What are Ferrari doing with Vettel here? If they don't stretch out for a racy stint on the softs until the end, then they really are more stupid than we realised.
Okay, happy with the decision for soft tyres but what the hell are they doing throwing position away to the Mercs?? Absolutely ridiculous. They have had the pace for p2 and now they may not even podium!
Another constructors title for Merc. Impressive if not a tad dull. Good race all in all. Some iffy strategy here and there from a couple of teams. Hamilton double fluffed with the start and that pass attempt on Max. They may as well give Roberg the title now.
Congratulations Mercedes- they did an excellent job for three years but this success was ultimately locked in by FOA development regulations and hence this has been a procession rather than a sport for 3 years. Hopefully some racing at the front next year. Rosberg just has percentages to play from here on in and he can take a maiden world title.
Watching Rosberg lift that trophy, he just looks like he's got the title in hand. He has this one and well done to him.
Ferrari need to clean house. Their race stragey sucks balls. Hamilton has ****ed it today with that start. 33 points lead with 4 to go? Rosberg can just finish second in each race now and win the championship. He can even finish 3rd in one... We will see.... deffo hamilton needs to turn it completely round and win all 4 but he needs to get it within a race 25 points very very quickly
Cos of undercut. Simple. Hamilton gained every time in the pits. When it mattered there was no way to pass for either vettel or hamilton.
Interesting stat on sky. If you dig past the crying over hamilton you actually find that hamilton has had 4 bad starts.(as in dropping to 5th or worse) But... rosberg as has 3 awful starts too. Canada Malaysia and germany. The thing is they reverse this with 4 races where hamilton gains a position or more than one and rosberg only does this 3 times. The fact is that having looked at this there is no way anyone can say oh if mercedes gave hamilton a clutch he would have won by miles.
I know I'm generally tough on Nico, but I have to say he has developed as a driver through these three years and is showing a level of toughness, where previously he wilted. He owned this weekend and rode the pressure points superbly, it would have been easy for him to have made a mistake on his final qualifying lap or to have fluffed the start today leading to a different result. For the first time this season I believe he can do it and grudgingly, I'm going to have to admit that I believe he does deserve it. Best and worst of Mercedes on display today: congratulations to the technical team for their third championship; Toto Wolff pre race comments I'm going to have to leave for a period when I won't write something I might regret.
I think we have to say that Nico may have had a lot of luck, but the other big factor has been that he's doing better under pressure. The starts have been fatal for Hamiltons championship.
It's got to the stage where only luck can lose rosberg the title. Fair play to him, he's been given this chance and he's snatched it with both arms.
So Merc protest result. Charlie and Stewards have an off the record chat with Max Decision Deferred until Austin Merc drop protest Lewis unaware How Merc have the temerity to protest when their drivers have been knocking **** out of each other is beyond me. What's with the #MaxChats? It's either a rule breach or it isn't! Why couldn't a decision be made now?
If it's deferred it only makes sense to withdraw the protest. Lewis needs Max to take points from Nico. Personally I'm increasingly unimpressed with Verstappen.
