^ Yes, points wise looks no different. However and without checking stats I don't have the impression that they were so dominant performance wise, the gap wasn't so massive but it might be my impression only .

 

Masterstich is threatening to pull Red Bull money from F1. I think the engine did not move from last year and car got worse really and it shows. It must a huge shock to the system falling from winning 4 on a trot and not being able to compete in the top four any more. 

I am not sure what is going on with LH but that massive golden chavtastic chain around his neck during post race interviews... words fail me I am afraid.

 

 

my thoughts exactly. bling bling....

So the there are going to be 4, hopefully moving to 3 battles this year. Battle 1. Mercedes. Simple, they're going to win, it's just about who does the winning. Battle 2. Williams and Ferrari. This, i feel is going to be close. Battle 3. Redbull, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Force India. Battle 4, Mclaren and Manour/Marussia.

 

Like i said, i hope it become a 3 way battle soon, as i would love Mclaren and Merussia to get their cars sorted and move up to the mid-pack.

 

All in all though, an interesting race i thought. Definitely at the lack of pace from the Redbull and i'm pleased that Sauber had a great race after all the political BS that shrouded the run up to it. 

Edited 16 March, 201511 yr by J45ON

I am not sure what is going on with LH but that massive golden chavtastic chain around his neck during post race interviews... words fail me I am afraid.

I respect his talent behind the wheel and it is beyond discussion but outside of the car, oh dear...

LH seems to think that he is a gangsta!!

 

And on that subject, just how starstruck did he sound at meeting Arnholt?

He sounded much better than when he tried to be witty at some music awards recently - sad personality fail I am afraid. 

True, there were eras where others dominated as well but apart from one year Ferrari swept the table there was never a situation where one team dominated so massively and nobody else stood even a remote chance of getting close. This is why I wrote about two formulas. 0.5sec a lap? Please! That is not racing and Merc wasn't really pushing apart from the pitstops and that was scary!

 

I agree with jilwah, definitely plenty of times when other teams have been hugely dominant over the rest of the field - the one that really comes to mind is when McLaren introduced the third brake pedal and their two cars lapped the entire field.  No-one stood a chance against the Red Bulls latterly and going back there's been other technical innovations which one team has jumped onto and others have taken time to catch up on.

 

It's difficult to balance more flexible rules but I would like to see it particularly if it would mean cars with different strengths which would vary depending on the track and weather conditions.

JohnMcL7, on 16 Mar 2015 - 01:44, said:

I wouldn't say either were close, they finished the race nearly 30 seconds back and it looks like while they were pushing hard, Mercedes could have gone faster.  The results are largely consistent with the test sessions where Mercedes also dominated so unless Mercedes develop a chronic reliability issue I can't see the situation changing from last year.

 

Given that both Ferrari drivers were soundly cuffed by their teammates last year, surely Alonso or Ricciardo would have made better use of this years car.

 

It stands to reason that the new Ferrari would almost be a match for the Merc - if only it had a truly fast #1 driver in it.

Why are people so bothered as to what Hamilton does outside of the car? If Vettel was cross dressing on weekends, no one would bat an eye.

Why are people so bothered as to what Hamilton does outside of the car? If Vettel was cross dressing on weekends, no one would bat an eye.

Seriously?

 

When LH is talking on camera, that's when he's working as much as when he's in the car. Would you find talking like a gangsta acceptable behaviour in someone who was trying to sell you a new car?

I couldn't care less. His primary job role is to be fast. If he is he stays employed.

If Vettel was cross dressing on weekends, no one would bat an eye.

It would certainly make him a more interesting person 

I couldn't care less. His primary job role is to be fast. If he is he stays employed.

 

I do not think I could agree with that. Yes, driving is what they do but outside the car, being brand ambassadors and through their image promoting their sponsors and parent company(ies) is sometimes more important than driving itself and they certainly can spend more time doing out of the car contractual duties. This was one of the reasons LH left Macc as they are known for huge out of the car duties workloads for their drivers.

 

F1 drivers are public figures, some have bags of style and class (JB) some are really likeable, funny, witty and cheeky (SV) some are impossible to digest (Pastor "Ditchfinder" Maldonado) and others ooze inferiority complex dressed up in gangsta chaviness (guess who? ). I'd love to see JB in the same car as LH! Merc would have everything for everybody then! Rosberg is unfortunately not a character, nice chap and all, I like him, but he lacks this somehing, too plain, ordinary for this sport perhaps.

JB is just a journey man driver. He was saying in a magazine that he loves the challenge of building a team up. He has years of that before with Honda and look how that went...

Seriously?

 

When LH is talking on camera, that's when he's working as much as when he's in the car. Would you find talking like a gangsta acceptable behaviour in someone who was trying to sell you a new car?

 

 

I do not think I could agree with that. Yes, driving is what they do but outside the car, being brand ambassadors and through their image promoting their sponsors and parent company(ies) is sometimes more important than driving itself and they certainly can spend more time doing out of the car contractual duties. This was one of the reasons LH left Macc as they are known for huge out of the car duties workloads for their drivers.

 

I'm not buying a car from him so thats a strange thing to say, do you think Merc rather he was slow on the track but good at flogging motors?   As it goes, in a roundabout way I suspect he is good at selling cars, I think Merc will be loving Lewis off the track with all his hip hop mates, no doubt boosting Mercs sales figures, giving them a better image, trying to ditch the old man tag they've had for a while. 

Old man tag is the main Merc demographic, if they ditch it they will go down like a lead balloon unfortunately. Young people do not buy Mercedes cars I am afraid They have to be careful not to "chav down" the Merc image too much. LH would fit perfectly with Honda CTR image he he he. 

I dont think by attracting younger drivers it'll automatically scare the older people off, the amount of blue rinses driving vRS skodas confirms that in my mind. 

Attracting younger drivers in itself will not scare off the more mature clientèle, What will however is the change of an image i.e. the way they are trying to "attract"  the younger drivers. 

If a Mercedes driver is going to be associated with a chap wearing tasteless large diamond ear studs,  phat gettho golden chain and a questionable comb-over then... personally I'd not buy such a car, thank you very much.

But this is me

Mind you, I do not take anything away from LH as a pro driver and I think there are very few (if any) able to match him for his race craft and outright speed when he has his racing head screwed on.

I suspect you're in the minority not buying a car because one of their drivers for a race series has earrings and a hair cut you dont like tbh but fair enough. 

I think that's a very important point , corporate image is key for companies , I have no doubt MB would prefer to promote their image and identify with a white german man rather than a black British one to suggest that it isn't an issue is naive.

Has LH renewed his contract yet ?

Seriously?

 

When LH is talking on camera, that's when he's working as much as when he's in the car. Would you find talking like a gangsta acceptable behaviour in someone who was trying to sell you a new car?

 

For years people have moaned about the identiclone F1 drivers who have no personality other than their corporate image.

 

Kimi is derided for Finnish traits of drinking, partying and not taking his job seriously. Lewis is a young black man so why shouldn't he look and act like one.

 

How many of the other drivers stand out at all?

I think that's a very important point , corporate image is key for companies , I have no doubt MB would prefer to promote their image and identify with a white german man rather than a black British one to suggest that it isn't an issue is naive.

Has LH renewed his contract yet ?

 

The USA is one of Mercs biggest markets, so I guess a significant percentage of their American customers can identify with Lewis more han Nico.

I do not think I could agree with that. Yes, driving is what they do but outside the car, being brand ambassadors and through their image promoting their sponsors and parent company(ies) is sometimes more important than driving itself and they certainly can spend more time doing out of the car contractual duties. This was one of the reasons LH left Macc as they are known for huge out of the car duties workloads for their drivers.

 

F1 drivers are public figures, some have bags of style and class (JB) some are really likeable, funny, witty and cheeky (SV) some are impossible to digest (Pastor "Ditchfinder" Maldonado) and others ooze inferiority complex dressed up in gangsta chaviness (guess who? ). I'd love to see JB in the same car as LH! Merc would have everything for everybody then! Rosberg is unfortunately not a character, nice chap and all, I like him, but he lacks this somehing, too plain, ordinary for this sport perhaps.

 

For all his urbane multi lingual talents, Nico is too German.

 

I suspect MB export more cars than they sell at home.

The USA is one of Mercs biggest markets, so I guess a significant percentage of their American customers can identify with Lewis more han Nico.

But MB in the USA are bought by white middle class men just like everywhere else

MB made no bones about wanting German drivers

Old man tag is the main Merc demographic, if they ditch it they will go down like a lead balloon unfortunately. Young people do not buy Mercedes cars I am afraid They have to be careful not to "chav down" the Merc image too much. LH would fit perfectly with Honda CTR image he he he. 

 

Hondas are mostly for old people too. A few Type-R out there for the younger clients, but the majority are solid old "Rover" buyers.

But MB in the USA are bought by white middle class men just like everywhere else

MB made no bones about wanting German drivers

 

True Rich, but I dont believe the USA can relate to Lewis better because he's black, but because I think Nico's pan-European image is more alien to American buyers.