Hamilton to miss second Bahrain GP

**Whyzars** · 5th December 2020, 13:11

It is a pity that Lewis Hamilton is not driving at this track. I somehow think that he would have provided a masterclass here.

I hope he gets over the bug quickly.

**Mia 01** · 5th December 2020, 15:14

It would be very interesting to se Russel as Hamiltons team mate indeed. But I think toto is protecting Hamilton a bit, he dont want to upset team harmony.

**Nitrodaze** · 5th December 2020, 15:25

Originally Posted by Mia 01

It would be very interesting to se Russel as Hamiltons team mate indeed. But I think toto is protecting Hamilton a bit, he dont want to upset team harmony.

I like the idea of Russell as Hamilton's teammate. But l don't think he is not at the moment to protect Hamilton. I think it is to protect Russell. Especially if you look at what happened to Vandoorne pairing with Alonso, it destroyed Vandoorne's F1 career. We were deprived of seeing what this very talented F2 champion can do in F1 because of it. The same could easily happen to Russell as he would be flying too close to the sun. And the tiger in the Seven times world champion may burn him out.

**Mia 01** · 5th December 2020, 15:39

Russel isn´t a newbie as Vandoorne was, it´s his third year in F1 I think. If Russel can hop in the car and be faster than Bottas right away I have no worries for him.

Over the years they raced together Button scored moore ponits than Lewis did. It would be interesting to pair Russel and Hamilton

**Nitrodaze** · 5th December 2020, 16:25

Originally Posted by Mia 01

Russel isn´t a newbie as Vandoorne was, it´s his third year in F1 I think. If Russel can hop in the car and be faster than Bottas right away I have no worries for him.

Over the years they raced together Button scored moore ponits than Lewis did. It would be interesting to pair Russel and Hamilton

Well after this weekend, if he can beat Bottas, l think he would be ready for the challenge. But the situation must be managed carefully to protect him. Because he would be going into a sword fight with a pen knife. His two years driving with rookies or against a F1 driver past his prime would not prepare him for a full season with the seasoned tiger that is Hamilton. Flashes of speed at free practise would not cut it either.

**truefan72** · 5th December 2020, 17:30

well, well, well. Bottas beats Russell to pole by 0.026.
to me it says Russell is top flight legit being able to almost take pole.
It's a long race tomorrow, so we shall see what happens.
I guarantee you, if Hamilton was paired with either Russell or Bottas he would have pulled off a 2-3tenths advantage to take pole.
The fact that Russell and Bottas are this close is a very softy indictment on Bottas. He's a very good driver in a very good car. But it is clear he hasn't got that champions edge in performance or tenacity.
If Russell gets past him at the star then I fully expect him to fade and remain p2 or p3.
During the post quali interviews, i was hoping Russell would mention something to DiResta about his comments about him being in the car. but he kept it civil and only expressed how much of a learning curve he had to go through in such a short time.
On to the race!

Finally, for those that say the car is that good and proves that anyone can drive it to the top, i would push back against that.
For one, Hamilton extracts way more out of that car than anyone could and even in races where it seems the car is a bit weaker than the others, Hamilton still finds a way to succeed with it.
Russell is an immense talent and it is clear he has the capability to be lightning quick with a good car. Put him in the RBR or Racing point and you would still see him towards the sharp end of the grid.
The mercedes has a very small operating window to get properly hooked up and he has managed to find it in 3 days. if you put any other 2 drivers in that car outside of verstappen, perez, gasly and leclerc, and I am sure they won't be on the front row.

**Nitrodaze** · 5th December 2020, 18:07

Originally Posted by truefan72

well, well, well. Bottas beats Russell to pole by 0.026.
to me it says Russell is top flight legit being able to almost take pole.
It's a long race tomorrow, so we shall see what happens.
I guarantee you, if Hamilton was paired with either Russell or Bottas he would have pulled off a 2-3tenths advantage to take pole.
The fact that Russell and Bottas are this close is a very softy indictment on Bottas. He's a very good driver in a very good car. But it is clear he hasn't got that champions edge in performance or tenacity.
If Russell gets past him at the star then I fully expect him to fade and remain p2 or p3.
During the post quali interviews, i was hoping Russell would mention something to DiResta about his comments about him being in the car. but he kept it civil and only expressed how much of a learning curve he had to go through in such a short time.
On to the race!

Finally, for those that say the car is that good and proves that anyone can drive it to the top, i would push back against that.
For one, Hamilton extracts way more out of that car than anyone could and even in races where it seems the car is a bit weaker than the others, Hamilton still finds a way to succeed with it.
Russell is an immense talent and it is clear he has the capability to be lightning quick with a good car. Put him in the RBR or Racing point and you would still see him towards the sharp end of the grid.
The mercedes has a very small operating window to get properly hooked up and he has managed to find it in 3 days. if you put any other 2 drivers in that car outside of verstappen, perez, gasly and leclerc, and I am sure they won't be on the front row.

By this result, l surmise that Russell is quicker than Bottas. If he can be this close in a car built for another driver while driving it in the wrong shoes, imagine how quick he would be if the car was built to his specification and he fits in it comfortably.

If Russell is in the car for Abu Dhabi, Bottas would find Russell harder to beat. I would put money on Russell to take pole at Abu Dhabi.

Mia, l think you have your answer now.

**Bagwan** · 5th December 2020, 19:29

With George that close , in a car that is way too small for him , and completely new to him , I would say that Russell's driving style is very similar to Lewis's .
He's less than a blink of an eye , literally , behind , scrunched into a car in which he doesn't fit .

A lot of drivers in the paddock really look up to George , because he's 6 foot 2 .

**Nitrodaze** · 5th December 2020, 20:16

Originally Posted by Bagwan

With George that close , in a car that is way too small for him , and completely new to him , I would say that Russell's driving style is very similar to Lewis's .
He's less than a blink of an eye , literally , behind , scrunched into a car in which he doesn't fit .

A lot of drivers in the paddock really look up to George , because he's 6 foot 2 .

The thing is, Hamilton is about a one to two tenths faster than the Bottas pole. I expected pole to be very low 53. Even high 52, 00:52:9 maybe. I am glad for Russell, but l would have liked to see what the Hamilton time would have looked like.

**truefan72** · 6th December 2020, 03:18

Originally Posted by Nitrodaze

The thing is, Hamilton is about a one to two tenths faster than the Bottas pole. I expected pole to be very low 53. Even high 52, 00:52:9 maybe. I am glad for Russell, but l would have liked to see what the Hamilton time would have looked like.

me too!