2016 FORMULA 1 EMIRATES JAPANESE GRAND PRIX RACE ***SPOILERS***

I don't interpret his demeanor to mean he doesn't care about being remembered or his legacy. Just because personality-wise he sits in the shadow of some of the other drivers doesn't mean he's not as arrogant or ego-driven as any of them. He just hides it better maybe.

 

I don't think Nico is arrogant, and he keeps his ego well under control.

No doubt he is motivated and has some inner confidence in his abilities.

To me, he comes out as a very nice individual, as a matter of fact , and has done so for a long time.

I knew someone who spannered for him in his karting days, and he was already a nice teen-ager with no lip and no attitude.

 

+1. If he wins, he'll be a worthy wdc. But much like Hill and Villeneuve, he will be forgotten if he remains a one time WDC. Here today, gone tomorrow. He has all the money he will ever need, and he will have achieved what his dad did, so motivating himself to go again and double up will be really hard to do. I hope he does because that will set him apart from the rest and create a proud lasting legacy.

 

I doubt he will have another chance. Next year will be Hami or Ricci.

 

You ruling out Verstappen?

 

On the evidence this year, I'd say it might be Nico or ricci. Eltons already lost the plot, and I wouldn't be surprised if he retired in spite of himself

 

It might be the case, or it might not. I am not going to speculate on that.

But I am curious who Mercedes would chose to drive alongside Rosberg, should Hamilton decide to quit.

Would they go for someone like the talented but boisterous Verstappen who can give them the same sort of trouble, or would they promote one of their young drivers? I can't see Wehrlein or Ocon at Mercedes.

Would they try to lure away Vettel out of his Ferrari purgatory? 2 Germans at Mercedes?

Strange that we are already guessing the post-Hamilton era !!!

One thing is sure, in my mind, a seat at Mercedes is like gold dust for the foreseeable future.

 

+1 with a likely more competitive RBR next year, perhaps Mclaren and at a push Ferrari in there (their update has worked pretty well so all hope is not lost), I expect Hamilton to throw more points away with botched overtakes than Nico.

Perez could be an interesting option for them. A popular guy, quick too. I don't think Mercedes want another Rosberg/Hamilton situation. Bottas another interesting option.

 

Very true. I'd love to think ferrari will be up there, but I don't see the current turmoil allowing us to produce the car.....

 

Perez? I didn't think about him; yet he is one of my favourite drivers.

 

Ferrari is the great unknown.

 

Andreas I see your point re the charisma, and understand that charisma these days equates to drawing bunny rabbits at interviews, wanting to be a rap star, not following black tie protocol mimicking Hunt, and ruining the comradery at podium ceremonies if you don't win which is fair enough. No problem with that,

Where I beg to differ is that Rosberg will not be forgotten - IF and it's still a big IF he wins the WDC, it will show that Hamilton only had one team mate to beat...Vettel had Alonso (and Webber at the beginning), Schuey had Kimi, Hakkinen, Hill, Villeneuve and Alonso; Senna had Prost and Mansell, but Lewis at Merc only ever had his team mate.

Again, I totally understand where you're coming from, but Hamilton at Merc has hardly been unforgettable either.

Best,

Sammy

 

+1

Playing the prima dona and flouting conventions is often interpreted as having charisma, these days.

 

Good call. First I actually typed Hami and Max. Then I thought about it. Can't say. Just can't really imagine that he already has all that it takes. Ricci is freaking fast and likely to become a WDC himself. Max still makes dumb mistakes (understandable since he is a rookie and young). So I do my usual $ 100 test: If I had to put $ 100 from my wallet on either driver who would it be? My heart says Max but my brain says Ricci (not that my brain is that clever, but it is a tad less emotional than my heart ).

 

Say what you want Hamilton...but he does more for the sport than just about any other driver. In most interviews I see, he speaks with thought and passion. On one hand we criticize drivers who play the "company man" role and don't ever say anything real... yet when Hamilton gets pissed about losing or getting screwed by bad strategy...mechanicals...whatever... it's "oh what a f-ing baby! F-ing whiner!" The same goes for Seb as well. If it's one of the drivers you like than it's fine... if not... they're buttholes. To me, if you're at this level in this type of sport and not a polarizing figure... than you're probably doing something wrong. That's why I don't care about the die-hard Hammy fans who can see no wrong nor do I get upset about the guys who bash him for no reason... that's just who he is... a polarizing figure because he's passionate and speaks and acts real based on the stress and frustration and joys and failures that rule F1. He lets people see and hear what he's feeling. Seb is like that in the car... less off the track. Think back 10 or 15 years ago... there were some serious "personalities" who had a lot to say.

 

Hamilton had some bad luck this year mechanically. And hopefully he'll get his dream team of mechanics back next year. So there is a good chance he'll be on top again.

And I really hope he'll be practicing race starts in the sim over the winter. There is no excuse for his lousy starts.

That said Nico really came into his own this year, so he won't be a push over next year. But I do think on pure talent and speed Hamilton has got him all things being equal.

 

I don't really care too much about his shenanigans but I do like the guy as a person. Again I'm not his fan, but he is so much more interesting and complex than Nico. Rosberg is a nice and cool and collected guy. Alongside with Vettel the smartest guy on the F1 grid. But he leaves me utterly cold. And I'm pretty sure it is not just me but pretty much all the marketing folks out there at Mercedes and their sponsors. That's why Lauda and Toto are so disappointed when they see Nico beating Hamilton. Lewis is a global superstar (heck even CNN had a headline on its web page today about him loosing the chase), Rosberg is a nobody.

All that aside I truly believe Hamilton has a good deal more of raw talent than Nico. Rosberg will likely win the title this year and if he does it will be actually more deserved than his father's one, but I doubt he'll set the fans on fire. Lewis does that. Just go to any GP and you'll see the Hamilton flags (alongside the Ferrari horses and the Verstappen flags). You won't see Rosberg flags, which does not surprise me. He has the charisma and the fascination of a tax attorney.

 

+44

The true greats polarize the fans. Senna did it, Schumacher did it, Alonso did it and Hamilton does it.

PS: The first driver whom I worshipped was Alan Jones. He never gave a rat's ass about anything and always spoke his heart. F1 needs more guys like him. No surprise I love Lauda, Irvine and Montoya.

 

If we ignore his bad streak recently (Spa/Monza/Singapore, which where all down to bad starts), he'd be a lot closer in points to Ricci. Malaysia was great, Ricciardo had a tire advantage (new set available), Verstappen got f'd a bit at the pitstop as well, but he came back hard and fast and they did great wheel to wheel racing but kept it civil. Japan was another masterclass.

That said, I'm a big fan of Ricciardo, he's definitely the faster man on Saturdays so far, but Verstappens tire management is just something else, he can go longer and faster for longer, just seems to get more out of it. If either man wins it next year, there's no great shame in losing to the other (provided it stays close).

I do have a suspicion that Verstappen will lose points on a couple of collisions due to enthusiastic defending. I expect Ricciardo to be smarter in a situation like that, if a much faster car comes up he'll likely give way rather than risk it.

Yes to a point. Bottas, Massa, Button, Alonso, Rosberg, Ricciardo and Verstappen, all (current) drivers I follow on social media do a great deal of fan interacting. Massa, like Hamilton, also wears his heart on his sleeve but he is very genuine. With Hamilton I always feel he puts on a show, I'm pretty good at guessing how a person is and have felt that about Hamilton for a damn long time. Ricciardo, Button and Alonso all are much more genuine, whether they're happy or sad.

What pisses me off about Hamilton is on for example Saturdays, after being outqualified by ''he who must not be named'', he acts as if someone has just put down his dog. I don't expect him to stand there with a big smile on his face, but it's a huge overreaction. He's not a ****ing Kardashian, be a ****ing man about it.

 

I greatly admire AJ, Irvine, Lauda, Hunt, Montoya, DC as well. But they where all man's man (Men's men?).

And this is Lewis Hamilton:
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I know, goofy. But in this PC boring F1 at least he is doing something. F1 has become so corporate and boring I applaud any bafoon breaking the mold.

It is also pathetic that with 4 races to go we kinda know how it will end. F1 became way too predictable. Think about Jones vs Piquet vs Laffite in Vegas.

 

This year was a set up to get a German driver winning the driving championship in a German car.

Hamilton knows it which is why he's been goofing off lately.

Mercedes doesn't mind as long as he doesn't make it so obvious.

 

Sometimes I am thinking just that. I have been wondering whether it all has been scripted

 

Here we go again...for three years we were told that there is no preference at Mercedes as long as Hamilton won...and as soon as it is Rosberg it is "scripted"...😡

Guys, just listen to yourself...Hamilton getting back "his" Team of mechanics...as if it is unfair when Rosberg gets them...and still you call others biased 😉

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Hamilton has been the "chosen one" since he was twelve years old when Uncle Ron took him under his wing. He hasn't had to face the adversity of many of those on the grid to get to where he is now, and it's become evident by his behavior. If he continues down this path with his attitude and public display, the silver spoon of popularity will soon disappear.