Formula 1, 2020

[57xx]

3 hours ago, LNERandBR said:

Don't they need to do practice starts so that the clutch doesn't burn out at the actual race start?

 

No, the bite point will be preset, they just need to practice releasing the paddle at the right rate. FIA introduced a linear torque/actuation rule in 2017, before that they could just let go of the paddle to anywhere but fully engaged and they had electricky clutch maps to allow the required slip at the start before it was fully engaged.

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, PMW said:

 

To my mind Hamilton is the most complete driver we have ever seen. I try not to say the best as comparing drivers from different eras is so difficult, but it's getting increasingly difficult to argue against that title too. 

 

Modern day formula 1 requires so many different disciplines, it is a far cry from days gone by when drivers would head straight from the pub to the track, jump in the car, nail the throttle and go as fast as they could. Before you get anywhere near the car it's about fitness, about politics, about making sure you are in the right place at the right time. You need to be as much a mechanic as a driver, many a fast driver under achieved in F1 because they couldn't understand the car. Then you have to be able to drive the wheels off it on a saturday. In days of yore you might have got away without being able to get onto the front row regularly. Previous incarnations of f1 cars with greater dependence on mechanical grip and gadgets like ground effect meant you could overtake if you and the car were good enough. No longer, few cars are capable of following close in line, and even with DRS you still need a clear car advantage to get by, or the bloke in front to make an error. If Verstappen could get onto the front row I have no doubt he would give the Mercs a fair fight. Then comes the race. Rightly or wrongly the race is no longer about who can go the fastest. It's about who can complete the race distance in the shortest time and that is something totally different, it's about tyre management, fuel management, strategy, deltas, etc and nobody in the history of the sport gets anywhere near Hamilton in that respect. 

 

Barring a major catastrophe he will match Schumacher's seven world titles this year, he will also go past his 91 wins which he equaled at the 'ring. And he has done it all in a period where we have or have had plenty of decent opponents. 

 

1 hour ago, Andrew P said:

Just one thing to add to that, IMHO, a REALLY nice Guy to the MEDIA.

Hi Physio's quite nice too.

Edited October 13, 2020 by Andrew P

[Zomboid]

51 minutes ago, PMW said:

 

Absolutely. Of course some people love to slag him off because he is British and successful, and that's not quite the done thing. We seem to be a nation of "silver lovers". We go for the gallant loser rather than the dominant winner. It's about time we recognised a true sporting great. 

I'm probably guilty of that. I prefer to consider it rooting for the underdog, but it's much the same.

 

Which is not to say that I would dispute that Lewis Hamilton is a true giant in the noble art of driving in circles in a hurry. Better than Schumacher since he hasn't used the questionable tactics that Schumacher occasionally resorted to, and I don't know enough about the likes of Senna, Prost or their various predecessors to make a statement one way or the other. It's not really that comparable anyway with the way the technology has moved on.

 

I've warmed to Lewis in general the last of couple of years since he started taking a more public interest in things outside his bubble.

[newbryford]

I would say that Lewis' 91 wins have been more "difficult to achieve" as he's had a far more capable driver as a teammate in the likes of Alonso, Button, Rosberg and Bottas than Michael Schumacher had - especially as he enjoyed the services of a tail gunner whilst at Ferrari. 

 

 

 

[skipepsi]

2 hours ago, Andrew P said:

 

Hi Physio's quite nice too.

Try and get between him and her and I doubt we will find all your pieces...

[brian777999]

I was staggered to read that some are criticizing Lewis Hamilton because he has a ''really good car'' and saying he does not deserve the title of one of the best drivers ever ! Do they expect him to win while driving a pile of rubbish ?

[Classsix T]

8 hours ago, newbryford said:

I would say that Lewis' 91 wins have been more "difficult to achieve" as he's had a far more capable driver as a teammate in the likes of Alonso, Button, Rosberg and Bottas than Michael Schumacher had - especially as he enjoyed the services of a tail gunner whilst at Ferrari. 

Absolutely, and arguably were there a "good Seb in a good car" or Nico Rosberg had hung around longer, Lewis might not be quite so dominant. Unquestionably though, his racecraft is astounding, without resorting to questionable tactics on or off the track.

 

C6T. 

[Zomboid]

7 hours ago, brian777999 said:

I was staggered to read that some are criticizing Lewis Hamilton because he has a ''really good car'' and saying he does not deserve the title of one of the best drivers ever ! Do they expect him to win while driving a pile of rubbish ?

The best drivers tend to be employed by the teams with the best cars. So whilst in F1 at least Lewis hasn't had to drive for one of the back markers, he's in that enviable position because he's earned it.

 

If everyone had equal machinery then I'm sure the end result would be a bit different, and Hamilton may not have won quite as many titles (I suspect Alonso would have more and Max might have got one too), but I have no doubt that he'd still be a multiple world champion. 

[Hobby]

11 hours ago, PMW said:

Of course some people love to slag him off because he is British and successful

 

And, unfortunately, his skin colour, reading the comments section after the press articles its clear there are many of them around.

 

38 minutes ago, Zomboid said:

If everyone had equal machinery then I'm sure the end result would be a bit different, and Hamilton may not have won quite as many titles (I suspect Alonso would have more and Max might have got one too), but I have no doubt that he'd still be a multiple world champion. 

 

The same could probably be said during any era, and Stirling would have been a (multiple?) World Champion!

[Andrew P]

1 hour ago, Zomboid said:

The best drivers tend to be employed by the teams with the best cars. So whilst in F1 at least Lewis hasn't had to drive for one of the back markers, he's in that enviable position because he's earned it.

 

If everyone had equal machinery then I'm sure the end result would be a bit different, and Hamilton may not have won quite as many titles (I suspect Alonso would have more and Max might have got one too), but I have no doubt that he'd still be a multiple world champion. 

Yes indeed, you have to remember that when George Russel drove the Merc in pre season testing he was quicker than Bottas, which prove a good Car will always help a good driver.

I think Lewis's success is mainly down to very few mistakes, and that is what separates the men from the Boys. He should have / could have, been World Champion in his Rookie year in 2007, if it wasn't for the dirty tricks of Alonso, so yes again, he went strait into a good Car, and the reason is, his Karting success lead him to Ron Dennis's door, and he had the BALLS even then to ask for a drive in the McLaren, so well done Kid, you've got all you deserve, and hopefully more to come.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Andrew P

[PhilJ W]

41 minutes ago, Hobby said:

 

And, unfortunately, his skin colour, reading the comments section after the press articles its clear there are many of them around.

 

 

 

And that could be quoted as another reason for his success. You have to have that something extra to overcome prejudice, such as an exceptional talent that cannot be ignored. In a few more years we will probably see a few more drivers from ethnic backgrounds. There's only one barrier left, gender. Hopefully we will see a woman driving in formula 1 in the not to distant future.

Edited October 14, 2020 by PhilJ W

[Oldddudders]

22 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

And that could be quoted as another reason for his success. You have to have that something extra to overcome prejudice, such as an exceptional talent that cannot be ignored. In a few more years we will probably see a few more drivers from ethnic backgrounds. There's only one barrier left, gender. Hopefully we will see a woman driving in formula 1 in the not to distant future.

We know women can drive fast and effectively. Michèle Mouton, anyone? Winning World Championship Rallies is not for people steeped in the school run! And the W Series did/does its best to promote girls as capable. But finance remains the bar for any driver to get known and admired. We know Lewis's family made big sacrifices to get him launched. How many dads push their daughter into risky and expensive sports? Fewer than dads w lads, I suggest.

[Pete the Elaner]

22 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

And that could be quoted as another reason for his success. You have to have that something extra to overcome prejudice, such as an exceptional talent that cannot be ignored. In a few more years we will probably see a few more drivers from ethnic backgrounds. There's only one barrier left, gender. Hopefully we will see a woman driving in formula 1 in the not to distant future.

 

There have been female drivers, but not many.

The most successful was Lella Lombardi in the mid 70s. She drove in 12 races (& failed to qualify in a few more), scoring half a point in her career.

[Hobby]

Go to the Indi Car series and there's a lot more, including their most successful, Danica Partick, who finished third in an Indi 500, won one of their races and got a pole in NASCAR. Most male drivers would die for that sort of record!! Her early racing was all done over here in the UK as well, even though she was US born...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick

Edited October 14, 2020 by Hobby

[Oldddudders]

I think I watched film of the Danica Patrick 3-Ring Motegi win at the time. Sadly, the very presence of an attractive young woman brings out the worst of male culture, and there were stories about the race being pulled in her favour to allow the headlines. Just as there were nasty rumours about influential figures being offered 'favours' to promote her career.

 

It seems that to succeed in motor sport, at least on that side of the pond, you need to be a doggie-looking female as well as having exceptional skills in-car. Anything less and you are just a gimmick. Sigh.

[Sidecar Racer]

 

Lewis karting  at 15 , Danica Patrick is also in this race . Best action  at around the

3 minute mark when he makes his move .

 

 

[rocor]

2 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

There have been female drivers, but not many.

The most successful was Lella Lombardi in the mid 70s. She drove in 12 races (& failed to qualify in a few more), scoring half a point in her career.

 

 

Desiré Wilson, the only woman to win a F1 race. Though not one for the World championship.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desiré_Wilson

[RJS1977]

3 hours ago, Andrew P said:

 

I think Lewis's success is mainly down to very few mistakes, and that is what separates the men from the Boys. He should have / could have, been World Champion in his Rookie year in 2007, if it wasn't for the dirty tricks of Alonso

 

Though that said, binning it into the gravel trap beside the pit lane in China didn't help much either....

 

I seem to remember that after the final race of the 2007 season, two of the cars that finished ahead of Lewis in that race were alleged to have used illegal fuel. Lewis told McLaren he didn't want them to push for those drivers to be disqualified as he didn't want to win a Championship that way.

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 hour ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

Lewis karting  at 15 , Danica Patrick is also in this race . Best action  at around the

3 minute mark when he makes his move .

 

 

 

Nothing changed. Still managed not to get away first from pole.

[Pete the Elaner]

35 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Nothing changed. Still managed not to get away first from pole.

 

I don't know what races you watch, but Hamilton is a better starter than most. Her doesn't always nail it, but neither does anybody else.

Before you say 'Verstappen', last time he was on the front row, he span his rear wheels & ended up dropping back about 3 places.

When you're at the front, it seems you can only attract negative criticism. Doing anything particularly well seems to get considered as 'just about average'.

[Gareth Collier]

1 hour ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Though that said, binning it into the gravel trap beside the pit lane in China didn't help much either....

 

I seem to recall that was the teams fault as they left him out far too long on his tires that were down to the canvas.

[Joseph_Pestell]

4 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

I don't know what races you watch, but Hamilton is a better starter than most. Her doesn't always nail it, but neither does anybody else.

Before you say 'Verstappen', last time he was on the front row, he span his rear wheels & ended up dropping back about 3 places.

When you're at the front, it seems you can only attract negative criticism. Doing anything particularly well seems to get considered as 'just about average'.

 

Once again, irony fails on the web. I should know better.

 

If you read back to my previous posts, you would see that I am definitely in the Hamilton supporters camp.

[Pete the Elaner]

1 minute ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

Once again, irony fails on the web. I should know better.

 

If you read back to my previous posts, you would see that I am definitely in the Hamilton supporters camp.

 

It's a bit difficult to insert any irony, sarcasm etc... into a short text sentence.

Sometimes a smilie helps, but they don't seem to be very readily used on here.

[LNERandBR]

 

6 minutes ago, Gareth Collier said:

I seem to recall that was the teams fault as they left him out far too long on his tires that were down to the canvas.

 

Indeed, would have helped if he had some rubber left on his tyres before he went into the slippery pit lane. One of those things that has changed though experience, I doubt 2020 Lewis would allow the team to leave him out like 2007 Lewis did.

[Andrew P]

One thing that bugs me is this. They / Lewis etc say they want to see more Black Drivers in F1, and yes I agree, but they have to start by doing something for themselves in the first place. It's not a god given right to be given a drive, you have to first of all be like Lewis, and want it, then if you want it, you have to work for it.

Now this DOES NOT ONLY APPLY TO BLACK or any Ethnic or Gender alone, it also applies to White Kids as well, if you want a top job, be it in sport, or Business, you need to get off your butt and go for it. That is exactly what Lewis and his Dad did, put every spare penny into Lewis's future and his dream.

Even people like footballers, who I personally think are over paid, but that's not for discussion on here, got where they are by working, training, getting up early on a Sunday Morning, joining in and getting into a small Team, they all hope their talent will get them noticed, some do, some don't, but IF you don't try you will never succeed in any thing, be it sport or work.

I hope that in my Lifetime we will see, maybe a Black, White, or other, Girl winning an F1 Race or Championship, there are by all accounts some great Girl Drivers out there, they just need the break, be seen, be quick, and most of all be humble.