2016 FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE: RACE *** SPOILERS ***

+1 on all particularly the radio ban. The drivers have the time.

 

I think you'll find that's far too obvious, logical and sensible. It must be something else. I say it's a conspiracy!

 

I love the radio ban. The divas need to learn the car and spend time with their engineers. The divas aren't out testing, they want to show up, drive and win, when it wins its because of them, when it loses its because the car sucks. They really have become the least relevant element of the equation IMHO.

 

+1

Hamilton, one of the highest paid athletes (far too much IMO, but that's another matter) isn't to willing to learn a new track and he's not willing to learn the steering wheel he's handling.

What a joke.

 

I spent several of my teen years in Madrid, I like Fernando Alonso, and I love the Spanish people.

I like Kimi but I want Ferrari to do whatever is necessary to get back on top with the absolute best drivers.

There, I feel better now.

 

So true.

 

I think the drivers have been relying too much on the engineers to help them. They've turned into robots thanks to pit communication.

Its time drivers learned their cars themselves and drove. If the cars are too complicated to do that, then simplify them or let the car itself give them a clue.

 

I don't think drivers should have to diagnose and fix technical problems during a race. There is probably a fine line between 'technical problems' and 'settings issues' and I've no idea where that line is, but on the whole I think drivers should drive and engineers should engineer.

 

I have to agree Andrew. For the last couple of years we have had to put up with postings not just from toil, but others too, who proclaim Elton as the greatest, and that it was him, over and above the team, that made Mercedes great. Now, suddenly, his support team for those years was so important that they seem to have elevated Nico, the supposed also ran, no mark Everyman journeyman into a winning machine. Hmmmm, the irony. Guess it proves that the driver is not the golden ticket in this package, the team itself provide much of their power, and Elton is reduced to occasional star from 'greatest ever' by a change in 'spanner monkey'.

I can't remember the last time a change in an engineer, or pit crew, screwed a true great like Senna or schumi........... Their skill seemed to transcend the car and team, pulling even the worst attributes of either into getting results neither deserved. Elton is simply demonstrating that just like button, hill, or any good driver, they can deliver when everything is aligned for them, but they don't have that extra special zing that the true greats had that could make a decent car a great one

 

I am surprised to hear that from you, I would have expected to hear such arguments from a "Hamilton hater" rather than from a suporter...
So you say that all one has to do is swapping the crews in between the garages to have Rosberg getting the upper hand on Hamilton???
So you actually say that the pit crew is more important in the outcome than the actual drivers talent???
So having Hamilton driven the most dominant car ever in history and having the better pit crew to have the upper hand on his team mate over the last two years...could you please explain me again why you actually believe then that his WDCs are more of an achievement than Schumachers, Stewarts or Vettels???

And thinking that the pit crew is doing it on purpose to support Rosberg is ridiculous...Why should this pit crew loose another WDC when they have already lost two in a row, this would clearly show they are the worse crew would not be really good for their career...Career suicide just because they do not like Hamilton??? Seriously??? Is this how you work in your job???

And not working so hard because they do not like Hamilton would mean that in average not even the Mercedes mechanics like Hamilton as his old guys do not seem to have a problem with Rosberg..
And if not even those working with him like him, why are you calling others haters if they do not like him just from the image they are given by him in public that is most liekly worse than reality???

For me your arguments look like a shot into your own foot...

The only thing that stays the same: you find an excuse at every occasion something went wrong for Hamilton...

 

Hamilton can only get paid what someone thinks he is worth.

He can ask for $30Million per season (or whatever he gets paid), but he will only get it if his employee's believe he is worth that amount.

Based on what? - The fact that he only did 5 laps in the simulator?

I watched an item on SKY SPORTS F1 a couple of years ago where Martin Brundle looked into how drivers deal with new tracks, and after chatting with several drivers, the consensus was that the drivers have new tracks pretty much sorted after the first 10 laps of free practice one.

Hamilton made a Horlicks out of qualifying, but he was fastest in all three free practices - That shows that he'd learnt the track okay!

Toto Wolff stated after the race that the issue with Hamilton's car was not due to him changing anything (unlike Rosberg's issue), and that all of the switch settings on his steering wheel were set correctly so the issue was hidden from him.

His problem wasn't that he doesn't know his steering wheel, his problem was, according to his steering wheel, everything was set correctly and there shouldn't have been a problem, but there was a problem.

Yeah!, 3 WDC's, a good chance of a 4th WDC, and multi-Millions in the bank! - What a joke!

 

I have to say as a lurker and reading thru this thread that I find some actually really good
discussions regarding the current state of F1.
So who is to blame for all of the electronic gadgetry that takes away the element of true greatness of a driver (Senna, Shuey)?? I also find the lack of true testing, tires made to make the show a show instead of a race, and cars incapable of letting the drivers run all out all race to be a huge factor in the current state of F1.
Everytime the fia gets a good idea....its a bad idea.

 

+1

+1

+1

 

Great 'lurkers' post, you should contribute more often! Nice one

 

I just had a look at where you live. Why are you on the internet? That place is beautiful!!! . Welcome.

Whose fault it is? Good question. I think it's human evolution to make everything better. With so many things banned, engineers and boffins looked elsewhere to improve the car (beyond simple aerodynamics and get more hp from the engine). Each time when they found something, they looked elsewhere where they can find improvements, which is why every time cars get more and more complicated.

Unfortunately we can't unlearn that stuff, because it's been thought about now so even if we do open the engine regs, some clever man will still implement some hideously difficult software to make the car go quicker...until it's banned .

You're right, whenever they think it's a good idea, it's terrible. They give teams many vote's and whatever, who in turn go to their boffins and vote. It's an endless process, and they all vote with where they believe they're strongest, or where they can hurt their biggest rivals the most.

FIA should have 1 man that makes the rules, and rule with an iron fist. He can obviously take advice from people in the know, not connected to teams anymore. The teams can take it or leave it. Unfortunately...they'll have to vote for them and the teams will never give away their power to vote! It's a nasty predicament.

I'll gladly take the job, I won't even charge much .

 

Finally some logic and common sense In here


@sid and the rest of you; if a mechanic stuffs up your car you cannot win. Same applies to senna and everybody else. Give Hamilton a working car and more often than not he beats rosberg. If his mechanics can get their sht together he will win the championship. But he's got grid penalties coming from their previous incompetence so looking tough

 

You and I are likely very much in the minority here on this topic. For my part, F1 has a choice: they can go much lower tech, thus simplifying the power systems such that a driver can be expected to know it all. Or, they can continue to push the tech envelope where there is just a level of complication that goes beyond what a driver can diagnose and solve during a race (assuming something goes wrong). I think the high-tech path is fine, but given the choice between a tight radio ban and fixing cars in-flight, I'd go with the latter. I don't think this dumbs things down for the drivers. They've got plenty going on.

The thought that Hamilton is some sort of dope is laughable. (And he's one of my least favorite drivers, but come on already.)

 

But you're still overlooking your previous claim that his crappy mechanics are the blame...the same crappy mechanics that Rosberg had previously.

And now, Rosberg is on a winning streak. What is it now, 9 wins out of the last 12 races or something?? (not looking it up)

Imagine what you'd be saying if it were the other way around.

Why did both Lauda and Toto say one thing straight after the race, and then something else later? Surely you don't believe they're not fully informed during the race? Maybe you think they're just off having lunch somewhere instead.

As Daytona said, there's no point being fastest in FP1, 2 and 3 or in 'sectors'. Only qualifying helps, and Lewis cracked under the pressure for some reason. Out braking himself MANY times, he was an accident waiting to happen, and it finally did.

So whilst 4rePhil made some valid points, I don't think you should take it as complete validation of everything you've claimed.

Meanwhile, what's the points score?

Plenty of time for it to change, but Rosberg has momentum on his side at the moment.

Last year it was the opposite....Hamilton had the momentum, but Rosberg still won a couple. This year so far, I'm liking the change.

 

Regarding sector times, don't have them at hand now and since it's 2am, not looking them up, but I'm pretty sure that Hamilton/Rosberg on their actual laps (the one that Ham went off on), 1st sector where neigh on identical.

I believe Rosberg's lap was then abandoned because of the red flag, and not necessary to go out again because he secured pole.

 

Hamilton has always had more bad luck and car unreliability than rosberg, 2014 was an uphill battle. This year the bad luck is extreme and all down to mechanical errors caused by the pit crew

Last year the pit crew didn't make many mistakes on rosbergs car but this year they are making plenty on Hamiltons car. That is a fact that cannot be disputed. Why this is happening is up for debate. Infer from it what you will

 

So in summary, any time rosberg beats Hamilton it's because Hamilton has bad luck. Any time Hamilton beats rosberg it's because Hamilton is a superior driver and rosberg never had bad luck, just bad driving.

So many things I'd like to say if Andrew wasn't watching! Lol

 

After his stinging comments on Hamilton's lack of technical knowledge, Niki advised the British press he is personally overseeing the build of a simulator to replicate Hamilton's preferences in preparation for Austria. "Horn, signals, choke - never easy".
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Looks a bit stressful in there

 

Not this year he hasn't! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Guess he won't either, since you are convinced his pit crew are saboteurs, you really couldn't write this stuff

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, I got up this morning feeling a little blue, but my old buddy has cheered me up no end........ 'Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way'....... Elton must sing himself that song every morning.

You realise, for almost nine months, Nico has been regularly kicking the butt of Elton, it's not just this season. Is anyone able to confirm whether the pit crews were switched at the end of last year, or just this? I'm expecting a newspaper expose any minute now revealing that red bull infiltrated the Mercedes garage at each race with a crack team of clones who knock out the real crews, and replace them, and then work on pressing every button on the steering wheel when no ones looking - you know, like kids press the keys on pianos or you and I run our fingers over keyboards on displays in shops.

sometimes, these guys forget to check the number on the car, and rosberg gets reliability issues too, but luckily, he only gets issues he can drive around or at least nurse the car home, and being in on the ruse, he doesn't whine or whinge about it so that he doesn't let the cat out the bag

Jeez