While the overtake was epic, Bottas was on 21 lap old tires (supposedly) after the Mercedes double stack f***-up.
Toto Wolff: "One must not forget, George Russell actually does not fit into this car. If you look at the pictures from above, you can see how he is squeezed in the cockpit. He had bloody fists, he was hitting his knees everywhere." Toto Wolff: "He can't build up enough brake pressure. During hard braking he was always 20% too little because he can't press the leg at the right angle. He had to wear smaller shoes to fit in there." Toto Wolff: "But also with the clutch pedal, the drivers' fingers fit exactly into the clutch pedal so that they can release it correctly at the start and George Russell hands and fingers are too big for the clutch pedal."
Bottas is full of excuses. Last week it was "I was on the dirty side of the grid, that's why I had the bad start". (Yet Russell got a better start this week from that same dirty side of the grid) This week it's "my tires were 21 laps old and hard" - but remember that at this same exact point Perez was on 23 lap old hard tires and pulling away from Bottas at the front. Russel's performance was epic, a real shocker to many people. However, he's been buried at Williams where most don't notice him - but he's the best Junior to come up from F2 along with Leclerc - they're the ONLY two who won both GP3 and F2 in their rookie seasons. Mick Schumacher, by comparison, is a dud - barely average results in his rookie seasons in GP3 and F2, he won those series in his second seasons (and an 18th place in the final race to 'win' this season's F2 title is not star material). As Ferrari gambled on Leclerc last year after his one season with Alfa, Mercedes should have gambled on Russell this year - but they played it safe and stuck with the experienced Bottas. Bottas is quick enough in qualifying when he knows what to expect and can work away on delivering the fast lap, and is near enough as quick as Hamilton in qualifying - but he's lacking in racing, where he isn't adaptable to conditions and situations, and has proven he can't manage the tires as well as Hamilton (but then only Perez and perhaps Max can manage tires like Hamilton). Bottas has been embarrassed, humiliated even, by being effectively outperformed by Russell in qualifying (a gap of 0.026 sec with 4 years of experience in the team, 15 races in this exact car, vs 2 days in the car - that's outperformed), and then shamed in the race by Russell's start, Russell's superior tire management, Russell's ability to overtake through the pack (twice! While Bottas has shown repeatedly that if he gets back in the pack he struggles to make progress up the field), and Russell's cool head. Mercedes needs to switch them for 2021, before someone buys out Russell's contract from Williams and they lose him. Easy enough for Mercedes to say that Russell would be contractual #2 to Hamilton for 2021, a learning year for him at the top team, if Hamilton is worried about being challenged. Then Russell would be ready in the team for the new 2022 cars, and to take over as team #1 when Hamilton retires in a year or two. That builds Mercedes for the future; keeping Bottas for another year just hurts the future. What to do with Bottas? Swap him back to Williams for free - Williams won't complain about getting a free experienced quick driver. Someone mentioned Hamilton taking a pay cut - that's not applicable. The 2022+ salary cap only applies to new contracts signed after Jan 1, 2021 - if Hamilton signs a contract for however many years before the end of 2020, the salary cap doesn't apply to any of those contracted years. Just like it doesn't apply to Leclerc's long-term contract signed last fall.
... but Russell just outperformed Bottas the same way (at least) that Hamilton typically outperforms Bottas - so it's very reasonable to assume that Russell is as good as Hamilton.
How? Is Russell proven? Has Russell ever performed under pressure to win 7 championships? Would Russell have come from behind 2017&18 to win the championship? Would Russell have beat Alonso in his prime his rookie year? Russell is simply showcasing his young talent as Max , Leclerc , Lewis and others have done. I think Russell has a bright future and if with the right team he will grow into a champion.
The group you note will be tested by new tires and new cars different from this current configuration/formula. It will be interesting to see who is adaptable.
I think Russell, Max and Leclerc will adapt just fine to the new cars and tyres. They have had to adapt to completely new formulas all through their short careers and have done it exceptionally well. Hamilton will retire. I don’t see why he would race beyond next year having achieved everything and broken all the records. It’s time for him to depart at the end of 2021 and let the next generation take the sport forward.
Yes we shall see if he wants to leave. The new talent is growing strong and making the notice of them all to bright now! LH will now have many days to assess his future as these 2 races will have impact. It will be difficult for him to not see this. His competitive desire is strong. Balancing that with the future will be interesting for all of us.
According to a chap/chapess at the factory, who's never been wrong before, but is not privy to the contract negotiations, the only stalling points prior to yesterday for his new contract were a couple of distinct P&R issues - otherwise Hamilton is expected to leave after winning at least one more championship and end his career with Mercedes. Obviously could be wrong. Keeping in mind that Mercedes has the AMG brand ready to deploy, looks like at the very least 2021 is already settled. Best, Sammy
It's not salary cap related cut. It's negotiation related. Lewis hasn't signed with Mercedes yet for next season. There is no dollar figure (publicly) agreed to, but with a pending contract Toto can easily drop the dollar figure for next year with reason being George is good enough to not justify such a massive premium for Lewis.
Sure. It's SkySport.de (German). Here's the full translation Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335937472077893635 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335937562263891968 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335937865084252160 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335944069177073664 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335944418675863552 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335944643528298497 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335947981103763457 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335948144899727361 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335948368594546690 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335954660167987200 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335955291175858177 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335955806500626434 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335958661563355136 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335960211039903745 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335960398458220544 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335965987989032960 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335966098550890499 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335966336145559552 https://twitter.com/Vetteleclerc/status/1335970312026992641
George Russell has to be on a top team - now! Since the Sakhir GP, one thing is certain: George Russell has what it takes to become a world champion. The 22-year-old has been in Formula 1 since 2019, but now, after two years, he was able to show the world what he can do. For the fact that only now everyone can see his talent, Russell himself cannot do anything. He is the victim of a system that is currently unfavorable for him - and should be compensated as soon as possible. Russell silences critics - and turns weaknesses into strengths Russell's performance at the Sakhir GP spoke for itself - and up to the colossal mistake made by the Mercedes crew, it was easy to read from the ranking. Before the failed pit stop turned the race upside down, the Briton led the race with confidence. So far, little has been heard from the general public about the actual Williams driver: his incredible qualification record was the only one that really made waves in the two years at Williams. Because team-mate Latifi was regularly ironed, 36 (!) Times in a row Russell achieved a better starting position than the Canadian in qualifying. Valtteri Bottas felt that too, because as a Hamilton replacement, Russell put pressure on from the start of the race weekend. This confirms the thesis that I have not only had for a long time: This boy is one for Mercedes . So far, Russell has been attributed his mediocre starts and cautious first laps as a weakness: In Bahrain there was nothing to be seen - on the contrary. From second on the grid, Russell shot straight to the front. Past favorite and pole setter Bottas. And without much starting experience in the Mercedes. With all recovery wishes to Lewis Hamilton: It remains to be hoped that Russell will get another chance in the Mercedes in Abu Dhabi. Because with a second weekend you can then prove that Sunday was not a one-hit wonder. But the young Briton actually deserved a lot more. Another Williams year is a waste Russell has a valid contract with Williams for 2021. With all the love for this traditional racing team: Russell may under no circumstances drive in this Gurke again next year. Even if the team continues to improve with the new investors, it will still be difficult to get into the points at all. Team-mate Nicholas Latifi is a better driver than many people think (the same applies to team-mate "victim" Robert Kubica), but for the number 63 he is no opponent. Instead, we need a top team. Currently, only two options are theoretically conceivable. On the one hand, the Mercedes cockpit, which is still unoccupied because of Lewis Hamilton's political games, and on the other, Alex Albon's contested place at Red Bull. Mercedes and Red Bull are still looking for a driver Russell has been part of the Mercedes youth program since 2017 - so a place at Mercedes sounds like the logical option. But actually, world champion Lewis Hamilton and the Daimler Group have long agreed to continue together - even if nothing has been signed yet. Team boss Toto Wolff is by no means to be blamed for being a wimp. But if he just hit the table in his inimitable way at the next poker game for Hamilton's contract and stopped playing the game, his position as "Big Boss" at Mercedes would be anchored forever - and an indirect apology sent to Russell, him Having sat in the worst car in the field for two years. Of course, that will not happen, it will remain a dream for many Formula 1 fans. At least for the next year. The Red Bull option is actually more likely. After his most recent performances, Sergio Perez is in pole position for the seat next to Max Verstappen. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have long since kept their eyes on the 22-year-old Russell. Should Mercedes not bring him into the mother team, the cops will certainly try to poach Russell with tasty arguments. Who knows if the Briton won't be weak. His Williams contract should be the least of the problems. It would almost be a just punishment for Toto Wolff, who gave water carrier Valtteri Bottas an early preference over Russell for 2021. https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https://www.rtl.de/cms/formel-1-george-russell-zu-mercedes-oder-red-bull-sofort-4663519.html&prev=search&pto=aue
I think not. "Changing of the Guard" is upon us - Max, Charles, Norris, Russell etc. Seb is the first to be swept aside LH next Kimi I can see Bottas leaving if another decent drive does not appear. Why do that if you have been at Mercedes. He made his money and lived a good F1 life. No need to waste time at the back or the middle driving weaving circles. Every driver leaves at some point. Unlike MS LH will leave on a peak most likely and not return. 1-2 more years and I think Mercedes will have had enough and politely push him to become the 'Ambassador' of the Brand.
In the current times, it's too soon for a changing of the guard. If Toto is remotely sincere about doing what's good for the sport, he would've already replaced Bottas w Russell. That's what fans want to watch...not another pushover year with wingman Bottas...
I really feel bad for Russell if he goes to Mercedes and wins. Fchat will immediately strip him for all his talent and credibility for winning in the dominant Mercedes. Russell and Mercedes will become the cheaters and enemy of Fchat.
Absolutely not, George seems a sincere person and will not try to teach the whole world by pretending to be what he is not. In addition, this generation including Max, Charles and himself loves competition even on the same team. They are not afraid of anyone. Nor will he have the ridiculous pretense of wanting to change the world.
Nope, keep your hamboner to yourself. I would be thrilled to see Russell in a winning Merc instead of a back marker.