Hamilton Or Massa For Dwc

[aussief1 4]

My money is on Lewis for WC.

Ferrari I think has the better overall package, but has seemed to be a little off in terms the error free Ferrari we had in the glory days of Todt, Brawn, Schumacher. McLaren have had their fair share of problems but theirs have been a little less costly in the grand scheme of things.

Both Ferrari and McLaren have one driver comprehensively out perform the other, funny enough it was two fins, one we expected to be out performed, the other well who knows what's happening with Kimi at the moment???

You too a kimi fan? Boy, ain't we a quiet bunch.

What ever happened to our man this season? Considering the state of things, kimi should have waltzed all the way to his second WC. I'm still in disbelief that Kubica is ahead of him in the standings...

I am left speechless to describe Kimi's poor form in season 08. He just cannot get the F2008 working the way he likes early in the weekend, then all of a sudden with 30 odd laps remaining here comes Kimi setting Fastest laps and starting to make ground on the leader. Problem is as we all know the horse has well and truley bolted by that time in the weekend.

[maure 1]

Amazing to think we were predicting a "Kimi walkover" this season. Imagine if somebody had said it was going to be Massa and Hamilton fighting at the end.......the thought would have been laughable.

Kimi is still awesome though. Next year......next year..........

It made sense to say so... as it continues to make sense to say so for next year... unless, of course, my hopes of seeing a mid-team upseting the pecking order come true.

It is not just that I'm a Kimi fan. He has the speed and racecraft, he has the experience and the car. Kimi remains the favorite of the top-team lot no matter what aspect of the competition you consider.

We were just jinxing him, last year Alonso was gonna take his 3rd WDC, remember? We should shut up for a while or something... XD

Most of us know that Alonso would have won the WC last season were it not had been for mismanagement at McLaren (even lewisterics would agree if they weren't compelled to cover up RD's and Hamilton's sayings and doings last season by attacking Alonso)

It gets worse (for McLaren). Not only they would've won last season if they had backed Alonso, looking at how things are going this season, Alonso would've won yet again for them. McLaren and Hamilton really really really need to win this year. Just consider how bad things are going to get for those goofs if they don't. Imagine the backlash.

I am left speechless to describe Kimi's poor form in season 08. He just cannot get the F2008 working the way he likes early in the weekend, then all of a sudden with 30 odd laps remaining here comes Kimi setting Fastest laps and starting to make ground on the leader. Problem is as we all know the horse has well and truley bolted by that time in the weekend.

Kimi's fast laps tell quite a story.

I remember when Hayden won the WC in MotoGP (for Honda). The following season, Honda designed the motorcycle for his teammate, so much so, that Hayden could not even fit _physically_ on it. The team forgot to make a bike for the champion and it is no wonder that Hayden has finally moved on.

Ferrari got too confident after McLaren's fckups last season that got only worse for this season. They really thought they didn't have to try as hard and now... here they are, falling apart. That Kimi isn't up there is proof in itself that Ferrari have screwed up.

[aussief1 4]

Kimi's fast laps tell quite a story.

I remember when Hayden won the WC in MotoGP (for Honda). The following season, Honda designed the motorcycle for his teammate, so much so, that Hayden could not even fit _physically_ on it. The team forgot to make a bike for the champion and it is no wonder that Hayden has finally moved on.

Ferrari got too confident after McLaren's fckups last season that got only worse for this season. They really thought they didn't have to try as hard and now... here they are, falling apart. That Kimi isn't up there is proof in itself that Ferrari have screwed up.

I don't know if Ferrari have screwed up as such this year, they still have provided Felipe and Kimi with a car that is capable of winning both World Championships and is a better race car than the MP4-23.

I hope that Stefano Domenicali can pull the team together for the last three races of the season and show what the Scuderia are capable of. It's a little worrying from me that we have heard so much from Luca di Montezemolo of late. Does he not have faith in Stefano, and is therefore pushing in and trying to take control of a stiation that looks to be getting out of hand????

[maure 1]

I don't know if Ferrari have screwed up as such this year, they still have provided Felipe and Kimi with a car that is capable of winning both World Championships and is a better race car than the MP4-23.

Ferrari's setup in the rain is worthless... probably related to the problems that Kimi has in qualifying. Besides which, there are tracks/conditions were the McLaren is clearly superior.

I think the reason why they didn't make a car for kimi is because they thought that catering to Massa would still put them ahead of McLaren. And while it is true that McLaren is struggling, Ferrari is struggling even more. Any one of those two teams would have not even been in the run the last few seasons.

I hope that Stefano Domenicali can pull the team together for the last three races of the season and show what the Scuderia are capable of. It's a little worrying from me that we have heard so much from Luca di Montezemolo of late. Does he not have faith in Stefano, and is therefore pushing in and trying to take control of a stiation that looks to be getting out of hand????

The problems at Ferrari has slowly snowballed. Still, looking at the season so far, one can expect McLaren to screw up before Ferrari gets their act together. It will level out.

Luca, well, I still remember how MS would turn his back on him when the prck wanted to steal a photo opportunity... he's fcked up. I agree he should back off.

[Max Mosley 2]

I am left speechless to describe Kimi's poor form in season 08. He just cannot get the F2008 working the way he likes early in the weekend, then all of a sudden with 30 odd laps remaining here comes Kimi setting Fastest laps and starting to make ground on the leader. Problem is as we all know the horse has well and truley bolted by that time in the weekend.

Yeah. Does Kimi have a fairly smooth driving style? I'd like to know. Perhaps he finds it harder than Massa to get heat into his tyres, but manages to conserve them so that later on in a stint he can be very fast relative to everyone else. Ferrari have a car that already works that way, so (if true) when Kimi drives it, it no longer uses the tyres effectively over the weekend.

Kimi's fast laps tell quite a story.

I remember when Hayden won the WC in MotoGP (for Honda). The following season, Honda designed the motorcycle for his teammate, so much so, that Hayden could not even fit _physically_ on it. The team forgot to make a bike for the champion and it is no wonder that Hayden has finally moved on.

Ferrari got too confident after McLaren's fckups last season that got only worse for this season. They really thought they didn't have to try as hard and now... here they are, falling apart. That Kimi isn't up there is proof in itself that Ferrari have screwed up.

Anything's possible in F1 (because we have teams) but it doesn't seem the most plausible explanation to me. I find it very hard to believe Ferrari spend 10% of their entire budget on a WDC-winning driver, then deliberately design their car around the guy who's been beaten by every team mate except one in his entire career, and on whom they spend less than 2% of their money. If they really thought they could afford to do that after scraping a WDC win by a single point last year, and only after their rivals messed up, they were monumentally stupid. Especially when you consider the formula of backing a winner that worked so well for them when they focussed on Schumacher for all those years - they never helped Rubens out, even when it was obvious Michael was going to be WDC. Talking of Michael, Ferrari are still paying him more than Massa gets to advise the drivers: one listens to him, the other ignores his advice.

The more likely explanation seems to be that a combination of factors has scuppered Kimi. He's been unlucky to some extent that the design philosophy at Ferrari hasn't suited him (he had similar problems last year to a lesser degree) but then he's been there 2 years now. Don't forget that Peter Sauber predicted this Sh#t exactly. His reasoning was that Felipe works harder and is more technically gifted than Kimi, so the Ferrari will better suit him. Sounds eerily prescient now. Despite all this, Kimi could still be in the title hunt were it not for driver error. From memory he's cost himself at least 20 points on Massa through mistakes alone. He's performed badly and personally I don't rate him as highly as I used to. Give me Alonso or Hamilton any day, and arguably Massa, Kubica and Vettel too.

[The Rumble Strip 0]

Hamilton has got to be clear favourite now, given the possibility of rain in the next couple of races.

However, if he has a no score then its back in the mix and if Massa can take the fight to Brazil and still be only a point or so behind then I suspect he will be the WDC.

[Quiet One 15]

Yeah. Does Kimi have a fairly smooth driving style? I'd like to know. Perhaps he finds it harder than Massa to get heat into his tyres, but manages to conserve them so that later on in a stint he can be very fast relative to everyone else. Ferrari have a car that already works that way, so (if true) when Kimi drives it, it no longer uses the tyres effectively over the weekend.

Anything's possible in F1 (because we have teams) but it doesn't seem the most plausible explanation to me. I find it very hard to believe Ferrari spend 10% of their entire budget on a WDC-winning driver, then deliberately design their car around the guy who's been beaten by every team mate except one in his entire career, and on whom they spend less than 2% of their money. If they really thought they could afford to do that after scraping a WDC win by a single point last year, and only after their rivals messed up, they were monumentally stupid. Especially when you consider the formula of backing a winner that worked so well for them when they focussed on Schumacher for all those years - they never helped Rubens out, even when it was obvious Michael was going to be WDC. Talking of Michael, Ferrari are still paying him more than Massa gets to advise the drivers: one listens to him, the other ignores his advice.

The more likely explanation seems to be that a combination of factors has scuppered Kimi. He's been unlucky to some extent that the design philosophy at Ferrari hasn't suited him (he had similar problems last year to a lesser degree) but then he's been there 2 years now. Don't forget that Peter Sauber predicted this Sh#t exactly. His reasoning was that Felipe works harder and is more technically gifted than Kimi, so the Ferrari will better suit him. Sounds eerily prescient now. Despite all this, Kimi could still be in the title hunt were it not for driver error. From memory he's cost himself at least 20 points on Massa through mistakes alone. He's performed badly and personally I don't rate him as highly as I used to. Give me Alonso or Hamilton any day, and arguably Massa, Kubica and Vettel too.

Let the thought sink slowly in your brain...Massa, that useless, number two driver, is right up there competing with Lewis. So close, in fact, that they are all praying for more wet races for LH to have a chance. In a team that has fukced up his races many more times than Macca ****ed up Hammy's...

[Max Mosley 2]

Let the thought sink slowly in your brain...Massa, that useless, number two driver, is right up there competing with Lewis. So close, in fact, that they are all praying for more wet races for LH to have a chance. In a team that has fukced up his races many more times than Macca ****ed up Hammy's...

Wait, you mean we're praying for conditions where driver skill counts most? By God - that proves Lewis is no good!

But seriously, I agree that Massa has probably driven better than Lewis this year, even if I believe the Ferrari is also better than the McLaren overall. I said so above, with the qualification that Hamilton's being at a top team for 2 years makes it easy to forget how inexperienced he is. Compare Massa's mistake-ridden early years with Lewis today for a fairer comparison. Or look at the fact that Kimi was roundly beaten by DC in his 2nd year. Look at the mistakes Schumacher made in his early career.

[Quiet One 15]

Wait, you mean we're praying for conditions where driver skill counts most? By God - that proves Lewis is no good!

But seriously, I agree that Massa has probably driven better than Lewis this year, even if I believe the Ferrari is also better than the McLaren overall. I said so above, with the qualification that Hamilton's being at a top team for 2 years makes it easy to forget how inexperienced he is. Compare Massa's mistake-ridden early years with Lewis today for a fairer comparison. Or look at the fact that Kimi was roundly beaten by DC in his 2nd year. Look at the mistakes Schumacher made in his early career.

Oh come on! You can't possibly be still saying that LH just "just been around for 2 years"! If, after 2 years being at one of the top two teams only brought him up to Massa's level, then he is not that much of a genius.

And frankly, I wouldn't compare Lewis mistakes against Schumi's, Kimi's or even Massa's rookie mistakes. That would be humiliating for him

The guy is not inexperienced anymore. Nakajima has been judged harsher at some other thread despite being less experienced. Last year everybody said he was the 8th marvel. When he lost, he was just a remarkable rookie. This year he MUST deliver if he wants to keep up with his fans (and most of all, his own egomaniac) expectations. Luckily for him, people seem more interested on judging how luck played a role in his opponents victories rather than his own.

[freaky2 1]

Oh come on! You can't possibly be still saying that LH just "just been around for 2 years"! If, after 2 years being at one of the top two teams only brought him up to Massa's level, then he is not that much of a genius.

And frankly, I wouldn't compare Lewis mistakes against Schumi's, Kimi's or even Massa's rookie mistakes. That would be humiliating for him

The guy is not inexperienced anymore. Nakajima has been judged harsher at some other thread despite being less experienced. Last year everybody said he was the 8th marvel. When he lost, he was just a remarkable rookie. This year he MUST deliver if he wants to keep up with his fans (and most of all, his own egomaniac) expectations. Luckily for him, people seem more interested on judging how luck played a role in his opponents victories rather than his own.

Haha, that was harsh as well. But maybe you're right... I didn't have the impression that he had to win this year, but well, I'd rather see him not winning XD

And about him being lucky... can't recall properly any occasion this season, but my memory is short-termed. But overall I think that his wins this year are deserved (you're free to correct me if I'm wrong), unlike Massa who inherited one from Kimi, for example.

[Max Mosley 2]

Oh come on! You can't possibly be still saying that LH just "just been around for 2 years"! If, after 2 years being at one of the top two teams only brought him up to Massa's level, then he is not that much of a genius.

And frankly, I wouldn't compare Lewis mistakes against Schumi's, Kimi's or even Massa's rookie mistakes. That would be humiliating for him

The guy is not inexperienced anymore. Nakajima has been judged harsher at some other thread despite being less experienced. Last year everybody said he was the 8th marvel. When he lost, he was just a remarkable rookie. This year he MUST deliver if he wants to keep up with his fans (and most of all, his own egomaniac) expectations. Luckily for him, people seem more interested on judging how luck played a role in his opponents victories rather than his own.

You're winding me up! And you sound like Maure: only you guys set higher standards for Lewis than the boy himself. I bow down before your superior admiration of his talents.

More seriously, Schumacher was still getting himself multiple race bans for deliberately ignoring black flags in his 4th season. Then in the title decider he crashed, after having been beaten in the wet the race before by Damon. Even in 2003 he was hopeless in the title decider. Massa was a joke in his first seasons and Kimi's overall level of performance was much worse than it was this year last year. Nakajima's been judged harshly because he's not driving as well: Lewis was genuinely faster than Alonso in his first season, at least some of the time, whereas Nakajima has rarely been as fast as the obviously slower Nico.

[Quiet One 15]

You're winding me up! And you sound like Maure: only you guys set higher standards for Lewis than the boy himself. I bow down before your superior admiration of his talents.

More seriously, Schumacher was still getting himself multiple race bans for deliberately ignoring black flags in his 4th season. Then in the title decider he crashed, after having been beaten in the wet the race before by Damon. Even in 2003 he was hopeless in the title decider. Massa was a joke in his first seasons and Kimi's overall level of performance was much worse than it was this year last year. Nakajima's been judged harshly because he's not driving as well: Lewis was genuinely faster than Alonso in his first season, at least some of the time, whereas Nakajima has rarely been as fast as the obviously slower Nico.

Yup, I AM winding you up

But still...the standards were set by himself. I wouldn't even compare Nando to the likes of Senna and Schumi, and I am his fan. Lewis? Yeah, a remarkable rookie.

Lewis was "genuinely" faster than Alonso? And why Nakajima wasn't "genuinely" faster than Nico? The numbers are barely on Lewis side in the intra team battle, and let's not forget that Macca was probably fonder of Lewis than Williams is of Naka, so all things considered, Naka has done a more than worthy job so far.

Kimi is a blindingly fast bat rather mediocre at everything else driver, let's face it. He never accomplished much except being an aeternal "almost beats Schumi/Nando" contender which, in the end, somehow never delivered it. Bad luck is the mantra we have been repeating for the past years. Last year he had all the luck in the world to clinch a title that, up to the last race, was only mathematically possible, needing a set of almost impossible chain of events to happen. A chain of events that was generously provided by the two Macca dumbass drivers. That shows that being fast is just one of the many skills needed to be a worthy (in my eyes) champion. That's "the package". I only see 3 drivers having it right now: Nando, Lewis and Kubica.

Ok...first the Lewis fans, now I am messing with Kimi's fans...it's going to be a rough day

[Rainmaster 7]

How anyone could say Hamilton is experienced (as in: the best driver he can be) is talking bollocks I'm afraid, come back in 2-3 years and watch Louise be considered the benchmark driver in F1 in terms of everything. That's the way it'll go down.

For me Hamilton is still learning and maturing, as we have seen this year, again this time next year he will be a better driver (the increase won't be as big as from last year to now, but he'll still be a better driver). Apart from that as he gets older, he won't just become a better driver, he'll get wiser to the ways of F1 and life in general - eventually he will stop acting like a d#ck trying to seek approval from everyone.

All in all it's a worrying thought for his critics and his competition.

[Quiet One 15]

How anyone could say Hamilton is experienced (as in: the best driver he can be) is talking bollocks I'm afraid, come back in 2-3 years and watch Louise be considered the benchmark driver in F1 in terms of everything. That's the way it'll go down.

For me Hamilton is still learning and maturing, as we have seen this year, again this time next year he will be a better driver (the increase won't be as big as from last year to now, but he'll still be a better driver). Apart from that as he gets older, he won't just become a better driver, he'll get wiser to the ways of F1 and life in general - eventually he will stop acting like a d#ck trying to seek approval from everyone.

All in all it's a worrying thought for his critics and his competition.

Ok, ok. That was one lesson on humility for me

You are right, darn you.

[Rainmaster 7]

Ok, ok. That was one lesson on humility for me

You are right, darn you.

I'm always right. Although I forgot to mention that he could be the biggest failure in F1 history if he doesn't win this year, because he will implode with pressure. Either way it's gunna be fun!!

[Max Mosley 2]

Yup, I AM winding you up

Ok...first the Lewis fans, now I am messing with Kimi's fans...it's going to be a rough day

Well, I for one always enjoy it when you fcuk with me!

Kimi is a blindingly fast bat rather mediocre at everything else driver, let's face it. He never accomplished much except being an aeternal "almost beats Schumi/Nando" contender which, in the end, somehow never delivered it. Bad luck is the mantra we have been repeating for the past years. Last year he had all the luck in the world to clinch a title that, up to the last race, was only mathematically possible, needing a set of almost impossible chain of events to happen. A chain of events that was generously provided by the two Macca dumbass drivers. That shows that being fast is just one of the many skills needed to be a worthy (in my eyes) champion. That's "the package". I only see 3 drivers having it right now: Nando, Lewis and Kubica.

Yup. That's exactly how I see it.

But still...the standards were set by himself. I wouldn't even compare Nando to the likes of Senna and Schumi, and I am his fan. Lewis? Yeah, a remarkable rookie.

Yeah he does talk a lot of nonsense. As George says, maybe eventually he'll learn better. For now I just take a leaf out of Maure's book on that score.

Lewis was "genuinely" faster than Alonso? And why Nakajima wasn't "genuinely" faster than Nico? The numbers are barely on Lewis side in the intra team battle, and let's not forget that Macca was probably fonder of Lewis than Williams is of Naka, so all things considered, Naka has done a more than worthy job so far.

My impression is that Nakajima has done OK. Definitely better than I expected. He doesn't look like a future top line driver to me, but then I misjudged him once already.

come back in 2-3 years and watch Louise be considered the benchmark driver in F1 in terms of everything. That's the way it'll go down.

Yeah I expect so tbh.

[YHR 0]

Hamilton is still very much learning. In Singapore, I noticed something very positive about his drive. He was content to finish third. That shows some maturity that he never displayed before.

IF he learns to be patient, and focused on the big picture, he may very well be a, "Great"

In F1 timing is everything. You need to be on a top team ASAP, and then drive the car patiently and purposely. With the very best team around you, it is not so much about you, as it is just doing your job as the driver.

Massa is a classic example of this. Massa does his Job. He is not there for the glory or the press releases. He just goes out everyday and does what he needs to do. As Murray mentioned, Peter Sauber, said this about the guy. His work ethic is second to none. He is mentally strong as well. After every Ferrari disaster, he comes back even stronger.

[cavallino 2]

It is not just that I'm a Kimi fan. He has the speed and racecraft, he has the experience and the car. Kimi remains the favorite of the top-team lot no matter what aspect of the competition you consider.

Oh rubbish. Kimi is a one trick pony, just like the other overrated drivers on the grid. Get them the right conditions for them and they look pretty, otherwise they look dismal. We don't have a single all rounder on the grid. Hamilton comes closest and Kubeetza is still a bit of an unknown Kimi, Alonso, Massa etc. are all just a bit bah.

Most of us know that Alonso would have won the WC last season were it not had been for mismanagement at McLaren (even lewisterics would agree if they weren't compelled to cover up RD's and Hamilton's sayings and doings last season by attacking Alonso)

If Alonso wasn't a cheating lying spying scumbag, he would rule the world. As it is he is a cheating lying scumbag, who should have been banned from the sport for a good many years for his unpardonable actions that damaged the sport, since we are discussing what should have happened. On purely driving terms, he ended up third in the championship, which was a fair reflection of his performance.

It gets worse (for McLaren). Not only they would've won last season if they had backed Alonso, looking at how things are going this season, Alonso would've won yet again for them. McLaren and Hamilton really really really need to win this year. Just consider how bad things are going to get for those goofs if they don't. Imagine the backlash.

Same old. You forget they did back Alonso initially, which meant that Lewis got p**sed and Alonso didn't live up to his billing. Go back to last season and see Alonso's poor driving. OF course the wilfully paranoid like you will justify that with 'they underinflated his tyres' style conspiracy theories. In that you are in good company, the driver you worship is as deluded as you are.

I remember when Hayden won the WC in MotoGP (for Honda). The following season, Honda designed the motorcycle for his teammate, so much so, that Hayden could not even fit _physically_ on it.

Cars fit all. Move along, nothing to see here.

Ferrari got too confident after McLaren's fckups last season that got only worse for this season. They really thought they didn't have to try as hard and now... here they are, falling apart. That Kimi isn't up there is proof in itself that Ferrari have screwed up.

That Kimi isn't up there proves that he is uncommitted, unintelligent and just not all that. Ferrari have screwed up before, they still haven't hit the lows of 2006 where they lost the title thanks to their screw ups in the last two races.

Ferrari's setup in the rain is worthless... probably related to the problems that Kimi has in qualifying.

I think the reason why they didn't make a car for kimi is because they thought that catering to Massa would still put them ahead of McLaren. And while it is true that McLaren is struggling, Ferrari is struggling even more. Any one of those two teams would have not even been in the run the last few seasons.

Ferrari made a fast car. The rest is Kimi's problem. So this year you'll make excuses for Kimi like you did for Alonso last year?

[cavallino 2]

Yeah. Does Kimi have a fairly smooth driving style? I'd like to know. Perhaps he finds it harder than Massa to get heat into his tyres, but manages to conserve them so that later on in a stint he can be very fast relative to everyone else. Ferrari have a car that already works that way, so (if true) when Kimi drives it, it no longer uses the tyres effectively over the weekend.

It's a failure on Kimi's part to use the resources he has at his disposal, if he can't adapt to the car or vice versa. It's a rather poor excuse for his performance. More proof of the mediocrity of the current grid, we have no consistently good drivers.

Anything's possible in F1 (because we have teams) but it doesn't seem the most plausible explanation to me. I find it very hard to believe Ferrari spend 10% of their entire budget on a WDC-winning driver, then deliberately design their car around the guy who's been beaten by every team mate except one in his entire career, and on whom they spend less than 2% of their money.

don't believe Maure. And the 'car not designed around the driver I have wet dreams about' is a very old conspiracy theory used by fanboys for ages. If a driver doesn't have the car he wants in a big budget team, it is solely his fault.

Especially when you consider the formula of backing a winner that worked so well for them when they focussed on Schumacher for all those years - they never helped Rubens out, even when it was obvious Michael was going to be WDC.

Massa has helped himself. Michael always helped himself. That's all there is to it.

Give me Alonso or Hamilton any day, and arguably Massa, Kubica and Vettel too.

That is the point. Every dog will have his day on the current grid.

Let the thought sink slowly in your brain...Massa, that useless, number two driver, is right up there competing with Lewis.

Massa is a 7 year or so veteran. Granted, Lewis isn't looking like the next best thing.

Oh come on! You can't possibly be still saying that LH just "just been around for 2 years"! If, after 2 years being at one of the top two teams only brought him up to Massa's level, then he is not that much of a genius. \

Doesn't matter which team he has been in. Somtimes you learn more from being in a slower team.

Last year everybody said he was the 8th marvel.

No. You're reading the F1 review 2007 by Mauron. We just said he was pretty darn good. Some peopel who vastly overrated Alonso were more amazed.

I only see 3 drivers having it right now: Nando, Lewis and Kubica.

I don't think Nando has anything right now, even his burger chain namesake make crap second rate food.

Yeah he does talk a lot of nonsense. As George says, maybe eventually he'll learn better. For now I just take a leaf out of Maure's book on that score.

He's thick. Which will probably hurt his chances of being the next great thing. Right now we have a bunch of talented drivers who are too stupid to translate that into being consistently good. Either one of them will learn or someone new will show them.

[Quiet One 15]

Bah, you're just another 'accent' with a high post count. And I am the chief of you all.

Now make an argument against that

[cavallino 2]

What's an accent?

[Quiet One 15]

What's an accent?

Apparently, it means "foreign". Ask FedUp for details.

[Rainmaster 7]

Apparently, it means "foreign". Ask FedUp for details.

That might prove difficult

[maure 1]

Anything's possible in F1 (because we have teams) but it doesn't seem the most plausible explanation to me. I find it very hard to believe Ferrari spend 10% of their entire budget on a WDC-winning driver, then deliberately design their car around the guy who's been beaten by every team mate except one in his entire career, and on whom they spend less than 2% of their money. If they really thought they could afford to do that after scraping a WDC win by a single point last year, and only after their rivals messed up, they were monumentally stupid. Especially when you consider the formula of backing a winner that worked so well for them when they focussed on Schumacher for all those years - they never helped Rubens out, even when it was obvious Michael was going to be WDC. Talking of Michael, Ferrari are still paying him more than Massa gets to advise the drivers: one listens to him, the other ignores his advice.

You forget that MS lost the WC in 2006 because Massa was allowed to win a couple of races. You have to wonder if this would've happen in the RB era. Massa's best asset has been his ability to have people work his way, not unlike Hamilton although without hand-waving and histrionics.

Also, while you could argue that Ferrari didn't focus on Massa, you cannot say that they did on Kimi. But why didn't they? Because Ferrari thought they could afford to relax, because they thought that McLaren was not going to recover from last year's fiasco and that without Alonso, Hamilton was going to continue to be as irregular as he had become from Silverstone on (when Alonso pulled the plug). If Ferrari would've thought that their performance was going to sink as low as McLaren's, they would've given Kimi a car suited to his style and, today, they would be leading the WC by a stretch.

The more likely explanation seems to be that a combination of factors has scuppered Kimi. He's been unlucky to some extent that the design philosophy at Ferrari hasn't suited him (he had similar problems last year to a lesser degree) but then he's been there 2 years now. Don't forget that Peter Sauber predicted this Sh#t exactly. His reasoning was that Felipe works harder and is more technically gifted than Kimi, so the Ferrari will better suit him. Sounds eerily prescient now. Despite all this, Kimi could still be in the title hunt were it not for driver error. From memory he's cost himself at least 20 points on Massa through mistakes alone. He's performed badly and personally I don't rate him as highly as I used to. Give me Alonso or Hamilton any day, and arguably Massa, Kubica and Vettel too.

You said it... "the design philosophy at Ferrari hasn't suited him". Again, why let this happen when you yourself say that 10% of their budget on him? Overconfidence.

[maure 1]

Wait, you mean we're praying for conditions where driver skill counts most? By God - that proves Lewis is no good!

No amount of driver skill will put a Force India on the podium.

Wet conditions favor McLaren's design and setup... and Hamilton does reasonably well when he has a clear advantage.