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Post by Jamie on Nov 6, 2018 21:18:02 GMT
predictions? isn't that what a politician says when he isn't telling the truth? in other words all the time Lewis will have to be favourite, let's be honest Bottas has been very disappointing [or sidelined like Massa] and reeks of Kovalainen and has really flattered to deceive, but would Ocon do any better? I think at least he would not be on such a leash and would take the fight to Lewis, which would seriously upset Lewis, one of the reasons I still don't put drivers like Michael or Lewis in the upper brackets is their unwillingness to have internal competition, even Senna did, Lewis likes nothing better than a strict no 1 and 2. And every year it makes me re-evaluate Niko Rosberg and every year my respect deepens. Whatever the infighting was or is at Ferrari it isn't healthy, certainly not for any fan casual or otherwise, even a non-Ferrari fan wouldn't mind seeing a real challenge and maybe Honda will get it right, after all, they did in motorbikes and if they did wouldn't that be such a slap in the face for what was a pretty good racing outfit I think you’re a bit tough on Lewis there Chris as he’s never put the blockers on being teammates with anybody, I think that Bottas was a Toto decision, with half an eye on keeping Lewis happy sure, but Lewis would put himself up against anyone I think. Other than Prost, who was incumbent when he joined Mclaren, Senna never really had a top line teammate either. Mika granted but he was still wet behind the ears when paired with Senna...... Bottas has been a bit disappointing hasn’t he.....I did expect a bit more from him. He needs to ‘do a Rosberg’ and get mentally tough and selfish to beat Lewis......it’s a tall order but I’d like it to be a bit spicier in the Merc garage next year. |
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Post by Jamie on Nov 6, 2018 21:29:44 GMT
My predictions are secret until confirmed, but... My hopes are for both Honda and Renault to have more grunt and rise above midfield closer to the front. And that Mercedes frees Valtteri Bottas from servitude and allowed to race and win so we'll know what he's made of rather than what Toto Wolff has made of him. Hope may spring eternal, but fans and sponsors loathe eternity. I'll settle for five truly competitive teams, Hulk with a win and a champion no one predicts. A Leclerc championship would be very welcome 👍 And, much as I like Brendan Hartley, I do hope that Alex Albon gets the TR seat......a great little driver and I’d love to see him get a shot having worked on his Dad’s car back in the day. |
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Post by Carl on Nov 7, 2018 1:27:07 GMT
Bill, The odds are 17-0 that we're glad to have you (some members voted twice). You came in like a fresh, audacious wind.  Cheers, Carl |
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Post by robmarsh on Nov 7, 2018 7:12:45 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari.
I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long.
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Post by chrisb on Nov 7, 2018 8:33:50 GMT
I take your point Jamie, I guess I based my comment on Lewis's attitude towards Nico when they were competing and I suppose slightly with Jenson although less so, perhaps I could have worded it better, one to ponder methinks-
If you are right Jamie and Bottas does up his game then we will see how Lewis reacts,
Gerhard Berger was reasonably quick but not quite in the same league as Prost or Senna,
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2018 10:45:38 GMT
Bill, The odds are 17-0 that we're glad to have you (some members voted twice). You came in like a fresh, audacious wind. Cheers, Carl Thanks, Carl. I'll try to contribute when I can. Really hoping for a faster Ferrari next year and a faster Bottas. Maybe the new front wings will transform these cars into demon racing machines? Look! A flying pig!  |
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Post by charleselan on Nov 7, 2018 11:54:52 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari. I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long. Rob, Those things were hateful and i wonder how many kids and grown men actually became disenchanted with the hobby due to those things. I still cannot get my head around the mentality of those that thought they were scale racing cars. Mind you the rot set in during the mid 1960's when individuals looking to gain an advantage in championships began racing old and big historic cars in Grand Prix classes. Can you imagine 1920's Brooklands monsters being allowed to race against the then contemporary 1.5 litre Grand Prix cars. Of course it was all about being able to put bigger and more powerful motors in bigger chassis and easier handling long wheelbase cars. For all of his idiosyncrasies John Day was the forefather of the white metal kit car business, and his ideas were good. Unfortunately i do not think his business brain matched his ambition, and his cash flow system never worked. He even tried to produce a range of ready built die cast models in the mid 70's which were different liveried March GP cars. They were not very detailed but acceptable representations, and this is when he had his name emblazoned on some of the March cars in 1976. JC |
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Post by charleselan on Nov 7, 2018 12:24:52 GMT
Taking some of the posts above and the interesting comments enclosed, a few musings.
I like Bottas as a man; he seems a good lad and in my opinion a worthy GP driver BUT he isn't the right man to be alongside The Mighty Hamilton for those that wish to see some action from within MB. I think we have all handed out praise to Lewis Hamilton this year, particularly towards the end of season for his more mature demeanour. However do not let us kid ourselves, this is as a result of a great season, and very importantly his lack of competition from within the team.
Lewis may well profess to having no worries about who he is teamed with, but the real facts do not substantiate that stance do they. He could not handle the pressure applied by Nico Rosberg, and reacted badly and that is a fact. As Chris points out he did not respond well when teamed with Jensen Button either, especially when Jensen proved quicker.
Although somewhat of an unknown at present much of the talk suggests that Sebastian Vettel will blow Charles Leclerc's doors off next year. However I will say that the young Monegasque has, to use a favoured phrase of Martin Brundle, had a Stellar lower formula career, and this year he has been mighty impressive in his maiden F1 season. Are we to believe that he is going to Ferrari next year to support Vettel's campaign, not a chance, that boy is going there to win for himself.
If I do manage to tune in to any races next year I am looking forward to seeing Charles in a very competitive car "up close and personal" with Max at the front of the field, that will be worth seeing.
Sadly I think Brendon Hartley's days are numbered at Toro Rosso, unjustly so. The whole season for him there have a stench about them that wreaks of the obnoxious Red Bull regime and it shenanigans. Everything about Red Bull is disgusting from the "drink" it makes, I wouldn't even use it to clean metal parts in the garage, to it's appalling man management regime. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish who is the worst Citron Mouth Marko or Franz Toast.
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Post by chrisb on Nov 7, 2018 16:58:14 GMT
There is something about the bull in red bull isn't there? short for bullsxxt - I think Brendan is better off elsewhere, one of the real shames was Porsche pulling out of WEC and I would have probably felt more of an achievement winning with Porsche than losing with Torrid Ross
Next year could prove more interesting than this but sadly most of Europe won't be watching it 'live'
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Post by René on Nov 7, 2018 18:47:11 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari. I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long. Rob, I am quite sure I have exactly that Scalextric Ferrari in my collection. An original 1960's model. Have to look where I have stored it. John Day did sponsor the 1976 March driven by Stuck. I also have a model of that car. |
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Post by René on Nov 7, 2018 18:53:24 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari. I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long. Rob, Those things were hateful and i wonder how many kids and grown men actually became disenchanted with the hobby due to those things. I still cannot get my head around the mentality of those that thought they were scale racing cars. Mind you the rot set in during the mid 1960's when individuals looking to gain an advantage in championships began racing old and big historic cars in Grand Prix classes. Can you imagine 1920's Brooklands monsters being allowed to race against the then contemporary 1.5 litre Grand Prix cars. Of course it was all about being able to put bigger and more powerful motors in bigger chassis and easier handling long wheelbase cars. For all of his idiosyncrasies John Day was the forefather of the white metal kit car business, and his ideas were good. Unfortunately i do not think his business brain matched his ambition, and his cash flow system never worked. He even tried to produce a range of ready built die cast models in the mid 70's which were different liveried March GP cars. They were not very detailed but acceptable representations, and this is when he had his name emblazoned on some of the March cars in 1976. JC JC, I had the same experience. Didn't like those ridiculous slot cars at all with their orange sponge tyres. There was a club nearby my parents house that I visited a few times. The 'cars' were absurdly fast but didn't catch my imagination. Always wanted to make my own cars as realistic as possible, including skirts and groundeffect! |
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Post by charleselan on Nov 7, 2018 19:19:20 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari. I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long. Rob, I am quite sure I have exactly that Scalextric Ferrari in my collection. An original 1960's model. Have to look where I have stored it. John Day did sponsor the 1976 March driven by Stuck. I also have a model of that car. Indeed he did René, and Ronnie ran at Zandvoort for the 1976 Dutch GP with the same sponsorship. Firstly a picture of Ronnie leading Mario, he is beginning to fall down the order after destroying everyone over the early laps following the old knackered shock absorbers creating handling difficulties. Plus the inadequate front brakes which were another handicap for him, note the extra cooling pipes above the nose section put there in a futile effort to cool them. The second picture shows the lead he had established after only lap two, March were a complete joke, run by jokers.   |
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Post by Jamie on Nov 7, 2018 20:20:35 GMT
Wise words as always John though I don’t agree entirely regarding Lewis......
I don’t necessarily think Lewis reacted badly to Nico’s pressure over their tenure together, I think they both behaved badly at times during their years as teammates and it’s very easy for the chap with the upper hand to act serene when he’s looking down. Both Lewis and Nico we’re guilty of that...
I have a lot of respect for Nico and how he applied himself to beat what I believe to be a faster teammate in the same car......he used guile and intelligence to sometimes get the better of Lewis despite a (albeit very slight) deficit in pace.
Those two were quite evenly matched and it made for some good entertainment, I’m sure they will both look back and realise that they spurred each other on to be the best they could be. But .....it was uncomfortable for both and it lead to both of them exhibiting some nasty character traits at times.....
My point being that I don’t think Lewis shy’s away from strong teammates any more than other top drivers......I don’t expect any of them are truly comfortable with being pushed to the limits all the time, some embrace it and take it on despite the tension, others put definite No 1 status in their contracts....nothing wrong with either way but I know which I respect more.
And one last word on Nico, I often thought him surly and, at times, unpleasant at the height of tensions with Lewis but if thats what it took to beat him then more power to his elbow. He was no angel at times during the Merc years however.
Not to repeat previous statements but the way he retired was pure class and now the tension of world championship battles has left him, he’s settled back into being the thoroughly nice chap he undoubtedly is. I enjoy his insights on sky enormously, he seems a fun person to be around.
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Post by robmarsh on Nov 8, 2018 7:48:32 GMT
Rob, Those things were hateful and i wonder how many kids and grown men actually became disenchanted with the hobby due to those things. I still cannot get my head around the mentality of those that thought they were scale racing cars. Mind you the rot set in during the mid 1960's when individuals looking to gain an advantage in championships began racing old and big historic cars in Grand Prix classes. Can you imagine 1920's Brooklands monsters being allowed to race against the then contemporary 1.5 litre Grand Prix cars. Of course it was all about being able to put bigger and more powerful motors in bigger chassis and easier handling long wheelbase cars. For all of his idiosyncrasies John Day was the forefather of the white metal kit car business, and his ideas were good. Unfortunately i do not think his business brain matched his ambition, and his cash flow system never worked. He even tried to produce a range of ready built die cast models in the mid 70's which were different liveried March GP cars. They were not very detailed but acceptable representations, and this is when he had his name emblazoned on some of the March cars in 1976. JC JC, I had the same experience. Didn't like those ridiculous slot cars at all with their orange sponge tyres. There was a club nearby my parents house that I visited a few times. The 'cars' were absurdly fast but didn't catch my imagination. Always wanted to make my own cars as realistic as possible, including skirts and groundeffect! René I was like you but by the time ground effect came along I was doing military service and any spare time was spent socialising with the same fervour that Battle of Britain pilots did. However, I did try and turn my Indianapolis Lotus into a four wheel drive car using a rough system of pulleys. It was less successful than the McLaren M9A! |
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Post by robmarsh on Nov 8, 2018 8:28:21 GMT
Like you Charles I hated those slot cars that didn't look like the real thing and thus only raced at home against my brother and friends and with Scaletrix as that was the best we could get then in a sanctions environment. They were not bad but did not have the wonderful choice they do nowadays. My Ferrari was a 1965 v8 with a wing. Not accurate but it was a Ferrari. I remember John Day, he supposedly sponsored a March in the mid 70s. Never knew he was such a crook but he didn't last too long. Rob, I am quite sure I have exactly that Scalextric Ferrari in my collection. An original 1960's model. Have to look where I have stored it. John Day did sponsor the 1976 March driven by Stuck. I also have a model of that car. René the other cars I had from that Scaletrix era were the Lotus Indianapolis (38), the Matra, the panther, the europa? Ferrari P4, Mirage, Ford F3L (p68) and the Honda. |
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