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2020 Formula 1 Season Thread

Apple fanboy said:
I think in a car so far ahead of everyone else
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I love that comment. The distance, in time, is still .2 of second over a lap faster, and dependent on certain circuits. In faster circuits, with less corners and the need for less downforce, the Mercedes isn't the quickest. In the Italian GP, they were fastest when out front, but as soon as they got into dirty air, or in a drag race, they were not fast.
 
Madonepro said:
I love that comment. The distance, in time, is still .2 of second over a lap faster, and dependent on certain circuits. In faster circuits, with less corners and the need for less downforce, the Mercedes isn't the quickest. In the Italian GP, they were fastest when out front, but as soon as they got into dirty air, or in a drag race, they were not fast.
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Bottas wasn’t. Lewis was. That’s how he passed so many and got all those purple laps.
Remember their is a big difference between the race pace they show, and the race pace they could do if they didn’t have to save tyres.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Exactly. Lewis has always outclassed his team mate. He is a great driver. Yes he has a great car. But remember when he left McLaren for Mercedes? No one thought that was going to bring him glory. Yes Nico beat him one year. How many engine failures did he have that year? Regardless of what you think of him, you can't deny he is one of the all time greats.
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I don't know, that's not really saying much. He didn't outclass Alonso (maybe class is the wrong word for their spats :D) and Button ended up having more points than Lewis over the 3 years together. Engine failures or not, Nico took a WDC off Lewis. Bottas and Kovalainen aren't worthy to measure up against Hamilton. Besides Alonso, I don't think Lewis has had a teammate in his class so saying he outclassed his teammates doesn't really help his cause.

I like Lewis and he will go down as an all time great but the way the sport is set up does him a disservice. He knows it and says it often that he wishes there was more competition. It's a shame that Lewis spent the prime of his career in the best car with no worthy rival.

In other news... Mick Schumacher could be making a free practice debut!
www.grandprix247.com

Schumacher reportedly making F1 debut at Mugello

Mick Schumacher is reportedly set for a drive in FP1 at the Tuscan Grand Prix this weekend, according to German media.
www.grandprix247.com www.grandprix247.com
 
BenTrovato said:
I don't know, that's not really saying much. He didn't outclass Alonso (maybe class is the wrong word for their spats :D) and Button ended up having more points than Lewis over the 3 years together. Engine failures or not, Nico took a WDC off Lewis. Bottas and Kovalainen aren't worthy to measure up against Hamilton. Besides Alonso, I don't think Lewis has had a teammate in his class so saying he outclassed his teammates doesn't really help his cause.

I like Lewis and he will go down as an all time great but the way the sport is set up does him a disservice. He knows it and says it often that he wishes there was more competition. It's a shame that Lewis spent the prime of his career in the best car with no worthy rival.

In other news... Mick Schumacher could be making a free practice debut!
www.grandprix247.com

Schumacher reportedly making F1 debut at Mugello

Mick Schumacher is reportedly set for a drive in FP1 at the Tuscan Grand Prix this weekend, according to German media.
www.grandprix247.com www.grandprix247.com
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Well as the rookie he had no right getting close to Alonso when they were teammates. But he did.

It’s not his fault that the competition has been rubbish for a while now. Yes we all want to see the close racing we have in the midfield at the front. But that’s rare in F1.

As for Mick Schumacher, does he take after his Dad or his uncle!
 
CWallace said:
The problem is a significant portion of Mercedes "outclassing" is in the Power Unit department and under FIA rules you cannot make significant changes to a PU. As such, the others are not allowed to "catch-up" until 2022 when the new PU rules come into play.

And whomever gets it right then will have the advantage until the next PU rules change comes into play.
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Lets not forget that multiple teams use the Mercedes power unit.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
To be fair Lewis outclassed Rosberg in 2016 in terms of performances and with one extra DNF. He had more engine failures on race weekends than Nico but managed more often than not to claw it back during the races. The points lead Nico had was vast and for Lewis to finish just 5 points behind him is often overlooked and the fact Nico finished behind Lewis in the last four rounds. I can fully sympathise with Nico for finding it exhausting as it would be highly unlikely he’d have a better chance to win a title. History since has proven he was wise to finish on a high.
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I think a lot of people forget this. Particularly at the start of the season Lewis had Multiple car failures with resultant DNF.
Probably only reason Rosberg won the title.
 
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But will anyone notice?
F0135FE8-3E16-4F4D-8B7B-773A2A163AF0.jpeg
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
With Sergio Perez leaving racing point at the end of this season, can we expect an announcement that Vettel is their new signing? What do you guys think?
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I still believe Vettel will retire at the end of the season, but assuming the 2021 RP is as close to the 2020 AMG-MB as the 2020 model is to the 2019, maybe he will give it a go.
 
CWallace said:
I still believe Vettel will retire at the end of the season, but assuming the 2021 RP is as close to the 2020 AMG-MB as the 2020 model is to the 2019, maybe he will give it a go.
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See I don't think he will. It's not out of reach though.

I think the Ferrari is just so bad that he wants one more decent ride. I can see him racing for another two years.
 
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Sky Sports News had a breaking story this morning that Vettel had signed for Aston Martin (Racing Point) and then changed it to say Perez had quit RP, paving the way for Vettel.
 
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pachyderm said:
View attachment 951696


eh, I could be wrong... lol
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I wonder how much Stroll had to pay to buy out 2 years of Perez’s contract? Vettel has obviously come at a higher price and he’s not in good form at the moment. Regardless of the mess at Ferrari, he’s still been outperformed by a much more inexperienced teammate. I’m glad Vettel is sticking around as he’s a colourful personality in the paddock but I do think he’ll be under massive pressure to dig himself out of this performance lull.

Sainz as I’ve said many times has a huge mountain to climb. A team in a management mess, a car they don’t understand and a teammate who has captured the emotional support of the team. I think deep down he’s regretting the move from a much more supportive McLaren.
 
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Good to see Vettel got a ride. But unless he outperforms Lance significantly it’s going to be seen as a bad move for the team. His wage won’t be cheap. But from Vettels point of view it’s the best seat he’s going to get for next year. No one knows if 2022 will be a good or bad year so that’s a gamble for everyone.
 
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CWallace said:
I still believe Vettel will retire at the end of the season, but assuming the 2021 RP is as close to the 2020 AMG-MB as the 2020 model is to the 2019, maybe he will give it a go.
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I was completely with you on this one. I was sure he was walking away. Must have been quite a lucrative deal.
 
Glideslope said:
I was completely with you on this one. I was sure he was walking away. Must have been quite a lucrative deal.
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Aston Martin as a stand alone company will see a 4 times WDC as quite a marketing angle whereas selling Astons in Mexico may have been a lesser prospect. I agree I think they’ve paid a lot to get Seb onboard and I hope he delivers for them. Stroll is a weaker teammate than Ricciardo and LeClerc IMO so he needs to perform.
 
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So one of the subplots for 2021 will be -- which former WDC has more motivation to battle it out for the "best of the rest" in the midfield pack, with a side of "will Ferrari's woes extend low enough to join them?" The Revenge/Redemption Tour of 2021.

I actually think Alonso has more motivation, and the past few years have taught him to handle disappointment much better than he used to, but unlike his dabbles into sports car, Indy 500, and off-road, he's not going to be in a situation where he has been able to cherry pick choice seats, and have good chances at success. Going back to Ren-oh Alpine will be a full-time job, in a car that has shown flashes, but can't consistently beat its (soon to be former) customer.

Vettel admits he was ready to call it quits, until Stroll rolled out his wheelbarrows full of Loonies, in order to bring some flash to his new toys, and hopefully have some of Vettel's old goodness rub off on his son. The Pink Mercedes is a better car than the Ren-oh, and that shouldn't change when it is painted green, but if it does too well, the other teams will surely be ready to deploy their lawyers again, if only to distract them in gamesmanship. Elevating a team's game is a rare skill that few drivers are adept at, and Seb hasn't show himself to be good at it. But if the Green Mercedes ends up being good enough, and revenge can be a good motivator, so there could be some moments for him to savor.
 
Thoughts should also go to Perez for the disgusting treatment he received in the way he found out he was leaving Racing Point. Sort of mirrors the way Damon found out he was leaving Williams and Vettel at Ferrari. I was very impressed with Perez’s grace in his interview when a very reasonable response would be to punch Lawrence Stroll in the face lol.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
Thoughts should also go to Perez for the disgusting treatment he received in the way he found out he was leaving Racing Point. Sort of mirrors the way Damon found out he was leaving Williams and Vettel at Ferrari. I was very impressed with Perez’s grace in his interview when a very reasonable response would be to punch Lawrence Stroll in the face lol.
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To be fair he’ll probably extract his revenge on the track. Crash into his son!
 
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