Formula 1 Rolex Sakhir Grand Prix 2020Formula 1

[Famine]

You keep pulling up that you said "nobody should wish this" as excusing you from saying effectively the same thing given that context.

I literally wrote the entire first half of that sentence deliberately to prevent anyone from coming up with the ridiculous notion that I wished someone would continue to be unwell even though I thought it would be ridiculously obvious to everyone. That was the point of it being there, and exactly why I keep pointing out to you - and apparently @Eva - why it's there. You've both chosen to totally disregard it... for some reason.

I didn't "effectively" say the same thing; I said a completely different thing. The only way you can think it's the same thing is if you're ignoring what's actually written and thinking of something else that isn't written at all.

I'm not here to get into a war with you, I'm just sayimg its probably not the wisest thing ive seen. It did not come across at all how you explained you meant it.

If you only read 30% of a post and invent the other 70%, it's unlikely it'll "come across at all" like it's written.

Let's also consider that this implies Hamilton wants to be sick next race... right. Because Hamilton wants to let another guy drive his car and prove they can do the same job as he can with far more years left in their career than Hamilton has. This is the assumption that has to be made...okay.

It's not really an assumption, because it's not really something that I think is likely to happen.

That said, there is considerable chatter that Hamilton may retire this season, and this has been around for months. Personally I hope he sticks around and goes for 8 next year (same regs after all) because it's nice to be around when history is made. I think it's unlikely he'll quit, but if he's feeling like he might quit, he might feel like not schlepping to Abu Dhabi.

If he doesn't, I wouldn't be unhappy.

 

[-Fred-]

All that "Lewis ain't worth that amount of money, clearly" talk might be forgetting that Russell won't be worth a million pounds much more longer... And Russell also proved to everyone that he's in another class altogether, which highlights just how terrible the Williams must be.

 

[Roo]

I didn't "effectively" say the same thing; I said a completely different thing. The only way you can think it's the same thing is if you're ignoring what's actually written and thinking of something else that isn't written at all.

If you only read 30% of a post and invent the other 70%, it's unlikely it'll "come across at all" like it's written.

I think it's unlikely he'll quite

Quite what?

 

[Famine]

Quite what?

Well, quite.

 

[Knukel]

Heard that Bottas is still on his old tires.

I realized that as well...

 

[Eh Team]

I literally wrote the entire first half of that sentence deliberately to prevent anyone from coming up with the ridiculous notion that I wished someone would continue to be unwell even though I thought it would be ridiculously obvious to everyone. That was the point of it being there, and exactly why I keep pointing out to you - and apparently @Eva - why it's there. You've both chosen to totally disregard it... for some reason.

I didn't "effectively" say the same thing; I said a completely different thing. The only way you can think it's the same thing is if you're ignoring what's actually written and thinking of something else that isn't written at all.

If you only read 30% of a post and invent the other 70%, it's unlikely it'll "come across at all" like it's written.

It's not really an assumption, because it's not really something that I think is likely to happen.

That said, there is considerable chatter that Hamilton may retire this season, and this has been around for months. Personally I hope he sticks around and goes for 8 next year (same regs after all) because it's nice to be around when history is made. I think it's unlikely he'll quite, but if he's feeling like he might quit, he might feel like not schlepping to Abu Dhabi.

If he doesn't, I wouldn't be unhappy.

To me, they are only rumors, when you think about how selfish you have to be to get to the position he is in, I don't see him retiring yet. He has a big chance to make himself unreachable in the record books. Why in the world would he not do it? He could potentially go another 5 years or until Merc finally says they've had enough of F1. I see what you're saying but I find that improbable enough to say that you've pulled a rules for thee, but not for me.

 

[Famine]

To me, they are only rumors, when you think about how selfish you have to be to get to the position he is in, I don't see him retiring yet. He has a big chance to make himself unreachable in the record books. Why in the world would he not do it? He could potentially go another 5 years or until Merc finally says they've had enough of F1.

Rumours he himself fuelled, as recently as last month but also back in June before the season got restarted. Possibly as a contract renegotiation ploy (he has also said he won't retire at least as often!) but he has floated the idea.


What is unreachable anyway? We all thought Schumacher's 91 wins and seven titles was way out there, but then the much younger Vettel won four titles in row in a Red Bull that looked untouchable; when Hamilton moved to Mercedes, nobody but Schumacher thought he might be the man to match him, but he was.

If he gets to eight, or ten, or twelve (with those five years) who's to say that's unreachable? One guy would have reached it, so why not others (again, something Schumacher pointed out). As for the pole positions and victories count, that's just a matter of races in a season. Twenty years ago they were 16-race seasons, now they're getting on for 23-25, with more planned. Someone with a dominant car and a sufficiently static ruleset, with enough races in a season, could rack up 100 wins in four years. It's not likely, but possible.

All Hamilton can do is make sure he's the best of this era... which I think he's pretty much secured. I'd reckon he'd run through next year too, get the 100 wins and eight titles, and quit ahead of the new regulations in 2022.


In any case, he has other fish to fry (which is only a mild joke about pescetarianism). He has a fashion brand, he's apparently looking into movies, I recall something about a music career (not meaning the piano lessons he's taken), and I'm sure there's other things too. Sure, if he retires in five years he'll only be 40, but will he want to risk five years potentially waning in F1 when he could retire on a high and spend those five years on developing his other interests.

I see what you're saying but I find that improbable enough to say that you've pulled a rules for thee, but not for me.

I mean, obviously it's not likely (and I also said that in the post you quoted), but it doesn't have to be. As for the second bit, again, you'd need to ignore the entire first part of my post and invent a new second part of it to at all come away with the impression that I'd welcome a continuing COVID-19 diagnosis.

I didn't do that with Trump (and you can find this elsewhere on the forum), and Trump is a ****. I actually quite like Hamilton as a person these days. I heckled him by accident once - I said the loud part quiet and the quiet part loud - at the Monaco World Finals last year in fact, and he took it entirely in the spirit intended.

 

[HopAlong]

Red Bull should have won that, they had the pace but once again its effectively a one car team and Albon isn't there to pick up the pieces. Hartley, Gasly, Kvyat (soon to be gone altogether) have been dropped for way less, it has to be Tai majority owners keeping him there. At least Gasly finished last of the race winning cars, Albon is finishing 3 or 4th of the midfield cars.

 

[ShiftingGears]

F1 doesn't care about COVID anyway.

The masks are a joke, they don't fit anyone's face properly but they still wear them because having a brand on the mask that you can slide your entire palm into is more important than a no frills surgical mask that is actually fit for purpose. Everyone should be self quarantining for two weeks before reentering the paddock bubble otherwise its not a bubble at all. As Hamilton demonstrated.

 

[Famine]

F1 doesn't care about COVID anyway.

The masks are a joke, they don't fit anyone's face properly but they still wear them because having a brand on the mask that you can slide your entire palm into is more important than a no frills surgical mask that is actually fit for purpose. Everyone should be self quarantining for two weeks before reentering the paddock bubble otherwise its not a bubble at all. As Hamilton demonstrated.

Every time someone in the F1 paddock grabs hold of the entire front of the mask to adjust it, I wince.

 

[PeterJB]

Hamilton fans will very likely disagree but Russell just single-handedly proved that Hamilton isn't the fastest driver ever, not even in today's grid. Driving a car too small for him, with a setup largely made for someone else, and all of ~400 km of experience in it before the qualifying he barely lost out to Bottas (which Hamilton has done too on several occasions) and led the race so commandingly that I wouldn't have known there was a different driver in the seat of #44 err #63 judging by performance alone. Given a Mercedes tailor made for him and even one year of experience with it, let alone seven, he would wipe the floor with Hamilton.

And Bottas... if it wasn't for the car, he wouldn't even be in the points in most races. Porridge and moustache don't automatically equal a good racing driver. I'm willing to bet most of the midfield would do better in the same car.

Hamilton probably could eek a bit more pace out of the car if he had to (maybe not in qualifying as all year that has been pretty marginal between him and Bottas), but let's be honest, he's never had it easier. Verstappen and Bottas are not "pushing you hard" when they're five seconds down the track and haven't made a single attempted pass all race.

 

[Famine]

Verstappen and Bottas are not "pushing you hard" when they're five seconds down the track and haven't made a single attempted pass all race.

A Twitterer noted that Verstappen has retired from almost a third of all races this season (5 from 16)... but is only 16 points behind Bottas.

Pretty clear that Bottas is keeping someone's seat warm. I think a Hamilton/Russell pairing in 2021 would be... something else.

 

[FutureF1]

I genuinely think after this weekend that Russell could give Hamilton quite a headache a la Ricciardo and Vettel in 2014 if they’re paired up together. And Bottas suddenly isn’t the reliable #2 that Mercedes needs. Where was he when Russell’s race fell apart? He was supposed to be there to pick up the pieces.

I know he had old tires on due to Mercedes messing up, but this isn’t the first time it’s happened

 

[Famine]

I genuinely think after this weekend that Russell could give Hamilton quite a headache a la Ricciardo and Vettel in 2014 if they’re paired up together.

Which is pretty much the flaw in the idea

Assuming Hamilton retires after eight in 2021, with the new regs coming in 2022, and they put Russell in one seat, who's quick enough but dependable enough, and enough of a team player, to replace Bottas in the other?


Edit: Probably a discussion best for the 2021 version of the 2020 F1 Driver Thread.

 

[Vegard]

And Bottas suddenly isn’t the reliable #2 that Mercedes needs. Where was he when Russell’s race fell apart? He was supposed to be there to pick up the pieces.

If anything the pit stop fiasco impacted Bottas' race harder than Russell's.
He was sat stationary for ages before being sent back out on the worn hards he came in on.

 

[PeterJB]

A Twitterer noted that Verstappen has retired from almost a third of all races this season (5 from 16)... but is only 16 points behind Bottas.

Pretty clear that Bottas is keeping someone's seat warm. I think a Hamilton/Russell pairing in 2021 would be... something else.

Bottas has only retired once but has had several races scuppered either by mechanical failures or his own errors. Verstappen's five retirements include 3 mechanical failures, one crash that wasn't his fault and another that kinda wasn't his fault. Bottas has lost somewhere in the region of 70 points this year, while Verstappen has lost possibly as many as 90-100.

 

[ShiftingGears]

Even though Bottas got screwed with the tyres, seeing Russell come back through the field I couldn't help but think claims of Mercedes being unable to pass are just wildly exaggerated because Hamilton never gets in a situation where he drops back through the field (managed fine at Monza), and Bottas just being unable to pass.

 

[SlowGrayAudi]

I still think Bottas is useless and that seat deserve a better driver.

Same for albon. I hope Perez gets the drive.

So disappointed for Russell. He'll get another shot for sure. Just a matter of time.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

So happy for Perez. Man totally deserved that and the Red Bull seat. If Marko doesn't drop Albon after this he should step down from the team. Pride doesn't win races, making objective decisions does. Drivers like Verstappen doesn't come every year no matter if you have the best young driver program in the world. You just gotta pick the best from the bunch available, even if that means looking outside the team.

Gutted for Russell. Drove the whole first part of the race brilliantly only to be screwed at the pits (which let's face it, Hamilton would probably have overruled and won the race without). Fought back to within a whisker of the win (with a stunning pass on Bottas), then screwed again (by debris from his old car ironically) by a puncture. Then fought AGAIN to be in the points. Thank god FIA has common sense not to penalize him. If it's any consolation, he would probably end up in that car permanently anyway from 2022, then he can get as many wins as he wants. Or maybe even as early as next week!

Leclerc is quickly becoming Verstappen pre 2018 Monaco. That's the fourth time this year that he's done a desperate divebomb (Vettel Austria, Stroll Sochi and Vettel Bahrain last week). Why waste that stunning quali lap on a silly first lap scuffle? He knows the car isn't up to scratch so he should focus on having a clean race and bagging the points.

Well done to Ocon as well. He's been overshadowed this year by Ric and next year is gonna be though against Alo, but he's proven he deserves to be here. Also shout out to Stroll, kid's got pace but still rough around the edges (locking up against Perez for example). Just need a few polish here and there but also deserves his seat.

To all Russel and Hamilton doubters, let me just ask 2 questions:
- Would someone like Giovinazzi for example be able to do what Russel does this weekend?
- Would Russel be able to win the Turkish GP if he was in Hamiton's car?

Finally, this race (and this season) proves how amazing F1 can be if it's willing to take spontaneous decisions racing on interesting tracks instead of being driven by money. Add to that imagine if we have equal cars for everyone, to allow real talent to shine through. But that's discussion for another thread.

 

[Blitz24]

So happy for Perez. Man totally deserved that and the Red Bull seat. If Marko doesn't drop Albon after this he should step down from the team. Pride doesn't win races, making objective decisions does. Drivers like Verstappen doesn't come every year no matter if you have the best young driver program in the world. You just gotta pick the best from the bunch available, even if that means looking outside the team.

Gutted for Russell. Drove the whole first part of the race brilliantly only to be screwed at the pits (which let's face it, Hamilton would probably have overruled and won the race without). Fought back to within a whisker of the win (with a stunning pass on Bottas), then screwed again (by debris from his old car ironically) by a puncture. Then fought AGAIN to be in the points. Thank god FIA has common sense not to penalize him. If it's any consolation, he would probably end up in that car permanently anyway from 2022, then he can get as many wins as he wants. Or maybe even as early as next week!

Leclerc is quickly becoming Verstappen pre 2018 Monaco. That's the fourth time this year that he's done a desperate divebomb (Vettel Austria, Stroll Sochi and Vettel Bahrain last week). Why waste that stunning quali lap on a silly first lap scuffle? He knows the car isn't up to scratch so he should focus on having a clean race and bagging the points.

Well done to Ocon as well. He's been overshadowed this year by Ric and next year is gonna be though against Alo, but he's proven he deserves to be here. Also shout out to Stroll, kid's got pace but still rough around the edges (locking up against Perez for example). Just need a few polish here and there but also deserves his seat.

To all Russel and Hamilton doubters, let me just ask 2 questions:
- Would someone like Giovinazzi for example be able to do what Russel does this weekend?
- Would Russel be able to win the Turkish GP if he was in Hamiton's car?

Finally, this race (and this season) proves how amazing F1 can be if it's willing to take spontaneous decisions racing on interesting tracks instead of being driven by money. Add to that imagine if we have equal cars for everyone, to allow real talent to shine through. But that's discussion for another thread.

I did enjoy this race a lot more than last week, but that was mostly due to the new layout and fast lap times. For tracks that allow it (not many), they absolutely should run alternate configurations.

 

[FutureF1]

I do hope Russell gets another chance at it next week, but we’ll see how Hamilton recovers over the course of this week and how the isolation rules work

 

[Hun200kmh]

Perez deserved to win this race. Flawless race, last to first, great speed and excellent overtaking, he did what had to be done and more even. I'm really really glad for him!

Of course he wasn't as fast as the Mercs but then again, as we all saw today, that means exactly ... nothing on the merits of a drive. Any competent F1 driver can win in a Mercedes, any journeyman can have podiums in a Mercedes, I dare to say anyone good enough to reach F1 will score points in a Mercedes.

That being said, I'm gutted for Russell, he really has shown his quality. Car he didn't know before, not suited to his size ... and he gave us a stellar, also flawless performance. In the end, what impressed me most was his racecraft and tenacity, the way he never gave up and never let the team's failings get to his head, instead battling and overtaking to the very end ... that was VERY impressive. I suspect being a Williams driver these days must give you that tenacity and focus even when ***** happens.

 

[ShiftingGears]

Terrible strategy for Ricciardo.

Also.

For all the talk of the oval, there actually wasn't much passing at all in the steady state.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

For all the talk of the oval, there actually wasn't much passing at all in the steady state.

I agree. There wasn't too much going on once things settled down with the majority of the excitement coming from the safety cars and strategy shuffle.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Just watched the highlights. Russell very unlucky, Perez outstanding. Not going to bother watching anymore F1. I just don't like it anymore.

 

[ScottPuss20]

Perez needs to stay. He is one driver who thoroughly deserves his spot on the grid, unlike Albon who has failed to deliver. He is out of excuses. Red Bull have to get their heads out of their arses and sign Perez IMMEDIATELY. Albon has been out of the points on several occasions, whereas Perez has scored in all the races he's started. If Red Bull really do care about the points, they'd sign him. If they keep Albon, they're letting the whole team down. I don't give a crap about the stupid political games or the young driver programs, the on-track performances are what matter most and if it means kicking Albon out, so be it. If Perez doesn't get the seat, it's an absolute travesty and proves how pig-headed Red Bull are. WAKE UP CHRISTIAN, stop living in your dream world.

 

[numbnuts70]

Thai bucks or Taco bucks in the end will decide.

 

[PeterJB]

Regarding Hamilton, one thing I have noticed is that he has not said a peep on social media since Tuesday, so unless he's self-isolating in a hotel room with no Wi-Fi something is going on there. Either his symptoms are worse than we've been lead on to, or he's avoided saying anything and just wants this weekend to unfold because deep down he's scared and about the damage Russell could do to his reputation. However if he wanted to avoid discussing F1 you'd expect him to still be sharing stuff related to BLM and climate change.

 

[numbnuts70]

Regarding Hamilton, one thing I have noticed is that he has not said a peep on social media since Tuesday, so unless he's self-isolating in a hotel room with no Wi-Fi something is going on there. Either his symptoms are worse than we've been lead on to, or he's avoided saying anything and just wants this weekend to unfold because deep down he's scared and about the damage Russell could do to his reputation. However if he wanted to avoid discussing F1 you'd expect him to still be sharing stuff related to BLM and climate change.

He's impervious to all comments and opinions, he's still rising.

 

[NotThePrez]

Just got done watching the replay after spending to entire day avoiding spoilers.

Checo: If this man doesn't have a drive by next year, it will be a :censored:ing crime. A very long overdue win imo.

Ocon: Drove a race of tactics rather than aggression today. Was able to keep it clean and positioned himself to grab his first podium. Well done.

Stroll: Had solid pace today, but was kind of unremarkable in an odd way. Still, great finish, and did well with his tyres. Racing Point were definitely the biggest winners today.

Sainz: Good performance today, but seemed to not have quite enough to match the RPs in overall pace.

Russell: Ok, if this man doesn't have a drive in the Merc by 2022, it will really be a :censored:ing crime. I think he won over pretty much every spectator, pundit, and possibly quite a few team personnel today. Phenomenal racecraft and some insanely ballsy overtakes, despite driving a basically brand-new, poorly fitting race car on a brand new track. Would've 100% won the race (or at least gotten 2nd) if not for that last-minute puncture. Brilliant, brilliant, freakin' brilliant. While I 100% want Lewis fully recovered and back into the car next week, I'm also with @Famine in not being too upset if George is needed once again.

Bottas: While I still maintain that Bottas is a better driver than people give him credit for, today's display was absolute garbage. Tyre fiasco notwithstanding, he was pretty much nowhere the entire race, and once again failed to get past midfield cars that his W11 is more than capable of trouncing. Bottas is definitely capable of better performances than today's.

Albon: Imma let Downey take this one for me. I don't want to jump on his already packed hate train, but there's no reason to be that far off in the Red Bull.

Kvyat: Honestly the dark horse of the race imo. Had a strong showing that I feel went mostly unnoticed. Did a good job making up for Gasly's less-than-stellar result.

Fittipaldi: While I wasn't expecting great things from him, he kept his nose clean and wasn't too far off the rest of the backmarkers. A solid, if not rather safe, maiden GP.

I gotta say, the race in general was pretty fun overall. There were a couple lull periods where nothing happened for ~10-20 laps, but overall we got some pretty good CQB racing filled with ballsy moves and solid dives.