2020 Spanish Grand Prix - Catalunya, August 14 - 16

[Big Tea]

That much is clear, yet Mercedes refuse to replace him with Russell in 2021, so what can fans do?

Write a strongly worded letter to Mercedes-AMG F1 Team noting the benefits of signing Russell or Alonso for that matter?

It's absurd that Alonso is excluded from the Mercedes-AMG team for trivial reasons (a $100m fine for McLaren-Mercedes over a decade ago, which was not Alonso's fault anyway).

Why should Mercedes replace him? Hamilton is miles away from his team mate, but Bottas is a clean and stable enough driver to get points which help the team win the title at the end. And if there is a wingman-situation there is no better wingman than Bottas as well. So why replace him with a hungry young driver like Russell now?
They renew contracts with Valtteri because of the reasons I've stated, not because they think he's one of the best drivers out there. That's for sure.

How is there no better wingman? IN 2017 and 2018 when you account for the big mistakes, the points lost by Vettel and Ferrari, and Kimi in the case of Singapore, Ferrari could have at the very least been in the fight for both titles both seasons. How was Bottas being a great wingman in the loads of races where he was the slowest of the top 3 team drivers while Hamilton was winning. In Brazil or the US where Bottas was being passed and doing a third stop because his tire life was so bad while Ham was winning or pushing for the win, or other races where Ham was fighting for 2nd place and Bottas was 5th or 6th again.

It's easy to be a wingman in a dominant car, you don't need a good wingman in a dominant car, in a competitive season Bottas's lack of performance in 2017/18 could and should have cost Merc both titles.

More importantly Bottas can't take over for Hamilton, sure if he left in lets say 2023 and Merc are utterly dominant in 2024 Bottas could win easily, if Ham leaves and Merc are only a top 3 car Bottas will be terrible leading the team. Russell could potentially lead the team but he needs time in a competitive car, making on track passes, fighting in Q3, learning his race craft and tire wear with a real benchmark to improve against. Right now Russell barely does any racing and his tire wear, who knows because he's had weak team mates so his tire wear could be good or if he stepped into Merc tomorrow it might be drastically worse than Bottas.

Right now that second seat is wasted on Bottas, with a dominant car anyone can achieve what he's doing but in a championship season he's proven he isn't good enough. Merc need to be cycling people through that second seat till they get someone who can show the potential to match Hamilton and take over when he retires. That seat should have Russell in it either proving he has the potential or proving he doesn't then going forwards from there.

Last year Bottas finished 87 points behind Hamilton, but still 48 in front of Max with much of that coming from seconds
If Hamilton was not there he would probably have picked up 25's instead of 18's and been clear winner anyway.

A replacement for Lewis in numbers if not in fact. What more can a team mate do?

[dans79]

Russell could potentially lead the team but he needs time in a competitive car, making on track passes, fighting in Q3, learning his race craft and tire wear with a real benchmark to improve against. Right now Russell barely does any racing and his tire wear, who knows because he's had weak team mates so his tire wear could be good or if he stepped into Merc tomorrow it might be drastically worse than Bottas.

Right now that second seat is wasted on Bottas, with a dominant car anyone can achieve what he's doing but in a championship season he's proven he isn't good enough. Merc need to be cycling people through that second seat till they get someone who can show the potential to match Hamilton and take over when he retires. That seat should have Russell in it either proving he has the potential or proving he doesn't then going forwards from there.

Other than the fact that he seems to be a good qualifier, I haven't seen anything showing he deserves a seat at a top team. For example in the Styrian Grand Prix, he qualified 12 and started 11th because of Leclerc's penalty, but through it all away on lap 4, and he knows it.

https://www.gpfans.com/en/articles/5432 ... -gp-error/

"I had Lando [Norris] and [Lance] Stroll ahead of me [at the restart]. I was tucked up behind Lando, I had the inside line out of [turn] three, but Kevin [Magnussen] was on my outside, and he managed to overtake me on the brakes into four.

He went wide, I kept it on the inside of the exit of the corner and was planning to try and hold it on the outside into turn six, but I went in too deep, I locked the rears which put me off line, and there was just zero grip there.

"It was complete driver error, I completely hold my hands up to that, and I apologise to the team. It wasn't good enough from my side. It was a very difficult race from then on in, with a huge lack of pace in comparison to our qualifying speed."

The markerboard incident from last year in france is another example.


This is the kind of stuff that costs you the chance at a seat in a top team.

[Schuttelberg]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

[basti313]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

True. For me the big and only question today was why they screwed Bottas. You can not overtake a similar pace car in Barcelona....gap to Ves was 1.4sec one lap before the second Ves stop. Easy undercut with the knowledge that the tires live long.

[dans79]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

True. For me the big and only question today was why they screwed Bottas. You can not overtake a similar pace car in Barcelona....gap to Ves was 1.4sec one lap before the second Ves stop. Easy undercut with the knowledge that the tires live long.

Maybe Red bull beat them to it.

[Sieper]

They did. The wall was fine today, as they usually are. Helped of course by Bottas falling back to 4th.

[Alexf1]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

Well, at least they are consistent in trying to make us believe that all the titles they've won were hard fought against an array of superclose enemies..

[nzjrs]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

Well, at least they are consistent in trying to make us believe that all the titles they've won were hard fought against an array of superclose enemies..

Amazing domiance by MB, but It's crazy to think the best season in the hybrid era was won by Rosberg.

[Mchamilton]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

Well, at least they are consistent in trying to make us believe that all the titles they've won were hard fought against an array of superclose enemies..

Amazing domiance by MB, but It's crazy to think the best season in the hybrid era was won by Rosberg.

lets not go there with that season shall we

[dans79]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

Well, at least they are consistent in trying to make us believe that all the titles they've won were hard fought against an array of superclose enemies..

Amazing domiance by MB, but It's crazy to think the best season in the hybrid era was won by Rosberg.

speaking of Rosberg, it's amazing how fast he's started to look like his dad.

[PlatinumZealot]

Ric and Max wasn't a toxic relationship. Ric left because Redbull made a public declaration that they were going to build around Max. Ric being the ambitious guy that he is, decided that it was better for him to take his talents elsewhere and maybe, just maybe Ferrari or Mercedes will come calling at a later date. His gamble hasn't paid off just yet, but it was the right carll.He was never going to win a WDC at REdbull, because Redbull has chosen Max. I mean, just look at what is going on in the second Redbull since he has left. It's almost like it's a test car for them and everyone in that car cannot drive to their maximum ability.

Unbeknownst to him, Ricciardo's Cowardice would never get him a number one seat at Mercedes or Ferrari. He should have thought carefully before jumping. If he was gonna be number 2 to Max on pure pace, he should have accepted it, be a good number 2 and then his chances at Mercedes or Ferrari would have astronomically increased and he might just have a chance of upgradin his number 2 to number ones there.

[JordanMugen]

Serious question here. What exactly have you seen in RUSs short F1 career that makes you believe that a) he can match HAM? b) if I can be a bit more sensible here - that he’s a match for BOT?

Nevermind the F1 career. Russell is F2 champion in his debut season, the same as Hamilton (GP2). This is more than enough to show that Russell is very good.

[Schuttelberg]

Bottas actually blaming luck for his situation and actually admitting that this championship is more or less done!!!

[sprint car76]

Ric and Max wasn't a toxic relationship. Ric left because Redbull made a public declaration that they were going to build around Max. Ric being the ambitious guy that he is, decided that it was better for him to take his talents elsewhere and maybe, just maybe Ferrari or Mercedes will come calling at a later date. His gamble hasn't paid off just yet, but it was the right carll.He was never going to win a WDC at REdbull, because Redbull has chosen Max. I mean, just look at what is going on in the second Redbull since he has left. It's almost like it's a test car for them and everyone in that car cannot drive to their maximum ability.

Unbeknownst to him, Ricciardo's Cowardice would never get him a number one seat at Mercedes or Ferrari. He should have thought carefully before jumping. If he was gonna be number 2 to Max on pure pace, he should have accepted it, be a good number 2 and then his chances at Mercedes or Ferrari would have astronomically increased and he might just have a chance of upgradin his number 2 to number ones there.

Obviously you have never driven a race car. A real race car driver doesn't "accept it". Red Bull doesn't have "second drivers" they have a number one and the "other" driver. Ric made the right move. Not much fun racing for a team that doesn't really consider you as an equal when it comes to gathering ideas for the next years race car. They are committed to Verstap. for the future. I don't blame them he's a heck of a talent. But, be real. Is Albon that bad and if he is whats he doing on that team. They chewed up Gasley and now he's doing quite well in Alpha Tauri. Only because they have been criticized lately do they seem to be putting in a real effort on Albons car. Tell me that, in the Spanish GP he wasn't the guinea pig to see what tires were going to work for Max in that race. It's a cutthroat sport.

[zibby43]

It's amazing how much effort Toto and Lewis put in trying to make us believe it's close. Even now. And one can't blame them considering the number of fools that fall for it!

Well, at least they are consistent in trying to make us believe that all the titles they've won were hard fought against an array of superclose enemies..

Remind me, who was leading the Driver’s Championship after Hungary in 2017?

And again, who was leading the Driver’s Championship and about to take a commanding lead during the German GP in 2018?

Think it was a German guy wearing red overalls.