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Post by mikael on Sept 17, 2018 5:44:56 GMT
It's my impression that Hamilton is more focused this year than he has been in many years - he's certainly more effective than ever. In 2016, it seemed that his thoughts were too much elsewhere. (There were, for example, reports that year about him fooling around in his sports car in Monaco at 3AM on a Thursday morning when there was a race in the following weekend.) When it finally dawned to him that he'd better get serious - otherwise Rosberg might run away with the title - it was already too late.
This year he's "on it" all the time - and he seems to becoming only better and better.
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 6:56:53 GMT
I agree Mikael, Lewis driving supremely well at the moment and Singapore was a quite outstanding weekends work from him, even if the race was a bit boring for us fans.
Up until this point I still thought that Ferrari would take this championship as the car just seemed so strong everywhere....I expected Vettel to be out of sight by now. However, I have to change that opinion now and Hamilton has it in his grasp.....if the current trend continues.
I’ve always maintained that Lewis is a little hard to love out of the car, but I find that about most F1 drivers these days.....I think he’s the best though so support him because of that. At the moment he’s certainly fulfilling that notion 😁 Earlier in the season , though a natural Merc/LH supporter, part of me quite liked the idea of a Ferrari championship to spice up the show a little, but now I’m 100 % hoping that Lewis wins. He would thoroughly deserve it this year without doubt.
6 races to go though and one bad result / DNF would make it tight again....we’ll see. I also wonder if we’ll ever see Lewis in red overalls?
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 7:02:49 GMT
Forgot to mention that Verstappen was also superb this weekend, a brilliant qualifying lap and measured race from the lad 👍
I voted for him to win this coming into the weekend but a mercurial Lewis had other ideas.
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Post by chrisb on Sept 17, 2018 7:17:28 GMT
I was wondering something on similar lines Jamie, based on the reasoning - who are the natural team leaders in F1 at the moment?
Lewis is driving well but against a rudderless Ferrari, a disjointed RB and a couple of more experienced drivers moving on and their interests may be elsewhere, and Bottas has been a big disappointment this year, I had hoped he would step up but now I am thinking maybe 'step-back' Valteri and go back to Williams and sort them out, a bit like Heiki?
Interesting how we look at the F1 drivers, the Hulk comes across very well but has never attained his potential, maybe his next-years teammate who also comes across really well might not win races but would be voted the nicest team? I do think next years Renault team will be fascinating to see how that goes and I really hope they get their engine thingy up to speed and it proves them both with a better platform.
I think the trouble for some of us is that we had very few unpleasant personalities who were champions, ok I wasn't a fan of Black-Jacks and can't abide Nelson, but despite their awful sense of right and wrong out of the car Michael and Ayrton were really approachable and charismatic, Ayrton especially had a view of history - visiting the JC room, 'the best of the best' and having met Michael in 95 I can testify that to a motorsport fan he came across really well, funny and polite, although stories of his lack of personal insight are legion I found it quite the opposite.
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 7:27:13 GMT
You post made me think Chris......which drivers have I disiked, or maybe not cared for as much, over the years?
I can think of very few really, though never warmed to Nelson much, same as yourself. Surtees, Jones......maybe, but more that there just not very high on my personal pecking order. I didn’t really warm to Schumacher certainly but I think that’s because of his rather cold demeaner when at the track. I’ve read from many sources that he was a good guy when off duty and your experience certainly backs that up so..........
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 7:29:53 GMT
Just thought of one......Jacque Villenenve (jr).
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 17, 2018 7:53:10 GMT
Lucio, Carl, John Charles. All of your posts are excellent and I agree with almost all the points to a varying degrees. JC your point about Hamilton driving with more freedom makes excellent sense because he is now using his natural talent to its full potential and is not hampered and constrained by self doubts or worrying about mistakes or being out thought by his team mate.. In many cases in life this sort of freedom increases self belief and the talent flows easily and an upward spiral in performance happens and repeats itself.
Whilst Ferrari may have the best overall car on average over the whole season it does not mean it is the best in every race. I certainly think it wasn't the best in Singapore on race day. Mercedes did a lot of work for the race and it paid off.
Hamilton is probably the best driver overall at the moment and has the car to win from anywhere and doesn't mind if he is not leading from the front, he can get there. All top drivers have a preferred method of winning races. Seb, another brilliant all round package, is very good when dictating the pace of the race from the front. If he can't do that he is not as successful as say Hamilton. It doesn't make him a bad driver. Jim Clark preferred to charge off into the distance and break the spirit of following drivers. Jackie Stewart had the ability to go faster on cold tyres and get on the pace quicker than his rivals and used that to his advantage. Alain Prost preferred to prepare his car for race pace and was happy to start further back than his rivals. The point is that all drivers that are any good have a method that works best for them and some days it won't work.
I think part of Seb's problem is that he is trying to do too much from the cockpit and doesn't have faith in his strategy team. The Ferrari strategy is not at the same level as Mercedes or Red Bull and if I don't trust them to make the right call how do Seb and Kimi feel.
I think Nico Rosberg has been way underrated, probably because he was driving for Mercedes and was such a gentleman. Ironically the same is happening to Hamilton with regard to his standing in the pantheon of greats, I don't think he has the personal grace of Rosberg. As has been said many times here, it is not just how you drive but how you behave as a human being to both your fans, your team and your fellow drivers. Hamilton to me is not good at that and that is why I prefer Seb to him.
Finally to Carl's excellent point on fans' choices. People all see things in greater or lesser detail than others regarding a particlar sports star. Some things that irritate others may be an endearing trait to me. I personally dislike the way certain darker hued sports stars throw their colour in your face eg Serena Williams but the black women movement might find it endearing.
By not initially agreeing with everything written on this site, but respecting others views and exploring them when I disagree, I have learnt much. A good example is my view on Didier Pironi which was changed to the positive after reading points here and then investigating further. Long may our differences lead to a greater understanding for all. At least on this forum disagreements or different views are treated with respect and our individual dignity intact. I thank you all for that.
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 17, 2018 8:04:41 GMT
You post made me think Chris......which drivers have I disiked, or maybe not cared for as much, over the years? I can think of very few really, though never warmed to Nelson much, same as yourself. Surtees, Jones......maybe, but more that there just not very high on my personal pecking order. I didn’t really warm to Schumacher certainly but I think that’s because of his rather cold demeaner when at the track. I’ve read from many sources that he was a good guy when off duty and your experience certainly backs that up so.......... Jamie/Chris regarding Michael Schumacher in private. Although I have never met him, despite trying to find his house in Somerset West in South Africa's Cape, I heard that he was a real nice guy. I worked with one of the track marshals at Kyalami in 1993 and he was chatting to Schumacher after he had come second in a track position tussle with Senna. He said he was a really nice personable guy, very friendly and not at all arrogant. There must be a reason why he was so loved by the mechanics at Marenello and it wasn't just his driving skill and work ethic.
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 8:10:34 GMT
You post made me think Chris......which drivers have I disiked, or maybe not cared for as much, over the years? I can think of very few really, though never warmed to Nelson much, same as yourself. Surtees, Jones......maybe, but more that there just not very high on my personal pecking order. I didn’t really warm to Schumacher certainly but I think that’s because of his rather cold demeaner when at the track. I’ve read from many sources that he was a good guy when off duty and your experience certainly backs that up so.......... Jamie/Chris regarding Michael Schumacher in private. Although I have never met him, despite trying to find his house in Somerset West in South Africa's Cape, I heard that he was a real nice guy. I worked with one of the track marshals at Kyalami in 1993 and he was chatting to Schumacher after he had come second in a track position tussle with Senna. He said he was a really nice personable guy, very friendly and not at all arrogant. There must be a reason why he was so loved by the mechanics at Marenello and it wasn't just his driving skill and work ethic. Good point Rob, everyone Michael worked with seems to have adored him and that can’t have been based solely on his pace in the car.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2018 9:24:23 GMT
Just noticed that there were six votes above:
Vettel 2 Raikkonen 1 Verstappen 1 Ricciardo 2
Hamilton 0
Again, respectfully but firmly, you guys must know something that nobody else does.
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Post by René on Sept 17, 2018 10:17:44 GMT
Lucio, Carl, John Charles. All of your posts are excellent and I agree with almost all the points to a varying degrees........ I thank you all for that. That is a very good post Rob! I was actually planning to write something similar but that may have sounded a bit too much like a moderator coming from me! So thanks for writing this! The point made by JC that Hamilton is actually driving with less pressure and therefore performing better sounds plausible and the Ferrari certainly isn't that much better than the Merc. It's very circuit dependable. But I do agree with Lucio's view that Hamilton is the best at the moment or at least doing the best job and Ferrari/Vettel are simply making too many mistakes, strategy wise and driver errors. If that is only because of the Marchionne tragedy I don't know but Ferrari's strategy calls have been questionable before and that doesn't help a driver who is already under enormous pressure. And Arrivabene finding it necessary to say in public that Seb is not running the team doesn't help either.
The 2018 title seems to go in Lewis's direction now and if he wins it it will be fully deserved. No argument from me, although it does hurt!
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Post by René on Sept 17, 2018 10:21:14 GMT
Just noticed that there were six votes above: Vettel 2 Raikkonen 1 Verstappen 1 Ricciardo 2
Hamilton 0 Again, respectfully but firmly, you guys must know something that nobody else does.
Lucio, I wouldn't read too much in this poll. Like I've said before, some (most?) of us vote for their favs. I always vote Ferrari, usually Seb and sometimes Kimi. I know Rob does the same. If The Hulk had only the slightest chance of a win I am sure Chris would always vote for him!
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Post by René on Sept 17, 2018 10:29:13 GMT
Oh yes, and Max. He is really maturing as a driver this season. His wild actions in the early season have actually made him a better driver I feel. He learned and is getting better by the race.
Now hopefully Honda will not let him down next year as I am not so sure how he will cope with a situation where he can't fight for at least a podium. But I think Honda will come good.
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Post by robmarsh on Sept 17, 2018 11:45:21 GMT
René I think Hamilton deserves the title based on results so far. I can't see him imploding over the next six races so he will be a deserving champ as you say. Yes it will hurt but nothing that we Ferrari supporters haven't experienced many times before.
I grow more impressed with Max every time I see him. At this point in time it looks like he has the potential to be in the top ten of all time. I will be interested to see how Leclerc progresses. I like his demeanour and his calm under pressure.
Ferrari have never been as good at strategy since the days of Ross Brawn and I haven't had faith in their strategic calls since those far off days. Seb should not be in a position where he feels he has to make strategic calls.
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Post by Jamie on Sept 17, 2018 11:47:11 GMT
Just noticed that there were six votes above:
Vettel 2 Raikkonen 1 Verstappen 1 Ricciardo 2
Hamilton 0
Again, respectfully but firmly, you guys must know something that nobody else does.
As René said, I wouldn’t read too much into this Lucio, I tend to vote for who I fancy winning rather than put any science behind it and actually voted for Verstappen this time around......voted for Hamilton plenty of times though. He’ll be a well deserved champion this year if things continue 👍
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