Poll: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2016, Yas Marina - Race 21/21

[redrooster303]

The drivers should choose how they race and if the team doesn't like it they can always get someone else. This is sport, and us as fans should be in it to watch them race not to see Mercedes get their desired perceptions of themselves as a team so they can sell more cars etc

I suppose for fans/critics it's down to whether your a fan of the team or a fan of a driver.

 

[smr]

Its a team sport, not the Lewis Hamilton or Rosberg show. If his team has asked and demanded he do something that's not outside of the rules he should do it. He's a small part of the team. Right now about the least important as any of 10 other drivers currently could fill his role. Any of 100,000 could fill rosbergs.

Mercedes need to have a token effort at least of talking to other drivers, looking at their options. Both these pouty idiots need to realise it's not all about them. Lewis will be quick to mention the times the team let him down over the years, but this is a man that's fully prepared to cheat, lie and throw someone else in the team to the wolves to save his own sorry skin. (Same with Alonso). Mercedes are doing a terrible job of controlling them.

Ron couldn't control him, Toto can't. Who the heck can?

 

[wildman]

Hamilton is a penis, hopefully he gets fired. Rosberg should have grown a pair and rammed Hamilton off the track in the way Senna did it to prevent Prost from winning back in 1990.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

The moment he stops trying to win a race is the moment he should probably give up to be honest.

The only way he could win the championship was by making it difficult for his team mate, he tried and it was working just not as effectively as it could have been. It shows his confidence and skill when he can do that as well as knowing he could retain 1st at the same time.

I am a Hamilton the racer fan but at the end of the day Rosberg has won the championship. Doesn't matter whether he is deserving, worthy, fortunate, the best etc etc he managed to stay where he needed to be in the table come the last race to win it and that's that.

However i will say he should make the most of it as i can't see him winning another.

 

[RSR]

However i will say he should make the most of it as i can't see him winning another.

Unless LH has "unreliability" again....

 

[Shocky-FM]

Hamilton is a penis, hopefully he gets fired. Rosberg should have grown a pair and rammed Hamilton off the track in the way Senna did it to prevent Prost from winning back in 1990.

Won't happen, big changes next year so their is no guaranty they will be as dominant which means they need him more than Rosberg.

If one or more of the teams are able to match Mercedes do you think Rosberg will stand a chance? Hell no.

I don't understand why people get so bent out of shape about it, it was an unreasonable request from the team.

It was effectively asking him give up any chance of winning the championship, no driver is going to follow that order.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

Unless LH has "unreliability" again....

I don't buy in to the conspiracy theories myself but it was literally that one race where Lewis exploded from the lead that cost him. But again, its just one of those things? Nico could've made it look far more convincing if I'm honest without his last lap smacks losing places, letting hulk take him for a place on the line at Monaco etc etc.

I just think they will both be caught next year and the days of having their own way are coming to an end. Obviously they still have the engine advantage but I'd be surprised if RB don't have the aerodynamic advantage next year. It would be nice for the fans to have at least 4 cars challenging for poles/wins. Imagine that!

 

[JUMPURS]

The drivers should choose how they race and if the team doesn't like it they can always get someone else. This is sport, and us as fans should be in it to watch them race not to see Mercedes get their desired perceptions of themselves as a team so they can sell more cars etc

I suppose for fans/critics it's down to whether your a fan of the team or a fan of a driver.

No, the team chooses how the cars race, and if Lewis doesn't like it, I am sure he would have a seat in the Sauber or the Manor.

But as we all know, the past few years have been about the car, not the driver, so he's hardly likely to do that now is he?

Mercedes have an obligation to finish 1 and 2, no matter if they have won the WCC. They want other records, most 1-2's in F1 etc etc, there is more to it. They pay the money, you do as they say.

I don't think Hamilton was wrong to try and back Rosberg up, think it was his only option. I do think he was wrong to disobey orders.

Imagine the state if Rosberg ignored team orders in Monaco?

 

[lunarwolf]

Ron couldn't control him, Toto can't. Who the heck can?

that is the problem. he is toxic, and if things become more competitive you know you can't count on Lewis to do what is in the interest of the team - he is willing to take the whole ship down if he doesn't get his way. anyone with any managerial experience will know that this is not sustainable if you want to run an organization/team successfully.

not only that but then he goes off script with his comments about conspiracies etc..., which cannot be good within the team. Remember a few year back at Monaco, "it's because I am black" saga . if I want drama, I would watch soap operas not motorsports. Best race I saw this year was Le Mans 24hr where Toyota came so close. (gut wrenching for Anthony Davidson)

Sky and Bernie love it coz it makes headlines instead of the elephant in the room -> boring racing resulting in decreasing audience. there are new rule changes next year, I am hopeful the field will become more competitive. but I can't help thinking this won't really change until they fix the budget disparity between teams because having a delta of 2 to 3 secs per lap between cars is terrible. The Formula E championship was more fun to watch than F1 tbh, it's gaining traction with fans and now manufacturers such as Audi are becoming interested in it. As the cars and tech get better over time, it will overtake F1 if they don't sort it out.

 

[Glaucus]

is there anywhere with all or a lot of old races, fancy watching some classics. 1996 monaco for a start.

 

[this_is_gav]

but I can't help thinking this won't really change until they fix the budget disparity between teams because having a delta of 2 to 3 secs per lap between cars is terrible. The Formula E championship was more fun to watch than F1 tbh, it's gaining traction with fans and now manufacturers such as Audi are becoming interested in it. As the cars and tech get better over time, it will overtake F1 if they don't sort it out.

Wow, you're in for a shock if you watch some old races.

 

[lunarwolf]

Wow, you're in for a shock if you watch some old races.

back then it wasn't jsut about speed per lap, it was more about reliability and surviving . not to mention F1 costs were not as exorbitant, otherwise we would have never had Chapman, Hesketh and many others

F1 today is a completely different beast then what it used to be. Change and evolution are normal, but F1 needs to sort itself out because instead of increased interest there has been a decrease over the last few years

 

[KiNgPiN83]

Wow, you're in for a shock if you watch some old races.

To be honest you're in shock if you watch most races in the last 30 years... There really are some rose tinted spectacles out there. The F1 channel shows loads of old races some full and some highlights and cars winning anywhere from minutes -> multiple laps was pretty regular. Along with team domination. Its nothing new...

 

[lunarwolf]

Along with team domination. Its nothing new...

team domination wasn't what has ever made F1 interesting back then or now. back then it was more man vs machine, who will survive. F1 is now very reliable and safe for the most part.

I think F1 needs to do a little more introspection than that. look at the NFL and Nascar. even if you don't like the sports series, you have to take note that they are very successful because the playing field is more level. money and sports make bad bedfellows, just promoting dominance, cheating etc... so the sporting governing bodies must balance the need for funding with healthy competition.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

team domination wasn't what has ever made F1 interesting back then or now. back then it was more man vs machine, who will survive. F1 is now very reliable and safe for the most part.

I think F1 needs to do a little more introspection than that. look at the NFL and Nascar. even if you don't like the sports series, you have to take note that they are very successful because the playing field is more level.

I guess then the biggest problem now then is technology. That is what has moved things on with all the new materials, wings, winglets, ICE, battery regeneration etc etc. Couple that with an ever tightening rule book and there are only so many avenues the designers can explore. I know what you are saying though, i regularly watch GP2/3 and the racing is really good! But i don't believe that would ever happen in F1 as we have multiple engine manufacturers and multiple chassis'. I'm not sure I'd want a same car series. That isn't F1 to me. I'm not sure the manufacturers would either.

 

[el_dazza]

Wow, you're in for a shock if you watch some old races.

Gotta love a bit of Pacific, Forti, Eurobrun, Life etc etc.

 

[lunarwolf]

I guess then the biggest problem now then is technology. That is what has moved things on with all the new materials, wings, winglets, ICE, battery regeneration etc etc. Couple that with an ever tightening rule book and there are only so many avenues the designers can explore. I know what you are saying though, i regularly watch GP2/3 and the racing is really good! But i don't believe that would ever happen in F1 as we have multiple engine manufacturers and multiple chassis'. I'm not sure I'd want a same car series. That isn't F1 to me. I'm not sure the manufacturers would either.

agreed. why I think some serious thought needs to be done. by distributing the pie more equally it levels the playing field a lot more. so there aren't teams with $50m competing with teams with $500m. the rules could always be relaxed allowing for innovation so that teams could decide different avenues to invest in. back in the day you had many more novel ideas than today ie Chapman's chassis design, introduction of rear wings, even cars with 6 tires one of my favourite was the Chaparral 2j with that downforce mechanism, not an F1 but seriously bonkers. but how far the rules/regulations are relaxed is beyond my competence.

 

[this_is_gav]

team domination wasn't what has ever made F1 interesting back then or now. back then it was more man vs machine, who will survive. F1 is now very reliable and safe for the most part.

Even in most of the forum users' lifetimes we've had 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons utterly dominated by one car or driver.

Just for the fun of it I've counted the number of constructors winning in the above seasons:

1988: 2 (1 by default)
1989: 4 (1 by default)
1992: 3
1993: 3
1995: 3 (1 by default)
1996: 3 (1 by default)
2001: 3
2002: 3
2004: 3
2009: 4, though in reality it was a Brawn whitewash despite Vettel's relatively close points finish.
2011: 3
2013: 4, though again a whitewash
2014: 2
2015: 2
2016: 2

"By default" means when the leading cars have crashed out or suffered a random problem, rather than winning on pace, such as Senna being punted off at Monza in 1988, or Senna and Prost colliding at Suzuka in 1989, or Schumacher's dodgy steering wheel at Montral in 1995. The other is Panis winning in 1996, as, while he somehow did have outright pace (from memory he was one of handful to make a pass all race, and one of the best passes at that (on Brundle before Anthony Noghes)), he wouldn't have won if Hill and Alesi hadn't retired.



Don't get me wrong, F1 used to be more interesting in the 90s due to weird races like the above and unreliability, but we still had utterly dominant performances back then. You're never going to get that back now due to the plethora of sensors on the cars, and we're stuck with that - we won't be going backwards.

 

[FrankJH]

Hamilton is a penis, hopefully he gets fired. Rosberg should have grown a pair and rammed Hamilton off the track in the way Senna did it to prevent Prost from winning back in 1990.

Problem with that approach is that Rosberg could have lost the championship by doing that, as the Schumacher / Villeneuve rule is now in place.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I don't believe Ham will get more than a slap on the wrist, maybe a fine at most.

However.... if he'd successfully backed Rosberg in to 4th and he'd won the WDC I think Mercedes would be looking at it a bit differently. We will never know but maybe it would have destroyed his team relationship to the point where they'd release him. Doubtful, but that would have been an interesting dilemma to face.

Still voted it a 1 because apart from the drama at the end it was a snorefest.