Formula 1

[WeeMann]

With the sprint races, do we know yet how they set the grids for those?

Another of the proposed rule changes, is absolutely no engine development allowed. That could be interesting with someone like Red Bull if Honda pull out.

Marko was one pushing for it - they're taking the Honda engine in house so they want the engine freeze.

[Lord of all darkness]

I hope that's the case. He's consistently put that Williams further ahead than he should be able too and the way he drove the Mercedes just proved he has the skills.

To be honest there's a great crop of drivers coming through - Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Russell, plus the newbies this season, Tsunoda, Mazepin, Schumacher and that Alonso fella. If the rule changes next year give us closer racing I think we could be in for a good season or 2.

Won't happen, but i would love to see 3 drivers per team. Maybe only the best 2 per team qualify for the race. That would spice things up a bit. Also you would see some of the better young drivers in the top cars.

[WeeMann]

I hope that's the case. He's consistently put that Williams further ahead than he should be able too and the way he drove the Mercedes just proved he has the skills.

To be honest there's a great crop of drivers coming through - Leclerc, Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Russell, plus the newbies this season, Tsunoda, Mazepin, Schumacher and that Alonso fella. If the rule changes next year give us closer racing I think we could be in for a good season or 2.

Won't happen, but i would love to see 3 drivers per team. Maybe only the best 2 per team qualify for the race. That would spice things up a bit. Also you would see some of the better young drivers in the top cars.

Great idea, but with the cost cap coming in (and there are now rumblings about capping drivers' salaries) there's no way it could happen.

[Leigh Burne]

Another of the proposed rule changes, is absolutely no engine development allowed. That could be interesting with someone like Red Bull if Honda pull out.

As WeeMan says, supposedly Red Bull are largely the reason they're pushing for it, so they can stay in the sport as a constructor.

Kinda surprised Ferrari agreed with it, given that their engine was demonstrably a but rubbish last year and their tendency to baulk at things that might hurt them. They must be more confident in this year's power unit.

Great idea, but with the cost cap coming in (and there are now rumblings about capping drivers' salaries) there's no way it could happen.

Another reason why Hamilton has only signed for one year? Although I can't see any salary caps retroactively applying to contracts that have already been signed.

[Kes]

I doubt he has to work another day in his life, being fair.

[Leigh Burne]

No, but doesn’t mean he wouldn’t rather add a couple more zeroes to his bank balance!

As I said before, personally I’m hoping he’s thinking of switching things up once he’s banked the stats.

[Kes]

The only stat he shares with Schumacher is the number of world titles, I think he's already got the rest.

Are they ever going to be beaten? I'm sure nobody thought Schumacher's stats would ever be beaten, but you get the right driver, going to the right teams, at the right time, who knows. Mercedes weren't that successful when Hamilton jumped from McClaren.

When Vettel was at Red Bull, as good as Hamilton was, the Red Bull, as a machine, was just too far ahead.

[Ray]

I think Formula 1 is quite boring if there is always one dominant team/driver that wins everything for years. That's why I lost interest in the early 2000s, Schumacher just won everything. It's similar with Hamilton now.

1998-2000 with Häkkinen vs. Schumacher, THAT was exciting!

[Leigh Burne]

The only stat he shares with Schumacher is the number of world titles, I think he's already got the rest.

Titles was what I was referring to. If he gets eight, he unequivocally has more than anyone.

Mercedes weren't that successful when Hamilton jumped from McClaren.

I think a lot of people were slightly taken aback at the time. Amazing how it's worked out.

I think Formula 1 is quite boring if there is always one dominant team/driver that wins everything for years. That's why I lost interest in the early 2000s, Schumacher just won everything. It's similar with Hamilton now.

Yeah, it is a bit dull. I also switched off during the Schumacher era; the only reason I'm still watching now is, well, Hamilton's British, so of course I'm happy he's winning. Plus I actually kinda like him these days. I never really used to and only backed him as the most promising Brit, but he seems to have mellowed a lot since joining Mercedes. Maybe that's simply because he's won everything, but I don't think that's the case. I do wish it was more of a challenge for him though, and I genuinely believe he thinks that too.

Ironically a lot of the racing further back in the field has been really good recently, especially last year, but watching people battle for fourth just isn't as exciting as watching people battle for the top step. Here's hoping the impending rules shake-up really does help level the playing field. And also that Red Bull can get out of their cycle of starting the season on the back foot after finishing the previous one so promisingly. They've been doing that for far too long, and it's killing Verstappen's chances of mounting a serious challenge. And I really rate Verstappen, I think he's one of the few who could actually go toe-to-toe with Hamilton.

As dominant as Mercedes have been, I absolutely don't agree Hamilton's only any good because of the car, which is the criticism you typically hear. He might not have seven titles if he wasn't with Mercedes, but he's still comfortably the driver of the field imo. Of all his numerous stats, the one I find the most impressive is the fact he's won at least one race in every season in which he's competed. No one else in F1 history has ever managed that, and for at least a couple of those seasons his McLaren was a dog, and yet he still won races in it.

[WeeMann]

As dominant as Mercedes have been, I absolutely don't agree Hamilton's only any good because of the car, which is the criticism you typically hear. He might not have seven titles if he wasn't with Mercedes, but he's still comfortably the driver of the field imo. Of all his numerous stats, the one I find the most impressive is the fact he's won at least one race in every season in which he's competed. No one else in F1 history has ever managed that, and for at least a couple of those seasons his McLaren was a dog, and yet he still won races in it.

All you have to do is go back and see some of his performances in GP2 to see that he's the real deal. I forget which race it was last year, but they showed clips from a GP2 race where he went off and ended up at the back of the field before getting back to the front - this is a series where the cars are more or less identical.

Arguing a driver is only doing well because of the car they're in is very lazy and shows ignorance of the sport. If they weren't any good, they wouldn't be in a good car in the first place. If they were that easy to drive well, why would the teams pay big bucks for drivers when they could put one of the mechanics in far more cheaply?