Abu Dhabi GP Chat & Predictions

If you have two strong drivers it isnt that bad if your competition from other teams isnt that strong, but once you have strong opposition one of your drivers better make a break for the top early in the championships or risk being the No.2.

 

Maybe for the constructors title, but they may just wind up taking points from each other to win a driver's title. A number one is the way to go if your main focus is the drivers title.

 

Yeah if Ferrari don't have the stand out dominant car next season then there may be fireworks. But if it's close like this season they look good for the WCC, unless Bottas improves.

Hope Vettel regroup over winter as next season has the potential to be a cracker

 

And then we get this...Daddy with ESP...no wonder, the apple didnt fall very far, did it,?
Oh, by the way Max has announce thst he and his team will discuss what community service he will do and he will decide if he agrees, because he isnt going to look like an idiot...you believe this guy? So can he tell thr FIA what community service he will agree to? And decide if he wants to do it or not? Well i now believe he is bigger than the sport.

Jos Verstappen believes that Hamilton only won the world championship because of his car.



Hamilton ended up winning the championship by 88 points but Jos Verstappen believes that his son, Max would have stood a better chance had his Red Bull been as quick. Hamilton won the race in Abu Dhabi from pole whilst Verstappen started in sixth to finish in third. Jos believes that the fact that verstappen is having to make so many overtakes every race it will mean that he wil be a better champion in the future.

"Hamilton drives a much faster car and that makes it a bit more convenient is you are able to start from pole every race." he said when speaking to express.co.uk

"The car is very good but regarding race pace we fell short and then he needs to take risks every race for a podium finish, that is eccuring every race."

Jos Verstappen believes that "looking at Hamilton, he starts from pole and then wins the race, you don't need to take such risks."

When asked about who will be challenging him next season Hamilton said "I would imagine its going to be Sebastian and Valterri alongside me." and did not mention Verstappen.

Verstappen clearly has to work harder for race wins as his car is slower but that is part of Formula 1. It would be interesting to see who would be quicker in the same car.

 

I doubt Ferrari's strategy is to run equal drivers. Whoever is ahead after a couple of races will probably become the focus. Which admittedly will probably cause drama if it's not Vettel.

If they can keep the peace though, it ensures a strong challenge. Unlikely for both of them to have an off-season.

 

After such a public statement effectively telling the FIA he will decide what he will and wont do. I believe the FIA should come down on him like a ton of bricks and put him in his place. They can't be seen to be bowing to drivers who ever they are as it will just open the flood gates to drivers dictating punishments to FIA!!!

 

Post season testing interesting already. Leclerc 0.3 quicker than Vettel in the Ferrari for the first time

 

You've been given a 10 second stop and go penalty.

Nah I don't agree with that, I'll just take a 5 second time penalty.

 

Seems like they cant touch him, he is untouchable... If you think that statement is bad, what about this one where he admitted that he deliberately hit Ocon in last race as payback? Now that should bring some sanctions, surely...but i doubt he will get any. How ignorant could you get by admitting you deliberately crashed into someone out of revenge?

Max Verstappen has admitted he took “revenge” on Esteban Ocon in Abu Dhabi.

One race earlier, the Dutchman was sentenced to two days of FIA community service for shoving Frenchman Ocon, following their scrap in Brazil.

Verstappen lost the grand prix win because backmarker Ocon tried to overtake him, so when they were wheel-to-wheel again in Brazil, they clashed wheels.

“I thought to myself ‘If he shuts the door, I’ll push him off the track’. It may have been revenge for Brazil,” Verstappen told Servus TV.

“I liked it. It felt good,” he admitted.

Verstappen’s Red Bull boss sided with the Dutch driver, saying Ocon has also had run-ins with other rivals.

“Maybe he (Ocon) will see things from a different perspective when he is a television commentator next year,” Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport.

 

Max, you've been black-flagged penalty...
No I not accepting that, it would make me look stupid so I will serve a time penalty instead.

 

He's obviously watched what Schumacher did at the 94 and 98 British GP's!

In all seriousness though, what a bunch of t*ssers.

 

Marko is thoroughly unpleasant, isn't he?

 

I am behind the curve and catching up, I have been looking for investors in my business these last few days. Reading the posts I am again left speechless. I have to assume Max wants to be hated, it drives him to be even more aggressive. It must be intended to shock, he clearly wants the bad image. It is his strategy.

 

Really? Well not a very good strategy. Why would you want to tell the FIA and the whole world you crashed into another driver deliberately just to get revenge, and it felt good? He sounds sick! He said if Ocon had closed the door on him, he was going to run him off the track...suppose he had done that and Ocon was badly injured, or worse, killed, how would Max feel, would he feel good about that too? The youth seems to have a few screws missing and his dad and team bosses are no better.

 

On different tyres though plus you done know the fuel loads.

 

I know. It’s just fun.

 

I don't disagree with you, my point is he is sick enough to think it is a strategy for him, make all the other drivers fear him which will make his path to a WDC easier. I don't like the boy, nor the team, they are both sick. I fail to comprehend how the sponsors would be willing to accept this, they should complain to the team and they in turn should reel the boy in. (I am not calling him Max anymore, he is a boy who needs to grow up).

Lewis gives him a wide berth, and the 'Boy' and the team have noticed that and see instilling fear into Lewis is a strategy. I will be interested to see how Lewis handles this if/when they are in competition for a WDC.

The 'boy' ain't stupid, he knows he is getting a reaction, it is going to come down to what boundaries will the FIA set.

Motor racing is a bit like Rugby, a gentleman's sport but the 'boy' ain't no gentleman.
I do think he is playing with the other drivers mentality.

 

I understand what you are saying but you are missing one thing....He wasnt in a championship fight with Lewis that is why he was given that space... because him winning the race and Lewis second wouldn't have hurt Lewis' chances to the world title. It was more hurtful to Vettel. So Lewis knew the fight wasnt with Max. That is something Vettel and Max didnt think of. Max also threw away a win trying to fight with Ocon (Stupid decision). I am sure if he is in a fight for the title, his rivals would give him hell. he would be crying every race weekend...they just wouldnt give him bullying space. While he is trying to play with the drivers mentality he is hurting himself. Example Ocon...it is obvious that Ocon won the war, now other drivers know how to pull Max's strings. It is so easy to rattle him and he will either make a mistake or deliberately crash into other cars and get penalties...or go after them when the race is finished and if the officials have any BALLS left they would give him punishment that fits the crime...and dont accept that he will only take the punishment he agrees to and not any that would make him look stupid, that isnt how punishment works. He was given the penalty because he was already acting stupid. A judge sentences a man to prison for a year and the man tells the judge I will only serve the year if I am allowed to serve it at home and go to the club on weekends? Doesnt work like that Max!

 

I totally agree it could backfire on him and ruddy (my fathers swear word) well hope it does. and yes, Lewis was tactical and we did see what happened with Nico that year. I still think the boy thinks he is clever and it is his strategy that probably both his father and Marko are encouraging him in. And yes, the FIA will need to grow a pair. There was lots of controversy about Schumacher over the years, not sure the FIA handled that well.

 

His big problem is he will get on the bad side of all the driver...remember he said he doesn't respect any driver and will not take any advice from any...well in that case he will have 19 drivers that don't like him and they would prefer anyone over him to win...he will come down to earth after getting squeezed a few times to many. I predict he will crack several times in 2019, because he has a big weak spot ... he doesn't let go of stuff and he is very spiteful, that will work against him going forward. I think the FIA is a bit afraid of Jos, Marko, Horner and Max himself. Remember when he used to make those late moves in the braking areas when people were trying to overtake him? What did FIA do? Nothing, but find excuses!