Better for F1 if Rosberg loses – Ecclestone

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Bernie Ecclestone says it would be better for Formula One if Lewis Hamilton won the championship instead of Nico Rosberg.

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Comment of the day

Has F1 tackled the wet weather standing starts problem the wrong way?

My issue has always been this: If it is deemed too wet to start the race from a standing start, don’t start the race at all.

Watching F1 cars trundle round behind Bernd Maylander is incredibly frustrating. They might as well postpone the start of the race for a bit and then get it going when the track is drier. If after a delay it is still deemed too wet for a standing start, either cancel the race if there is no realistic hope of the conditions improving or have them set off behind the safety car and bring him in after a sighter lap or two.
@Geemac

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On this day in F1

Fernando Alonso won his second world championship title on this day ten years ago.

But while the Michelin-shod Renault driver took the title, F1’s final tyre war race saw victory for Bridgestone. Felipe Massa scorched to victory on their rubber while Michael Schumacher battled back from a puncture to take fourth behind Alonso and Jenson Button.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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102 comments on “Better for F1 if Rosberg loses – Ecclestone”

  1. I disagree with comment of the day. There has to be a happy medium. Abandoning the race when they could still easily go ahead with it is a very silly idea, because all the teams, sponsors, drivers, and fans, both at the circuit and on the sofa alike, have turned out for it. It would send very bad messages for the sport’s popularity. Delaying it could have a similar effect.

    I agree that with rolling starts they shouldn’t be leaving the safety car out for so long. Both occasions this year were ridiculous. But they’d be worth it for a standing start, as that’s the sort of excitement we need in F1.

    1. Why not start the race a little earlier, so that they have time to delay the race, in case the situations are not right. Starting the race at late afternoons is not a good idea. Why can’t races start at 1100 hours local time?

      1. Because it’s harder for fans to get to the track by 11am…

        The safety car train helps clear the water faster, if you just wait it will take forever to dry up. Best plan ever is what the Americans do; Use a big hairdryer

        1. @tdm Those jet driers don’t work as well on a road/street circuit that has a lot of undulation as they just blow the water around & it very quickly drains back to where it was.

          22 F1 cars on full wets clear away a lot more water a lot faster not just because of how much water the full wet tyres shift but also how much the cars themselves suck up off the ground & throw into the air & with 22 cars doing that for several laps the water is quickly dispersed & doesn’t have chance to drain back into the dips where water can collect.

      2. Changing the race time is enormously disruptive to F1’s business partners and it’s easy to see and understand the challenges with that approach. I don’t say it often, but IMO F1 is handling this correctly. Safety car laps are boring. There are very many F1 laps in which nobody makes a mistake and not much happens, and I don’t like them all that much either, but it’s part of the journey. Getting the cars on the track somehow someway helps dry it out fast and the subsequent wet race show produces some of my favorite moments in F1.

  2. What’s clear from this is that if more races are to be had in the US, they need to be cheaper to hold, at least while the fan base builds up. Perhaps with an agreement that in exchange for a cheaper race they promoters must promote it a lot more than normally.

    That includes the existing race, otherwise that has almost no chance.

  3. Eccles is quite clear that he prefers Putin over Austin and seemingly wouldn’t mind KK or DT in a seat next year. If they match the wider cars next year with another 50kg allowance for drivers then we’ll know he’s still in charge.

  4. Just caught up on on Sky’s broadcast of FP1 and FP2. I can’t be the only one who thinks Paul di Resta is a terrible choice for the practice colour commentator role. He’s awful in FP1. They usually catch up on paddock rumours during FP1 because there isn’t all that much to talk about despite the track action (don’t get me wrong I love FP1 action, just something about a new weekend that’s nice). However, a lot of these rumours Paul is impartial to because he basically is still an “active” driver and doesn’t want to put him himself in an awkward position. I don’t know how many times Crofty asked Paul for an opinion on where a driver will be racing, or is this driver good enough to be in F1, why isn’t so and so good around this track, and yet all Paul does is pause and then give an impartial answer. You can literally guess his answer every time.

    Am I the only one who notices this?

    1. @sward28 I noticed that as well. His value as a commentator isn’t very high, he doesn’t contribute with anything meaningful. In his mind he probably still has a slight chance of making a comeback in F1 as a driver, and therefor doesn’t want to say anything bad about anyone or anything. I enjoy listening to Antony Davidsson far more, cause he’s put F1 behind him and has a successful career elsewhere and is therefor able to express his opinion. He is also much more cheery and friendly then the grumpy Paul di Resta.

      1. LOL! I like Paul commenting far, far more than the drivel Crofty and Ted spout about nothing more than watercooler gossip. At least Paul talks about the cars and the track.

        I despise those stupid silly season questions from Crofty. I don’t care about who Paul thinks will be driving where next season. I care about what is happening on track now – how the setups are working or not.

        Give me all the former drivers as commenters, Brundle, Hill, et al. I’ll take a grumpy Paul over the self-inflated, yet insecure motormouth ‘journalists’ that seem to find covering the actual performance on track far less important than their vacuous gossip and speculations.

        Guess that’s why Sky has to employ both types to appeal to the surprisingly F1 fan demagraphic. People who have a clue about racing and the clueless that ask clueless questions. ;-)

    2. Sometimes I think they should ask F1 youtubers, some of them are actually really good and they often are incredibly passionate about the sport.

      1. Aarava and Tiametamarduk sky commentators 2017

        1. Don’t forget IntoTheBarrier! @lolzerbob

          1. And bring some aliens into the mix :P

          2. ITB could probably qualify as the next murray walker in the sense that he messes it up pretty bad and it’s pretty funny lol!

        2. Aarava? Ugh… I… I don’t want yelling. And he’s so bland. I couldn’t watch his content.

          (This is my opinion of the youtuber’s content, not of him as a person. )

    3. Yup. Every time Paul was asked as a pundit to, er, pund, he said something like “its not our decision” and avoided giving an opinion. No use what so ever as a pundit. Im surprised Crofty didn’t remind him what he was being paid to do.

    4. @sward28
      I just don’t find Di Resta interesting as a commentator. I find he is pretty good after the race and analyzing things on the Sky pad. Just Crofty and Di Resta is a really poor combination IMO. Too much silence, too many awkward moments, too much nonsense from Crofty, there is no limit of things I could list about how bad it is. The practice sessions are WAY better on Channel 4. When the practice sessions aren’t available on channel 4, I have often ended up listening to BBC radio 5 live and viewing what is on Sky sports F1 as they seem to relate to what is on the screen far more than Crofty does. Ben Edwards and Karun Chandhok sound far more interested and passionate about what they are talking about. They talk about what is on the screen and keep it on topic! Crofty keeps asking Di Resta really stupid questions and then interrupts when Di Resta starts to answer. He drives me mad! It gets even worse when Kravitz joins in and then they start talking even more nonsense. They say what they are about to talk about then it often seems to take ages before they even relate to it. It is so painful to listen to. I respect the knolage Kravitz has but he is incredibly irritating a lot of the time. I think Crofty is just about tolerable when he is with Brundle during the race though. Although I find Edwards and Coulthard better on Channel 4. I just wish Brundle and Coulthard would get back together as that was so much better.

  5. Bernie is so rude saying things like that.

    1. It must be tough for Rosberg to always hear Ecclestone saying that, especially when that’s on top of fans booing and Lauda’s Hamilton bromance, but the ironic thing is that Ecclestone holds Prost as his favorite driver of all time because he triumphed despite the team and fans being against him.

      1. Bromance? Lauda is always bad mouthing Hamliton while only saying positive things about Rosberg.

        1. Just look at reality and you will know that is very far from the truth @patrickl.

          1. No, it’s true.

  6. Better for F1 if Bernie is gone, as there may be much to write about him but it is hardly anything good.

  7. Bernie awakens from a long slumber and a Nico Rosberg missive falls out.

    Bernie will be seen again on the grid Sunday not answering questions about his own future. “What’s that?” Didn’t hear what you said…”

    1. Yes, BE still shell-shocked that once the Liberty deal is done and the company “goes” public he will be forced to go away – as he will never qualify as a principal participant under Nasdaq governance rules. Oh, so sad…

  8. “If Nico won the title it would be good for him and good for Mercedes but it wouldn’t necessarily help the sport because there is nothing to write about him.”

    This is what’s been bothering most from F1 since a long time: I know this is a business and that sponsors pay for all and about corporate face, but man, first and foremost it’s a RACE. Between incredibly incredible cars and some of the best drivers in the world!
    F1 should NOT care what the public thinks! (Yes, yes, I know!)

    Formula One should absolutely give no damn nothing about what people think about her. They should just go racing and everyone else should consider himself lucky to be able to watch those things, ever through the telly! We’re not entitled to anything relating F1!

    Then, Ecclestone wouldn’t have to say nonsense like that.

    1. You would have liked F1 before Colin Chapman brought in the big money sponsors. And before Bernie brought unbridled corporate greed to the series.

      MONEY is the most important part of F1 now. Possibly sad, but it’s a multi-billion dollar CORPORATE enterprise, where the drivers play the most visible, but arguably smaller part than in the ‘golden’ garagista era.

      Since the investment to win is staggeringly huge, the TEAM trophy is the most important award in F1. The driver’s ‘battle’ is for spectacle and tradition. It’s not a spec series, it’s a prototype series backed by teams of thousands of engineers. Best car wins. 99% of the time. Does the best driver? (That’s a trick question. The best driver is the good enough driver that gets the best, most reliable car over the season.)

      Put Ocon in the Merc tomorrow and Rosberg in the Manor and let’s see on Sunday where they finish.

      1. Ocon and others would win in the Merc. I do not understand why Merc pay Hamilton so much he needs Merc more than they need him. They could have the Manor drivers for 30 times less wages and get the same job done. Cannot get better than 1st and 2nd.

        1. Hamilton is a story, a legend. He is renown for being the best… Despite what his.real ability is, so far he has proved very much worth his money.

          Ocon and Wherlein would win in Mercedes, but neither command a motosport presence and celebrity personality.

        2. Hamilton’s technical feedback helps to improve the car – his data is shared within the Mercedes camp to improve the other driver. If he weren’t driving for them he would be a thorn competing against them for the next best team.

    2. Exactly. Teams make best cars possible, they get best drivers possible and at end of the season points show who came out on top….

      Mercedes winning bad for sport is anotherthing that bothers me. Any other sport dominant team is coveted… Here frowned upon.

      In MotoGP Rossi did not win… Did promotor issue a statement how that was bad?

      1. In regards to Moto gp they are even worse than F1… it is ROSSI ROSSI ROSSI even when he couldn’t ride a ducati that had previously been winning races in another riders hands the whole show was about him and how great his 7th place finishes were.

        I am a motorcyclist first but F1 is in a much better state in terms of its bias towards one competitor than Moto GP, i know many MotoGP(GPs as we used to call it) fans that have walked away because they can’t stomach the Rossi love in every week.

        F1 fall down in comparison in many other ways though!!

  9. And with that jewel from Ecclestone, I hope from the deepest of my heart, that everything that needs to happen in COTA so that Rosberg is crowned in Mexico happens.

    I’d love to see that money-laundering, back-stabbing, arrogant excuse of a leader take a big hit on his wallet. He’s probably waging some money on Hamilton’s fourth title so that he can take some extra money out of F1 before he crocs.

    1. @faulty I don’t many will see Rosberg a worthy WDC if he wins the WDC.

      1. @concalvez00 Why would Rosberg be an unworthy champion? For not being as good as another driver who lost championship because of bad luck with a car? Well, that has been the story of F1 ever since it started, in many seasons one could argue that a superior driver lost championship because of finding himself in a weaker car. This is all a part of the game and we do not consider those past champions any less worthy (and Rosberg is definitely good enough to be comparable to past champions as a group).
        We do make a distinction: We single out those really best and fondly remember them, and this is something that definitely won’t happen to Rosberg, whether he wins it this year or not. Hamilton does have his place in the pantheon secure even if he loses now.

        Talking about bad luck: I find it very likely that if Lauda did not pouch Hamilton from McLaren and Mercedes instead went with a driver available at the time, then Rosberg would be a double WCD now without any talk about him being worthy. Now that’s what I call bad luck! I wonder how many times this crossed Rosberg’s mind in the last two years.

        1. I can see Ecclestone’s point. If Rosberg win comes because of consistently poor reliability on Hamilton’s car, and this is simply accepted then you have a clear precedence. Ecclestone’s recognises the better driver is Hamilton.

          Also, in his own way, Ecclestone is letting it known he wasn’t amongst the ‘powers that be’, predetermining the fate of the championship.

          In a technical age where so much is possible, this billion dollar industry needs absolute transparency. I think we should take this as Ecclestone prepares the way for new leadership.

      2. In case it’s not clear from the get go.

        The world driver’s champion is the driver that accumulates more points than any other driver throughout the course of a season. If Rosberg ends with the WDC in 2016 he would have in fact beaten every other competitor.

        If, say, the New York Yankees won more postseason games than each of their successive opponents they would be champions. Those facts would make up reality. That they have the biggest revenue from merchandise, indicates that they are in fact the most popular baseball team in the world. But popularity and success, while they might correlate, are not in a relationship of mutual causation.

        If Rosberg is a champion beating more popular drivers, it has nothing to do with his worth. Max Chilton is a worthy competitor as is Gutiérrez or Paul DiResta, risking injury or life for a sport ranks very high in terms of an athlete’s worth. One’s opinion of a driver has nothing to do with the struggles they face, it has more to do with a perception of his success, his personality and his attitude. So while your opinion of of Rosberg might be different from that of Schumacher, Fangio or Jochen Rindt he would, if he wins the championship, be as “worthy” as them.

        I find comments like yours, the fan, or those made by someone with vested interests in the business, Ecclestone, appaling.

        Fair competition will not damage the sport.

        In the same honest way that having the Cleveland Indians compete against the National League champion is not damaging to baseball because they are not NY Yankees, it is not damaging to have Rosberg be the 2016 WDC champion.

        Seriously, who cares which driver wins as long as he does so in a competitive manner. Were points handed out to Rosberg for a reason different than those within the sport? were his competitors treated unfairly or were their points deducted in a shady fashion?

        Don’t let the shouldas, couldas, wouldas of F1 get in the way of your enjoyment. Don’t let Ecclestone’s greed sway your opinion of a driver, because what he is really saying is: “I would make more money if Hamilton won”, but because he is such a dishonest businessman, he presents his greed wrapped in false praise.

        1. Yes, that’s the definition for who gets the championship. The statement was about “worthy” champion which Rosberg really is not at the moment.

          Although if he would win the last few races like last season that would go a long way in rubbing that out.

          1. Ecclestone is an idiot. That’s the subtext. Basically.

          2. personally I feel a bit sorry for rosberg because everyone knows that he can only win the WDC because of the problems that hamilton has had

          3. Sure enough Rosberg is not a worthy F1 champion RIGHT NOW @patrickl, so far he is just leading the championship 4 rounds from the end (just as he has been leading it a few times earlier).

            But if he wins this one, than he will be.

          4. Troll much?

        2. SevenFiftySeven
          22nd October 2016, 14:58

          Well said there, Faulty. What’s more appalling is the CEO of the sport’s commercial rights holder (BE) openly declaring a preference for 1 driver over the other with just 4 races to go. His job as CEO of CVC is to promote the sport, not to turn the sport into a reality show to promote personalities.

          His comments display lack of professionalism, conflict of interests, and probable criminal culpability of trying to influence the results of a championship with his influence as the mafia boss of F1. The quicker this guy is shown the door to a permanent exit from F1 (and anything remotely close to F1), the better for all involved in F1.

          If I were the FIA president, I would take legal action against him for what he said in this instant. BE already has way too much influence on how the sport is run. First of all, he owns the company that broadcasts F1’s TV coverage. He then sells rights to air that coverage to bidders. I’m sure most viewers have noticed how only certain drivers’ radio messages are aired to create a narrative. This is all done to influence the viewers’ take on drivers and BE and CO are the ones doing it. Couple that with whatever interest SKY Sports has of its own, BE (the businessman) will accommodate it if Sky or any other bidder is willing to pay the price demanded by BE’s CVC.

          Hence, BE = out of F1 for good!

      3. I think many will though. He was the better driver this season.

        Heck, I don’t even like the guy and I think he’d be the first actual driver’s champion since 2009.

  10. Re:CotD – isn’t one of the big reasons for safety car starts the fact the F1 cars with wet tires are very effective at pumping water off a track?

    1. @grippgoat Yes.

      22 F1 cars on full wets are by far the fastest, most efficient way of clearing water not just because of how much water the full wets can shift but also because the cars themselves suck water off the track with the aero throwing it into the air & dispersing it which helps get rid of standing water & create a drier racing line a lot faster than any other method.

  11. Lol, what kind of sport main promotor openly suggests the best sportsman shouldn’t win?

    F1 apparently. Unbelievable. New low for Bernie.

    1. Gotta love Bernie quotes. Proves he’s still got a devilish sense of humour – he just throws out a line and the fish all start jumping.

      I bet he sits back and chuckles a lot.

      1. That’s the definition of a troll.

      2. A diversionary tactic drawing attention away from his own likely lame duck status.

    2. Sportsman?

    3. Best sportsman? So Alonso vs Ricciardo this year then?

  12. Guybrush Threepwood
    22nd October 2016, 6:56

    There is plenty to write about Nico Rosberg. He has a wife, a family, speaks 6 different languages, is the good guy up against the precocious brat and is the son of one of F1’s greatest drivers. Are F1 journalists that poor these days that they rely on drivers acting like a petulant child before they can think of anything to write….

    1. 5 languages: German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish.

    2. But he’s not moody, doesn’t dress and act hipster or gangsta, doesn’t socialize with socialites, keeps to himself when not at tracks… so not headline material.

      If newspapers focused only on noteworthy accomplishments, our newspapers would be different and would be the better for it. Sadly, sex sells.

      1. Looking past the “black person enjoys black culture” angle you nearly went with, isn’t the problem really, from bernies point of view that rosberg keeping himself to himself between races is doing precisely nothing to raise the profile of the sport, and no matter how distasteful you find modern tabloid reporting, Hamilton plays them like a fiddle, and thus is consistently getting eyes on the sport.

    3. So now all of a sudden Keke Rosberg is one of the greats lol. I tell you who is the brat and that is Rosberg. Nico Rosberg wrote this after losing the championship last year.

      “At the moment it feels as though there is something invisible stopping me from succeeding. An enemy that is so hard to combat. Some call it fate, others bad luck.”

      Yet no one made a big deal out of it. Very different to the press reaction of assuming Lewis was accusing his team of sabotage when he made similar comments after Malaysia.

      Having said that just some morons interpreted Hamilton’s quotes post-Malaysia as a deliberate accusation. It truly shows the hypocrisy that you lot have when Hamilton is mentioned.

      1. The sabotage excuse did not turn out as planned its now the foot.

        If he wins I hope Rosberg fans do a version of that Norwegian football commentator from years back when they beat England ‘Hamilton fans your boy took one hell of a beating’

        Rosberg has outperformed Hamillton this year and the reliability luck Hamilton has enjoyed during their time together is balancing out. Hamilton is for me the better driver but this year Rosberg has been better so far.

        1. “Rosberg has outperformed Hamillton this year ”

          Really? Please list ALL the races where Rosberg has “outperfomed” Lewis – NOT including mechanical issues, and do the same for Lewis outperforming Rosberg (you can include dodgy starts for both drivers), and let’s see who comes out on top. Shouldn’t be too difficult….right? Perspective is not reality.

        2. How many times this year has Toto made comments to the effect, they had failed or let down Hamilton?

          Then there is the recent revelation by Ross Brawn on his relations with Ms Toto and Lauda and his feeling that they could not be trusted.

          Finally add everything that’s taken place this year to the fact that both their contracts are up for negotiations, and you could see the grounds for some conflict of interests.

          It’s against this that one has Ecclestone’s comments. You have to assume he will have greater insights on what is now technically possible, as well as understanding what is best for the long term health of the sport and it’s supporting industries.

          It’s all about that first precedence.

          1. With all that said Mercedes are in tricky position of finding ‘balance’.

            If Hamilton were to win another title it would test the confidence of Rosberg whom they also need to look out for.

            If Rosberg wins then they are counting on Hamilton bouncing back from this despite any negative spin the press will place on this loss of his title.

            As a manager it’s a tough call – do you look solely to the interests of the Best driver or the overall harmony of the team? Who would be a manager?

            In this situation it’s Hamilton’s reactions which keeps it honest, anything less and there would be other questions.

      2. jvr- Well, yes, Keke Rosberg was one of the greats. Of course, he was no Alain Prost, but he was a larger than life character who drove with skill and courage. a World Champion with his lack of pretension would be welcome in the pitlane these days.

  13. Palmer, give it up already. You’re probably a decent driver but nowhere near spectacular for Formula One. If Vandoorne had had a little more luck in the beginning of the GP2 season in 2014 he would’ve taken that away from you. He seems like a nice guy but his last few interviews have come across all bitter and he should be happy he has been given the chance. Now bow out in silence and let a better man take over the seat.

    1. what with you? he can say what he wants, and he does have the speed just not the car.

      1. In every timed session, palmer is slower than mag. How does he have the speed?

    2. I think that’s very harsh. Palmer has actually been beating Magnussen in the past few races and is better than both Sauber drivers and Gutierrez.

  14. I am pretty sure that comment for the prize should have been:

    “Datu YogaBrata’s idea is to admit that most fans will never be able to afford to attend a race live due to ticketing and travel costs, and fob them off with a simulation instead”

  15. Magnusson > Palmer

    I cannot believe that Palmer thinks he’s on par with Magnusson. He’s consistently slower and makes mistakes when he seemingly has a good result on the cards.

    Is he comparing telemetry and seeing he has the sector times; how else can he say he’s on the same level?

    Ultimately the fact that he’s made errors at crucial times shows he cannot manage the stress of an elite sport and potentially gets complacent from maybe seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.

    Commenting that himself and Magnusson are not getting credit for the drives they’ve put in this year essentially puts them together in a performance level when it’s clear that’s not the case.

    1. They both make mistakes. Magnussen went straight off in the vital first FP of the season and at Spa and Monaco for example.

      Of course they all make more mistakes in tricky cars at the back of the field when the intensity isn’t quite what it is at the front, and when they lack experience. The team has to try and work out what they would do next year, which isn’t clear cut IMO.

    2. Palmer & Magnussen have actually been very evenly matched the past 5-6 races & Palmer has generally actually been marginally faster for the last few.

      Palmer has been quite open in saying that he struggled early in the season & that Kevin was faster, However he’s also been very correctly pointing out that over the 2nd half of the season it’s been far more even & that he has been faster than Kevin more often than not.

  16. News item which is relevant to the recent discussion on Verstappen, apparently the drivers’ briefing was very one-sided and all against one. http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/verstappen-keine-spurwechsel-mehr-auf-der-bremse-11576626.html

    1. @hahostolze Charlie Whiting is also said to have told Max that he needs to stop the late reactionary defensive moves in the braking zones & that his driving will be monitored going forward.

      1. @gt-racer Considering Whiting had no problem with it two weeks ago, that’s pathetic.

        1. As long as they have DRS, those with cars without the downforce under braking as the RedBull, just have to stay carefull when trying to overtake Max!
          http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/formel-1/verstappen-keine-spurwechsel-mehr-auf-der-bremse-11576626.html
          Hulkenberg is quoted saying that if he tried to do the same maneuvers under braking he would end up at the moon. If I have understood the basic game play of F1 correctly, it is a contest between teams who design and manufacture their own car and the best combination car/driver/team wins. Ergo the team who has built a car, which is superior under braking will utilize this ability – if the others don’t have the car to follow this kind of maneuvers, then they must refrain and accept to stay behind or whatever. They haven’t tried to prevent Mercedes from using their superior speed, even if the speed difference is some of the most dangerous.
          In the article it is also argued that at the VER vs. HAM incident in Suzuka, VER braked 10 meters later than on the previous laps and despite that fact HAM tried to dive inside him – it would never have worked, he would probably have hit VER in the side if he had not abandoned.
          It is as if the DRS era has made the drivers think and believe that it shouldn’t be dangerous and risky to try an overtake. I miss the old days, where overtakes were the climax after an exciting buildup, instead of mostly just being an easy DRS flyby.

    2. Yes drivers have never liked moving in the braking zones. Max needs to be reined in, I hope FIA finally get serious about it. I hope they stop his late blocks generally and those sneaky little part-moves. I really don’t want want another MS – a great talent who can’t entirely be admired. It’s up to FIA though, to make them all drive within the same boundaries.

    3. Fernando is right, his accident with Gutiérrez came from a slower car moving around, driver behind has very little time to react.

      I don’t remember why the Haas slowed down so much then, was it something battery related?

  17. When the teams PR experts watch every single word of their drivers, which makes the interviews and press conferences politically correct but distillated and awfully boring at the same time, I just cannot understand how could Mr. Ecclestone allow himself to talk like this to the media, no matter if he is right or wrong…

    From his point of view, he might even be right, but we have to consider other aspects as well. Formula-1 is (1) sport, (2) business, (3) politics, (4) entertainment, and usually the combination of these four. If we see this comment from the sport aspect, Mr. E. pretty much questions the merit of every former world champion that topped to scoretable at the end of the year, moreover devaluates the title. We haven’t seen anyone to beat his champion teammate since Alain Prost, but someone that compares to the Professor is not good enough to be a champion? I can’t really imagine how a newly crowned world champion harms the business of anyone, champions attract sponsors anytime anwhere. Doesn’t really matter for the media wether Lewis would be the defending world champion next year or not, they will still write about his things, regardless of what they write about Nico. German driver + German construction + German engine = Formula-1 World Champion, how does that sound for business? For Mercedes, it’s a unique opportunity, for Formula-1, it doesn’t really differ from a Lewis-title. For F1 (FIA/Ecclestone) politics I don’t think it matters. And as for the entertainment factor, we’re gonna lose a world champion next year, why wouldn’t we welcome a new one? Fans like to think the F1 is the top of the motorsports, now we all know that this statement is not neccessarily true in technical and sporting terms, but the strongest driver lineup might still belong to F1, and an all-champion Mercedes battle could be interesting.

    Or is the problem of Mr. E. that Nico is not the best driver on the grid? That cannot really be measured, but then I would reply the way, that the best driver isn’t neither Lewis. But even if he was, why should always the best driver win the race and the title? Don’t we like those wacky races where midfield dark horses emerge and challenge the usual leaders for the win? Many can argue that Lewis had many technical failures and tough luck and stuff like that, and without these, he would already have clinched the title. But doesn’t mean that in the past two years Nico didn’t have technical failures and tough luck when Lewis won races, so that comparison is not fair. Nico had a controversial midseason with illegal manouvre-s, unpunished yellow flag pole and things like that, but in the end, if he tops the table after 21 races, his title would be respected as much as anyones in the last 66 seasons.

    1. @andrewt Actually Hamilton is the best.

      1. Don’t make me laugh. he is not the best , never was never will. Hamilton can’t even win a race now with the most dominant car in the history of the sport and is going to get beaten by an average driver who has done nothing his whole career.

        1. @equinox And this comes a person who got intens hate for Hamilton for whatever reason so, i don’t expect you to be objective mate. Hamilton is the best wether you like it or not. Yes Rosberg has done nothing this season like i stated. Rosberg only leads because Hamilton has car issues.

          1. From*

      2. @concalvez00 for your and for others and in certain aspects he might be, for others he might not be the best, and it’s something we will never figure out. I feel sorry that you grabbed this little piece out of the context, because it wasn’t my aim to argue about values of drivers. My goal was to point out that the sport could profit from an unexpected win, regardless of who delivered it.

  18. I agree with MR. Ecclestone. Rosberg has not done much special besides driving a bullet proof car which Hamilton lacked, Hamilton simply had too many car issues for Rosberg to be tested or even be considered ”Rosberg stepped up his game” as some come up with which is ridiculous. For me if Rosberg wins this year’s WDC it will be because of Hamilton was hampered by car problems.

    1. @concalvez00 If Nico wins this years championship he will fully deserve it for getting the best out of his equipment, Yes Lewis has had issues but thats the way racing goes & always has.

      If people are going to start suggesting that Nico doesn’t deserve this year’s championship because Lewis had reliability problems then are we going to go back & start putting as asterix next to other title winners names?
      Prost’s 1986 title that was won due to Mansell’s tyre blowout, Senna’s 1991 title that was massively helped by the faster Williams having early unreliability, Keke Rosberg’s 1982 title helped by the Turbo cars constantly failing, Hakkinen’s 1999 title helped by Schumacher’s broken leg, Alonso’s 2005 title helped by McLaren/Mercedes abysmal reliability etc..

      In this sport sometimes you have the luck & sometimes it goes against you, As Mario Andretti once said sometimes its better to be lucky than good.

      1. Still @gt-racer those examples are all of luck/reliability happening to other teams, and teams’ reliability is obviously part of who is ‘best’ at the end of the season. But if it’s your teammate who’s had the bad luck, while being faster in most of the races, it’s not so clear that the award has gone to the better driver over the year.

        Though there are still four races to go and they will probably affect how it all looks at the end. If Rosberg wins them all on pace, fair enough. If Lewis does that but loses, it won’t look the same.

        1. @lockup @gt-racer is not speaking to who is best, but just to the concept that Nico will have deserved the title if indeed he wins it.

          Your concern is obviously different. You’re worried about how Nico might be perceived as better if he wins, but fear not, for I’m sure you and your ilk will happily and continually point out Nico’s scandalous cheating ways…’sportsmanlike?’ was your retort above…

          Nico will have won it by doing everything in his power, having nothing to do with how LH’s season has gone. But don’t worry, that won’t mean people will suddenly be calling Nico the best of the best, better than LH and everybody else. We all know he’s not done enough in his career for that. It will be more akin to Button winning a WDC. And let’s face it…even in seasons when LH won, many touted FA as the best on the grid nonetheless.

          “If Rosberg wins them all on pace, fair enough.” I doubt you really mean that, do you?

          1. I agree with @gt-racer. Luck has always played a significant part in the WDC. You need to be good enough to take advantage of the luck you have. In 2009 the Brawn drivers were lucky enough to have a car that to begin with, would beat anything else. Button took advantage of this, Barrichello did not.

            I would quite happy to see Rosberg as WDC and I think he would deserve it. The best all round driver does not always win. Its a fact of the sport.

          2. Luck and reliability are one thing, but if I am not mistaken, Hamilton botched his own start several times this season.

          3. @defalco so did Rosberg.

      2. I agree. A lot of Hamilton fanatics hark over the fact that Hamilton has so far had the lion’s share of reliability issues this year, and as a result have either discredited Rosberg’s excellent driving, cried conspiracy against their man, or both! Quite frankly, a number of Rosberg’s victories this season have not all been gained due to Hamilton’s poor reliability — but simply a case of the German outdriving and outracing the 3x World Champ (Australia, Bahrain, Italy and Japan).

        Also, there have not been many changes within Mercedes, other than the fact that the two drivers swapped mechanics. If indeed, the new set of mechanics are the cause of Hamilton’s reliability woes, then think of this: wouldn’t that mean in 2014 and 2015 Rosberg was then handicapped/discriminated against, because the people assigned to work on his car were less competent compared to those on the other side of the garage? Or maybe the mechanics currently on Hamilton’s side are in fact just as competent, but instead the build of this year’s car happens to be more sensitive to his driving style (remember Canada 2014? Both Mercs had the same MGU-K/brake issues, but Rosberg managed to bring it home; whereas Hamilton parked the car).

        If Rosberg wins this year’s championship, then he will have fully deserved it. It’s not like his upturn in performance this year came from nowhere; don’t forget that he was quicker than Hamilton during the last 6 races of 2015 (only to be let down by a less than polished race craft and poor reliability), and had the measure of the Englishman during the final 3 races. If anyone disagrees with that, then you could probably say that whichever of the two Mercedes drivers wins the 2016 WDC, wouldn’t have been any less deserving (as Peter Windsor put it after Jenson Button’s 2009 title success).

        Finally, a little conspiracy theory from the “other side” of the fence; something which I have been suspecting for quite some time now (btw I don’t dislike Hamilton, but Rosberg has been inspirational this year.). So humor me, please: Bernie saying he prefers Hamilton to retain the title is no big secret, he merely confirmed it in Texas. But do many in the FIA share that view as well, which is why Rosberg has been given multiple penalties this year that did damage to his campaign? Whereas, for similarly extreme racing, Hamilton and Max Verstappen have simply walked away without even a reprimand? Hrm…

        1. Bernie likes Hamilton because Hamilton lines bernies pocket. Hamilton being champion has lined bernies pocket even more. Most of the rest of the fia love the sport and often got into it as volunteers, and don’t directly or immediately benefit from the publicity that Hamilton brings.

  19. RossoTorro (@)
    22nd October 2016, 10:52

    Good to see Bernie out in the open again, can’t blame him for saying what is in the best interest of the commercial part of the sport, Rosberg would add very little to F1’s value. That said I do hope he wins!

    What happened to America? Only want to organise a race when there is a guaranteed profit…

  20. Uncle Bernie and his famous twi$t€d old thinking…

  21. What ol Bernie should have said was “It would be better for the sport if Mercedes didn’t win”

    1. He has said that many times already in the past 3 years @melchior. But since they already won this years title, not much that can change it, and for next year they already changed the rules to hand it back to Red Bull.

  22. Toto’s been busy on the home front too! ☺🤰

  23. cantrecallmyusename
    22nd October 2016, 14:00

    The solution to drying a wet track is to wait until it has stopped raining and then send all the cars out for 5-10 non racing practice / installation laps.

    Full wets clear the water faster than anything else.

  24. @keithcollantine Toro Rosso have confirmed Kvyat for next year

  25. God forbid someone besides Bernie makes money.

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