F1 final race prediction ?

[CurtEgerer]

Damn, I'm old. Seems only a few years ago I took this pic of his Dad It was cool that Keke stayed way behind the scenes and wasn't grandstanding in the paddock like some do.

[doug_porsche]

Watched the race.
If I were Nico I would probably have a conversation with Toto Wolf and drop a not so subtle hint.

"Mr Wolf. Your response to Lewis's blatant disregard for team orders will HEAVILY influence my driving decisions towards Lewis in the future"

[yellowperil]

Originally Posted by doug_porsche

Watched the race.
If I were Nico I would probably have a conversation with Toto Wolf and drop a not so subtle hint.

"Mr Wolf. Your response to Lewis's blatant disregard for team orders will HEAVILY influence my driving decisions towards Lewis in the future"

I thought everyone hated team orders? Ham was not playing nice, I agree, but team orders?

[Flieger]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

That is a nice dress that girl is almost wearing.....

Is that the same girl they kept cutting the camera to in the Mercedes garage (alternating with Nico's wife and Jensen's mum)?

[MFAFF]

Hmmm..

Two things going on here..
LH playing games to win is fine, no rules broken and its his need to win was paramount.
LH, as an employee of the Merc team, not doing as he is instructed is a different matter. He is, as he has admitted in the past, totally unaware of the overall race picture (perhaps only when it suits him) and so in no position to tell the team to let them race. Its not his team...

If he would like to be in a team where he dictates the race strategy then go to one that will allow him that, Merc doesn't.

The first is good for the racing, the second is bad for him and the team and let's face it LH needs Merc more than the other way round.

One interesting point the seems to get very little air time.. if, as LH mentions the swap of some of his side of the garage to the other side was important he is admitting that he had an team provided advantage for the last two years, and hence NR's results would have been affected, making his last two WDC less of an achievement

The other aspect is that LH appears, to me, to have an unquenchable thirst for always being the fastest...regardless of the needs of that session. In a world where resources are limited (the debate about whether its good or bad is a different one) the ability to use as much as is needed at the time is a skill which is worth track position and results....LH was the only Merc driver to enjoy a number of problems, and the fastest in the car and 'hardest' on his engines. Yet the common view is a deliberate attempt to influence the WDC rather than LH's own approach to driving the car...From previous experience with LH it is well known that he is a very demanding driver of his machinery, which has yielded a fantastic success rate, however on this occasion his great skill has perhaps worked against him sufficiently to alter the results; whilst NR, less gifted with raw speed, has seen the advantages of a less is more approach, one favoured by a certain N. Lauda, A. Prost and J. Stewart....

It will be interesting to see how the team respond and for next year how they match up to the progress that Red Bull should make.

[Deschodt]

Pirelli tire test today.. Lewis pulled out because we was "unwell"... Mercedes has to use their reserve driver. It's not important, just a test of next year's tires ;-) All other teams have their big name drivers on it !

So unwell is code work for "couldn't be arsed"... Lewis has been unwell at a bunch of tests this year, last time he had a sore foot as I recall ;-) Most of those tests, Rosberg did dutifully - this time it's Werhlein probably because Rosberg is drunk as a skunk and on his way to sponsor stuff in Malaysia ;-) Still, I think it summarizes Hamilton's work ethic... He's probably already on his jet towards Barbados to "recover" with a couple rapper friends or getting a new tatoo...

[motion]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

Damn, I'm old. Seems only a few years ago I took this pic of his Dad It was cool that Keke stayed way behind the scenes and wasn't grandstanding in the paddock like some do.

Nice photos!

[motion]

Mercedes could have laid out a very simple policy to eliminate any final race drama: Whomever was leading in the points into the last race gets the championship. Period. (assuming no DNF or stupid mistakes). They knew they would be 1-2 in the race, so this policy would have eliminated any shenanigans. I think its something they should implement at the beginning of the season and make both drivers agree to... or else.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Deschodt

Pirelli tire test today.. Lewis pulled out because we was "unwell"... Mercedes has to use their reserve driver. It's not important, just a test of next year's tires ;-) All other teams have their big name drivers on it !

So unwell is code work for "couldn't be arsed"... Lewis has been unwell at a bunch of tests this year, last time he had a sore foot as I recall ;-) Most of those tests, Rosberg did dutifully - this time it's Werhlein probably because Rosberg is drunk as a skunk and on his way to sponsor stuff in Malaysia ;-) Still, I think it summarizes Hamilton's work ethic... He's probably already on his jet towards Barbados to "recover" with a couple rapper friends or getting a new tatoo...

Maybe hambone was too busy grooming his new douche bag facial hair.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Flieger

Is that the same girl they kept cutting the camera to in the Mercedes garage (alternating with Nico's wife and Jensen's mum)?

That is a big pet peeve of mine. So many race coverage broadcasts keep cutting away from the race to show me pictures of the wife or girlfriend looking worried. ARGGGHHHH

Yea, I understand she is worried, I DON"T CARE. Show the dang race and if I want to see the wife or girlfriend looking worried I will watch the gossip pages or wherever it is covered. Show the dang race! It is that simple. I don't care about some celebrity movie stars, sports stars or anything unless they are in the race.

[nota]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

That is a big pet peeve of mine. So many race coverage broadcasts keep cutting away from the race to show me pictures of the wife or girlfriend looking worried. ARGGGHHHH

Yea, I understand she is worried, I DON"T CARE. Show the dang race and if I want to see the wife or girlfriend looking worried I will watch the gossip pages or wherever it is covered. Show the dang race! It is that simple. I don't care about some celebrity movie stars, sports stars or anything unless they are in the race.

esp at the finish
they show the winner and maybe second or 3rd place
if the race is close
then cut to team/wife/GF/crowd shots
never mind 4th thru 10th

[yellowperil]

I always was of fan of Keke, ,and a great picture of him in that beautiful Williams. Other guy is Jacques Lafitte, but who is at far left? Don't know him maybe he's not a driver.

[URY914]

[Craig T]

[astrochex]

I got Keke's autograph one year at the LBGP.

I saw him walking about with no fanfare. I was really surprising to see him. I called his name and asked for his signature for which he kindly obliged. I still marvel at the occasion.

[URY914]

[legion]

I think Hamilton is conflicted right now. His longest (and probably best) friend is his teammate and biggest rival. Part of him is probably legitimately happy for Rosberg. Part of him is probably very angry that he did not win the championship, especially given the fact that if it weren't for a few mechanical issues that were not his fault, he would have won a couple more races and had it locked away a few races early again.

[911Freak]

Nico Rosberg just announced his retirement.
One and done!
http://https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/rosberg-retires/

[GH85Carrera]

That is amazing. I guess he does not need the money. He is not saving up to move to Monaco.

[astrochex]

Wow, actual shocking news on F1.

Congrats to Nico on leaving on his own terms, as the champion.

The F1 silly season is now blown up.