F1 - General discussion and 2017

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/132643/lauda-merc-must-make-car-easier-for-bottas

Niki Lauda says Mercedes must make its Formula 1 car easier for Valtteri Bottas to drive, following the Finn's slump in form since the August summer break.

Bottas won two grands prix during the first part of the F1 season, but has not out-qualified team-mate Lewis Hamilton since July's Hungarian GP and endured another difficult time at last weekend's US Grand Prix - qualifying nearly half a second adrift before finishing a distant fifth.

Bottas has delivered flashes of pace and some strong stints in races since August, but has struggled for consistency compared to Hamilton, and Mercedes non-executive chairman Lauda said it was up to the team to make its car easier to drive on the limit.

"It's difficult for him, because the car is very difficult to drive," Lauda said. "Lewis can handle it better, and Valtteri has difficulties.

"If you give him an easy car to drive, and the way he likes the car, then he will be right there again.

"It's against his driving style the way our car, at the moment performs - even Lewis sometimes complains about how difficult it is to drive. Nevertheless, he can still win, thank God.

"The pressure is on us to make it easier."

Lauda reckons Hamilton is also the best driver on the grid, which compounds the difficulties for Bottas, and even put a number on Hamilton's advantage over his rivals.

"He's the best, very simple," Lauda added.

"He's always been good, and now it's even better.

"I think he's the quickest guy anyway today. If you compare him with all the others, he's one, two tenths quicker than everybody else."
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Hamilton got beaten by an average and now retired retired driver in the same car last year
 
Rosberg only won because Hamilton had one more dnf than him and he had a technical team trained by Hamilton in how to setup the car.
 
F1 should look at adding a sprint race on a Saturday after qualifying. That would draw the fans similar to a T20. Fans want to see the cars going flat out on the fastest compound tires all race long.
 
Fox1 said:
F1 should look at adding a sprint race on a Saturday after qualifying. That would draw the fans similar to a T20. Fans want to see the cars going flat out on the fastest compound tires all race long.
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While the teams are so heavily restricted on engines that wouldn’t happen...
 
Dave said:
While the teams are so heavily restricted on engines that wouldn’t happen...
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To say nothing of the damage potential, with Parc fermé rules they would risk missing the Main Race in the event of a support race accident.
 
^^
3:05
Epic

Bro, you dead?
Nah I'm not dead mon!

:crylaugh:

[video=youtube;kEIfp1Uvoqc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEIfp1Uvoqc[/video]
 
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