Advan046 wrote: Hamilton was going a little too slow. He is in just tire and engine saving mode until the end of season.
Hamilton is out to win the championship, not put on a show or win by 5 minutes. You don't get bonus points for winning by a big margin. He's thinking like an endurance driver. Saving the engine is the smart move - and he was still as fast as anyone else when he had to be. You say he was going too slow, he'll say he won the race.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
My comment was based on the radio call. Telling Hamilton that the win was in jeopardy presumably due to Ricciardo's pace if sustained would be able to over or under cut Hamilton.
Advan046 wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: My comment was based on the radio call. Telling Hamilton that the win was in jeopardy presumably due to Ricciardo's pace if sustained would be able to over or under cut Hamilton.
Maybe Hamilton was messing with Rosberg, maybe he was conserving engines (he's out of fresh ones for the year already) or maybe Mercedes was just messing with Red Bull by sending a fake radio call. :)
Hammy is trying the win the title as they all are but it seems to me Mercedes has been trying a little harder for Rosberg to get it.Makes sense to have a german win in a german team especially when one of them is going to win it anyways.
Some questionable strategies for Lewis on track,flipping most of the team members from one garage to the other in the off season,Lauda blaming Lewis for Nico running Lewis off the track in resulting in taking them both out and same thing when Nico forgot to try and make the corner in Austria and on it goes.
Going to be interesting to see how it plays out politically.
In reply to kevlarcorolla:
Now that Nico has signed for 2 years at Mercedes, one wonders if Lewis may move on.
I find that hard to believe unless Ferrari can really talk a good game. But they'd have to drop Vettel to do it and that's not going to happen. Given how dominant Mercedes has been in the past few years, it would be hard to walk away.
But he sure called the move from McLaren to Mercedes, didn't he?
I don't buy the "German driver in a German car" conspiracy. It was a messy beginning to the season for Lewis' side of the garage, but they seem to have it sorted out.
Doubtful Lewis goes anywhere. Where would he go? I'm not a huge Hamilton fan, but his ability to save tires this year has been impressive. I agree it does seem like Mercedes would like Rosberg to also have a championship, but I don't think it's going to happen. At least not without some impressive trickery.
Actually, Lewis is under contract at MB until the end of 2018 - same as Nico. It's a pretty stupendous contract, making about $52 million a year. Nico's apparently about $30 million/year on his new contract.
I get the impression that Lauda would prefer it if Rosberg won a championship or two, but that's not the same as conspiracy within the team. Hamilton just had a big run of bad luck at the beginning of this year.
There's a bunch of speculation that Ferrari want him to replace Kimi in 2018. Sure, he's got a contract with Mercedes, but Ferrari can afford to buy that out. "Fixing Ferrari" is something Schumacher did, and I think a lot of modern drivers want to do all the things he did, so I could see it happening. It's entirely plausible that Hamilton could win both this year and next, and IIRC there are big aero rule changes coming in 2018 that could upset the existing hierarchy.
codrus wrote: I get the impression that Lauda would prefer it if Rosberg won a championship or two, but that's not the same as conspiracy within the team. Hamilton just had a big run of bad luck at the beginning of this year. There's a bunch of speculation that Ferrari want him to replace Kimi in 2018. Sure, he's got a contract with Mercedes, but Ferrari can afford to buy that out. "Fixing Ferrari" is something Schumacher did, and I think a lot of modern drivers want to do all the things he did, so I could see it happening. It's entirely plausible that Hamilton could win both this year and next, and IIRC there are big aero rule changes coming in 2018 that could upset the existing hierarchy.
I think there is a lot of truth in this post.
If there was a "German driver in a German car" conspiracy, then it would be laid out in the contract, in which case Hamilton would break the rules anyways. Hamilton has shown over the years his character as a teammate. He has the Senna like characteristics, he is so driven that he comes off as a A$$. I am more interested in how next year plays out rather then the rest of the season.
Streetwiseguy wrote:codrus wrote: I get the impression that Lauda would prefer it if Rosberg won a championship or two, but that's not the same as conspiracy within the team. Hamilton just had a big run of bad luck at the beginning of this year. There's a bunch of speculation that Ferrari want him to replace Kimi in 2018. Sure, he's got a contract with Mercedes, but Ferrari can afford to buy that out. "Fixing Ferrari" is something Schumacher did, and I think a lot of modern drivers want to do all the things he did, so I could see it happening. It's entirely plausible that Hamilton could win both this year and next, and IIRC there are big aero rule changes coming in 2018 that could upset the existing hierarchy.I think there is a lot of truth in this post.
I disagree. I think the team has sided with Hamilton more than it has sided with Nico after the various on track contact between the two over the year. Lauda is a long long time Hamilton fan. He's the guy who approached him and lured him away from Ron's grasp. I don't by that Nico is favored by the team as he's German either. Hamilton has had more bad luck this year, but I don't buy any conspiracy theories on wanting a local boy to win either. Nico is popular in Germany, but not as popular as Vettle is and certainly not a patch on the popularity that Shumi had over there.
I think what is far more interesting now is what's going to happen to Pascal Wehrlein. He's the next up for the big time within Mercedes. He's proved his chops this year at Manor. Lots of people expected him to do one more year there before moving up to the A team in 2018. But now with both LCH and Hollywood there through the end of 18 he could not move up until 2019. I wonder if he'll jump ship to another manufacturer or if he'll be promoted to Force India for 18 to keep him in the fold.
Adrian_Thompson wrote: I wonder if he'll jump ship to another manufacturer or if he'll be promoted to Force India for 18 to keep him in the fold.
Yes I am very interested in where Wehrlein and Vandoorne are going to end up. They both really shine as excellent drivers. I can see all the teams sending fruit baskets, nice restaurant gift cards, and other things to try and woo them. MB and McLaren have to be very careful not to lose them.
I think the key driver in any moves for 2017 is if Perez does get out of his contract to bump someone at Renault. Then Wehrlien has a straight shot to Force India. Button and Massa comparisons are tough as both are middle road guys. I could see Williams passing on both to get Vandoorne in their car.
Other than that the only other wild cards are Sauber with their new owners and HAAS being given a different Ferrari blessed driver in their car, getting rid of Gutierrez.
I think both Rosberg and Hamilton will retire from MB around 2020. The only move I can see for Hamilton would be out of nostalgia to return to a DOMINANT McLaren Honda, just to live like Senna. Anyhow by 2020 they will be "OLD" by then
. Rosberg may stick around as some kind of team leader. Hamilton will fade into music, dabble with road car development, and maybe get sucked back into some racing role with his brother.
James Allison, Chief Technical Director for Ferrari, out effective immediately. Either someone got themselves a new job or someone is not happy in Maranello. Maybe both.
His wife passed away a few months ago and he has indicated his desire to be back in Britain close to friends and family.
Although they can make stupid decisions, at least this shows that F1 can repeal a decision that's stupid:
Radio communication In addition to discussing cockpit protection, the Strategy Group agreed to loosen team radio restrictions from this weekend onwards by adopting a more liberal approach to the interpretation of the rule that drivers must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’. With the exception of the period between the start of the formation lap and the start of the race, there will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers either by radio or pit board. This approach is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators, as teams will now be required to provide unrestricted access to their radio messages at all times that their cars are out of the garage.
So, we're back to talking to drivers in the cars. I'm glad to see it.
-Rob
Wow, that's a serious reversal. I did not see that coming.
rob_lewis wrote: Although they can make stupid decisions, at least this shows that F1 can repeal a decision that's stupid:Radio communication In addition to discussing cockpit protection, the Strategy Group agreed to loosen team radio restrictions from this weekend onwards by adopting a more liberal approach to the interpretation of the rule that drivers must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’. With the exception of the period between the start of the formation lap and the start of the race, there will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers either by radio or pit board. This approach is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators, as teams will now be required to provide unrestricted access to their radio messages at all times that their cars are out of the garage.So, we're back to talking to drivers in the cars. I'm glad to see it. -Rob
Doesn't that just say that all communications must be out in the open? In other words, no limitations = nothong hidden?
If it doesn't mean that, the last section is strangely worded....
z31maniac wrote: His wife passed away a few months ago and he has indicated his desire to be back in Britain close to friends and family.
Yeah Mr Allison had a very tough time. I read that he almost lost one of his children too. I think everyone in the F1 family has expressed their grief for his situation.
wvumtnbkr wrote:rob_lewis wrote: Although they can make stupid decisions, at least this shows that F1 can repeal a decision that's stupid:Doesn't that just say that all communications must be out in the open? In other words, no limitations = nothong hidden? If it doesn't mean that, the last section is strangely worded....Radio communication In addition to discussing cockpit protection, the Strategy Group agreed to loosen team radio restrictions from this weekend onwards by adopting a more liberal approach to the interpretation of the rule that drivers must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’. With the exception of the period between the start of the formation lap and the start of the race, there will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers either by radio or pit board. This approach is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators, as teams will now be required to provide unrestricted access to their radio messages at all times that their cars are out of the garage.So, we're back to talking to drivers in the cars. I'm glad to see it. -Rob
As I understand it, they can tell the driver whatever they want to during the race, but cannot tell them how to set the car up for the launch. Not sure why, specifically, the launch is singled out as something the driver has to figure out on their own, but that's the way I understand it from reading about the change on other sites.
-Rob
wvumtnbkr wrote:rob_lewis wrote: Although they can make stupid decisions, at least this shows that F1 can repeal a decision that's stupid:Doesn't that just say that all communications must be out in the open? In other words, no limitations = nothong hidden? If it doesn't mean that, the last section is strangely worded....Radio communication In addition to discussing cockpit protection, the Strategy Group agreed to loosen team radio restrictions from this weekend onwards by adopting a more liberal approach to the interpretation of the rule that drivers must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’. With the exception of the period between the start of the formation lap and the start of the race, there will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers either by radio or pit board. This approach is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators, as teams will now be required to provide unrestricted access to their radio messages at all times that their cars are out of the garage.So, we're back to talking to drivers in the cars. I'm glad to see it. -Rob
I believe that the official statement was that all radio communications while the car is out of the garage must be made available to the commercial rights holder and that there are no restrictions on content once the formation lap and start are over.
In reply to wae:
That's the way I read it. Or one might say, if telemetry tells the Merc team that Rossberg's car is having a brake system problem and inform him of the fact, he can't use that as an excuse to punt Hamilton anymore...
rob_lewis wrote:wvumtnbkr wrote:As I understand it, they can tell the driver whatever they want to during the race, but cannot tell them how to set the car up for the launch. Not sure why, specifically, the launch is singled out as something the driver has to figure out on their own, but that's the way I understand it from reading about the change on other sites. -Robrob_lewis wrote: Although they can make stupid decisions, at least this shows that F1 can repeal a decision that's stupid:Doesn't that just say that all communications must be out in the open? In other words, no limitations = nothong hidden? If it doesn't mean that, the last section is strangely worded....Radio communication In addition to discussing cockpit protection, the Strategy Group agreed to loosen team radio restrictions from this weekend onwards by adopting a more liberal approach to the interpretation of the rule that drivers must drive the car ‘alone and unaided’. With the exception of the period between the start of the formation lap and the start of the race, there will be no limitations on messages teams send to their drivers either by radio or pit board. This approach is aimed at providing improved content for fans and spectators, as teams will now be required to provide unrestricted access to their radio messages at all times that their cars are out of the garage.So, we're back to talking to drivers in the cars. I'm glad to see it. -Rob
Because the difficult launches have proven one of the most exciting parts of the racing this year.
It was my understanding that the radio messages were public already, they just weren't all part of the official feed.
Keith Tanner wrote: Because the difficult launches have proven one of the most exciting parts of the racing this year. It was my understanding that the radio messages were public already, they just weren't all part of the official feed.
Yeah, basically the only hope for an outright win from something other than a Mercedes (that is, something that doesn't involve a penalty or a mechanical failure) is for a Red Bull or a Ferrari to pass the Mercedes at the start on a track where passing is otherwise difficult. So they're trying to maximize it.
I'm really surprised they went with a completely open rule. It seems to me that it should be fairly straightforward to police a rule against driver coaching on driving ("apex later in turn 3") vs assistance with the operation of the computer to put the engine/brakes/etc into particular modes.
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