Alright when was that again.....?

[PickABetterUsername01]

... said the guy with a stupid nickname and no avatar. explain yourself then... what did I not understand? I am French after all, English is not my original tongue.

Dude, c'mon. Of course Bottas was not champion, because he had a better teammate. But that's not the point, the point is, if there was only 1 merc driver, that driver would be world champion, thus anyone driving a merc would be world champion.

Bottas is an absolute joke, of course he was not champion with Hamilton as teammate.

 

[Jason Chamberlain]

Yup. No Mazepin-money to Haas is very likely to end the Haas team within relatively short time. Just like penalizing tRacing Point properly for their copying and continued usage for illegal part(s) in 2020 could piss off Stroll, and Liberty is effing afraid to lose the Aston Martin name.

It's all about the money.

Funny thing the internet. I certainly don't like what you wrote, but I agree with it 100%. But the best way of showing that is with "Like."

 

[Jason Chamberlain]

If they had a backbone, that's exactly what they'd do. But they are relunctant to do anything that puts a kink into the proverbial firehouse of money flowing into the sport.

I still wonder if any of these problems could be solved by bringing back tobacco advertising. Plenty of money flowed into the sport back then.

Turning this argument around - if it's OK to have Mazepin and his behavior around then how is it a worse message having Marlboro and Camel ads? Or, if it's OK to go to Saudi Arabia and China with all their human-rights violations, then what's wrong with taking money from the rich tobacco companies?

Obviously, sponsors want to pay for performance. RJR paid to have Michael Schumacher on the podium with the Marlboro logo on his race suit. So there would still be winners and losers and disparities in corporate coffers, but maybe that could reduce the pay driver problem?

 

[Ole Marius Myrvold]

Funny thing the internet. I certainly don't like what you wrote, but I agree with it 100%. But the best way of showing that is with "Like."

I don't like it either, it displays a cynicism I don't like, and one which I like to believe I don't have... But I am convinced that this is the way it is -.-

 

[maelstrom]

In Brundle's day, perhaps he only needs to check his mirror and has an extra split second to move over.

Brundle has said many times that you can see virtually nothing in modern F1 wing mirrors so he does know what he’s talking about. I’ve got to agree with @NDG - I didn’t notice any particular bias In the first lap incident, he just said it as he saw it.

 

[NDG]

After reading his background, and listening to Will Buxton question HAAS and why hire him with his history, It seems Stroll and Maldonado are easy to love now. My gosh! Someone needs to push that emergency stop for this guy. FIA protocols on safety cannot stop a driver from dying if there's a lunatic on track.

 

[Kindly]

Brundle has said many times that you can see virtually nothing in modern F1 wing mirrors so he does know what he’s talking about. I’ve got to agree with @NDG - I didn’t notice any particular bias In the first lap incident, he just said it as he saw it.

Yes, he knows what he is talking about. I didn't hear any bias either. I found this article though:

"Perez sliced to the apex to try to cut underneath Bottas, he could never have had the mirrors or time to see Leclerc, although as in other corners around the world such as La Source in Spa, or indeed turn one in Bahrain, at the start it pays to assume somebody may well be there."

I tend to agree with this statement. Part of racing is being overly safe in percentage situations, especially on the first lap, even when it is always the other car's fault. But yeah, Leclerc is in a rough spot and needs to slow down quicker and take the corner tighter, but it is really rare to see him make any mistakes, so maybe it is a bit harder to correct him.

 

[Deleted member 379375]

Point 1...Nonsense, what other driver had a seat in one of the best cars from day 1?

Point 2....where is Lewis' Donington '93 or Spain '94?

point 3...agreed, 90% car 10% driver. I'd say the same about the others.

Personlly I rate Moss as the GOAT and he's got ZERO WDCs.

edit I was harsh on point 2, I have no idea if any of Lewis' wins in the McLaren from 2009,10,11,12 were comparable to Doni '93, I'm certain he's never had a mechanical as bad as Schumey's in '94 and got a podium though.

The problem is they would retire the car nowadays to save the engine/gearbox. Another element of racing lost to current rules

 

[Deleted member 379375]

Well my solution to this "you can't win in the wrong car" complaint is .
Change the structure of F!.
Separate drivers from teams
Drivers independent of teams and paid on race results and final championship standing..
Teams paid on race results and final championship standing.
Every driver drives every car throughout the season

Never going to happen but would be great to see all drivers in all cars.

 

[Damage Inc]

The problem is they would retire the car nowadays to save the engine/gearbox. Another element of racing lost to current rules

True, but engineering is so much better nowadays, Hamilton benefits from that over previous greats.

Well my solution to this "you can't win in the wrong car" complaint is .
Change the structure of F!.
Separate drivers from teams
Drivers independent of teams and paid on race results and final championship standing..
Teams paid on race results and final championship standing.
Every driver drives every car throughout the season

Never going to happen but would be great to see all drivers in all cars.

Of course it's never going to happen, it's the way F1 has always been, best engineered car wins. The issue we have is Hamilton fans elevating him to a status (GOAT) that many feel he doesn't deserve. Stats alone are meaningless without context:

He didn't turn Mercedes into a winning team
He drives in the safest and most reliable era
He drives in the era with most points and races
Longest period of a single team dominance

Just because most if not all those things also apply to Schumacher is irrelevant, not everyone regards him as the GOAT, he "was" statistically, but no more. There's more to being a GOAT then statistics.


end of the day, Hamitlon is a great and a legend....but not best ever.

 

[Deleted member 379375]

Well people are entitled to their opinions, 7 titles are 7 titles so history will deservedly list him as a GOAT (a GOAT not the GOAT).
I have never said he's a GOAT , I say he is one of the GOATs. There is no reliable way to say who is the GAOT. I just appreciate what they all achieved even if some of them used questionable methods at times, whether I liked them or not as people is irrelevant .

 

[Damage Inc]

Well people are entitled to their opinions, 7 titles are 7 titles so history will deservedly list him as a GOAT (a GOAT not the GOAT).
I have never said he's a GOAT , I say he is one of the GOATs. There is no reliable way to say who is the GAOT. I just appreciate what they all achieved even if some of them used questionable methods at times, whether I liked them or not as people is irrelevant .

Of course people are, just as people are entitled to say Hamilton is not the best, yet those that do tend to get a "but why" all the time, we justify it and then we still get called names for it.

Not sure you know what GOAT means....you can't have multiple GOATS. There can be only one....highlander....

 

[Jason Chamberlain]

Hass is taking this incident "very seriously." I'm sure that any statements will be worded extremely-strongly.

 

[Dude27]

or just a budget cap! SAME FRAKING budget for all teams based on a medium and realistic season which cover the medium team expenses... the non engine builder teams get more money to cover the engine rent. you can still be ahead but not that much. OR/AND like in the NFL/NBA a draft system to hire the best engineers and drivers for the worst teams to get better engineers and drivers.

 

[paracletus]

IMO, it's more sensible to have a top-10 or even top-15 F1 drivers and not worry about speculating which one is the best. Impossible to prove which one is "the best", and rather pointless.

This years F1 Merc show is a bit of a farce and any F1 driver could probably win the DC with it, but was the 2017-2018 Merc really that dominant, given Botass 5th position in the DC... Not so sure about that.

 

[fatal4you]

This weekend in Sakhir was an inflection point in F1 racing history. Turns out FIA had banned 'Active Suspension', but forgot to ban self-driving cars.

 

[Damage Inc]

IMO, it's more sensible to have a top-10 or even top-15 F1 drivers and not worry about speculating which one is the best. Impossible to prove which one is "the best", and rather pointless.

This years F1 Merc show is a bit of a farce and any F1 driver could probably win the DC with it, but was the 2017-2018 Merc really that dominant, given Botass 5th position in the DC... Not so sure about that.

With the hoohah about "cheating" even if Ferrari/Vettel had won the WDCs in 17 and 18 would they have stood?

 

[Damage Inc]

or just a budget cap! SAME FRAKING budget for all teams based on a medium and realistic season which cover the medium team expenses... the non engine builder teams get more money to cover the engine rent. you can still be ahead but not that much. OR/AND like in the NFL/NBA a draft system to hire the best engineers and drivers for the worst teams to get better engineers and drivers.

F1 should look at what Dorna's done in Moto GP. I know the races are a lot shorter but there's never any lapping done (unless someone has remounted), and often the rider stone last is only about 30 seconds off the win.

 

[Deleted member 379375]

Of course people are, just as people are entitled to say Hamilton is not the best, yet those that do tend to get a "but why" all the time, we justify it and then we still get called names for it.

Not sure you know what GOAT means....you can't have multiple GOATS. There can be only one....highlander....

I do know thanks and to me he is amongst the greatest drivers of all time.

 

[Charlie Lockwood]

Welcome to the discussion thread for the 2020 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

During a very chaotic year, it is fortunate that Formula One has been able to put together and complete a 17-race calendar, the last event of course being the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.

It sees F1 complete its triple header in the Middle East, off the back of two very dramatic Grand Prix in Bahrain. The Yas Marina Circuit is a venue that has seen World Champions, Mercedes undefeated for the entirety of the hybrid era. This evening it has been confirmed that Lewis Hamilton finally tested negative this week after having contracted covid-19. As such he will be making his return this weekend, with the pressure on after Russell excelled as his replacement at the Sakhir Grand Prix weekend.

So what do we have to look forward to about this weekend's race? While the championships have already been wrapped up, there is still much to play for up and down the grid. There is a very close battle ongoing for 3rd in the championship, with Racing Point leading McLaren by just 10 points after Sergio Perez's victory in Sakhir. Meanwhile, just 12 points behind them sit Renault, who have shown very strong form in the second half of this season, and will be looking to end it on a high.

There are also stories to follow where the drivers are concerned. Sergio Perez, now a race winner, sits 4th in the championship and remains without a drive for next season as things stand. However, with Red Bull yet to confirm their lineup for 2021, it could be the last chance to impress for both Perez, as well as current driver, Alexander Albon.

Let us know what you're looking forward to as F1 closes out the season this weekend.