Come on "The Boss"!
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Come on "The Boss"!
Oh my. What a race
Never bet against Hamilton.
CONGRATULATIONS PETRONAS MERCEDES - 2018 CONSTRUCTORS WORLD CHAMPIONS
Either way you cut it. Ocon had no reason to fight max or try and unlap himself. No threat from behind and miles behind the car in front.
Interesting conversation in the cooldown room. Hamilton giving advice to max.
I think this is his first win in Brazil
Back in the 80s I think Max would have punched Ocon to be honest. I don’t blame him for being pissed, what Ocon did was ridiculous. Personally I think Ocon should get a race ban, you cannot take the leader out like that.
Bottas makes me appreciate Rosberg so much
there are a few drivers i would rather see in that 2nd seat.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigWorm
including wherlein
I agree, but inexperience had a lot to do with the accident happening. More experienced racers would do everything to not risk losing the lead by giving Ocon a wide berth. I kind of blame them both but definitely more Ocon's fault.Quote:
Originally Posted by truefan72
Bottas was brilliant in the first half of the season and started the second half with a lot of bad luck with all sorts of car problems. I think he did not take it well that he drifted away from Hamilton due no fault of his own. His driving since then has been quite tame and below what we know he is capable of. I can say that he definitely was better than he managed in 2017 where he won a number of races. Hence l can see how he would be quite depressed that he did not win any race in a season where he could clearly see that he is driving better than he did in previous year.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigWorm
I think he would be quite pumped for next season. I am expecting that he may give Hamilton a good run in 2019 season. He has to because that would be his very last opportunity to showcase why he should be given the chance to retain his seat beyond 2019 with Ocon and George Russell waiting in the wings.
Lewis Hamilton has won 50 of the 100 races since the hybrid era started at this race win.
Something like this?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFky8hpVolg
I still remember watching this one live with my Dad :-).
Haha yeah that one :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Duncan
2 days community service for Max for the incident with Ocon.
I think the stewards are getting soft.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
It has been a great season. Ferrari really impressed but still have operational issues to resolve in order for them to be properly ready to be constructors world champion. They did not win the constructors title because they have not deserved it. Mercedes was more deserving of winning the constructors title because they have shown true grit in the face of a harder competition from a much stronger opposition and have prevailed. They made less mistakes and dug deep to find performance when it seemed impossible. Admittedly, they were helped by the mistakes that Ferrari and Vettel made this season. But they took the manna from heaven when they presented themselves.
The opposition upped their game this season. Redbull won four races, one more than they managed last year and may have won their fifth at Interlagos but for the unfortunate crash with the Force India of Ocon. Ferrari turned up this season with a brilliant car that seemed capable of winning both titles. For the first time in the hybrid era, a Mercedes was lapped by a Ferrari. Also, we saw Mercedes properly rattled and scratching their heads by the form of another team.
I think Ferrari can keep their shin up. They have race like champions that they are. What could have been if they did not go down the wrong design path at Singapore.
Redbull are looking fiesty and bullish for 2019. It would be great if Honda can turn up with a solid package in 2019. I would love to see what Verstapenn can do with a closely matched car to the Mercedes and Ferrari.
It was painfull for me to watch Mclaren and Williams struggle this season. And l am disappointed that Alonso has finally departed F1 due to not finding a competitive car. I hope Mclaren and Williams find their form next season. That said, Sauber really impressed this year and helped us discover a new talent in Charles Leclec.
Having had time to reflect on the Max/Ocon incident, I think that Max must take some small share of the responsibility. What Ocon did was stupid but Max could have given him more room as well.
As for Dr. Helmut Marko implying that it was somehow a ploy between Mercedes and Ocon so Ocon could gain favour with his team, that has to be one of the stupidest comments I’ve ever heard from anyone.
Next year will be interesting. Supposedly all teams have lost downforce points with the new regulations except for RBR. Apparently they bave found a way to maintain current downforce levels. With the cars expected to be 1.5 seconds slower next year RBR, coupled with a vastly improving Honda engine could be title contenders. Mercedes and Ferrari could find themselves lagging behind significantly.
I agree, Redbull will be very strong next year and well in the mix at the sharp end. Niggly reliability issues are still prevalent in the Honda powerpod which may be problematic or not. But you can see how bullish and confident Redbull are for 2019. Verstapenn clearly can sense an opportunity to fight for the title next year.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Black Knight
That said, l think Mercedes are going to dump the 2018 chassis and design a new chassis for 2019. Their current chassis seem to have reached end of shelf life, it has delivered all the performance that can be squeezed out of it. It was slower than the Ferrari and the Redbull aerodynamically but occasionally faster in Hamilton's hands due to its mechanical strength. If they turn up with this chassis next year, they would be comprehensively beaten.
Ferrari have a chassis that can be refined to match the Redbull chassis. Hence, l would not rule out Ferrari from being the car to beat in 2019. But l fully expect Redbull to win as many races as Mercedes and Ferrari next season. I think it is going to be another closely fought and very tight season. The margin for error between the top three would be very small and maybe the determinant of how the season is won.
It is also very possible that a Brawn-like scenario might occur with one of the midfield teams emerging out of the winter with a unique design that puts them ahead of the pack. Imagine Mclaren or Williams or Haas or Force India or Renault suddenly emerging as the team to beat in 2019. That would make for a very cool season. We may end that season with an unlikely champion, which means any of the new rookies for 2019 [George Russel or Lando Norris] may win the title in their first year. It also opens the possibility for Sainz, Perez, Magnussen, Grosjean and even Raikonen in the Sauber to be the 2019 Driver World champion. Imagine that.
We shall also enjoy a display of experience versus youthful determination. Vettel shall have his hands full with Leclec while also battling the youthfull Redbull pair. The story is the same for Hamilton but more problematic for Vettel with one of them in his camp.
I can't quite picture Redbull for next season. But l don't think Verstapenn shall have it his own way. I have a feeling that Gastly would surprise him and give him some very frustrating weekends. Horner would need to manage this situation very carefully without damaging one of their drivers spirit.
Great race, really enjoyed that..
Congrats to Merc on winning the constructors championship.
A shame for Max... Ocon shouldnt have done that (Imo) but as Lewis says.. Ocon does have the right to unlap himself so be prepared for the unexpected and dont just assume your lead will be respected. Good advice for Max and I'm sure he will learn from it.
If McLaren have gone backwards with Renault and the Torro Rosso have moved forward with the Honda unit... Dont Red Bull look like they have a very realistic shot at bringing the fight to Merc and Ferrari next year?
Never thought I'd ever want Red Bull to be truly competative again but I really do... what a mouth watering prospect!
Didn't McLaren finish 9th with 30 points and STR 7th with 53? Right now STR is 9th with 33 points and McLaren 6th with 62. What am I missing? Isn't Honda's progress from an horrible engine to just an almost mediocre one? I don't get what Honda does to continuously generate all this hype even if they constantly fail.
Had an old engine fitted in Mexico, had to drive with lot less power to save the engine as it was passed its allocated milage. So many things affecting a drivers performance than just driving. He has had his share of bad luck this seasonQuote:
Originally Posted by BigWorm
Verstappen showed once more that he's an idiot. Ocon's mistake or not, Verstappen had everything to lose, and lost it like a moron, getting into a pointless fight with a driver one lap behind. And then he topped it all off with his hissy fit. I was delighted with the result.
Mclaren's 6th position is all Alonso frankly. This season, Redbull has been using Toro Rosso to help Honda develop the engine for the 2019 season. The low score of Toro Rosso is due to experiments that they have been doing as they try out things etc. It is clear on a number of occasions that, the Honda powerpod is good for the middle of the top ten at this moment if raced properly. Certainly good enough to be ahead of the Mclaren.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ben
You have to bear in mind that next season is a low downforce chassis regulation to facilitate close quarter racing. It not about grunt as such but aerodynamic efficiency at low downforce. Which is where Redbull typically excel.
I totally agree, the Dutchman needs to grow up, he has a dummy spit every time something does not go his way, he is not perfect but he expects perfection from everyone else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ben
Cheers
Daniel
This race will be remembered for the useless drives by Bottas, Vettel, and Ocon. It is surprising that the only Ferrari having speed to be competitive was Raikkonen's.
Every sport needs a villain. For the last few years F1 has been without one. I'm kind of glad that Max is stepping up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Ben
A villain yes but a childish, undisciplined spoiled brat, no!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Firstgear
Cheers
Daniel
This sort of behavior is only tolerable if the person in question has accomplished something. The annoying thing about Verstapenn is he does not know his place. He behaves as if he has already won a driver's championship. The talk about him being a potential world champion has gone to his head such that he behaves as if it has happened already.Quote:
Originally Posted by daniellouwrens
He does not appreciate that becoming a F1 driver world champion is an up hill task that can be elusive even to those with the talent to become one. He has set himself up now for an expectation of "become a world champion or become the biggest idiot the sport has ever seen".
He has the talent to become world champion, but so do Gastly, Leclec, Russell, Nando, Sainz etc. There is no guarantee that he would ever be a driver world champion but very likely if he can pull it off in the Hamilton era before all the aforementioned drivers settle into their new teams.
He may win one in 2019 if Honda and Redbull put together a package that is much better than what Mercedes and Ferrari can muster for the 2019 regulations. Seeing the current Merc chassis, you may be inclined to put your money on Verstapenn for the 2019 driver's title. I suspect Mercedes are going to revisit the drawing board and come out with a redesigned chassis for 2019. Then, there is Leclec in the Ferrari for 2019, whom everyone thinks would be something special to behold in 2019. There is also a good chance that Ferrari would be stronger than they were this season and most likely not make a repeat of the mistakes they made this season.
Hence it may be harder for Redbull than they appreciate. It would always be a mistake to discount Hamilton and Vettel from the equation as well. Vettel would be very determined to catch up to Hamilton as a five times world champion. Of Course, Hamiton would be determined to pull further away and get closer to the Schumacher benchmark.
If there is one thing l can say l love about Hamilton and Vettel, it is that they are always very humble about their potential and achievements. If Verstapenn had Hamilton's achievements, he would be so big headed, they would need a special door for him to get into race tracks. You know what they say about pride.....
Horner (the voice of reason compared to the idiot doctor) defended Verstappen's behaviour after the race, so no wonder Red Bull's so good at producing spoilt brats. This moron makes Vettel look much better though. Vettel has his moments but doesn't have the sociopathic tendencies of his heir.
Max should have just let him go through , rather than racing him .
However , as he has said , it was Ocon's smiling face that tipped him over the edge .
It was clearly a "you got what you deserved" kind of expression , and I'm not surprised it prompted a shove or two .
These two have bad blood going back to their F3 rivary where Ocon got the better of Verstapenn. There may be some jealousy there, Verstapenn has gone on to better things with Ocon departing into the sidelines in 2019. How being a Mercedes junior has failed to reward Ocon has turned out to be a tough medicine to take. Spare a thought for Werhlein whom has disappeared into oblivion.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bagwan
The Ocon Verstappen incident is a clear example of third party teams/drivers with links to one of the big three.. interfering with the race lead to please his masters.
He would never have done that to Hamilton or Bottas.
I dont like it, it shouldnt happen but are there are no rules to stop the likes of this happening?
I doubt it was intentional or done to please or at the request of Mercedes. It was a red mist moment that got out of hand. Ocon was going to forceably unlap himself because he thinks he has a better pace than Verstapenn with older tyres. And Verstapenn had the view he was the race leader hence Ocon should get out of his way and stay behind where he belongs. In this circumstances, a crash was inevitable as there was a lack of mutual respect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zico
It was not a good picture of Ocon , laughing at his rival in the heated conversation .Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitrodaze
It looks like Max gets the last laugh this time , though , as he's still driving next year and Kubica may take the last seat .
It's poor taste to laugh at a mentally challenged individual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitrodaze
Yes, of course I'm not saying it was done under orders from a higher level.. but there is no way in hell he would have done it to either of the Merc drivers.
He wouldn't have needed to. I doubt that either would have got into this pointless fight with someone in a different race.
People who continue saying that Formula 1 racing is boring can now shut up once again. I had such low expectations that at first I didn't want to watch the Brazilian GP. Hamilton is the champion. Game over. Lame duck season. But oh boy, we have all been surprised there.
As much as Ocon tried to demonstrate what a tough guy he is and justify his actions, all he did was demonstrate that he's a retard.
Even if it was for position, he was in the wrong. He never had "authority" for the corner and expected Verstappen to back out because he was supposedly far enough alongside. Verstappen is the lead car and is entitled to turn right into a right hand corner.
Where his lack of nous is demonstrated (And good team managers will recognise this), is that if that was for the win then he would've cost himself/team the win. If his pace was that much better than Verstappen and he could make his way past in those first two corners, then one corner away they're onto a straight and he could've got him. But drivers these days with the lack of professional decorum are too dumb to realise that.
I think Alonso said something along those lines recently. I wonder if one could say the drivers are complacent of the fact that F1 has got so safe, hence are willing to take more risks as a result drive with poor mutual respect than the schumacher generation for instance? Or do we need to go far back to the Stewart generation for instance.Quote:
Originally Posted by journeyman racer
No one said his car was faster, just that he was on better tires at the time. Therefor passing on the straight was not a option. He was substantially quicker in the corners though and that's were he attempted the pass.Quote:
Originally Posted by journeyman racer