2021 Race 6 - Baku

[Nitrodaze]

I actually think the talk of Russell being so proven is comical. He is in a car that is the bottom of the field, and really hasn't had any known strong people in the team to compete with. Even if he did, the car is such a dog that there is no strong comparision.

We only know what we know. He did very well in series leading up to Formula 1, and he has been in a dog of a car since. With one race at Merc he was leading.... in a car that completely dominated the field the entire year. Yes, he was leading Bottas..... does that prove a solid driver? Merc had almost double the points of RB for the season, and Bottas only beat Lewis a few times. Thus we can conclude that George was probably at least as good on that day as the guy who could rarely challenge Lewis.

I don't at all dislike him. And I'd like to see him get a shot at Merc. But I'd venture to say that in the reserve position, there were plenty of other drivers that could have challenged Bottas in equal hardware.

I think he is at least as quick as Gasly most likely, maybe even quicker. The only real dent Gasly has on his record is not being able to cope with RB quickly and secure high points out of the box. But it's not as if he is the only one that has been in that position. And Ferrari as well as Merc stole podiums from Max early in the season when Gasly was with RB, so the relative comparion to Albon is probably that he performed at least close to or as well IMHO.

He at least has a track record in a car that can perform sometimes, and not just a one off chance in a top car.


Neither of the two have any long term record in top cars, so claiming superiority of either is pointless IMHO.



It's silly season all the time. What we think and the team principles and powers that be think can often be completely different things either way.



I would think right now both RB and Merc would be more concerned with the next races, not next year. And any mid year jumps could easily upset the team dynamics and screw either of them up.

Shifter, l think you are not fair to Russell. There is a buzz around him because he is a real talent. I would go as far as to say with championship-winning potential. I don't think anyone has suggested that he was a proven candidate per see. He would be said to be proven if he has at least one f1 world title to his name to qualify as proven. What he has done is showcase what is possible from him if given the Mercedes seat. What we saw was exciting. Particularly on a day when Bottas was looking very ordinary.

Among the next generation of drivers; the Norris, Gasly, Verstappen, Leclerc and Sainz, he is clearly a calibre among the best of them. If Redbull is thinking of knicking him from Mercedes, it is because they can see that. But l do agree with you on the point that there are other drivers that may have performed equally well in the W20. Ocon for instance finished on the podium at Bahrain in a Renault. Imagine what he could have done in a Mercedes.

That said, he has not been promoted into the Mercedes because Bottas and Hamilton are still in those seats. It is not because he has not met the criteria for filling one of those seats but because he is in a queue. Being in the wings waiting, puts a lot of pressure on Bottas. Bottas' confidence appears to be seriously dented by the race in Bahrain. He probably has not recovered from it by all accounts