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in 2021 all the chips get thrown up in the air again and I reckon it could also equally be Red Bull or Ferrari as well as Merc who get it right that time around.
If they have equal odds, then a driver's best bet is to stay in their current team if they are comfortable there. However, when a team dominates for six years, it's an indication that their technical department is better than the rivals, so they have better odds of being ahead after a major rule change, or of catching the leader if they miss something big. Whatever way you look at it, Hamilton's best option is to stay where he is, and he knows that.
Hamilton’s best option is to stay where he is, and he knows that.
Yep, you're prob right. Or, more accurately, next year he'll make a lot of noise about considering a move to one of the other top teams (most likely Ferrari) to give himself some leverage as he negotiates his new contract, then stay at Mercedes.
Joe Saward seems to think that Ferrari are chasing Hamilton and Verstappen, not the other way around.
https://www.motorsportweek.com/joesaward/id/00558
There are persistent rumours that Ferrari wants either Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen but the team needs to show solid and consistent performance for more than 10 minutes to get that kind of commitment from one or the other.
Following the BBC live updates on the web. Dear god, what a pool of vapid, illiterate, uninsightful dross that place has become.
"Bottas remains in third, only six tenths he has nailed it down to so not a great improvement after losing time in the final sector."
"It doesn't look like the most appealing of beaches. It's very dark isn't it?"
"It's funny you say that you do get a whiff of the sea air and it's not nice sea air so I don't know if he gets a ponginess. It could be that, pongy water."
"Honda have definitely improved this season there's no doubt about that they probably started the year a little bit ahead of Renault. Renault now have the third best engine they've leap-frogged ahead again."
I mean, these people are paid to write, FFS. One of them's spent decades doing it professionally, and still can't manage to construct a sentence properly.
still can’t manage to construct a sentence properly
Sure, but their technical insights are what people tune in for. Who would've noticed that the Honda engine isn't as shit as it used to be if we didn't have experts to point it out?
I see one of them (posting anonymously) is a shameless middle lane hogger:
"Hamilton overtook on the inside on of the bend... like one of those annoying drivers who undertake on the motorway, and then scowl at you through the window."
A racing driver overtaking on the inside of a bend? Whodathunkit?
"like one of those annoying drivers who undertake on the motorway, and then scowl at you through the window.”
Yep, if someone is physically able to undertake you on the motorway then you're not doing it right
Joe Saward seems to think that Ferrari are chasing Hamilton and Verstappen, not the other way around.
I'd forgotten about Joe Saward, thanks for the reminder! Always a good read
BBC reporting McLaren are getting Mercedes engines from 2021. Hamilton back to McLaren for the end of his career?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/49859259
Leclerc is looking mighty impressive right now!
I reckon without all the Ferrari team orders tomfoolery at the start of the season he could have been easily on track for 2nd place in the Driver's Championship
Back at Silverstone Eddie Jordan was saying that mclaren will be going back to Mercedes power units.
He also said about the Hamilton ferrari move, but I think that's pie in the sky.
Nice lap by Lewis.
Crap work from the tv feed director. People on hot laps setting purples? Oh nah, nobody will want to see that. Let's watch a ferrari trundle round on an outlap for a minute instead.
Its all going off at Mercedes
Hamilton has kicked an engineer in the face!!!!!!
(not quite true, just a good camera angle)
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comparison of hamilton and charles' laps ... brilliant s3 from lewis
anyone playing f1 2019 on the ps4?
Sort of, as small children allow
anyone playing f1 2019 on the ps4?
Who's winning?
Where's the best place to buy F1 tickets?
Also, general admission tickets are waaay cheaper. What's the catch? Do you have to sit for hours to reserve your place? Looking at Zandvoort and Austria next year
.
comparison of hamilton and charles’ laps … brilliant s3 from lewis
Indeed!!
It also gives a really good illustration of Ferrari's straight line speed advantage, which is pretty jaw dropping!
Looking at Zandvoort and Austria next year
I had heard that they had to run a lottery for Zandvoort tickets as so many want to go. I think all individual Sunday only tickets have been allocated. Packages may be available but I imagine prices will be eye watering.
Zandvoort tickets weren't on sale yet when I checked but I can imagine the Orange Army snapping them up pretty quickly!!
Why are Ferrari so quick now? At the beginning of the season the educated consensus was that the Ferrari approach to their aero, especially re the front wing was superficially quicker but fundamentally floored in terms of development as opposed to the approach of Mercedes and other teams.
And yet, here we are with the red car quicker in all areas with the right driver.
Why are Ferrari so quick now?
They introduced a new front wing, floor, plus other parts for Singapore. It seems to have worked really well and solved their downforce deficit. Plus, they have an excellent engine that seems to have some special qualifying mode that nobody else can figure out. Plus, they were a bit unlucky at times early in the season and also made some terrible strategic decisions. In Singapore, Merc completely dropped the ball strategy wise so that made Ferrari look better than they really were. Merc could have won that race if they'd pitted early and gone for the undercut. Plus, Leclerk seems to be a very good driver who has matured really quickly and is able to nail qualifying.
Why are Ferrari so quick now? At the beginning of the season the educated consensus was that the Ferrari approach to their aero, especially re the front wing was superficially quicker but fundamentally floored in terms of development as opposed to the approach of Mercedes and other teams.
And yet, here we are with the red car quicker in all areas with the right driver.
There was one article by an insider which considered the point that Ferrari may be going into a dead end re development of the front wing, but iirc that article also said that they had the quickest car at that point. Reality is that Ferrari have had the strongest car for most of the season but have serially underachieved, Vettel has been extremely poor, the team have screwed a few races and Leclerc has taken a while to go from "believing" he can win to "knowing" he can win.
IMO this has not been a dominant Mercedes car this year, it is Hamilton that has really made the difference.
Thanks for the insights @hols2 and @MSP. It was that article on the beeb site that had me wondering what was going on and it sounds like a new chassis and getting their shit together is making the difference.
So long as LH doesn’t have any dnf’s, the titles are his and Merc’s this year. Next year is anyone’s guess!
Well this is fascinating...
Ferrari are having fun.........
Vettel is such a dick. LC ordered to let him by at the start to get him into second - which he does - then finger boy won't let him back in front.
Moron.
Just desserts for finger boy
Finger boy out..... I really hope the pit wall turned his engine off for being a tosser!
😁
and penalties in Japan too, if he's borked his K.
Brilliant result!
Multi 21... with a better outcome.
Naughty Red Baron, I should imagine he's having a strongly worded listening too at his interview without tea and biscuits.
SV - what a cock.
A little surprised he was voted the driver of the day, I found him annoying
I’ve said it numerous times on this thread that the cherry on my Sunday cake is watching the demise of Vettel.
But
For me he was quicker in the first part of the race, Le Clerc couldn’t get near enough to him. Vettel got the better start irrespective of what the team agreed before the race.
Apart from Bottas, I could pretty much guarantee every other driver on the grid would have done the same.
Just a shame he had to retire as it ruined the race.
perhaps ferrari realizing for all intent and purposes the title was gone after the mid season break have been ragging the engines to get some wins under their belts and sod the consequences.
You give the place to your team driver if that is what has been agreed. Hamilton has done so for Bottas a couple of times.
That way it is easier for the other driver to accept giving up a place in more important times. Now maybe next time Leclerc defends off the line, or doesn't give a place up when the points matter.
I don't think that Vettel understands that it is a team sport, there are hundreds of people working to give him the opportunity to win races, those opportunities are going to get less and less if he doesn't back the team effort.
Had to shake my head in despair listening to Ferrari's team radio at the start. Embarrassing listening to them try to pitch their change of plan to Leclerc when they were simply bending over in response to a repeat of Multi 21.
Nice moves by Albon, redeemed himself nicely.
The Ferrari radio during the race is hilarious. Option A, option B, option Z, let Le Clerc past, push now. They sound like they don’t know their arse from their elbow.