coverage will be even worse in 2018.

  17. This track is rather terrifying to me. There is no spot on the track to relax at all at any moment the whole race. Constantly turning, constantly jockeying, constant tension. Pack racing is the norm.

    Had a IndyCar racing sim back in the day. I totally sucked at this track. Never could figure out how to drive it.

  18. Race Control:
    Once we go back to green, we will open pits and implement mandatory competition pit stops for all cars with required 4 tire change a maximum of every 30 laps. All cars will be required to stop and change tires.

    STAGE RACIN’

  19. Really impressed by JR Hilderbrand. Considering he’s best known for stuffing his car into the wall at the final corner of the 2011 Indy 500 and ended up being dropped mid-season in 2013, his full-time comeback has been solid so far. Impressed with how well he’s driving today considering tyre-wear has been such a factor today

  20. Hi everyone and welcome to F1 Fanatic Live for tonight’s IndyCar race!

    For those of you watching with us on BT Sport we’ve got Chris Beatty, the man who styled the 2018 aerokit, in the commentary box tonight. You can send in questions for him on Twitter using #BTSMotorsport.

  21. Nice and tight at the top, proof again that IndyCar does NOT need double points to make a good title fight.

    Cheering for Castroneves this year, since he’s almost certainly switching to Penke’s new prototype program. It’d be nice to see him go out on a high.