Fingers crossed for Lewis!

[toxo]

I'm desperate to see this Grand Prix played out without any skullduggery from Mercedes. Despit all of Lewis' "setbacks" this year I think most of us would agree that he should be world champion already. The double points on the last race was designed to maximise the tension at the end of the season and it's certainly done that. I don't mind who wins it as long as it's fair and Mercedes have proved more than once this year that they favour Rosberg. His contract has already been renewed and the bosses have far too much control of the racecars from the pits for my liking. Lewis has to come worse than second to lose it if Rosberg wins and if that happens I for one will suspect serious skullduggery. Good luck Lewis.

[reggiegun]

I'm desperate to see this Grand Prix played out without any skullduggery from Mercedes. Despit all of Lewis' "setbacks" this year I think most of us would agree that he should be world champion already. The double points on the last race was designed to maximise the tension at the end of the season and it's certainly done that. I don't mind who wins it as long as it's fair and Mercedes have proved more than once this year that they favour Rosberg. His contract has already been renewed and the bosses have far too much control of the racecars from the pits for my liking. Lewis has to come worse than second to lose it if Rosberg wins and if that happens I for one will suspect serious skullduggery. Good luck Lewis.

Yep, no clay shooting for me Sunday, will have the dogs out in the morning and glued to the F1 channel for the race.

[4eyes]

Me too. I also read that the double points farce is going to be dropped next year. Would be very disappointing for him to loose out because of such a silly rule, in the one year it was trialed. Without it, I believe 6th would be enough to take the title.

[toxo]

What's the feeling about Alonso? I think Lewis is keeping his cards close to his chest. If he is thinking about leaving Mercedes he won't say so until after the race and with Alonso drooling over a possible seat at Mercedes I think it increases the chance of skullduggery.

[shaun4860]

Lewis won't leave Mercedes

 

Alonso will go to McLaren

 

Button will lose out (Disgraceful way McLaren have acted in all this)

 

Not a Hamilton fan but he deserves it and will be a travesty if the double points decide it otherwise,

 

Still waiting for the Sauber drivers to throw their toys out of the pram as they are being replaced but say they arn't

 

[Fisherman Mike]

The Smart Money is on Rosberg...the deal has been done...fill your boots...

 

The Law of averages dictates that Hamilton will fail to finish... let alone Skulduggery...

 

I shall not be watching it , going fishing....motor racing died when they introduced starting grids...

 

Hamilton will go out on Lap 16..Ricciardo will win the race, Ice berg will win it on the dp's despite spinning off on the final lap, Nicole will announce she's pregnant and Eddie Jordan is the Father £2.00 lucky fifteen pays £1,250,789.00

 

Now that's excitement....

Edited November 21, 2014 by Fisherman Mike

[toxo]

Lewis won't leave Mercedes

 

Alonso will go to McLaren

 

Button will lose out (Disgraceful way McLaren have acted in all this)

 

Not a Hamilton fan but he deserves it and will be a travesty if the double points decide it otherwise,

 

Still waiting for the Sauber drivers to throw their toys out of the pram as they are being replaced but say they arn't

 

I'm not so sure. After the way Mercedes have treated him this year it wouldn't surprise me if Lewis was contemplating a return to McLaren if the testing with the new Honda engines goes well and of course, we don't know what upgrades McLaren have in the pipeline but I bet Lewis does.

I think Jensen is his own worst enemy. He seems to wake up and do the business only after his seat is threatened.

The Smart Money is on Rosberg...the deal has been done...fill your boots...

 

The Law of averages dictates that Hamilton will fail to finish... let alone Skulduggery...

 

I shall not be watching it , going fishing....motor racing died when they introduced starting grids...

 

Hamilton will go out on Lap 16..Ricciardo will win the race, Ice berg will win it on the dp's despite spinning off on the final lap, Nicole will announce she's pregnant and Eddie Jordan is the Father £2.00 lucky fifteen pays £1,250,789.00

 

Now that's excitement....

That's more than excitement, that's imagination

[Hamster]

I'm desperate to see this Grand Prix played out without any skullduggery from Mercedes. Despit all of Lewis' "setbacks" this year I think most of us would agree that he should be world champion already. The double points on the last race was designed to maximise the tension at the end of the season and it's certainly done that. I don't mind who wins it as long as it's fair and Mercedes have proved more than once this year that they favour Rosberg. His contract has already been renewed and the bosses have far too much control of the racecars from the pits for my liking. Lewis has to come worse than second to lose it if Rosberg wins and if that happens I for one will suspect serious skullduggery. Good luck Lewis.

 

We've been watching different Grand Prix between us !

 

Rosberg's contract is in place already because he is cheaper and he was there before Lewis so may have had a multi year agreement. He also proves you don't need to pay someone 20 mil to win, Lewis is merely holding out till he wins so he can squeeze more money for next year.

 

Button is on the way out because there are equally good pay drivers out there, he never was a top 5 driver and should along with Eddie Irvine, Ralf, Villenueve, Alesi and a few others thank his lucky stars that teams end up paying well over the odds for their services.

[kingo15]

Toto wolfes comments this week about hoping Lewis doesn't have any major failures did make me think but then again I do like a good conspiracy ☺

 

I will miss the race due to kids football but ill have my phone charged and hopefully 4G were we are playing.

 

Would like to see Lewis win rather than roseberg but fingers crossed

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I still don't like the double points for last race system!

[toxo]

 

We've been watching different Grand Prix between us !

 

Nothing wrong with that!

 

Rosberg's contract is in place already because he is cheaper and he was there before Lewis so may have had a multi year agreement. He also proves you don't need to pay someone 20 mil to win, Lewis is merely holding out till he wins so he can squeeze more money for next year.

 

I don't think drivers wages factor at all with the elite teams. Very much different with the smaller teams of course. Lewis has enough money already and can afford to wait. I think the British team of McLaren/Hamilton was a fantastic fit and I think that if Lewis thought that McLaren had a winning car for next year he would be back in a heartbeat. If you think that all of Lewis' setbacks this year including the part where he was asked to let Rosberg pass have been about money I think you're deluding yourself (in the nicest possible way of course) and the way Rosberg whined to the pits "why isn't he letting me past?" lead me to believe there was some kind of agreement going on. I think Lewis has been biting his tongue for most of this year and even if it is just about money, he deserves it.

 

Button is on the way out because there are equally good pay drivers out there, he never was a top 5 driver and should along with Eddie Irvine, Ralf, Villenueve, Alesi and a few others thank his lucky stars that teams end up paying well over the odds for their services.

 

I tend to agree with that. Was a time when Buttons smoother tyre saving style paid dividends but he seems to be treading water whilst the younger guys have caught up.

[shaun4860]

Lot of hype about this Honda engine,

 

Lets not forget that Williams have the same engine as McLaren, (Merecedes will have a few "extras" in their car)

 

It's the car that has let McLaren down for the last few years not the engine,

 

Unless that improves drastically over the winter then nothing will change next year which is why I find it strange with all the hype over Honda.

 

As for Button not being a top 5 driver?

 

2009, won the championship (first really competitive car)

 

2010, 5th, 26 points behind Hamilton

 

2011, 2nd, 43 points in front of Hamilton,(first teammate to beat Hamilton)

 

2012, 5th, 2 points behind Hamilton

 

2013, 9th, absolute dog of a car, same as this year really

 

As you can gather I'm a HUGE Button fan but to say he isn't a top 5 driver is just wrong.

 

Oh and this year so far he is 7th, 51 points in front of his teammate, also in front of Massa in a Williams and Raikennen in a Ferrari.

 

So NER!!!!

 

[toxo]

 

So NER!!!!

 

That made I larf that did.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan too but this year he didn't start to perform until the light bulb went off and he realised that his place might be in jeopardy.

[shaun4860]

That made I larf that did.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan too but this year he didn't start to perform until the light bulb went off and he realised that his place might be in jeopardy.

I might turn that round and say he didn't start to perform until McLaren started making better upgrades?

 

You can't win in a car that won't perform,

 

Look at Ferrari/Red Bull

 

[krugerandsmith]

I'm desperate to see this Grand Prix played out without any skullduggery from Mercedes. Despit all of Lewis' "setbacks" this year I think most of us would agree that he should be world champion already. The double points on the last race was designed to maximise the tension at the end of the season and it's certainly done that. I don't mind who wins it as long as it's fair and Mercedes have proved more than once this year that they favour Rosberg. His contract has already been renewed and the bosses have far too much control of the racecars from the pits for my liking. Lewis has to come worse than second to lose it if Rosberg wins and if that happens I for one will suspect serious skullduggery. Good luck Lewis.

 

Not for me ..... Rather watch Bike racing.

[Hamster]

Lot of hype about this Honda engine,

 

Lets not forget that Williams have the same engine as McLaren, (Merecedes will have a few "extras" in their car)

 

It's the car that has let McLaren down for the last few years not the engine,

 

Unless that improves drastically over the winter then nothing will change next year which is why I find it strange with all the hype over Honda.

 

As for Button not being a top 5 driver?

 

2009, won the championship (first really competitive car)

 

2010, 5th, 26 points behind Hamilton

 

2011, 2nd, 43 points in front of Hamilton,(first teammate to beat Hamilton)

 

2012, 5th, 2 points behind Hamilton

 

2013, 9th, absolute dog of a car, same as this year really

 

As you can gather I'm a HUGE Button fan but to say he isn't a top 5 driver is just wrong.

 

Oh and this year so far he is 7th, 51 points in front of his teammate, also in front of Massa in a Williams and Raikennen in a Ferrari.

 

So NER!!!!

 

 

You make some good arguments for him but sadly stats can be spun every which way, I don't dislike him but seem to recall he even struggled against Fisichella better known for his pizza making skills than bothering any top flight F1 driver.

 

He won the title in 09 in the absolute best car AND with Barichello as team mate, basically you couldn't hand pick a better no.2 driver if you tried, hence why Michael insisted on having him at Ferrari. He seems to really need a good car and rarely wins a straight race or from the front (Brawn excepted)

 

Paired up in the best car next to Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel, Schumacher, Raikkonen, Montoya and a few more besides, he would have played 2nd fiddle, I really believe that, hence my comment that he's basically a journeyman rather than a GREAT.

 

The trouble with F1 is that it really is just too expensive nowadays, very few drivers truly deserve mega bucks to keep them tethered to a team; of the current crop Alonso is probably the only one that could win a race in a car that doesn't deserve the win, Lewis, mayyybeeeee, he does like a whinge when everything isn't spot on for HIM.

Button is just too expensive for his results, I'm not the only one to think that, just look at the rush from other team principals to sign him up.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Hamster

[figgy]

It surprised me the jump from the likes of Buttons earnings to the ones below. It's a massive gap in pay.

 

Figgy

[jimbo86]

Just to stir the conversation, i think that IceBurg does deserve the title in a strange way. Or he would deserve it if Lewis crashes or breaks down. He has beaten Lewis over 1 lap in qualifying nearly all season, so surely he has been the quickest driver. And if Lewis breaks down and Rosburg wins, surely double points makes no difference, as the gap is 17 points and he would get 25 points for a win under normal rules, so he would win the title legitimately

[88b]

I doubt Hamilton will return to McLaren , I have a friend there and everyone there was glad to see the back of him.

[Hamster]

Just to stir the conversation, i think that IceBurg does deserve the title in a strange way. Or he would deserve it if Lewis crashes or breaks down. He has beaten Lewis over 1 lap in qualifying nearly all season, so surely he has been the quickest driver. And if Lewis breaks down and Rosburg wins, surely double points makes no difference, as the gap is 17 points and he would get 25 points for a win under normal rules, so he would win the title legitimately

 

Nico would be a deserving winner, true greats usually blow their team mates away in the process of winning a championship, think Mika, Alonso, Michael, regrettably even Vettel, though his 4 championships are heavily due to Adrian Newey cars and perhaps unrepresentative of his true status.

 

Nico has always shown up well against team mates and he wasn't blown away last year or this, despite Lewis's reputation which is in my opinion a bit over inflated.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Hamster

[Dick]

I'll watch it as usual.....but it's a bit like watching paint dry. If the rule changes were supposed to make the smaller teams competitive then it has failed.

[timmytree]

So which will do a "Schumacher" and deliberately ram the potential championship winner out of contention?

[shaun4860]

 

Nico would be a deserving winner, true greats usually blow their team mates away in the process of winning a championship, think Mika, Alonso, Michael, regrettably even Vettel, though his 4 championships are heavily due to Adrian Newey cars and perhaps unrepresentative of his true status.

 

Nico has always shown up well against team mates and he wasn't blown away last year or this, despite Lewis's reputation which is in my opinion a bit over inflated.

Whereas you can possibly describe the likes of Schumacher as a great, he along with Alonso, Mika to a point had team mates that were not allowed to win....

 

look at Massa first with Schumacher then with Alonso.......always the the runner up.....as in Schumachers contract, he HAD to be number 1

 

Same when he was with Alonso,

 

Barichello was the same at Ferrari, not allowed to win if Schumacher had a chance

 

This stops them from being true greats,

 

Renault even instructed one of their driver to deliberately crash to bring out the safety car so Alonso got more chance of points (Piquet jr)

 

And as I said, Button was the first team mate to beat Hamilton over a season in equal cars,

 

There is no doubt Button is coming to the end of his career but I still think he deserves his "top 5" recognition

 

[Gordon R]

+1

[Hamster]

Whereas you can possibly describe the likes of Schumacher as a great, he along with Alonso, Mika to a point had team mates that were not allowed to win....

 

look at Massa first with Schumacher then with Alonso.......always the the runner up.....as in Schumachers contract, he HAD to be number 1

 

Same when he was with Alonso,

 

Barichello was the same at Ferrari, not allowed to win if Schumacher had a chance

 

This stops them from being true greats,

 

Renault even instructed one of their driver to deliberately crash to bring out the safety car so Alonso got more chance of points (Piquet jr)

 

And as I said, Button was the first team mate to beat Hamilton over a season in equal cars,

 

There is no doubt Button is coming to the end of his career but I still think he deserves his "top 5" recognition

 

 

As previously said stats can be used to prove a lot of things but if you look closely at the overall picture it is clear Button isn't quite in the same league :

 

http://www.f1revs.com/2012/12/lewis-hamilton-vs-jenson-button.html

 

Not only was he outscored in 2010 and 2012 he is also demonstrably the slower in both races as well as qualifying, Lewis also suffered more DNF's. I believe he has been beaten by other teammates though I can't find stats on him V all his pairings.

 

I think there have been years where Button could be shown statistically to have been deserving of top 5 status but he's being let go rather than retiring as of his choosing, 15 wins out of 267+ starts six of which were in uber superior machinery doesn't quite shout legend somehow.