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Previously on TheJudge13:
#F1 Forensics: Red Bull revival and the Ferrari weaknesses
Perez v. Massa Controversy Contraversifies
Ferrari refutes Raikkonen to be replaced for 2015
The rise and fall of the F1 magnates
Perez v. Massa Controversy Contraversifies
Bosses around the world are in despair as on Day 2 of the brouhaha both parties took to social media to prove their case and the internet failed once again to get any work done.
Said Boss Solomon Bigbritches “One of my guys spent 7 hours yesterday looking for grainy cell phone videos of the incident that FOM hadn’t pulled yet so he could prove just one guy wrong on the internet. And that was his co-worker who sat right next to him. Meanwhile, all of my projects are on hold while he does frame by frame analysis with protractors. The Warren Commission spent less time on their findings”
created by d3agl3uk
from http://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/
Leading economists predict the global economy will screech to a halt if the matter is not soon resolved. Fortunately we here at TJ13 have found what the cousins like to call the “smoking gun” which clearly demonstrates the fact that depending on the point of view the guilt or innocence of the correct party is clearly established beyond a shadow of a doubt a racing incident.
The Silver Star lining in all this is that the oxygen is being sucked out of the Rosberg-Hamilton feud, meaning life is back to normal for the duo. “Thank #@$%!@# God” shared the naturally talented Hamilton. “Does this finally mean you’ll finally ask me something other than whether I’m still friends with Nico?”
Meanwhile the cool and cerebral Rosberg replied “Thank !@#%@#$ God. Does this mean you’ll finally ask me something other than whether I’m still friends with Lewis?”
Team Boss Toto Lauda weighed in with the definitive statement “Thank !@#$@!# God. I’m sick of all the bull!@#$. They’re !@#$!@#$ professionals and employees and if they can’t get their f!@#ing sh$%^ together then I will fire both their lazy f@#$%#ing asses.” He then headed off to elocution lessons with Samuel L. Jackson.
Of course astute readers will note that the common thread between these incidents is the stewards, or rather more to the point, not the same stewards. Where Monaco was adjudged no foul by Rosberg, Canada was apparently worthy of a five grid spot penalty. The more cynically minded will observe that the stewards might feel more comfortable “getting tough” with the smaller teams.
Long memoried commenter and testing analysis contributor Vortex Motio noted that despite everyone’s obsession with observing steward Fernandez’ apparent conflict of interest, actual steward Derek Daly might have an axe of his own to grind as well.
Derek’s son Conor was involved in a horrifying accident with similar parameters during the Monaco 2012 GP3 race, with Conor playing the part of Massa. The difference was that the stewards found Conor to be at fault and imposed a 10 spot grid penalty on him, negatively affecting his career. Is it possible that Derek’s view of the Massa-Perez incident was influenced by his son’s experience? As they say in politics, it’s the appearance of impropriety that will get you.
The real disgrace in all of this is the fact that such important decisions are left to a group of dilettante playboys and ex-drivers with heavy industry connections. No other global multi-billion dollar sporting enterprise would embarrass itself this way. It’s time for F1 to grow up and employ professional stewards to ensure consistency in its judgements.
Potential candidates could train in the lower ranks and advance as they gain experience. More training would be required as one advanced upwards and at the top decisions would be reviewed to ensure consistent standards and treatment of all the teams. Sure you could have guest stewards as a link to the past, but it would need to be made clear that they were mostly guest, not so much steward.
Ferrari refutes Raikkonen to be replaced for 2015
If in the UK papers concentrate on the principle story that is Lewis Hamilton, in Italy to sell newspapers and associated advertising an avalanche of reports are written daily in regards to Ferrari. When people speak of the huge pressure that the Italian team exists in, it is this constant rumour and counter-rumour that feeds the hordes.
Over the Canadian Grand Prix weekend rumours started that Ferrari were looking to offload Kimi Raikkonen. Whether started within the Italian camp or their origin is some ruthless hack in the media is irrelevant, Ferrari creates headlines.
The press were likening the current situation at Ferrari with the situation that the team faced back in 2009 – a driver that had lost his desire for racing. Alonso may currently be beating Raikkonen on a consistent basis but on the few occasions that Raikkonen has been competitive with the Spaniard he has raced hard and as in Monaco ahead of him. Ultimately, everyone knows that the driving talent at Maranello is not behind the problems Ferrari are suffering.
Mattiacci has made no secret of his admiration for the cool-headed Iceman and it is only in recent weeks that Alonso has changed his tune in regards the overall boss. Alonso is a competitive animal and wants to win races and titles but Raikkonen didn’t join the hotbed of Ferrari simply because he wanted to be paid.
By all accounts, he is signed for 2015 with an extra year’s option which would cost Ferrari in the region of $30 million to terminate. A Ferrari source said: “ Kimi will not leave home a second time and Ferrari doesn’t want to do that again.”
Massa struggled for years to compete against the Alonso juggernaut and despite public outcries to have him replaced, Ferrari kept the faith. Until they have a car that is competing with the best the question remains who would they replace Kimi with?
F1 Mind Games
In life one thing is certain, “you can’t unlearn anything”. Of course In the strictest sense we can gather incremental information which may change the way we view things, but when we become aware of an idea or concept, it’s impossible to deny its existence in what ever form we eventually come to view it.
Mind games are a part of life and are particularly prevalent in sport and broadly could be defined as “a largely conscious struggle for psychological one-upmanship , often employing passive-aggressive behaviour to specifically demoralize or empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor look superior” (Gita Mamman).
A.P. Sands believes, “The serious sportsman will also be prepared to meet a variety of gambits and head-games from their rivals, attempting meanwhile to tread the fine line between competitive psychology and paranoia”.
At the start of the season we heard a lot from Mercedes and their drivers about how good the friendship between Lewis and Nico was – together in its 15 year historical context. Yet no one is really surprised that with Mercedes so dominant and the stakes so high that this relationship will become most strained at times.
Rosberg, this weekend, recognised that this mental side to sport is inevitable. “The mental aspect is always a part,” he said. “It’s always there and I do think about it, because in sport it is a factor, the mental side to it”.
Most observers would agree that Lewis Hamilton is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, which at times means his emotions appear more intense. Then we have the stereotype that Nico is less obviously demonstrative of his feelings, which draws the conclusion he may be more cerebral.
Prior to the Canadian GP Rosberg re-enforced this idea when he commented, “I don’t want to compare myself to him [Hamilton]. In general I try to err towards the rational side, but it’s sometimes very difficult in this sport and in the heat of the moment. I try to be a little bit towards the rational side, but that is not compared to anyone else”.
Interestingly, during that interview Nico went to great lengths to exclude Lewis from any comparison to himself – once directly and the second time in general terms, yet all this does is draw in the listener to underline those comparisons once they have been suggested.
We cannot unlearn the idea that there is a difference between Lewis and Nico and how they approach their tasks, and the seed is planted that one is ‘emo’ and the other rational.
This is not the first time this suggestion has been made and it was Lewis who sowed the seed this year that there were differences between himself and Rosberg. Back in March he admitted, “Nico often spends much more time with the engineers than I do,” and what followed was a whole debate about whether Hamilton had a lesser technical depth of understanding than his team mate.
The basis of any mind game between 2 competitors is rooted in an observed difference between them. The job of each competitor is to spin their differentiating characteristic as positive in comparison to a negative characteristic of their opponent.
So we have, Nico is more rational…. Lewis is emotional.
The positive/negative spins possible from this comparison are indeed many and so far Rosberg appears to be 5 love up in the first set.
‘Lewis is thick’, ‘Lewis is out of control’, Lewis acts in haste and regrets at leisure’, the list of negative constructions could go on for some time.
Rosberg re-enforces these negative stereotypes whilst protesting he is making no comment on his team mate. He adds as a positive conclusion of his rational abilities, “I am confident enough to believe at any track, if I get my car to my liking, then the chance is there to win. So I don’t go into this weekend any different.”
So it is impossible for us, the F1 fans, to unlearn that there are significant differences between these two Mercedes drivers.
Where Lewis could box clever is to redefine his ‘heart on the sleeve’ label in a positive way and couch it in terms which defeat the considered and rational image of Nico.
More passion is a positive spin on the stereotype of being ‘more emotional’. Hamilton’s corner need to be lauding his abilities in this context.
Maybe this looks something like, ‘passion beats rationale. it takes you to a place beyond belief. And if you believe that place is real and achievable, then you can out perform the rational’.
Most F1 observers would agree that like Alonso, Hamilton is a rare kind of driver who can ‘out-perform’ his car. Why? Because he believes it can do more than is rationally possible. Of course that extra 0.001% belief is the difference in a qualification lap time.
So Hamilton’s PR are failing him. Lewis was inevitably asked in the FIA press conference last Thursday about Monaco and his relationship with Nico. He was initially reluctant to speak about it replying, “there’s not really much to say. I said it in my message. We spoke after the race and just like friends we have our ups and down, we’ve known each other a long, long time, so it’s done and dusted and we look forward to working together to try to help this team win the Constructors’ Championship”.
He was asked multiple times over the weekend the same kind of questions and at best sounded as though the matter was being swept under the carpet.
In fact Lewis’ appeared to be going out of his way to demonstrate his buddy buddy relationship with Nico, About 2 hours before the race, the Mercedes pair were sent down to turn one to be interviewed together in front of the crowd. Nico did his cerebral thing, speaking to the assembled masses in French – and Lewis shouted “Yo”.
Worse was to come, in what looked like a pre-planned attempt to make the pair look united, Lewis casually hung off Nico’s shoulder smiling and relaxed… only for Rosberg to most obviously shrug him off and cast him a glance of disdain.
Do not be mistaken, Rosberg has found a modus operandi which is best described as being cool toward Lewis and attempting to make his friendly advances look silly. Then behind the scenes, Rosberg is drawing the negative comparisons between Lewis and himself – which he claims he is not really making.,,, honest gov.
Lewis needs to learn to embrace who he is. Let Lewis be Lewis and come out fighting and say – “Hey, I’m passionate – so what? At times I may get things wrong in the heat of the moment, but it’s who I am- and it’s the reason I can beat those who are cool, calm and collected”.
In reality it will require some clever work and a planned agenda from Lewis’ PR people, but in essence what is required is for the exuberant, joyous Lewis of 2007/08 to re-emerge. Like a chrysalis, he needs to break free from all the layers of ‘crap’ which have wound their way around him – something that at Mercedes is more possible than if Hamilton were still at McLaren.
We cannot ‘un-learn’ that Lewis is emotional – because in fact he is. We could be re-educated as to the positive benefits of being an emotional personality.
Lewis can then play positive mind games instead of the catchup he has been forced into for the past couple of weeks. He can compare the benefits of passion to the negatives of being of a staid and steady nature, which we may plausibly accept is the ‘obvious’ conclusion of someone who is first and foremost living by the rule of reason.
The rise and fall of the F1 magnates
Tony Fernandes is counting the cost of what many have tried and failed to do – make money out of building cars and funding a Formula 1 team. In fact many who were far better qualified than Fernandes have failed at both of these ventures.
TJ13 reported back in January that the ‘collaboration’ between Renault and Caterham on the venture to resurrect the Alpine marquee was all but over. Caterham were not delivering on their part of the deal and it was merely a matter of time before the partnership was collapsed formally.
Today, Autocar reports, “Problems between Renault and Caterham first surfaced at the beginning of this year, with insiders admitting to creative tensions between the two brands”.
Renault have now acquired 100% of the project, “by mutual consent”.
Just 18 months ago we all were treated to a Tony Fernandes special, as his PR spun the story of his passion to resurrect the Alpine marquee. As an independent car manufacturer established in post-War Dieppe, Alpine became one of the leading rally marques of 1960s and 1970s. Working in partnership with Renault, Alpine completed 1-2-3s in the Monte Carlo rally in both 1971 and 1973. In 1973, the company was bought by Renault, who continued to build Alpine road cars until 1995.
At a press conference in Paris. November 2012, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Caterham Group Chairman, stated, “We know the markets we are going into, and there is a huge opportunity to give consumers access to exciting, affordable products that marry our interests in F1 and technology, and help make their dreams come true.”
Well the dream of owning a car manufacture – now up for sale, has turned into a nightmare for Fernandes. Further, during the Monaco GP there were talks between senior Caterham F1 personnel and Colin Kolles observed by a sharp eyed observer.
In an extra-ordinary move Fernandes publicly threatened his Caterham F1 team workforce earlier this year that he was thinking of quitting unless they pulled up their socks and delivered something better than finishing last
This petulant speech, couldn’t have trashed the Caterham brand any more than the most malicious act of competitor – and now Fernandes much lauded collaboration to restore a historic racing marquee is in tatters too.
Renault will still launch its Alpine sports car in 2016, which the French manufacturer describes as the “Berlinette of the 21st century.” 90% of the design of the new car is complete, with an interior design set to be finished before the end of the summer.
Caterham claim they will use the technology it has already developed on this project to produce its own car. However, the company admits that there will be job losses at its Norfolk-based tech centre as a result.
So another multi-millionaire has come and is going who thought it would be cool to build sports cars and race in F1.
Meanwhile at the Canadian GP Gene Haas has again strongly refuted he needs to base his F1 operations in Europe. “I think we will be OK. America has an awful lot of advantages,” Haas told the BBC. “We have great infrastructure, good communications, very mobile people we can do things with. I think we have a lot of flexibility that will surprise people how quickly we can respond.”
Haas also claims his motivation for joining F1 is to promote his successful machine tools business outside the US market. Yet hardly anyone, other than Ferrari periodically, has been successful in F1 when setting up and running a team outside England’s “Motorsport Valley”.
Yet Haas is uber confident. “We’re Americans, we’re racers; we know how to do this. A lot of people think we don’t know how to do this, but we’re stubborn, we’ll stick with it and we’ll get the job done. We know it’s going to take a lot to get it done. On the revenue side, Stewart-Haas racing is a profitable business. F1 it’s going to take a while to do that but I have no doubt that we will do OK.”
In a parallel universe, Colin Kolles is strongly linked with a takeover in Leafield, though he is driving down the price Fernades is asking. So far Forza Rossa is making no comment, though they are keen to complete the transaction soon so as to compete in 2015.
Fernandes will sell because this gives him a face saving exit, jobs and futures secured… bla bla bla. The alternative is, in his own words, to continue and “trail around at the back”, pouring more and more money down an ever increasing black hole.
Was Lewis just unlucky?
James Allen described the fact the Nico Rosberg finished the race in Canada as “a miracle”. Others have suggested that this was a “remarkable” performance from the German to be able to drive around the myriad of problems thrown at him whilst trying to pilot his car at over 300kph.
The official tale is that both cars Control Electronics unit failed, shutting down the MGU-K (energy recovery system) which meant more breaking had to be done by the brakes than was usual. The MGU-K system as it harvests energy is used much more significantly for rear breaking in 2014, so Mercedes have reduced the capacity of their rear braking systems.
Toto Wolff whimsically offers of both his drivers, “they had exactly the same problem and I think, at the end of the day, that Nico was just a bit luckier. The brakes failed, both of them were compliant when we told them to save the brakes, and when Lewis came into the pits, the car was standing, he started the car, the temperatures just peaked, the brake pedal got soft and then faded completely.
It didn’t happen with Nico, but that was just luck I would say.”
Paddy Lowe when questioned by SKY immediately after the chequered flag initially stated that Lewis braking problems were independent of the MGU-K failure – yet when pressed he admitted the latter may have been a contributory factor.
Lewis reveals that “early in the second stint” he and Nico were aware of the problem and given information of how to mitigate the situation.
Toto adds, “It was a problem we didn’t see coming – or did see coming too late – and mixed fortunes. I’m very sad for Lewis, having lost all the valuable points. Equally, Nico drove a sensational race with a really handicapped car to finish second. So ups and downs.”
Yet Nico Rosberg questioned the team on the radio just before pit stop number 2 about the relative brake bias settings between his and Lewis’ car. He was informed that Lewis was running more rear brake bias than himself?
Surely, from around lap 20 or so (early in stint 2), both cars would have been running an optimum rear/forward brake balance to mitigate the incremental wear on the rear braking systems. Clearly running a more forward bias would improve reliability possibilities.
So. Did the team give Lewis a different setting to offset the impending brake wear difficulties? Then again, was Lewis even given a setting to mitigate rear brake wear? Or did Lewis ignore a given brake bias setting and choose to run a bias incrementally towards his rear brakes which meant he could attack Rosberg more easily under braking – but which also inevitably contributed to their ultimate failure?
Ainslie announces – almost
As TJ13 reported in May, June would see Ben Ainslie launch his bid to enter the world’s premier yachting event – the America’s Cup. Today at a huge media event and before the eyes of the world in Portsmouth, one of Britain’s most successful Olympians announces the launch of Ben Ainslie Racing… interestingly shortened to BAR. .
Ainslie is tasked with raising some £80m to pull off a British entry to a competition previously only ever won by USA, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland since the inaugural competition in the mid-19th century.
Of course, all F1 eyes were on a possible announcement of the design team, which is normative at such an event. Ainslie restricted himself to the following. “Although our hands have been tied somewhat due to the uncertainty, I am delighted with the signings we have made, particularly on the design side which has really been our key focus. We have some really experienced and talented people on board, led by our technical director and two-time America’s Cup winner Andy Claughton”.
- Claughton’s America’s Cup experience.
| Date, Venue | Syndicate | Role |
| 1983Newport | Victory 83 | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests. VPP calculations. Development of onboard computer systems. |
| 1987Fremantle | White Crusader | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests. VPP Calculations |
| Team New Zealand | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests.Performance analysis. | |
| 1988San Diego | New Zealand ChallengeK Boat | Execution and analysis of towing tank tests. |
| 1992San Diego | New Zealand Challenge | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests. VPP CalculationsFull scale scientific studies |
| 1995San Diego | New Zealand Challenge | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests. VPP CalculationsFull scale scientific studies |
| TAG Heuer | Execution and analysis of towing tank tests. | |
| 2000 | Team New Zealand | Execution and analysis of towing tank and wind tunnel tests. VPP CalculationsFull scale scientific studies |
| 2003 | Team New Zealand | Research Co-ordinator, responsible for all design research projects and contributed to boat development. |
| 2007 | Emirates Team New Zealand | Design Co-ordinator |
| 2008 | TEAMORIGIN | Design Co-ordinator |
| 2010-2011 | America’s Cup Race Management | Design Co-ordinator.Shared Design Package with VPLP & North Sails. |
Ainslie added, “There has been a lot of speculation about Adrian Newey getting involved. I have been fortunate enough to meet with Adrian a couple of times, which as a massive F1 fan has been a real privilege. Adrian is a great guy and clearly it would be huge for the team if he felt able to contribute”.
Newey is determined to be involved in this project, and you can read what you like into the timing and content of the Red Bull announcements on Sunday, TJ13 is led to believe, in the end Newey just issued them with an ultimatum.
A less than usually well drilled Christian Horner explained Newey’s future in Canada as follows, “We’re going to sit down in the summer and explain some of the projects we’re looking at. There’s some exciting things in the pipeline for Adrian, for Red Bull and for the team.”
Of these three parties, it appears the team has the less exciting prospects on the agenda. Even Horner speak couldn’t disguise the deal done with Newey means he will be stepping down form his current role.
“He’s fully focused on F1 this year,” Horner stated, “[Beyond that] he’s still going to be drawing, he’s still going to be contributing, he’s still going to be planning for the office in Milton Keynes, he’s still going to be spending a percentage of his time focused on assisting the F1 teams, so it is great situation for the team for the future.
He’s committed to a long-term agreement with Red Bull, he’s not retiring completely from F1, he’s going to be mentoring and advising the team and we’ve got a great strength in depth. I think it’s fantastic that were still going to have Adrian around, and access to him, [but] as the group continues to develop, it’s exciting for Adrian to have other projects as well, so think the future’s actually extremely bright.”
….Retirement…. but not completely….
….a developing group to take over from him….. ie we’re not ready for succession….
Red Bull may have won an unlikely race in Canada 2014, but it will be Mercedes and the other F1 teams rejoicing at the latest news from Milton Keynes.
Mmm
Ecclestone cut and run
The promoters of the Canadian GP were proud to announce during the 2014 event of a new 10 year contract to host an F1 race. The Montreal Gazette commented, “The good news for racing fans is we get to keep our Grand Prix for another 10 years. The good news for taxpayers – whether they are racing fans or not – is we get to keep it at a bargain-basement price”.
The deal is reportedly costing Montreal a starting $18.5m year, with a 2% annual inflation multiplier.
Caroline Reid of Formula Money puts this into context. “We estimate that the average hosting fee in 2014 is $30.5 million – more than double what Montreal will be paying.
The 2 per cent escalator is also a good deal, as many circuits pay 10 per cent.” As host of the oldest GP event. Silverstone has an escalator of 7% pa.
Clearly the local administrators are cock a hoop at the deal they have cut with Ecclestone and Denis Lebel, the federal minister responsible for infrastructure, explained that Mr. E has bestowed a special status on Montreal – as the oldest Grand Prix outside Europe, hence the sweet deal.
The 2013 edition of Formula Money reveals only two other “historic” races pay less than Montreal; Italy, at $7 million, and Monaco, listed at “zero.” The industry ‘Bible’ on F1 finances believes that at the other end of the scale Abu Dhabi will pay an estimated $72.5 million for the right to host its season-ending Grand Prix in November.
This is clearly a fantastic deal for Montreal as Lebel states that the F1 race creates economic benefits estimated at more than $70 million. Reid of Formula Money cites a Quebec-government figure of “more than $80 million annually.”
This begs the question on how did the BRDC get duped into the deal they struck with Ecclestone back in 2009. Their 17 year deal began at around $20m in 2010 and has (depending on sources) between a 5 and 7% compound escalator built in for each subsequent year.
This would mean by 2026, Silverstone would be coughing up some $60m a year (at 7% escalator) to host the British GP, whilst Canada’s fee in 2024 will have risen to just over $22m p.a.
It would seem that either the promoter of the Canadian GP is better at playing hardball with Ecclestone than a bunch of ex-British racing drivers, or Mr. E has simply cut and run.
FOM TV
The ‘world feed’ produced by FOM TV has repeatedly fallen foul of the gavel for its poor coverage during races and Sunday’s Canadian GP again saw the TV director getting his knickers in a twist.
The most outrageous omission was the build up through several corners and the pass by Ricciardo on Rosberg – which was the crux of nearly 2 hours of viewing.
We also saw nothing of Button’s charge through the field, and his ultimate double pass to move from 6th to 4th on the penultimate lap.
The problem is that the FOM TV director does not follow and expert race commentary – which usually provides details of all the action and looming events regardless of what’s going on at the head of the field.
Yet, having reviewed this year the TV coverage of some ‘historic’ F1 races, the crack of the judges implement of justice shall today remain a mere tap.
Anyway, here’s Jenson…
Tweet of the month
F1 Personnel at #MontrealAirport Priority boarding lane 100 people, Economy boarding lane 0 people. How F1… #StatusIsEverything #Stupid
That’s the “power” of social media. If I twitter something like kimi s manager seen at mclaren. Anonymous source confirms him leaving ferrari. It becomes the truth on the Internet before you know it. Especially if I make it look like a re tweet from a specialist in the field.
“Interestingly, during that interview Nico went to great lengths to exclude Lewis from any comparison to himself – once directly and the second time in general terms”
That’s a very important point you raise there. I’m not aware of Rosberg’s education but a friend of mine is a trained hypnotherapist and choice of words, like body language, give away a huge amount of information.
In the same manner that people project their feelings, thoughts and emotions on to others, or they recognise in others things they don’t like about themselves, the denial of a thought suggests that they are in fact very aware of the thought and want to ‘prove’ that it doesn’t exist.
“I don’t compare myself to him” to a trained therapist actually confirms the opposite.
LOL during the Saturday presser Nico was asked if it was nice to get pole given Hamilton’s record at Montreal. He replied “I’m not really aware of Lewis’ record or something.” Pure gold.
…. alternatively, “I’m so intently focused and dedicated on what I’m doing…. I don’t have time for unnecessary distractions….”
Indeed, they’ve probably been comparing themselves to each other for the best part of two decades. After Bahrain, Lewis was saying how he was thinking Nico was going to do to him, what Lewis did to Nico the first time they raced together! I.e. follow him all race then breeze by at the end to win. Nico has probably known for 2 decades that he would have to beat Hamilton to win the WDC.. probably from the outcome of that first race. So now, he is enacting his plan of action in how to get this done. Or something!
They’ve been team mates, rivals in the same levels (e.g. F3, along with Vettel for Lewis as well, as Nico moved up to GP2).. it’s impossible to not know who you’ll be fighting in F1, if they are battling with you for titles throughout the junior levels (e.g. Di Resta faced both of them as well).
For those UK viewers who don’t travel far to go to work, Sir Ben Ainslie was on BBC Breakfast this morning and talked about his new British America’s Cup team. He was asked about Adrian Newey’s involvement and although he didn’t say much, I think he did kind of confirmed that Newey will be included in the ‘coming months and years’ in some capacity. Who knows, they may enter a Red Bull Sailing boat in the future!
… my info is that Red Bull will be offering sponsorship…
Newey is determined to be involved… though he hasn’t been taken seriously until recently by Mateschitz/Marko…
so there’s a panic going on in MK to spin the new RB technology centre and to appear to be hiring out Newey as a consultant on this (and allegedly other) project(s).
In regards to the sponsorship. They currently sponsor Oracle, is there any chance that they might cancel that sponsorship, to become full backers for this new project?
and I said yesterday about Adrian, Ben and Red Bull getting involved
it’s good for the sport
It makes sense to back it if Ainslie and Newey are involved. They have £32m, and need £48m for £80m total if the BBC News is to be believed. That’s like funding half of Toro Rosso… Oracle is a competitor?
I’m done with the Lewis/Nico stew, that should have been eaten ages ago, but people keep throwing scraps and bits of dead dog in it to drag out slow news days.
Perez/Massa: definitely racing incident, the both swerve towards each other rather randomly, but if I had to I’d shade it on the side of Perez being a bit more at fault, as he clearly swerves more substantially towards Massa, which ordinarily would have not been that bad, but Massa clearly tightens his line at the same time and they touch. I was exciting though wasn’t it… I don’t want to see anyone get hurt or anything, but a crash like that is quite spectacular to see.
I can only think Perez was trying to push Massa into a tighter line, or hadn’t seen him, and Massa was trying to widen his line and keep Perez as wide as possible, and that unfortunate timing did for them both.
“I’m done with the Lewis/Nico stew, that should have been eaten ages ago, but people keep throwing scraps and bits of dead dog in it to drag out slow news days”.
… I’m afraid you won’t be able to switch your TV onto F1 much this year without it consistently surfacing…
IMHO, this weekend was fairly low key in the Lewis/Nico saga – and it will again explode in the future and make Krakatoa look benign…
…Fraid its the same as for Vettel fans last year and the boo pandemic…. it goes on and on….
We don’t have a license, so I go to the pub/familys houses to watch the races etc, and those alone, so I am thankfully saved the vast bulk of shit that accompanies TV coverage of everything, ever.
Very interesting and thought provoking reading on the “Mind Games” article Judge….
I remember questioning why you think his PR people were failing him when you first mentioned that you had written an article about it and it was with the editors. Now after reading this, I can now see for myself that this is true.
That turn one display of affection pre-race, the less said about that, the better it will be. Because it was very uncomfortable to watch.
We all know he’s very emotional and that emotion on more occasions than none, have not portrayed him in a good light. But my question to that is, “should he try and remove that part of his persona?”… After all, that is what many find endearing about him and cocky and brashful to others.
Lewis must NOT change! I will switch off F1 if he does. He’s a character and a very rare talent that you only see every 10-15 years in F1. The day he and Alonso retire will be a sad day for F1.
We will be left with Jenslow Button and Crashdanaldo. Very boring insipid and dull characters who can walk on egg shells without breaking any.
Maybe JB can walk on eggs mate but Maldonado!? I think he only needs to look at a chicken for it to produce ready made scrambled eggs :S
Lol😂😂😂😂😂
I was feeling a bit sorry for the way you get jumped on on here sometimes, but come on, stupid clapping hands and childish name calling of drivers… grow up for goodness sake, this is not BBC606…
Thanks for the sentiments. But come on man, am I the only person who has used emoticons or called people childish names? This is the first time I’ve always referred to the drivers by their names, so the one time I do otherwise, your going to have ago at me? I’ve seen other comments whereby people have said wors, hell someone shared a link showing Maldanado on the podium (which was a picture of a wrecked lotus). Does everything I say needs to be scrutinised? It was just humour and nothing more. How different was DQ’s reply to what I said? He too made fun of him, so why are you jumping on my back?…
Come on man, it was a bit of humour, not even that I’m allowed to do?
Re Lewis article. I see where you are coming from, I like the thoughts process there. You are correct in many ways and the observations are right to IMHO.
The only thing, a critical thing, is that in my exp, the change you suggest Lewis undertake, the strategy you suggest he employee, is nearly impossible for such people/racers. For him to cast aside his hard wired instincts and the emotional chemicals/juice that he produce in abundance in pressure situations and to do so consistently, under scrutiny/pressure, in the critical moments, every time, to be be anywhere near believable, would be impossible.
He’d do ok, for a bit, maybe twice, then look like a disingenuous prat again. My advice actually would be stop all plans, all strategies, all PR, all rhetoric, and just be Lewis. The crazy, glib speaking, emotional, mega fast, angry, paranoid, isolated feeling, rapper loving, back talking guy he is. Then he will become ‘white noise’ in time. Then we’ll stop saying, “oh look, the veneer has fallen. LH is the git from 2011 or 2007.” Etc
Whilst I like your idea, but isn’t there a draw back to that…
In that what you suggest be done, are the same exact reasons why many find him unacceptable and pragmatic?
He’s in a “catch 22” situation at present. Because if he were to change who he truly is and become more diplomatic and PR friendly by continually towing the white line, wouldn’t his hardcore fanbase (myself included) look at him differently, whilst it would please those who have been crying out for him to adapt that sort of image. So what would the middle ground be?
The middle ground is dangerous and in the long term useless. He needs to stop trying to be all things to all people, to be all things to all fans. Just accept some will love him, some will hate him. Kimi, Fernando, Seb all have done this. Hate them, love them, we know exactly who they are, what they value, what they are about and therefore can predict what they do.
I think Lewis should just be pure, fast, ugly, warts and all Lewis.
It’s the constant flippancy and ‘out if character’ moments we cain him for. But really if we knew him, we’d just know, ‘oh that Lewis. just how he is. Take it or leave it.’ Like we did ala Senna, Schumacher, Mansell, Kimi, Alonso, Seb, etc.
On that note, to follow up, I think it’s just really that he has a young emotional age. A young mental age. He’s uncomfortable in his own skin, literally and metaphorically (still I rise tattoo?), and has found as he grew up to that it was successful to act like a self indulgent sociopath. Now F1 corporates want him to be a charity supporting, god fearing, eloquent, intelligent person. Kimi said, ‘fuck that, I’m a sociopath. But I am quick. So suck it.’ We accepted. Seb said the same thing, but he added an said ‘but hey, I’m funny at least.’
Lewis is a crazy mofo, he had to be. Take the mask off and let LEAVE it off. If toto don’t like it, he can find someone faster. Like Kimi and Seb, his team won’t move him on.
The part I hated was not his Monaco petulance. It was his backflip tweets etc. I thought , ‘fuck Lewey, just stick to it. You’re a spoiled cunt. Your mad. Your paranoid. Stick to it.’
Anyway, Rosberg won because he got Lewis to play the game his way. That’s it. New WDC coming.
Maybe what we are seeing, is him now finding himself after so many years at Mclaren.
I remember hearing him say after he joined Merc and what he liked about being there, he said,
“I get to wear my own jeans and whatever shoes I like. Because the first day I went to the MTC, I wore my baggy jeans, oversize t-shirt, jordans and baseball cap, I felt out of place, because everyone was so smartly dressed”
Mclaren were too corporate for him, all he wanted to do was just race, because that’s what he’s best at.
If he’s to take a leaf out of any drivers book, let it be Kimi. Let it be known, “I’m a racing driver, not a politician” attitude and the media and the general public should see them as that.
I agree with you on that. It’s just unfortunate that we live in a time whereby the media is king and everything irrespective of how small it is, gets magnified a billion times over.
What happened in Monaco was nothing new in the sport, he displayed “his heart on his sleeve emotions” and he got caned for it by everyone, well not everyone. But we all need to understand that this is competition and what’s at stake and in the heat of battle, rational thoughts aren’t a point of focus. I’ve never competed at the highest level of any sport, but I’ve played semi pro basketball and there were times when things went against me, I completely lost it, but after the games over and I’m able to sit and gather my thoughts, that’s when rational thinking returns.
The sport needs characters, people that draw fans to the sport, not push them away with the constant, “no after you, no no, after you sir” mentality. It needs someone who’s going to come in and say, “get the F out my damn way, I ain’t got time for all this bull!!!”
Good comment.
…. fundamental to my suggestion was to let Lewis be Lewis……. give him an excuse for the negative BUT accentuate the positive…..
Oh. Sorry I’ll re-read. I’m suck a dick brain.
Lmao. Looks like I agree then your honour.
-sheepish smile-
Correction: “SUCH a dick brain.”
Wow. I think I’ll take a break!
@ Fortis
what do you mean by –
” … continually towing the white line, …………. ”
?
@manky
“Doing what many perceive to be the right behaviour for someone in his position”…
it’s not a racial reference
Not having a go… but I have never head that before, ever.
Towing the white line meaning, what you said above.
Just saying.
are we not confusing ‘crossing’, ‘towing’ and ‘sniffing’?
Apologise…..
“Towing the white line”…..no “sniffing” judge…😂
My general point was, “not to do anything that can be perceived to be out of bounds”
indeed ….
towing the party line
is the phrase that springs to mind
Isn’t it “toeing” the line, as in walking up to a line and standing on that line? I thought it was a military colloquialism – as in they tell you what to do and you do it precisely as directed.
Language Nazi here, but ……….it’s “TOEING” the line. As in get right up as close to it as possible. With your toes.
Ohhh right. Thanks @SteveH & @RogerD. Learn something everyday.
You forget the biggest contribution of Ferrari at Le mans… The ford gt40.
RE: Lewis brake issues:
A couple of things interest me about this one. Firstly, if the team had already made both drivers aware of the issues, why wasn’t Lewis ensuring he pulled out of Nico’s slip stream or maintaining a gap behind to keep temps down?
Secondly, as you mention, it appears Lewis had more rear bias on the brakes. That suggests a more attack focused setup that Nico. Nico did lock up a few times with his fronts, and I think people put that down to driver error, but perhaps he was protecting his car more than his team mate? Certainly after the first pit stop Hamilton gained rapidly on Rosberg (more rapidly than pace alone), making me think Nico was already nursing his car at this point. Lewis overtakes, then within a few laps his brakes have gone.
From all that I’ve read it really looks like whoever made the brake bias choice on Hamiltons car, and opted to attack Rosberg – be that Lewis/his engineer, cost that side of the garage a potential P3. The question is, who made that choice….
I may be completely wrong, but during the race I did hear Nico’s engineer telling him to change the brake bias to the fronts, I did not hear any conversation of such sort from Lewis and his engineer during the race. Aren’t the conversations between drivers and engineers published after the race? Could the judge maybe post this so we see what info was conveyed to the drivers?
No.
Only the driver can change the bias during the race. The team can only give advice.
“Haas also claims his motivation for joining F1 is to promote his successful machine tools business outside the US market.”
If that is the case then he would be far better becoming a title sponsor of one of the mid-field teams.
Hass seems to think that F1 is close enough to the IndyCar model, where you buy a chassis, do an engine deal and as the aero configuration is regulated to the point where it essentially can’t be touched, you basically tweak a few mechanical areas and you should be competitive. I doubt his F1 operation will work.
…unless the FIA are about to make some big regs changes…..???
Then F1 becomes just another spec series and fades into irrelevance.
….Todt’s legacy……….
wasn’t f1 at it’s peak when it was still possible to buy a chassis or an engine and then tweak it until you were competetive? and didn’t the processions so many complained about, and which had to be fought with artificial devices such as drs and kers, start when the costs to maintain a team escalated and aero became more and more important? just a thought…
Yes, (to the peak) but there were still freedoms then; rather different from what will likely be the outcomes presently.
Is it Haas or Hass? Anyway, I’m sure he is not totally naive about F1; there are probably things going on we don’t know about.
Like maybe Haas has been promised a customer car…… By someone who *never* reneges on his promises. Unless, of course, said someone’s rotting in a jail cell in Germany.
“Ainslie announces – almost”
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
and I said yesterday about Adrian and Ben, it’s good for the sport
There was an item on the BBC coverage, with Eddie Jordan, a few weeks ago, about the cost of replacing damaged parts on a Formula1 car. Does anyone know how much money Maldonado brought to Williams and now to Lotus? Did they spend more in repairs, new parts and rebuilds, plus overtime labour costs on his cars than he actually brought to the team. It must be close.
The Williams – PDVSA deal was worth $46M a year. Even a slight reduction would probably bring it into the $35M range. So I doubt he’s cost Lotus anywhere near that.
….depends on how many tantrums he has behind closed doors at Enstone on top of his crashes 😉
Now that it’s all out in the open about Newey coming off F1, when will the speculation about Seb’s future start? Is he really on course to Ferrari, or could McLaren sweep in to snatch him? And what if Lewis’ and Nico’s relationship explodes, could Vettel go to Merc and partner one of the two?
Vettel to Merc for 2016 I can see because of the German connection; remember Seb had both Red Bull and BMW sponsorship as a youth. Lewis back to McLaren or to the red team, perhaps the latter for the big money his management would like a share of. Kimi will be retired in 2016 and it is likely Button will be too.
…. and that would make this a very big year for Lewis – as I wrote in the contract piece last week – you can’t see Merc extending beyond 2015 should Rosberg win this year…
Just speaking hypothetically here…..
Say he doesn’t win this year, but wins next year, then what would be Mercedes’s next move?
If he doesn’t win this year he should consider changing his name to Riccardo Patrese for 2015.
…. you would think the timing of the expiry of Nando and Vettel’s contracts (as we are led to believe) would mean it would be a done deal for one of them to replace Hamilton by then…..
If Lewis doesn’t win this year I think he’s got a big problem. That is, Rosberg wasn’t considered a top top driver in F1, he was in the eyes of many a solid, but unspectacular driver, much like Button I guess (yes even after his WDC, he went to McLaren to prove himself he said, and it sort of worked…ish). Given Button was very close to Lewis over their 3 years together, if Rosberg were to beat him? I think his appeal to top top teams, especially considering his baggage, would be massively diminished.
It sounds harsh, I know, but think of it this way, there are plenty of rumours about JB getting the boot because he’s not good enough. Thats the guy who Lewis finished 2pts ahead of less than two seasons ago. Yes we can talk retirements, and incidents… but their 3 year record showed just how close they were.
This is why, I think Lewis not only has to wrap the title up this year, but to add some value to the title really needs to dominate Nico. I say that because 2014 is a year where Nico can only beat Lewis, and Lewis can only beat Nico – such is their car advantage (Canada issues aside), it’s bordering on a different formula to the other cars. If Lewis was team mates alongside Alonso, Vettel or even Kimi (granted he looks bored as sin in ’14) then I don’t think he’d have to destroy them to get some merit, but Rosberg isn’t considered to be a top driver, heck last season I think many would have rated Grosjean above him!
He (Nico) might be winning races, but really that’s more as a result of him having a championship capable winning car for the first time in his career, rather than him upping his game in 2014. Rosberg’s 2013 performances relative to Lewis show that Nico hasn’t just suddenly sped up.
I do fully expect Lewis to win the 2014 title, but the Hamilton stock that was valued so highly in 2008 seems to have been on the slide ever since. A defeat by Rosberg? That could be a black monday for Lewis….
Paul, I respect your sentiments, but I’m afraid I don’t share them.
1. Lewis’ stock has risen since 2008 because he managed to win races in under-performing cars.
2. Stats, points, etc tell only half the story. Lewis ranks above Button, head and shoulders, no question about it.
3. Rosberg was always under-rated. No matter what the Schuey fans will try to tell you, the point is that Nico dominated Michael for 3 years running. Schuey was no slouch, he got a pole at Monaco. He was not at his pick, but still one of the fastest guys out there.
The only way Lewis’ stock will fall is if he loses the title through a straight fight with Nico on pole shoot-outs and races. If he misses on the title due to retirements, politics, or other reasons, his stock will not fall, big teams will still want him.
“He (Nico) might be winning races, but really that’s more as a result of him having a championship capable winning car for the first time in his career,”
It’s commonly said in motor racing the first benchmark of success is beating your team-mate. In 2013 Hamilton did out-score Rosberg by 18 points, but he certainly never dominated him. Rosberg won more races and had it not been for 2 more DNF’s than Hamilton they would have likely been even or so in scoring. Unlike 2007 / 2008 when Hamilton had the team and the teams management structure giving him preference, he’s not getting that from M-B who are treating both drivers equally and the cracks are appearing in Hamilton’s persona. Hamilton under estimated Rosberg’s resolve, and figured Rosberg would roll over and play second fiddle to him, that hasn’t happened and Hamilton is at a loss as to how to react. Hamilton likes to reference Senna which is nothing more that self-delusion, Hamilton doesn’t have his talent, determination or the single-mindedness to succeed that Senna did. The next race will be critical for Hamilton. If he losses to Rosberg it could be over for him. If he wins it restores some balance but the belief that he is miles better than everyone is gone.
Hmmm, not the biggest fan of Lewis cav, are we?
The talent and speed of the boy is unquestionable. Along with Alonso he’s the only driver that can really outperform their car. The only thing that lets him down is his mental resolve. But that’s what makes him so attractive to watch.
“Along with Alonso he’s the only driver that can really outperform their car.”
That’s nothing more than a clique. No driver can out perform the technical limits of their car, what they can do is out perform their team-mate.
@cav…
Does it matter if he dominated nico last season or not? The fact still remains, he beat him in a car he was having problems with. Lewis also had DNFs and finished races outside of the points, just like Nico. So it all balances itself at the end of the day.
You also mention the wins, but you ignored that one of those wins he inherited after Lewis paper tyres blew out and the retirement of of Seb from the lead. So if Nico wins the championship this year, will you make reference to the 2 DNFs that Lewis has so far encountered?
Nico has won 4 races since Lewis joined the team of those 4, only he has won, when Lewis hasn’t encountered any problems (Monaco 13&14) in races that both cars have finished so far this season, it’s 4-1 to Lewis. I’ll put the question to you, “had that been Nico who had that DNF in Australia, would you have backed him to claw back those points without Lewis having a DNF of his own?
You mention that he had the full backing of the team in 07&08, now I’m not sure if that is to someway undermine his performances, but don’t you think that’s a bit unfair. After all, Alonso and Seb have both been fully backed by their respective teams. Heck, Alonso has the power to veto who his team mate should be. Given his talents, why should he really care who his teammate is? Why should he need to be given number 1 status, especially against a rookie, even if that rookie is the teams protege. I like Alonso, but I think him demanding to given preferential treatment, shows he does not like to be challenged.
The idea that he would dominate Nico is one I don’t buy. Simply because even before the season started, the key question everyone was asking is, “can he adapt to the new technology quicker than his teammate, who has a more cerebral approach with the mind of an engineer?” That’s all media talk about him dominating Nico. Lewis knew quite well what Nico is capable of. If he felt like he wouldn’t be able to do the job, then if assume he would’ve asked for number 1 status in the team?
You say there are signs of crack developing in the relationship with him and the team. Did you say that because of what happened in Monaco or did you have that perception long before the season started? He had a bad weekend, who hasn’t, but it’s a bit premature to assume of imply that he has fallen out with the team.
Yes he makes references about Senna, about how he admired the way he drives, his beliefs etc but has he ever said he is like him? Does he need to have all of Senna’s character traits, before he can justify all those references?
“Heck, Alonso has the power to veto who his team mate should be.”
That like much of what you write is merely speculation. It was Montezemolo who said “I do not want two roosters in the hen house,” And there’s good reason for not having two top drivers on the same team.
Last year Hamilton wanted everyone to know he couldn’t dominate Rosberg because the brakes weren’t to his liking. This year it’s looking like his time with Button at McLaren all over again. Whine, whine, whine.
@cav….
So
Basically your saying, that last year his problem with the brakes, where nothing more than him making excuses?
So what about the question I asked about, if it was Nico who suffered the DNF in Australia?
Yes LDM did say that, but wasn’t that last year? What about the years before? Since Alonso has been in F1, his time at Mclaren was the only time he did not receive preferential treatment and we all saw how that ended.
I guess Mclaren78 was correct, so I’ll stop now.
@ Fortis
what about Nico’s problems with his brakes this year ?
Is that just an excuse too ?
Because he’s still beating Lewis – even with this problem …..
@cav…
I wasn’t the one who made reference to issues any of them encountered…
…”had it not been for his 2 DNFs”…
I just elaborated on it further.
“So what about Nico’s brake issues this season, he’s still beating him”….
So that supports my argument that Lewis still beat him, despite having brake issues. However the difference this year compared season, is that the both drivers has to adapt to the changes. Lewis came from a team that used a completely different setup and brake material, the same issue that’s also affecting Kimi as well.
As for still beating him, taking the points table out of the equation, that’s subjective. Because like I pointed out, in races that both cars crossed the finishing line, it’s 4-1 to Lewis.
I’ll ask you again….
Do you think had it been nico who had the DNF in Australia, that he would’ve been able to claw back the points he lost in the next 4 races, without his teammate having mechanical issues?
You won’t admit it, but deep down you know he couldn’t. So despite all this talk about mind games and everything else, Nico will not out drive Lewis to the title, he’s going to need Lewis to have more DNFs.
Or get under Hamilton’s skin mate. Rosberg knows Lewis is faster. He’ll attack him from elsewhere and, did you see what he did at turn 1 in Canada? Almost drove Hamilton off the track to keep P1. You know what that tells me? Gloves are off between the two. Bahrain still had a sense of Nico being a gentlemen and he lifted when Hamilton pushed him. It now appears it is different. It’s 1 all for both of them pushing their teammate off track. Austria or Silverstone? Don’t be surprised of we see the two of them take each other out… if not there then this season sometime.
Rosberg was indeed dominated by Lewis as you say in Bahrain. Not in Canada, turn 1&2
“In 2013 Hamilton did out-score Rosberg by 18 points, but he certainly never dominated him. Rosberg won more races and had it not been for 2 more DNF’s than Hamilton they would have likely been even or so in scoring.”
One of those wins was courtesy of a hamilton DNF, and a vettel one, so if we are talkign fantasy here, Nico can get his points down to 3rd at best, and also go down 2-1 on wins.
Also @manky “Because he’s still beating Lewis – even with this problem …” yeah, 2 retirements now, good job to beat your team mate on 6 races worth of points, when he only got to keep 4. Lets see where Nico is if he doesn’t finish in Austria or Britain.
Sure winning is winning, but lets not get ahead of ourselves peeps
When I started racing many moons ago my team boss told me “Remember, to finish first you first have to finish”. Regardless of DNFs, the one who has the most points at the end of the season wins.
I’ve got my own preferences for drivers but it’s more a question of what they do to make me not like them. I don’t have a favourite… Hamilton just rubs me the wrong way… probably more to do with the British press screaming second coming every time he does remotely well and what appears to be a sense of entitlement from Hamilton.
Over the course of their partnership Button beat Hamilton with points but we all know Hamilton can drive faster than button with his eyes closed.
I rate Rosberg higher than Button and he knows Hamilton. He probably knows Ham is faster so he needs to beat him in other ways.
Can you remember how many times Mark DNF compared to Vettel. Conspiracy theorists had a field day but what if Mark just broke cars because of the way he drove? Same with Hamilton? Is he just too hard on his cars? And if that is the case, Rosberg is the better driver, not faster, better.
Having said all that, it’s still a long season and I think we’re going to see a very mixed up grid come 2/3rds of the season as people start getting grid penalties. This championship is not over by a long shot and we as supporters can just wait in anticipation 🙂
Perhaps in the larger sense, yes maybe Hamilton and Webber are harder on the car, but this season at least not necessarily. Hamilton’s first DNF was due to a part that failed in the fuel pump, something like that. It was a relatively inexpensive part and had nothing to do with his driving style.
As far as Canada, AMuS is reporting that Merc were aware of rising ECU temps and failed to do anything about it. The subsequent MGU-K failure was linked to this. If this was indeed related to Lewis’ brake failure then that would let him off the hook again as the team failed to head the issue off in time.
Then as I said in the article, was Lewis given the same info to mitigate his situation….
Paddy Lowe is as see through as cellophane and his comments as reported by TJ13 today troubled me…
I believe it would be woefully wrong of Merc to not give Lewis had full facts….
If it’s true that Rosberg got different info to Lewis then that would be wrong. Yet Lewis’ post race reactions don’t seem to indicate that he believed it to be the case. Have you heard any believable whispers amongst the cognescenti?
Aside from that it seems just as likely that Lowe was attempting to look less bad by denying the connection between the MGU-K and brake issues. Sadly it might just be a case of incompetence rather than high intrigue.
Though they did replace one of Lewis’ rear brake drums in parc ferme. 😉
… absolutely….
….well the fact is that for some 30 laps of the race, Lewis had a fair amount of more rear brake bias than Nico…. but I have not yet found out why…..
Mrs Judge would like to remind you Webber had 2 tyres not attached properly…. DNF’s to Vettel’s zero.
…. Fair point. Though article coming which suggests the chances of DNF’s going forward are equal…
@ Adam
” …. good job to beat your team mate on 6 races worth of points, when he only got to keep 4 … ”
are you stupid ?
Lewis also has 6 races worth of points – and got to keep ALL 6 of them !
Not 4 !
Maths not your strong suit eh ?
@DQ…
Then shouldn’t your relative dislike be more for the media rather than Lewis himself? After all he has no control over what the media does. Let’s also not forget, that this very same media that’s quick to praise him whenever he does something special, is also the same media that would string him up by his man parts, the moment he does something they don’t like.
The turn 1 incident, may have shown Nico is now ready to get dirty, what it also showed was, Lewis is up for the fight, because unlike in Bahrain where Nico complained about their turn 1 incident, in Canada, Lewis said nothing, he got on with the job at hand. He’s a racer and he expects things like that to happen. They always say, “don’t dish it out, if you can’t accept when the same is done to you”…so it is 1 a piece.
Sure Button beat him on points over the 3 seasons, but that’s only used by most so as to try ans highlight something that’s not there. The actual truth is, he beat him 2-1. So the overall final points tally is misleading, all that says, that in 2012, he scored 15 points more.
Despite all this talk about getting into his head, is yet to be proven and they’re only using Monaco to try and highlight that. You’re an ex racer yourself, so you’re best placed to answer this. Had you been in that situation and you felt that your teammate had genuinely cheated, would you have reacted differently to Lewis?
The guy is a racer and I think that’s all he wants to do, just race. When he gets into his car and shuts his visor, this is where he’s at peace.
Lewis has changed, but most won’t see or acknowledge that he has. He seems to be thinking more now behind the wheel, he’s not no longer making rash moves or just going flat out from start to finish. He’s now managing his race better, looking after his tyres as well as the car. Look at the mature drives he displayed at China and Malaysia.
I strongly believe, that barring any further reliability issues, I can’t see Nico out driving him to the title.
But it’s a long season and there’s definitely more twist and turns to come.
“are you stupid ?
Lewis also has 6 races worth of points – and got to keep ALL 6 of them !
Not 4 !
Maths not your strong suit eh ?”
Wow, thanks for the insults and aggression, nice to know this is still a place for polite discourse. I can only assume you are trying to be literal minded about them both being in 6 races, but my point which I am assuming you chose to misunderstand, was that retirements through mechanical problems do not award points. A loss of points through no fault of the drivers, and thus Nico has points hauls from 6 races, whereas Lewis only got that from 4 races due to his retirements.
Say Lewis finished 2nd in Melbourne, and 4th in Canada (I think FYI he would have done better than this, but lets be conservative), thats 30 points, which would make him 18 points ahead still, not 22 behind. Under the old system Nico would be 50/46 up on Lewis.
My point being, if Nico retires from the next two races, then, IMO, we’ll see a fair reflection of the standings.
Feel free to check my maths, as no, it isn’t my strongest subject, they would be Archaeology, History, and Anthropology, which makes corresponding on here interesting sometimes.
I am of course assuming by ‘beating’ you mean, ‘has more points than him’, as on track when both drivers finish, it is not Lewis who has been ‘beaten’ as in ‘finished behind/crashed’.
May I interject gentlemen.
I think you both got the maths wrong in regards to the number of points scoring races… It’s 7 races and not 6.
Nico has 2 (Australia & Monaco) wins and 5 second places (Malaysia Bahrain China Spain & Canada)
Lewis 4 (Malaysia, Bahrain, China & Spain) wins, 1 (Monaco) second and 2 DNFs (Australia & Canada)
In races that they have both crossed the finishing line, it’s
4-1 in Lewis’s favour.
Ha brilliant, lol! Good point Fortis, I did that in a conversation about this today at work too, I seem to have ‘lost’ a race somewhere, I think its Monaco as I was away for the live race itself. My points suppositions using the old system seem to be good however, so I clearly counted the right number there.
But yes, the general point being the DNF’s have eaten into Lewis’s tally from the points part of being ‘beaten’, but on track Lewis has ‘beaten’ Nico so far.
I’ll deliberately point out I’m not concluding it will stay like this, or that Nico is a poor driver, he’s clearly incredibly good, just that as its stands I’m not sure you could conclude Nico has ‘beaten’ Lewis, as demonstrable by the points tally, as this has been skewed against Lewis somewhat so far.
That said, this makes no odds on the Championship winner at the end, the one with the number 1 on his car next year doesn’t have to put brackets with (but only because XX got a retirement in XX and a grid penalty in X).
@ Adam
firstly – I was being polite.
I asked – note the word ASKED – if you are stupid.
I didn’t say you were an idiot. I enjoy what you say – even if I don’t always agree – but those comments …. sorry but they are just silly.
So –
” but my point which I am assuming you chose to misunderstand, was that retirements through mechanical problems do not award points ”
I didn’t misunderstand it at all.
Of course DNF’s do not award points.
But neither does finishing 11th or lower at the end of a race.
You don’t get a ” gold star ” from the teacher – just for finishing.
Ask Max Chilton – his points tally over 2013 & 2014 is still fucking ZERO ! Including his DNF !
And then you come out with more bullshit –
” … Say Lewis finished 2nd in Melbourne, and 4th in Canada …. ”
Well he DIDN’T
And then –
” My point being, if Nico retires from the next two races, then, IMO, we’ll see a fair reflection of the standings. ”
As Don_Q pointed out – maybe Lewis driving was the cause of his retirements ? Maybe it wasn’t.
But the fact is he did.
So – now I’m not being polite – I’m saying you are talking utter bullshit !
And a ” fair reflection of the standings ” are the standings as they are now with Nico leading Lewis in the championship.
Not your deluded la la land fantasies of what ifs and maybes ……
If your aunty had testicles she’d be your uncle ……. and all that.
@ Adam
” I am of course assuming by ‘beating’ you mean, ‘has more points than him’, as on track when both drivers finish, it is not Lewis who has been ‘beaten’ as in ‘finished behind/crashed’. ”
NO – more bullshit and inane idiotic comments from you.
Your getting just like Fanboi96
Not as when both drivers finish – as in has more points.
Just like Lewis was beating Nico going into Monaco.
Unlike you – my language is fairly straightforward.
Not a convoluted diatribe of shite 🙁
Sorry Cav, that reply was in response to Manky.
Some of what was said, pertained to our previous post, I thought that it was you who replied to my last post.
Yes, there are so many it’s hard to keep them straight.
And what of Alonso?! Can’t see him retiring in 2016 and he has already vetoed Lewis and will possibly do the same for Vettel.
So if Rosberg wins it this year, Lewis will go back to Macca and Vettel to Merc. If Lewis wins it and he has his contract extended, then Vettel might go to Macca or Ferrari if the latter decide to off-load Nando.
If Alonso sticks around after Raikkonen retires, then is it fair to say only someone he will accept will join? If so, would that be more likely to be Bianchi as a number 2 driver, than Hulkenberg or Vettel as a rival number 1?
“F1 Mind Games”
The funniest bit was during the pre-race interviews when Hamilton puts his arm on Rosberg’s shoulder. That was something a 14 year old would do. Rosberg pulls away and glares at Hamilton. Hamilton desperately wants to portray the two as friends. While Rosberg clearly indicated they are team-mates and that’s all. Before Monaco I would have given the edge in winning the WC to Hamilton, today I think Rosberg will win it.
Well that’s settled. Susie Wolff is ready for F1 now that she can stand on a rubber ball and lift a weight over her head. Is Hamilton on his way out at M-B?
Cav, a boobie being exposed would have been nice. Is that too much to ask.
WHAT?! I’m not sexist… I like boobs.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=435420176543867&set=a.194737597278794.49566.141551015930786&type=1
With a mattress like that, I’d be in bed all day.
Lol. Made my day, thanks.
I think that it’s fair to say Montreal also has Ecclestone over a barrel. Without Montreal (as they saw in 2009), there’s no F1 race anywhere near the east coast of America. Re-confirming Montreal at a cut price shows New Jersey is dead in the water.. and the price also allows Montreal to rebuild the pit garages/paddock complex etc.
The rebuild of the pits / garages / hospitality areas are being done with government funding through a variety of infrastructure programs. Canadian taxpayers are footing the bill not the promoter.
If that was always going to happen.. well, an even better deal for the promoter.. Didn’t realise the local government wasn’t the promoter.
More hot yacht talk…