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[The Second Coming]

Yeah, I think Nico would benefit from a Nascar style coach on the radio. 'switch the boost button to on Nico' and 'turn left, left, no, not my left, your left' etc etc

Shame about the radio ban. Nico obviously counted on it giving him an advantage and so was caught offguard and is running out of time to adapt. We were robbed of seeing Nico able to handle Lewis on a level playing field. Hopefully by next year he will have had more time with the engineers and learnt more of the cars functions etc as well as maybe a wider repertoire of racing lines through the various corners

Cookin, we were not robbed of anything. Nico had ample opportunities, on level playing fields, to, as you say, "handle Lewis" this season. In every, and I mean every opportunity, he failed...some in spectacular fashion. When both cars are in perfect health, Lewis always wins. Frankly, I've seen enough...questions answered about this pair. The US GP was good evidence of the difference in quality of the two pilots. Nico claims he was using the wrong ERS settings when Lewis passed him. Well they were both trained thoroughly on all of the electronics at the start of the season so the cerebral one should have been capable of sorting that bit out. (Emm...does anyone find it strange that Nico was spot perfect with his setting all weekend, including the race, and only found it to be a problem when Lewis was about to pass him. Hmm... ) From the data, his lap times were still consistent over the race distance...peaking when on fresh rubber but otherwise, very consistent. On the other hand, Lewis was fighting a mechanical issue...brakes (again). He drove around it and would you imagine, passed Nico under braking. I may remind you, Nico started from pole with a perfect car whereas Lewis' brake issues persisted beyond qualifying into the race. Nico should have scampered off and won that race. But he couldn't, could he. The inevitability of yesterday's result was clear.

As for a fight (battle, whatever), it takes two. Clearly Lewis has been up to it all season. Nico...? The conclusion I've drawn is, though Nico is a solid driver, he's never going to join the Lewis-Alonso-Vettel conversation. He's right in there with the Massa conversation IMO.

[CookinFlat6]

Yeah, perhaps Nico needs to have the higher boost setting at all times to make it more equal like in Bharain, but then he would use even more fuel, and he still couldnt get past anyway. Maybe it was a bit of a tease, the prospect of someone giving Lewis a real on track Senna/Prost ding dong. On the other hand Prost didnt do much battling on track anyway, he was alsway quaulifying places behind and passing in the pits and when Senna broke down.

Maybe the 88 was just a romantic memory, maybe F1 history is really about 1 driver much better than any other even in the same car. lets face it to start at the back and beat your teamate on pole should have been the clue that we shouldnt expect more Bharains.

Maybe Alonso or Ricciardo can be swapped with Nico, after Lewis has won a couple of WDCS, then we might see some more wheel to wheel competition on every lap on every race and so not to get bored.

Actually I really enjoyed this season more than any other this century, yeah come to think about it it hasnt been boring at all, its been great fun, good competition team mate battles, the cars are already as fast as last year and they are burning much less fuel

[Ferrari man 009]

Hamilton 10-4 Rosberg on race wins now. Can see who is most deserving of the title this season.

Rosberg has had the edge on Saturdays, but points are handed out on Sundays and Hamilton has been better in races this season!

I know posting that made you vomit up just a little but great job on calling it as you see it. It's hard to deny the obvious yet so many people choose to do just that.

Not really, I want Ferrari to win every race and if they cant then I hope the most deserving driver does.

I have been critical of Hamilton this season but that was when he was unnecessarily whining and trying to beat Rosberg off the track rather than on it. Since the incident at Spa, Hamilton has done his talking ON the track and has deservedly won every race since. Rosberg has had the edge on Saturday and at his best is as quick as Hamilton but Hamilton has the edge racecraft and pace over a whole race.

Hamilton is the better driver when he focuses on the racing. When he focuses on what his team mate is doing and the politics and allows himself to get distracted he isnt. He lost the 2007 championship by focusing on beating Alonso when all he had to do was follow him home - I just hope he focuses on what he needs to do and not what others are doing. No one can deny he would be a worthy champion but he isn't there yet. That said all he has to do is follow Nico home, he does NOT have to beat him.

[CookinFlat6]

Hamilton is the better driver when he focuses on the racing. When he focuses on what his team mate is doing and the politics and allows himself to get distracted he isnt. He lost the 2007 championship by focusing on beating Alonso when all he had to do was follow him home - .

Can you elaborate on this please. I am a bit confused because I cant remember any scenarios or events supporting this. Did you mean 2010? Wasnt it Alonso who lost the championship by following the rookie Petrov home?

[What's Burning?]

See that's what I don't understand. Why the criticality on the whinning that most Brits in particular seem to be so keen on? WTF does is matter what a driver says or does, it's results that speak for themselves and Lewis Hamilton has put up a pretty damned flawless season.

He's recovered from pretty insurmountable situations, but still people feel the need to be critical of. Meanwhile every other driver on the grid gets a free pass on their whine and cheese fest.

Fernando
Vettel
Button
Massa
Maldonado
Grosjean
Rosberg
Kimi
even Mr. popularity himself...Ricciardo

Going through this season I can think of instances where every single of the drivers above whines and moaned about something on the radio, pre race, post race, you name it. Vettel has a best of album of 'em. But Lewis for some reason get's to be the whinning poster boy for a particular subset of the British fans. The only correlation I seem to notice is that they happen not to like the guy very much. Not saying that's the correlation.

In any case, I'm glad that's the complaint since perhaps the list of faults as a driver has gotten shorter and shorter, they can't find any credible argument to fault the guy on so, whining is as perfect a subjective thing about him not to like. I've said it often, I live and die by what they do on the track. What's done and said outside the track is of little concern to me. Maybe I'll never understand it, but to me it feels like judging a movie based on the actor's off screen personality. It's precisely why I'm enjoying this season even more. Not liking a driver because they whine is not the best of reasons not to like a guy, but to each their own.

[LH44]

I think he meant Interlagos 2007. The start

[CookinFlat6]

I think he meant Interlagos 2007. The start

Before or after his gearbox dropped him to the back of the field?

[CookinFlat6]

Going through this season I can think of instances where every single of the drivers above whines and moaned about something on the radio, pre race, post race, you name it. Vettel has a best of album of 'em. But Lewis for some reason get's to be the whinning poster boy for a particular subset of the British fans. The only correlation I seem to notice is that they happen not to like the guy very much. Not saying that's the correlation.
.

Thats the whole definition there of the British sports media. First of all, everyone has his place and should know his place. If you are from th North then you WILL be a tough talking straightforward type of chap who is 'salt of the earth' and as long as he doesnt start talking philosophy or anything the media can deal with him, unless he becomes too sucessful, then he will have to be broght down to a level where he becomes fair game.

If its a guy like Mansell with the wrong accent or even worse a tache, then he WILL be an uncouth aggresive social climber who must be allowed to fall befiore they can set about him

If its a guy like Lewis, well he has to be more like Button, his dad needs to be less serious and demanding and more chilled and laid back, Lewis must never ever complain about anything at all or he will be deemed to be 'ungrateful' to the establishment who 'overlooked' the small matter of his background to let him in the 'cub' (never mind that it was another outside, Ron who broke the mould)

And all the back scratching self serving useless almost rans like Brundle can then get behind the plucky losers who are actually encouraged to whinge - 'go on chap, it couldnt have been your fault, it was the fault of these fake social climbers with serious shameful 'lower class' values like talent, hard work, ambition. Nonono you are like us, it must be the cars fault

But its maybe best I dont start on a rant with this

[Hammer278]

I think he meant Interlagos 2007. The start

Before or after his gearbox dropped him to the back of the field?

Before. Lewis tried repassing Alonso on Lap 1 and then ran off the road....and subsequently his box failed which dropped him to last.

But of course the box is forgotten, dumb old Lewis tried an overtake on Lap 1 and lost the Championship.

[LH44]

Alonso squeezed him at the start but he could've let go. I'm sure if he found himself in the same situation again, he'd drive differently. It's all part of the maturity process.

[What's Burning?]

A lot of pressure on a rookie, talk about missing the forest for the trees. People see what they want to see regardless of how silly.

[What's Burning?]

Every one in a while, the sport gives us a quote that will live in eternal infamy.

Rosberg has only converted two of his nine pole positions to victories this season and, when asked why this was the case after failing to win in Austin, Rosberg replied: "Today it was just driving better that was missing."

[Ferrari man 009]

Hamilton is the better driver when he focuses on the racing. When he focuses on what his team mate is doing and the politics and allows himself to get distracted he isnt. He lost the 2007 championship by focusing on beating Alonso when all he had to do was follow him home - .

Can you elaborate on this please. I am a bit confused because I cant remember any scenarios or events supporting this. Did you mean 2010? Wasnt it Alonso who lost the championship by following the rookie Petrov home?

I am referring to China 2007 - Hamilton lap after lap stayed out on destroyed inters trying to stretch it to his pit window so he could win the race. All he had to do was pit, finish 2nd or 3rd behind Raikkonen and Alonso effectively won the title. As it was he allowed both a chance of the title should something happen to him in Brazil, which is exactly what happened.

Had Hamilton finished 3rd behind Raikkonen (1st) and Alonso (2nd) the points going into Brazil would have been:

1. Hamilton - 113
2. Alonso - 103
3. Raikkonen - 100

This would have wiped Raikkonen out of the title race and left Hamilton needing only an 8th place finish IF Alonso won the race. Even if Hamilton finished 4th behind Massa he would have only needed a 7th place finish IF Alonso won.

As I say, if Hamilton uses his brain in the last 2 races he will win the championship barring unreliability which would be a daylight robbery. He does NOT need to beat Rosberg and there is a big gap to P3. So all he has to do is turn the engine down, protect the car and come home 2nd.


As for moaning, there has been times this season where Vettel has done my head in moaning about other drivers - annoyingly he will be in red next season so it will be harder to criticise him

[CookinFlat6]

I am referring to China 2007 - Hamilton lap after lap stayed out on destroyed inters trying to stretch it to his pit window so he could win the race.

You are wrong ferrariman, in China Lewis asked to pit at least twice only to be told to stay out. He wanted to pit at least 2 laps before he did. His reason for wanting to pit was that his tyres were 'shot'

So in light of this info that you can now research yourself to check the veracity after 7 years of not knowing this important fact, is there another example of Lewis focusing on politics and his teammate? I am sure you will agree that you would prefer your understanding to be based on facts

[racechick]

Ferrari man it was heartbreaking watching that race. Lewis was only a Rookie and he was asking to come in but his team told him to stay out. He'd likely be more assertive now but as a rookie overruling your team is a big ask.