90% of the drivers would win in the Mercedes-Verstappen

Norris also made a reference to it as well.


But then back tracked his comments.


Ricciardo also mentioned in this hybrid era that it's 70% car and 30% driver a couple of years ago.

 

Nothing like trolling to stir up the ****, eh?
Try this now:

Lewis Hamilton: Schumacher rubbishes Red Bull chief's claim Max Verstappen is superior
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/f1-autosport/1358510/Lewis-Hamilton-Schumacher-rubbishes-Red-Bull-chief-Max-Verstappen-F1-latest-news?fbclid=IwAR31qQuWrSE6f_htHSA8-GgA7GsBizJANiY2lgGab9nVEX3OYA8wfnVbHsw

Hamilton deserves to be treated like Schumacher in Mercedes contract talks, says Massa
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.hamilton-deserves-to-be-treated-like-schumacher-in-mercedes-contract-talks.10heEGYD6UtqLSv5syBRQb.html?fbclid=IwAR3Jq-a-N29-rgfgQybmpKA6WEBpRcByqhePdZRQle_s3pvJwUmoq_ONfww

 

So, it was for the sake of trolling, right ?

 

Max stating the obvious. Not exactly news

 

of course he would say that. just as I sometimes claim my weight and bad luck holds me back in rental karts.
if it was that easy, why would mercedes keep an expensive driver? similarly, if it's that much about the car, why is Albon unable to keep up with Verstappen? Vettel with Leclerc? why does any team bother with the highly paid drivers? Verstappen's just grumpy because he and his team can't keep up. Just like me in rental karts.

anyway, seen a couple pre-F1 videos of Hamilton. He was really good back then and presumably not worse now.

 

Hamilton doesn't have anything else to prove. Max and Leclerc should be focusing on becoming future stars when Hamilton leaves. Maybe focus on driving for Mercedes.... oh wait I forgot if Max goes to Mercedes and win a championship it will immediately disqualify him from being great as the car is dominant. If Max ever win a championship in a dominant car, i can't wait for him to say "90% of drivers can win in my car"

 

Lets' see::
Giovanazzi:: no unlikely to win WDC in W11
Latifi:: no unlikely to win WDC in W11
Grossjean:: maybe--but pushing it
Stroll:: maybe--but pushing it
Vettel:: probably not if driving like he is this year

So I see 4-5 out of 20 drivers unlikely to win WDC in W11 and that is well below 90%.

 

You forgot Bottas

 

Its not just the car. Its the package and how LH melds with the dominant car. Bottas was no slouch before merc. He was fast! But I think #2 drivers are always disadvantaged by the team. The car will be developed in the faster driver's direction. That only works for #2 if #1 and #2 have the same driving style. The team will tell #2 this change is faster because #1 proved it in laptime. But that does not mean it will be faster for #2. Max likes to ride the bucking bronco and the RB is being developed away from Albon who has a completely different style. RB is an example of how #2 losses. So if LH is in a different car/team that team synergy might not be as good. Bottas and LH qualy for example are often less than 1/10th sometimes 1/100ths. Now add in team synergy and strategy and you can make or break the merc #1 vs #2 formula.

 

Subtle 'intangibles' are not evident to us. But are there and felt and dealt with by the drivers. In Bottas' case he has not as effective tire management at times as LH is what is spoken of in the paddock.

 

True. That can be the driver's input and or car setup forcing the driver to over drive the tires to obtain laptime that is supposed to be there. In that sense Bottas is doing fantastic vs. albon who is just lost in the woods. To me it is totally consistent that Max often complains his tires are going way while Albon rarely does. Eventhough I have amateur raced for decades I'm 100% self taught so much I just don't know or understand. It could be that RB's slow or reluctant replacing of Albon is because of these kinds of subtle differences. RB as a team want constructor's title 1st and driver's second. I bet they are having real internal struggles how to make the car fast for both drivers because both driver's have talent and should be able to bring home points. I think Perez is closer in style to Max than the Hulk. I bet if the Hulk got choose he would fall behind Max just like Albon.

 

In short, Bottas is the ideal #2 !!
His brief is to finish behind his leader to gather the most points for the team.
I think he excels in that position, and that he is a good driver.

 

Agreed! If Rossberg was still there Max would have won more races because the merc's would slow each other down and maybe even take each other out. The smartest thing NR did was win and leave. The NR years were building in toxicity and it would not have lasted much longer. In many ways NR departure paves the way for LH to easily march through Shumacher's records. Merc team learned to control the drivers with rigid strategy like when Bottas wanted soft tires and could have put a challenge on LH and the Team said "No". The result of that is guaranteed Merc 1 2 and no driver fireworks keeping the Team peace. Merc is LH's team.

 

+1
Rosberg was my favourite of the 2, but Hamilton was slightly above him.
Mercedes became a quieter place after Nico left.
I think he had achieved his personal goal anyway.

 

Whatever quotes the sore losers can grasp to diss Hambone. And the records fall week by week, day by day and year after year.

History is being made boys. It is what it is.

 

Oh please. Bottas couldn't beat him in the same car. Alonso couldn't and Rosberg couldn't. The only one who could possibly challenge him is Verstappen. The rest of the fleet doesn't stand a chance. 90% my *ss. You want to contend that a Kyvat, Gasly, Raikkonen, Russell, Stroll, Perez etc. can beat him in the same car?

90 freaking per cent? Utterly delusional.

 

So far Bottas has 15 poles, 55 podiums and 9 wins to his name; that's not a bad palmares
He would never have got that if had he not accepted his #2 position at Mercedes.
He may still be languishing at Williams with no success.
Instead, he is earning $7.5 M a year driving the best car in the field.
What is there not to like ?