Hamilton, Flash in the Pan!

Rosberg says the opposite of that, now that he's no longer under the thumb of Merc.

 

That's why I don't think Bottas was ill treated at Mercedes.

He was brought from a mid-field team (Williams) to drive the best car for 5 years.

In his 5 years at Mercedes, Bottas collected 20 Poles, 10 Wins, 58 Podiums and 19 Fastest Laps.

Twice he was runner up in the championship, twice he finished 3rd and once 5th.

That's not a bad result for a #2 ! All thanks to Mercedes !!

Now Bottas has returned to another mid-field team and probably will never improve on that score !

 

Post what Rosberg has said. He never stated publicly he was not given the same equipment. He used it to win a title. No complaint from him on treatment or equipment I recall.

 

Rosberg was free to race, and eventually got the A Team engineers for 2016.

Bottas: the mere sniff of wheel-to-wheel racing he would back out and let Lewis pass.

 

Which is funny with you is that when you are talking about Mercedes over the past seven years :
« all is well in the best of worlds! »
Bottas was happy to be a butler.
Lewis never asked for a preferential treatment.
( Bono do something !)
Toto is a very straightforward person without any kind of machiavélism.
Fortunately Italians and French are there to lower this wonderful level of perfection !

 

Italians I can understand if you mean Ferrari, but what have the French done?

 

Alpine (Renault)

 

Alpine is a midfield team at best, with an uncertain future, Renault beeing so often in and out of F1 !

 

That could be discussed, John...
As a german-speaking French born three miles form the France-Germany border, AND having cousins named...Schumacher.
Of course, Schumacher comes from the trade of cobbling, BUT in modern German, only the spelling Schuhmacher ( Schuh-macher, with three "h") is still considered having a direct reference to cobbling...

Rgds

 

Makes you wonder what is Fernando Alonso actually doing on board that ship. I do not deny him the right to give himself some pleasure, or fun, at the wheel of a Formula One car, but what ambition could he harbor? Another of his bad timings?

Rgds

 

No more ambition from him.
Just having fun I guess.

 

He didn't have many options, Alpine is the only decent team that would sign him. I still think that he would kick *ss in a front line car.

 

Well, no provocation whatsoever from my part, but...if we accept (as you said a few posts before) that any Formula One driver has a big ego, and think of himself as the best...(and I do think that Fernado might have a big ego, and rightly so)
Why should he be doing this? Money, perhaps? The occasional win, thanks to circumstances?
If my memory serves me well, his last win was in 2012; winning again in 2022 would make an interesting statistic.
I guess (??) that the driver with the longest interval between two wins is Riccardo Patrese?

Rgds

 

Agreed..but is this stay at Renault (Benetton, Lotus, Alpine, or whatever they are called now...) actually adding something to his record, or legacy, or...detracting from it? The old man staying too long and trying to prove something to himself, that most people do not believe into anymore? I wonder; I really wonder.
Not that I'm blaming him or what, but in some ways, Fernando will remain a mystery to me. Very gifted, a fighter, but his true potential has never actually blossomed.

Rgds

 

Agree
In the end what a waste of a talent !

 

Many think Piastri is so talented that he should get a drive in F1 now.

Alpine should really replace Alonso with the young Australian.

Alonso is not the future, but Piastri may be.

 

Was his only real option overall.

 

Alonso last GP win was Spain 2013 with Ferrari.

 

Yep..but an option towards what, exactly? Chasing a vanishing dream? Has this added something to his legacy?

Rgds

 

Was fun to see Alonso get a front row in that car

He's been at the right team at the wrong time for most of his career

 

Or with Gasly, or with...anybody; "Time waits for no-one" as a young Mick Jagger, now 78, used to say...

Rgds

 

I think that he wants to finish his F1 career with some strong performances to show that he still has it(and always did). He is arguably out-driving Ocon this season.

 

I believe Coulthard knew.
You would never know that by listening to what came out of his mouth, though.

 

You would never know what people really think by what they say.

Admitting your weakness in public is the best way to torpedo your career, I guess.

 

Flash in the pan after so many WDC titles, he has been consistently at the top of his game since joining F!, more so at Mercedes, so - No

Has he lost some sparkle - Yes.

Does the car suit his style - No

Should he retire -Yes and let some fresh blood get a chance to rise to the top.