Stroll was massively out of his depth...despite doing an enormous amount of time in older spec Williams. The way he was steering, he was very insecure about it. Mazepin has the excuse that their car really is dogshit. But we must take into account that Schumacher tends to start his first season in new series quite slowly. Mazepin had an extra stop but even taken that into account (take half a minute of the time), on new tyres he was still slower than Mick. Advantage Schumcher.
Lance is on a different level than Mazepin. He's no Hamilton but with a good car he's not too shabby. His pre-F1 career supports that notion. The 2015 F3 season for instance where he seems to have been on pace with LeClerc in the later half of the season or the 2016 F3 season where he won the championship with Russel in P3 (we know Russel is quick and in 2016 they both had Mercedes engines, that has to count for something). Seriously, Mazepin's pre-F1 career isn't even close and his F1 career so far is less convincing. He seems to not even be close to on pace with his rookie teammate who has a pre-F1 record that is somewhat similar to Stroll's and Verstappen's (somewhat interesting just quickly comparing the statistics there for Stroll, Verstappen and Mick, I was expecting more of a difference between them)
Lance' move on Ricci in Austria then on Norris in Portugal reflect his ability to race. He is not that capable. Research those from last year and the comments by 2 actual racer's on Lance, the driver.
Nope, Lance's first season was crap, crap, crap, he was 1,5sec per lap slower than Massa, he had 0 confidence in his driving, for same reason Villeneuve labeled him the worst rookie in f.1 history! And believe me, he had 10x more practice than Mazepin!
The first half of that season was nothing to write home about. Second half looked much better. He's uneven in his performance but he has managed some impressive performances, such as Monza 2017 (qualified 4th, started 2nd, 1.2 seconds quicker than Massa) or Turkey 2020. Turkey was ruined by tactics but you don't do that if you're not a decent driver. Villeneuve... Well... Really?
this is what polarizes me about Stroll. His dry weather performance isn't anything special but in the wet he tends to outperform the car. Genuinely polarizing because that really shouldn't happen. I don't understand how he can be quick in the wet but in the dry he's...well, no need to get into detail. But not amazing.
More importantly than what any of us as fans think of lil' khrushchev.... he is routinely pissing off his fellow drivers by doing stupid things....... Not a great intro to the highest level of the sport.
He still does not understand the world he has entered and its impact on himself. He does not fathom what his impact is at all. If Haas had any savvy they would dump him and all the sponsorship money and move on. Nothing good is going to happen. If that means the team disappear, then so be that action. Life in F1 has a cost. Haas appear unable to afford it now. The Mazepin solution is pathetic. Ferrari should move Mick out of there before this season is over. Get rid of Kimi and place him at Alfa.
The incident with Kimi seemed like just an accident since both teams released their guys at the same time. However, I missed what caused Charles to comment, "Mazepin will never change".
Hilarious to see Mazespin spin again in practice yesterday. A total joke. He’s worse than Stroll by a country mile, and who would have thought that was possible. I have a pot plant which is a better driver.
Mazepin's father should spend some $ on a driving coach. Nikita would benefit from mentorship by a respected driver who has been there and done that.
He didn't exactly work magic on Lance or did he? I recall that Jackie Stewart offered to mentor Grosjean early in his F1 career but he was rebuffed.
You assume the father is interested in spending this much time on his son's 'hobby'. This is a phase and Maxi-nobody-spin driver will out grow it. Unless he has a team purchased, Mazi-waste of a seat leaves F1 sooner rather than later. He has no future unless it is owned by his family.
Nikita Mazepin has received a three-place grid drop for blocking Lando Norris in Q1, which obviously makes no difference to his starting position after he qualified P20. The Haas driver also received a penalty point for the incident
All this will, no doubt, bring ammunition to those who wish that young Mazepin gets excluded from F1.
He stated he would let his driving talk for him, given his terrible start and reputation upon entering F1. If that is the case he talks too much and his driving is not a good enough. After a few more races Haas might need to re-evaluate him, its sponsorship and its existence in F1. Ferrari need to move Mick out of Haas, remove Kimi and place Mick in Alfa. Not having Haas or Nikita is no loss at all.
Does anyone else believe that if you qualify last and receive a grid-place penalty, that you should be made to start even farther back than P10 ?? Like 20 yards per grid penalty position that cannot be absorbed by actual places on the grid ??