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  1. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by journeyman racer View Post
    C'mon guys? Alonso would be sufficiently fast to have to be leading the championship right now. All of you know it.
    It's true. Alonso extracted 110% of performance of his Ferrari, at the time when Massa did only 97%.

  2. #42
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    It would take some major F***Up for Mercedes and Hamilton not to take the Constructors and Driver championship now. The sort of mess up that would cause major reshuffle of the Mercede F1 management.

    I have a feeling that Ferrari are probably going to make a similar reshuffle of their F1 management for 2019. There is a likelihood that Arrivabene may be taking a long holiday with a new face stepping up to take the helm of this promising team.

    I simply fail to see how Ferrari have got their season so wrong with such a fantastic car. I am not a Ferrari fan but l still feel some frustration that they could not mount a flawless challenge to the Mecedes that has struggled for most of the season to keep up.

    That said, Hats off to Mercedes, they are by any measure the best F1 team of this generation. Toto Woolf has become a maestro and maybe the definitive team boss. He probably should be if he sorts out the Mercedes junior driver programme.
    Last edited by Nitrodaze; 26th October 2018 at 12:20.
    Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
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  3. #43
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    Have only watched highlights of recent races, so not going into detail about events.

    But generally speaking looks like Hamilton is going to win his fifth WDC, and based on performance he deserves it. I think one day we are going to look back and say that Hamilton is an F1 legend. He is that good. I'm impressed.

    Vettel on the other hand has thrown away about 2-3 potential race wins with his mistakes and that's why he is already some 50 points down. So losing the title or at least not battling to the very end is basically down to him. That's kind of sad, because you would expect more from someone, who has been hired to be Ferrari's #1 driver to lead their title charge.

    I have to admit that I also expected more from Vettel, especially considering mentally he managed the title fights in the closing stages of 2010 and 2012 just fine. But now it looks like he hasn't got the nerves to handle the pressure at the front. Weird that. Already last year he had that Baku meltdown, but it hasn't got any better in 2018, has it?

    Also it's disappointing, because I think F1 fans deserve a grandstand finish like we got in 2016. But if one driver is a let-down in critical moments, then we are not going to get it and it's going to be an anti-climatic finish to the season.

    Of course the exciting news at least concerning 2019 is that Leclerc is going to be promoted to Ferrari. We have had Hamilton-Vettel duopoly basically for the decade and good to see some fresh faces having a go and to be honest I already like the guy. Hopefully he lives up to the promise and doesn't become a crashaholic at the front like happened to Vettel, because one day someone has to bring the fight to Hamilton and possibly de-throne him!
    Last edited by jens; 3rd October 2018 at 12:19.

  4. Likes: zako85 (4th October 2018)
  5. #44
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    As it seems Kimi will be ferraris last WDC for a very long time. And, I´m not glad for this, its sad.

  6. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mia 01 View Post
    As it seems Kimi will be ferraris last WDC for a very long time. And, I´m not glad for this, its sad.
    You mean Kimi will remain Ferrari's last WDC as long as Hamilton hasn't retired or joined Ferrari?

  7. #46
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    The last two races typify the change in fortune that transpire when the momentum of the development battle between the main title contesting teams swings from one to another. As a matter of fact, you could go back even further to Singapore. In the first half of the year, Ferrari had the upper hand. Mercedes were clearly frustrated that their cars were struggling to keep up with the black prancing horse. Unfortunately, Ferrari did not make hay when the sun was shining.

    After the summer break, Mercedes found a solution to the problem that was stifling their potential. They knew the potential of their car was on par with the Ferrari but it was not as efficient as the Ferrari on some tracks. When they applied the ingenious solution to their tyre rims, they found they had not only released the true potential of the car, the car turned out to be faster than the Ferrari.

    All the damage limitations and fortuitous opportunities that Hamilton was able to exploit during the first half of the season , finally started to pay dividend as he began to extract the full potential of the new found speed of the Mercedes. Hamilton started to gather momentum from the German GP. Singapore which is suppose to be a bad track for Mercedes was the eye opener as he sustained championship momentum with a brilliant performance. And that mersmerizing Q3 lap that took pole at Monza underlined the fact that Mercedes were back on form and it became all too clear that Vettel had a hill to climb.

    I could see that Mercedes' new found speed rocked Ferrari with surprise. They were scrambling since, to find an answer to the Mercedes, and have failed on all fronts so far.

    The main revelation of this 2018 season was the confirmation that Vettel is brittle and impatient under pressure. He threw away precious opportunities as what seemed like red mist moments became a feature of his races. It was very clear that he was frustrated with everything, the car, the pitwall etc.

    That said Ferrari are also now paying dearly on the constructors championship front by not getting the most out of Raikonen. Kimi should be winning when Vettel is unable to win. Unfortunately, the Raikonnen side of the Ferrari garage seem to be grossly incompetent. Their strategy calls were the worst in the entire grid. So kimi was always displaced from the best positions where he could have extracted more from races where opportunities were available if he were properly located.

    This was a season where Hamilton has shown to all his typical critics what a truely awesome driver he is. His mettle when things were not quite in his favour and his characteristic predetorial driving has faired really well for him in this historic title fight. It was not quite a Prost Vs Senna type battle on track, but you cannot quite blame Hamilton for that, Vettel simply did not sustain a flawless and meticulous title fight.
    Last edited by Nitrodaze; 8th October 2018 at 13:31.
    Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.
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  8. Likes: truefan72 (8th October 2018)
  9. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
    The main revelation of this 2018 season was the confirmation that Vettel is brittle and impatient under pressure. He threw away precious opportunities as what seemed like red mist moments became a feature of his races. It was very clear that he was frustrated with everything, the car, the pitwall etc.
    To me, 2018 confirmed my initial belief that Vettel is not in the top echelon of drivers historically.
    I remember his last year at RBR and 2 of his championships slightly tainted by the complete railroading of Webber's side of the garage.
    It seems to me he does not deal well with competition, intra team or with another competitor.


    Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
    That said Ferrari are also now paying dearly on the constructors championship front by not getting the most out of Raikonen. Kimi should be winning when Vettel is unable to win. Unfortunately, the Raikonnen side of the Ferrari garage seem to be grossly incompetent. Their strategy calls were the worst in the entire grid. So kimi was always displaced from the best positions where he could have extracted more from races where opportunities were available if he were properly located.
    I cannot stress enough how true and important this statement is.
    Kimi was maligned from the first day Vettel walked in.
    And it only continued with bizarre strategies and downright shambolic actions the highlights of which was "forgetting to call him in"

    I'll be really interested to see what happens with leclerc next year, especially when he starts outpacing vettel.
    Remember Kimi initially was outpacing Vettel before and even if he messed up a little in qualy, was always on par or just that bit faster in the races.
    you can't argue with results.

  10. #48
    Senior Member N. Jones's Avatar
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    Also that Vettel should not have been the 2010 champion had Alonso not had his head in the clouds and found a way past Petrov instead of expecting him to move over.
    " Lady - I'm in an awful dilemma.
    Moe - Yeah, I never cared much for these foreign cars either."

  11. Likes: truefan72 (14th October 2018)
  12. #49
    Senior Member N. Jones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by truefan72 View Post
    I cannot stress enough how true and important this statement is.
    Kimi was maligned from the first day Vettel walked in.
    And it only continued with bizarre strategies and downright shambolic actions the highlights of which was "forgetting to call him in"

    I'll be really interested to see what happens with leclerc next year, especially when he starts outpacing vettel.
    Remember Kimi initially was outpacing Vettel before and even if he messed up a little in qualy, was always on par or just that bit faster in the races.
    I am very eager to see how far up the grid Kimi can put the Sauber.
    " Lady - I'm in an awful dilemma.
    Moe - Yeah, I never cared much for these foreign cars either."

  13. #50
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    2017 and 2018 have confirmed Hamilton is a F1 legend. And it has also confirmed a suspicion I always had - that Vettel is over-rated, can't handle pressure and needs a complete bubble of support to succeed.

    It is sad to me that Fernando Alonso was so bad at managing his career, when he should still be in the Ferrari and we would be having an absolute battle royale for the 2018 championship between, without question, the best two drivers in F1.

    As for Vettel, you have to think how good he actually is and how much his early career was helped by Red Bull choosing him over Webber.

    2009 - Vettel and Webber closely matched.
    2010 - Vettel and Webber both compete for title. Vettel is quicker overall but makes more mistakes. Crucially, the collide in Turkey. It is Vettel's fault - but Red Bull blame Webber... Webber should have quit at end of 2010.
    2011. Vettel has now negotiated Driver One status. The Red Bull is way beyond any other car on the grid. Easy for Vettel regardless of ability. Nevertheless, spins off from the lead in Canada on the last lap under pressure from Button.
    2012. Alonso has the 4th best car on the grid and almost wins the title. Indeed, he should have, without bad luck from start-line accidents. Vettel wins with the fastest car, despite mistakes in Abu Dhabi and Brazil, his car survives. Most undeserving championship I can recall.
    2013. The Red Bull is quickest but other cars in the mix until Pirelli make a mess (as usual) and then change the tyres, which favours Red Bull and hands Vettel a 4th title.
    2014. Ricciardo comes and outpaces Vettel comfortably........winning three races to Vettel's zero.
    2015. Vettel at Ferrari now, and has chosen Raikkonen as Number Two, who was annihilated by Alonso in 2014. Wins three races.
    2016. No wins and barely beats Raikkonen in the championship despite generally being quicker.
    2017. Has a car capable of winning the championship. Makes mistakes at key times and in key battles. Loses championship to Hamilton,
    2018. Has an ever better car capable of winning the championship. Makes even more mistakes and in key battles. Loses championship to Hamilton AGAIN.

    If Ferrari want to win the Championship, they need to get rid of Vettel. HE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Looking forward to seeing Leclerc, but if I was Ferrari I'd be on the phone to two people who have beaten / matched Lewis Hamilton:

    Fernando Alonso
    Nico Rosberg
    Niente è vero, tutto è permesso

  14. Likes: truefan72 (14th October 2018)

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