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By Stevie
#435973
Given what we've seen so far...who do you predict will finish this season on top?

Mine:
MERCEDES - Hamilton
FERRARI - Vettel
WILLIAMS - Bottas
LOTUS - Grosjean
RED BULL - Ricciardo
TORO ROSSO - Verstappen
SAUBER - Nasr
MCLAREN - Alonso
MANOR-MARUSSIA - Merhi
FORCE INDIA - Perez
#435984
I'd largely agree too. The most difficult ones for me are Force India and Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen has been amazing so far, and I expect the good results to continue. But Carlos Sainz Jr is also highly regarded, and I feel we've more to see from him yet.
By Peter Smit
#436050
Stevie your predictions are good, it certainly looks that way now. Perhaps Rosberg coming 4th before Roman Grosj.

I think this season will differ from last season in that Lewis Hamilton maybe his points will be further ahead then Nico's, so the team will intervene for Nico to help block traffic not obviously because impeding is against the rules but perhaps to get Nico to overtake several times the Ferrari and fight with Vettel more, because when they are biting each other's heels they become slower and Lewis in the front can speed ahead clear from this fighting.

So naturally last season the team leave them to fight and no favouritism to either driver, because either for them was ok to be drivers champion (despite Nico being German) for the team's point of view both coming 1st and 2nd is good no matter the order but now with Ferrari threatening them they will want to ensure a Mercedes is first, if one of them falls behind in the drivers championship it will be the responsibility of that one to trouble the Ferrari. We wait to see if that one that falls behind his team mate will be rear guard duty or will be selfish and not do this guard duty.
By Stevie
#436052
Stevie your predictions are good, it certainly looks that way now. Perhaps Rosberg coming 4th before Roman Grosj.

I think this season will differ from last season in that Lewis Hamilton maybe his points will be further ahead then Nico's, so the team will intervene for Nico to help block traffic not obviously because impeding is against the rules but perhaps to get Nico to overtake several times the Ferrari and fight with Vettel more, because when they are biting each other's heels they become slower and Lewis in the front can speed ahead clear from this fighting.

So naturally last season the team leave them to fight and no favouritism to either driver, because either for them was ok to be drivers champion (despite Nico being German) for the team's point of view both coming 1st and 2nd is good no matter the order but now with Ferrari threatening them they will want to ensure a Mercedes is first, if one of them falls behind in the drivers championship it will be the responsibility of that one to trouble the Ferrari. We wait to see if that one that falls behind his team mate will be rear guard duty or will be selfish and not do this guard duty.


It does appear that Lewis will beat Nico with little difficulty - I know we're only 2 races in but already a pattern is emerging. Nico seems baffled, like he can't understand just how or why he's unable to catch him and challenge him. It looks to be turning into a VETTEL - WEBBER situation...but we shall see. Things may turn around.

As for Nico doing his duty....it'll be interesting to see if he does....I'd say probably not, seeing as he's shown quite a stubborn, selfish streak before on numerous occasions. I liked Nico last year and felt bad for him losing out on the title, and thought that this year he'd be cleaner and free of mistakes, ready to take the fight to Lewis, but from what I'm seeing, he's not deserving of a title this year so far. Shame.
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By sagi58
#436057
... As for Nico doing his duty....it'll be interesting to see if he does....I'd say probably not, seeing as he's shown quite a stubborn, selfish streak before on numerous occasions...

Agreed! But, the cynic in me asks "When is his contract up?" :confused:
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By Jabberwocky
#436162
Nico Rosberg looks a beaten man. His wording on the podium interview last time out said it all

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
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By Bladesman
#436249
Rosberg does look a bit defeated at the moment and you would think his mood will change over the course of the season.

It's one thing losing to Lewis but it must have really annoyed him that Vettel has managed to win a race in the Ferrari.
By Peter Smit
#436250
Now all the news and interviews of Mercedes team mates Rosberg says Lewis was backing him up so his tyres are worse off than Lewis's and he was under pressure from a charging Vettel. But in the same video interview he says Vettel shot his tyres in the first stint when he wanted to pressurise him (Rosberg) to overtake him, in the second stint Rosberg says he was able in the long straight to stop Vettel from getting into the DRS zone, so if Lewis was not going fast enough in the front he should just say you know tyres have been a problem for us and I didn't want to take out too much from them whilst the car is still heavy with fuel to preserve them until later when the car is lighter for me to speed ahead. But being first his tyres were always going to be in a better position then Rosberg and Vettel's tyres but there was a chance for his tyres to lose grip had he gone faster then as he would have been vulnerable later. So it was a good strategy for Lewis for him to be slower then and faster when the car has less fuel. But I would argue with what Lewis did, he didn't compromise the team strategy of getting a P1 and P2, they got that, Rosberg said in the bold above that Vettel was losing grip if he got close to overtake Rosberg so they was no danger to Rosberg's finishing in that spot he qualified in, and no danger to the team's hopes of a P1 and P2.

Video of Rosberg's interview where he says about what was happening to Vettel's tyres when he got close to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Xz72YePsI
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By Bladesman
#436252
Now all the news and interviews of Mercedes team mates Rosberg says Lewis was backing him up so his tyres are worse off than Lewis's and he was under pressure from a charging Vettel. But in the same video interview he says Vettel shot his tyres in the first stint when he wanted to pressurise him (Rosberg) to overtake him, in the second stint Rosberg says he was able in the long straight to stop Vettel from getting into the DRS zone, so if Lewis was not going fast enough in the front he should just say you know tyres have been a problem for us and I didn't want to take out too much from them whilst the car is still heavy with fuel to preserve them until later when the car is lighter for me to speed ahead. But being first his tyres were always going to be in a better position then Rosberg and Vettel's tyres but there was a chance for his tyres to lose grip had he gone faster then as he would have been vulnerable later. So it was a good strategy for Lewis for him to be slower then and faster when the car has less fuel. But I would argue with what Lewis did, he didn't compromise the team strategy of getting a P1 and P2, they got that, Rosberg said in the bold above that Vettel was losing grip if he got close to overtake Rosberg so they was no danger to Rosberg's finishing in that spot he qualified in, and no danger to the team's hopes of a P1 and P2.

Video of Rosberg's interview where he says about what was happening to Vettel's tyres when he got close to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Xz72YePsI


Anyway I thought this was motor racing. Surely if Lewis is going too slow the obvious thing to do would be to just attack him anyway and force him to go faster?
By Peter Smit
#436253
Now all the news and interviews of Mercedes team mates Rosberg says Lewis was backing him up so his tyres are worse off than Lewis's and he was under pressure from a charging Vettel. But in the same video interview he says Vettel shot his tyres in the first stint when he wanted to pressurise him (Rosberg) to overtake him, in the second stint Rosberg says he was able in the long straight to stop Vettel from getting into the DRS zone, so if Lewis was not going fast enough in the front he should just say you know tyres have been a problem for us and I didn't want to take out too much from them whilst the car is still heavy with fuel to preserve them until later when the car is lighter for me to speed ahead. But being first his tyres were always going to be in a better position then Rosberg and Vettel's tyres but there was a chance for his tyres to lose grip had he gone faster then as he would have been vulnerable later. So it was a good strategy for Lewis for him to be slower then and faster when the car has less fuel. But I would argue with what Lewis did, he didn't compromise the team strategy of getting a P1 and P2, they got that, Rosberg said in the bold above that Vettel was losing grip if he got close to overtake Rosberg so they was no danger to Rosberg's finishing in that spot he qualified in, and no danger to the team's hopes of a P1 and P2.

Video of Rosberg's interview where he says about what was happening to Vettel's tyres when he got close to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Xz72YePsI


Anyway I thought this was motor racing. Surely if Lewis is going too slow the obvious thing to do would be to just attack him anyway and force him to go faster?


True had he been closer, Lewis would have gone faster and they would both have sped ahead, like their did in the last stint.
By Stevie
#436255
Now all the news and interviews of Mercedes team mates Rosberg says Lewis was backing him up so his tyres are worse off than Lewis's and he was under pressure from a charging Vettel. But in the same video interview he says Vettel shot his tyres in the first stint when he wanted to pressurise him (Rosberg) to overtake him, in the second stint Rosberg says he was able in the long straight to stop Vettel from getting into the DRS zone, so if Lewis was not going fast enough in the front he should just say you know tyres have been a problem for us and I didn't want to take out too much from them whilst the car is still heavy with fuel to preserve them until later when the car is lighter for me to speed ahead. But being first his tyres were always going to be in a better position then Rosberg and Vettel's tyres but there was a chance for his tyres to lose grip had he gone faster then as he would have been vulnerable later. So it was a good strategy for Lewis for him to be slower then and faster when the car has less fuel. But I would argue with what Lewis did, he didn't compromise the team strategy of getting a P1 and P2, they got that, Rosberg said in the bold above that Vettel was losing grip if he got close to overtake Rosberg so they was no danger to Rosberg's finishing in that spot he qualified in, and no danger to the team's hopes of a P1 and P2.

Video of Rosberg's interview where he says about what was happening to Vettel's tyres when he got close to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5Xz72YePsI


Anyway I thought this was motor racing. Surely if Lewis is going too slow the obvious thing to do would be to just attack him anyway and force him to go faster?


True had he been closer, Lewis would have gone faster and they would both have sped ahead, like their did in the last stint.


Rosberg doesn't seem like much of a racer to me...he over-thinks too much, when his best line of attack right now would be...well, attack! He's frustrated that not only is his team mate beating him easily, but also that another driver is splitting them, and now he's spewing all kinds of rubbish about Lewis not going fast enough....

Well, if he was going that slowly, how come didn't Rosberg catch him then? I'm a huge Vettel follower, but Malaysia '13's "tell Mark to get out of the way, he's too slow' rubbish didn't wash with me! At the end of the day, ROS needs to zip it and get on with racing - he's making himself look a bit of a sour-faced fool at the minute. Definitely a weak link in the team, IMO.
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By zurich_allan
#436267
One that I'm going to stick my neck out and say is that Massa will come out on top at Williams this year. I await the laughter, but all I will say is wait until November then we'll see if I'm right... :)

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