17:00.
F1 2020 Season
- Thread starter pauldyson1uk
- Start date
17:00.
Cheers
I was having a think earlier, only because seeing Russell’s performance, it made me wonder what other factors impact performance outside of purely car and driver talent. I’m not raising the question because I’m trying to diminish what Hamilton has done or indeed Russell did in his first practices.
It’s all good having the same underlying car. But isn’t there so much more that goes into it then that? What about all the tweaks one can make to set up? What about the ability of engineers to translate issues drivers are facing on the track with solutions to the set up of the car?
I guess my point is, how much do the mechanics and engineers who support team Hamilton make a difference if they’re simply better than those who support Bottas? I imagine there is a lot of cross share between the two but I also imagine there must ultimately be two teams responsible for each? Or am I just wrong and the point irrelevant?
It’s all good having the same underlying car. But isn’t there so much more that goes into it then that? What about all the tweaks one can make to set up? What about the ability of engineers to translate issues drivers are facing on the track with solutions to the set up of the car?
I guess my point is, how much do the mechanics and engineers who support team Hamilton make a difference if they’re simply better than those who support Bottas? I imagine there is a lot of cross share between the two but I also imagine there must ultimately be two teams responsible for each? Or am I just wrong and the point irrelevant?
Mick P7 + fastest lap. Illot P6. Mick maintains a 14 point gap into the final race of the season, only a DNF or an incident can stop him becoming champion I think.
Makes a lot of difference.
Just take a look at how many times Ferrari's pit crew have fecked up this season for Vettel compared to Leclerc.
And Ferrari's car this year is engineered towards Leclerc's preference rather than Vettel, which is why you see Better struggling to bring out the best from it while Leclerc can still push it to midfield rather than the back of the pack.
If Russell dominates this weekend. Would Merc consider ditching Hamilton?
Lewis is on 33m a season surley George would accept 3m?
30m worth of Car development a season added. Lewis hasn't signed for next year, be no issue getting George out of his Williams seat with power unit deals.
Lewis is on 33m a season surley George would accept 3m?
30m worth of Car development a season added. Lewis hasn't signed for next year, be no issue getting George out of his Williams seat with power unit deals.
Yes it’s true, but pretty much 99% of champions win because they’re in the best car. Technology has always guided who wins, even as far back as the 80s.
he made a wise choice in picking Mercedes and leaving Mclaren which at the time seemed a strange decision, and he’s helped build them to unstoppable levels. He deserves all the credit he gets, purely for the consistency alone.
No. They wouldn’t drop the most successful driver of all time. Especially as they aren’t developing the car over this summer and the budget cap for development comes in next year.
In the past, the best car changed from season to season. There was a lot more variety at the front, especially in the 80s and 90s when no team won more than 2 titles in a row.
Nowadays periods of domination are becoming increasing longer and longer. Mercedes have won 7 titles in a row which is the longest streak ever, and Red Bull won 4 titles in a row previous to that. In the last 11 years only 2 teams have won titles, which is basically unheard of in the history of F1.
That would be stupid move.
Interestingly, Mercedes made Hamilton and Rosberg swap mechanics for 2016 and Hamilton was not happy (the DNF in Malaysia did not help).
Each car has strengths and weaknesses, where the driver can make a difference is being able to drive the car to it's limits in accordance with a specific setup. This setup will be honed between driver and engineer but the very best will allow the engineer to try more things and will show the engineers where there is potential to be unlocked. Vettel is a great example right now. He needs a very stable rear end to drive fast but the Ferrari does not have a stable rear end when it tries to go fast. Leclerc can deal with it that but Vettel cannot and that's why we see him spinning so much.
This year's Mercedes is the perfect race car, I think the only weakness it has is when it's stuck in traffic. It is a by-product of constant improvement throughout the hybrid era. Hamilton touched on it a few weeks ago:
In the years prior the Mercedes was renowned as a bit of a 'diva', so loads of hard work between drivers and engineers to hone the package combined with Ferrari's illegal engine has pushed Mercedes to where they are now. Really interested to see how Russell copes over a stint with the tyres, that's where Bottas really struggles compared to Hamilton.
The other important element is strategy between engineer and driver. Mercedes know Lewis can be a bit emotional over the radio but they also know how to manage that and that Hamilton is capable of pulling off a variety of different strategies. Communication is so critical and again as they do not know Russell so well it will be interesting to see how they react if he says the tyres are dead. Mercedes are not the best team when it comes to executing strategies, but it goes under the radar a bit.
84-94 were locked out by McLaren and Williams.
Although there is no doubting the dominance Mercedes have had for years, it's not like other teams haven't run them close some seasons. I (and most commentators) thought Ferrari had the better car in 2018 and certainly it had a better engine that year. The margin was pretty small that year and came down to strategy and drivers. That's not saying Mercedes haven't dominated, but it's not as simple as x number of championships in a row.
Red Bull have also had a couple of seasons where they were quicker on slow cornering tracks than the Mercedes.
No. Only reason they'll not have Lewis next year is if he decides he wants to retire.
They'll give him whatever he wants to continue racing.
How do you know what Russell would accept. Total speculation.
And Toto Wolf has said on a number of occasions that Lewis Hamilton driving for Mercedes has transformed their commercial value.
It was always changing though
McLaren 84-85
Williams 86-87
McLaren 88-91
Williams 92-94
Also there was a lot more movement in the drivers market, so Senna, Prost, Mansell, Pique, Lauda, Berger, Patrese, Hill... all had opportunities to drive those cars at one point or another.
Not only has 2014-2021 been locked out by Mercedes, but there’s also almost no driver movement at the top. Merc have only had 3 drivers in this entire era: Hamilton, Rosberg and Bottas
It’s simply far easier for Hamilton to rack up ridiculous statistics than any driver of the past. The variety is lower, the competition is lower, dominance lasts longer, more race weekends than ever before, etc...
That’s why any kind of claim that Hamilton is “greater” than Senna or Prost or any other legend of the past is meaningless, in my view.
I agree. Another general observation in this era is that F1 seats are harder to get a hold of. There should be no way Hulkenberg and Perez do not have drives.
That was a great race, all out action from start to finish. If the F1 race tomorrow can be half as good then we're in for a treat.
I can’t watch any clips of Romans crash or interviews/discussions about it without turning into an emotional wreck whats wrong with me 
Very emotional interview by Roman, he really thought he was going to die, at one stage.
Poor guy was preparing himself for the end there 
87 lap race, has to be one of if not the longest ever.
Forget FP, this is the big test for George.
Going for Max pole, with Russell, Bottas and maybe Albon for other places
That sparking from some of the cars must cos some drag?
Coverage has been shit. They're showing Norris coasting at 5mph between laps, missing Max take the lead. The coverage is so bitty you just see times appear on the left, but never see any full flying laps.
Where the feck did Leclerc come from?
Mega effort from George that.
So close between the top three there, fantastic effort from Russell. Well set up for the race, especially if Max can get a good start.
Leclerc's lap was excellent.
Leclerc's lap was excellent.
Brilliant effort because Bottas is mighty during qualifying.
Sakhir GP Qualifying Result
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | fastest lap 0:53.904 | 0:53.803 | fastest lap 0:53.377 | |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 0:54.160 | 0:53.819 | 0:53.403 | |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 0:54.037 | fastest lap 0:53.647 | 0:53.433 | |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 0:54.249 | 0:53.825 | 0:53.613 | |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 0:54.236 | 0:53.787 | 0:53.790 | |
| 6 | Daniil Kvyat | AlphaTauri | 0:54.346 | 0:53.856 | 0:53.906 | |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 0:54.388 | 0:53.871 | 0:53.957 | |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | McLaren | 0:54.450 | 0:53.818 | 0:54.010 | |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 0:54.207 | 0:53.941 | 0:54.154 | |
| 10 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 0:54.595 | 0:53.840 | 0:54.200 | |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Renault | 0:54.309 | 0:53.995 | not available- | |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | Red Bull | 0:54.620 | 0:54.026 | not available- | |
| 13 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 0:54.301 | 0:54.175 | not available- | |
| 14 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 0:54.523 | 0:54.377 | not available- | |
| 15 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 0:54.194 | 0:54.693 | not available- | |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 0:54.705 | not available- | not available- | |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 0:54.796 | not available- | not available- | |
| 18 | Jack Aitken | Williams | 0:54.892 | not available- | not available- | |
| 19 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 0:54.963 | not available- | not available- | |
| 20 | Pietro Fittipaldi | Haas | 0:55.426 | not available- | not available- |
Some weird posts on the last few pages regarding Hamilton.
Mega by Russell today, showing he’s clearly one of the best young drivers on the grid and has the talent to take a car to a championship winning season. Albon once again showing he’s not good enough.
Mega by Russell today, showing he’s clearly one of the best young drivers on the grid and has the talent to take a car to a championship winning season. Albon once again showing he’s not good enough.
There is plenty of strange posts about Lewis, all over social media, apparently Russell doing well , means that it all the car.
I have said Russell is a cracking driver for a while, in a winning car he has proved it, I did think Albon would do better.
They have a titanium skid block on the bottom of the car, its purely there to make sparks and look cool. It mainly happens at high speeds when downforce is at its highest so the car is squashed down, or over bumps.
The Red Bulls defo fired out most sparks. Did look kinda cool, but not as good as the flame with the old turbos
Had to work but looks like Russell gave old Bottas all he could handle despite years of practice in the car. Who could have predicted that
Puts Hamilton's results for the last few years into perspective...
Well yeah, thats exactly what it means. If a driver who has never driven a car before can get in there and be just as quick as a driver that has been in the car for the last 4 years, yeah it is all about the car. The bullshit that was always directed at Schumacher was that anybody could win in those Ferraris or be quick... somebody has just got into the Mercedes and is quick...
Pretty clear that Leclerc and Verstappen are the best around at the moment.
They should do a charity event each year where the drivers all go up against each other in the same car.