2019 British Grand Prix - Silverstone, July 12-14

[ispano6]

They could have gone medium - hard from the outset. Going medium medium soft was always going to be a stretch. You doom the driver to a second stop.

Btw, who makes the call at Mercedes for who pits first?

Bottas stated that he and his engineers decided to 2-stop. Hamilton and his engineers decided to split the strategy. Hamilton's engineers got it right this time.

Mercedes give first stop priority to the leading of the two drivers.

Mercedes did not ruin Bottas's race with their strategy, the safety car did that.

Strange, aren't Bottas' engineers on team Mercedes? Did Bottas' engineers know that Lewis would split strategies? And while knowing this choose the two stop over Lewis' one stop, the slower of the two strategies? Wouldn't you call this a strategy blunder, regardless of whether or not a safety car was calculated into the two stopper? The hard tire has been proven to go the distance and retain performance late into a race. Perhaps Bottas side of the garage forgets this.

[dans79]

Strange, aren't Bottas' engineers on team Mercedes? Did Bottas' engineers know that Lewis would split strategies? And while knowing this choose the two stop over Lewis' one stop, the slower of the two strategies? Wouldn't you call this a strategy blunder, regardless of whether or not a safety car was calculated into the two stopper? The hard tire has been proven to go the distance and retain performance late into a race. Perhaps Bottas side of the garage forgets this.

Honestly, I think Bottas has been skewing his set up towards the softest tires since that's what's used in qualifying. I think this is how he's trying to get under Lewis's skin, as losing out in qualifying seems to be one of the few things that gets to Lewis. The consequences is he has worst tire life during the race, I mean honestly I can't think of a single race this year we're Bottas looked to have superior tire life.

[dtro]

What a freakin race.

[ispano6]

From Lewis.

"We had discussed the fastest way to the end was medium-medium-hard, but there were alternative strategies. That was something I’d looked into and I’d already decided at the beginning of the race that I was going to extend the first stint to 20 or 21 [laps]. Did I know we’d stay on a one-stop? No. But we have to be strategists a little bit ourselves.”

So obviously the team thought to do either medium medium hard or medium hard medium. What I am arguing is that both drivers should have been on medium hard and then determine if the last stop is needed. Hamilton knew ofcourse that this wasn't the fastest strategy and I suspect some of the strategists on his side of the garage as well. Bottas' side of the garage seems to have been convinced that a two stop was a given.

[PlatinumZealot]

Does anyone know if the pitlane rules have been changed? I remember some years ago the teams had to wait so there's a safe gap to other cars. I think Red Bull again released a car with no gap like in Monaco. I don't like penalties, especially in wheel to wheel racing but risk-taking on the pitlane can end-up in broken bones or worse.

He stayed to the right of the two white lines which is deemed not in the pitlane. If he were to cross over into the lane it would be an unsafe release though. That's how i interpret it.

[PlatinumZealot]

All in all, it was an entertaining race. But surely Hamilton’s luck needs to run out at some point, no?

Not if he keeps making more of it.

[TAG]

Strange, aren't Bottas' engineers on team Mercedes? Did Bottas' engineers know that Lewis would split strategies? And while knowing this choose the two stop over Lewis' one stop, the slower of the two strategies? Wouldn't you call this a strategy blunder, regardless of whether or not a safety car was calculated into the two stopper? The hard tire has been proven to go the distance and retain performance late into a race. Perhaps Bottas side of the garage forgets this.

Not sure where you're getting your information from but it's absolutely dead wrong.
"Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli says that a one-stop strategy for the British Grand Prix is 'practically ruled out', even for those not starting on the soft tyre."

In addition, if they were going to try a one stopper it would be with Hamilton since he's the only side of the garage that's proven to be far better than Bottas at eking life out of tires. Things just happen, and given the fact that Mercedes was asking Hamilton to pit even late in the race, they were always going to go with a two stopper if that was an option for Lewis. It's just that 1) Hamilton got more life out of the medium tires and two it made it an easy choice for his side of the garage to go with hards since he'd already gotten to within their Pirelli predicted window of life and the SC assured that he'd be able to get them gradually warm, further helping his cause.

Luck is often what you make of it.

[Jolle]

Shame about the safety car but Hamilton won the race a few laps before it came out. He was able to go longer on the first set of tires and Bottas wasn’t able to close the gap to less then a pitstop on fresh tires. If Hamilton would have pitted a few laps later, making a one stop work as well, he would have had advantage and track position.

I found it strange that Ferrari waited to pit Leclerc during the safety car, he had track position over Vettel but well...

The fights between Hamilton vs Bottas and Leclerc vs Verstappen were some of the best, hardest and fairest racing what we’ve seen in the past couple of races and I thing there were four drivers that really enjoy themselves. And there was Vettel. Oh well. Somehow he’s still in an unhappy place at the moment and really has to up his game to even have a chance against Hamilton and the new kids. He fell trough (again). What I did see as a silver lining, for one of the rare occasion he blamed himself. Now, please Vettel, work from that.

The future is looking good!!!

[Restomaniac]

My comment regarding safety car made absolutely no mention of a single comment about Bottas. Don't put words into my mouth.

How about your comment about the fans feeling robbed? As somebody who was there I can feel you that I found nobody who felt that way.

Watch a replay of Bottas wife and his side of the garage afterwards. And the replay of when Vettel took out Max. See the reaction of the crowd there? Arms up in the air. Don't forget, a lot of these teams are based right next door and all their families are there rooting their teams. So don't go saying nobody felt that way because that simply isn't true. Hamilton and British fans got what they came for so that's good for them. Plus I said many, not everyone.

So your evidence is Bottas’ side of the garage and his wife and a random camera shot of the crowd? Also I could be wrong but I think it’s a stretch to call team staff and their families ‘fans’.

So ‘many’ but nodody I spoke too or heard talking though, which included plenty of RedBull fans. Maybe it should have been ‘few’ or who knows many ‘very few’. Still you keep on though

[Restomaniac]

But surely Hamilton’s luck needs to run out at some point, no?

If someone is consistently "lucky" then the chances are that luck is not especially involved.

Aw shucks, Hamilton is the best driver in F1, no doubt. Not saying he didn’t deserve it.

But I know Bottas didn’t deserve to lose, either. He just doesn’t have a champion’s luck.

When Bottas pitted and he was still on Meds and then Hamilton went long it was obvious what was happening it didn’t need a safety car Bottas was already in trouble due him going to need an extra stop. Pirelli stated that the Hard tyre could do 30 laps and Hamilton did 32 including a fastest lap on lap 32 which beat Bottas’ last lap on Softs. After Hamilton and Bottas had been trading fastest laps on Hard and Medium tyres respectively.

Luck had nothing to do with it. Hamilton proved that the 2 stopper was the wrong choice. You want to put the blame anywhere then put it on Bottas and his side of the garage. Hell Hamilton even turned his nose up when he slapped down his team about a free pit stop so sure was he that he was right......He was.

[drunkf1fan]

Two stopper wasn't necessarily the wrong choice, just that he made the one stopper work fine but seeing as he's just generally faster than Bottas and significantly better on tire wear I wouldn't be certain that a one stop was the right choice for Bottas even if it was for Hamilton.

Bottas just isn't good on tire wear. I've said for a long while now but if Bottas can get ahead into the first corner at an Australia, Monaco, etc then sure he can win, and at super low deg tracks like Russia, again he can look good. Almost anywhere with real tire deg he's just not competitive. Even Toto called him out as tire wear being his next biggest flaw. If he wants to fight Ham he needs to basically study the hell out of Ham and work to change his driving style to get the same tire life, if he keeps doing the same thing over and over he's not going to get anywhere. COmpetitive in qualifying but can't match in race pace, remind you of any other of Ham's team mates

[foxmulder_ms]

They could have gone medium - hard from the outset. Going medium medium soft was always going to be a stretch. You doom the driver to a second stop.

Btw, who makes the call at Mercedes for who pits first?

Bottas stated that he and his engineers decided to 2-stop. Hamilton and his engineers decided to split the strategy. Hamilton's engineers got it right this time.

Mercedes give first stop priority to the leading of the two drivers.

Mercedes did not ruin Bottas's race with their strategy, the safety car did that.

Strange, aren't Bottas' engineers on team Mercedes? Did Bottas' engineers know that Lewis would split strategies? And while knowing this choose the two stop over Lewis' one stop, the slower of the two strategies? Wouldn't you call this a strategy blunder, regardless of whether or not a safety car was calculated into the two stopper? The hard tire has been proven to go the distance and retain performance late into a race. Perhaps Bottas side of the garage forgets this.

peah...

Lewis *made* 1-stop faster. It wasn't the faster one. Almost the whole field did 2-stop. Lewis is so much faster that even on hardest tire he was faster than Bottas on the softest.

[spin1/2]

Seb and Max collide for the second time in 2yr. But, the situation is reversed this time. It shows how much the two drivers have changed in a year. Max is a more complete driver now. Seb seems to have been irreparably affected after two title beatdowns by Ham.

I’m watching the race now, I ff-ing hate race control for that totally UNNECESSARY safety car. Giovinazzi’s car was lightyears away from the track, what BS.
This really screws up Bottas and Leclerc who were both doing a stellar job against Hamilton and Verstappen respectively.

After the Jules Bianchi incident, they always have safety car.
Death of a person is considered worse than driver dropping a few places.

All in all, it was an entertaining race. But surely Hamilton’s luck needs to run out at some point, no?

It did. In 2016.

[ispano6]

Strange, aren't Bottas' engineers on team Mercedes? Did Bottas' engineers know that Lewis would split strategies? And while knowing this choose the two stop over Lewis' one stop, the slower of the two strategies? Wouldn't you call this a strategy blunder, regardless of whether or not a safety car was calculated into the two stopper? The hard tire has been proven to go the distance and retain performance late into a race. Perhaps Bottas side of the garage forgets this.

Not sure where you're getting your information from but it's absolutely dead wrong.
"Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli says that a one-stop strategy for the British Grand Prix is 'practically ruled out', even for those not starting on the soft tyre."

In addition, if they were going to try a one stopper it would be with Hamilton since he's the only side of the garage that's proven to be far better than Bottas at eking life out of tires. Things just happen, and given the fact that Mercedes was asking Hamilton to pit even late in the race, they were always going to go with a two stopper if that was an option for Lewis. It's just that 1) Hamilton got more life out of the medium tires and two it made it an easy choice for his side of the garage to go with hards since he'd already gotten to within their Pirelli predicted window of life and the SC assured that he'd be able to get them gradually warm, further helping his cause.

Luck is often what you make of it.

Pirelli said they didn't have enough data about the new surface effect and recommended soft soft hard.

In previous races, the C1 has been fast AND durable. Fastest laps were still being set toward the end of races. Hamilton knew this, so I guess Bottas does have lower F1 IQ than Hamilton!

[ispano6]

How about your comment about the fans feeling robbed? As somebody who was there I can feel you that I found nobody who felt that way.

Watch a replay of Bottas wife and his side of the garage afterwards. And the replay of when Vettel took out Max. See the reaction of the crowd there? Arms up in the air. Don't forget, a lot of these teams are based right next door and all their families are there rooting their teams. So don't go saying nobody felt that way because that simply isn't true. Hamilton and British fans got what they came for so that's good for them. Plus I said many, not everyone.

So your evidence is Bottas’ side of the garage and his wife and a random camera shot of the crowd? Also I could be wrong but I think it’s a stretch to call team staff and their families ‘fans’.

So ‘many’ but nodody I spoke too or heard talking though, which included plenty of RedBull fans. Maybe it should have been ‘few’ or who knows many ‘very few’. Still you keep on though

Family and employees aren't allowed to be fans? They are mere spectators and bystanders there against their will? Well shoot, I can't help you there.

https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/2718 ... ven-better