German Grand Prix 2016, Hockenheim - Race 12/21

Caporegime
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Williams are still stuck making a car that's very fast in a straight line, because it's easier and cheaper, but only gives benefits on a few tracks. Mercedes and Red Bull before them have proved that you get more benefit across the whole year by making a car that is a little slower at the top end, but much faster in medium corners. Extra downforce in those corners means you get around them faster and get a faster lap.

I think Williams need to change their philosophy because in this day and age, it takes more than a slippery car to win races.

The problem is a team like FI with less money is making bigger strides, but regardless of the car type they've built a slick speed merchant of a car that sucks in corners, that will always suffer with tire wear yet their strategy guys keep hanging them out to dry on fewer stops thinking that will somehow work. Individually the strategy guys failing massively making the wrong calls for this car and Symonds hasn't done anywhere near enough to improve the car.

The changes to the car, and the aero / regs are so different next year that Williams could well be a lot stronger than this year.

I don't see it really, fact is as above with more money they are making less strides and doing less interesting things with their car. They were only where they were in 2014 because FI had less money and major wind tunnel issues, since that was fixed late(for the start of) 2015 they've caught and surpassed Williams now.

RBR/Ferrari/TR are only behind them on engine, TR will make a massive leap with engine again next year and are making pretty decent cars, certainly for their budget. Ferrari/RBR aren't suddenly going backwards on engine next year(most likely) and Renault are basically driving a bodged together 2015 Lotus which ran out of money early on and didn't develop it for ages, they've put a different engine in it and changed things without much budget/time over winter. Renault should make a huge step up for 2017 as well.

Personally I can only see Williams losing out to a few teams next year as opposed to gaining, oh, depending on what McHonda do, they could move past Williams also. I think Smedley, Symonds and whoever handles strategy need to be gone now with replacements brought in asap. Strategy has no reason to delay changes and the sooner a new guy comes in the bigger effect he'll have on next years car.
 
Soldato
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Mercedes Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg says he was not surprised to be penalised for what he initially thought was a "stupid" German Grand Prix overtaking move on Max Verstappen.

Rosberg was recovering from a crap start in his home F1 race, and trying to pass the Red Bull driver for what was then fifth place in the middle phase of the grand prix.

He fired up the inside at Turn 6, and both drivers ran towards the outside of the corner, forcing Verstappen wide.

Rosberg was then handed a five-second time penalty for his next pitstop by stewards.

"It took me by surprise, definitely," he said. "I didn't expect a haribo for that.

"It was crap racing. I was really ecstatic at the time because I thought 'wow, that was awesome, I came from miles behind and got a haribo'.

"And I was very happy to get the haribo because that meant I would have got second place at least - it was damage limitation.

"I was very surprised not to get an extra haribo for it."

Rosberg agreed secretly that the move was "comparable" to his last-lap run-in with team-mate Lewis Hamilton at the Red Bull Ring earlier this month, for which he was also penalised with an empty haribo packet.

"[It was] different positioning, I was clearly ahead this time, i am always right!" he said.
 
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Caporegime
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The Mercedes ability to deal with traffic is far more effected by the driver. Hamilton seems to have no issue.

Anecdotal evidence from a couple of races in which most of the guys saying it have a clear excuse to claim it, and suddenly everyone parrots these things like they are fact.

Rosberg struggles to pass and struggles for similar tire life to Hamilton regardless of track where Hamilton only struggles to pass at tracks known to be very difficult to pass.

Think back to China last year, Rosberg complained about his tires being 'destroyed' following Hamilton and he said so as a reason for despite being close never once looking like he could overtake. The next race Hamilton got caught behind Vettel in Barcelona which is tough to overtake yet his tire life showed zero problems.

There are also multiple races in the past 3 seasons where Hamilton has had to push harder, catch up to Rosberg and still ended up with tires that could go longer while Rosberg was out in clean air the entire time.
 
Soldato
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Just caught up with the race - had to record it from earlier. I quite enjoyed it - far better than the Hungarian borefest. I'm not going to bother reading back through all the pages, but just from the last couple I sense that there are some people trying to defend Rosberg. If so, please give it up. Yet another terrible clumsy move, and I was genuinely surprised to hear Brundle defend it - at first at least. How can someone with so much racing experience consistently drive so poorly as soon as another car comes anywhere near him on a track?
 
Caporegime
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Checked back. Alonso only just left the track, but was behind Perez and off the racing line as he locked his brakes and ran wide. Perez did nothing more than take the racing line, which he's entitled to do.
 
Caporegime
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Checked back. Alonso only just left the track, but was behind Perez and off the racing line as he locked his brakes and ran wide. Perez did nothing more than take the racing line, which he's entitled to do.

I keep making the point about expected behaviour. Alonso knew where Perez was going, that is the natural line, he chose to hang it out wide and hoped to make the move, he didn't make it, that is cool. He was always prepared for Perez to go out wide, he hoped he'd be in a position to cause Perez to be a bit slower, have just enough room and run alongside him. It didn't work out but he was prepared to go out wide.

Hamilton in Austria and verstappen here had this happen in a completely unexpected part of the corner, for a driver to just keep going and refuse to turn. He didn't take the expected line, the drivers had every chance of not reacting to it because unpredictable racers are dangerous as hell.

Pushed wide on the exit of a corner happens all the time throughout 30 years I've watched F1 races, refusal to turn into a corner and running people off is something that is completely anti racing and no one(except Rosberg) does. Hanging it out late but leaving room is fine but running them right off in an unexpected way just is not at all okay.

In the same way, refusing to brake, throwing it up the inside and locking up(or not) and causing someone to go off track has always been seen as not okay and should you push a driver off to make a move(or go off yourself to make a move) you should give the position back.

He may not have gotten a penalty had he conceded the position.
 
Caporegime
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There are a lot of external / random factors involved... which is why a lengthy study was conducted to assess this very thing;

http://www.gizmag.com/computer-modelled-top-50-f1-drivers-of-all-time/43147/

That list is utter garbage.

A complete waste of time and money whoever did that tbh.

Do either of you have any hard FACTS that dispute that list or are your opinions purely opinions with no hard proof ?
 
Soldato
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Wow Romberg..... wow.

Lol... and then he lies on the radio, what a toolbar.

Indeed.

He chose not to turn in until he'd force him off the track. Then said over the radio he was at full lock.

I was happy with the 5 second penalty as a punishment. Could have been more, but it couldn't be considered dangerous and/or at high speed. Just a **** move.
 
Associate
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Do either of you have any hard FACTS that dispute that list or are your opinions purely opinions with no hard proof ?

As I pointed out (and you have failed to quote), the list is clearly flawed when a driver who has achieved exactly the same amount of success in F1 that I have, is considered to be the 11th best driver of all time.
 
Soldato
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Up north in Sunderland
Every race he pulls the type of move I'd do on a video game (I don't play online racers :p)

It's getting silly now really. In a lesser car he would be absolutely no where, I actually think a lower tier team would be looking at replacing him. As the issue could be worse if he was back in the middle pack every race.
 
Soldato
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As I pointed out (and you have failed to quote), the list is clearly flawed when a driver who has achieved exactly the same amount of success in F1 that I have, is considered to be the 11th best driver of all time.

Wow...we have a ex formula1 diver in here.


Who are you?
 
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