Since more forum members are active during races than days afterward, I'm creating this thread sooner than usual to be available immediately the race finishes – or even during the race! By all means, feel free to make more than one contribution if you wish. – Actually, it might be interesting to see how opinions evolve! Best Driver: Worst Driver: Best Rookie/New Driver: Best Team: Surprise Team: Worst Team: Best Overtake: Most Surprising Result: Least Surprising Result: Funniest moment: Excuse of the week: Special Mention: Best post from the race thread: Race Rating: ?/10
Best Driver: Lewis and Max Worst Driver: Bottas Best Rookie/New Driver: Ocon Best Team: Ferrari, Merc the best car today. Surprise Team: TR, McLaren and Renault looked good with their lead drivers Worst Team: Best Overtake: I thought Ricc on Bottas the first time was pretty good, but Vettel on Bottas between Vandorne was a close your eyes moment. Most Surprising Result: 2 Ferrari’s on the podium Least Surprising Result: Ferrari being reactive on strategy Funniest moment: Shocking pre race b0llocks Excuse of the week: the stewards inconsistency Special Mention: Kimi, Sainz, Best post from the race thread: Race Rating: 8.26/10
Best Driver: Sainz Worst Driver: Stroll? Bottas? both way off their team-mate Best Rookie/New Driver: Ocon still is a rookie? Best Team: Mercedes Surprise Team: Sauber raced other teams Worst Team: Haas, see above answer for reason. Best Overtake: there were a few good moves, but Vettel on Bottas whilst lapping Vandoorne was ballsy. Most Surprising Result: Stewards actually punish Max for track limits Least Surprising Result: Max whining like he's completely innocent and stewards are picking on him unfairly Funniest moment: Excuse of the week: whatever Bottas says. Special Mention: Hamilton, Verstappen Best post from the race thread: something witty I wrote. Race Rating: 8/10 lots of nice moves and differing strategies. It's a good track for racing on with more than a couple of good over-taking spots.
Some really good drives today. Sainz, Max, Hamilton... And even though he didn't get the result he Needed, I thought Vettel was on top form today. Shame the championship is done with so little on track action between Hamilton and Vettel. Maybe next season hey?
Best Driver: hamilton ws in a class of his own but verstappen was the best performance overall Worst Driver: Bottas, going backwards constantly and that was really poor compared to hamilton Best Rookie/New Driver: Ocon Best Team: meh.... ferrari tried everything but in the end failed to get by hamilton on the pitstop so Mercedes. didn't falp when vettel went 2 stop Surprise Team: hmmm.... no real surprises Worst Team: Best Overtake: Ricc v Bottas was best moment of race. Most Surprising Result: stewards docking verstappen but letting bottas away with it early on.. and ricciardo... and maybe vettel Least Surprising Result: hamilton win Funniest moment: ocon and perez walking out to "fierce rivalry" Excuse of the week: Special Mention: probably sainz. Best post from the race thread: Race Rating: 6/10 an almost race. ricciardo might have taken 2nd if his car worked. he and bottas could have been great but the race sort of petered out.
Best Driver: No Sorry Lewis was far superior. Worst Driver: Bottas, very very disappointing even for a #2 Best Rookie/New Driver: Hartley did ok. Im not counting OCON anymore Best Team: Ferrari actually. Pitting Vettel actually helped Kimi get on the podium. so good stategy paying off. Just dont have the speed for Hamiltons mercedes Surprise Team: Worst Team: Best Overtake: Vettel on Bottas was better than Verstappen on Kimi Most Surprising Result: Sainz looking good out of the blocks Least Surprising Result: Hamilton Pole with the magic engine setting Funniest moment: What ever happened before the race. Excuse of the week: Special Mention: Kvyat actually did well but this is where he should be. This is the problem. Best post from the race thread: BLS on what tracks Hamilton thinks has the best fans Race Rating: 8/10 - good racing down the field
Best Driver: Verstappen was my pick with an inspired drive – until the final lap, that is; but even without his white line transgression, I think Hamilton deserved sharing the laurels for my vote. So… Hamilton was utterly dominant. Imperious. Unflustered, almost as if he wanted to be passed by Vettel so as to relish the sporting challenge. Yes, he had the best car on the day (although Bottas might disagree!), but he is in such a place at the moment that he is out of reach of every other driver no matter how they might be compared. Worst Driver: Ericsson. Best Rookie/New Driver: Ocon. Best Team: Mercedes. Congratulations on a fourth consecutive Constructors' World title. An unprecedented achievement, given the substantial regulation changes which ushered in the season which, at least in part, were designed to upset the apple-cart. Surprise Team: Probably Sauber. Worst Team: All told, probably McLaren and Haas are tied for my vote on this. Best Overtake: Lots to choose from but I'm plumping for Sainz v Perez. Vettel v Bottas looked spectacular and required some faith to thread the needle but was essentially an error by Bottas holding a sprung-door which was easier to close than keep open. Others worth mentioning are Verstappen v Raikkonen for its significance and edge of the seat drama, despite the stewards correct observation but inconsistent decision; and… wait for it… Hamilton v Vettel. I've chosen this despite Hamilton's three lap younger tyres because of the measured, calculated and unflustered manner in which he achieved it, effectively out-thinking Vettel and leaving him not the slightest chance to defend or come back. Most Surprising Result: Verstappen's demoting penalty. Least Surprising Result: Hamilton win and McLaren woes. Funniest moment: Too many – and for all the wrong reasons. Once again, I found myself cringing at what can happen on this side of the pond. Actually, I found Räikkönen on the podium a bit funny when he wasn't sure about putting his arm around Hamilton's waist for the photo-shoot. Excuse of the week: Bottas really needs to find a good one but really, there is nothing to grasp at. Hamilton is making him look out of his depth, but he isn't! Special Mention: Sainz for a superb performance all weekend, given his lack of familiarity with the new car and Renault's very different operation. Kvyat did a solid job and one way or another, has had a pretty rough ride during his ever-shortening career. Best post from the race thread: Not sure. Confess I've not read it all. Race Rating: 8.64/10
I think He is a decent driver but I would rank him about 8th best in the current field which would technically make him average.
Yeah, I'd pretty much agree with that, Bando. I'd probably have him at number 6, better than average but not as quick as Rosberg (also number 6! ;-)); but either way, certainly no slouch. The thing is, he seems to have lost confidence only very recently, as if he suddenly can no longer work out or solve the increased deficit. Within a couple of tenths or so in a new team is more than acceptable but he expected the gap to come down, not go up! He's scratching his head but finding not even a hint of an answer, and when he tries the tiniest bit harder, he's done a quantum leap to 101%. Over the limit by the tiniest of margins, he literally finds himself (and very much his head) in a spin. Not a happy place to be. No matter what he does, I believe he perceives himself as already on the edge. His demeanour has slumped like a boxer who no longer parries the punches. His head has been smoked and it's a hard place to be…
Best Driver: Lewis and Max - can't split them. Worst Driver: Bottas, KMag was pretty poor all weekend. Best Rookie/New Driver: Ocon Best Team: Red Bull, pitting Max when they did was a really clever move, I'm not sure the other teams anticipated. Surprise Team: Renault Worst Team: Hmmm, hard to single anyone out. Best Overtake: Sainz on Perez was excellent, amazed it hasn't had more attention. Most Surprising Result: Ferrari actually trying to do something to benefit Kimi, even if their DRS trick didn't quite work. Least Surprising Result: Alonso's engine Funniest moment: Who would have thought boxing intro's wouldn't work with F1? Excuse of the week: the stewards inconsistency Special Mention: Kimi, Sainz Race Rating: 8.5/10