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Post by gazz on Nov 22, 2018 18:58:42 GMT
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Post by gazz on Mar 11, 2019 13:09:09 GMT
F1 to award point to driver who sets fastest lap in a grand prixwww.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47497979How is this going to improve the sport, aside from helping the richest teams create a larger gap between them and the midfield runners? Last season, all but one of the fastest laps set were shared between Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, with Haas setting the other on a street circuit (Singapore). Modern F1 is becoming even more boring than the Schumacher-Ferrari era, which really is saying something. I honestly can't remember the last time I sat through an entire race, because it's become so sterile and predictable, with - Kimi aside - no real characters anymore. This latest brainwave will do nothing to benefit the other teams.
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F1 thread
Mar 13, 2019 19:07:59 GMT
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Post by gazz on Mar 13, 2019 19:07:59 GMT
Starting this year, the only F1 race shown live on British TV will be Silverstone, while the rest will be extended highlights only. Formula 1 2019: A new era for the sport on television as well as on track - www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/47542802 I'm sure that when Bernie secured this deal before Liberty Media took over, he did it purely in the best interests of the sport...
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Post by gazz on Sept 4, 2020 13:20:44 GMT
Sir Frank Williams and Claire Williams step down from Williams teamThe Williams family will leave the team founded by Sir Frank Williams more than 40 years ago after this weekend's Italian Grand Prix. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/54014306It's not only the end of an era, but also of what F1 was pretty much about for me, as Formula One has become so boring to watch that it just isn't a sport anymore. It's become the Lewis Hamilton show, and not just for the racing. Every week the guy has something to say about 'diversity', 'race' and 'this guy or that guy refuses to take a knee' - it's turned me right off watching and reading about the sport. Thanks for the memories, Sir Frank!
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Post by hatter_in_macc on Sept 4, 2020 16:37:08 GMT
Agreed, Gazz-man - I would be surprised if the sport ever saw his like again. Remarkable set of achievements for a family team over the last half-century.
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Post by gazz on Sept 4, 2020 18:18:39 GMT
Here's a sliding doors story involving Williams, Maccy.
Had Jenson Button been allowed to leave BAR in 2004 and 2006 to go back to the Williams team, he may never have won a single race, let alone the World Title!
Feeling he'd have a better chance with Williams who at the time had powerful BMW engines, while BAR were not a works team, he negotiated a two year contract with Sir Frank to rejoin his team.
However, it's just as well that Button remained with BAR, especially in 2006, as Williams went with Cosworth engines and BAR remained with the much more powerful Honda engines - he won his first F1 race in Hungary that season!
I do often wonder what would have happened had Button not been replaced by Montoya after his rookie year at Williams, as they had a very good car with BMW units and Button really did look like he could really kick on the following year.
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Post by gazz on Oct 30, 2020 1:17:51 GMT
Lando Norris apologises after comments about Lewis Hamilton www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/54711481I'm failing to see why Lando Norris has to apologise to Hamilton, it's pretty much the same thing people said about Schumacher back in his dominant Ferrari days, when none of his teammates were allowed to beat him. "I'm just happy for him, nothing more," the Briton replied. "It doesn't mean anything to me, really. He's in a car which should win every race, basically.
"He has to beat one or two other drivers, that's it. Fair play to him, he's still doing the job he has to do."That's a fair summing up for me.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Oct 30, 2020 10:39:29 GMT
I still think they ought to do reverse grid starts like they used to do in stock cars.
Would make for more equal racing. Perhaps a weight addition for the more successful cars like the Touring Cars do.
Having said that Hamilton would still probably win more than he lost in a Morris Traveller starting 2 laps down with Gemma Collins as a passenger.
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Post by gazz on Oct 30, 2020 11:47:21 GMT
Having said that Hamilton would still probably win more than he lost in a Morris Traveller starting 2 laps down with Gemma Collins as a passenger. Dunno about that, Gaffer. Jenson Button beat him on total points scored during their McLaren years, plus he achieved the highest placed finish in the Driver's championship (2nd in 2011) in their three seasons as teammates at McLaren. In the same way that Schumacher isn't the greatest, neither is Hamilton. He won one title with McLaren and won nothing for five years in the underperforming MPs, proving you need a good car to win titles. You only have to Look at Vettel's 4-in-a-row with Red Bull and what he's done since to prove that you need a good car. I'd say Senna is the greatest, with Sir Jackie Stewart being the greatest British Driver, at a time when death was a very real possibility every time he stepped into the car. Jenson deserves a mention, for that incredible title win in his botched up Brawn, an achievement that we're never likely to see again.
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F1 thread
Oct 30, 2020 14:00:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2020 14:00:19 GMT
It’s always so difficult to compare drivers from different eras, and drivers racing in different cars. Hamilton will rightly go down in history as one of the greatest even if he doesn’t win another race or title for the rest of his career. When he hangs up his helmet, the statistics will probably show that he’s won the most races and most titles of anyone that has competed in F1. Having said that, I think anyone who takes more than a passing interest in motorsport knows that doesn’t necessarily tell the full story, especially when you consider the dominance of the Mercedes over the last 7 years. Looking further back, you’ve also got to consider the greats that the sport has lost in their prime, not least the likes of Ayrton Senna. Sterling Moss for example never won the WDC - he narrowly escaped with his life at Goodwood in 1962 but that crash effectively ended his career. The dangers of racing in F1 25 years ago were much greater than they are today, and the dangers of racing 50/60 years ago even greater still. Although as we have seen in recent years with Jules Bianchi, no amount of safety measures and medical care can totally eliminate the dangers. In the early days, the skill set required was very much mechanical, unassisted car control together with a huge amount of courage. Today, the skill set is totally different - whilst drivers now have more driver aids, there are more settings and car conditions to manage... DRS, tyre temperatures, brake temperatures, brake bias, aerodynamics, engine settings. It’s probably like driving a computer! Some drivers are lucky enough to race a few seasons in a car that can compete for the title, others are lucky enough to race the majority of their career in one. Anyone who has won a title, let alone multiple titles, has required both luck and supreme skill to achieve that. Coming back to the Button vs Hamilton debate from the time period in which they were teammates, I’ve lifted the following extract from a Bleacher Report article: “In 2010, Button won two races to Hamilton's three, losing out in the championship by 240 points to 214. It was a fair reflection of a year in which the 2008 champion was quicker. 2011 saw their fortunes reversed, as Button drove the best season of his career. The qualifying table still showed Hamilton significantly ahead, but Jenson saved his best for when it mattered. He scored 12 podiums including three race wins; inconsistent Hamilton also won three times, but only scored half as many podiums. Their points tallies at the end of the year were 270 for Button and 227 for Hamilton. But in 2012, the form book was flipped again. In response to Button's magnificent 2011, Hamilton drove one of his own best seasons; the points gap at the end was just two points in Hamilton's favour, but the ‘real’ gap was greater. Overall, Button scored more points over the three seasons, scored more podiums and had more points finishes. Hamilton had more poles, more wins and finished ahead more often.” www.google.co.uk/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2300201-comparing-jenson-button-to-all-of-his-formula-1-team-mates.amp.html If anything, it shows just how closely matched the two Brits were over those years. In the future when both men are long retired, it will show as a testament to Button’s ability just how well he performed against statistically the greatest in Hamilton. What I will say on that teammate partnership, is Button was very much a seasoned campaigner by then. His career in F1 began a decade earlier and he had pretty much seen it all. Hamilton was the raw, unpredictable, fast rookie who was hot off the back of winning his maiden championship in 2008 in just his second season and outdriving his two time champion teammate, Alonso, in his rookie year. I would suggest Hamilton learned a huge amount from Jenson over the course of their partnership. Jenson was a composed driver, made few mistakes and his tyre management was absolutely superb. The way he treated his car with such care meant that he could drive those long stints and get the best out of the vehicle without sacrificing reliability. The fact Hamilton picked up more race wins and poles, and finished ahead more often, yet Button scores more points and podiums probably bears this out. I think over the course of his time at Mercedes we have seen a more measured, experienced and composed Hamilton. He has always had the speed, but in his early days he also always had a mistake in him - I remember getting up at 5am in 2007 to watch the Chinese Grand Prix where a rookie Hamilton, leading the championship, went off the track at the pit lane entry and had to retire. The conditions in which he won his maiden title in 2008 were equally frenetic, requiring a last-lap overtake of Timo Glock in horrendous weather conditions to pip Felipe Massa to the title. Over the last few season especially, Hamilton has forced Vettel - a 4 time championship winner - to crack under the relentless pressure and succumb to mistakes. Mistakes from the experienced Lewis Hamilton are few and far between which, coupled with a top car, is a recipe for title win after title win. It might not be as fun and entertaining, but you can’t deny the man is a winning machine and by eliminating mistakes he has quite deservedly placed himself at the top table of the all time greats of the sport.
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Post by gazz on Oct 30, 2020 14:49:06 GMT
I think you're missing one vital factor in this, gts. Hamilton was picked up very early by the McLaren young driver programme, and was nurtured by the team from that point, whereas Button had it far from easy, having to go through a 'shootout' with other drivers just to secure his first F1 drive with Williams in 2000. These stories you read about Anthony Hamilton's struggles in financing his son's Karting career are no different than anyone else, but Lewis's F1 career was being prepared long before he was old enough, unlike Jenson, who had to fight for everything he got.
That is a massive factor, in my opinion.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Oct 31, 2020 11:28:29 GMT
I always liked Johnny Herbert as a typical down to earth out and out racer who did his best is second hand cars.
Mansell was the out and out racer who would have achieved much more if he hadn't been a car breaker. He literally would drive the wheels off his motor.
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Post by gazz on Oct 31, 2020 12:18:37 GMT
I always liked Johnny Herbert as a typical down to earth out and out racer who did his best is second hand cars. Mansell was the out and out racer who would have achieved much more if he hadn't been a car breaker. He literally would drive the wheels off his motor. I liked Herbert too, Lennie, he just got on with his job, which was never more evident than with his '95 teammate having ran his mate off the track in Adelaide in '94. He was the ultimate professional. Nige has his critics, and rightly so, but Christ he had balls like baked potatoes. He also had some terrible luck. Back to back F1 and Indycar champion too, how many drivers can boast that? I like most of the British drivers, like Damon, David (I'll never forget him giving Schumacher the finger at Magny Cours), Johnny and Jenson, but Nige was the most exciting to watch, by some considerable distance. Senna genuinely respected him, which is the endorsement to end all endorsements.
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Post by bringbacklenwhite on Oct 31, 2020 15:34:35 GMT
I only saw 3 Grand Prix live and each was won by a Brit !
Mansell, Herbert and Damon Hill !!!
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Post by gazz on Oct 31, 2020 16:40:22 GMT
I only saw 3 Grand Prix live and each was won by a Brit ! Mansell, Herbert and Damon Hill !!! Lucky fella!
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