2016 Formula 1 - for the last few races

I will pass comment once I get back to Blighty and watch the race…Oh, and sober up just a tad :upside_down:

Very quiet on here, especially given Rosberg announcing his retirement. Was a bit surprise at Mercedes F1 where Rosberg went to celebrate winning with everyone earlier in the week and there was no hint of this happening. People at the team (other than Toto) have no more idea or information about this than the rest of us.

My mate is one of Nico’s mechanics and he told me by text they didn’t have any idea or even rumours he was retiring.

I’ll try and get more info out of him when he’s pissed as he’s very cagey about saying things during the on season.

Nico may well have kept it secret from all around him on the race team. The only person that I thought might be aware would be Bono, his race engineer, but even he might have had little idea.

So would Vettel be the perfect Teutonic choice? :wink:

I thought Tony Ross was still his race engineer Ian.
From what he has said he probably hadn’t told anybody since he only decided himself after the win. He said he would have continued if he hadn’t won the Championship.
I’ll phone Keke in a week or two when the dust has settled.

I do think there has been a lot of nastiness about him on social media. Back when I started the worst public criticism a driver was likely to suffer was a letter to Autosport or Motoring News. The more vitriolic an irrational would end up being binned by the editor.
Nowadays there is no editor so even the most ridiculous theories get an airing, and believed.
I also think Lewis has been trying to run him down and undermine his achievements more and more. Whether this is to save face or psychological warfare is irrelevant, I have not liked it and it has made social media even more poisonous.
If I had been his team-mate and had just beat him and didn’t need the money I would have said f*ck this for a game of soldiers too.

1 Like

You are right Tony Ross came from Williams with Nico. Bono is Lewis’ engineer. Not sure why I got the 2 of them confused!

1 Like

While I have admitted several times to loving the political side of F1 (especially during the close season), I find this sort of shit intolerable. The guy won the championship with more points. THAT is what counts. Nico has been a gentleman and has acknowledged the abilities of his team-mate. Even giving credit when he is beaten. Social media is a viper. It takes much of the fun out of following different angles of research.
I can completely understand Nico’s decision. But would be most interested in Keke’s view on this.

Ian, I think all the Nico shock was on another thread.

I too am hugely pissed that he’s not getting credit, aided hugely by the Hamfosi

His record against Hamilton is, frankly, fantastic, considering g how fast Lewis is. He’s beaten him hands down in quail and in the race on plenty of occasions. It wasn’t every weekend, nor in the wet, but you don’t beat Lewis that often without being a bit tasty.

He’s being, unless he steps in, very quickly caricatured as the guy who got lucky one season, knew it and walked before getting found out. And that’s very very unfair, IMHO.

3 Likes

Just taken a look at the Fantasy F1 league. The person who won it outright was over 200 points clear of the person who came 2nd!

I suggest changing the regulations to make it more even :thumbsup:

With thoughts like that you need to come and work in NASCAR!

1 Like

Boogity boogity boogity :thumbsup:

Spot on! You are a shoe in!

1 Like

On a serious note, and I know I’m a dinosaur, I’ve never understood punishing success. If you ain’t good enough, why expect the regulations to be changed to help you out ?

Just do a better job.

1 Like

I must be a dinosaur as well as that is exactly how I see it.

That is why F1 is so good as the FIA don’t interfere like all other regulatory authorities do.

For example in the Sports car championships that Corvette race in, there is a Balance Of Performance formula that is used to balance out all the cars. The manufacturers want this to avoid anyone running away with a championship and then forcing a spending battle for the others to catch up. So manufacturers sand bag when there is a race coming up that they want to win. This means that there is little incentive to be the best engineered team as you will just be given a BOP adjustment. Which then means that you are not training the engineers to do the best job etc…

1 Like

Completely agree. No series of racing manipulated like this is of any interest from the car pov.
It is good for people who like racing but aren’t very good at it though…

But it does give closer racing though. …

The BOP at Lemans was a farce with Corvettes.