Great read. LOL at " and running has-beens is a lesson the team learned before Lewis joined the team."
Must be why Merc wanted MSC to stay after his original deal was up! Lol, typical butthurt Englishman. They will never get over his domination. Column sucked and offered zero insights.
+1. Clearly wouldn't know class if it bit him on the ass. The problem was Mercedes crap car at that time, not Michael. Put him in the current car and he'd lap elton every race, and if Elton tried his bull**** on Michael, he'd be in the wall first time he did
Disagree MS had way too many crashes in his last year. Rosberg controlled him all the way. MS was a GOAT but washed up when he joined MB. All he accomplished in his years at MB was one podium in Canada due to others DNFing and one pole in Monaco. A mere shadow of his former self. Anybody who thinks MS was great in his years at MB is discrediting the guy for his real achievements in the Benetton and Ferrari. And just to be clear: MS in his prime would have beaten Lewis as he was the more complete driver. But MS in his twilight years stood no chance.
The Mercedes was a bus when he was there, it didn't handle and wasn't very quick. I don't remember this 'control' you talk about, then again, it's rare anyone recognises things the way you seem to remember them
Agreed Very few champs who got it right. Lauda comes to mind. Prost barely had a comeback. Jones and Hakkinen sucked just as bad.
Nico had much better results with the car. And I don't think highly of him to begin with. MS should have stayed at Ferrari in 2007 and would have likely won the title again. Then call it quits. His comeback was a failure. That said he remains the GOAT
Not only was Schumacher old and past his best but the cars didn't suit him anymore: interview Schumacher did with Auto Motor und Sport few years ago; Schumacher; "In my early days, there was always the chance to be quicker than another driver not just by a couple of tenths, but a full second. "Why? Because the cars aerodynamically were not so balanced and were therefore very sharp to drive. As a driver, you then had many more possibilities yourself. Today, the cars are aerodynamically stable and well balanced; the window in which you work is not as big." Perhaps explains why drivers are so close these days as well - so much harder to eek out any advantage
Mika Hakkinen never came back. He just tested the 2005 car for his own interest, but contrary to what some believe, he never, ever, considered returning. Once he retired at the end of 2001, he was, and stayed, retired. Rgds
Sorry to nitpick: the podium was not in the Canadian Grand Prix 2012, but in the following race, the Grand Prix of Europe at Valencia, Spain, 2012. I have that race on DVD, so I'm sure: Fernando Alonso won, Kimi Raikkonen was second, MS third. Rgds
Symonds says Williams can't get Bottas go. His reasons are well founded and expected. I don't think it's a bargaining move. Sure, everyone has a $$ but they'd have to get a LOT of from Merc to screw themselves for the next 6-7 years, however long the new regs stay. Symonds says Williams F1 team must not let Valtteri Bottas go to Mercedes Williams technical chief Pat Symonds says retaining Valtteri Bottas next year is "crucial" for the team, amid speculation linking the Finn with a move to Mercedes. Bottas has emerged as one of the leading candidates to replace world champion Nico Rosberg alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2017 following the German's decision to retire after clinching the title this year. Williams has hired teenager Lance Stroll to partner Bottas following Felipe Massa's retirement. Losing Bottas would mean an all-new line-up for the Grove-based team, something Symonds reckons would be far from ideal. "People often underestimate the importance of continuity in a team," Symonds told Gazzetta dello Sport. "The driver is the final element needed between the engineers and the data. "You can replace one with another, but you need to have a reference point. This will be especially true in a season in which they change the rules and we will have Lance Stroll as a rookie with no experience in F1. "Keeping Bottas will be crucial. Losing him would have a heavy impact on the team." wrong to let Allison go Symonds also told the Italian newspaper that rival squad Ferrari made a mistake in letting technical director James Allison leave during the 2016 season. "I believe so. I do not know the internal issues, but I worked many years with James and I have enormous respect for him," Symonds added. "He is an intellectual, a superb engineer and a team leader who brings people along. I think Ferrari today would be better if there he was still with them." The Briton reckons Ferrari's new horizontal structure, introduced after Allison left, will not work out. "This idea does not work, trust me," he added. "McLaren has recently introduced a non-pyramid structure, but in F1 there are engines and technicians who have strong opinions. "There are people who know how to work in teams, but they also need to then take individual decisions to indicate the direction to follow. Ross Brawn was terrific at that, at the time of Ferrari as was Rory Byrne, who is still in Maranello. Ferrari can make it, but it must have a strong leader." Symonds also revealed Ferrari had tried to hire him in the past, the last time two years ago. "Yes, three times: the first was when [Ross] Brawn went to Ferrari in 1996," he said. "But I was chief engineer at Benetton and I was about to become technical director, so I had no way to move. "Then in 2012 with Stefano Domenicali and finally, in 2014, when I was already at Williams. But at all times, for different reasons, I always thought it was not the right place for me. "
It has to be said that it is quite an extraordinary situation: Mercedes has the dream seat available, and no one is in a position to go for it... Rgds
Whoever replaces Nico probably won't be as good controlling a football either https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAzhaoA7cNk
Making any assumption on Schu's results the early Mercedes years is a total waste of time. Schu's had more reliability issues than Nico and was consistently quicker in W03 and W03 when his car didn't break. Again, total waste of time to judge that part of his career.
I don't judge; I said it was a mistake. Maybe all parties thought he would resume where he had left, but the reality was different. I can only assume it must have been very frustrating for him, and humbling at the same time. Never rely on past glory, I think.
I agree. Although I have to say that I'm a bit surprised that they are still such heavy favorites. I really believe RB is going to be right there every race. Daniel and Max seem to have a lot of respect for one another, which is going to allow them to give them hell. Same w Vettel and Kimi, although I expect Ferrari to struggle due to the turnover mid season. When does the season start again? Going to be a long winter ; )
