Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes and the 'fine art' of grand prix qualifying
Lewis Hamilton is statistically F1's best ever qualifier, but what does it take to be so devastating over a single lap? BBC Sport went to Mercedes to find out.
Anyone else feel Vettel has got away with causing a(nother?) accident?
Having watched the videos, it seems that he cut across the front of Stroll.
Perhaps not deliberately, but Vettel is stamping his ānot my faultā feet (again) and claiming Stroll should be more observant. Even the FIA report says "Car 5 (VET) overtook Car 18 on the outside and in doing so, turned in slightly towards the apex of Turn 5.ā That turn in would have taken him towards Stroll.
Thatās his third incident in recent racing history. I feel Vettel is leading a bit of a charmed life at the moment.
Yeah, 'cos having engine failures and being forced to start from the back is really being ācharmedā
Vettel has always had a āNot me, Guvā complex. Probably no more than any other self obsessed manchild on the F1 grid but he is given more airtime and is certainly quick to point the finger.
I kinda know what youāre getting at about Vettelās charmed life, but Iād disagree.
He fucked up in Baku ā¦and he lost a shit load of points
He fucked up in Singapore ā¦and he lost a shit load of points
Ferrari fucked up in Singapore ā¦and he lost a shit load of points
Some charm, IMHO
I was referring to collisions between Vettelās car and one or more of those around him, and the lack of retribution visited upon Vettel as a consequence, or even attribution of error.
Azerbaijan: Vettel hits Hamilton - accuses Hamilton of brake checking. Vettel deliberately drives into Hamilton. Vettel received a stop/go, and subsequently admitted he was wrong.
Singapore: Vettel (arguably?) causes a three car pile-up. No action taken.
Malaysia: Vettel turns in on Stroll (after the race) but comes off much worse. No action taken.
(Of course, all 3 incidents may have been Max Verstappenās fault. Ā© Ferrari, 2017 )
Over-exuberance, excitement, adrenaline, red mistā¦ These things shouldnāt happen to a multiple-time F1 champion. Soā¦ Just plain bad luck? Or driver error? If the latter then he is certainly charmed as he has received very, very little by way of penalty.
No - I donāt like Vettel. He is a great driver. So was Schumacher and I didnāt like him, either - the 1994 Australian GP sealed my opinion there. Iām not a big fan of Hamilton, either, unlike Niki Lauda who very recently said "Lewis is now the greatest driver ever.ā Lauda may be a little biased but he has also been very critical of Hamilton in the past.
Yeah, I got it the first time, I think. And aside come the Stroll prang, we agree heās culpable in the first two.
Still: Due to his own f-ups, heās not gonna win the WDC. Itās a binary state - heās lost.
To a winner like him, or Lewis etc, I donāt imagine thereās much any other punishment that would have any effect on him. Iām not sure what difference a slap on the wrists would do.
Your prediction is a bit hasty - all it will take is one failure, prang or bit of back luck for Hamilton/Mercedes and Vettel will be right back in the mix.
ā¦and thatās assuming that Mercedes regain the pace they were lacking in Malaysia. If they donāt and canāt win any further races, Vittel could overhaul Hamās total in the last race or two.
This is the problem.
I feel Vettel needs a one-race ban, citing his repeatedly causing accidents affecting himself and others. Even that wouldnāt necessarily mean heād lose the championship, but it would directly affect his chances, and significantly (and appropriately) penalise him. He deliberately drove into Hamilton - that is completely unacceptable under any circumstances. Still, itās happened before, and the culpable driver has gained the ultimate benefit from that activity in the past.
I also feel he was responsible for the incident with Stroll, but could be imprinting on the event, and looking for ways he caused it. I felt when I first saw the footage, which was from the camera in Vettelās car, that he accelerated around Stroll before turning in too soon. Other out-of-car footage appeared (to me) to confirm this - I could almost hear him thinking āOut of my way, puny Williams! See - I may have lost this race, but I am invincible! <crash!> Oh, shit. Not again.ā
Interesting GP that was,I love Suzuka.
Interesting GP that was,I love Suzuka.
Agreed
Interesting GP that was,
Yep,
,
Unusually lengthy for a BBC article, but makes a worthwhile read I think.
Lewis Hamilton is statistically F1's best ever qualifier, but what does it take to be so devastating over a single lap? BBC Sport went to Mercedes to find out.
Unusually lengthy for a BBC article, but makes a worthwhile read I think.
An unusually well-written article, too, building well towards the end.
That is a good article, but I had to laugh when I read this bit:
"āWhat I can definitely advise any kid thatās out there trying to race, donāt listen to people who tell you you need a mental coach or you need someone to help control your mind.ā
As he was beaten by Nico Rosberg last year who did work with a sports psychologist in order to beat Lewis as he had failed in the past to do so!
Maybe it doesnāt work for Lewis, maybe he picked the wrong one to talk to in the past, but as it works in all other sports I and there is evidence of it working in F1, maybe the younger drivers should investigate this approach with an open mind
Heās just future proofing himself against the next generation of young 'unsā¦