Soldato
I agree, less fines, more community service!
Motorsport Off Topic Thread
- Thread starter Shimmy
- Start date
Caporegime
Statement from the Grand Prix Drivers Association.
The irony of it. "Our drivers are adults". Well part of being an adult and a professional, especially in the public eye is abiding by whatever rules your company/employer decides are appropriate. In the same way people can't turn up to most workplaces in pyjamas and tend not to swear when talking to management if the company doesn't like it.
I find it frankly ridiculous that people paid insane money to drive cars around a track cannot understand that part of that deal is that they have to play ball when it comes to their behaviour.
Their whole statement comes across as very petty and entitled.
Slightly strange wording there. Sounds like they have more of an issue with MBS personally than the rules themselves. Agreed that fines are embarrassing though.
The swearing thing just needs some logical thinking. Radio, ok. Press conferences and public appearances, no. If your dumbass football players can do it week in week out, an F1 driver certainly can.
Unfortunately, like A-listers/celebs for example, they kinda don’t. You can get away with an awful lot, and people like Max that push the boundaries, get away with more, push the boundaries more, and then eventually you’re in a head space where you think you can do anything. (A bit like the racing rules, one might say)
The swearing thing just needs some logical thinking. Radio, ok. Press conferences and public appearances, no. If your dumbass football players can do it week in week out, an F1 driver certainly can.
Soldato
I think it's more how the likes of MBS has dealt with this publicly. All they needed to do in these instances of jewelry, underwear, swearing is just have a quiet word with drivers and leave it at that.
They are right to remind MBS that they've not been treated like adults in these situations.
Caporegime
You think Lewis Hamilton is going to quietly accept them telling him that he isn't allowed to wear whatever jewellery he wants. Of course not. Thats like, against my rights and like, probably because i'm black. As Scam says, they are overpaid, overindulged and people telling them they can't do very simple things that any normal person would just accept as part of their professional life is suddenly an affront to them.
Soldato
Swearing though was only one part of that statement and not the point that was really being made. It is the treatment they are receiving as a result of any 'percieved' misdemeanors by one person. I for one agree as adult conversation took place in regards to swearing they then could have left it at that and the driver agreeing not to do it again, which, as I understand it, Max did. But with Max and with Charles they then decided to go further and punish them with either a fine or some ridiculous community service.
The whole thing has been very poorly handled and after all it was the manner in which they drivers feel frustrated in the manner that they are being treated that resulted in Max's swearing in the first place in protest to Ben Sulayem's very public dressing down of the drivers and what they perceive as being dictated to about what they can and can't do, Lewis's jewellery is one other example of this.
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Having held racing licences in the past, it's often part of the training, exams and briefings that you shouldn't wear jewellery.
Kids at grassroots karting levels are told not to wear it due to safety and guess what? They don't.
The FIA should just pull the grassroots/kids card, it's the rules and be done with it. Would hopefully soon shut the F1 drivers up.
Or they wait until little Timmy has an a horrific injury or worse due to it, because he wanted to wear chains because Lewis does.
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Caporegime
Lewis doesn't wear chains in the car, the fracas is over some tiny ear studs.
Soldato
Wasn't it nip or navel piercings too? Are they easy to take out?
Caporegime
You're right. My bad. Same issue though: it's just not a realistic danger to him.
He must be so cool being a rulebreaker.
Caporegime
Except they were fine with it for years before deciding it was an issue for no good reason.
Whats wrong with the FIA finally enforcing the rules? Then the social media cess pit that is Team LH just jumped on them for no good reason? #blessed
Again, it's literally enforced in every other motorsport than isn't graced by F1 drivers.
Associate
No posts about Totto's Hamilton comments ?
Been a fair amount of outrage over them but I don't think what he's said is wrong, it's well established that from mid 30's onwards drivers go on a downward curve in terms of reaction times and ultimately raw speed. To come out and say it whilst he's still a Merc driver is quite surprising though.
Should at least give Hamilton some added motivation for next year.
Been a fair amount of outrage over them but I don't think what he's said is wrong, it's well established that from mid 30's onwards drivers go on a downward curve in terms of reaction times and ultimately raw speed. To come out and say it whilst he's still a Merc driver is quite surprising though.
Should at least give Hamilton some added motivation for next year.
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Soldato
No posts about Totto's Hamilton comments ?
Been a fair amount of outrage over them but I don't think what he's said is wrong, it's well established that from mid 30's onwards drivers go on a downward curve in terms of reaction times and ultimately raw speed. To come out and say it whilst he's still a Merc driver is quite surprising though.
Should at least give Hamilton some added motivation for next year.
Toto looks younger than Lewis!!!!
Unprofessional from toto if not outright disrespectful. Hamilton is only a couple of points behind Russell over the season and lets be honest that merc has looked like a dog on more than one occasion this year.
Shouldn't be insulting his employee imo when the organisation he is running hasn't done a good enough job as a whole
Shouldn't be insulting his employee imo when the organisation he is running hasn't done a good enough job as a whole
Soldato
Whilst cognitive ability will definitely be a factor in older drivers. I think what we are seeing is a motivational deficianecy. I genuinely think if Merc were to have provided a car that was capable of winning a championship he'd be performing better. I've felt that he's just switched off/not interested/not motivated over the last couple of years.
When the car is rarely in a sweet spot you see a completely different driver. You see the fire reignite. I think with Lewis its more motivation that factors, thats not to say he's just are sharp as he was a decade ago. We know that decline is a unavoidable factor in life.
Associate
I agree there is a chance that a part of it is lack of motivation. Hamilton has always been patchy in terms of form when there isn't a chance to win a race, even back in 2010-2011 he was very up and down depending on where the car was at. That said, it's very hard for me to imagine that he's still on the same level he used to be, getting slower at his age is unavoidable, to the point where it even happens in sim racing.
I think Russell has had a couple more DNF's (that were mechanical, not talent related) hasn't he ? also had the Spa victory taken away from him resulting 0 points.