But they have also had their biggest achievements since then. Palmer hasn't.
My dislike of Palmer has nothing to do with his nationality and everything to do with the way he is over-rated, under-performing and little more than a mediocre driver whose daddy had enough money and connections to entertain his dream of being a racing driver. He contributes nothing to the grid, will not be missed when he leaves, and until then he is a waste of a seat that could go to someone with talent.
"And your thoughts on what we've just seen, Johnny?"
Popular opinion has it that Bottas' stock has really fallen. He has admitted that Ferrari sizing him up was a bit of a distraction, but he hasn't shown the promise that drew Ferrari's eye in the first place since they passed him over.
They have tended to yo-yo a bit in recent years. I noticed it when Rosberg was racing for them; one year they'd be quick, then they'd be nowhere the next, and then they'd be quick again. The trend has stabilised in recent years, but now they appear to be going into a longer cycle: a few quick seasons, then a few off years. They seem to be at a complete loss when it comes to development - they just can't crack the top three, and have no idea how to get there, so they just throw everything at the car and hope something works.
His management are concerned that Stroll might not look so good when he doesn't have by far the best team in the series focusing solely on his championship bid and when he doesn't have three subservient teammates moving over when desired? Colour me shocked.
I think it's more a concern that because GP2 is a multi-year campaign, a disappointing maiden season could be a real setback.
Oh, sure - but Williams are looking for the last little push that they need to break into the front-runners while the sport undergoes a significant overhaul of the sporting regulations. There's a lot at stake, so why jeopardise that by completely changing their driver line-up and taking two drivers who (reportedly) don't work well together?
Arguably, dominating GP2 isn't the only indicator of a driver's skill. Look at Pierre Gasly and Alex Lynn, both of whom are very quick in a straight line. They're great on paper, but as soon as they get caught in traffic, they go nowhere fast. Compare that to Antonio Giovinazzi and Sergey Sirotkin, who are quick, but can also fight wheel-to-wheel. They're much more rounded in their racecraft, even if they don't necessarily dominate, and so would probably be a better fit for a midfield Formula One team.
