Motorsports Thread

[matticus]

I enjoyed the highlights; the first one I've sat through this year. Even Lewis slithered off the track once-or-twice! (how warm was it? I'd expected a track in Turkey to dry out quicker, even in mid-Nov). Poor old Stroll - still, at least he had his day in the limelight.
Hamilton certainly had one of the 3 fastest cars there (judged over 68 laps), but critically the opposition all made bigger errors than he did. IMO! So a well-earned win.

GOAT?? Well ... you can't compare him to the big names pre-Senna, as the F1 world was just too different. But he's got a strong claim to be better than Senna and Schuey. (Certainly marginally less arrogant than both). That's a bit harsh on Senna of course, as his career was tragically cut short. So the debate will always rumble on
I don't really "like" Hamilton - I prefer personalities like Hill or Hakkinnen, or that nice Lineker chap - but you can't say he was happy to smash his rivals off the track to win.

I think if the "recent Mercedes Era" had been less dull, then Hamilton would have earned more status in the history of the sport. I'd have liked to see a few years of him scrapping properly with Vettel, Raikonnen, Rosberg and Alonso in closer matched cars. Oh well!

 

[Illaveago]

I thought yesterday's race was good . What was thought to be a foregone conclusion ended up with a lot of wheel spin on the grid as other cars shot past. All of the driver's found the conditions to be bad but some managed to find a way of staying on the track long enough to finish on the podium .
I liked the way in which Sebastian Vettel was the first driver to go over and congratulate Lewis .
I think Lewis is fun. He makes sure that he waves to his fans at the races.
He was denied his first World Championship as it seemed that the establishment couldn't allow a rookie to win it .
He has had to compete against very good drivers in the same machinery and still won. People also thought that he was mad leaving McLaren to go to Mercedes at the time.

 

[Beebo]

From 1997 - 23 years ago. He seems like such a nice kid. His dad wasn’t a rich man but managed to survive and flourish in the sport. Very similar to the Williams sisters in tennis and Woods in golf. All are champions in middle class white sports.

View: https://youtu.be/DDjRdi5zv-w

 

[matticus]

If we're going to give credit for doing well in "Middle class white sports" I think Hamilton Sr should be getting the medals. He made the sacrifices to give Lewis the leg-up he needed. (The McLaren team also played a small - if self-interested! - part).

As I've tried to say, there are much more arrogant and unlikeable top sports people out there!

 

[Reynard]

Mmmmm, I was well, sort of engaged elsewhere yesterday.... Namely the BTCC finale at Brands... That went down to the last race, with three drivers still in contention.

Ash Sutton took his second title - well-deserved despite the fact I'm most definitely NOT a fan. Plus is was the first overall win for the TOCA engine rather than one from a manufacturer.

 

[Reynard]

I enjoyed the highlights; the first one I've sat through this year. Even Lewis slithered off the track once-or-twice! (how warm was it? I'd expected a track in Turkey to dry out quicker, even in mid-Nov). Poor old Stroll - still, at least he had his day in the limelight.
Hamilton certainly had one of the 3 fastest cars there (judged over 68 laps), but critically the opposition all made bigger errors than he did. IMO! So a well-earned win.

GOAT?? Well ... you can't compare him to the big names pre-Senna, as the F1 world was just too different. But he's got a strong claim to be better than Senna and Schuey. (Certainly marginally less arrogant than both). That's a bit harsh on Senna of course, as his career was tragically cut short. So the debate will always rumble on
I don't really "like" Hamilton - I prefer personalities like Hill or Hakkinnen, or that nice Lineker chap - but you can't say he was happy to smash his rivals off the track to win.

I think if the "recent Mercedes Era" had been less dull, then Hamilton would have earned more status in the history of the sport. I'd have liked to see a few years of him scrapping properly with Vettel, Raikonnen, Rosberg and Alonso in closer matched cars. Oh well!

Well, it's blazingly obvious that F1 teams no longer test at Silverstone in January like they used to

 

[Archie_tect]

Mmmmm, I was well, sort of engaged elsewhere yesterday.... Namely the BTCC finale at Brands... That went down to the last race, with three drivers still in contention.

Ash Sutton took his second title - well-deserved despite the fact I'm most definitely NOT a fan. Plus is was the first overall win for the TOCA engine rather than one from a manufacturer.

Ah TOCA Touring Cars [1 and 2] on the PlayStation... in the days when I could still win against my son!

 

[Reynard]

Ah TOCA Touring Cars [1 and 2] on the PlayStation... in the days when I could still win against my son!

I've still got the PC version somewhere...

Always used to race the #88 Vauxhall Vectra

 

[Archie_tect]

I've still got the PC version somewhere...

Always used to race the #88 Vauxhall Vectra

I liked the Volvos! ...except round Thruxton!

 

[Reynard]

I liked the Volvos! ...except round Thruxton!

Oooo... A Rickard Rydell fan then?

 

[figbat]

I liked the Volvos! ...except round Thruxton!

Tim Harvey used to live just along the road from me when he was at Volvo - often saw him driving past in a road-going one.

 

[Reynard]

Tim Harvey used to live just along the road from me when he was at Volvo - often saw him driving past in a road-going one.

I got to know Tim a bit back in the day when he was doing British GTs in a Dodge Viper in the early 2000s - a very funny and likeable man off the track, but a hard-as-nails racer on it.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Handicapping works well in other sports (horse racing and golf to name but two) as well as motor racing. There's a history of handicap races in motorsport stretching back to the sport's early days at Brooklands.

Alas in F1, there is no catch up unless all teams have the same or similar budgets, which isn't going to happen. Gone are the days in F1 where a garagiste team could compete on an equal footing to the works cars - the march of technology has seen to that.

And success ballast doesn't so much slow the cars down as change the handling characteristics. Back to touring cars as a case in point, most teams at the pointy end of proceedings will actually develop their car in such a way that optimum performance is actually achieved with a certain percentage of ballast. That's because other than the opening race of the season where no cars have any ballast on board, the leading cars in the championship will be, barring the odd exception, running heavy for pretty well much the rest of the season. And a good driver in a heavy car will still outperform a lesser driver in a light car.

How about introducing a draft system like they have in the NFL?

The worst performing team gets first pick of the drivers for the next season and the best team gets last pick.

 

[Smokin Joe]

How about introducing a draft system like they have in the NFL?

The worst performing team gets first pick of the drivers for the next season and the best team gets last pick.

How about the worst performing team gets a kick up the arse and told to do better. F1 is there to find the best, not reward the weakest.

 

[Beebo]

How about introducing a draft system like they have in the NFL?

The worst performing team gets first pick of the drivers for the next season and the best team gets last pick.

It about money in F1. Some drivers pay to drive and bring huge sponsorship. Others get their dad to buy the team.

The best drivers aren’t always in F1 if they can’t bring in the bucks.