Quote:
Originally Posted by FormulaMMM
This is it for me. After so many years watching him vs. Lewis, and then vs. RUS last weekend, he can't. He just doesn't have it, he's not improving. With every world class performance support at his disposal (physical, psychological, dietary), he's hit his natural race pace ceiling. It's not even close vs. Lewis when the lights go out and it never will be.
You should not have a clear tier 2 talent occupying 1 of the top 2 seats in all of motorsport. Piloting the best F1 car of all-time should be a privilege for the absolute most deserving. BOT definitely isn't 1 of those 2. He's had years to prove himself worthy.
Merc will once again win the WCC going away next year.
I think it's crazy to not add massive levels of intrigue and interest by mixing up the Merc driver lineup. Madness for Merc not to want that attn. as a brand, and must be excruciating for F1 to be so close to injecting huge (probably renewed) interest. Check this out, on track this week (12/6-12/12) for "F1" as a search term to reach a worldwide 5 year high by some margin https://trends.google.com/trends/exp...day%205-y&q=f1
And that's with WCC and WDC wrapped up, and the sport's most popular driver out of action. Motorsport fans want RACING and unknowns at the front.
For those who favor HAM, RUS substitution will only serve to enhance his reputation and legacy. Especially over the long-term, greatness is informed by the challenges faced and overcome, not how many times you beat your little brother.
fwiw, I think HAM is great and beats RUS. But man, I'd love to see him challenged every once in a while and earn that record-breaking WDC with more than just race craft and wisdom from 20 seconds out in front. |
I agree with a lot of this and believe that BOT should go in 2022, not 2021. The responsibility of Toto is to deliver the WCC and the WDC and all of the acclaim it brings. It isn't to cause angst and consternation within the team for the purpose of bringing spice to the sport. As you well know, there are 9 other teams that are seriously under performing with two of those having budgets similar to Mercedes.
I'm weary of everyone saying HAM has to take and pass additional tests having been in F1 for 14 years and performing at the very top of the field even with the dismal MP4-24. To be at the top of his game since HAM game into the sport overall...I mean at the karting level, not F1 is extraordinary. He has literally won everything. He's only been beat by team mates 2 times in his entire racing career...not just Formula One.
And let's talk about challenges. Don't look at the final results from 2017 and 2018 but for doing so one race at a time. In both of those years HAM had to come back from behind in order to win the WDC and it was against what was most probable, an illegal car. What else must Lewis do to convince others of his worthiness of the accolades he's EARNED through hard and consistent work for over 25 years in motorsport with 14 at the very top level and nearly ALWAYS in contention for the WDC...even with dismal equipment?
Great post from you!!
Thanks!!!