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  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
    Based on what l have seen in Barcelona, l would stick my neck out and Say Vettel is favorite at this point. Hamilton seem to be physically struggling to compete at the level Vettel is driving. He would struggle to keep up the fight with Vettel over a full season with that level of fitness.
    Barcelona is certainly one of the tougher circuits in terms of G forces, but there are other tough ones later in the season and with hotter temperatures too. It could definitely be a factor. What we saw with Lewis in Barcelona was really surprising to me though. I wonder if he might have been affected by some minor illness.
    Last edited by AndyL; 16th May 2017 at 13:07.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyL View Post
    Barcelona is certainly one of the tougher circuits in terms of G forces, but there are other tough ones later in the season and with hotter temperatures too. It could definitely be a factor. What we saw with Lewis in Barcelona was really surprising to me though. I wonder if he might have been affected by some minor illness.
    Maybe. I think it just boils down to him not being fit enough honestly. Vettel didn't have that issue and they were driving at the same pace. Some peoples bodies just react differently no matter what the conditions are. Mind you, he doesn't have a drinks bottle either so that is bound to have contributed some bit as well.
    Last edited by The Black Knight; 16th May 2017 at 14:32.

  3. #13
    Senior Member Hawkmoon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zico View Post
    Yes, I think Ferrari didn't pay enough attention to Mercs long run performance in free practice where they looked to have improved dramatically. That isn't criticism though...
    It appears that Merc have finally found the solution to their tyre wear Achilles heel, I also wrongly thought that Lewis's tyres would go off and he'd have Seb right up behind him in the closing laps.. but Lewis even banged in a fastest lap of the race with only 2 laps to go!

    I feel that Mercedes probably have a better chance at the WCC with a slightly stronger driver pairing than Ferrari in Botas being slightly more preferable to Kimi, but who will win the WDC is still anyone's guess.
    I think we'll have to wait and see whether Mercedes are on top of their tyre issues. It was pretty clear that Pirrelli brought the wrong compounds to Barcelona. Did anybody even look at the hard compound? Montreal has always been pretty hard on the tyres so I think it will be a truer test of the Mercedes tyre wear.
    Forza Ferrari!!

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hawkmoon View Post
    I think we'll have to wait and see whether Mercedes are on top of their tyre issues. It was pretty clear that Pirrelli brought the wrong compounds to Barcelona. Did anybody even look at the hard compound? Montreal has always been pretty hard on the tyres so I think it will be a truer test of the Mercedes tyre wear.
    The Virtual Safety Car moment at Barcelona distorted the true gap between Ferrari and Mercedes. It essentially brought Mercedes into the fight with Ferrari. Otherwise, Vettel would have maintained a 10 to 20 sec gap to Hamilton by the end of the race. Mercedes won the race but they are clearly still behind Ferrari. You could say Ferrari gave away the win rather than were beaten on pure pace. I suppose you have to ask, is Ferrari ready to win another F1 championship? They have the tools to do it but seem to lack the mindset and strategic acuity of a team primed to win a F1 championship.
    Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
    William Shakespeare

  5. #15
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    I think Vettel is the favourite. A very interesting season to watch so far. Incidentally, I'm glad to see Bottas doing well too.

    Regarding Hamilton, I don't know if this has been mentioned before (I expect it has) as I haven't been reading the threads recently, but I think that he hasn't got his head straight this year. The first clear sign of that was before the racing had even started when he announced that he wasn't using a fitness trainer this year (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39410617), which I thought was a bit odd, and said rather a lot about his frame of mind.

    Further to that, when Hamilton said in the Monaco post-race interview that (words to the effect of) he was very happy with his performance, that was another sign that he isn't in the best frame of mind for what he needs to achieve.

    Vettel has a very good car and a straight head, so I think that gives him the edge over Hamilton, assuming that the mental and mechanical balance between the two drivers remains similar to its present state.

  6. #16
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    It is clear that there will be a tough battle between Hamilton and Vettel, probably up to the final race of season.

  7. #17
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    I have to say that Vettel has been more consistent and the Ferrari cars are without a doubt better than the Mercedes for a change. Unfortunately, Hamilton has not been consistent so far. Bottas has outdriven him when the car is in its worst state. We can put this to driving style more than anything else.

    However, at the rate that Vettel is going, it would soon be an uphill battle for Hamilton to climb. That said, the constructors title is also at stake. The Mercedes W08 is fast but dogged with what seems like a knife edge setup window, when it is good, it is comfortably within reach of the Ferrari. But when it is bad as we saw in Monaco, It is easily within the reach of the Redbull.

    I am beginning to think that 2017 is a year for Ferrari to win or lose on their own. Mercedes have turn up to the 2017 fight with a half decent chassis when Ferrari finally found their mojo. It would take some doing for Hamilton and Mercedes to beat the Vettel - Ferrari combination this season. And l don't agree that Hamilton has not got his head straight this year, all we have been seeing is a world champion who knows that he has not got the tools to do battle against a better Ferrari car with Vettel in it.
    Last edited by Nitrodaze; 30th May 2017 at 12:56.
    Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
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  8. #18
    Junior Member Owain's Avatar
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    I agree - Ferrari and Vettel this year. Thank goodness.

  9. #19
    Senior Member Hawkmoon's Avatar
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    Bottas qualified 0.045s behind Raikkonen at Monaco, a circuit that played to Ferrari's strengths - not a power circuit, better suits shorter wheelbase cars, soft end of the tyre spectrum, high track temperature. The Mercedes might have a narrow sweet spot on setup but it's definitely quick over a lap. Canada will suit the silver cars more with the only question mark being tyre wear. It's traditionally been a tough circuit on tyres which should benefit Ferrari. If the red cars out-qualify the silver cars in Montreal then I'd definitely say it's advantage Ferrari and Vettel.
    Forza Ferrari!!

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hawkmoon View Post
    Bottas qualified 0.045s behind Raikkonen at Monaco, a circuit that played to Ferrari's strengths - not a power circuit, better suits shorter wheelbase cars, soft end of the tyre spectrum, high track temperature. The Mercedes might have a narrow sweet spot on setup but it's definitely quick over a lap. Canada will suit the silver cars more with the only question mark being tyre wear. It's traditionally been a tough circuit on tyres which should benefit Ferrari. If the red cars out-qualify the silver cars in Montreal then I'd definitely say it's advantage Ferrari and Vettel.
    I agree, we should give the Mercedes the benefit of the doubt and see how they recover from this setback in the coming races. It has been a great season so far as Ferrari finally deliver on their promise to take the fight to the Silver Arrow. It was not pretty how they went about Monaco, but the end seem to justify the means as Vettel is now a full race win ahead of Hamilton and Ferrari are comfortably in the lead of the constructors championship with seventeen points cushion to the Mercedes.

    Bring on Canada!
    Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
    William Shakespeare

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