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Max still favourite I reckon - got a sneaky feeling Jeddah is going to suit Red Bull more so Verstappen wins the next one and his points margin will be enough heading into Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton could have done with Bottas help this weekend and still think if he is going to win the championship he needs Bottas to play a part.
 
Thornaby90 said:
Max still favourite I reckon - got a sneaky feeling Jeddah is going to suit Red Bull more so Verstappen wins the next one and his points margin will be enough heading into Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton could have done with Bottas help this weekend and still think if he is going to win the championship he needs Bottas to play a part.
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Mercedes will be putting back in their new engine for the last 2 races which will help, plus Red Bull still have that rear wing issue to deal with.

Verstappen getting the fastest lap point could be crucial as it further limits the permutations for Hamilton to win. Although its still fairly simple for Hamilton, 1 win (assuming Verstappen second) and a 3rd as long as long as it's ahead of Verstappen (assuming no DNF).

Verstappen obviously still holds the cards. I just hope that the final gap isn't due to the farce none race points or Verstappen taking them both out.
 
SmallTown said:
Seconded.

I was surprised he couldn't catch Lewis into turn 1 but other than that a superb drive from him.

Also loved the line "Tell Esteban to defend like a lion"
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Had a chuckle when Esteban was then immediately passed like he wasn't there.
 
Hamilton is odds on favourite and I'd suggest that is fair given that the new engine will be back in Saudi. A a win for Lewis there, presumably with Max in second (as Bottas is shot) means it's winner takes all in Abu Dhabi. Of course there could yet be a twist or two - crashes, punctures, penalties - and Max does still lead, but Merc and Hamilton know that two wins brings home the title.

As an aside, I would like to go on record by declaring Christian Horner an utter ****!
 
Thornaby90 said:
Hamilton could have done with Bottas help this weekend and still think if he is going to win the championship he needs Bottas to play a part.
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If he's relying on Bottas he may as well give up, my gran would outpace him off the line in her micra
 
Alzi said:
Had a chuckle when Esteban was then immediately passed like he wasn't there.
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Yeah that pit straight was a surprise. Slipstream was strong and DRS far too long.

Add to that Perez fresher tyres and beastly Honda engine and he was more pussycat than lion
 
I think Hamilton will will his eighth championship this year as Mercedes will use the rules to their advantage (cheat) and just put another new engine in his car and turn up the electronics again.
 
Spraggons Den said:
I think Hamilton will will his eighth championship this year as Mercedes will use the rules to their advantage (cheat) and just put another new engine in his car and turn up the electronics again.
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How is using the rules to your advantage cheating?
 
Spraggons Den said:
I think Hamilton will will his eighth championship this year as Mercedes will use the rules to their advantage (cheat) and just put another new engine in his car and turn up the electronics again.
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Yes I think Hamilton will have a great advantage starting from the back of the grid.
 
Spraggons Den said:
I think Hamilton will will his eighth championship this year as Mercedes will use the rules to their advantage (cheat) and just put another new engine in his car and turn up the electronics again.
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Not another one

The driver can have as many new engines as they want provided they take the penalty for anything extra from their initial allocation (which Hamilton did in Brazil, exactly as Verstappen did in Russia) If Merc did want to put a new engine in Hamiltons car its perfectly legal, he would just take the grid drop, exactly the same as Red Bull can

Teams cant turn up their engine either, different engine modes are now banned
 
Primus84 said:
How is using the rules to your advantage cheating?
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Well your only allowed 3 engine packages for the season. When you take a 4th then you get a big grid penalty. After that though for the 5th and subsequent engine packages or ICE its only a 5 place penalty for each one. Hamilton has already had 5 engines (for alleged reliability issues) and so if he takes a 6th or even a 7th with only 2 races to go then the engine instead of having to last for 7 or 8 racing weekends only has to last for the one (or two). This means that the electronics in the engine can be set for maximum power and not maximum reliability. As these are the rules then its not exactly cheating but it is manoeuvring the rules to suit you race needs. Also it does go against the spirit of the rules if not exactly in breach of them. With the engine turned up the Mercedes is a beast and extremely fast in a straight line. Red Bulls Honda engine doesn't respond as well to the electronics being turned up so its unlikely to see Max getting a similar boost. Hence my prediction of Lewis winning the championship.
 
JM14 said:
Not another one

The driver can have as many new engines as they want provided they take the penalty for anything extra from their initial allocation (which Hamilton did in Brazil, exactly as Verstappen did in Russia) If Merc did want to put a new engine in Hamiltons car its perfectly legal, he would just take the grid drop, exactly the same as Red Bull can

Teams cant turn up their engine either, different engine modes are now banned
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The engine modes are set at the beginning of the racing weekend so the teams can elect to set the engine to whatever they want. They just can't play about with them during the weekend for qualifying or anything else
 
Spraggons Den said:
Well your only allowed 3 engine packages for the season. When you take a 4th then you get a big grid penalty. After that though for the 5th and subsequent engine packages or ICE its only a 5 place penalty for each one. Hamilton has already had 5 engines (for alleged reliability issues) and so if he takes a 6th or even a 7th with only 2 races to go then the engine instead of having to last for 7 or 8 racing weekends only has to last for the one (or two). This means that the electronics in the engine can be set for maximum power and not maximum reliability. As these are the rules then its not exactly cheating but it is manoeuvring the rules to suit you race needs. Also it does go against the spirit of the rules if not exactly in breach of them. With the engine turned up the Mercedes is a beast and extremely fast in a straight line. Red Bulls Honda engine doesn't respond as well to the electronics being turned up so its unlikely to see Max getting a similar boost. Hence my prediction of Lewis winning the championship.
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So its not cheating then? RB can do exactly the same thing but like you say they wont get the same boost as the Merc. Thats just down to the design of the car, not that one team is breaking the rules

Spraggons Den said:
The engine modes are set at the beginning of the racing weekend so the teams can elect to set the engine to whatever they want. They just can't play about with them during the weekend for qualifying or anything else
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Again its a rule all teams follow so how can it be classed as cheating?
 
The engine rules were brought in to make the sport cheaper and more sustainable. So by using more engines than allowed is punished by the grid penalties. However with only a 5 place penalty for the 5th and subsequent engines then the punishment is rather lax. This is playing into the hands of Mercedes who with their budget can now play around this rule to their advantage. Thus giving Lewis a new ICE with the acceleration and speed advantage that this gives him means that the 5 place penalty is negated. And this also gives him an advantage over Max and the Red Bull as well. Personally as a neutral Williams fan I would like to see them both race with what they have now and lets see what happens.
 
Spraggons Den said:
The engine rules were brought in to make the sport cheaper and more sustainable. So by using more engines than allowed is punished by the grid penalties. However with only a 5 place penalty for the 5th and subsequent engines then the punishment is rather lax. This is playing into the hands of Mercedes who with their budget can now play around this rule to their advantage. Thus giving Lewis a new ICE with the acceleration and speed advantage that this gives him means that the 5 place penalty is negated. And this also gives him an advantage over Max and the Red Bull as well. Personally as a neutral Williams fan I would like to see them both race with what they have now and lets see what happens.
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You realise Max also took a new engine in Russia? As well as almost every other team at some point this season?
 
JM14 said:
You realise Max also took a new engine in Russia? As well as almost every other team at some point this season?
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Yes I know but like I said the Honda engine doesn't respond as well to being turned up to the max (no pun intended) as the Mercedes one does. So its not as much of a benefit to Red Bull as it is to the Mercedes team.
 
Spraggons Den said:
Yes I know but like I said the Honda engine doesn't respond as well to being turned up to the max (no pun intended) as the Mercedes one does. So its not as much of a benefit to Red Bull as it is to the Mercedes team.
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That’s just racing unfortunately, it’s not breaking any rules the fact they get better performance from a new engine. Strange that anyone would suggest that was cheating
 
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