Lewis Hamilton has taken another massive step towards winning this year's World Championship by dominating the Japanese Grand Prix while Bottas completes the Mercedes 1-2. Max Verstappen finished a close third. Championship contender Sebastian Vettel was 6th at the finish line.
the fight between max and kimi is what im interested in this race. Can Kimi pass him?
then there is the toro rosso battle between hartley and gasley. Can Brendon give a good showing at honda's home race to keep his seat?
So how about tyres strategies in the race ... for Merc is a one-stopper S-M or S-SS had they could go long on the first stint? Or maybe they could even go for a two stop S-SS-SS race, depending on tyre and race situation, isn`t it?
Getting handed a win is like being handed a bunch of money you didn't earn. Sure it's nice, but it's different than if you earned it yourself -- it has debt associated with it and that shifts the whole psychology from one of merit to one of payment. Bottas knows this as well as any other competitive person knows this. The chance for a win was taken from him. Good or bad that's life, and that it can't be returned or ever replaced.
How many of us have respect for a man/woman who was given all their money from inheritance as opposed to one that earned every dime via blood, sweat, and tears? There's no comparison. Every time he looked at that trophy it would just be a reminder it was handed to him as a "thank you for serving us", not "great job you did it".
Even if it was payback to make it fair, it's just a reminder that it was a payback to make it fair. It's like McLaren keeping all the original trophies and having replicas made...only this would be worse.
If they make Bottas move over again, bummer bob that's life. Don't like it? Go drive for Williams or McLaren and see how fun struggling every weekend works out for ya.
But nobody wants a hand out trophy. That's just insulting. That's how I'd feel about it anyway. I'm sure last weeks 1st place for Hamilton has nothing of the quality of his other merit earned wins. Heck he was trying to give it back on the podium if my assumption is correct? He couldn't wait to get rid of it! I'm sure Bottas didn't want it at that point either. Who would? The whole thing is wreked. Sad but that's how it will be in any team that unites behind one driver. It will never change as long as that's the case.
It would have been a lot more beneficial to open the corner and just carry on :s I kind of respect him for not straightlining the whole chicane but rightful penalty.
So Ham/Bot/Vet. It took a grand total of 2 laps to return to normal haha