In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says he’s interested in racing in NASCAR one day.
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"I’d really like to do a NASCAR race one day."
Monza poised to retain Italian GP (Autosport)
"We're happy and we want to continue at Monza, that is for sure, but we want to do so on the same sort of terms other people pay in Europe because there are no concessions, not at all."
Button: 'too much information' from sensors harms F1 (F1i)
"I agree with Juan Pablo (Montoya), which is very unusual – but I do agree with his point. Juan Pablo, when he raced (in F1), obviously there weren't any sensors because we were both racing then."
Red Bull admits 2015 nose regs had big impact on performance (ESPN)
"I think that the penalty of the regulation changes over the winter actually did hurt us with the front end of the car, but I think we've now recovered that."
Alonso lauds ‘beautifully balanced’ McLaren (Crash)
"Indeed, the Spaniard says the result is sure sign that McLaren is making good progress, suggesting that it is just the engine holding it back now by describing the MP4-30 as 'beautifully balanced all season'."
Haas admits he might not “have a shot” at signing Hulkenberg (Motorsport)
"Whether we’d even have a shot at him or not, I don’t really honestly know."
Red Bull RB11 - blown front axle (F1)
"In Hungary, Red Bull reintroduced the concept on their RB11, together with a positive set of aerodynamic improvements based on their Silverstone package."
America's first cars up for sale at $3.5 million (CNN)
"Reventlow's Scarab might not have won any prizes then, but the marque's cars have become collector's items and will shortly go up for sale at the UK's Goodwood Revival meeting on September 12 for an eye-watering $3.5 million (£2.5 million)."
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Comment of the day
If F1 is sliding towards becoming a series of a handful of manufacturers each running multiple teams does last weekend’s DTM controversy reveal the drawbacks of that model?
DTM proves what a rubbish idea it is to have a small number of manufacturers field a large number of cars each. The team orders there are the worst in any current high level motorsport series.
At worst it comes down to this but even at the usual level it’s disgusting to watch. I have zero and less respect for DTM and although their new format of two races per weekend has improved the racing (it’s still not brilliant though), so I’ve watched most races so far this year, but as of now I’ll stop since such things make this a zero-value motorsport in my opinion.
I can only feel for a great driver like Ekstrom. Imagine if he wins the championship because of this…
@Montreal95
From the forum
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On this day in F1
Michele Alboreto scored his final F1 race victory in the German Grand Prix on this day in 1985. Look out for a feature on this race later today on F1 Fanatic.
sato113 (@sato113)
4th August 2015, 0:13
Onboard highlights from Hungary. thank me later.
sato113 (@sato113)
4th August 2015, 0:58
look out for a beast of an overtake from RIC on a Force India on lap 1, and a fiery argument between Red Bull and Kvyat!
Iestyn Davies (@fastiesty)
4th August 2015, 5:08
Perez
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th August 2015, 9:20
@sato113 The Red Bull thing is as per the transcript:
https://www.racefans.net/2015/07/29/2015-hungarian-grand-prix-team-radio-transcript/
sato113 (@sato113)
4th August 2015, 11:34
ah yes! thanks. But it’s nice to hear the actual voices too! :)
Alex de Brito (@corix)
4th August 2015, 2:15
Is it just me or Kvyat is clearly the number 2 driver at Red Bull? The treatment they gave him at this race was disgusting.
dale
4th August 2015, 7:34
Look at the last caption winner.
They were really gracious with their congrats after the race on the radio, NOT. Talking like Kvyat didn’t deserve his second place, his own engineer! If Ricciardo had won the race, would he have deserved it more than Kvyat deserved his 2nd place, with his shambolic start, team order pass on teammate, and the SC which closed his 45 seconds gap to the leader… For some reason I don’t think they would have implied he didn’t deserve it!
The amount of babying Ricciardo and Alonso get from their team bosses makes Hamilton and Toto look serious grown ups.
miky
4th August 2015, 7:41
Not bad for a number 2!
Jordi Casademunt (@casjo)
4th August 2015, 8:04
What treatment?
He was told to let Ricciardo through after getting stuck behind a Force India for a a few laps. Ricciardo then passed the Force India within a lap.
As for the radio when the race finished, well, his pace was worse than Ricciardo’s the whole race. But Horner did praise him.
Now, if in a future race Kvyat is stuck behind Ricciardo while clearly being the faster driver and Red Bull don’t tell RIC to let him through, I’ll eat my hat.
peras
4th August 2015, 8:27
They already did that previously.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
5th August 2015, 12:03
When?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th August 2015, 9:22
@corix
“Disgusting” is just hyperbole. At worst it was a bit cynical telling him they were on “different strategies” when they were on the same tyres.
Monaco surely disproves the claim they’re operating a number one/number two arrangement.
Alex de Brito (@corix)
4th August 2015, 23:06
Yeah, @keithcollantine, disgusting was a harsh word, and cynical is really more appropriate.
I know that as @casjo pointed Ricciardo was really faster than Kvyat at laps 4, 5, and after lap 7. But that team order (or the way it was handled) was awful.
Kvyat wasn’t supposed to finish second on a “regular” race, but he did finish second, and for the first time in his career, and that congratulation didn’t sound right. The team has just managed a two-three and there wasn’t much joy in that. Maybe this is just me expecting a more warm congratulation.
But yeah, I didn’t remember Monaco. That was a nice and fair race by Red Bull.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
4th August 2015, 11:48
Red Bull have always operated with team orders in recent years. The difference is it seems Ricciardo and Kvyat actually trust each other a lot more than Vettel and Webber ever did.
yolanda
4th August 2015, 12:42
You’d need to be stupid to listen to team orders after your teammate said he won’t be listening to them.
Malik (@)
4th August 2015, 8:41
@sato113: Thanks a lot :)
The best part in my opinion was Hamilton taking the drive thru. He was so relaxed :D
Alex de Brito (@corix)
4th August 2015, 23:07
and yeah, @sato133, thanks for that!
Malik (@)
4th August 2015, 8:44
check this in return:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2n7n4h_bbc-f1-2015-when-lewis-hamilton-met-sebastian-vettel-the-interview-2015-bahrain-grand-prix_sport
I am a Vettel fan but I have deep respect for Hamilton too
I wish they would drive for the same team (Ferrari) on day :)
Sumedh
4th August 2015, 9:44
@sato113, These on-boards have real time radio (not delayed like we hear during the official broadcast), is it?
sato113 (@sato113)
4th August 2015, 11:36
The Canal+ onboard video is made a few made after the race happens. The team radio is place into it in real time. So swearing etc. is bleeped out beforehand. @sumedh
Bolide (@mim5)
4th August 2015, 12:37
It’s also worth noting that although Ricciardo had a bad start, Bottas was probably the one who had a better one of the guys behind him and Ricciardo dropped back after being hit by Bottas
Bolide (@mim5)
4th August 2015, 12:39
And how far back was Ricciardo when he went for that move on Rosberg? 2 or 3 car lengths?
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 0:13
Lauda’s account may be fake, and a cleverly thought out one. His “son” Matthias just got on twitter a few days ago, got the tag official in his description, then when he got enough follows he asked for retweets to get support for his dad to join. Then he’s always tweeting about how he’s Niki’s dad, and that he writes his dad’s thought on Twitter like three times already… I wouldn’t think anyway they have this much time to waste on this thing (like me analysing it, haha).
Also, there was no swearing on Niki’s account which is clear evidence it’s not him.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 0:15
Sorry, he joined earlier but got really active now.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 0:18
Ah you know what, who knows, I may just be too tired. But it looks suspicious.
Strontium (@strontium)
4th August 2015, 0:53
@hunocsi I agree, those were my first thoughts. Looks very fake to be honest.
Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
4th August 2015, 6:08
It’s hard to tell, but if it is fake why did it take this long to set one up while there has been a fake Charlie Whiting account for so long?!
Woody (@woodyd91)
4th August 2015, 0:15
Without the tick we will never really know.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th August 2015, 9:27
@hunocsi Mathias Lauda’s WEC team has referenced his account several times.
@woodyd91 I know of at least one occasion when the Twitter ‘tick’ was applied to a fake F1 account (now closed).
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 10:17
@keithcollantine Well, Niki’s is fake. https://twitter.com/miezicat1/status/628491525043941376
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th August 2015, 10:25
@hunocsi So is his son’s account also fake? Or has his son set up an account for him which Lauda wants nothing to do with?
Either way I’m taking it out of the directory. Thanks for the heads-up.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 11:50
@keithcollantine I’m not sure, I tried to listen to the interview but my German isn’t that good, but it looks like it – or maybe it’s been hacked. And apparently Niki also said he’s thinking about legal action.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 19:51
@keithcollantine Mathias is also a fake. Even his team and teammates were fooled!
Woody (@woodyd91)
4th August 2015, 0:14
This is just a wild theory but if you listen to alot of Button’s comments as of late they are much more open about criticising F1 without the usual follow up praise, this is a massive leap but I wonder if it’s because he knows that he wont be here next season? Think it would be a massive shame for loss him off the grid. I’m just thinking out loud really.
MattyPF1 (@mattypf1)
4th August 2015, 0:16
Regarding COTD, the only with DTM is the D stands for Deutsch (meaning German) which means there aren’t too many German car manufacturers that can fit into DTM without confusing people. The only other big German car manufacturer I can think of is Volkswagen
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 0:20
Opel’s there, too.
hunocsi (@hunocsi)
4th August 2015, 0:25
@mattypf1 By the way, it’s not like the BTCC or nearly any other national touring car championship would only consist of cars made by a manufacturer in the country.
PeterG
4th August 2015, 0:31
@mattypf1 There used to be many non-German manufacturer’s in the DTM. Ford, Alfa Romeo, Opel & Toyota for instance competed in DTM in the 90s.
Also T is meant to stand for Tourenwagen (Touring car) but the current cars are certainly not touring cars.
@HoHum (@hohum)
4th August 2015, 1:32
And therein lies the problem, the T part, once organizers diverge from the real S for Stock or T we end up with a parody of the original concept, either costs are strictly controlled as in NASCAR and the result is one-design, 1950’s tech., cars with painted on lights and grills to imitate the road cars, or, as in DTM manufacturers go all out and produce carbon fibre prototypes using all the technology used and banned from F1 in the shape of their road cars but wildly adorned with wings and widgets.
@HoHum (@hohum)
4th August 2015, 1:35
Really !
anon
4th August 2015, 7:45
@hohum, DTM really fits more under the first category of a silhouette car – the amount of standardisation is rather extreme, with a standard chassis (that is now shared with the GT500 series in Japan), standard gearboxes, clutches, dampers and rear wings and the suspension design, by virtue of having standard fixing points, is virtually standardised.
As an aside, in the near future DTM will be indistinguishable from the GT500 series in Japan, because the two series have agreed to use the same regulations – there are even plans for a joint test session in 2016 and joint races in 2017, so teams could swap from one series to the other pretty much immediately.
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
4th August 2015, 6:11
@mattypf1 I think COTD is missing what DTM is about. It’s nothing else but a big wiener contest between the three greatest sedan builders from Germany. Open should bring in their Insignia though.
montreal95 (@montreal95)
4th August 2015, 15:18
@xtwl So it’s not a true sport. I agree. That was precisely my point. And if it’s not a true sport it’s not worthy of attention IMO. Never liked WWE even as a kid.
P.S I remember when it was indeed a true sport. The 90’s for example with many different manufacturers fielding touring cars in the true sense of the word. The term “not as good as it used to be” is very overused, especially by seasoned fans, but in DTM’s case it’s a huge understatement
MattyPF1 (@mattypf1)
4th August 2015, 6:36
PeterG I completely forgot about that. And you do have a fair point on the touring car matter. Thanks for that
And @xtwl what you’ve said is the reason why I’ve given up DTM. I only like Wehrlein, Nico Muller and Lucas Auer in DTM today and I can’t just watch DTM for those drivers alone. It’s just not the same as what it used to be
PorscheF1 (@xtwl)
4th August 2015, 6:54
@mattypf1 Is it ever what it used to be? I for one really enjoyed last race, I don’t follow DTM as close as I would like but I have yet to find a race that really disappointed me and felt like a waste of time.
OmarR-Pepper - Vettel 41 wins!!! For Jules (@)
4th August 2015, 0:23
Today I was watching an interview to Lewis on Sky F1. He said he was surprised to see people focus too much on his style and his social life.
Every F1 driver is free to do whatever they want with their free time, from eating crisps to bike. It’s their business. But if you asked me, I don’t know so much about other driver’s social life because they keep it private. It’s Lewis choice to do otherwise. But it¡s no surprise people are more interested about his off-track whereabouts, if he looks as the “cool guy” (he is off-track kind of a James Hunt, vices aside), and no surprise (or is it?) Bernie thinks Lewis is the right one and Seb the wrong one. On the track they are evenly matched. However, I recall how shoe-polishing Bernie was about Seb during his WDC years. So I wouldn’t think these comments in particular are reliable, coming from BE.
Woody (@woodyd91)
4th August 2015, 1:58
@omarr-pepper Bernie is only interested in who can make the sport the most money, as it currently stands Lewis has by far the biggest social presence around the world, which means he reaches more people which is what Bernie is interested in. Of course he has his faults but so does every driver on the grid so in large he is great asset for F1 to have, and Bernie likes assets. For as long as they hold value at least.
In terms of Vettel, his life doesn’t really compare to Hamilton’s, He lives on a farm (or is it a ranch, not too sure?) and outside of F1 he is very quite in terms of media coverage. He gets criticised for this while Hamilton gets criticised for sharing his life which include his other ambitions because it’s a big sin for some F1 fans for drivers to have other interests, although only for some drivers. They lead very different lives and people will have opinions on which they prefer but there isn’t no right way.
Hamilton’s social presence has 2 purposes, 1 is to increase his brand, because it’s his brand that is worth money and will be what ensures he has a future after his F1 career has finished. Seconds is just about interacting with his fans, he quite often simply chats with his fans on twitter and we know just how much he draws on the support his fans gives him, Unfortunately by doing so this he opens himself up to the rags, who love to inflate a story or quite often simply lie in order to sell copies or get clicks. I think Vettel see’s how much criticism Hamilton gets from some outlets and doesn’t think have a social presence outside of F1 is worth it. Think back to the whole Hamilton is sexist story for spraying champagne at the girls on the podium, this was a trademark of Vettel yet only when Hamilton celebrates in the same way does it becomes a ridiculous story. Plus I really do think Vettel once retired from F1 will be retired almost completely, I don’t think he has any great ambition for a future career in anything else that would require him to have a worldwide social presence.
ColdFly F1 (@)
4th August 2015, 7:40
And here I’ll put them in one sentence: Hamilton, Beckham, Ronaldo!
As @woodyd91 says it is to a large extent about building their own brand; nothing wrong with that. I (showing my age now) start having a problem with that when it reduces their athletic accomplishments. But that is difficult to judge as each of them have been one of the best in their fields, and we’ll never know if they would have been any better still if focussing 100% on the sport.
For the sport and the teams it is great though as it brings in many new fans. Real Madrid sells more Ronaldo shirts than they pay the guy. Beckham with his name alone can start a new football (soccer) team.
I’m more of a Messi guy than a Ronaldo fan.
retak
4th August 2015, 9:57
To be fair, focusing 100% on their sport could quite easily lead to burning out. Building their brand and having a good time while doing it might just be a way for those people to take their minds out of what would otherwise be their life 24/7.
hamman
4th August 2015, 10:06
Case in point: Vettel who had a horrid season last year. If that’s not burnt out, I don’t know what is.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
4th August 2015, 18:49
@woody91
I agree on the VET not interested in social presence, but using that to gauge how interested he is in fulfilling rather lofty ambitions after F1 isn’t really a good idea me thinks.
Look at Niki Lauda (has had 2 airlines so far named after him – for a reason), or Bernard Ecclestone – rich successful ex-F1 drivers (sort of) without needing real Facebook/Twitter presence. And maybe Jody Scheckter (Ferrari’s 3rd most recent WDC by the way!) deserves a mention here too.
When an F1 driver retires without himself being a sellable brand….there’s still (probably among other things) the capital he’s amassed in his career, which doesn’t really need social media to put to good use.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
4th August 2015, 18:49
@woodyd91
Woody (@woodyd91)
4th August 2015, 19:02
@davidnotcoulthard
I agree, that’s why I said any great ambitions that would require him to have the same level of social presence as Hamilton. Having said that because Vettel is so private nobody really knows what his ambitions apart from F1 actually are, I would hope that he has some.
paul
4th August 2015, 19:31
@woodyd91
How do you agree and then say “that’s why I said any great ambitions that would require him to have the same level of social presence as Hamilton”. Either I severely misunderstood what @davidnotcoulthard said, or you are missing the entire point?
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
4th August 2015, 19:43
@woodyd91 Aaahh…….OK then. (Arrgh! Knew there was a chance of that being what you actually meant!)
My bad.
leon
4th August 2015, 2:28
Hamilton has interests other than F1, wants to be in the public eye and that’s his business.
Vettel on the other hand is 100% dedicated to his family and F1, leads a simple life. I respect that and think he is a better role model for my son than Hamilton.
But Bernie wouldn’t care because my son isn’t in the Rolex crowd.
Kgn11
4th August 2015, 8:19
And Lewis is not 100% committed to F1? What do you base that on?
Why would Lewis not be as good a role model as Seb for your son?
Is he a womaniser? Is he continually being spotted coming out of nightclubs late at night drunk? Is he consistently using vulgar language in press conference? (Something that Seb does quite regularly) Is he not devoted to his family and friends? How do you know Seb does not have other interest outside of F1?
I mean, please explain?
So because Seb chooses to keep a low profile means he’s a better person to look up to? Quite frankly I find your comment and comparisons disrespectful.
Clearly you’re focusing on his love for music, interest in fashion and building his brand as some form of stigma against him. But why have you not mentioned that he does far more charity work than any other F1 driver? Why no mention of him being an ambassador for the Invictus games, The a Great Ormond street hospital and UNICEF?
He has said on more than one occasion that when he retires from racing, he’d like to do more charity work.
So yea, a multiple world champion who’s committed to his friends and family, spends time doing charity work whilst enjoying his love for music and fashion is definitely a bad role model for kids nowadays.
Cheers.
versase1
4th August 2015, 11:03
He has his opinion as you have yours. He thinks Seb is a better example, than that’s the way it is for him. Lewis or Seb doesn’t have to be examples to anyone, they don’t really have to live their lives mindful of other people more than you and me and all the athletes and sportsmen.
No one knows anything substantial about them anyway. What Hamilton/Vettel likes to do in their free time or how much devoted to their F1 career they really are. You talking about Hamilton doing far more charity work than any other driver is your perception. You really don’t know that.
You are overreacting.
Kgn11
4th August 2015, 11:13
No it’s not an overreaction or an assumption, it’s a known fact, all you’ve got to do is look it up.
versase1
4th August 2015, 19:33
@Kgn11, I knew I shouldn’t try to reason with you. My mistake.
Dean
4th August 2015, 14:47
+1
sonia luff (@sonia54)
4th August 2015, 18:32
I think you’ll find that Jenson Button does a lot for charities He actually does Triathalons to raise money and isn’t just a face for charities as Lewis is.
jale
4th August 2015, 13:19
All PR talk. The article on Hamilton mentions his love for motorbikes for example, it’s well known that Vettel loves motorbikes. If you followed the news during his championship years, you could see features on him related to bikes. Whoever the champion is Ecclestone loves him more than others, and whatever the champion likes or dislikes, they are all made into headlines. Same with Hamilton, same with Vettel, same with all of them. No news here.
PeterG
4th August 2015, 0:26
Regarding COTD
I’m not sure the 2 race format has improved the racing as the racing is not really any different to last year.
Something I don’t like about the extra DTM race on Saturday is that you seem to have drivers retiring from that race just because they have fallen towards the back of the field & want to save the car for the Sunday race.
My biggest issue with DTM however is not just the manufacturer orders but also that I’d like it to go back to been a proper touring car series. Right now its basically a spec prototype category that makes the bodywork look like the road car models of the individual manufacturer’s & this has allowed aero to go crazy.
PT (@pt)
4th August 2015, 6:20
My point too. Silhouette racing seems to so common these days. The Japanese Super GT Championship is another example – and NASCAR is the most obvious one. That’s why I appreciate V8 Supercars – they are still proper touring cars yet they provide far greater action than DTM.
anon
4th August 2015, 7:51
@pt, You do realise that V8 Supercars are silhouette racing cars? They rewrote the regulations a few years ago, and now the cars are all based around a standard chassis design and have performance balanced aerodynamic packages, with most of the other components either standardised (e.g. brakes) or so heavily regulated as to be effectively standardised.
petebaldwin (@)
4th August 2015, 11:13
Of course that’ll happen – imagine F1 with 2 races! If you were someone like Williams and you got a puncture on lap 1 of race 1, you would pull into the garage knowing you could then crank the engine up for race 2.
I’d rather have super mega happy double points fanboost DRS power racing than 2 races over a weekend…
montreal95 (@montreal95)
4th August 2015, 15:21
@PeterG In my view it did improve the racing. There’s more overtaking action this year. I don’t have stats, so it’s a purely subjective observation
@HoHum (@hohum)
4th August 2015, 1:52
CNN as inaccurate as ever, the pics of the Scarab engine bay clearly show a near horizontal TOHC 4 cyl. (probably Offenhauser) and not a chev. V8.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
4th August 2015, 1:55
2 things. 1 borrowed from Facebook: Seems like Lewis chose intermediates!
Secondly, less aids equal more real racing. Whenever it produces boring races or not, at least you know the driver has more input in what’s happening. Banning traction control in 2008 didn’t mean we instantly watched the drivers spinning on throttle, but at least we all knew it was their right foot doing the job (among other technicalities).
So I’m hoping Juan Pablo’s declarations end up shaping the short term future of F1.
Ah, a third thing. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope Hulk doesn’t end up at Haas. It’d be Timo Glock at Virgin or Kovalainen at Lotus all over again: a dead road ahead, embarking on a long term project with no real answer in the short term, that basically ends your F1 career. Leave that for Gutierrez or Sutil, Hulk, stay focused on the teams ahead, or at least on keeping your seat at Force India!
petebaldwin (@)
4th August 2015, 11:19
@fer-no65 – Second you on the Hulk situation – I really really really hope he doesn’t go to Haas. I’d rather see him in WEC than go to Haas.
Hulk is a race winner providing he’s given a car that’s capable of it. I’d say he’s comfortably better on current form than Kimi, Rosberg and Kvyat but no-one seems willing to give him a shot.
har
4th August 2015, 11:37
He is on form currently. But at his best is he better than Rosberg, Kvyat and Raikkonen? Don’t know, probably better than the current Raikkonen, but his best wouldn’t match Rosberg and probably Kvyat too imo.
Jonathan (@jw14b)
4th August 2015, 12:10
I’m with you on Hulkenberg as well. The parallels between him now and Timo Glock at the end of 2009 are uncanny. Both are German former GP2 champions, and are drivers who earned their seats based on their talent rather than cash, while Hulk is about the same age as Glock was when he left Toyota (and therefore in what should be his prime years). Hulk still has a good reputation, just as Glock’s was after some pretty decent drives in 2008/09 (Kovalainen was a different case IMO as he had been disappointing at McLaren and therefore I think he did need to accept moving down the grid to stay in F1). The move to Virgin did not end happily for Glock, and I couldn’t see the move to Haas working for Hulkenberg either. What it made it worse was that Glock could have been driving a Renault in 2010 (I know Petrov brought money and sponsors but I’m pretty Glock could have done a lot better on track). I hope we don’t end up saying that about Hulk in a few years time after he loses out on the Williams seat to Felipe Nasr, or something similar.
I think Hulk really needs to get into a car that at the very least has a decent chance of finishing on the podium under normal conditions, but there is just something. Perhaps he suffers from being ‘another German driver’ at a time when both Vettel and Rosberg are regulars on the podium?
gary
4th August 2015, 19:36
“Another German driver” at a time when both Vettel and Rosberg are regulars on the podium was Schumacher right? That was a weird time.
leon
4th August 2015, 2:00
After watching Hamilton’s performance in Hungary, I think NASCAR would be a perfect fit for him.
Kgn11
4th August 2015, 8:28
And how about his performances in the previous 9 races? What those get chucked out the window as well?
Would Seb’s performance in Bahrain make him suitable for NASCAR had he said the same thing?
moran
4th August 2015, 11:06
Find another example, Vettel’s Bahrain performance was nowhere near Hamilton’s Hungary performance imo.
Everyone has their opinions but you sound like you would like to force yours on others.
Kgn11
4th August 2015, 11:17
It wasn’t nowhere near as bad as Lewis’s, but the point is, Seb had a bad race in which he made mistakes which cost him a place on the podium.
Lewis made 2 errors in that race, the one on the first lap with Nico and his coming together with Ric, that’s it, so I’m not really sure why it’s being made to look like he was banger racing that day.
Dean
4th August 2015, 14:56
Another Example? How about any race of 2014. The initial comment made was a grenade designed to provoke reaction… there is absolutely NO substance behind it! Lewis had an awful race in Hungary. You Know it, I know it HE KNOWS IT! its one in…..around the last 40 that hes had a bad race of his own doing. VEttel has had them too….
David-A (@david-a)
4th August 2015, 20:03
If we’re talking collisions, he had about one in the entire season, with a Sauber in Austria. Racecraft/ramming wasn’t really an issue for him last year.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
4th August 2015, 18:54
BE 2010, Turkey 2010, Turkey 2009, etc.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
4th August 2015, 13:45
I recall watching Lewis driving Jeff Gordons (i think) Nascar in a BBC puff-piece. He didnt seem in the least bit genuinely enthused, and all his Nascar knowledge seemed to come from ‘Days of Thunder’.
He doesnt strike me as a ‘drive the wheels off a wheelie-bin’, Jim Clark kind of figure who will race anything purely for the love of it.
Perhaps Nicole has given him an ultimatum.
Pat Ruadh (@fullcoursecaution)
4th August 2015, 13:47
*Tony Stewart’s
I should really read south before I comment.
Dave
6th August 2015, 13:06
Lewis might be competitive in NASCAR, at times, on the road courses. But he’d get his clock cleaned trying to race ovals. This isn’t a shot at Lewis’s driving ability – he’s incredibly talented. However oval racing is a completely different beast than road racing, and having no oval racing experience (that I’m aware of) Lewis would likely fair poorly. Now this doesn’t mean he shouldn’t give it a go if he’s interested in it someday, I think he’d be an entertaining character to have in NASCAR.
BrawnGP (@brawngp)
4th August 2015, 5:27
interesting that Lewis would ‘really like to do a nascar race’ but not long ago he has absolutely no interest in driving leman… I cant help but feel its nothing to do with the different classes but more because nascar is popular in america.
versase1
4th August 2015, 7:41
Agreed.
Todfod (@todfod)
4th August 2015, 9:02
For sure. He loves hollywood and the music industry, and is targeting image boosting in north america post f1.
Kgn11
4th August 2015, 9:02
Or could it be because he has actually driven a NASCAR before?
N
4th August 2015, 10:19
You do realise he’s driven a NASCAR before right?
miky
4th August 2015, 10:46
Did he? Are you sure you are not remembering one of Raikkonen’s excursions to different disciplines? I have never heard him racing NASCAR.
Though, you might be talking about a trip to mall in a NASCAR for all I know… Since you said “driving”, not “racing”.
Neil (@neilosjames)
4th August 2015, 11:22
Did a car-swap promotional thing (I think for Mobil 1) a few years back.
Video of it here.
mfreire
5th August 2015, 0:08
The Watkins Glen NASCAR race is this weekend- maybe he should have offered to drive a car for that race. (Unfortunately, they use the short track without the Boot.)
petebaldwin (@)
4th August 2015, 11:26
Yup
http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/6/14/2223722/lewis-hamilton-tony-stewart-formula-one-nascar-mobil-seat-swap-watkins-glen-2011
miky
4th August 2015, 11:39
I don’t think he did a “race” though.
BrawnGP (@brawngp)
4th August 2015, 11:37
The fact he’s driven one before doesnt really effect my comment.
Dennis
4th August 2015, 11:53
Yeah, it must be because of that… Couldn’t at all be because he finds NASCAR interesting and endurance racing not…
Some people…
mann
4th August 2015, 7:41
Ferrari Seb vs Red Bull Seb:
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sebastian-vettel-hasnt-changed-a-bit-but-perceptions-of-him-have
ColdFly F1 (@)
4th August 2015, 9:05
To me Toro Rosso Seb is still the most likeable.
Back then he had the talent of Verstappen, but nobody paid him any attention. I vividly recall the season opener in Melbourne in his first TR season. All the crowds standing in front of Crown Towers to have a glimpse of the F1 drivers, and Vettel walked around is if he was just another young F1 fan. Those were the days.
richochet
4th August 2015, 9:43
+1
wert
4th August 2015, 9:45
Franz Tost already talked about parallels between Vettel and Verstappen:
http://www.grandprix247.com/2015/08/03/tost-verstappen-is-a-mix-of-bellof-and-vettel/
At least he mixed it up a bit with Bellof, since I also distinctly remember him saying there won’t be another Vettel. LOL
David-A (@david-a)
4th August 2015, 21:12
@wert – Exactly. He had a child last year.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
4th August 2015, 9:29
They’re the same guy, people just like Ferrari more.
I’m sure I could spin that out to 1,000 words if needed :-)
mann
4th August 2015, 9:52
Yeah. But he talks a bit about F3 Vettel too with a little anecdote.
I don’t know what people see so different, he looks like the same kid who raced for BMW in Indianapolis. Less blonde, more facial hair.
lockup (@)
4th August 2015, 9:58
I don’t think we’ve seen The Finger this year have we? That helps me like him tbh.
But guys generally grow more likeable during their 20’s I’d say, especially the kind of young man who’s a top racing driver. I never believed in the jokey kid persona for example, and he’s not doing that so much now.
Plus I’m sure it helps him being with Allison rather than Helmut and Horner, in perception and behaviour both.
yolanda
4th August 2015, 10:03
WOW They ARE right Ferrari changing people’s perception of Vettel!
We saw the finger plenty of times when he won but you don’t even remember!!! LOL
yolanda
4th August 2015, 10:04
@lockup Since you know the truth now, will you go back to not liking him? Oops.
lockup (@)
4th August 2015, 12:29
OMG so he was waving it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_QulLpJph0
It was a bit less in yer face maybe but yeah, gotta go back to hating him, sorry :(
;)
I’m not super keen on Ferrari either really, but they’re better post Monte. And the driver does represent his team to some extent, so I think that’s fair enough to see him differently.
yolanda
4th August 2015, 12:46
As long as you accept you are the one seeing him differently (and it’s not that he’s different) :P
lockup (@)
4th August 2015, 15:28
I think he is a bit different in himself, plus some perception too :)
He is maturing after all, quite naturally, and last year must have been good for him, character-wise. And we love an underdog of course.
But anyway why shouldn’t we prefer him representing the Smoking Team instead of the Drinks Company??? :P
yolanda
4th August 2015, 19:46
Character building years eh? Whatever you say @lockup :)
But I cannot decide between drinking and smoking… He sounds like a true rebel within the currently green and politically correct Formula 1 system. Bad boy, and the underdog. What a combination!
Deanoz
7th August 2015, 14:13
Does anyone want to see Lewis Hamilton enjoying himself
click
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ysjJ3TwrjI