See, with the information and drivers available, Perez does seem like he was the best option available when they made the decision. Sainz was already signed up at Ferrari start of the year. Russell in contract. Gasly they already tried and failed miserably. It really was between Hulk and Perez as the best option available. I don't think this is a Red Bull issue, but it's more and more starting to look like that no matter who you put in the car next to Max, they're going to look like amateurs. At this point Max is fast approaching the status of career killer...drive next to him, get destroyed and be lucky you get to drive in Formula E afterwards. It's in Red Bull's best interest to have a fast #2 next to Max, someone that at the very least keeps in check with the Mercs and limits their strategy options, so I don't buy that Red Bull simply gives the keys to the #2 driver and tells him to drive. Their #2 drivers all get plenty of support, as much as can be reasonably expected. Red Bull isn't going to develop the cars into 2 different ways because their #2 driver can't cope, and they certainly aren't going to develop the way the #2 wants either. That's not just Red Bull, that's any team. And even if they did...all they'll get is that maybe the 2 drivers will be closer together? lolol
Perez was the best available option for RB. I think he’s doing ok. He will get better. He’s doing a better job than Ricci at adapting to his new team. But overall, RB are not good at driver development and management. Look at Gasly and Sainz for two recent examples. Sainz flourished at McLaren and is doing great at Ferrari. Gasly doing great again. It’s not just a max thing. Back in the Vettel days, RB were poor at nurturing their number two driver and they clearly haven’t learnt their lessons yet.
With Webber-Vettel it was a strange era indeed, I think largely caused by Vettel and Webber simply not getting on with each other much, neither driver totally innocent in it all. With Sainz, I'm not sure what Red Bull could've done really. They promoted Max to the top team, but had Ricciardo there and they both got on well and got great results. The only reason a change happened was because Ric left suddenly. There simply wasn't a reason to bring Sainz in. Sainz left when being offered a contract at Renault and after that Mclaren. He really came alive at Mclaren and now Ferrari where he seems even more at home. Gasly couldn't adapt to the car whatsoever, he is much more at home at STR. Whether that's car related or pressure related, I don't know. Albon was a little better in the last half of 2019 but he didn't improve as expected into 2020. Perez is doing better than both Gasly/Albon, but his past 2 races have been horrible which hasn't helped immediate outlook. I think this will actually spark the move from Rusell to Mercedes. Russell's only real option is indeed Red Bull and Merc know that if Perez performs like he's done in the past 2 races, and not promote him from Williams, Russell could well be RBR bound.
True re Russell. He has to move this year. Every team would want him, so it’s now or never for Merc to commit to him. Russell and Verstappen would be the strongest driver pairing on the grid.
I love the Ferrari attitude of anything less than 1st is not good enough, here's today's version from F1.com: If you want to know how strong, just check out Mattia Binotto’s response when asked if Ferrari are going for the win in Budapest: “Not the win, the one-two!”
Via Allison at Mercedes post race debrief video: But Allison said the FIA's own guidelines for race stewards gave Hamilton the right to make the attempt and not give way to Verstappen. In a video released by Mercedes reviewing the British Grand Prix weekend, he added: "If you are overtaking on the inside of the corner, then the guidance requires that you are substantially alongside as you arrive at the corner. It is not required that you are ahead. "Lewis was definitely substantially alongside. He had his front axle well beyond the midpoint of Verstappen's car. "And it requires that you must be able to make the corner. By 'make the corner', it means go round the corner and not leave the track or lose control of the car. "If you can go round the corner, if you are substantially alongside the other car, then the corner is yours. "What that means is not that you have to emerge in the lead; it means that you do not have to cede your position, you do not have to back off and the other car has a duty to avoid hitting you. "So, if you follow the notes that are provided to the FIA stewards and you look frame by frame at what happened with Lewis, he was substantially alongside, he absolutely would have made the corner and indeed did make the corner and therefore there was no need for him to cede any ground." Allison added the speed of Copse corner, which is taken at 190mph in an F1 car, "makes no difference". "Lewis made two further overtakes at Copse using exactly the same guidance and there wasn't a contact in either of those cases," he said. Max had to steer over to stay on the track. Exactly how Charles failed lol. So yeah. Racing incident lol.
Without lifting he was always going to be alongside at one point. He didn't make the corner, ran wide on exit (4 wheels over the line). As the overtaking driver he needs to leave enough room for the other guy. Considering he failed to stay on track himself I'm pretty sure it's safe to conclude he never left enough room. Either way, hope Verstappen pays him back equally.
Only after suffering a chassis jarring front-to-rear tire contact event which destabilized his car. Had this event not happened, there Lewis could have made the corner. The guy being overtaken also has to leave room. Max's car significantly disturbed the airflow around Lewis' car. Says the eminently esteemed gentleman (NOT).
...debatable and caused by Lewis not using the full track (see him missing the apex by a country mile) Which he did, even compensated more after seeing Lewis was running wide. Irrelevant for Max, this is a Lewis issue and part of the challenge of overtaking. Seriously, if that's part of the argument lets not race at all anymore. Do qualifying single lap a la 2003, fastest man gets pole and wins, everyone pack up and go home. Me or Max? I never claimed to be.
In the words of very respected racing driver Randy Pobst: “Clean pass attempt by Hamilton. Verstappen saw him (Or dang well should have!) and turned in anyway, causing the contact. Hamilton actually backed off trying to avoid him. I had the exact incident in my very first pro win, in Volkswagen Cup St Petersburg, FL, 1985. I got into his vision in the brake zone, but the driver turned in , reactively. Too late, sorry, the car is already there, and you have seen it. You must now leave a lane; racing room. This is utterly clear to me. Racing is about vision. Who can see whom. Don’t hit what you can see! (Yeah, that car in your peripheral vision right when you were just about to turn in)”
Even David Hobbs said a driver firstly needs to make sure he/she has cleared his/her opponent before emphatically turning in there, even if it’s for purposes of self-preservation). It was simply a racing game of chicken that went awry, and ended in tears for the driver on the outside (i.e. because the driver on the inside didn’t acquiesce/back down/capitulate this time, in stark contrast to what Max’s opponents usually do when he displays aggressiveness/pushiness/entitlement on the track).