The F1 thread

Boromedic

What are the Lewis haters gonna say today.... For me he is now the greatest of all time, I don't even care about the arguments, it's a different time and era than Clark, or Senna, or even Schumacher (although obviously he is the most recent). Lewis has done it consistently season after season, and he's a Brit, he's also been a fair driver unlike Schuey or Senna. Yeah, he's in the best car but that's where all the best drivers end up.

Put that in yer pipe and smoke it, well happy today!!  

stickyfiddle

Boromedic said:

What are the Lewis haters gonna say today.... For me he is now the greatest of all time, I don't even care about the arguments, it's a different time and era than Clark, or Senna, or even Schumacher (although obviously he is the most recent). Lewis has done it consistently season after season, and he's a Brit, he's also been a fair driver unlike Schuey or Senna. Yeah, he's in the best car but that's where all the best drivers end up.

Put that in yer pipe and smoke it, well happy today!!  

Wis.

That fairness is key imo. He's just spectacular in all conditions, makes hardly any mistakes and doesn't dick about with other drivers on track. 

You'll see tonnes of comments noting he's unemotional yet also arrogant, but I honestly think he's just a focussed sportsman like any other. He's relentlessly clinical and that's the point.

Boromedic

Exactly mate!

thumpingrug

Not sure anyone else comes close to Hamilton.  He's clearly going to go on for a couple more years, so his overall total will be way beyond 100 by the times he's had enough.  The championship for this year is in the bag and next year - with little change in the regs - is his to lose.  Best driver of all time without a doubt.

ZenOvertone

stickyfiddle said:

Boromedic said:

What are the Lewis haters gonna say today.... For me he is now the greatest of all time, I don't even care about the arguments, it's a different time and era than Clark, or Senna, or even Schumacher (although obviously he is the most recent). Lewis has done it consistently season after season, and he's a Brit, he's also been a fair driver unlike Schuey or Senna. Yeah, he's in the best car but that's where all the best drivers end up.

Put that in yer pipe and smoke it, well happy today!!  

Wis.

That fairness is key imo. He's just spectacular in all conditions, makes hardly any mistakes and doesn't dick about with other drivers on track. 

You'll see tonnes of comments noting he's unemotional yet also arrogant, but I honestly think he's just a focussed sportsman like any other. He's relentlessly clinical and that's the point.

And another vote for LH, his fairness and clean sheet with no dodgy incidents to cloud his record unlike MS (Against various, Hill, Villeneuve, Alonso are the main ones)

Fretwired

sammysaber said:

The Beeb's Radio 5 Live Sports Extra should fit the bill   

+1

I've often had that on and the pictures from Sky .. slight lag but the BBC crew are far more entertaining IMHO.

Cols

What a fabulous circuit.  The DRS zone on the main straight needs looked at though, it was far too easy for drivers to cruise past.

Gasly continues to make life awkward for the Red Bull hierarchy in passing him over for a return to the senior team.  Hopefully he manages to make an Sainz-like escape from the RB family soon.

sinbaadi

Hamilton is relentless (man, the man is non-stop).

Yes he has been in the best car.  Not all the best drivers end up in the best car, it's impossible to make a case that Verstappen would have had any less success in the seasons he has been in F1, had he been in Hamilton's seat, but why should Lewis vacate it?  To make a point?  Maybe he could, but I highly doubt he could beat the Mercedes in any of the other cars on any normal day, so fair play to him, it's the sport!  He just keeps winning.  He'll retire the moment that isn't the case, but for now let him keep strolling to the world titles.

It's a little easier to avoid conflict when you don't really have any viable rivals, though.

Great circuit, agree that cameras were not well set up (like at the start) and the chase cams made everything look very slow, but I hope they come back!

Emiel

sinbaadi said:

Hamilton is relentless (man, the man is non-stop).

Yes he has been in the best car.  Not all the best drivers end up in the best car, it's impossible to make a case that Verstappen would have had any less success in the seasons he has been in F1, had he been in Hamilton's seat, but why should Lewis vacate it?  To make a point?  Maybe he could, but I highly doubt he could beat the Mercedes in any of the other cars on any normal day, so fair play to him, it's the sport!  He just keeps winning.  He'll retire the moment that isn't the case, but for now let him keep strolling to the world titles.

It's a little easier to avoid conflict when you don't really have any viable rivals, though.

Great circuit, agree that cameras were not well set up (like at the start) and the chase cams made everything look very slow, but I hope they come back!

Good points. It is a different time, with unfair racing getting punished easily. Cols mentioned earlier that 125 laps were deleted in last Friday's practice only. In the '80s one could drive another off track without much debate... even now that gets overseen rather easily. Senna was a ruthless driver... remember Japan 1990. Senna said beforehand that if Prost would be leading in the first corner, he would drive him off the track... and so he did. Even Schumacher wasn't like that. 

And yes, Mercedes' dominance since 2014 has simply been incredible. The on track battles with other cars can be pretty much counted on one hand. And I believe they will remain dominant not just in 2021 but in 2022 and 2023 as well. Why would Hamilton leave if he has the best car? I wouldn't be surprised if he would stay at least until 2023. Imagine the frustration with Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell, etc.. they will have to wait just a little longer. 

Talking about Russell... if the Perez/Williams rumours are true, he will be a Mercedes reserve driver in 2021, and hoping that Hamilton will retire soon after.

prowla

Boromedic said:

What are the Lewis haters gonna say today.... For me he is now the greatest of all time, I don't even care about the arguments, it's a different time and era than Clark, or Senna, or even Schumacher (although obviously he is the most recent). Lewis has done it consistently season after season, and he's a Brit, he's also been a fair driver unlike Schuey or Senna. Yeah, he's in the best car but that's where all the best drivers end up.

Put that in yer pipe and smoke it, well happy today!!  

Hamilton isn't the greatest yet, but he should be by the end of the season. :-)

Fretwired

Emiel said:

Talking about Russell... if the Perez/Williams rumours are true, he will be a Mercedes reserve driver in 2021, and hoping that Hamilton will retire soon after.

Hamilton could go on for three years. I suspect Mercedes would like to pair Russell with Hamilton - it would give them a benchmark against which they could judge Russel's pace and Russell could learn a lot. I still wouldn't rule out Bottas being dropped at the end of the season. Yesterday was an utter embarrassment for Bottas - over 20+ seconds behind Hamilton. He claimed he lacked pace .. that's an understatement. Wolff has seen that a year being Mercedes reserve driver hasn't been good for Ocon. Would he want Russell to suffer the same fate?

Albon's a deadman driving - another poor performance. Horner said on Saturday that Albon's seat was his to lose. Looks like the Red Bull car is a handful to drive. Verstappen can cope but can anyone else? Gasly failed but is doing a stellar job in the junior team.

And Paul di Resta thinks Ocon could be out of F1 if he doesn't improve. Renault could be looking at Gasly which means Albon could be relegated to the junior RB team to replace Gasly with Hulkenburg going to Red Bull.

Fretwired

Max challenged Lewis to a race behind closed doors in the same car. Mercedes responded with a Tweet "Max, just give us a call if you want to test a Mercedes."

It would be cool to see them duel in the same car ..

stickyfiddle

Fretwired said:

Max challenged Lewis to a race behind closed doors in the same car. Mercedes responded with a Tweet "Max, just give us a call if you want to test a Mercedes."

It would be cool to see them duel in the same car ..

Honestly I'd love to see all 21 drivers (Hulk!) in matching cars doing a charity thing at the end of a season. Do it at a proper circuit - not Yas Marina - and I'd happily pay money. 

Or do it in equal-weight karts. 

Or both!! 

chillidoggy

Albon has blown it, and if someone doesn’t snap Perez and Russell up, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

Boromedic

Russell to Red Bull, Max to Mercedes!

sinbaadi

stickyfiddle said:

Fretwired said:

Max challenged Lewis to a race behind closed doors in the same car. Mercedes responded with a Tweet "Max, just give us a call if you want to test a Mercedes."

It would be cool to see them duel in the same car ..

Honestly I'd love to see all 21 drivers (Hulk!) in matching cars doing a charity thing at the end of a season. Do it at a proper circuit - not Yas Marina - and I'd happily pay money. 

Or do it in equal-weight karts. 

Or both!! 

That would feel a bit like a magician revealing the illusion!
"F1: Behind the Disparity"
I'm not sure F1 is proud enough of its performance imbalance which robs genuine racing fans of wheel to wheel action every week to put on something like that.

I'd love it, of course...  I'd also love professional drivers to be off doing all sorts besides F1, being professional racing drivers not just F1 car pilots.  Surely they got in to it to be the best, not just to drive the best but there you go.  

stickyfiddle

Boromedic said:

Russell to Red Bull, Max to Mercedes!

Russell to Red Bull would be ballsy from both sides... 

Fretwired

Boromedic said:

Russell to Red Bull, Max to Mercedes!

Wolff may line up Max to replace Hamilton. In an interview at the weekend, Hamilton hinted he wouldn't be racing much longer. So who knows what will happen. He'll be around for next year and should win the championship. Having beaten Schmacher's record would he quit before the regs change? Is that perhaps why Woolff is backing Red Bull's engine freeze to maintain Mercedes dominance and keep Hamilton for another for a few more years? Hamilton always said he'd go out on a high rather than do a Kimi.

goldtop

sinbaadi said:

stickyfiddle said:

Fretwired said:

Max challenged Lewis to a race behind closed doors in the same car. Mercedes responded with a Tweet "Max, just give us a call if you want to test a Mercedes."

It would be cool to see them duel in the same car ..

Honestly I'd love to see all 21 drivers (Hulk!) in matching cars doing a charity thing at the end of a season. Do it at a proper circuit - not Yas Marina - and I'd happily pay money. 

Or do it in equal-weight karts. 

Or both!! 

That would feel a bit like a magician revealing the illusion!
"F1: Behind the Disparity"
I'm not sure F1 is proud enough of its performance imbalance which robs genuine racing fans of wheel to wheel action every week to put on something like that.

I'd love it, of course...  I'd also love professional drivers to be off doing all sorts besides F1, being professional racing drivers not just F1 car pilots.  Surely they got in to it to be the best, not just to drive the best but there you go.  

Once upon a time, there were 20 identical Mercedes at the Nürburgring, each one piloted by an F1 legend, plus some upstart from Brazil...



... who went on to win. Fangio was there but sat it out, depriving us of a GOAT benchmark. Well, he was in his seventies.

More here: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/classic/history/ayrton-sennas-victory-in-1984/

Brio

From Grand Prix Diary on Twitter:
“Lewis also said how good it was to have his dog Roscoe there. Valtteri isn’t allowed to have a dog at a race track as he can’t hold onto a lead.”