2014 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona

[ringo]

Give it a rest, This IS better than the last few years

Because now it is Hamilton winning instead of Vettel?

The dominance of Mercedes is bigger than that of Red Bull ever was..
At least we had several teams winning during a season..

No, because we're actually seeing fighting up and down the field.

Exactly, the 50 second gap wasn't an issue today. And the reason is there was competition, racing going on. Regardless if it was interteam or 2 different teams, a battle is a battle.
If it was Hamilton way ahead with nothing to do but cruise home, i would agree that we have a boring season. But the gap to second was less than 1 second, So i don't see why we have Vettel and Kimi fans complaining here.

[George-Jung]

No, because we're actually seeing fighting up and down the field.

There are indeed more inter team battles, but rather meaningless with no chance at winning..

Pretty sure there was a chance of winning involved in the intra team battles.

You do realise that there can only be at most 1 person trying to overtake the leader, right?

Correct, but it is a shame that the only one able to try to overtake is his teammate in the same car,.

[flattyre]

Well I certainly enjoyed that. The first 40 laps or so were usual run-of-the-mill, but the last stint was as tense as hell also, the sight of Raikkonen fighting the car out of turn 8 will stay with me for a long time. If I'd seen this race back in 2002 or so, I'd be over the moon!!

[gandharva]

Vettel got fastest lap!! First time Mercedes haven't totally dominated, although you wouldn't know it watching it.

Because he was one of the last drivers getting new tires. All of the the "racing", some guys are talking about here, simply was coming from different tires (strategy/wear).

[gray41]

[beelsebob]

Vettel got fastest lap!! First time Mercedes haven't totally dominated, although you wouldn't know it watching it.

Because he was one of the last drivers getting new tires. All of the the "racing", some guys are talking about here, simply was coming from different tires.

If you don't see tyre strategy as racing and part of F1, then you haven't watched F1 at any point in the last 5 decades.

[flattyre]

Vettel got fastest lap!! First time Mercedes haven't totally dominated, although you wouldn't know it watching it.

Because he was one of the last drivers getting new tires. All of the the "racing", some guys are talking about here, simply was coming from different tires.

If you ask me, these drivers are so evenly matched that if they all had the same tires, the race would be a massive Trulli-train...

[beelsebob]

If you ask me, these drivers are so evenly matched that if they all had the same tires, the race would be a massive Trulli-train...

Of course - and that's always been the case in F1 - strategy is what helps you win, and what makes the race interesting.

[ringo]

I was a bit suspicious of Hamilton's slow pitstops however.
Either the guys are more nervous with the lead car or Dieter put in a request to have Rosberg win this one.

I notice he took a step back in the crowd when lewis came up to hug the team. Probably doesn't want to seen embracing the english driver in the german team. hahah. Don't want to potentially damage the marketing product.

Anyhow, i find that the harder tyre is best put on on the second stint. Mercedes should realize by now that the tyres are very close this year, and you actually put the lead driver on the backfoot when you make him use the harder tyre last.

Hamilton wasn't the slower driver today, he simply was at a disadvantage in terms of tyres. It really seems as if Mercedes are setting up these battles... but to give Rosberg a fighting chance.

This was also plain as day with Ferrari, Kimi was put in massa role in secret when they pit Alonso first.

[George-Jung]

B.S.

They paid Hamilton a lot of €€ to join the team; in order for him not to win?
Do you really think that?

[beelsebob]

You guys going nuts on the conspiracy theories need to calm down. Things go wrong from time to time. Reading too much into things going wrong is exactly what ends up with drivers being paranoid, and losing races because of it.

[gray41]

Yeah, lets pay lewis $7m more and make him lose.

[zonk]

it's Zee Germans the same was in Bmw Sauber with Heidfeld and Kubica (joke)

[Just_a_fan]

I notice he took a step back in the crowd when lewis came up to hug the team. Probably doesn't want to seen embracing the english driver in the german team. hahah. Don't want to potentially damage the marketing product.

German team? In name only. The car is designed and built in Brackley, UK by a mostly British workforce. The engine is built in the UK too.

Hamilton wasn't the slower driver today, he simply was at a disadvantage in terms of tyres. It really seems as if Mercedes are setting up these battles... but to give Rosberg a fighting chance.

Hamilton disagrees:

"I wasn't fast enough really today," said Hamilton. "Nico was quicker. I had to rely on my engineers to tell me where I could find time and what the gap was."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/27363749
His body language on the podium suggests he's telling the truth above.

[ringo]

B.S.

They paid Hamilton a lot of €€ to join the team; in order for him not to win?
Do you really think that?

Nope, I think they want it to be neck and neck; as i said give Nico a fighting chance.