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[Nin-Chin]

[Roth]

Finally a racing drive from Vettel that we can point to as having a bit of class about it. Ragged, desperate class at times but he got the job done.

There's some definite level splintering going on. As far ahead as Merc are, RB are all on their own in second aswell, which is slightly unusual. All the other teams lack consistent full race pace to challenge.

[bud]

I was a little sorry that Kimi couldn't hang on to his place ahead of Fernando - he worked hard and drove well in both qualifying and during the race. I really hope he take the "team mate" challenge within Ferrari into a real competition for the rest of the year.

To be fair to Kimi Ferrari screwed him over with the strategies!

[racechick]

OMYGOD! That had me sweating!! Lewis had to work for that! I reckon harder than any of the previous wins this year. ( only just watched race , still shaking!!!) he lost three seconds to Rosberg in pitstops...which in this race was his cushion, it was a hard race. Nico was faster but again Lewis won. Why am I hearing that Lewis should not be nice to Nico?? what happenned to 'Lewis is arrogant?' Is that old school now? Lewis knows he has a fight on here, knows he wasn't as fast as he should have been today, that was evident by his calls to the team, but he handled it and praised Nico.

I put Vettel 4th when I thought he was starting tenth, he made it from 15th!Great drive!! And with many good overtakes. credit Vettel! And same goes for Ricciardo, superb! Kimi let me down. I've always thought Alonso the superior driver, but today I gave the nod to Kimi based on his practise times. Alonso has confirmed to me today that he is definitely Ferrari's best driver. Grosjean, super drive! Replace Button next year? And Perez has beaten the much lauded Hulkenberg again, this time without the aid of a safety car. A neat little driver is Perez.

[What's Burning?]

Finally a racing drive from Vettel that we can point to as having a bit of class about it. Ragged, desperate class at times but he got the job done.

There's some definite level splintering going on. As far ahead as Merc are, RB are all on their own in second aswell, which is slightly unusual. All the other teams lack consistent full race pace to challenge.

I agree it was one of Vettel's best races. The car is clearly the best of the rest, and I'd like to see him and Ricciardo qualify closer together so we can have an apples to apples comparison. Seb put that car where it should have been, so to say it was a great drive by him, no. In my opinion, it was a drive a WDC should be able to make to keep themselves in the hunt when on the back foot.

[gdh]

A great race by Vettel, the last few laps provided a bit of interest to another boring race as seen from the feed we were shown here.

[Roth]

Did we all see Nico trying to drown Lewis in champagne?

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Nico did look very satisfied blowing his big white load all over Hamilton's face. He'd obviously been saving that up.

[What's Burning?]

damned NBCSN cut away to premier league footyball and didn't even show the post race interviews! Looking for transcripts now, I did watch the champagne facial Nico squirted over Lewis' face. the bottle of (is it Mumms or Moet?) tasted like resentment.

[Roth]

:gonnagetit: damned NBCSN cut away to premier league footyball and didn't even show the post race interviews! Looking for transcripts now, I did watch the champagne facial Nico squirted over Lewis' face. the bottle of (is it Mumms or Moet?) tasted like resentment.

Nico did his usual Miss World runner-up act, Hamilton did his faux sincere rapper thing, and Ricciardo did his grinny thing despite Eddie Jordan's best attempt to poop all over his parade.

[LewEngBridewell]

And Perez has beaten the much lauded Hulkenberg again, this time without the aid of a safety car. A neat little driver is Perez.

Yes, this has been another strong drive from the Mexican. Force India have an incredibly talented driver line-up IMO

[sagi58]

OK, so I have to voice maybe the one and only thing that is starting to wrinkle me a bit about Lewis: he needs to pull back on constantly talking up Nico...

I hate to burst your bubble; but, if I'm Rosberg, I'm not going to like Hamilton's "crumbs" after such a close fight!
In fact, if I'm Rosberg and Hamilton keeps this up, not only is it going to sound like a pity party, it's also going to
sound like he's talking me up and then adding "but, I beat him, anyway... again..."!

Yes, but you're not Rosberg. He strikes me as being wired a bit differently. In as much as Lewis is consistently beating him under all kinds of circumstances, Nico may feel like he still has a shot because his team-mate is showing some weakness. All I'm saying is, even if Lewis thinks it, he should refrain from saying it. If he feels the need to comment about the weekend or the battle, say something like "Yes, it was a tough battle with my team-mate but I wasn't about to let him win!" Something to that effect, sending a message to Nico that you can try all you want but I'm not having it. In essence, Lewis is doing just that on track but I think when there is opportunity for chatter in front of a mic, he should be as verbally aggressive there too. This isn't a Who Is The Nicest Guy Championship. Nico is a strong driver but knowing how sensitive he can be, Lewis should be living between Nico's ears more. Just take up permanent residence there…move in with the dog and everything, including Lewis' shiny Championship trophy.

With that "philosophy" in mind, Rosberg should have been making all sorts of comments,
since the beginning of the season, considering he has been leading the championship.
How would Hamilton fans have reacted to him saying, something along those lines, e.g.,
"Hamilton's a great driver and it was a tough battle; but, even if he gives it his all, in the
end he doesn't (insert: take care of his tires, think ahead, etc...)!

Not the sort of philosophy that is going to win Mercedes the WCC if the two of them are
talking each other down, if that translates into them taking each other out on track.

[racechick]

They don't talk each other down.

[sagi58]

They don't talk each other down.

And, they shouldn't, as teammates!
I was responding to The Second Coming's suggestion
that Hamilton not be such a "nice guy"!

[The Second Coming]

They don't talk each other down.

And, they shouldn't, as teammates!
I was responding to The Second Coming's suggestion
that Hamilton not be such a "nice guy"!

That was me RC, making my point that Lewis has been layering it on a little too thick about Nico. At this point, it's clear to most (me included) that the Championship is between the two. On a personal note, I like Nico, especially when comparing him to all the other team-mates Lewis has had but I just think Lewis should back away a bit from always seeming to take every opportunity to bolster up Nico. No good will come of it. Now I'm not saying Lewis should take to pure acrimony or make it a harsh personal attack, just don't keep saying things like "Nico was faster than me today" and the like, even if it is true at certain moments. I feel Lewis needs to have every edge he can, especially on the days like he had in Bahrain and Spain where there were close moments of that win being in doubt. Lewis is doing the bit on track but there is a psychological element to be played in my view…and we've seen it in most sports with some of the greatest names in those sports: Ali, Michael Jordan and Senna to name a few. You never saw any of them talking up their opponents…they often secured an advantage before even taking to the ring/court/track by either measuring what they said (focusing on their own task at hand) or not saying anything at all. I just don't want to see Lewis stroke Nico's ego and that becomes a psychological boost for Nico, leading to an extra boost in his performance. Lewis is clearly a much better driver but still, give nothing away. They know each other very well and if it's clear to most of us, Lewis can also see too (and hear) that Nico is not taking this losing bit so well. Right now I'm seeing Lewis' body language suggesting sooner or later he's gonna turn to Nico and say "Hey, do you need a hug?" (OK, a little levity but it's to sure up my point.) Again, my point being, Nico is the only person standing between Lewis and the big trophy…don't relinquish any edge/advantage you have. Lewis winning races and Nico coming 2nd will still yield the WCC so it's the driver title that I'm focused on. Selfishly, I want Lewis to win…there, I said it! Plus, there is a part of me that wants to see a little, I dunno, flare/spice to the proceedings. It may not be the Senna/Prost thing but a little dose of it here or there would lend itself well to the season, I think.

Such fun!

[Nin-Chin]

Ferrari gave priority to Alonso even though he was behind and gave him the better 3 stop strategy, Kimi had him under control for whole race until he was caught at the end.