2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- Juan Fanger is the 2015 F1 Fanatic Predictions Champion
- Top ten pictures from the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
- 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Vote for your 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Driver of the Weekend
- Mercedes raise the bar with record-smashing 2015 season
Calum (@calum)
29th November 2015, 14:58
With it being the last race of the season, it is quite disapointing Mercedes couldn’t allow a bit more leniency in the final strategy call. Would letting the drivers have different tyres for the closing 13 laps been that big a deal? It would have been very entertaining to see Lewis close in, to find out if the tyres last long enough to overtake? It was gone as a spectacle as soon as the same tyres went on. If that was their plan all along they should have pitted Lewis the lap right after Nico.
Then to hear the radio calls with the engine mode manipulation, when the result was already secure as a Nico win, it felt like it was just one last sickener from a team in their bidding to take an overly clinical 1-2 finish devoid of any fun.
Nevertheless, a great win from Nico.
On his form, who’s to say he wouldn’t have held off a Super Soft Hamilton the way he commanded all those laps in the three races which seen out a rather underwhelming season. After that cop-out from Mercedes, we’ll never know.
Luca
29th November 2015, 15:08
They let Lewis do what he wanted. They couldn’t fit him SS because they didn’t have a new set available. The used set they had could last about 7-8 laps.
markp
29th November 2015, 15:16
Rosberg has got a great run going which may help going into next year. Merc have used this system all year and Hamilton won a title off it so why should they change it? The only thing it could do is prevent Rosberg winning and carrying on this run. It was fine when Hamilton was winning and it is fine now. From a neutral fans perspective they should never do it but is it that bad trying to keep the battle on track rather than in the pits. If cars struggle to follow then the FIA need to change that.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th November 2015, 15:23
As Luca mentioned, your complaint is missing its target because Mercedes DID give Hamilton the option. But ultimately he was not able to stretch the softs far enough to be able to make it work on the supersofts (a used set) he had left. And his dropoff of time on the supersofts had been worse than Rosberg and worse than Ferraris too.
Understeer (@abdelilah)
29th November 2015, 16:09
I have to point out an unfair strategy from Mercedes, fair enough that they pitted Rosberg just before being overtaken by Lewis but then why ruin Lewis’s race by forcing him to stay outside longer and longer when there was no gain from it.
Mercdes wanted to be sure that he cannot overtake Rosberg during the final stages, I’m sick with this strategies to be honest, shame on Mercedes.
Jayd
29th November 2015, 16:18
Spot on
RaceProUK (@)
29th November 2015, 16:28
So when Hamilton was asking his team if the tyres would last to the end of the race, which he’d then win, that was imagined was it? To me, that says he was happy with the strategy he was on.
Understeer (@abdelilah)
29th November 2015, 16:32
@raceprouk Didn’t have the choice at that moment, he was 10s down, his best chance was to continue with those tyres hoping he won’t be caught by Rosberg.
RaceProUK (@)
29th November 2015, 16:35
And that’s proof enough that Merc fixed the race? Pull the other one.
Understeer (@abdelilah)
29th November 2015, 16:46
At least they all they could to secure Rosberg’s win, I don’t have any problem with that but going beyond that by shooting deliberately the other driver in the leg that is another story, and that is what I am talking about, I am sure 100% that Lewis would have caught with an equal strategy and Mercedes knew it, that’s why they ruined his pace with torn tyres.
B (@)
29th November 2015, 20:44
I don’t think Merc shot Lewis in the leg (assuming what you are saying is true) so that ROS could win, but to let Lewis know that alternate strategies don’t work. Mr. Wolff did not like it when Lewis asked for an alternative strategy in Brazil, and he still does not. And a mega brand like Merc would not admit its decisions are ever wrong, and a driver is better than its strategists at making decisions.
http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/wolff-hamilton-had-all-the-options-open-to-beat-rosberg/
RaceProUK (@)
29th November 2015, 22:32
Oh, he’d have caught up alright. Then he would have shredded his tyres anyway while following Rosberg, and not be able to overtake.
And @abdelilah, I can predict exactly what you’d say if Merc had pitted Hamilton when you say he should have: you would have been screaming that he should have had an alternative strategy.
B (@)
29th November 2015, 21:03
I personally don’t think Merc is at fault here. Lewis wanted an alternate strategy from the Brazil GP, and he finally got one. And it actually worked for a few laps (HAM cut the 12 sec deficit to some 6.8 sec at one point) until he hit traffic. Remember, even in Bahrain 2014, ROS (with faster tyres) would not have caught HAM without the late safety car.
But Mercedes robbed us of the battle we could’ve seen if both cars had the same strategy, and maybe even a Hamilton win.
Understeer (@abdelilah)
29th November 2015, 21:23
@subhashs Mercedes left Hamilton too long with his soft even when he was questioning that strategy.
Patrick (@paeschli)
29th November 2015, 16:28
Kimi has finished on the podium at every night race this year, neat :)
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
29th November 2015, 17:23
And everytime he reached the podium they didn’t serve champagne. What a unlucky coincidence for Kimi ;)
RaceProUK (@)
30th November 2015, 14:02
Maybe he snuck a hipflask onto the podium? :)
(Obviously he didn’t do that)