Rosberg “complains a lot” – Hamilton

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says team mate Nico Rosberg “complains a lot”.

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Comment of the day

F1’s tyre rules are about to get even more complicated
A valiant attempt to make sense of the new tyre rules:

I’ll attempt a description of what this is likely to look like here:

Teams get two sets of tyres per practise (they could in theory use more, but the hand-back rules make that counter-productive). Five of the sets involved are likely to be “race tyres” (i.e. the same compound as the Pirelli compulsory race tyre) and “option tyres” (the compound Pirelli doesn’t require anyone to use). The other one will be a “qualifying” set so the teams can practise their qualifying runs in third practice. (There’s no rule stopping this because only the compulsory sets are prohibited before qualifying – a set chosen as one of the team’s optional 10 sets may be used in any session provided it’s handed back at the correct time).

For qualifying, it’s different depending on whether you expect to make Q3 or not. This is because Q3 runners must use the compulsory “qualifying” compound in that session or not at all, while people who are out in Q1 or Q2 may instead use the ‘qualifying’ compound in the race. That tyre will probably do five to eight laps at the end of the race, so for a team that thinks it will be just forced onto two stops and doesn’t think it can reach Q3, that’s highly useful.

Expect everyone to do banker laps on their hardest compound, and to use the same set for all banker laps done. Whichever “non-qualifying” option is softest will probably be used for Q1 and Q2 (with the possible exception of dominant teams in Q1 and people seriously considering one-stop races in Q2) and the qualifying tyre will obviously be used for Q3’s final run.

One-stopping is likely to be the standard strategy for any Q3 runner who can get there and make it work. Expect a lot of Hard-Softs. For any that can’t do so for whatever reason, expect Race-Race-Option, Race-Option-Race or Option-Race-Race, depending on precise strategy.

For non-Q3 runners, two-stopping is almost always going to be the preferred approach, using Race-Option-Qualifying or Option-Race-Qualifying. There will be a lot of attempted fight-backs in the last five laps as a result.

Three-stoppers will be stuck at the back, unless it rains or the conditions are bad enough to prevent two-stop strategies involving a qualifying tyre.

Short version: it looks like a lot will change, but probably things will be very similar to how they were in 2015 in terms of tyre use.
@Alianora-La-Canta

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Keith Collantine
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132 comments on “Rosberg “complains a lot” – Hamilton”

  1. Hamilton desperately needs a reality check.

    1. Maybe he could pose in a gold wheelchair like his new girlfriend!

      1. I think that´s the other Kardashian

        1. “Rosberg “Complains a Lot” – Complains Hamilton”.

          1. There’s a difference between an observation and a complaint.

          2. something like that, yeah!

          3. Excellent! Hamilton complaining about how Rosberg is a complainer. LOL
            It sounds like Hamilton is confusing Rosberg’s “observations” with “complaining”.

    2. This so much! Rosberg is one of the most subdued drivers in the paddock, be it in the team radio, be it on the post-race interviews, general media.

      Hamilton, on the other hand… I don’t think he’s a crybaby, because those do and did exist in F1 and they are a real thing, and Hamilton is not one, in my opinion, but, honestly, how many times do you hear him talking about how the strategy is wrong, the tires are wrong, the aero is wrong, the track is wrong, the season should be over, his team-mate strategy is wrong, everything. But not Rosberg.

      1. Nico always strikes me as very aware of the perception he’s getting across in public and the image he’s trying to project. I have nothing to tell me that he isn’t just a genuine person and that image is who he actually is, but at the same time I also wouldn’t be surprised if he was completely different within the confines of the team.

        Lewis tends to just say what he thinks and doesn’t worry about how it might be perceived before speaking. From what Toto said, I wouldn’t say either of them are entirely innocent on the team front, the politics within that garage must be pretty hardcore.

      2. Yes Colonal…

        And exactly how many times has LH been booed by the spectators for some ridiculous comment or attitude? (not that I agree with such)

        NR is quite simply the most sulky snarky chap on the grid…

        I have never seen such antics as we saw from him at Austin and regardless of the cause, that right there should preclude anyone from suggesting how ‘lovely’ he is without, say going back to the ridiculous complaints of China where apparently LH was supposed to drive both cars and sort out the strategy just for his team mates well being.

        NR is a clever boy and what he says to the English media is completely and totally different to some of his German commentary.

        You should try some translations but no, easier to just load up on the chap you assume is moaning because a partisan FOM broadcast (and publish) a ‘loaded’ number of radio calls from the last three races knowingly designed to either cause a mass media scrum, a little extra public participation and conflict in order to avert any accusations or sensible commentary regarding the real elephant in the room…

        That the powers that be have created a series where the results are pretty much decided on Saturday!

        And hence the midfield teams choose tyre strategies that ensure mass media attention and camera focus on their latest rookie rock star by constantly choosing tyre strategies to promote ‘overtaking’ while he races from 9th…

        To 10th…

        Those are the issues…

    3. Not really, It was clear for all to see, not just Lewis. Do you watch F1 often?

      1. You sound like a child.

    4. Yup… I mean damn
      .. First Toto.. Then Ham 3-4 articles where he tries to “beat someone off the track”. I thought father told him to do his talking on thr track.

      In any case Toto will emorage for sure…

    5. And you people wonder why Vettel doesn’t try to team up with Hamilton or Alonso…

    6. Regarding Hamilton/Rosberg, this was posted by @gremlinwon on a forum I frequent, interesting read:

      I went to a very interesting Engineering talk last night in Sailsbury where Jock Clear was the guest speaker.
      He in a nutshell spoke about what is was like to be an engineer in Formula One at such a successful level.

      He being behind the scenes knows a hell of a lot more about what really goes on in F1 than any of us will do. He has worked with many drivers from Johnny Herbert to Lewis Hamilton and Micheal Schumacher.

      The arguments with VET and WEB he said were medias opportunities of making a story and rumours to go around the paddock. There was no separation between the team as “sides” and all data was shared openly. Jock basically said that under the circumstances Webber couldn’t pull his season together, he didn’t have the mindset and didn’t use those around him at his full disposal like Vettel did which is why Vettel won multiple championships in a row.

      Now about the Hamilton Bashing, I am not a fan of his mostly because I have always favoured Button or others but again Jock has worked with Hamilton as Head of Engineering in Mercedes and he said Hamilton is a very likeable and easy guy to work with. He said he was the real deal and is the best driver in the team because he gets the people in the team and in the factory behind him. This is something we don’t see because he leads the life of a James Hunt styled playboy. I find it fascinating because Jock worked with Nico but he said they didn’t get on. Rosberg is too focused on the numbers and and how the other driver is doing that he forgets about the other bits and Jock effectively slagged him off because Rosberg was sat along side Micheal for 2 years was it? and he said he learnt nothing off him because he was always comparing data and not seeing how Micheal got a team working together. This is something Jock says Vettel and Hamilton do very well and shows why they are superior to their teammates.

      1. Now why can’t the media publish that sort of info, instead of the celebrity-gossip-level tripe they… oh, yeah, they prefer the celebrity-gossip-level tripe…

        1. Well, unfortunately, the media being driven by supply and demand…it’s probably more on the consumer than the media, per se. They are, after all, simply delivering what the consumer has demonstrated they want.

          1. Agreed; it’s a damning indictment of our celebrity-obsessed culture.

      2. Cracking bit of insight there @pjtierney and @gremlinwon.

    7. But Rosberg does complain when he feels the car has changed and he cannot get pole position then moans more when due to starting 2nd he cannot overtake due to the aero on the cars……….oh wait.

    8. Mercedes team-mates moan all the time, 2, 30 year old men. They can’t be happy for each other, they moan whenever one’s not having its day. I think the tyre amend only brought 3 changes to the previous ruling, on FP1 the first set is retrieved after 40 rather than 30 mins and the teams can now choose 2 compounds for their allocation beforehand, withstanding they carry 2 race sets of Pirelli’s choosing. Is it check mate for Ron? He chose some poor journos to talk to but more importantly, he lost TAG-Heuer to RBR. Ron had the chance to accepted the challenge, and have the grace to share Honda with RBR for 2016. Ron surely knows that he may not stop RB eventually getting Honda, so it does look like Ron tried to force RB out of F1. RB fought back, flexed their pinky and now have a brilliant partnership on board. McLaren have to win the champ right next year or else Honda regardless of what their PU shall be worth will try to get a hold of RB and drop the investment they’ve shared with McLaren, it’s a lot of millions.

  2. Come on, Lewis. Are you serious?

  3. Just re-read the BBC Hamilton article, its official, he is delusional. Finally the world begins to really see him for what he is. you don’t have to be a toss to win, you just have to fairly beat everyone. Being a toss just to win smacks of desperation, not champion quality.

  4. Ian Laidler (@)
    4th December 2015, 0:16

    I am a big Lewis fan ….. but sometimes he does tend to talk some utter crap, although the media does have a tendency sometimes to take anything he say’s out of context and twist to make news.

    1. Hes probably talking about Rosberg when they’re in the garage, or team meetings. Who knows but who really cares. They’re like a married couple

  5. Haha Hamilton complaining about how his teammate complains too much, get real Lewis. If he’s so bored of the racing, bored of winning and bored of complainjng teammates, maybe he should bugger off to a new sport.

    What with Toto’s comments yesterday about the rift between the drivers and comments like this, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see an all new team lineup in 2017

  6. Thank you for the Comment of the Day, Keith! *blush*

    1. @alianora-la-canta it was well deserved – its best explanation of how the tyre rules might play out next year!

    2. Yeah that was worth it. Fantastic explanation.

      I kinda hope you are wrong about the Q3 and non-Q3 cars being pushed into different strategies. Just because, having some cars on strategies others can’t do, seems a bit, eh…. Same as when they had the front guys start on worn tyres. It’s a poor mechanic to try and change things up in the race.

      It’s the same thought process as putting ballast on the winners, but more complicated.

      1. Isnt that how we do it now?

      2. Yeah! I was kind of hoping that if you made it to Q3 you would get the set of the softest tire to use then and only then.

    3. A good explanation, but at 6 paragraphs long it does highlight that perhaps these rules might be a touch too complex.

      1. One of the battles that F1 has on its hands is to attract and retain the interest of the non-fanatic. That’s where the vast majority of the audience (tv) will come from. And whether you like it or not, sport on TV is a numbers game.
        With sets of rules like this, F1 makes it almost impossible even for the fanatic to understand what’s going on. How could you explain it to a non-fanatic without their eyes glazing over?
        A great explanation by @alianora-la-canta, but I completely agree with @graham228221; it’s just too complex.

        1. COTD for me….

      2. I tend to agree with you that it is over-complex. You can tell the sporting regulations are being driven by corporate rather than sporting, technical or intuitive considerations. That’s a turn-off for sports and entertainment fans alike.

  7. “You’ve seen he complains about a lot of things. But you kind of let it go over your head because that’s just the way he is.”

    Too much self projection.

    There’s only one driver who complains about the inflexible strategy for the following car at Mercedes when he is outqualified; and it isn’t Rosberg.

    1. China?

      Or pretty much any time NR is in a press conference unless of course he has just been gifted a win such as Monaco, where a little restraint might have helped.

      And by the way. After Monaco, I would expect LH to be fully entitled to request/complain/check any strategy calls and am amazed that a seemingly intelligent chap like Toto expects anything different.

      And no I don’t care what percentage of Monaco was LH’s fault Fanatic friends because it simply does not matter, his team/engineer/whatever simply had to say ‘Nico is not pitting’ end of issue, instead of trying to be clever.

      Truly reminded me of Macca back in the day completely sure it was not raining because the computer said so.

      As the water gushed down the pit lane….

      1. Read the Monaco radio transcript again. Lewis never once asked about what Nico and Sebastian are doing. He was focussed on himself and his car alone.

        and no I don’t care what percentage of Monaco was LH’s fault Fanatic friends because it simply does not matter

        So you don’t care for those FACTS that can prove your idol is fallible?

        1. Sumedh

          He is not my idol, perfectly fallible but Monaco was certainly not his fault.

          Given he was 20+ seconds in front of Nico and Seb I would hope he was focused on himself.

          Like I said – if he had been told NR was not pitting and it was tight – all would have gone away.

      2. Monaco was also Hamilton fault, it was him who insisted on the radio although his engineer didn’t agree. You can’t exclude Hamilton from that decision making just because it suits your argument. And he is not entitled to any thing after Monaco since he was part of it. The strategy chosen is a decision taken by both parts, engineer has the data, driver has the feeling of the race and track.
        With the comment that Rosberg complains a lot, Hamilton sounds like a grounded child who points to the other one and says: “look at him, he’s done worse” and fails to see his own.

        1. Caci99

          I said it does not matter how much was his decision. His team simply had to say it as it was.

          For goodness sake – when the team take responsibility for the screw up – are they lying simply to allow the likes of you little lot here to allocate blame?

      3. China?

        Nope, he complained about Hamilton backing him into Vettel, not the strategy. He has always taken full responsibility when not qualifying on pole position.

        1. You definition of ‘complained’ is amazing…

          You ever heard of an overtake?

  8. Interesting tweet from Red Bull, sounds like their Renault engines might be called TAG next year.

  9. So the Red Bull deal with Renault for the power unit will that be what they had talked about where Red Bull will use the ICE and then develop the rest themselves or are they taking the full Renault package? I do not remember them saying it anywhere in what i have been reading. It is very cool they have TAG signed up for the badge.

    1. ColdFly F1 (@)
      4th December 2015, 8:29

      They haven’t said anything yet about which/what/how PU. Only hints and rumours.

    2. I am pretty sure that at least for next year, the development will be the same for all the teams using Renault engines, including Red Bull.

      If they found the Ilmore route to be the better option, than that will be Ilmore working with Renault to make these changes and both RBR and Renault using that.

      For the longer future, who knows.

  10. Was Rosberg complaining in German, English, Italian, Spanish or French?

    1. Finnish perhaps? :-))))

      1. That’s one he doesn’t speak apparently. ;)

  11. Hamilton has reached a new low. Mercedes should dump him at any cost. I would think Rosberg is safe – he’s a spoiled brat but is good with the team.

    1. I take it you’ve called up the factory and told Toto ‘I’ll make him leave for a tenner’ then?

      1. His days at Merc will shortly be over. Maybe he can go back to McLaren….oh, that’s right, he burnt his bridges there as well.

    2. We know your hurting…

      I am here if you need to talk?.

      :)

      1. I’m not hurting chap but thanks for the offer:)

  12. I’m no Hamilton fanboy, being an Aussie from Perth means I’m automatically a fan of Danny Ric, but I tend to agree with Hamilton, Rosberg does complain a lot. But so does Lewis, Jenson, Sebastian, Kimi – they all complain when things are not going as they think they should.

    If things aren’t working for me at work I complain too. It no drama!

    But what this does tell me is maybe Mercedes do let him go at the end of 2016… and I hear that a team in red might have a seat available for 2017. Vettel/Hamilton anyone?

    1. I don’t think Hamilton will drive for red, at least while Vettel is there. It seems Ferrari think Vettel is another Schuey and his performance this year has only helped reinforce that.
      Also,I’m sure they see the turmoil at Merc and don’t want the same scenario. I think part of the reason they are bringing Kimi back is he doesn’t mind being Vettel’s rear gunner and I’d be surprised if Vettel didn’t have a say in it.
      I would expect them to hire another good but not great driver – it will be interesting to see who they select.

  13. Rosberg “complains a lot” – Hamilton

    HAHA! ain’t that the pot calling the kettle black!

  14. Taking the quote at face value it appears to say “Rosberg complains more than me!” but I think Hamilton’s trying to show us how Rosberg acts behind the scenes at Mercedes. It certainly suits my perception of him as a hard-working brat, albeit a likeable one. I think he would be the one in the garage making demands and I could not blame him for being frustrated at his overall performance over the past two seasons.

    Rosberg’s had it tough. After 2014 we all agreed that if he wanted to beat Hamilton he needed to focus more on race pace than qualifying. Rosberg’s mind changed but Hamilton ran away with all the poles. This resulted in Rosberg being behind and on the worse of the two strategies. We saw from Hamilton in the last 6 races how hard it is to revert that disadvantage. Six poles in a row for Rosberg is a great achievement and considering his team-mate is Hamilton, who himself has 49 poles, is vastly underrated at the moment. Truthfully, Hamilton’s imperious form fell apart in Sochi were Rosberg got the pole and led until mechanical failure. Unlucky safety cars and the wind cost him victory in Austin. He then won the next three races in a row. If Mercedes have a similar advantage next year it will be interesting to see how much of the battle depends on pole.

  15. Hamilton is talking about fall out from how aggressive he is on track. Times like Austin and Suzuka along with quite a few other times Hamilton has been extremely aggressive in holding his line and Rosberg has complained about it and had a face like a slapped backside in post race press conferences. I can also imagine this goes on still behind the scenes as well.

    But if Hamilton is going to stick to the claim he does his talking on the track, this is one many occasions this year he’s done plenty of talking off the track undermining that claim.

  16. Basically when you’re on the losing side, you complain a lot. When Rosberg losing, he complains. Now when Hamilton losing, he also complains. He complains about someone complaining a lot. Must be hanging out with Xzibit…

  17. Fortunately Hamilton never complains. Something about the pot calling the kettle black (whoops, is it because he’s black? ;))

  18. When you’re frustrated and loosing, you start complaining. The difference is Roseberg might do it with his team behind the walls, Lewis is doing it in public.

  19. Ron’s statements have recently become more strong and combative. Reminds me of Luca last year. I think he is on his way out. The middle east owners probably want someone else who is not as stubborn

    1. This one made me laugh:

      I never give away numbers

      I’ve not stopped hearing about how much a title sponsor is worth for the past two years!

    2. I am not completely sure @sumedh, but I am pretty sure that Ron is working on buying out the owner of the TAG group, who is focussing more on Aviation nowadays (and sold the TAG Heuer watch brand to a completely different company some while ago).

      He is there to stay.

      I think the interview actually gives some interesting insights in his thinking, when you read between the lines, part of why they did not agree on a bigger deal with J. Walker is because Ron would be unhappy to end up in a situation like when Tobacco sponsorship got regulated away. The most iconic McLarens are strongly associated with tobacco brands, and if he would now take Whiskey on, that would give them another possibly soon-ish not marketable brand.

      Sure, that still does not mean that the team is in a better position sponsor-wise. But at least it shows there is more thought behind it than just not wanting to go down in price.

  20. Rosberg did drive and behave badly in Austin. He had nothing to complain about in T1, but he made a ridiculous fuss about it. Same in Japan. Same last year in Bahrain and Hungary. He’s quick, but not a complete package, and when the going gets tough… he cheats. So I have him in the frame for non-renewal, and maybe a bid for Max…

    1. Thank goodness – I was beginning to think that Austin behaviour was only seen by myself (although I am pretty sure Paddy Lowe spotted it :) )

      Some of the comments on recent articles about how ‘perfect’ NR is and how terrible his world champ team mate treats him were making me think I was in some odd parallel universe.

      For example – can you imagine how many years NR would have gone on for (in multiple languages) if Monaco had been the other way round?

      Jeez – given the fuss he made in China I am pretty sure the team are glad it was LH!

    2. LH should thank NR for going wide in Austin and thus avoiding a collision, after LH admitted he didn’t mean to do it, ie. didn’t have control of his car. There was absolutely no reason for Nico to back off…it’s called racing side-by-side. LH was never ahead of NR and NR could have just as easily held the opinion at the moment that it was LH that was overcooking it and would have to brake more, so as to not go wide, so why would he back off. Oh yeah that’s right….when Lewis says
      you need to be forceful but not crash into someone he meant he alone…nobody else. When NR forcefully didn’t back off, but fortunately for the team and himself and LH, went wide and saved LH and the team a lot of embarrassment, it’s shame on Nico for trying to race and not just handing it to LH.

      If everything was on the up and up with that incident LH would not have immediately told the team on the radio he didn’t do it on purpose, nor would he have said in this more recent interview that he had an ‘aw jeez’ moment. If he believes what he has said about being forceful and hard etc etc in terms of racecraft, then why isn’t he pounding his chest with pride and glee at his moving of NR off the track? Why say anything at all if that was ‘just racing?’ Answer: Because he didn’t have control of his car, and Nico saved the day for the team.

  21. I think that Ron should get COTD, “One thing you may not have realised was that the LVMH group had within it another brand, which is the Hennessey Moet brand”, that being the MH of LVMH then Ron….

  22. Have to say that Hamilton never seems to miss a chance to make a snidey comment about Rosberg there are a few in that article – Interesting contrast with Button’s comments about his teammate in the other round up article.

    1. Button is quite snidey about Hamilton, if you read carefully.

  23. Really lost my respect for Hamilton this season. I’ve been routing for him since he joined in 2007 and also last year, but this year he’s basically become this celebrity jet guy that I can’t relate to at all. I’m actually hoping Vettel wins the WC next year, which to be honest I never ever though I’d say, let alone in a Ferrari.

    I don’t even respect Hamilton’s driving as much as I did. Saying he’s lost focus to win races after winning the world championship is just lazy. Senna always gave 100%, that’s why Hamilton will never match his idol.

    PS: I expect Alonso at Mercedes in 2017.

    1. Really lost my respect for Hamilton this season. I’ve been routing for him since he joined in 2007 and also last year, but this year he’s basically become this celebrity jet guy that I can’t relate to at all. I’m actually hoping Vettel wins the WC next year, which to be honest I never ever though I’d say, let alone in a Ferrari.

      I don’t even respect Hamilton’s driving as much as I did. Saying he’s lost focus to win races after winning the world championship is just lazy. Senna always gave 100%, that’s why Hamilton will never match his idol.

      +1 on both calls!

    2. @john-h You don’t even need to bring Senna up. Just look at how Vettel dealt with the final races of the 2011 and 2013 seasons…

    3. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
      4th December 2015, 14:36

      @john-h good to see the opinion of a Lewis fan. And I thought he had become annoying just for his non-fans like me.

      1. Cmon @omarr-pepper, the internet is full of these fake ex-fans trying to deny bias and claim cred for their denigration. But suddenly they can’t stop posting about it ;) Hamilton has always been his same self since 2007. Gobby, immodest and contradictory; ferocious but sweet-natured; confident but insecure. He hasn’t changed. Back in 2007 there were people claiming “I used to like him then he said ‘monkeys at the back’. It was a fib then too.

        1. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
          4th December 2015, 23:35

          @lockup but the difference is that here o F1F we can read the users’ old comments to see if they have really changed their mind. You could track my posts back to 2009 supporting Seb.

          1. You think it would be worth it @omarr-pepper? I’m not accusing you of duplicity I hope that’s clear :)

            Hamilton hasn’t changed. He has the same strengths and weaknesses he’s always had and it depends on one’s priorities how one sees him. Claiming he’s got worse is just fakery IMO.

          2. OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
            5th December 2015, 1:35

            @lockup you start your comment saying @john-h is a fake Ham fan… so it looks accusing

        2. @lockup I was a very passionate Hamilton fan for many years, as many people on this site know.

          And I’m not trying to ‘claim cred.’ I’m a 35 year old boring old man, I don’t care about that stuff anymore. I’m just telling the truth. I don’t feel the same respect for Hamilton anymore as he’s changed so much since winning went to his ego.

          1. I don’t think he’s changed at all @john-h. In 2007 it didn’t take him long to be talking about Alonso being quiet or stirring things up in Monaco about being No 2 after the team called him in earlier than he wanted, or defying Ron with the Hungary qualifying lap.

            You have to be weirdly egocentric to devote your life to driving round in circles faster than anyone else, otherwise I don’t see any particular ego thing about him. He’s overtly competitive, but he has been from Day 1. So I don’t see a reason for a fan – who presumably valued his openness, aggressiveness etc etc – to turn against him now and post negatively over and over.

          2. @lockup I see your point, but “over and over?” When exactly? I don’t understand, this is the first time I’ve said anything like this. Anyway, it’s just how I feel, I can’t really explain it. 2015 has been so different.

  24. ColdFly F1 (@)
    4th December 2015, 8:36

    Two dominant seasons and we have ‘infight galore’ at MB!
    Is Ross Brawn still out fishing?

    Great for F1 though; hope Ferrari, RBR, McLaren will be there to pick up the pieces.

  25. Yes, Nico complaints a lot. But don’t you feel that Hamilton ‘blames a lot’ when things don’t go his way.
    Hopefully the set up suits Nico for 2016 and Hamilton has a hard time catching Nico and I would like to see his behaviour.
    I’m just wondering what will Hamilton’s reaction be if he’s in Alonso and Button’s position now.
    Anyways I see his 2015 WDC as hollow and too diddly easy.

  26. What strikers me is how Hamilton treats his friends. Rosberg used to be one of his best friends, but he’s been ruthless in the car (which is good) and ruthless off the track (which is bad) towards one of his supposed oldest friends. Look at how Hamilton treated Adrian Sutil, another best friend, dropping him like dirt when he needed him most (court case). Hamilton seems to have friends when he needs them, and drop them when he doesn’t. Or when he sees a chance to make, newer, better friends. Measure of a men, he’s not measuring up.

    1. Adrian Sutil, the 29-year-old, was found guilty of striking Renault chief Eric Lux around the neck with a champagne glass – a wound that required 24 stitches – after Hamilton’s victory at the Chinese Grand Prix in April last year.

      Read it, and you would understand why Lewis didnt show up at the court, and why he parted his ways with Adrian, drunk skunk, who glassed someone, on the neck, and probably asked Lewis to be a lying witness…

      Rosberg dropped two balls, and were hard and unfair! 1 being in Spa, and another in Monaco… After Spa, he lost the respect…

      So either examples by you fails to prove a point… Actually tells a story totally opposite to what you are mumbling in the heat and fit of hatred against him i guess :)

    2. Hmmm, @hahostolze we never found out exactly why Hamilton didn’t want to give evidence but as @mysticus says Sutil was convicted and unlike you the court saw the CCTV.

      On Rosberg you are entirely upside-down. It was Rosberg who cheated his childhood friend, in Bahrain with the engine setting, in Monaco with the premeditated Mirabeau cheat and in Spa with the deliberate right flick that the team actually fined him for.

      The team know why Lewis suddenly lost all respect for Nico.

      1. Ah the old engine-setting, which LH did too back then and including during the very last race we just saw, the Monaco incident that saw NR found guilty of nothing by the stewards other than for conspiracy theorists who think the stewards were on one drivers side with some mysterious motivation to do that, and Spa with the deliberate right flick which was actually to try to control his car while trying to do the very thing LH espouses…being forceful etc etc. Last thing NR meant to do was hit LH, just didn’t want to back off and hand LH anything…like LH himself says is what you have to do. NR got fined by the team for his mistake that cost LH and the team points, not for deliberately hitting LH which he never intended to do and NR has not hit anyone since to the point of saving the team in Austin by going wide when LH did, and thus preventing a collision. Assuming the fine equals guilt of something deliberate, rather than just guilt of hitting a teammate by mistake, which all drivers know is the one ‘sin’ you should try to never commit, is taking license and being biased.

  27. 6 Bold Predictions for 2016:
    1. Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari will be World Champions!
    2. Kimi Raikkonen will be Back to his absolute best!
    3. McLaren-Honda will find a title Sponsor and will Finish Third in the Championship, behind Ferrari and Mercedes
    4. Grosjean will score 2 or more podiums for Haas BUT Gutierrez will NOT score any Points.
    5. Manor Mercedes will score points!
    6. Williams will have a HORRIBLE year.

    Drivers Standings Prediction:
    1. Vet 2. Rai 3. Ham 4. Alo 5. Ros 6. But 7. Ric 8. Kvy 9. Per 10. Gro

    Constrcutors Predictions:
    Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren-Honda, Red Bull-TAG, Force India, Haas

    1. those are indeed very bold predictions @fish123!

      I think no. 2 and 4 are higly unlikely to happen.

      1. yea its a bit optimistic

  28. I used to go for Hamilton but especially in the last 2 years he has gotten so far up himself I find myself going for anyone else.

    1. Another one!

      Where do you lot come from?

  29. Those tyres rules are just stupid.
    Why not let a team choose it’s 2 compounds, make them use both in the race and leave all the other stuff alone.
    Only the FiA could take a simple and sensible idea and turn it into a complex mess.
    I’ve been an F1 fan since childhood in the 80’s so switching off is not an option for me, but how on earth am I supposed to get my friends interested when it takes 10minutes just to explain how the teams end up with the tyres they have? It’s a near impossible job that gets harder every season.
    Is it any wonder that the problems with falling viewership are proving incredibly hard to address.

    1. Another COTD!

  30. Last year monaco Rosberg cheated,at spa colided with Hamilton.in his words ‘ to prove a point’.This year accused hamilton for deliberately slow down in china,complained in suzuka ,throw podium cap at austin.Hamilton has a heart on sleeve attitude he express his emotions but not a person who is falsly sweet or more diplomatic.Hamilton had team mates before were better than Rosberg .Alonso,button etc but there was a mutual respect among them.Merc should replace Rosberg in 2017 with Ricardo or Bottas or even verstappen.

    1. You can’t really use the cap throwing incident to prove a point against Rosberg as Hamilton threw it first. There was no respect from Alonso after 2007 either, he has gotten over it so now there is no problem… And tweeting the telemetry data between himself and Button did him no good there either, Button has stated that Alonso is better than Hamilton. Hamilton has also pushed Rosberg off track so he is no better than Rosberg in colliding part, Rosberg having to go off track to prevent new collisions.

      So yes, Hamilton is a better race driver but otherwise?

  31. Lewis is getting himself into more problems, guess he does not understand he’s the ambassador of the Mercedes brand and they will not like this, specially a day after being warned by Toto.
    Worst thing is that he mentions Senna every 5 minutes but he is off track the opposite (not that he’s senna on track)

    1. You are projecting. Mercedes love Lewis. They want a Red Bull-esqe appeal didn’t you notice?

      It’s a spoiled family guy who never does anything interesting they’ll swap out.

  32. If Rosberg is the complainer is Hamilton the one bitching?

  33. Hamilton’s ‘problem’ seems to be that he doesn’t always use the normal ‘F1 driver style guide’ (pre-planned, careful, upbeat, robotic) when replying to questions.

    I love the fact he often just says what he thinks, but I seem to be in an ever-shrinking minority…

    1. Nope – your really not.

      I figure these are opportunities for the anti Merc/LH brigade to undergo some therapy prior to next season :)

      Types like us are perfectly fine if a little confused by the ridiculous Pirelli Championship that starts next year!

    2. Only because he speaks his mind, doesn’t mean we all have to like it. He is basically bad-mouthing his teammate. Thats nothing to like or even love about that honesty.

  34. Am I the only only one that thinks Hamilton has made a massive mistake in these comments and will pay the price on the track. Abu Dhabi was the ultimate Rosberg Race. He beat Hamilton fair and square and by a margin, but it wasn’t Rosberg’s performance that was the telling factor here. In Brazil, Hamilton asked for an alternative strategy to beat Rosberg and Merc didn’t give it to him. He was able to rationalise the Brazil loss to himself because he “was faster than Nico, but Merc wouldn’t give him and alternative strategy”. In Abu Dhabi, Merc let him try his alternative strategy and it failed badly. Mentally there were no excused. He just lost.

    Mentally Nico has the edge on Hamilton right now. 6-0 in qualifying and 3-0 in the last three races. Hamilton knows that he was beaten fair and square. Was it because Hamilton dropped off his effort after he won the title. Possibly, but that is up for debate and I am sure Hamilton would love to say who cares. Except Hamilton’s actions show that he does care. Hamilton and all F1 drivers feed off confidence, and Hamilton’s confidence was clearly down at the end of the season, while Nico’s was up.

    The point of my rant is that Hamilton has just played into Nico’s hands by making this statement. You only have to read the comments below to know that Hamilton complains at least as much as Nico and probably more. Nico is high on confidence right now and will view Hamilton’s comments as proof that he has him beaten. This will drive Nico’s confidence even higher and he will feel that Hamilton is scared and that is why he is making the comments. Hamilton may be trying to unsettle Nico, but I think it will work the other way

    1. Right…

      You do know that there are 20 odd races in a year and LH had won over half of them even with gifting one to his team mate…

      And that prior to NR mini championship it was 12-1 in q – in other words an absolute embarrassment that would have finished the chap if continued.

      I have no doubt that Merc helped NR a little with car development (they did it with the clutch and that really caused some issues) driven on with also needing to understand Singapore. Given Toto publcaly stated it was their absolute focus when Seb was actually beating Nico, I imagine there are many many reasons behind the resurgence. I can also see how some of them frustrated LH. They would frustrate anyone frankly but it is a team and the only thing LH has to ensure is that the 2016 car is back how he wants it and not focused on a single unusual races issues and the weaker team mate.

      I suspect that is behind a number of the comments doing the rounds…

    2. it is not because hamilton backed off after winning the title. lets took a look back at races since Japan. (where Hamilton said mercedes’s set-up started to suit Rosberg more!)
      Japan – Rosberg Pole, Hamilton Dominated to Win
      Russia – Rosberg Pole, Hamilton won (But if Rosberg had not had the Issue he would have been the likely winner)
      USA – Rosberg Pole, Hamilton won (But if not for Rosberg’s careless error, he would could also won here)
      Mex, Bra, Abu – Rosberg Pole, Rosberg win

      Let’s just face the Fact that Since Japan, Rosberg has been the better driver, and Hamilton cannot accept that. First he blamed a car-setup change which suits rosberg more than him. Now he is saying it is because he already won the championship.

      To me personally Hamilton is a bad looser, and if Toto wolff eventually has to get rid of one of them, i have a feeling it will be Hamilton who will have to leave!

      1. Bad looser? how many champs you got? how many GPs you won in your life? How many poles you achieved?

        Couldnt hear you mate? Speak louder…

        While you are venting here your successes, he is sipping his cocktail in his private jet flying to Bahamas probably…

        please I wanna be a looser like him, and not a winner successful like you… cheers mate

        1. what exactly are you trying to say? @mysticus

          1. i m saying, grow a pair, and put your feet in the same shoes… you will understand who is the looser better that way…

  35. These two really need to get over it. Yes we know you were friends when you were growing up, and yes we know you aren’t anymore. We get it. Move on now. Nico has his wife and baby and Lewis has his plane, dogs, awards shows, parties, “Hollywood” mates etc etc etc…and yet they still take any opportunity to swipe at each other, its getting old now. They are acting like petulant children.

    1. actually, you make a good point – they both act like petulant children. I say get rid of them both :) Bring in Danny Ric and Bottas or some such pairing. Or Button and anyone (I’ve never seen Button acting petulant, though I don’t track him 24/7).

      1. What swipes has Nico been making at Lewis?

  36. toto wolff said that if the rivalry between the 2 gets out of hand they will have to get rid of one of them.

    and i have a feeling that it will be hamilton who will be asked to leave because the team had no problems between Schumacher and Rosberg but when hamilton joined problems arised

    1. If a driver is to be kicked out by Mercedes, it’ll be Rosberg; no-one in their right mind would kick out the driver who’s just delivered two WDC titles on the trot. Then again, it’s a moot point, since both drivers will be there for a good few years yet.

      1. rosberg is more of a team player and as toto wolff said he wants to work with nice guys! And besides without Hamilton in Mercedes, Rosberg would have been a double world champion so Mercedes wont really loose out by getting rid of Hamilton. More-so hamilton will loose-out

        Because honestly Mercedes dont need either Rosberg or Hamilton, any driver could have been world champion in that car, probably even will stevens

        1. Sameer – read the very first page of comments regarding a talk given by Jock Clear – Director of Engineering for Merc.

          Given he knows more than you – you might do well to reconsider your persistent posts.

          Given they are completely wrong…

    2. lol.

      Firstly, there was no problems with Rosberg and Schumacher because they wern’t fighting for a world title. Did you not see the sort of problems that arose at Ferrari when Schumacher was fighting for the title? (go and watch Austria 2002)

      Secondly, theres zero chance on Earth Mercedes would be rid of the most marketable driver in the sport, let alone the quickest.

      1. the reason i say Hamilton will be asked to leave is because he seems to have caused most of the tension in Mercedes. He has also been criticizing Mercedes.

        Mexico – Did not want to make a 2nd Stop, challenged Mercedes but eventually Decided to Pit.
        He Criticized Mercedes for not allowing drivers to make their own strategy decisions.
        Brazil – Wanted a Different Strategy to Rosberg. Declined the Chance by Team.
        Again he criticized Mercedes for not allowing drivers to choose their own strategies.
        Abu Dhabi – Wanted a Different Strategy, despite Mercedes allowing Lewis 3 Options:
        a) Go to the End
        b) Pit for Super-Softs
        c) Pit for Softs
        He eventually did exactly what Rosberg did, And at the End of the Race AGAIN he said Mercedes did
        not give him freedom to choose his own strategy, but they did which meant Lewis Hamilton was
        basically lying. (Toto Wolff did say the team allowed Lewis to choose his own strategy after Brazil problems)

        So due to him criticizing Mercedes’s team decisions, if he continues like this he will be the one to get AXED NOT ROSBERG.

        1. Again – read the précis of Jock Clears talk on the first page of these comments.

          You might get a shock

    3. They weren’t fighting for championships and to be honest were rarely near each other on track.

      If it ultimately came down to it Rosberg doesn’t carry much popularity even in Germany, even if the blame were Hamiltons he wouldn’t be the one to go. And I say even because it’s pretty tit for tat from both of them.

  37. Another day, another round-up with another Hamilton interview, and another day with so many fans champing at the bit to be the first to slate him for answering questions without taking a moment to read and interpret what is being said, and put it into context. Instead, they just lap up the media spin as if it’s gospel truth, and all that causes is endless arguments.

    Remember, Lewis doesn’t have to impress you; he has to impress Toto and the sponsors. And being a triple world champion with the world’s media always in his face, he’s excelling at both.

  38. Reg Hamilton’s comments, The Apt use of the idiom “The pot calling the kettle black” !!!!!!

    Except for the underwhelming Heikki, Lewis had incidents with every driver he worked with Alonso ( !!! no Words) , Button ( remember the Data Tweet !!!) & Rosberg ( Well well Well !!!)

    I Guess If Lewis had not become a Formula 1 Driver he would have had an extremely successful career as a politician !!!!!

  39. Look who’s talking…

  40. LOL. Pots and Kettles.

    LH is a massive complainer (LH, “no, I’d say I’m not, I’m more of a whinger.”)

  41. Hamilton is shirting the real issue.
    Complaining is one thing, consistently broadcasting to the world that his team is screwing him over by making decisions to prevent him from winning is quite another.

  42. They both seem arrogant: Lewis because of his success and Nico because he’s a snob. Nico seems to give off this “I’m superior to you” vibe – his dad was a champion, he talks a bunch of languages and well, he possibly thinks of himself as less of an ‘arrivé’ than other drivers who live in Monaco. Also he often throws a ‘joke’ in there but takes it back immediately by saying the opposite. He seems too aware of himself.

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