Hamilton - Is revival possible or Is a new Champion in the making

[dj_bytedisaster]

I think Lewis does have one problem that Rosberg had last year. He has to put more strain on his material. Rosberg had the better starts and could basically cruise home in engine saving mode. Last year that was usually Lewis, while Rosberg had to fight throught the field and probably had to run the engine in non-detuned mode a bit more often and consequently had more problems. Then there is also the possibility that this year's engine is a bit more on the edge, reliability-wise and Lewis' generally harder driving style might come into play.

But that's just my theory. Probably a lot more plausible than the 'he got crap mechanics' conspiracy. We shouldn't forget that those mechanics still knew how to do the job when Rosberg won the last three races last year.

[The Black Knight]

The whole crap mechanics theory isn't plausible and it would be paramount to Hamilton being sabotaged and Mercedes are not going to do that!

He has had bad luck, simple as that! The reason Rosberg had to weave through drivers at times last year was because he made mistakes and couldn't out qualify Hamilton. This year I don't think Hamilton has made any errors. He's even had a water pressure issue in Sochi even though he had clawed back 6 seconds on Rosberg and all the while Rosberg can cruise at front. It must be pretty unfulfilling to know you're winning just because the other guy is reliability struck. All the same, he has taken his chances well and all credit to him! 42 points isn't too bad given what had happened (assuming it's a Sochi 1-2 as I write this) and there is 17 races left. It's not the end of the world yet for Hammy!

[truefan72]

The whole crap mechanics theory isn't plausible and it would be paramount to Hamilton being sabotaged and Mercedes are not going to do that!

He has had bad luck, simple as that! The reason Rosberg had to weave through drivers at times last year was because he made mistakes and couldn't out qualify Hamilton. This year I don't think Hamilton has made any errors. He's even had a water pressure issue in Sochi even though he had clawed back 6 seconds on Rosberg and all the while Rosberg can cruise at front. It must be pretty unfulfilling to know you're winning just because the other guy is reliability struck. All the same, he has taken his chances well and all credit to him! 42 points isn't too bad given what had happened (assuming it's a Sochi 1-2 as I write this) and there is 17 races left. It's not the end of the world yet for Hammy!

I agree with 95% of what you are saying. but switching the crews around has had an effect IMO. and he also is suffering from stupid slow pitstops, the latest which cost him position on bottas early in his 2nd stint. I just think that they had a winning combination and finely tuned group in place and mercedes for whatever reason decided to give that crew to Rosberg. Can you imagine senna's folks being handed to Prost???
the year after they win back to back championships?

[Garry Walker]

I agree with 95% of what you are saying. but switching the crews around has had an effect IMO. and he also is suffering from stupid slow pitstops, the latest which cost him position on bottas early in his 2nd stint. I just think that they had a winning combination and finely tuned group in place and mercedes for whatever reason decided to give that crew to Rosberg. Can you imagine senna's folks being handed to Prost???
the year after they win back to back championships?

If I am not mistaken, the guys who change tyres are the same for both guys.

[dj_bytedisaster]

I agree with 95% of what you are saying. but switching the crews around has had an effect IMO. and he also is suffering from stupid slow pitstops, the latest which cost him position on bottas early in his 2nd stint. I just think that they had a winning combination and finely tuned group in place and mercedes for whatever reason decided to give that crew to Rosberg. Can you imagine senna's folks being handed to Prost???
the year after they win back to back championships?

Mercedes thought it was neccessary, because of the 'we-against-them' attitude that developed within the team. And they didn't switch whole crews, just three people each.

[truefan72]

If I am not mistaken, the guys who change tyres are the same for both guys.

I know that, but that was a bit of a sidepoint. as Hamilton for some reason always seems to have slightly slower pitstops.
That is my only "conspiracy" paranoia lol. Why does nico have a 2.4sec stop to Hamilton's 3.2sec
Mercedes need to get their ish together

The good news is that this is a long season and if he has now gotten all his misery out of the way then we can see him start to claw back some of these lost points and challenge for the championship towards the end of the season.

I will say though that Hamilton does need to work on his race starts. Even this race he got off slightly slow

[dj_bytedisaster]

I will say though that Hamilton does need to work on his race starts. Even this race he got off slightly slow

That's the most important point. Like the RB's 2011-2013, the Merc is optimized for running upfront and struggles in traffic. Due to his bad starts Lewis was in traffic most of the times. Technical gremlins aside, that has been his biggest stumbling block so far.

[The Black Knight]

I know that, but that was a bit of a sidepoint. as Hamilton for some reason always seems to have slightly slower pitstops.
That is my only "conspiracy" paranoia lol. Why does nico have a 2.4sec stop to Hamilton's 3.2sec
Mercedes need to get their ish together

The good news is that this is a long season and if he has now gotten all his misery out of the way then we can see him start to claw back some of these lost points and challenge for the championship towards the end of the season.

I will say though that Hamilton does need to work on his race starts. Even this race he got off slightly slow

Two DNF's for Rosberg and he could be leading the championship. It's unlikely that Rosberg will finish every race between here and the end of the year! Provided he has no more reliability issues, I am looking forward to Hamilton's fight back - it should be epic!

[Zico]

When I said before the start of the season that I thought that this would be Nico's year for various reasons, I honestly wasn't expecting it to pan out like it has so far, unbelievable stuff. It's little wonder that some might begin to suspect foul play by certain forces inside Merc.

Can Hamilton do it? I don't doubt his edge in speed over Rosberg, I think its definitely possible, we still have a long way to go but his luck has got to change right now and Rosberg has to have his share of misfortune for it to happen.

[N4D13]

Two DNF's for Rosberg and he could be leading the championship. It's unlikely that Rosberg will finish every race between here and the end of the year! Provided he has no more reliability issues, I am looking forward to Hamilton's fight back - it should be epic!

DNFs are equally likely for Rosberg and Hamilton. It's unlikely that Nico will finish every race, but the same goes for Lewis as well. If you flip a coin four times and get four heads, you still don't get a higher probability of getting tails in the next try.

Last year's Toro Rosso drivers are a perfect example of how DNFs don't have to be distributed equally. Sainz had seven DNFs, all down to car failures - Verstappen had only two such retirements, plus an accident in Monaco.