Hamilton or Rosberg for 2016 WDC?

Hamilton or Rosberg for 2016 WDC?

Poll: Hamilton or Rosberg for 2016 WDC?

Total Members Polled: 293

Hamilton: 61%
Rosberg: 39%
Author
Discussion

thainy77

Original Poster:

3,347 posts

197 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
There has been a lot of talk in the media this week about Hamilton' apparent dip in form. Has Rosberg raised his game or has Hamilton just made some stupid mistakes following the summer break?

So who do the masses think will win this years WDC? I still think Hamilton will turn it around.

I would add that i suspect this will turn in to the normal Hamilton/Rosberg bun fight but if this thread serves to keep other more informative threads free from the bhing then so be it.

rsbmw

3,464 posts

104 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
I think as long as Hamilton pulls his finger out of his arse for Malaysia (likely, he has good form here) momentum will swing back that way. Any further issues for Hamilton though (bad starts, reliability etc) and I think it will be difficult for him to overcome 15+ points worth of deficit in 5 races.

Mansells Tash

5,713 posts

205 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
There are currently 2 things that I can see possibly being issues here, one is if Hamilton has reliability issues, the other being Rosberg destroying him in the latter part of last season, if these later rounds suit Rosberg more and Hamilton really was trying to win in the latter rounds last year (but playing it off like he'd won so could take his eye off the ball) then Hamilton is going to have a very tough job ahead of himself.

Personally I believe Rosberg actually had him at the end of last season, no racing driver decides to coast and let his team mate win a few when they have personal differences like these two do.

vx220

2,689 posts

233 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
I voted LH, as he has form for coming from behind (in individual races and championships)

I'm not a massive LH fan (or of any driver...) nor am I prone to massive statistical analysis, but I seem to remember NR only soundly beat LH in those last races once LH had clinched the title?

And that just about sums up my (and others) opinion of NR. Brilliant all round driver, but doesn't seem to have that edge required when the chips are down. I don't remember a single positive "WOW" moment from NR, ever? But as I say, not a huge follower (although I watch just about all the CH4 coverage, BBC before that)

suffolk009

5,344 posts

164 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
Not a great fan of either driver. I voted LH because I think he's the better racer.
NR can drive a perfect Lights to Flag victory, but as the many stats on other threads have shown he has little success wining from anywhere other than the front.
LH seems to have a bit more of the terrier in his character - I can't see him doing anything less than 10/10ths for the rest of this season.
I think ultimately this championship will be decided (and argued about forever) on the reliability of the car. LH is arguably at this stage about 40 points down because of reliability issues.
It would be exciting to see this go all the way to the last race.

witko999

629 posts

207 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
I hope Rosberg wins it.

Rosberg won all the races at the end of last season. You could argue that Hamilton had given up since he'd won the championship (unlikely in my opinion), but Rosberg also convincingly had him beat in the Austin championship decider, where he overtook Hamilton twice on track (a point often forgotten in the anti Rosberg rants on this forum), until he made his mistake and gifted Hamilton the win.

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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The team want Rosberg to win this year, it will go down to the last race.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
I'm kind of indifferent to both drivers

vx220 said:
I don't remember a single positive "WOW" moment from NR, ever?
I'd say he has had one or two, one of those being three days ago.

I don't want Rosberg to never win a title, just maybe not this year. He could well do it, but I feel Hamilton is demonstrably better and would have a pretty good lead in the championship now were it not for bad reliability.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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I think Hamilton will do it, barring any reliability issues, he's already had his fair share this season and it is only as tight as it is at moment due to Hamilton's issues at the start of the season, as opposed to Rosberg's superiority, however he did have a storming weekend in Singapore.

Hamilton will be back on it in Malaysia.

KevinCamaroSS

11,555 posts

279 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Mansells Tash said:
Personally I believe Rosberg actually had him at the end of last season, no racing driver decides to coast and let his team mate win a few when they have personal differences like these two do.
Never heard of team orders?

Flooble

5,565 posts

99 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
Rosberg has been the better driver this year. Hamilton has had reliability issues but he has also had many self-inflicted problems (Baku was down to him crashing in Q3; Monza was his own poor start; Singapore he couldn't get the car setup; Australia, Bahrain were his own poor starts and not keeping out of trouble). You can't make that many mistakes unless you have a dominant car and an incompetent teammate. This year, Rosberg has been consistent and there to pick up the win each time Hamilton fluffed it.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
Hamilton has already made up a large deficit. When his car is reliable, he pretty much is going to win.

I do hope the season isn't decided by Lewis' car having faults.

GAjon

3,721 posts

212 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
To close to call for me, Rosberg is driving well and has the knowledge he was strong at the end of last season.
Hamilton will always race if there's the slightest sniff of a victory.

If it goes Rosbergs way it's deserved, beating someone who's acknowledged to be one of the best of his era, good one for the cv that.

But, my money ( if I gambled) would be on Hamilton.

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Flooble said:
Monza was his own poor start;
Wrong, team told him and everyone else it was a return of the clutch issue that has affected both cars this year. https://adamcooperf1.com/2016/09/04/lewis-hamilton...

Flooble said:
Australia, Bahrain were his own poor starts and not keeping out of trouble)
Wrong, clutch issue. In Bahrain the clash with Bottas was the fault of the Williams driver and was penalised for it.

Flooble said:
Singapore he couldn't get the car setup;
...because the car had a hydraulic leak and he lost pretty much all of FP2. On one of the tracks that is probably most critical tracks for having track time.

Flooble said:
This year, Rosberg has been consistent and there to pick up the win each time Hamilton fluffed it.
Tripe. You conveniently forgot to mention:


China, where the MGU-H died in Q1, leaving Hamilton starting from the back of the grid as he didn't set a time. He also had a gearbox change due to failure.

Russia where the MGU-H failed again in Q3, leaving him starting 10th.

Spain where Rosberg's dodgy move (and to be fair, Hamilton's candidness) meant both cars didn't finish

Spa, where thanks to earlier failures Hamilton had to start at the back of the grid due to engine penalties.

You also forgot to mention Rosberg's "full lock" moves, which frankly were amateur at best. Rosberg's only reliability issue was a gearbox change because he damaged it in a crash in free practice in Austria.

At one point Rosberg had a 43 point lead, Hamilton wiped that out (when the car worked properly...). If he hadn't had some many reliability issues he'd be in a fairly comfortable lead.

Rosberg is a good driver, he isn't a great racer. If he wins the WDC it will be purely because of poor reliability on Hamilton's car and no issues on his.

Reliability might even bite Hamilton yet - Rosberg still has engines left, so if Mercedes release a revised unit, he can take it, Hamilton added three to the pool in Spa and is now fixed with those engines, so could be further disadvantaged.

Hamilton has made mistakes - Baku being the most obvious one, the lockup in Singapore that let Kimi past, he isn't perfect - none of them are but to say his driving has been worse than Rosberg this year is simply not correct.

Catatafish

1,361 posts

144 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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This is NR'S best chance to take it, more or less gifted to him. Still waiting for the wheel to wheel race with Ham where he genuinely comes out on top without ramming him off the road...

HAM talking himself up before Baku was a bit idiotic, not to mention the loreal ads, but he's the greater racing talent and entertaining driver. Nico Cringberg is wholly bland in and out of the car. If this WDC goes to NR without the above happening the title will be devalued.

rsbmw

3,464 posts

104 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Yeah, I've been waiting for them to race each other all year. If Rosberg can win one of those and then take the title, fair play to him. Without that, it will always be seen as the title he won because LH had reliability problems (however true or untrue that may actually be).

poing

8,743 posts

199 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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I voted Rosberg, I don't actually want him to win as I don't think he's actually world champion quality but he's in the right place at the right time and the sponsors probably want it to happen.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

173 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
The media are making too much of Hamilton's 'dip in form', just as they made far too much of Rosberg's 40 odd point lead much earlier in the season. The difference in points is tiny and with only 6 races to go either can win - it may well come down to a bit of bad luck either way.

My money would still just about go on Hamilton, but I think this year Rosberg would be a worthy winner. Singapore really was a champions drive and backs up the general consensus that he has upped his game to a new level. I don't think Lewis is going to intimidate Rosberg into a mistake as in previous races and I don't think Lewis has the clear race pace advantage he seemed to have at this point last year. So if Rosberg keeps qualifying and starting well it will be very tough for Hamilton.

I'm wondering if the tyres have just gone slightly away from Hamilton and more towards Rosberg?



Edited by VolvoT5 on Tuesday 20th September 20:18

lee_fr200

5,476 posts

189 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
while i don't like Rosberg he's very german and doesn't make mistakes and he does good and if he carries on with this momentum he has a damn good chance

but out of the 2 id prefer lewis to win

mollytherocker

14,365 posts

208 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
It could go either way and of course there are hundreds of variables and unknowns, its almost impossible to predict.

But I will. Rosberg.