The F1 thread

Fretwired

stickyfiddle said:

 I just want Lewis to win one more title under the new regs. Whatever anyone wants to say about dominant machinery and not being able to compare with guys in the old days. 

Winning titles under 3 completely different sets of technical regulations would just be untouchable

Bottas had the same machinery ... I'll get my hat.

chillidoggy

I haven't liked the dominance of any one team. It's happened before and I find it depressing to watch the same old, same old. Change is good in my view, so I'd like to see a range of different GP winners next year, or at least a shake up of the establishment. Unlike some, I don't lend my support to one driver like a football fan, I want some variety and uncertainty injected into the game.

Haych

I don't mind dominance providing it's challenged.  

If the same person wins but there's still a bloody good fight then I have no issue with it, providing it's a fair fight.

Lewis' dominance in recent years feels very different to the dominance of the Schumacher era, which had rather a dark overtone to it. for me.  No doubt he was a good driver, but a lot of what was happening on and off the track left a bad taste.

Boromedic

I see Max was trying to give some credibility to his win at his title ceremony, equating what happened to him at Abu Dhabi with Lewis's first title in Brazil. Talk about false equivalence you fuckin prick, completely different I'm afraid Max, best to keep your mouth shut and have some grace rather than be more of a penis than you already are....

Simonh

Max has the moral backbone of a jellyfish, and tbh honest any fan that repeats the "well he won it over the 21 races" needs their head examined. If Brazil, Spa and Saudi had been treated properly Max wouldn't even have been close.

stickyfiddle

Lewis had a proper challenge in 2007, 2008, 2016, most of 2019 and obviously 2021. But it's not like it's his fault that the other cars were too slow in his other title-winning seasons. I do agree with those hoping it's closer so we have more different guys on the podium, and particularly on the top step

(if I had it my way I'd rather fate had given 2007 to Lewis and 2008 to Massa, but that's another story...)

Simonh

Any thoughts on the replacement for Jean Todt? I had not really heard of him until now.

stickyfiddle

Emirati so bags of money and support and could go either way. He has done a bunch of motorsport which is great. Though I can't imagine he's going to know the hardships of motorsport at the entry level. 

I'll let you know my feelings after we get some outputs from the Abu Dhabi post mortem! 

goldtop

Simonh said:

Any thoughts on the replacement for Jean Todt? I had not really heard of him until now.

Seems to have his priorities sorted already: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sulayem-no-forgiveness-for-hamilton-if-he-breached-fia-gala-rules/6886492/

(I remember hearing about MBS as an also-ran rallyer back in the 90s?)

stickyfiddle

I'm sure Lewis will be ok with a fine for breaking the gala rules, just as long as the FIA makes meaningful changes after its own breaches.. We'll see!

Fretwired

goldtop said:

Simonh said:

Any thoughts on the replacement for Jean Todt? I had not really heard of him until now.

Seems to have his priorities sorted already: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sulayem-no-forgiveness-for-hamilton-if-he-breached-fia-gala-rules/6886492/

(I remember hearing about MBS as an also-ran rallyer back in the 90s?)

The "no forgiveness" comment is ominous .. a phrase commonly used by religious fanatics.

goldtop

There's an entirely hagiographic* bio on MbS at wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_bin_Sulayem

It reads like a lot of Gulf Arab great-and-good pages - zero controversy. I'm sure that will change.

 (* currently)

Haych

goldtop said:

Simonh said:

Any thoughts on the replacement for Jean Todt? I had not really heard of him until now.

Seems to have his priorities sorted already: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/sulayem-no-forgiveness-for-hamilton-if-he-breached-fia-gala-rules/6886492/

(I remember hearing about MBS as an also-ran rallyer back in the 90s?)

I don’t think anyone should be pointing the finger and quoting rules and sporting regulations just at the moment. Just sayin’. 

Fretwired

goldtop said:

There's an entirely hagiographic* bio on MbS at wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_bin_Sulayem

It reads like a lot of Gulf Arab great-and-good pages - zero controversy. I'm sure that will change.

 (* currently)

He won't do much for promoting the rights of the LGBT community - I wonder if Hamilton and Vettel will be allowed to wear their rainbow helmets?

Fretwired

Haych said:

I don’t think anyone should be pointing the finger and quoting rules and sporting regulations just at the moment. Just sayin’. 

It's in his blood ... ;-)

brooom

Fretwired

Doing the rounds on social media ... :-)

On Instagram Lewis (26 m) has unfollowed @f1 (16 m) and @fia.official (1.3M), however, they dare not unfollow him.. amusing to say the least.

melod

Lewis response to the new FIA boss threatening a penalty for not attending the gala should be “say hi”

Boromedic

He should have politely declined to answer the question, rather than threaten to punish the sports biggest star publicly. Right off the bat it kind of shows how out of his depth he is already, probably only gaining the role due to who he is or represents, rather than being appropriately experienced like JT was. 

Now if Lewis goes unpunished he'll look like he's undermined his authority straightaway, or if he fines him he looks like an idiot. Great start, I hold out very little hope that he will make the FIA better in any meaningful way. It's clearly a ceremonial role in all but name.

Cols

Maybe he’ll be given some bullshit “public service” punishment, like Max got after he tried to deck Ocon at the Brazilian GP?