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The 2021 F1 Season.

I think it was quite deliberate today. My little thought to myself is that he already knows he will not be renewed past this years contract and is trying to lay a few markers to other potential teams that he is not going to lie down and meekly let HAM past.

This is just my slightly mischievous thought and has no evidential basis but whatever the reason, it was well considered but possible ill advised.

So what other team is going to want a #2 who can't follow team orders?

Surely he can't be suffering under the delusion that any reasonable team would want him as a #1?...
 
So what other team is going to want a #2 who can't follow team orders?

Surely he can't be suffering under the delusion that any reasonable team would want him as a #1?...

He would be an excellent speed reference. He really is a very good driver, not top drawer of course but capable of setting a marker for a younger driver. Look at Alfa, who knows what their real speed is, Kimi has been a spent force for a few years and almost impossible to know how he would match up to HAM in a Merc; might be good, might not, we know BOT can qualify at HAM pace. Then we could judge TSU pace. Or Haas with one driver who has no right being here and one who is average but probably only there because of his family name.
 
So what other team is going to want a #2 who can't follow team orders?

Surely he can't be suffering under the delusion that any reasonable team would want him as a #1?...

He would be an excellent speed reference. He really is a very good driver, not top drawer of course but capable of setting a marker for a younger driver. Look at Alfa, who knows what their real speed is, Kimi has been a spent force for a few years and almost impossible to know how he would match up to HAM in a Merc; might be good, might not, we know BOT can qualify at HAM pace. Then we could judge TSU pace. Or Haas with one driver who has no right being here and one who is average but probably only there because of his family name.

Sorry TSU is of course Alpha Tauri, not Alfa Romeo, my mistake but my main point about BOT as a speed reference remains
 
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Imagine the horror of Max Verstappen, having been told "He'll catch up with you on the last lap", seeing the black apparition in his mirrors 6 laps from the end.

:eek:

I know you meant his car. ;):D

Another top drive from Lewis. Really brave pass from Max at the start on Lewis but it needed Hamilton to make space or risk a collision. I think Max is banking on Lewis always giving the space to play the long game in these moves but he seems to have the edge mentally on Lewis in this tightest of situations at the moment. Lewis knowing that you can't win a race at the first corner but you can definitely lose it.

I did post about Mercedes now possibly having the faster car over a race distance and I think we're starting to see it now. This team just know how to fight and it looks like they clawed back the deficit and more from RB since the first tests. RB 'should' have won the first 2 races and here they were done by Mercedes on strategy plus the driving of Lewis.

Bottas isn't doing himself any favours but then I'm not sure what else he can do now. Mercedes still need him to be quick enough for any strategy plays so can't demotivate him too soon with calls to let Lewis past at this early stage of the season.

I think Max is (again) going to keep the Mercedes of Lewis honest but I think we're already starting to seeing glimpses of another dominant Mercedes season.

I hope not as it's been great seeing Max & Lewis go wheel to wheel in the 4 races so far.
 
:eek:
I know you meant his car. ;):D

Indeed - I confess that the other meaning didn't even occur to me.
egg-on-face1.jpg
 
Hamilton is saying he wants a contract with Mercedes for next year signed before the summer break.

So that’s all the “8 titles, 100 poles, and he'll retire” predictions blown out of the water!

I don't think I ever voiced that opinion myself but I'll admit, I thought it would have been the likely outcome. My revised prediction is that he'll hang on till he gets 10 titles and or does 10 doubles with Mercedes. Crazy talk, right???
 
I don't think I ever voiced that opinion myself but I'll admit, I thought it would have been the likely outcome. My revised prediction is that he'll hang on till he gets 10 titles and or does 10 doubles with Mercedes. Crazy talk, right???

I thought he’d go if wins this year as he has so many interests outside of F1 but maybe he’s really enjoying the battles with Max and also that Toto is also hanging around too?
 
I thought he’d go if wins this year as he has so many interests outside of F1 but maybe he’s really enjoying the battles with Max and also that Toto is also hanging around too?

Yeah, apparently knowing that Toto was staying around swayed Hamilton's decision to carry on, and it might be as equally influential going forwards. But it really does seem as though he's enjoying himself more than ever now that he's got a new sparring partner and that's going to be a big factor in how long he keeps going. And if the sparring continues to be close - if not closer - then all the better for us :)
 
I've thought for a while that Hamilton will go for the 10 titles if he can, he could easily drive into his early 40s. It might be difficult to get that many titles, but much will depend on how well Mercedes do with the new car for 2022 rule changes.
 
I expected HAM to crash into VER this race, after all the talk about fair racing by both HAM and VER prior to the raceweekend. But the Mercedes was quicker on this track. Now lets see how fair Monaco will be when Honda Red Bull might be quicker.
 
Now lets see how fair Monaco will be when Honda Red Bull might be quicker.

The Red Bull will fair much better at Monaco as it's a high downforce twisty circuit with limited high speed straights. Red Bull will be able to run their high downforce rear wing and not lose much on the faster straight sections like they did in Barcelona (they switched to a lower downforce rear wing to counteract).
 
The Red Bull will fair much better at Monaco as it's a high downforce twisty circuit with limited high speed straights. Red Bull will be able to run their high downforce rear wing and not lose much on the faster straight sections like they did in Barcelona (they switched to a lower downforce rear wing to counteract).

That lower downforce wing might have given them the straight-line speed but it was also the key to the tyre degradation allowing more movement in the corners killing the tyres quicker than Merc. Not much they could have done ultimately, probably chose the right route, nearly worked if it wasn't for for those dratted (Merc) kids.
 
That lower downforce wing might have given them the straight-line speed but it was also the key to the tyre degradation allowing more movement in the corners killing the tyres quicker than Merc. Not much they could have done ultimately, probably chose the right route, nearly worked if it wasn't for for those dratted (Merc) kids.

Yes, that was the problem for Red Bull. Running the high downforce rear wing meant they lost speed on the fast straights, but had tighter rear end traction. For Red Bull, it was like that scene from Days of Thunder:

Cole Trickle:
Whoa. Her ass is all over the place.

Harry Hogge:
When the rear end's loose, the car's fast. Loose is fast, and on the edge you're out of control.
 
Some years back it looked like he was starting to develop a habit of running into Massa.

Yep, the 2011 season for which there are many sometimes complex reasons, but none of that was malicious from either side and to be fair the stewards penalised Massa on two if the five (I think) occasions. I think if you look at Hamilton's career as a whole there are very few incidents where one can point the finger. Compare and contrast to other greats such as Schumacher or Senna.... hmmm!
 
Yep, the 2011 season for which there are many sometimes complex reasons, but none of that was malicious from either side and to be fair the stewards penalised Massa on two if the five (I think) occasions. I think if you look at Hamilton's career as a whole there are very few incidents where one can point the finger. Compare and contrast to other greats such as Schumacher or Senna.... hmmm!

Usually I think it was just a matter of they always seemed to be occupying the same part of the track after the 2nd round of pits...
 


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