1. Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!

The U.S. Grand Prix chat & predictions

Discussion in 'Formula 1' started by Big Ern, Oct 29, 2019.

?

Who will come up trumps in Texas? (ooer missus)

Poll closed Nov 2, 2019.
  1. Lewis Hamilton

    57.1%
  2. Sebastian Vettel

    14.3%
  3. Valtieri Bottas

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  4. Charles Le Clerc

    28.6%
  5. Max Crashappen

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  6. Alexander Albon

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  7. A N Other

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  1. Viva_Giggsy

    Viva_Giggsy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2015
    Messages:
    1,186
    Likes Received:
    297
    Hamilton is a good driver but he's had the best car since 2014, That Benson makes it sound like he's driving the Williams car, Ferrari havent been quicker at any race this year apart from the last 5-6 in qualifying. He's still definitely not in Schumacher or Sennas league, they won in cars Hamilton could only dream of.
     
    #101
  2. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2011
    Messages:
    14,403
    Likes Received:
    5,570
    They also won in incredible cars. This is how the sport works.
     
    #102
  3. Julius Caesar

    Julius Caesar Well-Known Member
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2011
    Messages:
    6,665
    Likes Received:
    1,008
    I still think Ferrari had the best car in 2018. Mercedes were better operationally and Hamilton was the better driver.
     
    #103
    dhel likes this.
  4. ErnieBecclestone

    ErnieBecclestone Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2011
    Messages:
    1,752
    Likes Received:
    107
    Hamilton is in a league of his own and will go on to create a record that will probably never be broken, he exhibits control skills Schumacher never possessed and shows a greater level of finesse than even Senna held, sadly Senna utilized the habit of out driving the car.
     
    #104
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2019
  5. BrightLampShade

    BrightLampShade Well-Known Member
    Forum Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2011
    Messages:
    13,495
    Likes Received:
    2,568
    Wonder why Bottas cant have races like this all year. He has 3-6 races a year where he's on it, but the rest are all a bit meh.

    This season has been his best so far in a Mercedes but it's still a bit underwhelming
     
    #105
  6. dhel

    dhel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    Messages:
    1,597
    Likes Received:
    224
    This example is the sort of reasoning is why it will be very difficult for Max to understand right from wrong.



    Jos Verstappen understands why his son Max accused Ferrari of cheating despite the fact that the comments prompted the Reds to react angrily.


    The Red Bull driver was adamant that Ferrari’s sudden loss of performance in Austin was because the Italian team had been forced to “stop cheating” and with it echoing the sentiments of just about everyone not dressed in Red in the paddock.

    Verstappen senior defended his lad on Ziggo Sport “I think we all know that something is wrong, but you can’t say it that way. You can never know what exactly happened, but we can see from the data that they were suddenly much slower.

    “Previously they gained seven to nine-tenths on the straight and now it’s only half of that. But you can’t really prove that they cheated.”

    Jos therefore agrees with those who think his son might have (counted to ten and) kept his thoughts to himself, “In the end, you can’t prove it so you shouldn’t say too much about it. It might not have been the smartest statement, but I do understand Max. He is very driven and wants to win.

    “After the summer break, Ferrari was suddenly super strong after Red Bull’s good period. They had often been incredibly fast, but they were less incredible in Austin. Still fast, but not so extremely fast anymore,” Verstappen senior ventured.
     
    #106
  7. Big Ern

    Big Ern Lord, Master, Guru & Emperor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    23,533
    Likes Received:
    17,780
    I would say it was Merc who had the better car, not by much, but enough, and the only reason Ferrari were in the fight was because Mercedes kept making mistakes early in the season.Saying that, it was only the 2nd time in his career that Lewis had a team-mate that didn't win a race. (Heiki in 2009 the other).
     
    #107
  8. Viva_Giggsy

    Viva_Giggsy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2015
    Messages:
    1,186
    Likes Received:
    297
    Only because of team orders Bottas had at least two races taken from him last year, Germany when he was trying to overtake him and they told him to drop back and Russia was it when he had to let Hamilton by. People
     
    #108
  9. Big Ern

    Big Ern Lord, Master, Guru & Emperor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    23,533
    Likes Received:
    17,780
    RBR won their home grand prix on a power track with the honda, maybe he knows from experience?
     
    #109
    Justjazz and dhel like this.
  10. TopClass

    TopClass Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2011
    Messages:
    9,613
    Likes Received:
    3,185
    Seriously, Lewis has shown some stellar pace in every car he has been in. Even the 2009 dog McLaren. He also qualified incredibly well in cars that weren’t the fastest on the grid (McLaren 2010-2012 and of course his excellent effort in his debut Mercedes year 2013).He has mixed it with a peak Alonso when he was just a rookie. He has had better team mates than Schumacher ever had and has beaten them all. He has had more high quality rivals than him too and seen them all off.

    He had to sit and suffer whilst Vettel had the Newey magic Red Bulls together at the start of the decade but the minute he was given a title winning car he has delivered.

    I don’t love Lewis, I don’t like where the sport is, but make no mistake he is a worthy, worthy champion who built character and learnt his lessons in those difficult years between his first title (08) and the rest (14, 15, 17, 18, 19).

    To say Senna and Schumacher had it harder is wrong in my opinion. All three of them (Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton) are incredible champions and in very different ways. Senna was a gifted, ultra fast racer whose emotion was as strong as his ability. Schumacher was a calculated, ruthless racer dedicated to fitness who moved the F1 world into the 21st century with his professionalism and leadership within the Ferrari team. Hamilton has shown bits of both of those things, but most impressive of all has refined, improved, and stayed calmer under pressure than perhaps both of them. A great racer, both in attack and defence, and rarely ever chopped off a rival under pressure like the great Michael (94,97) and Ayrton (Prost) did. Lewis has combined the awesome one lap pace with sensible race management, which he lacked in the McLaren years (see China and Brazil 2007 for example).

    Three superb champions, all of them magical in the rain, and all of them dedicated winners.

    We don’t need to detract from any of them to fit our emotional connection/disconnection with them.

    Enjoy them.
     
    #110

  11. dhel

    dhel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    Messages:
    1,597
    Likes Received:
    224
    The difference though is that Michael had the No 1 driver status etched in his contract.... Lewis doesn’t care which teammate he is up against and also Lewis travels all over the world making appearances at fashion shows etc, arrives at the circuit and puts his car on pole or (and) wins the race. How many race drivers have such a busy schedule and still have it in them to give everything once they step into their car? I would guess none.
     
    #111
    Justjazz and ErnieBecclestone like this.
  12. dhel

    dhel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    Messages:
    1,597
    Likes Received:
    224
    J
    Ok put those two wins in Bottas’ column and you would see where his problem lies. Consistency.... he cannot hold it together consistory over a season. That is one thing you have to give to Lewis. Even if he has a bad race you can expect him to still finish high in the points. He always picks the right battles (unlike the self proclaimed best driver) Max. And yes, he hates to lose and he sulks a bit after the race, but once the next race days comes he is ready for battle.
     
    #112
    ErnieBecclestone likes this.
  13. dhel

    dhel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
    Messages:
    1,597
    Likes Received:
    224
    Eddie Jordan reckons that not only is Hamilton as good as Schumacher, but he has surpassed him, due to the ways in which the latter used politics within the team to receive beneficiary treatment.

    “Everyone has their own view on this, but I am of the view he’s already surpassed Michael,” he told talkSPORT.

    “Michael started with me so there is a love affair there, but there is a situation some people may not fully grasp.

    “At the time I handled people like [Rubens] Barrichello, [Eddie] Irvine, [Giancarlo] Fisichella and [Jean] Alesi, and every time we went to sign a contract with Michael Schumacher or Ferrari it always had conditions in it, where what we saw in Austin wouldn’t have been allowed to happen.

    “Lewis, if he had in his contract the same things, he would have had to been able to pass [Valtteri] Bottas [to win the race].

    “You can’t have that in a competitive sport, where one part of the team dictates to the other“ For me, that is a flaw factor for Michael. Seven World Championships… how many would he have won if he hadn’t had the influence and support of the other people in the team?

    “Lewis is already in a different league, in my opinion. He’s done it on his own.
     
    #113
  14. ErnieBecclestone

    ErnieBecclestone Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2011
    Messages:
    1,752
    Likes Received:
    107

    Schumacher was a cheating divisive unfair driver throughout his entire career, loved it when he slid off the track at Redgate hairpin at Donington 1993 and was out of the race, I was there, yes. Senna had taken the lead on the opening lap, F***ing amazing, from 5th to 1st passing Schumacher on a wet track on the first lap and went on to win by over a minute from Damon Hill.
     
    #114
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2019
  15. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2011
    Messages:
    14,403
    Likes Received:
    5,570
    Love or hate Schumacher, he was bloody fast and fearless on track. It's easy to dismiss his achievements (especially after the 94 season) due to some of his antics, but he set a ridiculously hight water mark in F1 and will always be remembered and discussed among the greatest ever.
     
    #115
  16. Number 1 Jasper

    Number 1 Jasper Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2011
    Messages:
    24,143
    Likes Received:
    14,856
    Senna was my Hero .

    However , I would be the first to admit he could be ruthless on the track , and political off it .
     
    #116
    St. Slicks of Stoneham and dhel like this.
  17. Big Ern

    Big Ern Lord, Master, Guru & Emperor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    23,533
    Likes Received:
    17,780
    it always irks me that Lauda is never mentioned as one of the GOAT. 3 times a WDC winner (4 really, 76 McLaren's Spain result should never have been reinstated) and probably would've had 5 or 6 if he hadn't taken a few years out.
     
    #117
  18. SgtBhaji

    SgtBhaji Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2011
    Messages:
    14,403
    Likes Received:
    5,570
    I think any driver with multiple titles can be discussed among the absolute greats tbh*

    "Not Piquet.... He's just a massive plum.
     
    #118
    dhel and St. Slicks of Stoneham like this.
  19. allsaintchris.

    allsaintchris. Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    7,655
    Likes Received:
    1,314
    Ah yes, Nelson '2nd place will do for the title' Piquet. Called Senna a homosexual and Mansell an uneducated blockhead.

    Nice guy.

    His son was a charmer too.

    Now where do we also see like father/like son similarities...............?
     
    #119
    Number 1 Jasper and SgtBhaji like this.
  20. Big Ern

    Big Ern Lord, Master, Guru & Emperor

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2011
    Messages:
    23,533
    Likes Received:
    17,780
    You could generally see from their first season who was going to be good. Hamilton, as was mentioned in the GP, showed it at his first corner. I don't think there's a GOAT in any sport, just the best of their era, and that is what Hamilton is. Hamilton>Alonso>Vettel.
     
    #120

Share This Page