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Hamilton not happy - again. It's a shame team rules stop the racing at the front, especially when there's nobody else up to their pace.
Not Hamilton's fault though as "it's impossible to pass on that track" unless you're one of the people making passes of course
Lewis just needs to accept his team orders about strategy and vent his anger to the team in private not on the podium- showing once more he just cannot take any hits to his "Image" as to why he was second.
The team wanted second in the WDC secured at the earliest opportunity, and i suspect the Nico has obeyed far more team orders in the previous races than he has wanted to, in order to ensure WDC/MDC points for Mercedes rather than "risky" attempts to win 1 race in entire season.
it makes for a more interesting abu dhabi if indeed "the glove are off" now and they can both do whatever they want, because if lewis doesnt beat Nico he has no one to complain too and i think he'd take a big hit on his ego.
It's obvious that Hamilton is under orders not to beat Rosberg - I wouldn't be surprised if his car was being 'turned down' a little also.
Boring race, gave up after 20 laps.
lots of red bull shots again, hardly any mchonda or manor. I play spot the mcManor in between dozes.
Highlight was wincing every time anyone got near Maldonado and holding my breathe when Verstappen decided to go for it at turn 1 I think.
No rain, no safety car no racing pretty much sums it up.
Sorry to say i've all but given up on f1. If next seasons first race is as dull as this that's it for me. Shame as I've been a fan for 30 yrs but moto gp has more excitement in one lap than this seasons f1 has had all year.:(
Sorry to say i've all but given up on f1. If next seasons first race is as dull as this that's it for me. Shame as I've been a fan for 30 yrs but moto gp has more excitement in one lap than this seasons f1 has had all year.:(
I'd say there's a good chance that Ferrari will be able to make it a much more interesting championship next year:
[url= http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2015/11/sebastian-vettels-brazil-performance-hints-at-ferrari-formula-1-challenge-in-2016/ ]Some great analysis, as always, from James Allen[/url]
It's obvious that Hamilton is under orders not to beat Rosberg
Now that Rosberg has clinched 2nd in the Championship, hopefully it'll be back to normal with LH smacking the german down in the first corner
I think for all their spin at the start of the season about the drivers being allowed to race, Mercedes really have controlled the 1-2's as well as the internal rules around racing to the first corner and then to the first pit stop (ie. overtaking when the other car is not put in danger, then after that its hold position unless an issue) it really has taken the edge of out the season and we as spectators are always wondering if it was managed from the pit-wall....i think both drivers have suffered this year with "stay where you are" scenarios....
the only highlights for me was when Ferrari managed to get their weekend together in Malaysia and Hungary.
which is pretty crappy considering there are now more F1 races on the calendar than ever before!
as i said before, i hope the gloves are off for abu dhabi, although if Merc dont have to worry about saving the engine, they might run it full power and lap the entire field up to 4th (vettel/rakki) 🙁
I'd say there's a good chance that Ferrari will be able to make it a much more interesting championship next year:
Like they do every year! 😉
Good point! 🙂
interesting to hear RBR have spent the most this season at £200million increasing their staff number by over double, makes me wonder if they planned to build their own engine all along, simple plan - destroy your current engine relationship to get out early, cry wolf about leaving and get FIA and Bernie to apply pressure to everyone and everything to give you options for building on someone elses engine (merc,ferrari,renault) and renault finally cave in (perhaps on the threat of bernie not paying them the "historic" team payment for their works team next year) and give them their latest engine to develop for next year....hmmmmmmm
legend - MemberNot Hamilton's fault though as "it's impossible to pass on that track" unless you're one of the people making passes of course
Verstappen believes that the key to allowing overtaking in F1 is that the two cars battling each have strengths in different areas."We have very good cornering speed, so if we are behind a Lotus, Sauber or Force India we catch up in the fast corners, even when we are behind," he said. "So that is different for sure.
"For them [Mercedes], it is equal everywhere – on the corners and the straights. When your car is exactly the same as your teammate and you are behind, it is very tough.
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/verstappen-no-comparison-between-my-overtakes-and-hamilton-struggle/
Tag Heuer deserting McL for RB
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/121844
Rats/ship? Let's hope McL can recover next year...
interesting to hear RBR have spent the most this season at £200million increasing their staff number by over double
[u]back2basics et al, (2015)
[/u]
In a year in which the team slipped to runner-up, having enjoyed four consecutive seasons of title-winning success, staff numbers rose by 19 to 694.
[url= http://www.pitpass.com/55220/Red-Bull-sets-new-F1-record ]www.pitpass.com[/url]
Renault may also be holding back updates so RBR get saddled with a low starting point engine . After all it would be very embarrassing for Renault works team to be beaten by a suped up ilmor RBR.
I wonder what is taking so long in the Lotus / Renault deal. Could all this be hinging on the RBR 'divorce'.
It may be time that McLaren finally realise they are dinosaurs of the paddock. Tag cite the need to team up with a young fresh brand. Maybe they should've kept K Mag and lined up Stoffel.
Except that they spent their tokens on the IC part of the engine which is generally understood to be the bit that RB would likely take on and then add on their own MGU systems via Illen
McL would not be considered dinosaurs if they were winning. Or even doing a half decent job. When were they last quick? End of 2012?
Make you wonder if McLaren should abandon F1 and move to sportcars - would tie in better with their core car business. And they could market off the back of their sports car/Le Mans/CanAm heritage.
McL are really all about F1 though, aren't they? People buy the other cars because they're in F1, don't they?
[quote=back2basics ]I think for all their spin at the start of the season about the drivers being allowed to race, Mercedes really have controlled the 1-2's as well as the internal rules around racing to the first corner and then to the first pit stop (ie. overtaking when the other car is not put in danger, then after that its hold position unless an issue)
You didn't watch Austin then?
Im trying to workout if Rosbergs recent wins are because Hammy has been told to back off because Merc want a WDC 1 and 2 aswell or if Rosberg is driving better now there is no pressure on him because the WDC has gone
I think several people are trying to work that out. If LH has been told to back off, he's doing a good impression of someone who's pissed off at finishing behind his team mate...
I just reckon that the pressure is off both and NR has something to prove.
Hamilton might be effectively backing off whether or not he's been told to. He won the championship and has apparently been burning the candle at both ends since then, so it wouldn't be a big surprise if he's not quite maintaining the edge he had a few races back.
My money would be on a mix of Rosberg loosening up a bit and Hamilton slacking off a bit.
'Lewis is looking for excuses when he doesn't win races' - Rosberg
........ Pot calling the Kettle black spring to mind!
I see the beeb have dropped a threat about losing f1 completely. Wonder if there will be as much of a backlash about that as there was about 6music. I certainly wouldn't be signing up to sky to keep watching, I'd rather spend that on going to a race.
A full pull-out of coverage was always on the cards as soon as they brokered the deal with Sky in the first place.
If it does go Sky-only I'll no longer be a follower, same as I haven't watched any MotoGP since it went to BT Sport.
aye - seems they have spoken to bernie already and he's sticking firm to the original agreement they signed to take us to 2018 - saying that, thats what happened last time and then they secretly sold it out to Sky - would not surprise me if it doesnt go back to the good old days of 2 commentators watching it on TV from the UK as highlights package....
personally they could lose eddie J and suzy p, and i would not give a s***
on other news TAG leaves McLaren for red bull because its more trendy and young and happening - boy thats gotta hurt Ron!
I remember Ben Gallop BBC Sport trying to justify dumping F1 for the voice as cost cutting. I hope he is part of the cost cutting at the bbc. Funny how the voice got dumped as it was too expensive. The bbc are just full of cronies but thats another thread.
If the bbc wont pay I'm sure it will go back to itv.
No brainer for BBC to dump it imo. It would save around 15-20 million per year and on something that is losing viewing figures. Plus they can't sell it to other countries like drama and comedy.
The future of F1 over the next few years doesn't look good unless Bernie stops milking it and Merc become less dominant.
Have to echo the above. I certainly wouldn't pay for any subscription channel to watch it . Moto GP has been totally off my radar in last couple of years too.....
Same here - absolutely no chance of me paying a Sky subscription to watch F1
As someone else above said, i'd rather save the money and go to a live race
No way I would be paying sky to watch the F1. Been watching for pretty much 35 years but it'd stop if the BBC lost it.
Such a shame the money grabbing bosses have taken the soul out of the sport (boring tracks/countries hosting who don't give a crap about the sport just the prestige) - it'll go the same way as my other Motorsport love world rally unfortunately (maybe for different reasons though).
switch to formula e on itv4 . Its always sunny when they race and they have fan boost. The cars sound the same anyway and most of the drivers are ex f1 so you already know them.
Time to tell the F1 bandwagon that fundamentally its a sport and not a prime time soap opera no matter how many scandals, penalties and infringements they stick in to spice it up.
As someone else above said, i'd rather save the money and go to a live race
same.
Not paying Sky a penny.
Does Beeb losing it also mean Radio5Live (and SportsExtra) ? or just the telly part?
Looks like it'll be RTL with R5L audio if possible for me for all races rather than half (except for 1-2 where the German version of Strictly/Germany's got (no) Talent/etc. prime time voting shows have priority).
No sport is fundamentally a sport now. Everything is a TV rights business designed to move all money from the masses to a few. Although as a football hater, football is becoming entertaining 😉
If it does go Sky-only I'll no longer be a follower, same as I haven't watched any MotoGP since it went to BT Sport.
+1
Echo the above, I'm sure F1 must have lost a lot of followers since it moved to Sky. Although I have continued to watch it on BBC it just feels more distant, it just does not have the same appeal anymore.
It may be time that McLaren finally realise they are dinosaurs of the paddock
What, like those other old stagers Ferrari did? What ever happened to them?
Echo the above, I'm sure F1 must have lost a lot of followers since it moved to Sky.
Sky's audience is also falling.
I only watch it on Sky as I'm still on a package where the F1 channel came free if you had the HD option (when it was first launched). No way would I pay full Sports package rates for it.
RTL with R5L audio if possible for me for all races rather than half (except for 1-2 where the German version of Strictly/Germany's got (no) Talent/etc. prime time voting shows have priority).
This sounds good. Is it possible to watch RTL on the internet?
So the proposed new customer engine plan has been thrown out - is this the final nail in Red Bull's coffin? Seems their long-term plans may be scuppered and time fast running out for a supply for next season...
That was never an option for 2016 anyway. They'll be running rebadged or debadged Renault pus with a healthy gag clause in the contract.
It's looking more like RB will be running a Renault engine next year.
No fancy bits and bobs, just a tweak on this years, if you believe Planet F1.
[url= http://planetf1.com/news/renault-red-bull-spat-hampered-progress/ ]Clicky[/url]
Surely Bernies not going to throw the toys out with the bath water? .... is he?
How do you mean?
I'd rather poo in a bag and punch it than give a penny to Murdoch.
So no Sky here.