Reply With QuoteI don't have a clue who is being referred to by initials in the previous post!
M
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Great result for Lewis. Totally control the race from start to finish.
Good result for MV for giving it a go and for his pass on Seb.
Average result for SV - lolz
Very poor result for VB. i would rather Ocon got the drive.
Horror story for SP, needs a bloody good kicking for his driving today. Actually there are a few drivers who would benefit from that.
Driver of the day - Alonso. Boy done good.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
I don't have a clue who is being referred to by initials in the previous post!
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Verstappen
Vettel
Bottas
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Oh. And Perez!
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I agree - not a fan of his persona, but I felt the same about Schumacher.Originally Posted by Saint-Just
Top racer.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Oops.
Blame me, it looks like I jinxed it
We kind of need a Hamilton DNF now to make the championship interesting. Otherwise it will just be a walkover. I’d hoped that this would be a much better championship but Ferrari and Seb seem to have collectively thrown it away in the last 4-5 races. Not withstanding some brilliant driving at times from Lewis to take full advantage.
So that must be why I fell asleep then!
Oh dear. It's that time of year when Formula 1 drivers and dignitaries are obliged to toady up to Vladimir Putin.
Yes, it's Sochi. The circuit which makes you yearn for a return to India or Korea, devoid of character and atmosphere, a contrived layout around the old Olympic village, with one of the daftest corners ever seen on a Grand Prix circuit:
Still, I suppose it keeps Liberty's bean-counters happy. I'm not a fan, as you might have guessed, and may watch the Ryder Cup this weekend instead.
Anyway, on the news front Antonio Giovinazzi will have more opportunities to give Sauber's carbon fibre chaps some work to do next year, as in a surprise move he has been named alongside Kimi Raikkonen for next season. A surprise move for two reasons, firstly he's had a couple of drives for the team as a replacement for the mysteriously injured Pascal Wehrlein at the start of 2017 and not always managed to bring the car home in one piece, and secondly because current driver Marcus Ericsson brings money into the team, although Giovinazzi is contracted to Ferrari. Ericsson becomes the team's third driver.
In other news, Williams are believed to have secured Sergey Sirotkin and Mercedes-backed George Russell for next year, which means that apart from Toro Rosso all seats will have been filled.
Back to Sochi, and tyre choices:
It's Max Verstappen's 21st birthday on Sunday, and by way of a special present he'll have a grid penalty for a new internal combustion engine.
Happy birthday, Max!
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Have Force India & Haas confirmed their drivers for next year?
There doesn't seem to be any gossip or credible speculation in either case.
I don't think that Force India will be fielding anyone other than Perez and Stroll. I believe that Magnussen has a contract for next year at Haas, and Grosjean's form has improved recently, so unless he throws it into the wall under a Safety Car again, he's likely to stay. He's even stopped complaining about the brakes, so he's obviously much happier of late.
However. It's Formula One. Anything could happen.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Now confirmed if anyone missed it - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/45676007
Daniil Kyvat resigned for Toro Rosso for next year then.
Farcical Q2 decided well before time due to grid penalty’s .
Paul.
Did anyone else think that Lewis was happy to qualify second, given what happened last year when Vettel who was on pole and then got drafted.
That said, Lewis doesn't need to finish first, he just has to finish in front of Vettel.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Not really, he wasn't holding back in quali. But front row with a clear pace advantage over Vettel is a good place to be!
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Really hope that team orders aren’t needed as Mercedes are well ahead in the team championship and drivers should be allowed to race
Hamilton didn't earn that or deserve it today irrespective of "The Championship"!
That's disgusting from Mercedes and it's a reason F1 is losing fans.
Hamilton should be ashamed of himself.
Of course, the man himself will think he deserved it, he don't really give a flying hoot about any other driver.
What gets my goat is he bangs on about respect and doing the right thing MAN, living by God's grace, until it doesn't suit his agenda. He's great when it's earned but today is shameful!
We must have watched different post race interviews.
A superb driver but a complete and utter bell when he's not driving.
I’m with you, he didn’t look “proud”, he also invited Valtteri up to the first step, and tried to give him the trophy.
Love the look of sincerity on his kisser here though
Completely logical thing to do given that Bottas is not in contention for the WDC title.
No different from what Ferrari have been doing for years.
Hamilton was probably just as disappointed as Bottas but they both understand the reasoning.
My thoughts too.
Irrespective of what you think of Hamilton, any other team would've done the same.
Seems fair enough to me
Some real venom here re the team orders. I'm not a big fan of team orders when used like this but none of the blame can be laid at either driver. Hamilton was extremely contrite in post-race interviews and explained remarkably eloquently that it was the team's decision.
Even Vettel described the decision as a 'no brainer.'
Those with a chip on their shoulder about Hamilton will find it appalling. Those that don't can probably see that Mercedes had 2 choices.
One of those choices increased the chances of a Mercedes driver winning the title. The other effectively gained a Ferrari driver points in the championship race.
Regardless of people's thoughts about him outside the car, he's borderline faultless as a driver these days. His last genuine error was Barca in 2016 at a guess? Compared to Vettel (multiple errors this season). You don't see him doing questionable things within the car, he races hard but very fair. It's not his decision to make, it's a team decision.
And last season, I'm sure everyone remembers Hungary?
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Shame there isn't more of a focus on Bottas, and his sportsmanship. In years gone by that would be the focus of discussion.
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I agree. He comes across as a likeable lad
I hope that if he seals the championship before the last race, Hamilton gets the opportunity to let Bottas through to win another grand prix
Hard to blame Mercedes though, harsh reality is F1 is a business first and sport second for them
Mercedes team orders were as Vettel observed in the press conference a no brainer.
The amount of flack is also a no brainer as today´s F1 is too boring already without team orders.
I wonder if the resurgence of Mercedes over Ferrari is due to the Mercedes upgrades or a deterioration of Ferrari pace.
Does anyone know if Ferrari had the same design floor for which Haas were penalised and were forced to change design which could have affected their pace?
C4 highlighted that the Ferrari doesnt seem to smoke as it used to and wondered if the FIA had insisted on changes which obviated this. Could this lead to drop in power?
Can anyone shed any light here?
Last edited by JeremyO; 30th September 2018 at 19:23.
Mercedes have concentrated a lot on rear tyre management. Their hub/wheel design has changed throughout the year, and they seem to have nailed it.
And Hamilton always seems to take it up a notch over the second half of the season. Russia was likely to be a Mercedes track, but Singapore showed the difference Hamilton is making as a driver.
As the season started, I felt there wasn't much between Hamilton/Vettel. But he's looked quicker (fractionally), and made less errors (massively). If the cars close, and reliable, Hamilton will come out on top.
Verstappen has made a big step over the second half of the season. Still occasionally silly, but he's surgical when coming through the pack. Hopefully the Honda lump is decent next season, would love to see him challenging before Hamilton starts to get slower with age.
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A great result for Mercedes, but difficult day for Lewis and Botas to be honest. I doubt Lewis took much joy in being gifted a win, just as I imagine Botas will be bit peeved.
A much better result all the same than if both Merecedes had come together whilst trying to over take each other and gift the win to Vettel.
No brainer.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
This photo^^^ VB “Get the Novichok Putin” Lol.Love the look of sincerity on his kisser here though
That would be exactly the same though wouldn’t it. If Hamilton is ahead of Bottas and deliberately let’s Bottas through for the win, then it’s a hollow victory for Valteri.
I think that many of those that Verstappen overtook knew it would be both futile and a waste of their own energy trying to defend, ultimately they were racing those directly around them and not him so it's just easier to let him pass without much of a fight. Saying that though he still looked mighty, and the way he managed the tyres (as well as the RB's ability to do the same) is a credit to both. I completely agree with the Hamilton vs Vettel summary, the Brit has both a slight speed and mental edge over the German.
Ted Kravitz mentioned that Honda will be sticking a new spec engine in the back of the TR's for Japan this coming weekend, an engine that's rumoured to be 0.5-0.6sec faster per lap than the current spec. That's quite a jump.
If I was Bottas I wouldn't want Hamilton to hand me a win, even as payback for today's events once/if Lewis has amassed enough points to win the DC.
Edit to add kudos to all three drivers on the podium for their acceptance of the situation and sincere manner in which they are dealing with it. Toto made a tough call, even if it was the only call to make.
Last edited by CardShark; 1st October 2018 at 00:22.
Sorry but that's just sour grapes.
Did Hamilton make the call then?
It's a team sport and Ferrari are normally the kings of team orders. Mercedes made the obvious choice given the circumstances. I feel sorry for Bottas but Mercedes are in F1 to win championships.
Nonsense. Presumably you didn't watch the interviews then?
Lewis gets criticised for a lot of things but the one thing that's clear from his career is that he doesn't get any glory from being gifted a win in this way.
Last edited by watchcollector1; 1st October 2018 at 12:17.
I read on another forum on the on board radio on the last lap Hamilton was asking the pit crew if he could let Bottas back through, but there wasn't any reply from PB. I agree with others, sour grapes and making a mountain out of a molehill. Incidents like this always bring the haters out. This was exactly the right move to do considering the championship, time to move on.
Edit: had it not been for a pit stop strategy error Hamilton should/would have been first anyways.
I think Hamilton had the pace in hand to overtake Bottas legitimately yesterday but Sochi being a difficult track to overtake on and Vettel being so close it makes the decision to switch a "no-brainer". Still leaves a sour taste in the mouth though, an illegitimate victory.
1) it was the right call, and I liked how frank Toto was about before the race. It is clear that the brain said yes and the heart said no.
2) the only chances VB had of winning were SV second, or SV much further back.
3) giving back a victory, obviously or not, once title is secured, would neither be pointless or hollow. It would better reflect VB’s true place this season; more importantly it would reflect VB true tally for the coming years.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Really? So you are in a race car, you KNOW you are not fast enough to win the race but your team mate let’s you through because you followed team orders earlier in the year. You genuinely wouldn’t think that’s a hollow victory?
I certainly would, and I wouldn’t take it.
You’re not a professional top driver so you can claim whatever you want. If you were you’d know that the number of victories you have are an important part of your motivation. If you have to let one go and it is later given back, your total reflects the correct number. Nothing hollow and it also makes things right for both drivers without jeopardising either title.
Maybe the end of the season will not allow the possibility. But if it does, it will be LH’s call.
It can happen in many ways. One is to slow down like VB did. Another is to let him have a better start...
We may never know, but both drivers will.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
BP appears to have overslept this morning, possibly the result of some overenthusiastic celebrations of the golf result. I hope he'll forgive me therefore in temporarily assuming the mantle of providing a link to Mark Hughes' chronicle of yesterdays events at Sochi for those seeking some lunchtime reading.
https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/r...nd-prix-report
It was a 53 lap race and Bottas was told to let Hamilton pass on lap 26. Who’s to say that Hamilton wouldn’t have passed him anyway. Valteri is a good driver, but he’s a good second driver. If he was a better driver he would be fighting Lewis for the world championship. He’s not, until yesterday he was in fourth place.
Austria 2002 is a far better example. Barichello was ahead of Schumacher until the very last corner, before slowing up and letting him past.
Read the link above your post, Mark Hugues paper, you may get a better understanding. But if he’s wrong don’t hesitate to let us know.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
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