Hamilton was just kidding. Rosberg was on the stage when Hamilton made those comments.
Hopefully they do.ringo wrote:Ban it I say!!
You mean 2013 I think...ringo wrote: In fact FRIC was Hamilton's weakness in 2012 and he still managed to drive around the weird brake feel.
Well, some people turn it always as they need to...ringo wrote: I'm not sure how Rosberg will respond to it, but he's not a weak driver by any means, so he may not be affected much as well. However Hamilton may be unperturbed.
The expectation is that Hamilton would deal with it better, because he's able to take any car, and naturally get a feel for it very quickly, and drive it, no matter how it handles. Meanwhile, rosberg will have to spend time thinking, tweaking and being analytical before he can get the most out of it.basti313 wrote:Well, some people turn it always as they need to...
Actually it was now claimed for half a season that Hamilton has "natural" speed and Rosberg is the more tactical, analytic driver.
Now they ban the system which keeps the car in an optimal state for the aero...so the driver may have to alter his line, do more tactical driving to ensure the car is in an optimal state for the aero. So why do you assume Ham would be unperturbed? I would rather expect the opposite as he has to nurse the car through the corners with tactical brake points and lines, somehow like Vettel did with the EBD.
I would refer to another point which helps Hamilton: Tire wear. It seems he is better on tire wear than Rosberg and the loss of FRIC will make tire wear crucial again.
What kind of drivability issues Hamilton's 2007-2008 McLaren had? Joint best car by a mile, best or second best depending on track. Nice marketing through association with Alonso but unsubstantiated. Unlike Alonso Hamilton couldn't put a very good season together in 2010-2011 which would have been a proof of greatness in-spite of a car. These weren't bad cars, especially 2010 was wasted opportunity with Vettel's mistakes and engine problems: Monza, Singapore etc. poor driving at crucial stage.prince wrote:Where there is a dominant car, you don't need a GREAT driver to drive it. Any Vettel can get to it win races. When the car is just decent, average or FAST, but has drivability issues, that is where you need a GREAT driver to get the best out of it. Alonso has been doing it for ages, Lewis has done it at McLaren. When Mercedes chased Lewis, they wouldn't have imagined that W05 would be such a beast. They would have thought, OK we are going to have a competitive car and having a very good driver would help us get the wins. If FRIC goes off and the car starts having some issues in drivability, that is when the real racer between Nico and Lewis would come out. As the aerodynamics have evolved, the FAST cars of late have been giving easy time for driver to throw it wherever he wants. In the past, cars were FAST, but had great deal of unsettling balance and great drivers managed victories out of them, whereas average ones just faded. For as long as Merc has a great car, the situation which is there today between two drivers would continue and I doubt if we know who is better among them in adapting.
I'd argue that while the '07 car was the best out there, the '08 car was not as good as the Ferrari.iotar__ wrote:What kind of drivability issues Hamilton's 2007-2008 McLaren had? Joint best car by a mile, best or second best depending on track.prince wrote:Where there is a dominant car, you don't need a GREAT driver to drive it. Any Vettel can get to it win races. When the car is just decent, average or FAST, but has drivability issues, that is where you need a GREAT driver to get the best out of it. Alonso has been doing it for ages, Lewis has done it at McLaren. When Mercedes chased Lewis, they wouldn't have imagined that W05 would be such a beast. They would have thought, OK we are going to have a competitive car and having a very good driver would help us get the wins. If FRIC goes off and the car starts having some issues in drivability, that is when the real racer between Nico and Lewis would come out. As the aerodynamics have evolved, the FAST cars of late have been giving easy time for driver to throw it wherever he wants. In the past, cars were FAST, but had great deal of unsettling balance and great drivers managed victories out of them, whereas average ones just faded. For as long as Merc has a great car, the situation which is there today between two drivers would continue and I doubt if we know who is better among them in adapting.
I think Hamilton had the #1 status in 2008 and 2009. Kovalainen back then was not much of a challenge to Hamilton, but was more than capable enough to play second string. I do think that 2013 Hamilton had the #1 status over Rosberg. I think the team did this. Mercedes were planning on improving a lot and with a WC joining the team, all his input would be important to make Mercedes a WC winning car. When Mercedes finally knew they had things going their way, they started leveling things out between the two drivers, which is what's happening right now. Both drivers now have a WC-winning car by a country mile and both 'sort of' get equal treatment within the team.ringo wrote:Hamilton never had a lackey and #1 status, so can't compare alonso's late renault and ferrari days.
Though the mclarens were good, they werent the easiest things to maneuver. They had peculiar behavior over the bumps since 2010. They weren't redbulls or lotus level of compliance and handling by any means. They were fast as bullets in high speed and straights, but not best all round.
I remember silverstone 2010 or 11 with the blown floor. Button didn't like it at all, couldn't drive it. Hamilton took the car and manhandled it around the track. One of the coolest qualifying sessions to watch.
There are countless examples where the mclaren has been difficult to settle into.
Why is Hamilton favourite again? I tried that in some other thread but only few are obvious for me and we know how it ended in clearest case Canada:Kingshark wrote:Which races do you guys expect Rosberg to beat Hamilton in? I'm curious because generally speaking Lewis is the favorite heading into most weekends.
The reason 2010 is not considered a better chance by most is because the McLaren that year was worse than the RedBull. In 2012, it was actually a faster car... Just Hamilton got all the bad luck it was possible to get, and lost 200 points in the process.iotar__ wrote:Re: Ham < Alo everyone's talking about 2012 (easier to blame a car) but 2010 was a bigger chance. After Spa: HAM 182 VET 151. Monza - win (at worst 2nd) + 25, Singapore 3rd I think? + 15; VETT Monza + 10 Sing +18 - 222-179; Korea + Japan + Brazil = RB unbeatable but one DNF (Ham 2nd there) and then the last race Abu Dhabi with comparable car. Huge chance wasted by Hamilton.
