Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes
Discussion
Bo_apex said:
Jake899 said:
Credit for Valtteri yesterday: win number 10 for him. He did well managing the race and deserved the win. Perhaps now he will be less reluctant to support Lewis when he needs it for the drivers championship.
Bottas has improved since Toto removed his unofficial straightjacket. Let's hope George is not asked to wear it.Monza was also very good from Bottas
PhilAsia said:
Bo_apex said:
Jake899 said:
Credit for Valtteri yesterday: win number 10 for him. He did well managing the race and deserved the win. Perhaps now he will be less reluctant to support Lewis when he needs it for the drivers championship.
Bottas has improved since Toto removed his unofficial straightjacket. Let's hope George is not asked to wear it.Monza was also very good from Bottas
MarkwG said:
It's strange really: consistency isn't really there, even now. He does seem to perform at his best towards the end of the season, almost as if he improves when the pressure of winning the championship is diminishing to zero. However, a great race on Sunday, well driven & well deserved.
He's just not very good at dealing with a less-than optimum car.2019, he finished first or second in all of the first 5 races.
2021, Mercedes have had issues dialing in the car and getting a good setup out of it, something they are allegedly getting on top of now.
Bottas hasn't been able to deal with that aswell as Hamilton.
Muzzer79 said:
MarkwG said:
It's strange really: consistency isn't really there, even now. He does seem to perform at his best towards the end of the season, almost as if he improves when the pressure of winning the championship is diminishing to zero. However, a great race on Sunday, well driven & well deserved.
He's just not very good at dealing with a less-than optimum car.2019, he finished first or second in all of the first 5 races.
2021, Mercedes have had issues dialing in the car and getting a good setup out of it, something they are allegedly getting on top of now.
Bottas hasn't been able to deal with that aswell as Hamilton.
ks and wonders if this may be the year. Then some time around the start of the European leg, Hamilton gets fully dialled in to the car and the tyres and Bottas can no longer beat him. In my view this year is the exception to the rule- maybe Bottas' early advantage with the imperfect new car didn't materialize because so much of this year's car is last year's car. HustleRussell said:
Muzzer79 said:
MarkwG said:
It's strange really: consistency isn't really there, even now. He does seem to perform at his best towards the end of the season, almost as if he improves when the pressure of winning the championship is diminishing to zero. However, a great race on Sunday, well driven & well deserved.
He's just not very good at dealing with a less-than optimum car.2019, he finished first or second in all of the first 5 races.
2021, Mercedes have had issues dialing in the car and getting a good setup out of it, something they are allegedly getting on top of now.
Bottas hasn't been able to deal with that aswell as Hamilton.
ks and wonders if this may be the year. Then some time around the start of the European leg, Hamilton gets fully dialled in to the car and the tyres and Bottas can no longer beat him. In my view this year is the exception to the rule- maybe Bottas' early advantage with the imperfect new car didn't materialize because so much of this year's car is last year's car. This year it was obvious from testing (and qualifying) that Red Bull were going to be serious contenders. So, having learned from 2016, did Hamilton just get "on it" from the first race and this simply led to Bottas looking a bit poor by comparison? Add in a car that's not clearly ahead and Bottas looks worse than he is.
A really good point. It factors in with great drivers who seem to be able to rise above their usual standard when faced with a stuck gearbox or starting from the back, those drivers who relish the difficulty and it somehow spurs them on to conquer despite the disadvantage. Hamilton is certainly a driver who is capable of raising his game when needed. Bottas, I think is sadly an example of a driver who cannot. Take his inability to close up gaps this year, and his lacklustre defence or offense when he's in a midfield pack.
Flooble said:
HustleRussell said:
Muzzer79 said:
MarkwG said:
It's strange really: consistency isn't really there, even now. He does seem to perform at his best towards the end of the season, almost as if he improves when the pressure of winning the championship is diminishing to zero. However, a great race on Sunday, well driven & well deserved.
He's just not very good at dealing with a less-than optimum car.2019, he finished first or second in all of the first 5 races.
2021, Mercedes have had issues dialing in the car and getting a good setup out of it, something they are allegedly getting on top of now.
Bottas hasn't been able to deal with that aswell as Hamilton.
ks and wonders if this may be the year. Then some time around the start of the European leg, Hamilton gets fully dialled in to the car and the tyres and Bottas can no longer beat him. In my view this year is the exception to the rule- maybe Bottas' early advantage with the imperfect new car didn't materialize because so much of this year's car is last year's car. This year it was obvious from testing (and qualifying) that Red Bull were going to be serious contenders. So, having learned from 2016, did Hamilton just get "on it" from the first race and this simply led to Bottas looking a bit poor by comparison? Add in a car that's not clearly ahead and Bottas looks worse than he is.
Flooble said:
I've sort of wondered if Hamilton has an element of doing "just enough" to win and this flatters Bottas in other years - Hamilton not stepping up the pace unless he thinks he's at risk of losing the championship? We saw with the end of 2015 Hamilton won the Championship and then kind of lost interest almost. Which some people say led directly to him not getting straight in the groove at the start of 2016 and thus losing the championship that year. I'm not really convinced any racing driver voluntarily misses out on a win, but I do wonder if there's an element of simply not quite going for that final 10th of a second?
This year it was obvious from testing (and qualifying) that Red Bull were going to be serious contenders. So, having learned from 2016, did Hamilton just get "on it" from the first race and this simply led to Bottas looking a bit poor by comparison? Add in a car that's not clearly ahead and Bottas looks worse than he is.
It can’t be the easiest of jobs, when the one guy you can directly compare yourself to is the GOAT. Lewis is on another level, rarely has an off-day and makes fewer mistakes than anyone else. This year it was obvious from testing (and qualifying) that Red Bull were going to be serious contenders. So, having learned from 2016, did Hamilton just get "on it" from the first race and this simply led to Bottas looking a bit poor by comparison? Add in a car that's not clearly ahead and Bottas looks worse than he is.
That said, Valtteri had a flawless drive on Sunday, and now leads Perez by 42 points in the championship - which pretty much assures Mercedes of the Constructors’ crown yet again - and the prize money that comes with it.
Valtteri is a seriously under-rated driver, he’s just not quite at Lewis’ astonishingly-high level on Sundays. His podium from the back in Italy was one of the drives of the season, though it’s a shame that MV managed to do the same at the next race in Russia.
cuprabob said:
Siao said:
Mazepin is also top 20 drivers in the WORLD!!!!
That's a fact, irrespective on how you spin it 
thegreenhell said:
cuprabob said:
Siao said:
Mazepin is also top 20 drivers in the WORLD!!!!
That's a fact, irrespective on how you spin it cuprabob said:
thegreenhell said:
cuprabob said:
Siao said:
Mazepin is also top 20 drivers in the WORLD!!!!
That's a fact, irrespective on how you spin it thegreenhell said:
cuprabob said:
Siao said:
Mazepin is also top 20 drivers in the WORLD!!!!
That's a fact, irrespective on how you spin it Buying a top twenty seat in motorsport doesn't make a person a top twenty driver
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