I mean why not? Lewis doesn’t have much longer at peak level so why hamper the next face of the franchise? If George really has what it takes, that would be detrimentally sentimental to coddle Hamilton.
Lewis is the only legit celebrity in F1. There's big value in that. When that celebrity works for you and represents your brand it behooves you for him to continue being successful. George has the years on his side. His time will likely come but any company like Mercedes will want to capitalize on a generational figure like Lewis for as long as he's viable to do it.
I think there’s value in the narrative of the old mentor and young mentee. Did Dumbledore, greatest wizard alive, try and hold back Harry? On the contrary, he literally threw him into dangerous situations at far too young an age to hone his instincts and cultivate his saving people thing. So later when he was to die as a sacrificial lamb, he was ready. Just like George Russell. (sarcasm, I just had fun going off about HP)
Time to pick up the books and entertain us with a reaction/prediction thread. You will be showered in likes.
You seem to have been A long term fan. I got on board pre drive to survive but at the tail end of Nico and Lewis. Did they anoint Lewis as the next guy or did he just start out racing Nico.
Lewis had 1 WDC under his belt and finished second by a point as a rookie with McLaren before he ever went to Merc. He was always the guy there. The guy he finished co-second with was his teammate, Fernando Alonso.
Oh man the story of Lewis vs Nico is pretty fantastic and worth looking deeper into it at some point... for now I'll give you some of the history but not all of it... Lewis entered the sport with McLaren Mercedes as teammate to Fernando Alonso in 2007. His rookie year he finished 2nd in the championship to Kimi at Ferrari. The following year he won his first title and became the youngest driver to win a title in F1 history. So he's always been the man. In 2006 Nico made his debut for Williams and flashed talent. Having some good finishes but jury was out on if he was a world title driver. In 2010 he landed a seat with Mercedes who was returning to F1. Some felt he ummm paid for a seat but let's leave that for later, he was paired with Schumacher who had left Ferrari and was basically what Kimi is right now with Alfa Romero. Mercedes during the 2010, 2011, 2012 season was basically Alpine. With a new turbo era on the horizon Mercedes decided to basically punt the 2013 season in a effort to get ahead of the 2014 changes. So in a shocking move the off-season prior to that 2013 season they signed Lewis Hamilton. During the start of 2014 it was clear Mercedes punting on the 2013 season paid off in spades as they absolutely dominated F1. Mercedes that season scored 701 2nd place that year was Red Bull with 405. The punting of 2013 gave them such an advantage that its carried them through this very season. Anywho back to the 2014 season where Lewis would win the first title with Mercedes but some would argue that Rosberg was the quicker driver as he won the most poles that season. Laying the groundwork for Rosberg frustrations moving forward. 2015 saw another Mercedes title and Lewis title but with way more drama between the teammates but also Lewis dominating all aspects to the race weekend by leading the drivers in polls that year... Now to 2016 where it gets spicy. Before the 2016 season Mercedes swap Lewis and Rosberg pit crew members including the chief engineers giving Nico a huge lead to the start the season. Throughout the season Lewis makes multiple mentions of this and presses Nico to tell the truth on why, Nico always gives a canned response. (I will forever believe that Nico paid for this title and made a deal with Toto to walk away if those pit changes are made and he wins the title) Anyways Lewis wins the final three races to close the title battle giving him an outside shot of winning the title. All Lewis needs is to win the race and Nico to finish 4th or worse. As the race unfolds it becomes clear to Lewis that if he slows the pace down drivers on fresher tires and better pace to Nico could catch him and pass him allowing him to finish outside ot podium. Sure enough that is exactly what Lewis decides to do... The meltdown from Rosberg and executive director Paddy Lowe are great as Lewis has no fuck to give to either of them and slows the pace that nearly pays off. Obviously it doesn't and Nico wins his only title and a couple months later he shocks F1 and retires allowing Mercedes to hire Bottas as the new #2.
Required watching for everyone in this thread Edit: Not sure why it won’t display here. You can click the link and watch it on YouTube. Goes over the entirety of the 2014 season between Rosberg and Hamilton and lays the groundwork for 2015 & 2016 as well.
Another interesting little tidbit is that the general consensus at the time was that Lewis made a mistake leaving McLaren.
I remember Jeremy Clarkson making fun of him on Top Gear. People today suggest it shouldn't have been that shocking or bold considering it was Ross Brawn and Nikki Lauda running the show and there were already indications that they were ahead in development.
I don't get the conspiracy that rossberg would retire. Wasn't Lauda pissed about it and he retired right before the next season?
enjoyed watching that though my big takeaway is that the cars are way more reliable now than seven years ago
I can’t decide if it would be more entertaining to see Bottas wreck Hamilton or Tsunoda wreck Max but I’ll bet that at least one of the two is a DNF
I want Max to win but I am softening the blow by predicting Hamilton’s experience will get him across the line ahead of Max.
Bottas into Hamilton for Max WDC and Red Bull WCC Spoiler #blessed Hamilton will win and I'll stew over it then alonzomourning.gif just like I did after the SEC championship game
Normally, no. People have been bitching about Abu Dhabi snoozefests as the last race on the calendar for years. They’ve made sizable changes to the track this year so nobody knows for sure how the track will play out. In theory, it should be better for racing.
Oh this would be nirvana. A legitimate smile comes across my face just imagining the instant reaction from Toto. Please racing gods!! What's funny about that is I like Toto and certainly respect everything about them and Lewis, Bottas, etc... Just something about seeing their prim and proper organization in disarray that's too good to pass up.
It's a testament to how good Max (and the RB team) has been this year that Lewis has been thrown into the gritty underdog role the last third of the season
I'm not west coast but in the races early in the morning for me I just catch up with them via DVR after I get up.
Under normal circumstances I just record it and watch it when I wake up. My ass will be up at 5am for this race, though.
Max is going to have a decision at some point in the race on whether or not to do this. RB will throw convention out the window to get him into P1. Lewis will then have to decide where to try and pass. Seems to me only the start finish straight will be safe for Lewis. Everywhere else, Max is going to defend with all of his car.
100%. For enjoyment sake I’m really hoping max outqualifiss Lewis and we get to see Lewis try to overtake on track.
Yeah if they're near each other, Lewis is gonna have to earn it, whether he's attacking or defending. Got to be nerve wracking to know that the other driver is fine with taking you out of need be. Tactics will be interesting.
Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton can have points deducted for 'unsportsmanlike' crash https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/...amilton-points-deducted-unsportsmanlike-crash
I definitely think Max ends up taking out Lewis and then blames Lewis for it. As someone said earlier, I'm always going to pull for someone new winning and, while not a Max fan, I was fine with it being Max. But, damn, he has made it harder and harder for me to pull for him this year and I'm actually to the point where I'm preferring Lewis to win it again.* *My annoyance radar will reset at the end of this year so next year I'm back to anyone except Merc (if Lewis wins again).
I really don't have any issues with Lewis. I just want to see someone new win. Take Seb for example, he's such a great driver and personality, but 2013 was a rough patch in the viewpoint to him because he was so dominant, going for his 4th straight WDC. Now that he has taken the back seat so to speak, he's beloved again. As you said CoastalOrange, Max was the guy for me, but damn he is showing his desperation and it has soured me on him to some extent. Then there is part of me that thinks the faster Lewis gets to 8 WDC, the faster it'll make room for the younger generation at the top. Although, he may not have that luxury next year with the new rules, and George strapping up as his teammate.
It was heading that way a few years ago before Ferrari fell flat on their face in the second half of the year.
What a whiner. It’s been an epic battle by any standard, don’t ruin it now. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/32829415/max-verstappen-opinion-lewis-hamilton-gone-year When asked in a media Zoom call on Thursday if his opinion of Hamilton and Mercedes had changed this year during their battle, Verstappen said: "Yes very much, and not in a positive way."
What a nice response. It's been an epic battle by any standard, can't wait to see how it plays out. https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/32829415/max-verstappen-opinion-lewis-hamilton-gone-year In the Zoom call, a journalist made a mistake and asked Verstappen if he "will congratulate Max" if he wins the title on Sunday. Verstappen laughed and said: "I will congratulate myself, yeah." When the journalist corrected themselves and asked if he would congratulate Hamilton if he won, Verstappen said: "If everything goes fair, for sure."