It was supposed to be the Dream Team McLaren+Honda+ 2 World champs I think they all went sleep walking.
I thought that this was a very entertaining race. Close, aggressive racing everywhere except for first at a fantastic track.
"Whilst I can understand your approach in respect of the contractual matters at a fiscal level, and appreciate all of the support, both in the engineering of the car and of the performance, especially during this period whereby the performance is not at a level that is satisfactory to both the McLaren Formula One team and the Honda Corporation, and whilst I fully respect the opinions opinionated by the various management levels within the Honda Corporation, it should always be recognised and remembered that whilst this project is fully and totally a joint project between the McLaren Formula One team and the Honda Corporation, and all opinions, especially constructive opinions, are always welcome, the project is still based on the basis of it being a McLaren/Honda project rather than a Honda/McLaren project and so when it comes to the team personnel, whilst the preference of the Honda Corporation concerning the selection of the relevant drivers is, to a degree, always taken into account, with all due respect to the Honda Corporation, the final decision is, and must always be that of the McLaren Formula One team. " (That's the edited version though! )
Aside from being an excellent driver, Jensen is pretty popular in Japan, married a Japanese girl (Jessica Michibata/Button), loves Japanese culture, has a long history with Honda, and has been pretty politic most of the time with PR. I suspect Honda will be pretty keen to keep him on the team. All the best, Andrew.
Thankfully I decided to out driving this morning which was certainly more interesting than this race lol! Recorded it and sped it up continuosly. The fight for the 10-14 was all they showed. Whatever! Forgetful event except for FA on the radio. Time to out and enjoy the day more!! Worst race of the year for me to watch.
By that point, Vettel being 1.5-2.5 seconds behind Rosberg was the next closest battle on track. Nobody else was within about 5 seconds of the car in front, so it was the only potential action spot on the whole track. Bit of a shame really. The only real thrilling moment was Rosberg getting Vettel on the undercut, and I wish it had been the other way around. All the best, Andrew.
+1 and yet the race viewing director showed little. I stand by what i said. Not a fun production to watch at all. Forgetful and deleted already lol!
True, I've never been a fan of one team with total dominance including Scudo Fezza. Not a blinding year for action or suspense but there's always the next race . Expect Danny Fiat to be racing out of his skin and a few teammate paybacks occurring .
Sleeping long this morning and recording the race was the right decision. I skipped quite a bit of it. A good fight Vettel put up, but he had no chance against my colleagues, I fear Alonso's radio message was totally uncalled for. It would have been rude in the western world, a total no-no in Japan. I wonder how long he stays on the team.
The race was a little dull but it was a terrific result for SF IMO. Ideal track, tires and temp for Mercedes. The Merc in Hamilton's hand was faster, but not Nico. We still have 7 tokens over Mercedes this year. The team we have now has done a brilliant job. no reason they won't continue with more of the same. Sochi will be an interesting comparison because it is a Mercedes track but Ferrari's favored rubber. We'll win a couple more races this year, and I'm going out on a limb right now picking Ferrari to win both titles next year.
I believe that is something us fans have wanted for some years now so imho he has a legitimate complaint. Mercedes dominance cannot and will not last forever...I hope.
He said something that is true - it doesn't save money to not test, it costs more. The simulation engineers cost more than mechanics... The testing doesn't lie or need recalibration to match the real world.
A great race, lots of passes not decided by DRS or making a lap on fresh tires with pit strategy. It was hilarious seeing the unspoken language in the little room between Nico and Hamilton. Hamilton. "I'm looking at this wall, wow, I like this corner, if I keep looking at this corner I'll get to keep seeing these walls, wow this towel is good, its almost as nice as the wall, I like the wall, I like the towel. Do I like the towel better than the wall?"
BBC Sport - Fernando Alonso: What now for 'embarrassed' McLaren driver? - Assessment of the politics in the sport/Alonso etc after todays race.
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The truth is a defense, Honda/Mcl have massive egg on their face but if they adopt Ferrari's attitude of shutting up and getting on with it they will be ok next year- maybe.