Nico Rosberg has won the Japanese Grand Prix in a straightforward and controlled way. Vettel briefly looked like a threat until his pitstop strategy failed him. Max Verstappen finished second, just ahead of Lewis Hamilton who had another difficult afternoon.
strad wrote:I made a mistake of reading bloggers, Saward https://joesaward.wordpress.com/: What race was he watching because in the real world it didn't happen. What challenge, where did he hold him? By being safely in front all the time? Are they paying them to put the right names in some made up positive context or what?
Before the podium Max was even saying to Rosberg how he noticed he was taking things really easy from right after the start.
True. I would only mention that Verstappen had a better start and with a longer straight he could challenge Nico but not in Japan.
Manoah2u wrote:Lewis definately making a mess of this weekend all by himself. Should have jumped back on as hard as he could, instead all i seen all weekend was a absolute mess. I don't know where his head's at, but it's not where it should be. The press conference games were an odd thing to see the weekend start with but in the end a clear signal he's not doing what he should - focusing completely on winning and surpassing himself. I don't know what that start was about but it was a real real mess. Atleast he admitted it was a screwup, but well, he lost the race - and a more decent chance at the WDC - by that mess. I feel like it started with the 'test start' from the pitlane. he was taking a lot of time and though he got away fairly well, it all seemed messy to me - or should i say, not flowing well. Lewis, if you lose this WDC, you did it yourself with this weekend mate. Tech issues are out of your own league, but this was a model weekend to do all you could to still grab it.
Agree, this sort of mistakes can, and probably will cost him the title.
Phil wrote:This year, the starts seem to be quite a lottery, at least in one of those Mercedes. We know Hamilton can ace starts - he has done so more often than not last year and the year before already, yet this year, he seems to have problems with it that are not solely driver related.
Not sure about if there´s some pattern, but in this case, Suzuka poor start was 100% Lewis fault. De la Rosa pointed out he didn´t put the engine at the correct rpm for the start, his wheel didn´t show any led lit up. They (spanish tv) then showed his and Nico start togheter and Nico obviously put the engine at the rpm it must be for the start, with two red leds lit up, while Lewis wheel has all leds off. Rookie mistake sincerely, not what you´d expect from a 3 times WDC fighting for the 4th title
Well there we have it. Over at autosport those Lewis fans are blaming everything else but Lewis.
strad wrote:Add in a lack of feel as in a traditional clutch pedal and you have a very delicate situation.
Depends, is there any kind of feel to the paddle? I honestly have no idea...
How much feel do you really need though? When you drive your car, do you feel the bite point through your foot, or is it really a host of other things that let you know that things are starting to happen? I mean, 95% of the time 95% of the drivers get it right, so it can't be too tricky. Apart from issues like Verstappen in Singapore, isn't it only the Mercedes drivers who are struggling?
It probably has to do with the way their engine and gearbox function. One might argue that they have compromised standing starts in favour of other areas, creating a more sensitive area.
It seems Lewis is most plagued in this so he's somehow not really as good to adapt to exactly that, which is costing him dearly. It's probably rather a combination of elements.
The clutch bite point is 'found' on the lap to the grid, assuming it is somehow related to the memory of the car so it's not something that is standard. It seems thus that the first step in having a good start, and the first chance to ruin your start is in this moment. I find it notable that Lewis took a suspicious amount of time from the pits 'a bit further on btw' to prepare the start, where other cars were in a similar flow and seemed to have no problems in doing just that - neither did nico.
Then there's the start itself. Putting the clutch in the right setting, putting your feet exactly in the right point of pressure on the pedal, and checking on the rev indicator lights to 'check' if you're in the sweet zone. obviously, lewis was not. he admitted himself he screwed up. technically probably he also suffered a bit of 'pressure' - can you imagine how much that happens to lew' - but still, it was not executed well.
I think it's actually very tricky, as the tiniest of 'margin' in any direction will bring in a different outcome; from being faster than the ones in front to being slower than those behind and also on how you then put your feet to the ground and cause wheelspin, further ruining your start - which also happened to lewis after his poor getaway, so it was sort of a damage multiplier there growing exponentionally, and then he got in the worst situation in the corners, above all missing the 'flow' the other cars did find themselves in. any chance he had, went completely out of the window in under 2 corners.
only later on in the race he seemed to find himself 'back'. but by then, it was too late. let's hope he does NOT get tech issues for a change AND gets a good start in Austin. i'd like to see a technical perfect weekend for lewis, and lewis completely focused himself demanding perfection from himself.
If i would be able to give advise, i'd say cut the cr*p like twitter and stuff, and go at full professional and don't go 2 miles further but go 20 miles instead. You can relax and unwind and be a 'b-boy' when you've got that WDC in the final GP. He'll hit himself in the head if he loses this one, and gets a lot of critisism for his 'attitude' this year which seems extremely more 'distracted' with other things compared to the years before.
Could it also be additionally that lewis' driving style and 'way of racing' puts more stress to the car compared to that of Rosberg, who seemingly is 'smoother' and 'softer' on the car?
The car seems quite sensitive to operating windows, as Nico - despite making some questionable moves - cleary did have some situations where the car had too much understeer whilst on full opposite lock. they seem to be more prone to non-perfect braking aftermath [ smoking tires ] compared to the rest of the field, to me suggesting the Mercedes atleast of this year is far more sensitive and has a far narrower 'operating window' compared to the years before, especially remembering how its 'predecessor' worked on its'tires.
In simpler terms; it seems the 2016 Merc is more sensitive, and nico is able to be more precise and soft on the car, where Lewis is a bit more 'agressive' on it hampering him.
"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"
Manoah2u wrote:Could it also be additionally that lewis' driving style and 'way of racing' puts more stress to the car compared to that of Rosberg, who seemingly is 'smoother' and 'softer' on the car?
No, I would think that is quite unlikely. If we take Malaysia as an example, it defies all logic. Yes, Hamilton did have to drive faster than usually necessary relatively speaking because the RedBull of Max was pitted during the VS and saved 7+ seconds which could/would have given him track position, but Rosberg who ended up way behind by the end of the last lap was IMO more compromised, had to deal with dirty (and warmer) air opposed to clean air and of course Nico had the disadvantage of having to come through the field, thus having to drive more aggressive to make up for the spin.
If one would have to bet on any car being more sensitive to temperature, strain, load on any of the components from engine to brakes, one would bet on the car behind and not on the car ahead, dictating pace and driving in clean air. We have seen in pretty much all races since the RedBull domination era that the car leading seems to have a distinct advantage and also seems to suffer less from technical issues because it can be driven less aggressive or just as quick as one needs to be keep position and to win the race.
Yet.. in Malaysia, the technical issue hit precisely that car.
All other technical faults this year, like the problems with the MGU-H that seemed to be the problem with Lewis were probably not driver related either - just plain bad luck.
Not for nothing, Rosberg's Championship is the only thing that lends credibility to Hamilton's recent success. Otherwise, he'd just be the guy who's had the best car. — bhall II #Team44 supporter
Manoah2u wrote:Could it also be additionally that lewis' driving style and 'way of racing' puts more stress to the car compared to that of Rosberg, who seemingly is 'smoother' and 'softer' on the car?
Would this apply to the other 6 drivers using the Merc engines, that all of them have smooth driving styles compared to Lewis? Especially when you consider the fact that, those 6 drivers spend their whole life chasing one or the other car in every single race, incurring turbulent and hot air inside their air boxes and USE EVERY OUNCE OF POWER available in qualifying to get into Q3 in every race. You can argue that, more than the Mercedes team drivers, it is these 6 drivers who HAVE TO to use every bit of the power of the PU available, as their chassis is not as good as Mercedes to beat the competition. And miraculously, they don't have any failures. To me, the argument of Lewis' style of driving is a non starter.
Manoah2u wrote:In simpler terms; it seems the 2016 Merc is more sensitive, and nico is able to be more precise and soft on the car, where Lewis is a bit more 'agressive' on it hampering him.
Fortunately for Lewis, there seems to be respite for next year. Scarbs mentions in the following interview that there would be a sensor available for next year, that helps understand the torque demand for the start, which would help in having consistent starts. Whether that start is going to be great, would still depend upon the efficiency of the clutch, but I guess it wouldn't fool the driver anymore.
So if Lewis messes up some starts, cars must be modified to be easier?
Alonso has consistent starts, always, wich proves there´s no randomness at all, just some drivers messing up their own starts
As a side note, Lewis has never been one of those drivers who study their wheel to know what does each button/knob do. Remember Interlagos 07 when he ruined his own title by accidentally pressing the wrong button
I like Hamilton as a driver, but he has some weak points, even if his hardcore fans will never admit it
Andres125sx wrote:So if Lewis messes up some starts, cars must be modified to be easier?
Alonso has consistent starts, always, wich proves there´s no randomness at all, just some drivers messing up their own starts
As a side note, Lewis has never been one of those drivers who study their wheel to know what does each button/knob do. Remember Interlagos 07 when he ruined his own title by accidentally pressing the wrong button https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ryz0ulONkk
I like Hamilton as a driver, but he has some weak points, even if his hardcore fans will never admit it
Exactly what I've been saying, he's die-hard fans just won't accept he's capable of messing up and it's always something else . Luckily most of them spawn on autosport but some have filtered through
What race was he watching because in the real world it didn't happen. What challenge, where did he hold him? By being safely in front all the time? Are they paying them to put the right names in some made up positive context or what?
