Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
Ironically, the Merc car is so good at the moment that even if Bottas does slump, he will still be P2 (like exactly illustrated in the passed France weekend). So in a way the Great Car is killing of any chance Ocon might have had (had Bottas slumped, which so far he hasn't (last few races a bit, but still P2 mostly) in a similar fashion to last year.
Plus, don't forget, this is the part of the season where Hamilton usually gets into his groove. Almost like he needs a couple of races to settle in, be almost a normal driver and then comes into this special flow until they go to Brazil. That would take anyones self-confidence away.....
Ironically, the Merc car is so good at the moment that even if Bottas does slump, he will still be P2 (like exactly illustrated in the passed France weekend). So in a way the Great Car is killing of any chance Ocon might have had (had Bottas slumped, which so far he hasn't (last few races a bit, but still P2 mostly) in a similar fashion to last year.
The car is (almost) too good for that to happen.
It's been a great series of cars, and apparently suits both drivers pretty well. In the Rosberg days, was there much talk of the cars tending to suit one driver or the other?
Ironically, the Merc car is so good at the moment that even if Bottas does slump, he will still be P2 (like exactly illustrated in the passed France weekend). So in a way the Great Car is killing of any chance Ocon might have had (had Bottas slumped, which so far he hasn't (last few races a bit, but still P2 mostly) in a similar fashion to last year.
The car is (almost) too good for that to happen.
It's been a great series of cars, and apparently suits both drivers pretty well. In the Rosberg days, was there much talk of the cars tending to suit one driver or the other?
It looks like the car is a bit more nervous or, als they call it, a diva then pre-wide cars (the Rosberg years). It's my feeling that drivers like Hamilton and Verstappen are able to get the maximum from a nervous car or changing conditions compared to most of the field. I remember a German GP where just before Q3 the wind turned 180 degrees and suddenly Hamilton was more than half a second faster than Rosberg. And even at the last GP, tires cooled during the VSC, just for half a minute, and Bottas didn't have the feel to get them going again while Hamilton almost drove the fastest lap under the same conditions.
The more stable and predicable the car is, the closer the field is. And because we know Bottas is fast and still in that seat, the car isn't probably that predicable. And therefore, his work on Friday to collect data from the tires is very important.
the Great Car is killing of any chance Ocon might have had
Ocon will likely drive for Williams in 2020 -- if he stays as Mercedes contracted driver -- so it was IMO a misstep not to sign two-year Williams deal and be able to race at Williams in 2019 also.
Mercedes was not going to put 2 mercedes drivers @ williams, and nothing has changed so no, Ocon won't be at Williams in 2019 due to the fact Russell is there and he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Kubica might or might not stay, but if he leaves, again, Ocon won't get that seat as there's already a Merc driver occupying a seat at Williams. They will go for Russian roebels and re-hire Sirotkin or they might contract Nikita Mazepin,
as his rich daddy has Stroll-type money to throw around and would push his boy in a Williams seat.
It'd be the perfect fit on Williams in this day and age, throw in money for more golden diapers for claire's kid,
treat staff worse because there's more money to boast with, and have a literally proven to be violent driver
who fights with drivers who confront him by driving that he's got no talent at all.
No seat was available for Ocon this year, and i highly doubt there will be one available next year.
And that has very much to do aswell with Ocon's behaviour and destruction derby driving.
He's fast but uncontrolled and clearly has an ego without any selfreflection.
And no, that has zilch to do with the clash with Max a year ago.
It's pretty tell-all that Mercedes lets Ocon sit on the bench and have Russell in a car.
Ocon will not find himself a F1 seat next year and as such will go to WEC/LeMans or perhaps even
bail to Indy, where i think he'd flourish.
as an example, Ocon doesn't even come close to standing in Kamui Kobayashi's shadow, a guy who
cuts through the field like crazy and CAN unlap himself on the same circuit without crashing and
all of that against title contenders during an important title contending race. Yet that very same,
supremely talented and exciting driver has not gotten a seat in F1 ever again despite his talent.
If he had enough sponsor money, he'd have stayed.
So let's be honest here, if Kamui didn't get a seat, in which dimension would one be bothered by
Ocon getting or not getting a seat?
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"
So let's be honest here, if Kamui didn't get a seat, in which dimension would one be bothered by Ocon getting or not getting a seat?
2012, a young Perez outperforms Kobayashi across the board. 2018, a young Ocon destorys Perez in Quali, race performances and only falls behind by 4 points despite retiring four times to Perez's once.
Perhaps a better comparison would be 2017 with Verstappen falling nearly fifty points behind Ricciardo and showing a strong habit of driving into things. Red Bull stuck with him, despite him still driving into everyone and violently confronting anyone he wanted to in 2018 and were proved right to do so by his performances in 2019.
Ocon has acres of promise, as shown by him beating Verstappen in Formula 3 and outperforming Perez despite more DNFs and no experience in the car. He's also from a humble background rather than another silver-spoon driver so he's got good PR potential. Ocon sitting out whilst Grosjean, Gio, Gasly, etc are sitting in F1 seats is a damning indictment of a sport where money trumps talent.
I will politely disagree with picture the former post paints, i see a driver with a level of intensity that rivals Senna, aloof or indifferent drivers are always the backmarkers and Ocon wants to prove he is more by showing his flaws.
Good on him i say.
Hi. I think it's not fair to look at Ocon vs Verstappen in F3. Verstappen was a rookie even skipping R2.0, and missed a complete weekend. But when Verstappen was up to speed, Ocon was about the only one to challenge him. I think it's a shame Ocon is at the sideline. We have seen a short period of Bottas 2.0, but he is gone now. I can name a few obvious suspect, but I think he's better than Bottas.
It helps to put Ocon in comparison to other drivers on the market. The young talent has been contracted by the top 3 teams and Alonso has retired.
That leaves just journeymen to choose from.
Do you want two journeymen in your seats, or one with a young guy, who's already had 3 seasons of experience?
