So Lewis is not 100% for Abu Dhabi....my irritation deepens...

[Nitrodaze]

My reasoning is based only on what I have seen and heard. I'm pretty sure that I have not claimed any first hand knowledge. All I know is that there are bits and pieces in front of me and I want to assemble them into a larger picture just like a jigsaw puzzle.

Here are a few things dancing around in my mostly empty skull:
Did Lewis underperform or did the car let him down? We can't know if Russel would have won the race had Mercedes not screwed it up for him.
Earlier in the season Perez was forced out of 2 races so why the rush to get Lewis back in the car for the very last race even though they had already won everything possible.
I doubt that Lewis' contract would have any penalties regarding illness. But F1 must certainly have restrictions regarding drivers, or anyone, that bring their symptoms to the track. Why was Lewis exempt?

If this were a movie (and in my head it IS a movie) then I think it might go like this:

A demanding driver has reached the end of his contract and is negotiating to renew it for next year and beyond. Suddenly he is stricken by the latest virus and is forced to sit out a race or two. But the team must move on to the next race and are forced to replace the driver until he is well enough to return and is free of symptoms. Watching from his sickbed, the driver is horrified to see that the replacement is not only winning but putting distance on the rest of the field.
This is terrible! His insecurity is getting the best of him. He wonders, "What if that guy is better than me?". "And what about my contract? Am I in a worse position now? I wish this replacement guy was having a terrible day so people could see for themselves just how valuable I am? I've got to get back in the car next week".

He makes a phone call. "Hello, Toto! I'm coming back next weekend!". "We think you need to stay home and rest", they say. "After all we have nothing to gain", . "Why is this so hard?", says the driver to himself. "Why it was just last year I was able to force the team to let me air my political views".

The driver shows up with symptoms and does poorly. Now what?

There are 3 stories here:
Why was Lewis allowed on the grid in the first place. Having a negative test does not mean that you can't pass along your symptoms. How did he get away with that?

I think Lewis demanded to come back and Mercedes caved in. My respect for Mercedes has taken a big hit for their lack of courage in this case and willingness to give Lewis a platform for his political views. No other driver would be permitted to exhibit that sort of behavior.

Both Lewis and Mercedes should be ashamed of their treatment of George Russel. He drove a magnificent race and should have been rewarded after the team ruined it for him. Instead, they threw him under the bus. Just pathetic!

I should also mention that Williams now has an opportunity to do a great thing for George by releasing him from his contract in such a way as to save his seat but be given the chance to shop his skills to a better team. It would be a great gesture.

Sorry buddy. Your post read like Hamilton bashing to me. You carry on as if an entitlement has not been met. A negative test means whoever it is, is cleared to go racing. No special privileges was given to Hamilton. Once he had the all clear, his contract demands that he provide his services in the car. Though the team have the option to ask him to step aside for someone else to drive the car if they have reservations of his fitness to race.

Using phrases like "a demanding driver" is also very disrespectfull to Hamilton. I am not sure if that is your intention but it comes across negatively. It is what it is. Russell, is more a bother to Bottas than to Hamilton. To make out that Hamilton is bothered that Russell might be better than him is ridiculous to say the least. I am sure he might identify with Russell relative to his F1 formative years alongside Alonso at Mclaren [2007 season].

That said, l must admit that l would like to see Russell in the next car so that we can see how he measures up to the benchmark of all driver, which is Hamilton.

The other thing is you inherently suggest that Bottas is crap. Which is highly debatable. That the Mercedes were slower than the Redbull in Verstapenn's hands at Abu Dhabi brings into question the competences of both Mercedes driver's in your eyes. Somehow, you are inclined to think Russell may have won the race given the drive. I must agree that he may have finished ahead of Bottas, but certainly not win the race.

The worrying thing is that you are already heaping a huge amount of expectation on the young shoulder of this very promising up and coming star. This is the sort of pressure that could burn him out before his prime. We see that he can be great given the chance, equipment and some luck, but that is not guaranteed. And these sort of expectations would not help him either. You seem to not realize why Hamilton was able to reach seven world titles. He did it partly because he took the pressure out of reaching the seven title. One step at a time, he sneaked up to Seven drivers world championship titles.

So l suggest we give him [Russell] the chance to evolve at the pace of idiosyncracies of the Mercedes team. But don't disrespect those that have proved themselves against all benchmarks of F1 greatness in the process of your appreciation of the up and coming talent.

[Nitrodaze]

First of all, Welcome to the forum Lee. I'm really enjoying reading your well-thought-out posts and insight. While I can believe that some of the things you are suggesting could be happening, I think the main thing was that Lewis was bored sitting at home (or where ever he was) and wanted to get back into the car. Of course he wouldn't be happy with someone else doing well in his car, so that only makes his feelings more urgent. Although George did great, Mercedes still has to keep their #1 star happy. George is shining right now, but it's still too early to know if he will ever be at Lewis's level consistently. Lewis has shown he can handle the pressure and deliver day in and day out, with George those kinds of things are still unknown.
The one point I'd have to disagree with you on is when you say Mercedes threw George under the bus. They gave him a great opportunity (at the expense of their own reserve driver) but I doubt it came with guarantees of the next weeks drive if he exceeded expectations. I think that opportunity was a good will offering towards the future. Right now, having Lewis behind is pretty much money in the bank. Why would Mercedes take the chance of cracking him mentally, or bruising his ego by telling him to sit out if he's cleared to go and wants to race?

We feel very deeply for the unfortunate events that resulted in Russell not winning what was a very certain race win. He performed to the highest level that Mercedes expected of him. None of it was intentional. It was embarassing for Mercedes but still a great experience for Russell. He has shown his future rivals to watchout for him and they all acknowleged his message. And Mercedes has confirmed that they have a talent good enough to take on Verstapenn and Leclerc in the future. It is all good l think.

[Bagwan]

Welcome to the forum Lee Rex .

Well thought out comments are always good , even when completely deluded .

My view of it would be that , given how bagged he was when he got out of the car after the race , he shouldn't have been in there in the first place .

My armchair analysis of it is that there's always been a little insecurity in the Lewis brain . We saw it early on in his career when he posted telemetry on the web to prove he wasn't slow .
So , when he saw George was fast , perhaps as ahead as he was against Bottas , he didn't want to see it again .
Maybe contract time has something to do in that thinking , but it should almost be irrelevant in my thoughts .

He is one of the fastest , most consistent , most well-rounded drivers the sport has ever seen .
And , that's why he disappointed me as well , when he didn't bow out and let George and Jack race .
It could have been seen as a kind of "elder statesman" move to let George sit at his desk in the big office one more time .

He missed a trick and then had to stay behind Bottas as well so he didn't crack that egg , too .

I'm disappointed , not that he cares .

[Jag_Warrior]

Racers race.

[Nitrodaze]

Welcome to the forum Lee Rex .

Well thought out comments are always good , even when completely deluded .

My view of it would be that , given how bagged he was when he got out of the car after the race , he shouldn't have been in there in the first place .

My armchair analysis of it is that there's always been a little insecurity in the Lewis brain . We saw it early on in his career when he posted telemetry on the web to prove he wasn't slow .
So , when he saw George was fast , perhaps as ahead as he was against Bottas , he didn't want to see it again .
Maybe contract time has something to do in that thinking , but it should almost be irrelevant in my thoughts .

He is one of the fastest , most consistent , most well-rounded drivers the sport has ever seen .
And , that's why he disappointed me as well , when he didn't bow out and let George and Jack race .
It could have been seen as a kind of "elder statesman" move to let George sit at his desk in the big office one more time .

He missed a trick and then had to stay behind Bottas as well so he didn't crack that egg , too .

I'm disappointed , not that he cares .

I anticipated your post would be something like you have written. I don't think Hamilton missed a trick. Doing what you have suggested is how champions loose their edge. Put Alonso, Vettel or Schumacher in Hamilton's position, l assure you they would all do exactly the same thing. What we have seen is that quality that drive champions to be ahead of everyone. If Russell is a true champion, he would do exactly the same thing put in Hamilton's position in the future.

It is not much different from Russell deciding to sit out Abu Dhabi to let Jack Aitkins have another drive in the Williams. Why should he?

It is what it is. Champions are tigers, they prey and they don't let of. That is what makes them champions. So the theory of being the elder statemans do not apply to these sort of racers which is why they become multiple world champions. What you have described are loosers that may accidentally become champions.

[Bagwan]

I anticipated your post would be something like you have written. I don't think Hamilton missed a trick. Doing what you have suggested is how champions loose their edge. Put Alonso, Vettel or Schumacher in Hamilton's position, l assure you they would all do exactly the same thing. What we have seen is that quality that drive champions to be ahead of everyone. If Russell is a true champion, he would do exactly the same thing put in Hamilton's position in the future.

It is not much different from Russell deciding to sit out Abu Dhabi to let Jack Aitkins have another drive in the Williams. Why should he?

It is what it is. Champions are tigers, they prey and they don't let of. That is what makes them champions. So the theory of being the elder statemans do not apply to these sort of racers which is why they become multiple world champions. What you have described are loosers that may accidentally become champions.

Lewis said he was destroyed after the race .
He was obviously not perfectly fit , and I hope it doesn't hamper his recovery from this serious illness .

[Lee Rex]

I sense a disturbance in the force, Luke. Why just a few days ago I thought I was your "buddy". Now you are accusing me of implying things I did not say.

At no point did I ever imply that Bottas was "crap". He is the perfect #2 driver but I doubt he will ever be a world champion. It is also inappropriate to use the word "inherently". It makes no sense.

It seems that Russel very well could have won in Abu Dhabi. It's also possible that he could have lost. But we will never know, will we?

I do not live in England so I feel no obligation to treat Lewis as anything other than a great driver. I certainly do find him to be demanding and even petulant. I have said nothing but great things about his skills as a driver but as a human being, he is flawed and not a god.

Curiously, just how do you know what's in his contract?

There is a particular accusation that has not reared its head. I'm sure it will show up soon........

[Nitrodaze]

I sense a disturbance in the force, Luke. Why just a few days ago I thought I was your "buddy". Now you are accusing me of implying things I did not say.

At no point did I ever imply that Bottas was "crap". He is the perfect #2 driver but I doubt he will ever be a world champion. It is also inappropriate to use the word "inherently". It makes no sense.

It seems that Russel very well could have won in Abu Dhabi. It's also possible that he could have lost. But we will never know, will we?

I do not live in England so I feel no obligation to treat Lewis as anything other than a great driver. I certainly do find him to be demanding and even petulant. I have said nothing but great things about his skills as a driver but as a human being, he is flawed and not a god.

Curiously, just how do you know what's in his contract?

There is a particular accusation that has not reared its head. I'm sure it will show up soon........

Wellcome to the forum buddy. Here, we give every post a good grilling. You have just had a taste of that. Trust me when l say no hard feelings involved. Your post was refreshing and well presented. I enjoyed reading it and analysing it. Everything l have said in my response are pertaining to what can be analytically deduced from your post. You unfortunately imply alot of things which under scrutiny reveals what was addressed in my response. It may be uncomfortable to read but is essentially what you imply. Nonetheless, l look forward to more of your posts.

[Zico]

I sense a disturbance in the force, Luke. Why just a few days ago I thought I was your "buddy". Now you are accusing me of implying things I did not say.

At no point did I ever imply that Bottas was "crap". He is the perfect #2 driver but I doubt he will ever be a world champion. It is also inappropriate to use the word "inherently". It makes no sense.

It seems that Russel very well could have won in Abu Dhabi. It's also possible that he could have lost. But we will never know, will we?

I do not live in England so I feel no obligation to treat Lewis as anything other than a great driver. I certainly do find him to be demanding and even petulant. I have said nothing but great things about his skills as a driver but as a human being, he is flawed and not a god.

Curiously, just how do you know what's in his contract?

There is a particular accusation that has not reared its head. I'm sure it will show up soon........

Yeah, Nitrodaze is definately not your buddy. He usually says that when he gets pissed at people, typically when he feels his idol has been insulted/criticised (or been the subject of 'hate speech' as he sees it)... but thats ok, every one of us are entitled to our opinions and idolatry isnt a sin here either.

[Nitrodaze]

Yeah, Nitrodaze is definately not your buddy. He usually says that when he gets pissed at people, typically when he feels his idol has been insulted/criticised (or been the subject of 'hate speech' as he sees it)... but thats ok, every one of us are entitled to our opinions and idolatry isnt a sin here either.

Well Zico, you are wrong as usual. To respect someone for their achievement is not idolatory. But you don't get that and l understand. I would say the samething if the subject was Alonso or Vettel or Schumacher. And Yes, Lee is my new buddy. You don't get to say who l make friends with.

My analysis are tough but not with malice. And l always accept when l am wrong unlike you for instance.