http://www.f1today.n...ork-at-mercedes?
Lewis Hamilton has already started work at Mercedes. Britain's Sun newspaper said that although the 2008 world champion remains under contract to McLaren for two more weeks, a "deal" has been agreed whereby the 27-year-old can at least meet his new engineers.
And the report said Briton Hamilton also got his first taste of Mercedes' driver simulator last week. "Lewis has already been in the factory to see the team and fulfil some duties after we found an agreement about that with McLaren," said Mercedes' departing head of motor sport, Norbert Haug.
Lewis Hamilton - Part IV
#801
Posted 20 December 2012 - 06:15
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#802
Posted 20 December 2012 - 20:46
Macca has a good radio system and we get a lot of comms from LH ... from the standard "where am I losing time?" followed a few laps later by "You are the fastest car Lewis" - to the plaintive "the tyres have gone off..." about 5 laps into a stint... to gems like "whose freaking idea was that stop!"" and best of all "I cant go any slower!"
It just remembered that Merc has one of the worst radio systems on the grid - at least as far as fans are concerned..... will this mean that when we do hear from LH will he sound like he is speaking through his balaclava down a payphone giving instructions on how to pay a ransom?
As far as I am concerned Merc can forget about prioritising the Aero package .... I want them to make sure that they get that radio sorted out.
#803
Posted 20 December 2012 - 20:56
They'll just let the results do the talking.Something silly but important has occured to me....
Macca has a good radio system and we get a lot of comms from LH ... from the standard "where am I losing time?" followed a few laps later by "You are the fastest car Lewis" - to the plaintive "the tyres have gone off..." about 5 laps into a stint... to gems like "whose freaking idea was that stop!"" and best of all "I cant go any slower!"
It just remembered that Merc has one of the worst radio systems on the grid - at least as far as fans are concerned..... will this mean that when we do hear from LH will he sound like he is speaking through his balaclava down a payphone giving instructions on how to pay a ransom?
As far as I am concerned Merc can forget about prioritising the Aero package .... I want them to make sure that they get that radio sorted out.
#804
Posted 20 December 2012 - 21:00
Haha, very good!They'll just let the results do the talking.
#805
Posted 20 December 2012 - 21:31
#806
Posted 21 December 2012 - 10:21
#807
Posted 21 December 2012 - 12:19
F1 : Ecclestone 2012 Christmas card depicts Lauda & Hamilton robbing Mercedes
http://www.f1sa.com/...c...&Itemid=157
#808
Posted 21 December 2012 - 12:51
I did a google seach to make sure that this is real and came up with this gem
F1 : Ecclestone 2012 Christmas card depicts Lauda & Hamilton robbing Mercedes
http://www.f1sa.com/...c...&Itemid=157
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like Bernie Ecclestone is mocking Lewis Hamilton for chasing cash?
#809
Posted 21 December 2012 - 12:53
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like Bernie Ecclestone is mocking Lewis Hamilton for chasing cash?
Oh the irony!
#810
Posted 21 December 2012 - 12:59
You'd think he would know how to spell McLaren
He's avoiding legal action I reckon.
#811
Posted 21 December 2012 - 13:46
.
Edited by H2H, 21 December 2012 - 13:47.
#812
Posted 21 December 2012 - 18:39
I replaced the link with a working now
BTW a little warning - Leo is neither a fan of LH nor driving 10/10ths.
Edited by jjcale, 21 December 2012 - 21:43.
#814
Posted 21 December 2012 - 19:00
Leo Parente of Drive responding to a viewer question - does anybody in racing today still drive 10/10ths
BTW a little warning - Leo is neither a fan of LH or driving 10/10ths.
Says the video has been removed jj?
#815
Posted 21 December 2012 - 21:16
Says the video has been removed jj?
BTW the comment you are looking for (I think) is right at the end.
#816
Posted 21 December 2012 - 21:27
Says the video has been removed jj?
Fixed the link in my earlier post.
@Obi - thanks.
Edited by jjcale, 21 December 2012 - 21:27.
#817
Posted 22 December 2012 - 00:49
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like Bernie Ecclestone is mocking Lewis Hamilton for chasing cash?
Difference is, Bernie doesn't chase cash, he makes it come to him.
#818
Posted 22 December 2012 - 01:14
Fixed the link in my earlier post.
@Obi - thanks.
Thanks, such a criminally underdiscussed topic - the facade of flat out racing. Imagine if someone told you Usain Bolt and the rest of the sprinters were only going at 70% of their capacity? It would undermine the whole idea of what you're watching. I see F1 in a similar position, and I found it very weird and annoying how Schumacher was shot down in the press for his anti-Pirelli rant. It truly is as if it's the biggest kept secret in F1, the forbidden topic - delta 'racing'.
At Monaco we witnessed an utter abortion of a 'race' where the Marussias and Caterhams ran at an often race leading pace, and Sergio Perez ran several seconds per lap faster than the tyre nurses ahead of him for he had nothing to lose, and yet you had someone as esteemed as Martin Brundle scratching his head wondering what was going on during commentary. What was going on was a procession in the truest kind, a literal train of cars, all chained to a delta lap time in order to do less pit stops. Then you had a random Journo having a mic stuffed in his face post race by Jake Humphrey, being prompted to laud the nail biting thriller we had supposedly just seen, and he called it out immediately as a complete tyre saving exercise, at which Jake and DC scoffed at of course.
You only needed to watch Webber's post race interview at Spain to understand the full degree of this stupid formula, his body language spoke a thousand words, utterly deflated and bored. And you contrast that with Hamilton's eyes positively lighting up after his Indian GP where he finished a humble, but flat out 4th, yet looked happier than he does after half of his GP wins. Says it all really.
Anyway, rant over. Mark Hughes did a good interview with Michael Schumacher in this week's Autosport and also got a couple of interesting snippets out of Jock Clear (who I hope will possibly be Hamilton's RE next year?) relating to Hamilton:
"I'll be brutally honest here. I don't think Michael is the quickest driver there has been for the last 20 years - because Mika Hakkinen on a good lap would be as quick and certainly Hamilton would be"
"In general terms, what is required of these tyres does not suit Michael's driving style as well as it suits others. Drivers like Michael, who turn the car using the rear tyres as opposed to the front, will suffer more from these tyres. The rears just can't handle being stressed in that way. Which prompts the question of could Michael have adjusted his driving style? I'm not sure any of them can. I think drivers develop their skill and style around their predisposition to using certain cues and I think they are probably hard-wired in.
Whatever yaw rate Michael needs to feel only comes from turning the car in on the rear tyres. This is the way all the really good kartists drive, but then you get to F1 with these tyres and it's not the appropriate way. It doesn't suit Michael, doesn't suit Lewis Hamilton, but it does suit Nico, it probably suits Fernando, seems to suit Sergio Perez"
Edited by PretentiousBread, 22 December 2012 - 10:48.
#819
Posted 22 December 2012 - 01:14
Difference is, Bernie doesn't chase cash, he makes it come to him.
So he chases cash basically.
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#820
Posted 22 December 2012 - 02:47
But this is booorrrring.You only needed to watch Webber's post race interview at Spain to understand the full degree of this stupid formula, his body language spoke a thousand words, utterly deflated and bored. And you contrast that with Hamilton's eyes positively lighting up after his Indian GP where he finished a humble, but flat out 4th, yet looked happier than he does after half of his GP wins. Says it all really.
OK if they had to go flat out in the walls of Singapore or Monaco than fair enough: there is a risk of crashing as they go flat out.
But flat out with 5 acres of run off and no risk at all... it is dull time trial and puts race fans to sleep.
As an example: 2004 Spanish Gp Even the highlights are boring. zzzzz
Edited by V8 Fireworks, 22 December 2012 - 02:51.
#821
Posted 22 December 2012 - 08:18
Those two statements together look a bit odd to me with relation to this year as Hamilton clearly went well on the tyres. Which surely means either the tyres were suited to him or that he could adapt, both of which statements Jock Clear would seem to disagree with....
Anyway, rant over. Mark Hughes did a good interview with Michael Schumacher in this week's Autosport and also got a couple of interesting snippets out of Jock Clear (who I hope will possibly be Hamilton's RE next year?) relating to Hamilton:
"I'll be brutally honest here. I don't think Michael is the quickest driver there has been for the last 20 years - because Mika Hakkinen on a good lap would be as quick and certainly Hamilton would be"
"In general terms, what is required of these tyres does not suit Michael's driving style as well as it suits others. Drivers like Michael, who turn the car using the rear tyres as opposed to the front, will suffer more from these tyres. The rears just can't handle being stressed in that way. Which prompts the question of could Michael have adjusted his driving style? I'm not sure any of them can. I think drivers develop their skill and style around trot predisposition to using certain cues and I think they are probably hard-wired in.
Whatever yaw rate Michael needs to feel only comes from turning the car in on the rear tyres. This is the way all the really good kartists drive, but then you get to F1 with these tyres and it's not the appropriate way. It doesn't suit Michael, doesn't suit Lewis Hamilton, but it does suit Nico, it probably suits Fernando, seems to suit Sergio Perez"
But yes, is Jock Clear is Hamiltons race engineer next year (which seems likely) he'll be onto a winner there IMHO. Clear has got huge experience and worked with some top drivers.
Edited by Peter Perfect, 22 December 2012 - 08:23.
#822
Posted 22 December 2012 - 08:43
Lewis is adaptable no doubt but certainly the tyres have reined him in somewhat and he could also be referring to the obvious fact that Pirelli style is not Lewis' preferred racing style.Those two statements together look a bit odd to me with relation to this year as Hamilton clearly went well on the tyres. Which surely means either the tyres were suited to him or that he could adapt, both of which statements Jock Clear would seem to disagree with.
But yes, is Jock Clear is Hamiltons race engineer next year (which seems likely) he'll be onto a winner there IMHO. Clear has got huge experience and worked with some top drivers.
well then I do hope it is jock clear - after past 2-3 seasons it would be great to see him matched with an EXPERIENCED & CONFIDENT engineer and see what level they can take their racing to.
#823
Posted 22 December 2012 - 08:46
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like Bernie Ecclestone is mocking Lewis Hamilton for chasing cash?
At least he has a sense of self-irony, I'll give him that!
#824
Posted 22 December 2012 - 08:52
this seems to include a more balanced review of Lewis' season in which the points difference to his teammate (2012 or since 2010 )is not the main narrative & the writer doesn’t sound bitter towards the bloke for daring to leave McLaren –
(Seriously! .... not) Perhaps he didnt “got the invite” to that Brazil dinner ;) .
#825
Posted 22 December 2012 - 11:32
But this is booorrrring.
OK if they had to go flat out in the walls of Singapore or Monaco than fair enough: there is a risk of crashing as they go flat out.
But flat out with 5 acres of run off and no risk at all... it is dull time trial and puts race fans to sleep.
As an example: 2004 Spanish Gp Even the highlights are boring. zzzzz
No, what is boring is the knowledge that the drivers are going around to a delta lap time, driving well within themselves, perhaps 60-70% of their capacity in order to do fewer pitstops. That you're seeing lots of overtaking is a merely a superficial collision of events brought about by everyone managing as best they can their rapidly degrading rubber. In a typical Pirelli F1 race the driver has become little more than a tyre technician. If you see someone outpacing the other it's because he's managing his tyres better and nothing more, it's become a contest of who can tip-toe around the best. It might be something, but driving around for an entire race to a pre-determined average lap time - like a faster safety car period - isn't racing in my book. And clearly i'm not alone, because if I was then the F1 community would be a whole lot more open about this truth, yet Schumacher's rant was generally given short shrift and ignored. They know that they need to perpetuate the illusion that what you are seeing is the best drivers in the world pushing each other to their limits, or else the whole spectacle loses its raison d'être to the viewer. Why is it you hardly hear commentators mentioning that they are coasting around to a delta lap time? Because they know it's boring and turns people off. I can understand someone not being aware of any of this and finding it exciting, but what I can't understand is those who know the score and yet still find what they're watching exciting, despite possessing the knowledge to understand that it's all an illusionary shitfest which in reality isn't exciting or challenging at all.
The race we had at Austin encapsulates why delta F1 is so misguided. What people don't realise is that in a more typical tyre saving race, Hamilton would never have been able to challenge Vettel - his tyres would have been chewed up after a couple of laps and he would have been forced to simply hold station and manage his tyres, he would not have been able to make the difference. As soon as he's given free rein to push, he was able to make the difference as a driver.
#826
Posted 22 December 2012 - 12:01
Edited by maxx7, 22 December 2012 - 12:01.
#827
Posted 22 December 2012 - 12:21
Difference is, Bernie doesn't chase cash, he makes it come to him.
Bernie goes to where the cash is- the middle east and Asia. Even Bernie can't make Europe, or Turkey, pay up to host his races...
#828
Posted 22 December 2012 - 12:23
#829
Posted 22 December 2012 - 12:37
Christmas Card from BE
Shouldn't the sign say Brackley...
#830
Posted 22 December 2012 - 13:04
#831
Posted 22 December 2012 - 13:56
Those two statements together look a bit odd to me with relation to this year as Hamilton clearly went well on the tyres. Which surely means either the tyres were suited to him or that he could adapt, both of which statements Jock Clear would seem to disagree with.
But yes, is Jock Clear is Hamiltons race engineer next year (which seems likely) he'll be onto a winner there IMHO. Clear has got huge experience and worked with some top drivers.
I agree and really hope we are right.
On a separaet not I thought Bernie's card was class.
#832
Posted 22 December 2012 - 14:05
But this is booorrrring.
OK if they had to go flat out in the walls of Singapore or Monaco than fair enough: there is a risk of crashing as they go flat out.
But flat out with 5 acres of run off and no risk at all... it is dull time trial and puts race fans to sleep.
As an example: 2004 Spanish Gp Even the highlights are boring. zzzzz
Have to echo the first comment on youtube:
.... 2004 cars were faster than todays cars. You can even see it, looks like another sport.
I am only sorry that LH didnt get to spend more of his career in the refueling sprint racing era.
#833
Posted 22 December 2012 - 21:07
#834
Posted 22 December 2012 - 21:16
Just wondering, who do people consider the tougher teammate, JB or nico ?
JB i suppose. He has more experience.
#835
Posted 22 December 2012 - 21:32
Have to echo the first comment on youtube:
I am only sorry that LH didnt get to spend more of his career in the refueling sprint racing era.
Oh, I so totally agree! For the lifestyle, Räikkönen says he's thirty years late, for the racing, Hamilton is ten.
Edited by race addicted, 22 December 2012 - 21:34.
#836
Posted 22 December 2012 - 21:59
We will know after the next years. I guess it is Nico (on relative pace; purely on points he would have to beat Hamilton to be better than Button, which is not impossible but certainly not an easy task).Just wondering, who do people consider the tougher teammate, JB or nico ?
#837
Posted 22 December 2012 - 22:12
...for the racing, Hamilton is ten.
Racing? 10 years ago? Surely you´re talking about another series.
#838
Posted 22 December 2012 - 23:44
Correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems like Bernie Ecclestone is mocking Lewis Hamilton for chasing cash?
#839
Posted 27 December 2012 - 13:31
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#840
Posted 27 December 2012 - 13:41
I don't think we'll be able to make a comparison, with the RE's and different attitude of the teams.Just wondering, who do people consider the tougher teammate, JB or nico ?
Anyway I'm expecting Nico to raise his game, but still be outperformed in 80-90% of the races.
@dhill: I have a little private bet that 30 minutes into the first test Lewis will be at the top of the timesheets. Not that it'll mean too much, but still, I'm looking forward with my usual groundless optimism . Hope we get some TV coverage this year.
#841
Posted 27 December 2012 - 15:41
Can't wait to see Lewis in Mercedes team gear,can't believe the season is around the corner.
Do you think they'll unleash pictures from Jan 1st?
#842
Posted 27 December 2012 - 20:58
#843
Posted 27 December 2012 - 22:15
Do you think they'll unleash pictures from Jan 1st?
I bet they will. Mclaren have already moved on and have had a life sized Tooned version of Perez at the HQ. Merc are paying a lot for Lewis so they will surely start using him as early as they can. I'm really counting down until the start of 2013.
#844
Posted 28 December 2012 - 11:03
#845
Posted 29 December 2012 - 12:04
new designs have been emailed; we're just waiting for confirmation.
Jason, Lewis' helmet painter replied to a question about Lewis' design for next season.
Hope he keeps it yellow.
#846
Posted 01 January 2013 - 00:26
#847
Posted 01 January 2013 - 00:27
So in a couple of hours,we get to see Lewis in his new team wear.
I'm sure we'll see it within the week
#848
Posted 01 January 2013 - 00:30
Nitpicking, and being the biggest pedant, but surely you wouldn't expect any pictures before 2nd Jan?
I wouldn't mind betting Hamilton's has already had his photo taken in team gear etc (Since allowed him to visit the factory earlier than obliged) and said photos have been sent to the media (Autosport etc) but are embargoed. It will be odd seeing Lewis in non Mclaren gear thats for sure!
#849
Posted 01 January 2013 - 11:28
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