Just thinking outside the box. Hamilton has'nt signed yet with Mercedes right. Could this be Toto wanting Russell to drive this weekend and IF Russell wins, use it as a bargaining chip towards Hamilton?? Toto wins either way......smart.
Hamilton is the Lebron James of formula One Except Lebron is far more annoying and actually claims being the GOAT whilst he only wants to play with superstars Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I said it earlier somewhere on one of the threads, I believe it could damage him in negotiating a salary rise ect.
I think Hamilton will be viewed as superior to Alonso based on his achievements alone. We must also remember that when Hamilton is a better driver now than when he competed against Alonso as a rookie, so I don't believe pundits will excuse the results gaps in declaring the better between them. The conversation for this generation really comes down to Hamilton vs Vettel...they are from the same time period and the most marked performances between the two. Max, Russell, Leclerc, etc are all part of the next generation. The only tough part for them is that the longer Hamilton hangs around and wins, the shorter their career opportunities will be. Max has already stated he will 'need to drive until I'm 40' to have any chance of breaking Lewis' records.
Somewhat...but I think it's akin to Ferrari replacing Schumacher in 2004 with Kimi (vs 2007). The blowback would be pretty immense considering LH just broke some long-standing records while tying the career mark.
Or they hire Russel to drive for 50-65 million less and get the same results, maybe more of a win....
Maybe......which would mean "Hey, we have the rocketship....we just need someone who is able to drive it?"
His achievements to me are only as good as how he's measured against his teammate...of all people, only Rosberg gave him a hard time in 2 seasons. And how good of a measuring stick is Rosberg? Meh, don't even get me started w Bottas who performed marginally better than Massa in equal Williams equipment...MASSA?! And Vettel? His trophies belong to Adrian Newey...his lackluster performance against 2 separate rookies, IN THEIR DEBUT SEASON NO LESS, in 2 separate teams where he was clearly relegated as team #1 shows how overrated he is and how the RB equipment got 99% of the 4 WDC job done...I praise baby Jesus everyday knowing that he will be gone from Ferrari next year. But if you're talking purely statistics, sure Hamilton is unequivocally superior. Good thing, many of us follow the sport and don't just gobble up the media spins blindly.
Looks like Russel is the real deal driving wise. I wonder about his ability to develop the car longer term.........???
If you listened to his radio you would already know the answer. His feedback is amazing for someone so young. He really understands the car. Impressive. And very valuable to the engineers.
I think one of the reasons why Russell looks so great is less pressure. If he places 5th or 6th people say he's in a new car, if he places 1st people say he's great. A win win for him, less pressure. Heck Bottas has more pressure in this matter.
If he wins wouldn’t you want him replacing bottas so your belief that it’s not just the car but also Hamilton’s skills that make him win. Wouldn’t you want Hamilton to have a fast teammate to confirm his greateness and for entertainment purposes next year? Bottas had his chances and he is not that great. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hamilton has already beat fast team mates, been there done that. His skills was confirmed before he came to F1. However it would be entertaining to see Russell push Lewis.
I think you have to consider the entirety of his career. He competed against Alonso in his rookie season, won 22 races prior to the Merc-dominant era (more than any current driver ex Vettel) and then pairing that with the Merc results and the run on the record books will be how he is measured. I would think a Hamilton/Russel matchup would be less quarrelsome than Hamilton/Verstappen. I could see Russel being treated as Hamilton’s heir-apparent while Max/Lewis would simply be contentious.
I agree. The 2020 Merc's development was already halted long ago. Now, if Russel wins or even scores a second tomorrow, Merc really don't need hamilton. The car, IMO, is already good enough. I'm sure Checo/Hulk would be a champion with that car.
Russell was picked as a talent. Has been dealing with less than perfect, more difficult to drive car. Now he is in the most capable and refined for almost all types of corners F1 car. Bottas has won races and LH has won title after title, at times in races he should have lost, as he has a touch more talent than others. Mercedes keep LH for his utter consistent performance. Russell may or may not have all the tools LH has or has developed over time. Rosberg pushed LH and won driving smarter when LH was not driving as smart as he should have been for that season. LH admitted as much the next year stating what he learned from that loss. Russell is smart today stating his times are not competely reflective of reality but knows Bottas overall was quicker on longer race pace and was at times quicker in sim for qualy as well. He is still settling into the machine. He is savvy and has much to learn and admits this. Very smart driver he is. Impressed. Mercedes appeared to pick well. Same for Bottas. He has done what was needed and consistently as a major part of the effort for the titles he has been in the team for. Are others capable? Yes but they are not in the seat and thats a decision Mercedes make and continue to make. They have the data needed to assess the drivers in detail. We do not. No way is it a given Russell will replace either Mercedes driver. He will be one of the drivers they consider. His performance today is a positive one in practice.
Mercedes already clinched both the WDC and WCC. What does Bottas have to prove at this point in the season? Beating Max? Everyone already knows Max is a better driver regardless of the points they finish with. Once both championships are clinched I think most, including the fans, zone out. Having Russell race in the championship winning car will be interesting and he is adding spice in this otherwise mere formality of a post-championship race that would get little views. Reading into it more than that is a bit much imo. We all know he's quick having set a Hungary lap record also in the Mercedes a couple years ago. Too bad this circuit layout sucks this weekend.