Indycar Disrespect

[FLRacingFan]

Some interesting comments from Esteban this weekend:

"[IndyCar] is pure, pure racing. It's really special to come here. You have the car with no power steering. You have the car pretty much open to adjust anything you want. So the feedback and the communication with the engineers becomes even more important.

"In Formula 1 it's a lot about fine-tuning during the weekend. Obviously you can develop a lot in the medium- to long-term. But in a difference to an IndyCar, you have basically everything open, from the gears, from downforce levels, mechanical changes, differential changes, so many tools, ride height, caster, so many tools you can work with, which is pretty interesting.

"At the same time, it's a lot more information to cope with, but it's really good. It makes everything much more simple to have not a really big team. On the other hand, to have some technical support is important, so I think at the moment, Dale Coyne is a great place to start. It's a really good team, and I'm grateful to be there with them."

http://www.racer.com/indycar/item/141114-gutierrez-hopes-detroit-leads-to-full-season-role

 

[Doc Austin]

Hamilton only had to beat one guy last year to win the championship. He finished second. Ooops.

We should be used to this by now. There was so much trash talk during the split years that you could write a book of just the insults. This is nothing new, but you do have to wonder what Hamilton has to gain by denigrating an entire series worth of drivers. When Jacques Villeneuve and JMP did there were a lot of raw feelings, but all that crap is long over.

Lewis cheesed off a lot of people, and for what? Why make people dislike you when there is absolutely nothing to gain? It doesn't make sense, unless of course, maybe Lewis has been this unlikable all along and I just never saw it.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

Guy almost won the 2012 title in a car that was probably worse than both the Red Bull and the McLaren. I wish he could find a seat in something even remotely competitive again.

He found one on Memorial Day.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

Alonso earned a ton of respect on the same weekend that Lewis got his ass handed to him by one of the Torro Rossos!
Sometimes it's not a great idea to mouth off about other drivers, especially if you are about to put up a sucky performance yourself.

Funny how Lewis sits in the car and sulks the first time he has a bad qualifying session (WTF, are we 12 years old?), but Sebastian Bourdais shakes off a 227 mph hit the next day by trying to talk his doctors into releasing him to race at Lemans in less than a month.

What would Lewis do if he ever had to face any real adversity? I'll bet Lauda had to cover his mouth so he didn't laugh his out loud or tell Lewis in front of everyone to grow a pair.

Lewis: "Oh, the humanity. I am too devastated to get out of the car."

Bourdais: "Come on. I can race. It's just a multiple broken pelvis."

Lauda: "I know it looks bad but it's just a flesh wound. Graft some butt tissue on there and let's race.

Jim Hurtibuise: "Just fuse my hands in the shape of a steering wheel. I've got to race next weekend."

Al Unser Jr: "It's just a broken leg. Carry me to the car and I'll do the rest."

Lauda: Look, it was only a damm tractor that landed on me and it's only three broken ribs. Tape it up and let's go.

Zanardi: Pffft! I can use my artificial leg on the gas! I don't need no brake!"

Zanardi: No legs, no problem. Let's go to the Olympics!

Sam Schmidt: Yeah I'm just paralyzed from the neck down, but I'll bet I can get that Vette around the speedway at 150 or better.

Buddy Lazier: "It's just a broken back. Maybe the doctors will let me race in the 500 next month. I might even be able to finish the race."

Lewis: "Oh, the humanity. I am too devastated to get out of the car."

After Lewis' Monaco sulkfest pity party hissy fit that was over essentially nothing and his own fault, it's going to be hard to take anything he says seriously. It's going to be especially hard not to laugh whenever he is critical of other drivers.


Meanwhile, Vettel keeps calmly racking up the points. We don't need no drama in Maranello.

Rudd - "Just tape my eyelids open."

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

Rudd - "Just tape my eyelids open."

Or Dale Earnhardt getting back in the car and starting it at Talladega after that wreck. One of the most bad ass things I've ever seen. Lewis has become a bit unlikable since his drive with Mercedes started, comes off a bit arrogant. There was no reason to trash Indy Car especially when there's zero chance of him trying it in the future.