Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
Good point there, it is the first time that Bottas has come on top in a head to head with Hamilton. I probably would not go as far as to say he drove at the same level as Hamilton. Besides, Hamilton would have won the race without the safety car because his one stop strategy would have beaten Bottas' two stop strategy. This is mainly because, Bottas' tyre management was not as good as Hamilton's. We really never know what might have happened without the safety car. But based on Bottas' pace, there is a strong indication that Hamilton may have won without the safety car.

That said, Bottas drove a great race and a very impressive showing.
The bolded is the only thing we know to be 100% true here, and those things we know to be facts before the safety car was deployed.

If they made the 1 stopper work without a safety car, there is a very good chance Lewis still would have won. But without that safety car advantage in the mix, it's really hard to say. Running faster laps in clean air is a different thing than catching and passing a car. And at race start, on equal tires, Bottas held the lead that he had due to the better qually.


As for the thread intent... as an objective view of the 2019 season I think Lewis is fairly well in control. Bottas has upped his game, and now Ferrari and RB have managed to at least get into the mix some. Though good fortune has at times helped his points gap, that happens with all drivers and is pure luck IMO. I've appreciated Hamilton's talent since he made it into F1. I'm just glad that here and there someone can still challenge him, and in this last race start it was Bottas. I'd like it even more if we could get 4-5 drivers fighting for the top podium step on a regular basis.