Silly Season 2018/2019

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nevill3
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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I thought Hamilton only signed his shorter deal because of the impending changes to F1 in 2021. A lot of the teams have similar deals with their drivers and Hamilton has been clever enough to ensure he can either get out or move when the new regs start. I can just see Hamilton driving for Bugatti in 2021 (VW), retiring with 7 WDCs or driving for a record eighth WDC one last season with a resurgent McLaren
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PlatinumZealot
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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nevill3 wrote:
07 Oct 2018, 19:26
I thought Hamilton only signed his shorter deal because of the impending changes to F1 in 2021. A lot of the teams have similar deals with their drivers and Hamilton has been clever enough to ensure he can either get out or move when the new regs start. I can just see Hamilton driving for Bugatti in 2021 (VW), retiring with 7 WDCs or driving for a record eighth WDC one last season with a resurgent McLaren
He will never return to McLaren. It's just not the same.

There is an allure to being a 100% Mercedes driver, but I can see Hamilton running out his time with Mercedes and going to Ferrari if the car and the money is right. They have been his mortal enemy ever since, but Ferrari the last frontier, the final charge.
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Just_a_fan
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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I'm not sure Hamilton is that bothered about going to Ferrari. I think he has ambitions to try to match Schumacher's title / race win numbers. Let's face it, if he wins 7 titles (assuming this year and then even (or better than even) odds for the next two years, that's very possible) then he'll match Schumacher's titles and probably have close to, if not more, wins too. He already has the most poles by some margin. He could retire as the only F1 driver in history to have won at least one race in every season he competed in, too. (Fangio would have that record had he not raced in 1958 - a partial season for him and one without a win).

7 titles, 90+ wins (he's getting about 10 wins per year at the moment so two more equally successful years would take him to around Schuie's win record), 100+ poles? I reckon he'd settle for that!

Retiring straight away after that would give him better-than-Schumacher conversion rates too - his percentage poles and wins etc. are already better than Schumacher's (thanks to Schuie coming back from retirement in to a still-growing Mercedes team). Not sure adding "Ferrari driver" to his CV would be as important as the numbers, to be honest.
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ScottB
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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I had thought Lewis may retire sooner rather than later, but he’s made a few references to being keen to drive the 2021 cars if they turn out to be cool, so who knows...

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jjn9128
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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I've a feeling that one of the reasons why Mercedes are so keen to retain Ocon is in case of the scenario that Hamilton pulls a Rosberg after this season, if not they can replace Bottas in '20 if he doesn't up his game. I don't see Hamilton as having the same drive to beat Schumacher's records (it's utterly meaningless anyway as you can never compare eras, Schumacher's pole position count is significantly lower than his race wins because of 1 lap and race fuel qualifying, while his wins-to-starts is worse because of racing in an era with worse reliability) as Vettel does and he seems content with moving into fashion and music.
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Jolle
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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jjn9128 wrote:
08 Oct 2018, 14:31
I've a feeling that one of the reasons why Mercedes are so keen to retain Ocon is in case of the scenario that Hamilton pulls a Rosberg after this season, if not they can replace Bottas in '20 if he doesn't up his game. I don't see Hamilton as having the same drive to beat Schumacher's records (it's utterly meaningless anyway as you can never compare eras, Schumacher's pole position count is significantly lower than his race wins because of 1 lap and race fuel qualifying, while his wins-to-starts is worse because of racing in an era with worse reliability) as Vettel does and he seems content with moving into fashion and music.
hmmm, they might, but Hamilton doing a Rosberg are very minimal. Rosberg had one goal: beat Hamilton. Hamilton has one big goal: enjoy racing (and make a lot of money in the proces). He almost enjoys races with lots of battles and coming in fourth more then a dominating one from the front. Also, he's not moved by numbers, as for instance Vettel is. I can see Vettel walk away when a all time record is out of his reach. Hamilton knows, as long as he loves racing, he has to be in a F1 car, while fashion and music will still be there when you're 40 something. Look at Schumacher. Great champion and still had to retire twice when he didn't really wanted to. A lot of great drivers didn't end their career on their own terms (like Raikkonen is doing).

But just imagine: breaking every record the coming seasons and then as a final push, a few years at Ferrari, because of a check you can't see no too, an eights championship and breaking 100 wins.

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NathanOlder
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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Jolle wrote:
08 Oct 2018, 15:05
jjn9128 wrote:
08 Oct 2018, 14:31
I've a feeling that one of the reasons why Mercedes are so keen to retain Ocon is in case of the scenario that Hamilton pulls a Rosberg after this season, if not they can replace Bottas in '20 if he doesn't up his game. I don't see Hamilton as having the same drive to beat Schumacher's records (it's utterly meaningless anyway as you can never compare eras, Schumacher's pole position count is significantly lower than his race wins because of 1 lap and race fuel qualifying, while his wins-to-starts is worse because of racing in an era with worse reliability) as Vettel does and he seems content with moving into fashion and music.
hmmm, they might, but Hamilton doing a Rosberg are very minimal. Rosberg had one goal: beat Hamilton. Hamilton has one big goal: enjoy racing (and make a lot of money in the proces). He almost enjoys races with lots of battles and coming in fourth more then a dominating one from the front. Also, he's not moved by numbers, as for instance Vettel is. I can see Vettel walk away when a all time record is out of his reach. Hamilton knows, as long as he loves racing, he has to be in a F1 car, while fashion and music will still be there when you're 40 something. Look at Schumacher. Great champion and still had to retire twice when he didn't really wanted to. A lot of great drivers didn't end their career on their own terms (like Raikkonen is doing).

But just imagine: breaking every record the coming seasons and then as a final push, a few years at Ferrari, because of a check you can't see no too, an eights championship and breaking 100 wins.
Yeah I agree, I think if Lewis wins 19 & 20, he will definitely stay for another year or 2. If he doesn't win then he will leave with 5 titles and 80+ wins.
If he wins those 2 years he will be a 7 time champions 90+ wins, and having won 4 titles in a row, he will probably have Mercedes and Ferrari offering him a blank cheque! So which ever team he wants, he can choose.
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WaikeCU
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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Hmm... difficult.

- Challenging for Schumacher’s 7 WDC’s and becoming the record holder.

Or

- Moving to Ferrari and win the WDC, which means...
- Win WDC’s with 3 different teams.
- Confirmation he’s better than Alonso and Vettel, because he can win the WDC with Ferrari and it’s not a curse.

Just_a_fan
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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One important question - would Ferrari give Hamilton the freedom to be his own man in the way that Mercedes does? One of the reasons for leaving McLaren was that they were very controlling of the drivers' time. They had lots of sponsor and other corporate stuff to do leaving little time for the drivers. Going to fashion shows and "partying" (this is 2010+ F1 driver partying, of course, not the "getting legless and throwing up everywhere" partying of the frat house) were not in Ron Dennis's driver playbook.

Mercedes allows Hamilton to go off and "do his thing", they allow him to impose what appears to be a punishing private schedule on himself. Lots of people say that Hamilton shouldn't do these things, how can he be fresh and ready to compete etc. Would Ferrari take that line? Would they let Hamilton be Hamilton? If not, Hamilton won't win them a title.
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.

NL_Fer
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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Hamilton and Italian fashion, soccer players and talking Italian with a British accent? Why not.

Here is a scoop, Bottas a the Mercedes-HWA formula E driver for 2020.

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WaikeCU
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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Has there ever been someone who has won WDC’s with 3 different teams? I think that’s a pretty special statistic as well.

Raleigh
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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WaikeCU wrote:
09 Oct 2018, 03:33
Has there ever been someone who has won WDC’s with 3 different teams? I think that’s a pretty special statistic as well.
Fangio won WDC with 4 different teams (Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Mercedes and Ferrari).

Still, no one has won WDC with more than 2 different teams since so 3 would still a record for modern F1.

Just_a_fan
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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And in these days of people wailing about team orders, it's worth remembering that Fangio won twice thanks to team orders - one of those actually giving him the title in 1956. In 1951 his team mate was ordered to give Fangio his car as Fangio's was broken. Not just swap places, but hand over the car! The team mate was so angry that he quit Grand Prix racing on the spot - compare to modern drivers' responses to team orders. In 1956, the same thing happened but Fangio was given Collins' car - Collins could have won the title himself but still gave up his car to help Fangio win the title. Different times, of course, with different attitudes but the point still stands that team orders are old as F1 itself.
If you are more fortunate than others, build a larger table not a taller fence.

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NathanOlder
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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Just_a_fan wrote:
08 Oct 2018, 20:59
One important question - would Ferrari give Hamilton the freedom to be his own man in the way that Mercedes does? One of the reasons for leaving McLaren was that they were very controlling of the drivers' time. They had lots of sponsor and other corporate stuff to do leaving little time for the drivers. Going to fashion shows and "partying" (this is 2010+ F1 driver partying, of course, not the "getting legless and throwing up everywhere" partying of the frat house) were not in Ron Dennis's driver playbook.

Mercedes allows Hamilton to go off and "do his thing", they allow him to impose what appears to be a punishing private schedule on himself. Lots of people say that Hamilton shouldn't do these things, how can he be fresh and ready to compete etc. Would Ferrari take that line? Would they let Hamilton be Hamilton? If not, Hamilton won't win them a title.
Mclaren drivers must have plenty of free time now then :lol:

I think if Lewis was a 7 tie champion and Ferrari wanted him, They would let him do as he pleases, as it's very clear now thats how you get the best out of him. It seems Vettel does what he likes with his time, you just never see him at big events ect. Come to think of it, what does Seb get up to in his spare time ?
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Re: Silly Season 2018/2019

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NathanOlder wrote:
09 Oct 2018, 14:01
...Come to think of it, what does Seb get up to in his spare time ?
Kimi: Gee, Seb, what do you want to do tonight?
Seb: The same thing we do every night, Kimi - try to take over the world!

Appologies to Pinky and the Brain.

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