And I think he knows that . I think he will walk at the end of this season , with that in In mind why would he not do what’s best for him ?
Because Mercedes could just bite the bullet early and just bin him for Russell. If he wants to stay in F1 he has to prove why’s he worth a seat somewhere else. At the moment, he isn’t, apart from replacing Mazepin.
i agree . I have said before that he is fortunate that Toto is team principle , and seems an honourable man . If he was with red bull he would have been got rid of ages ago .
Well, it's all just opinions. My take is that he only has himself to blame for his current situation. Somehow he's just gotta get on it and take the fight to Hamilton and beat him.
Just read that Lewis actually won driver of the day!!!!! I do think he deserved it but I was still surprised.
I've got absolutely nothing against Bottas. He seems like a really nice bloke. Somehow he needs to dig deep and find something within himself to reach the level of the likes of Max, Leclerc and Hamilton. I'm just not sure it's in there. He looks beaten before he even gets going. If he's already beaten in his head, then he's got no chance at all.
Talking of Max...I really think we're getting to see how good he really is right now, and how good he could be in the future. Once Hamilton is out of the picture, he could be unstoppable.
I'm pretty sure Verstappen and Hamilton have preference in their teams and get the better team service and parts so it's never going to be easy for him. His chance was when it was only him v Hamilton but that chance has gone.
Most likely.. Max for sure, I'm not so sure about Merc in an over-all sense, but Hamilton is definitely going to get preference on strat calls. But quite rightly given Bottas is less likely to deliver. Hamilton vs Rosberg was a different story, because Rosberg could really make Hamilton work for it. I do feel sorry for Bottas though, in that he looks like he's being crushed. As for Hamilton. I was thinking he may be done at the end of this season, but now I'm not sure. He seems to be coming alive again, which is great. I think it might depend on how hard Max can really push him. Anyone else not wanting the reg changes next season?
Bottas is a good driver, but not as good as Lewis. He is being compared to probably the best driver of his generation. He would have done well as no1 driver in mid field teams. Think you are right about Rosberg. Lewis looked soo happy with 100 poles yesterday. When he was interviewed by C4 after quali he seemed so happy and excited. He also mentioned last week I think that he wants a new contract. My guess he will sign for at least 2 years maybe 3. He seems to really be enjoying the competition. It's always the same with reg changes, as soon as they all start getting close they hit reset....
Lewis is definitely thriving off having some real competition. He looks happier: it’s interesting that his relationships with other drivers in the pit lane seem more relaxed than ever. I’ve read he’s really enjoying his role as a mentor to the other young British drivers at the moment. He seems to be genuinely enjoying the whole experience more than I’ve seen for a long time and it seems like it’s because he’s thriving for having a challenge in Max. And he’s breaking all the records. Why would he want to stop now?
Now... I'm no psychologists, but I do think Hamilton finds some of the interviews and social situations a bit of a challenge. He's talked about how the last year has been hard on him mentally, and as a sufferer of depression, I can totally relate to his mental turmoil of late... But it feels like something has changed and he's actually enjoying what he's doing right now, and not just going through the motions. Hoping it's a new lease of life for him. Take all this with a grain of salt though... It's simply my observations.
Look what happened when Russell deputised for Hamilton in Bahrain last year. Here was Bottas’s chance to put one on is potential replacement in the team and he failed miserably.
Hamilton has played his part anyway in (publicly) having no qualms about today. "Honestly I didn't know that he had a message, so in my mind, I was like, we're racing, and that's totally fine for me, particularly early on in this part of the season," Hamilton said. "In my mind I was like OK, I've got to get close, and go for an overtake. But then obviously when we went into Turn 10, we were on massively different strategies, so I was going to get him at some stage because I had much better tyres. "We were going into Turn 10, and I thought there was a gap there, and I wasn't quite sure, and then there was a gap, and Valtteri was completely fair. I hope I didn't lose him too much time."
This race also showed just how on point the Red Bulls pit crew is. Regular sub 2s pit stops, and then today a 4.3s despite having no warning of Max deciding to pit. They must have had 10s tops to get out and into position?
Yup... Even with Hamilton out of the picture he wasn't able to control the show. Granted, Russell is quick, but coming in the way he did, Bottas should have skewered him. Gawd I feel bad now. I'm not intending to hate on him. Hopefully he can find something.
In reality, I don't think Bottas made it as hard as it may have looked. I'm mostly arguing about the suggestion he should make it hard. He was in a different race really despite them a actually having to race for position. With a title on the line that could come down to mere points, he's just gotta get out of the way pronto if he can't make it happen himself... For the team and everyone who makes all this tick.