4028 replies to this topic

[Risil]

And off we go with part 2.

 
Quoting Marklar's post right at the end of part 1:
 

Massive downplaying
 

"Valtteri did a fantastic job, so he thoroughly deserved to win," Hamilton said of Bottas' Austrian GP performance. "When you look at the results, he's also had a DNF as well. He's generally had a better season I would say so far.

"There was never a point that he was never in the fight. I think it was only you guys who potentially suggested that he was never in the battle. I always assumed he still was, and that just shows he still is."

http://www.espn.co.u...tter-season-far

 

And the British GP coming up as well. Thoughts?

[Shepherd]

What is Bottas's track record around here? I remember he was running at the front in 2015, but he dropped off like a stone in the later stages of the race. I also remember that he carved through the field in 2014 from the back.

 

I expect Lewis to be comfortably ahead, though. Ferrari will be very close.

Edited by Shepherd, 11 July 2017 - 12:30.

[Risil]

What is Bottas's track record around here? I remember he was running at the front in 2015, but he dropped off like a stone in the later stages of the race. I also remember that he carved through the field in 2014 from the back.

 

I think you've answered your own question! Good, but it's hardly one of Lewis's weak tracks if indeed he has any of those.

 

Bottas dropped back in 2015 when the rain came and/or the temperatures dropped, right? That might well have been strategy and setup related.

[Shepherd]

I think you've answered your own question! Good, but it's hardly one of Lewis's weak tracks if indeed he has any of those.

Bottas dropped back in 2015 when the rain came and/or the temperatures dropped, right? That might well have been strategy and setup related.

Yep, I forgot about the rain. Looks like he struggled in 2016 as well in the rainy conditions. Silverstone is one of the weakest tracks of Seb, so good time for Lewis to make up some ground in the WDC.

Edited by Shepherd, 11 July 2017 - 12:42.

[Marklar]

What is Bottas's track record around here? I remember he was running at the front in 2015, but he dropped off like a stone in the later stages of the race. I also remember that he carved through the field in 2014 from the back.

He has been pretty terrible whenever it was wet compared to Massa in 2015 and 2016 (he called it one of his worst races ever). In qualifying he narrowly lost out in his rookie season and in 2015, but qualified ahead in 2014 and in 2016 by a huge margin. His race in 2014 was great.

 

It's a bit hot and cold, but it feels like a good track for him overall. Then again it's also an great Hamilton track in the last few years...

Edited by Marklar, 11 July 2017 - 12:42.

[Claudiu]

Quote

Massive downplaying
 

Quote

"Valtteri did a fantastic job, so he thoroughly deserved to win," Hamilton said of Bottas' Austrian GP performance. "When you look at the results, he's also had a DNF as well. He's generally had a better season I would say so far.

"There was never a point that he was never in the fight. I think it was only you guys who potentially suggested that he was never in the battle. I always assumed he still was, and that just shows he still is."

http://www.espn.co.u...tter-season-far

 

It's interesting that Hamilton ,says, that he has always looked at Bottas as a championship contender... However this doesn't fit with Hamilton's behavior prior to this race, like asking the team to purposely slow down Bottas in order for him to catch up Vettel in Baku or what happened in Bahrain, where I clearly remember Hamilton saying that he will give the position back (to Bottas) if he doesn't manage to catch up Vettel ... and we all know how that tuned up LOL

It's nice of Lewis to complement Bottas but somehow I don't buy it. 

His (Lewis) behavior on the track clearly shows that he doesn't see Bottas as a real contender of the crown, at least this year.

Edited by Claudiu, 11 July 2017 - 12:59.

[Marklar]

I also clearly remember Hamilton in Bahrain saying that he will give the position back to Bottas if he doesn't manage to catch up Vettel ... and we all know how that tuned up LOL

He was 15 seconds up the road and Raikkonen was already attacking Bottas. How should that work? 
 
If you want to gift Ferrari a 1-2 victory, then certainly.
 

It's interesting that Hamilton always took Bottas for a championship contender... I wonder how many times was a championship contender in a position that his team mate asks the team to order him to purposely slow down in order to help he other guy catch up another championship contender...

Mercedes sacrificed Hamilton's fight for 3rd in Russia in order to secure Bottas' win by keeping him way too long out in order to put Vettel in a strategic trap, so perhaps the whole "teamplay" stuff works better at Mercedes this season.
 

It's nice of Lewis to complement Bottas but somehow I don't buy it.
His (Lewis) behavior on the track clearly shows that he doesn't see Bottas as a real contender of the crown, at least this year.

I agree with that though, at least the bit that he is not entirely telling the truth here.

Edited by Marklar, 11 July 2017 - 13:02.

[geralt]

I can't remember many instances in which a driver would say his teammate is driving better than he is, especially when that's not the case. I guess Hamilton really likes Bottas as teammate...

[ArrowsLivery]

It's interesting that Hamilton ,says, that he has always looked at Bottas as a championship contender... However this doesn't fit with Hamilton's behavior prior to this race, like asking the team to purposely slow down Bottas in order for him to catch up Vettel in Baku or what happened in Bahrain, where I clearly remember Hamilton saying that he will give the position back (to Bottas) if he doesn't manage to catch up Vettel ... and we all know how that tuned up LOL

It's nice of Lewis to complement Bottas but somehow I don't buy it. 

His (Lewis) behavior on the track clearly shows that he doesn't see Bottas as a real contender of the crown, at least this year.

 

What is wrong with that? If Vettel had dirty air in front of him, he'd be easier to pass for Hamilton. 

[sopa]

I think it can be a combination of both. Hamilton sees Bottas as a contender, but if he sees an opportunity to maximize his own result (even if it at the expense of team-mate), he would use it.

 

No need to overthink these things.

[Fatgadget]

What is wrong with that? If Vettel had dirty air in front of him, he'd be easier to pass for Hamilton. 

Yeah but the problem with deliberatly backing off is should things go awry and you get jumped under DRS - eg!

[peroa]

I can't remember many instances in which a driver would say his teammate is driving better than he is, especially when that's not the case. I guess Hamilton really likes Bottas as teammate...

Well, it's been a long hot couple of weeks ...

Edited by peroa, 11 July 2017 - 13:44.

[andrewf1]

It's interesting that Hamilton ,says, that he has always looked at Bottas as a championship contender... However this doesn't fit with Hamilton's behavior prior to this race, like asking the team to purposely slow down Bottas in order for him to catch up Vettel in Baku or what happened in Bahrain, where I clearly remember Hamilton saying that he will give the position back (to Bottas) if he doesn't manage to catch up Vettel ... and we all know how that tuned up LOL

It's nice of Lewis to complement Bottas but somehow I don't buy it. 

His (Lewis) behavior on the track clearly shows that he doesn't see Bottas as a real contender of the crown, at least this year.

 

His message was: "Guys if Valtteri’s not fighting anyone ahead need to have him slow down, give a bad wake." - to which his team duly replied that Bottas is "trying to catch Stroll".

 

Thought I'd highlight the part which is rather conveniently neglected.  

Edited by andrewf1, 11 July 2017 - 13:52.

[GoldenColt]

 

His message was: "Guys if Valtteri’s not fighting anyone ahead need to have him slow down, give a bad wake." - to which his team duly replied that Bottas is "trying to catch Stroll".

 

Thought I'd highlight the part which is rather conveniently neglected.  

 

NERD!

 

Btw, a vs-thread with Hamilton in it and we're only at page 2 mid July? Damn, that feels... weirdly comfortable.

Edited by GoldenColt, 11 July 2017 - 14:24.

[Mendel]

I think Valtteri was quite lucky that Hamilton had that 5 grid position penalty.

 

In alternate universe, where there was no penalty, I would assume Hamilton would have been between Bottas and Vettel after the first pit stops... I assume Bottas would still have come back first from the pits... and then... towards the end of the race as Bottas was having problems and as Vettel was catching up... I think team order would have been a logical thing to do if and when Hamilton was feeling he can drive faster and Vettel is catching up. Good thing that it is just a big if.

 

Overall, recently I think Mercedes has been fortunate that their drivers have not been driving close to each other so they have completely avoided direct battles between Bot and Ham and avoided any potential situations where they needed to consider team orders.

[f1paul]

That rubbish OP by some idiot is now locked! 

[RECKLESS]

Nice words by Lewis.

I bet he is also just trying to shift some of the pressure to Valtteri. It's all been about him vs. Vettel so far.

[gillesfan76]

I don't think Lewis is trying to play games etc. with his compliments on Bottas. I think it's a combination of things. Except for Heikki, he's generally had team mates that have either sought preferential treatment as a rule (Alonso) or team mates who have recognised that they're not as naturally talented, quick as Lewis and their only chance to beat him is to work twice as hard and try, build rapport with the team and mentally destabilise him (Jenson, Rosberg). So to have a team mate that is, especially in comparison to his recent memory with Rosberg, is matter of fact typical Finnish and doesn't play games, is probably quite refreshing.

 

I think however there is a lot of truth in that the quotes do show that Lewis also isn't threatened by Bottas. I suspect that while Bottas is new to the team and improving by getting to know and work with his engineers, except for those shocker races he's generally been happy with the car and the tyres. Whereas I suspect Lewis knows that he himself is not getting the best out of the car and tyres. So probably in Lewis' mind he's probably rationalising that this is Bottas performing at 90-95% (except for the two really crap races where he was nowhere) whereas Lewis probably feels he himself hasn't gotten on top of the tyres fully yet and feels like he's only at 80%. So if he can get on top of the car and tyres, and I guess he is backing himself to be able to figure it out, then he should start to dominate soon.

 

Time will tell though if that's an accurate assessment by Lewis. There's no doubt that Lewis knows where his own performance is at and what his potential is. Where it's possible he could be wrong is what Bottas' potential is. But I suspect he's correct. My thoughts are that Bottas is a strong driver, probably just as quick as Rosberg and more mentally stable. But I suspect he's not capable of pulling out the miracle performances that we've seen Lewis, Alonso, and Seb pull out every now and then and I also suspect that his race craft/wheel to wheel isn't on the same level.

[Mercstar]

Don't think there's a need to over analyse Lewis's remarks.

 

Bottas is typically finish and Lewis clearly gets on well with him; As for him being a title contender, I think Lewis knows in his heart of hearts that him and Seb have him covered performance wise, this season at least I don't think Lewis genuinely believes he will be a serious threat for the title. 

[Claudiu]

What is wrong with that? If Vettel had dirty air in front of him, he'd be easier to pass for Hamilton. 

 

Vettel never had such requests from the team... even more in China he fought hard and overtook Kimi on the track while losing valuable time in the process.

Not saying there is anything wrong or good in it, just that Hamilton is probably disingenuous since you would;t not expect such a request if both drivers are treated equal and fighting for the championship... just saying.

[Claudiu]

Don't think there's a need to over analyse Lewis's remarks.

 

Bottas is typically finish and Lewis clearly gets on well with him; As for him being a title contender, I think Lewis knows in his heart of hearts that him and Seb have him covered performance wise, this season at least I don't think Lewis genuinely believes he will be a serious threat for the title. 

 

Pretty much this... it's all PR what Lewis is doing right now hyping Bottas for the title.

[RECKLESS]

With a problem-free weekend, I suspect Lewis to be the faster Merc in Silverstone. The crowd will get his spirit high, and with Lewis in particular I think an extra boost in the mood department can have some significance. He has of course done extremely well here in the past.

But so has Valtteri. One of his finest races was here in 2014 when he rose from 14th on the grid to 2nd on the podium. I shall keep my hopes up that Bottas will keep a momentum going, capitalize on his current self confidence, and be right there on pace this weekend and challenge for pole/win.

Edited by RECKLESS, 12 July 2017 - 17:29.

[Mendel]

I´d be worried for Lewis if he doesn´t have better pace than Valtteri in his home gp.

 

For Bottas, any podium position would be good.

 

My best prediction is for Lewis to win barring any more bad luck, with Vettel and Bottas completing the podium. (not to take anything away from Kimi or the red bulls but those getting a podium spot I would consider a surprise)

 

I´d be rather shocked if it was the other way around, even though I would enjoy nothing more than Bottas getting two wins in a row.

Edited by Mendel, 12 July 2017 - 17:33.

[garoidb]

Bottas can go well into the latter half of this season without feeling any championship pressure - even if he still stays close to the leader(s). This is the best opportunity of his career to win some GPs and he can approach every race as an opportunity in itself (particularly any time Lewis is compromised or struggling). There is no real downside. He is not expected to challenge Lewis or contend for the championship, and even when he is close in the points he is not really being viewed as a threat (even by Lewis with those comments, I agree). That makes everything easier. If he is in contention late in the season, this will all change of course, but that itself would be an achievement.

[SilverArrow31]

I wouldnt be so sure about Hamilton being in a better mood when he gets to Silverstone, It seems a large majority of the paddock and many if not most fans are annoyed he's not in London and may let him know it throughout the weekend. IMO Hamilton has really messed up on this one.

Edited by SilverArrow31, 12 July 2017 - 18:29.

[Marklar]

Meh. Of the fans who will be in Silverstone nobody will care about it if he was in London or not. That the others are pissing on him is nothing new anyway, it was interesting how he was the most mentioned driver today despite missing there. He gave his usual detractors a field day, that's all. If he needs the break to cool down then he bloody did everything right. I'm convinced that many would have found a way to piss on him even if he was there anyway, perhaps even directly from the crowd as some buffoons were there like the guy on the interview. The issue is probably just that if he has a bad weekend in Silverstone, but it's not like he wouldnt be used to media backslashes either.

[robefc]

I wouldnt be so sure about Hamilton being in a better mood when he gets to Silverstone, It seems a large majority of the paddock and many if not most fans are annoyed he's not in London and may let him know it throughout the weekend. IMO Hamilton has really messed up on this one.

Quite right, I expect a huge wave of anti-Lewis sentiment at Silverstone...

[garoidb]

I wouldnt be so sure about Hamilton being in a better mood when he gets to Silverstone, It seems a large majority of the paddock and many if not most fans are annoyed he's not in London and may let him know it throughout the weekend. IMO Hamilton has really messed up on this one.

 

As long as Mercedes are content then he has nothing to worry about. It seems to have been attended by all other F1 drivers and the two recently retired WDCs so there must have been quite a bit of organisation behind the scenes.

 

Is he still a tax exile, by any chance?

[Mercstar]

I wouldnt be so sure about Hamilton being in a better mood when he gets to Silverstone, It seems a large majority of the paddock and many if not most fans are annoyed he's not in London and may let him know it throughout the weekend. IMO Hamilton has really messed up on this one.

 

I'm pretty sure he's learnt to deal with his detractors by now, so I highly doubt it.

 

I recall him mentioning in a post race interview in Austria that he was heading for a holiday, so it was clearly pre-planned. If that's what he needs to get his head in the right space after a couple of rough weekends, then so be it. I'm sure the home crowd won't have anything to complain about if he turns up and delivers the goods this weekend. 

[SilverArrow31]

As long as Mercedes are content then he has nothing to worry about. It seems to have been attended by all other F1 drivers and the two recently retired WDCs so there must have been quite a bit of organisation behind the scenes.

 

Is he still a tax exile, by any chance?

 

Thats completely irrelevant, and yeah not the fans per say but the paddock itself, the media might be a bit more hostel towards him, as will the big bosses at Liberty Media and FOM, Horner is doing anything and everything he can to destabilize Mercedes and Ferrari so I doubt he wont mention it again. All I said is that it might effect his mood during the weekend because he might regret not going, not his relationship with Mercedes, maybe not even his performance, im not the daily mail I not trying to make things up to stir the pot 

Edited by SilverArrow31, 12 July 2017 - 18:56.

[robefc]

I'm pretty sure he's learnt to deal with his detractors by now, so I highly doubt it.
 
I recall him mentioning in a post race interview in Austria that he was heading for a holiday, so it was clearly pre-planned. If that's what he needs to get his head in the right space after a couple of rough weekends, then so be it. I'm sure the home crowd won't have anything to complain about if he turns up and delivers the goods this weekend.

Don't be ridiculous, who won't find their 3 day F1 weekend ruined thanks to the home hero not attending a pr event the day before?!

[garoidb]

Thats completely irrelevant, and yeah not the fans per say but the paddock itself, the media might be a bit more hostel towards him, as will the big bosses at liberty media, Horner is doing anything and everything he can to destabilize Mercedes and Ferrari so I doubt he wont mention it again. All I said is that it might effect his mood during the weekend, not his relationship with Mercedes, maybe not even his performance, im not the daily mail I not trying to make things up to stir the pot 

 

Don't tax exiles have a limited number of days they can be in the country? Drivers of other nationalities wouldn't be affected by that, but Lewis could be. 

[NateF]

As Marklar said, most of the complaints about his absence are from those that would be complaining about his presence if he did turn up, it's the usual knashing of teeth gripe of all things Hamilton.

[RECKLESS]

To me this was news (that Lewis wasn't there today) and I'm a bit surprised.

 

It is the British weekend afterall, and he's the golden boy.

Maybe he needs to tiptoe some time off to kill away a bit of the pressure. Good for him.

He will most likely have the hardest PR time-table during the next few days anyway.

Edited by RECKLESS, 12 July 2017 - 19:03.

[Counterbalance]

As long as Mercedes are content then he has nothing to worry about. It seems to have been attended by all other F1 drivers and the two recently retired WDCs so there must have been quite a bit of organisation behind the scenes.

 

Is he still a tax exile, by any chance?

 

And so are many other drivers who live in Monaco. As does he ex 'German' teammate. Your point is?

 

The answer is 90 days per year in the UK, btw. I hear flats in Croydon are quite cheap.

 

But anyway, back onto topic. Silverstone, Hungary, and Monza are on the near or immediate horizon. All of which Hamilton does very well, or owns (especially Hungary), so I hoping, and expecting that not only does Hamilton stretch his legs against Bottas, but he reels in Vettel during the next few weeks. But that's an ideal scenario, and the words 'ideal' and 'Hamilton' don't fit together in the same sentence very rarely.

[Grundle]

Lewis must be the one driver who lets things get to him that other drivers just shrug off.
5 place grid penalty is like the end of the world to him
He has no perspective.
I'm a bit fed up he always acts victimised by everything.
I get the impression his engineer could tell him his perfectly fine car is damaged and he would lose 2 seconds a lap just because he gets so affected by things.

[Joshrobins13]

Lewis must be the one driver who lets things get to him that other drivers just shrug off.
5 place grid penalty is like the end of the world to him
He has no perspective.
I'm a bit fed up he always acts victimised by everything.
I get the impression his engineer could tell him his perfectly fine car is damaged and he would lose 2 seconds a lap just because he gets so affected by things.

Read this article: http://www.skysports...ult-austrian-gp

Some key quotes:
"When you personally don't deliver and when things stack up against you, it's hard to come out smiling. That would mean you don't care enough. The fact is, l care."

"Right now l am 20 points behind but there is a long, long way to go and it could turn around in one race."

"All l can do is try to inspire with my drives. When l went and looked at the race pace l was quickest. I had the strongest race pace."

"So it was actually pretty positive. There's nothing more l can do. I just need to keep driving the way l am."

Is that enough perspective for you?

[Counterbalance]

Lewis must be the one driver who lets things get to him that other drivers just shrug off.
5 place grid penalty is like the end of the world to him
He has no perspective.
I'm a bit fed up he always acts victimised by everything.
I get the impression his engineer could tell him his perfectly fine car is damaged and he would lose 2 seconds a lap just because he gets so affected by things.

 

That's exactly what he has - perspective, and why you can see how much it means to him. Every single point counts.

 

It's not being victimised - it's just a realisation of his situation, and heavens forbid, he shows his emotions outside of the cockpit!

Edited by Counterbalance, 12 July 2017 - 22:10.

[Marklar]

Lewis must be the one driver who lets things get to him that other drivers just shrug off.
5 place grid penalty is like the end of the world to him

In a weekend where he is poised to bounce back after his closest competitor got away with one of the most unsportive moves in recent history, certainly. He drove well, so what?

I get the impression his engineer could tell him his perfectly fine car is damaged and he would lose 2 seconds a lap just because he gets so affected by things.

Funny. Someone claimed recently that he would do better if his engineer would lie to him that they indeed have issues.

Certainly I've never seen a driver in recent history who is getting so much overanalyzed and with widely contradicting conclusions on top of it. Some people on the internet concluded today that he has shown mental weakness. Not sure how he managed this without turning up, but perhaps he is indeed so bad.

[sennafan24]

I get the impression his engineer could tell him his perfectly fine car is damaged and he would lose 2 seconds a lap just because he gets so affected by things.

Well, his tyres weren't in the best shape in the closing stages of the race last weekend. By your logic, this would have taken him out of his comfort zone, and his performance would suffer as a result

 

The actual result:

 

Hamilton took satisfaction from a drive where he’d been 19sec behind the leader with half the race done, to just 7sec by the end. Upon looking at his destroyed ultra-soft tyres post-race, team members were shaking their heads that he could have been doing the times he was.

 

[Grundle]

Read this article: http://www.skysports...ult-austrian-gp

Some key quotes:
"When you personally don't deliver and when things stack up against you, it's hard to come out smiling. That would mean you don't care enough. The fact is, l care."

"Right now l am 20 points behind but there is a long, long way to go and it could turn around in one race."

"All l can do is try to inspire with my drives. When l went and looked at the race pace l was quickest. I had the strongest race pace."

"So it was actually pretty positive. There's nothing more l can do. I just need to keep driving the way l am."

Is that enough perspective for you?

No because he wasn't focused he was moaning about his tyres whilst setting good laptimes and looking up at the big screen thinking he had a penalty, as well as backing off Raikonnen just as Raikonnen made a mistake into turn 3 meaning he missed his chance to overtake, just after his engineer said about brake temps. Also messing up his chance on Ricciardo, messing up at the start, messing up his qualifying lap...all because he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself and get affected.

[Jordan44]

No because he wasn't focused he was moaning about his tyres whilst setting good laptimes

 

He was setting very average lap times at that point and was even slower than Kimi. The tyres only seemed to come back on him at the end of the stint.

 

 

 

and looking up at the big screen thinking he had a penalty,

 

I really don't see what this has to do with anything. All the drivers see the big screens as they go past it, it's hard to miss them! If he misread "VAN" for "HAM" on the screen it is no big deal at all.

 

 

 

 as well as backing off Raikonnen just as Raikonnen made a mistake into turn 3 meaning he missed his chance to overtake, just after his engineer said about brake temps. 

 

Maybe you've answered your own point there. He was warned about brake temps. The natural thing to do there would be to immediately back off.

 

 

 

Also messing up his chance on Ricciardo, messing up at the start, messing up his qualifying lap...all because he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself and get affected.

 

Despite slipping behind the Haas he made up one place on the start which is better than I was expecting. After starting on the dirty side of the grid with less grippy tyres, I thought the only outcome would be him losing more places at the start.

Edited by Jordan44, 12 July 2017 - 22:19.

[Counterbalance]

No because he wasn't focused he was moaning about his tyres whilst setting good laptimes and looking up at the big screen thinking he had a penalty, as well as backing off Raikonnen just as Raikonnen made a mistake into turn 3 meaning he missed his chance to overtake, just after his engineer said about brake temps. Also messing up his chance on Ricciardo, messing up at the start, messing up his qualifying lap...all because he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself and get affected.

 

Perhaps his post was half an hour late a week last Tuesday, too?

 

As many others have noted, there were a lot of positives Hamilton will have drawn from last weekend, but you'd rather concentrate on your own ideas of what makes him a poor driver.

 

I take from your conclusions that you don't suffer from distractions, or the word 'what' doesn't exist in your vocabulary.

[Joshrobins13]

No because he wasn't focused he was moaning about his tyres whilst setting good laptimes and looking up at the big screen thinking he had a penalty, as well as backing off Raikonnen just as Raikonnen made a mistake into turn 3 meaning he missed his chance to overtake, just after his engineer said about brake temps. Also messing up his chance on Ricciardo, messing up at the start, messing up his qualifying lap...all because he allowed himself to feel sorry for himself and get affected.

I thought he performed well on Sunday. Remember at the start he was on the harder tyre that the Mercedes didn't really like this weekend. He may have made a mistake under braking because he had to make a brake bias adjustment to help cool the temps. Ricciardo defended well and it would have been silly to risk going right round the outside. He had some perspective at that point and decided to take 4th rather than gamble and potentially lose even more points.

I think your reading into things too much. Lewis has always worn his heart on his sleeve and it hasn't served him too badly.

[FrontWing]

Quite right, I expect a huge wave of anti-Lewis sentiment at Silverstone...

Then you dont know Silverstone.

[Grundle]

Perhaps his post was half an hour late a week last Tuesday, too?

As many others have noted, there were a lot of positives Hamilton will have drawn from last weekend, but you'd rather concentrate on your own ideas of what makes him a poor driver.

I take from your conclusions that you don't suffer from distractions, or the word 'what' doesn't exist in your vocabulary.

It's got nothing to do with me, I just want to see a little more emotional control and less paranoia, but perhaps that's the price he pays for the talent he has. Also he said he "sacrifices everything" for the sport that's clearly a lie or a delusion because he doesn't as I follow him on snapchat and he spends a lot of time doing other stuff. I don't think he's a poor driver that's your words, I just think he's a bit mentally susceptible to certain circumstances and he probably doesn't realise, as you don't, that it affects his driving, it's the small details that get missed when your feeling all emotional, and Lewis is generally all emotional. I'm not saying he did a terrible job, but clearly not as good as Canada or Baku, and it's not just because of the track.

[robefc]

Then you dont know Silverstone.

Either that or I haven't sufficiently signposted my sarcasm...

8th time on the trot coming up, know it pretty well!

[Marklar]

No idea where to put it and it's from the Mail, but this might explain something

The plot thickened around Lewis Hamilton’s extraordinary non-appearance at Formula One’s promotional event in London on Wedneasday night after it emerged that his Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was a guest at championship rival Sebastian Vettel’s 30th birthday party.

Wolff’s attendance at Vettel’s at-home celebration in Switzerland is all the more surprising given that the party took place between the Azerbaijan Grand Prix — at which Vettel rammed Hamilton off the road — and the FIA hearing into the collision the following Monday.

It is conceivable that Wolff’s decision to attend Vettel’s shindig is key to Hamilton’s apparent disgruntlement with his team — a situation seemingly so bad that it played a part in his staying away from Trafalgar Square on Wednesday night.

http://www.dailymail...ian-Vettel.html

[FrontWing]

In a weekend where he is poised to bounce back after his closest competitor got away with one of the most unsportive moves in recent history, certainly. He drove well, so what?

Funny. Someone claimed recently that he would do better if his engineer would lie to him that they indeed have issues.

Certainly I've never seen a driver in recent history who is getting so much overanalyzed and with widely contradicting conclusions on top of it. Some people on the internet concluded today that he has shown mental weakness. Not sure how he managed this without turning up, but perhaps he is indeed so bad.

The mental weakness thing is funny when he's probably second to none on track while racing. Vettel and Alonso lose their **** but it's rarely brought up. You rarely see Lewis have those kind of melt downs unless his engine is exploding. Sometimes he sounds flustered on the radio, which is understandable given some of the ways his races have gone tit's up over the years, but it rarely translates into his driving.
He's an emotional guy outside the car, but it only shows how much racing means to him. Which is funny considering how people are constantly questioning his commitment if he doesn't get pole or has the odd "baddish(by his standards)" performance.

[garoidb]

No idea where to put it and it's from the Mail, but this might explain something

http://www.dailymail...ian-Vettel.html

 

Bloody hell! (if true about Toto attending the party, and the implications).