2016 F1 Race Thread (Potential Spoilers, Watch the Race First!)

[gjc2]

Stirling Moss gets back the record of most Grand Prix wins among non champions.

[Pilgrims Drop]

Will Hamilton face any punishment for direct disobedience?


This is what I mean as a racing driver. It would have come to my mind [to back him up] and it came to others’ mind. Christian [Horner, Red Bull boss] had the same idea before the weekend, he followed Christian’s instruction so maybe he wants to drive for him!

Motorsport interview with the Totominator (http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/wolff-hamilton-ignored-our-fears-that-mercedes-could-lose-win-854598/)

Merc wanted a dominating 1-2 finish and the petulant child risked all of that... he is not a team player and I think he will face the music in the coming season... he basically gave the middlefinger to the team that has given him a rocketship to win 2 WDCs and loads of cash...

[WickerBill]

That's what they SHOULD do. In fact... all the times this season he's whined about the team and car letting him down, I'd say do something drastic - cut him loose. Where's he gonna go? How will he do damage to Mercedes?

They could put Patrick Dempsey in that car and win 17-18 races as a team and have better chemistry. Let Lewis go enjoy the midfield for a while.

[opinionated ow]

That's what they SHOULD do. In fact... all the times this season he's whined about the team and car letting him down, I'd say do something drastic - cut him loose. Where's he gonna go? How will he do damage to Mercedes?

They could put Patrick Dempsey in that car and win 17-18 races as a team and have better chemistry. Let Lewis go enjoy the midfield for a while.

I like to call him Lewis "Mechanical Sympathy" Hamilton because he always managed to break a car that Rosberg doesn't. There's no doubt in my mind he's a better driver than Rosberg but in terms of attitude, his self belief is over the top to the point of being really annoying.

[Insomniac]

My thoughts:

Congratulations to Nico on the championship. Anyone who thinks he didn't earn/deserve it are just bitter Hamilton didn't win it.

Hamilton should face no discipline. Petulant child? Seriously? Drop the driver for team chemistry? Dropping Rosberg does the same thing for chemistry and they keep the better driver. Just wow.

Mercedes said they were going to let them race through to the end of the season after the constructor's championship was secured. They weren't going to favor either driver. His only chance of winning the championship was Rosberg finishing below 3rd with him winning. He did everything he could do to win the championship and did it clean. He didn't put the team at risk, and let's be serious, a 1-2 means nothing except a 2nd place trophy and +1 to a made up stat.

Instead the team started to send him BS messages like we're in imminent risk of Vettel, driver faster. They knew he was holding the field up and if Vettel was a risk to Hamilton he'd make sure he wasn't. And they kept going on to get him to go faster to ensure Nico won the the championship. He saw through it, he eventually had enough (IMO) and told them what they already knew, he's trying to win the championship.

He made it one hell of a season ending race for the fans. He pushed Nico hard and Nico made it through. Most people thought he crumbles under pressure and he held up. He's better and more confident for it. It was also clear that Mercedes was the cat this season and they were toying with all the mice.

Red Bull seriously need a new race strategist. They could've one stopped Ricciardo to second place easily. Force India finishing in 4th. Mercedes power dominating again. McLaren took a pretty small step forward this year. Haas did well for a debut season.

I'm looking forward to 2017 and hoping the technical changes means more competitive racing at the top between Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari.

[datachicane]

My thoughts:



+1 on all points. Rosberg won a well-deserved championship against a faster teammate. Does anyone really think that if the roles were reversed Nico wouldn't have done exactly the same thing?

[chop456]

They don't need the better driver. By all the Hammy fanboi's admissions, Rosberg is inferior, yet he just won the WDC. Mercedes is an employer. If I have an employee who's great at their job but doesn't do what they're told, causes me constant headaches and whose position can be filled by any number of people and also has a de-facto NDC, I don't need them.

I imagine Hulkenberg is available. Uberteam! :tony:

[Insomniac]

They don't need the better driver. By all the Hammy fanboi's admissions, Rosberg is inferior, yet he just won the WDC. Mercedes is an employer. If I have an employee who's great at their job but doesn't do what they're told, causes me constant headaches and whose position can be filled by any number of people and also has a de-facto NDC, I don't need them.

I imagine Hulkenberg is available. Uberteam! :tony:

This is absurd logic. You put the best drivers you can in your cars. They're paying both of them well over $20M a year to drive. They could get someone to pay them if they wanted, but choose to pay drivers instead. The driver is one part of winning. The car is superior, but that doesn't happen every year. You all assume that they're just going to keep having a superior car. What happens when it isn't? 80-90% of Hamilton's talent won't be enough. You don't think a driver matters? What happened to the Red Bull when Verstappen took Kvyat's place? :rolleyes:

[cameraman]

I really don't think Vettel tried all that hard to pass Rosberg. Once he got past Verstappen he made something a show of harassing Rosberg but made no real effort to get past him. I don't think Vettel was of a mind to help out Lewis in the slightest way. If Vettel had seen a chance to pass them both he would have but Hamilton was smarter than than. Hamilton drive in that race was incredible, he put on a master's class on how to control a race without actually blocking anyone. The season was decided when Hamilton's engine blew at Sepang.

[Insomniac]

I really don't think Vettel tried all that hard to pass Rosberg. Once he got past Verstappen he made something a show of harassing Rosberg but made no real effort to get past him. I don't think Vettel was of a mind to help out Lewis in the slightest way. If Vettel had seen a chance to pass them both he would have but Hamilton was smarter than than. Hamilton drive in that race was incredible, he put on a master's class on how to control a race without actually blocking anyone. The season was decided when Hamilton's engine blew at Sepang.

Vettel says he tried: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/11/27/vettel-hamilton-tow-stopped-passing-rosberg/

[cameraman]

Vettel says he tried: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2016/11/27/vettel-hamilton-tow-stopped-passing-rosberg/

There's no way in hell he would ever say otherwise.

[Insomniac]

There's no way in hell he would ever say otherwise.

I'd say he tried and gave up. If I had to guess, when Rosberg put up a fight, he knew that he wasn't going to just give it up (which probably surprised him) and he didn't want to risk taking Rosberg out. Maybe he preferred Hamilton not equal his championships and was helping his countrymen.

[jimclark]

"Much ado about nothing."

It's over. Merc WCC. Nico WDC. Lewis race winner. Merc 1-2. What's the problem?



"Those were the days my friends. We thought they'd never end...."

jimclark