Hamilton equals Schumacher pole record at Spa

82 comments on “Hamilton equals Schumacher pole record at Spa”

1. 

   ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
   26th August 2017, 13:58

   VET: “Kimi gave me a nice tow to get on to the front row”
   1. 

      Kwaw
      26th August 2017, 14:07

      I am thinking the same.

      So did Ferrari actually arrange this just to minimise the threat to Vettel’s WDC challenge. Raikkonnen was the better of the two Ferrari drivers this weekend too.
      1. 

         Hugh (@hugh11)
         26th August 2017, 14:11

         Raikkonen messed up his lap behind one of the Force India’s
         1. 

            HUHHII (@huhhii)
            26th August 2017, 14:18

            Which was likely caused by vibrations in the back of the car which seemed to get worse in Q3. The amount of times Kimi has been an innocent victim this year is mindboggling.
      2. 

         ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
         26th August 2017, 14:20

         I don’t think Ferrari arrange this on purposed. Kimi did curse when his lap ruin didn’t he? He just a rare species who could switch combat style to act as a supporting role seamlessly..
      3. 

         anon
         26th August 2017, 14:26

         Kwaw, as @hugh11 notes, it sound as if, after Kimi made a mistake on his lap and ended up aborting it, Ferrari quickly realised they could use Kimi to help Vettel.

         In some ways, it is not necessarily a great result for Ferrari – if Kimi had a clean lap, he could have put pressure on Bottas or possibly even taken 3rd off Bottas, and Vettel might still have had a chance of edging out Bottas himself. They could then use Kimi to put pressure on Hamilton through strategy or to use him as a buffer to try and counter Bottas; as things stand, Vettel may be higher up on the grid but will have less support from Kimi and more of a threat from Bottas.
         1. 

            Kwaw
            26th August 2017, 16:18

            either way, it’s a bit disappointing that a professional like Kimi could make a mistake when he was flying. Worst still if it was the case that Ferrari proposed it. Without the slipstream Vettel may have been fourth on the grid.

            If it was strategic then again Ferrari have again pulled off a master stroke in tactics (with risks of course).

            In the position he is in now, and with Lewis not a stranger to bad starts, Vettel is in the best position he could be in, bar pole.
      4. 

         John H (@john-h)
         26th August 2017, 22:52

         Why would Ferrari sabotage their own car to create something that might be a safety issue for Kimi? Seriously, a completely ridiculous suggestion. If they were to do that (which they wouldn’t), then simply turning the engine down slightly would do it, not risking injury to one of their own drivers by tweaking suspension or whatever.
2. 

   Yes (@come-on-kubica)
   26th August 2017, 13:59

   Hopefully the top 2 take each other out at the start. Get some excitement going into this season and race.
   1. 

      James
      26th August 2017, 14:07

      That sounds good to me.
   2. 

      Qazaran Serde (@qserde)
      26th August 2017, 16:28

      Nah man Bottas and Raikkonen will crash at turn 1.

      I guarantee
3. 

   Kribana (@krichelle)
   26th August 2017, 14:00

   Vettel: “I got a tow from Kimi at the end”.

   Okay, so Kimi messed up his lap, we didn’t see what happened, and then he gave Seb a tow. Paul Di Resta clearly showed it on the TV. “Silent team orders”? Did Kimi mess up his lap on purpose just to give Seb a tow?
   1. 

      Feuerdrache (@xenomorph91)
      26th August 2017, 14:05

      Only in the mind of Hamilton fans, this is a possible scenario.
      1. 

         Blazzz
         26th August 2017, 14:07

         It isn’t a “Hamilton fan conspiracy”. Kimi gave Vettel a tow, fact.
         1. 

            Feuerdrache (@xenomorph91)
            26th August 2017, 14:09

            Yes, he did.

            But on purpose ruining his lap seems far stretched.
         2. 

            James
            26th August 2017, 14:09

            Nice deflecting. That’s not the conspiracy bit, is it now? Otherwise Vettel is the leader of that conspiracy, because he’s the one who made that claim.
            1. 

               magon4 (@magon4)
               26th August 2017, 14:16

               oh guys, don’t you know Seb yet?
               It`s just the way he says things. Don’t fall for that.
               Kimi had a pole chance and he would never have given it away. If he gave Seb a tow, it wasn’t on porpuse, that’s pretty clear.
               Btw, Kimi messed up Sector 2, thats why he was where he was in Sector 3.
            2. 

               Blazzz
               26th August 2017, 14:23

               Well you can choose to call it a deflection if you want- but it seemed to me that Kimi had the legs on Vettel this weekend.
         3. 

            Marian Gri (@)
            26th August 2017, 14:13

            Was that really a tow?!? Given the distance between them… it looked more like dirty air. Every time a scenario like that occurs, the driver behind complains for being impeded by the driver in front… and not thanking for a tow.
            1. 

               David BR (@david-br)
               26th August 2017, 14:17

               @corrado-dub
               I’m guessing Vettel has a somewhat better idea whether he got a tow or not! And if not, he’s hardly likely to downplay his own extra speed, is he?
            2. 

               Feuerdrache (@xenomorph91)
               26th August 2017, 14:25

               @david-br: Funny thing. Now Vettel suddenly is the guiding star of truth. In Spielberg he was incapble of noticing a jump start..

               He was getting – if at all – a slip stream in Sector 3. It was nowhere similar to McLaren’s way of using a slip stream to good effect. The gap to Hamilton’s lap was less than 0.2s after Sector 2 – he would have gotten into P2 anway.
      2. 

         James
         26th August 2017, 14:08

         Specially considering the “silent” bit. The question is “why silent?”
   2. 

      bosyber (@bosyber)
      26th August 2017, 14:19

      The way Kimi sounded on the radio, I’d doubt that. Though it might explain his despondense in the interviews, I just thought he was frustrated that once again he wasn’t able to do it when it mattered.
   3. 

      socksolid (@socksolid)
      26th August 2017, 14:30

      It is just stupid thing to say. Why would ferrari even try to hide kimi giving vettel a tow? Why would kimi pretend to make a mistake then come on radio pretending he made a mistake pretending to take the blame for it? Who are they lying to? To themselves? Why go to such complex plots and maneuvering when you could just as well do what mclaren did?

      In the end kimi made a mistake but was told to keep going because he could still help vettel. Or more likely it was decided before the qualifying that if kimi makes a mistake he keeps going if he can give a tow to vettel. Which he did.
   4. 

      Kingshark (@kingshark)
      26th August 2017, 14:35

      @krichelle
      Vettel was only 0.1s faster in S1 on his final lap compared to his previous attempt, so he would’ve been on the front row regardless of whether or not Kimi gave him a tow.
      1. 

         ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
         26th August 2017, 15:41

         @kingshark yes but Vettel keep talking about having little help from a friend which made me think he did it on purpose. Just the right amount to annoy his rival.
4. 

   hahostolze (@hahostolze)
   26th August 2017, 14:02

   Well set up for tomorrow. Some great laps, Hamilton Vettel and Verstappen showing their relative positions. Palmer, good to see him picking up the gauntlet and finally upping the level. Excited for tomorrow, Vettel should be able to stay pretty close to Hamilton, I think.
5. 

   Blazzz
   26th August 2017, 14:06

   Well done to Hamilton for equalling the record. There is just no denying it- the boy has talent. Well done to Seb as well when it all looked like he was in big trouble. Although he probably has Kimi to thank, to a certain degree, for that P2 thanks to the tow. I suppose with these special talents- they are always able to pull something out of the bag against the odds.

   Now. I’m in no man’s land over the Ferrari vs Mercedes debate. Which car is really the fastest? Is it Hamilton making the difference? Is it Vettel making the difference? Are they virtually on par depending on the conditions? I read Mark Hughes’ peace on Sky comparing the two cars and he reckoned the Merc is edging ahead. But then we know the Ferrari has been the better race car on average. As we know, qualifying pace and race pace are two different worlds. I remember the W04 was a bullet in qualy trim but shredded its tyres in the race for example.

   I’m as confused as anyone about this W08 v SF70H debate. After GB I was convinced that Merc were ahead, but then Hungary brought those doubts back again.
   1. 

      David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
      26th August 2017, 14:09

      Which car is really the fastest?

      It seems to quite depend on track type this year

      Is it Hamilton making the difference? Is it Vettel making the difference?

      The important thing is they’re way better than Yuji Ide would be in their cars :p
      1. 

         Jere (@jerejj)
         26th August 2017, 14:10

         @davidnotcoulthard +1
      2. 

         Hugh (@hugh11)
         26th August 2017, 14:13

         You mean Yuji Ide isn’t the best driver to ever sit in an F1 car? I always thought that the FIA revoked his license because he was too good…
         1. 

            David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
            26th August 2017, 16:07

            Very good for the show, yes:p

            (though to be fair his preparation was very minimal)
      3. 

         ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
         26th August 2017, 14:29

         @davidnotcoulthard

         depend on track type this year

         This make me feel there ought to be more street GP this year at least as long as Merc had a long wheelbase chassis.
      4. 

         anon
         26th August 2017, 14:37

         @davidnotcoulthard, as you say, the W08 and SF70-H have different strengths that mean that, depending on the circuit configuration, sometimes the latter has an edge and sometimes the former has an edge.

         Set up problems have also played their part – in the case of Hungary, for example, Ferrari were initially struggling but then got Giovinazzi up all night on the simulator to set the cars up, so come Saturday Vettel and Kimi could be handed a set up that managed to extract more performance out of the car.

         There have also been external factors too – it seems that the W08 works better with higher tyre pressures, whereas lower pressures favour the SF70-H. Now, in races like Hungary, Pirelli reduced the tyre pressures as the tyres weren’t being as heavily stressed: however, in Spa they have continued with relatively high pressures because of the higher loads imposed in the middle sector, which perhaps has also played slightly into Mercedes’s hands this weekend.
   2. 

      Chips O'Toole
      26th August 2017, 14:10

      It’s really not that complicated. Merc should have the edge at all the remaining tracks except Singapore.
   3. 

      magon4 (@magon4)
      26th August 2017, 14:12

      I really do think Mercs are ahead, and have been basically all season.
      Ferrari is very close, though. And Seb has been more consistent in getting everything out of the car when it matters.
      1. 

         bosyber (@bosyber)
         26th August 2017, 14:25

         I disagree a bit @magon4; I think in quali-pace Merc have almost always been there, but not in Monaco, or Hungary – there Ferrari was just better, both in race and quali pace. More often, the Ferrari has been very close, or more or less equal on race pace this season. And Vettel just doesn’t have an equal partner in the team (see today), so he has edged ahead in the WDC, but Ferrari are behind in the WCC because Mercedes do have those two more equal drivers, and managed to keep many wins after getting pole on pace.
         1. 

            Blazzz
            26th August 2017, 14:28

            +1. This.
      2. 

         Blazzz
         26th August 2017, 14:27

         Well this is just not true. The Ferrari has had better race pace and it is easier to set up. I agree Seb has been more consistent- but then the Ferrari has also been a more consistent car to set up. So basically, the Ferrari in my eyes seems to be the more consistent car in terms of race pace, qualy pace and setup. As I said- qualy vs race pace. No good being on pole if you can’t translate that inherent pace into the race, like the W04.
         1. 

            magon4 (@magon4)
            26th August 2017, 14:30

            If Ferrari is so regularly better in race pace and Seb has been so consistent, why does he only have four wins to his name?
            1. 

               Gigantor (@kbdavies)
               26th August 2017, 14:39

               The same reason neither Kimi nor Bottas have 4 wins to their name.
            2. 

               Gigantor (@kbdavies)
               26th August 2017, 14:56

               To put it into perspective, both Ferrais outqualified Bottas in Silverstone, Vettel outqualified Bottas in Canada. and Vettel also outqualified Lewis in Austria. These are 3 out of the 4 races since Monaco. And before Monaco, Vettel outqualified a Mercedes 5 times out of the first 6 races.

               So is the Ferrari really a slower qualifier? Where then is the so called Mercedes “qualifying pace”? Can Vettel on his own annihilate that? I think not.

               To put it into perspective, Vettel has outqualified a Mecedes car in 8 out of the 11 races this year so far. However, Lewis has also outqualified BOTH Ferraris 8 out of the 11 races so far.

               Point is, Vettel is either a qualifying genius, outqualifying Mercedes with their so called extra qualifying pace in a slower car, OR Lewis is the genius who has managed to beat the Ferrari’s more times than his teammate has.

               My belief is that Mercedes and Ferrari are almost EQUALLY fast – both in qualifying and race pace, BUT in different ways and on different tracks. However, Ferrari has a slight (very slight) edge; ONLY because it is a more consistent car – regarding set up, finding its “sweet spot”, and extracting the maximum performance out of the Pirelli’s.

               Overall, i find Lewis is making up quite a bit of the difference like he did at Silverstone and some other tracks this year.
            3. 

               Drg
               26th August 2017, 15:17

               Spot on.

               While track differences exist and there are many possible variables such as heat pressures etc, the cars are equal with the Ferrari having a wider set up window.

               The differences we see are driver ability.

               That said, a wider set up window is a lot more use than a tenth advantage…
            4. 

               Blazzz
               26th August 2017, 15:43

               See responses above. @kbdavies has helpfully answered that for me.
            5. 

               Henrik
               26th August 2017, 17:23

               @kbdavies – Why the need to invent new explanations when it is well-known that Mercedes has a special mapping for their engines that gives them an extra half a second in qualifying? Take away the 0.2 secs Vettel estimates the tow gave him and that’s the half-second difference between the two cars.

               That said, you do need to put together a perfect lap and even a tiny mistake (such as the one Räikkönen made) will scupper the lap. This is where Hamilton excels; the ability to nail a qualifying lap. Nevermind that he is *not* the best driver in the races (Alonso and Vettel are superior to Hamilton in this respect). In an age where track position is everything, starting from pole, taking the lead and running in clean air will win you more races than having the fastest car in race trim but having to negotiate the disturbed air caused by the car(-s) ahead.
            6. 

               Blazzz
               26th August 2017, 18:50

               @Henrik- “Nevermind that he is *not* the best driver in the races (Alonso and Vettel are superior to Hamilton in this respect)”

               I like the way you present your opinions as fact. For starters- there is nothing factual about that statement. In fact, Alonso failed to beat Hamilton the rookie.

               Then comes Vettel. *Until* Hamilton and Vettel are in the same machinery- no one- absolutely no one- can claim who the better driver is. It is simply a futile exercise.
            7. 

               Henrik
               26th August 2017, 20:11

               @Blazzz – Look buddy, Hamilton is decidedly mediocre when not leading and has been all his career. As for the 2007 season, just take a look, with an open mind, at all the shenanigans that went on directed against Alonso. Has it ever occurred to you that F1 may be more about business than about sport? McLaren used Alonso to market Hamilton in the same manner that Red Bull used the four-time Indy champion Bourdais to market Vettel. Why did Kvyat (8pts) get the Red Bull drive for the 2015 season ahead of Vergne (22 pts), who got the sack? Because the Russian market is hugely important to Red Bull and the French ain’t. Why was Räikkönen bought out of his Ferrari contract in order to place Alonso in that seat?
            8. 

               Blazzz
               26th August 2017, 20:28

               @ Henrik- “Look buddy, Hamilton is decidedly mediocre when not leading and has been all his career”. Funny, the very same could be said of Mr Vettel. You can be selective in how you review any driver to suit any agenda which is what you have seemingly done. Oh and let’s not get cosy and start calling each other “buddies”.

               “As for the 2007 season, just take a look, with an open mind, at all the shenanigans that went on directed against Alonso”

               I know right. Like the team blatantly giving him a victory in Monaco. Or him yelling at his team to let him past in the US GP that year coz he couldn’t get past his team mate. Laughable.

               “McLaren used Alonso to market Hamilton in the same manner that Red Bull used the four-time Indy champion Bourdais to market Vettel.” More of your opinions presented as fact. In fact, I would go so far as to dub that a conspiracy.

               “Why did Kvyat (8pts) get the Red Bull drive for the 2015 season ahead of Vergne (22 pts), who got the sack? Because the Russian market is hugely important to Red Bull and the French ain’t. Why was Räikkönen bought out of his Ferrari contract in order to place Alonso in that seat?”

               More conjecture that frankly, isn’t even worth debating.

               Perhaps the fundamental point is this. Re-read my comment. Until Vettel and Hamilton are in the same car it’s a futile exercise to draw any definitive conclusions. We can however draw definitive conclusions on Alonso v Hamilton- which is Alonso was outqualified and outclassified by a Rookie. The same driver who is supposedly “inferior” to Alonso in your eyes. Again, laughable.
         2. 

            Marian Gri (@)
            26th August 2017, 16:15

            What are you talking about, Mercedes having problems translating the quali pace in race pace?!? Yeah, right…
            1. 

               Blazzz
               26th August 2017, 18:46

               Hmm. Perhaps you need to review my comment and compare/contrast with events.
6. 

   magon4 (@magon4)
   26th August 2017, 14:09

   I must say: Pretty impressed by Vettel.
   Monster lap by Hamilton.
   Grand setup for tomorrow.
7. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   26th August 2017, 14:10

   The Sauber car is just slow AF. Both drivers failed even to beat the 2015 pole time, which tells quite a lot.
8. 

   Baron
   26th August 2017, 14:15

   Stand out performances for me; Hamilton, Vettel, Verstappen and Palmer.

   So unlucky for Palmer that after finally being able to outpace Hulkenberg on merit his car let’s him down.
9. 

   Hugh (@hugh11)
   26th August 2017, 14:15

   I almost felt bad for Palmer today. Only almost.
10. 

    AndrewT (@andrewt)
    26th August 2017, 14:15

    What happened here? TV showed the same times. What am I missing that would explain Sainz in lower position with better time?
    13 Kevin Magnussen 1’45.400
    14 Carlos Sainz 1’45.374
    1. 

       Hugh (@hugh11)
       26th August 2017, 14:20

       @andrewt F1 Twitter shows Sainz as doing a 1:45.439. Not sure why .374 was shown on FOM and here… Maybe he did that lap time but it was deleted or something?
       1. 

          AndrewT (@andrewt)
          26th August 2017, 16:12

          @hugh11 thanks for that
11. 

    NoName (@noname)
    26th August 2017, 14:22

    How convenient for Kimi to roll over like a dog and let Vettle slip stream him to take 2nd… Even though he was faster than him all session! He maight as well get that number 2 tattooed on his forehead.
12. 

    Jorge Lardone (@jorge-lardone)
    26th August 2017, 14:33

    Palmer was a good surprise! Shame he can not run for a better position.
    Hamilton: what a driver! The fast out there.
    Vettel: a great champion, always showing something else.
    Hulkenberg: best of the rest again. Good for him and Renault.
    Kimi: what happen? We need you with pole positions and winning races!
    1. 

       eric
       26th August 2017, 15:07

       You seem to miss VER … outqualified his teammate again with quite a big difference.
       1. 

          NeverSummer
          26th August 2017, 18:28

          Didn’t you know? Jorge Lardone hates Verstappen…..you should read all his replies and comments….sad person
13. 

    kpcart
    26th August 2017, 14:39

    Its crazy to think hamilton has had a p1 capable qualifying car for 90 per cent of his career. You would even expect him to have more pole positions than he has. No other driver in the history of the sport has had as good cars year on year as Hamilton has.
    1. 

       Gigantor (@kbdavies)
       26th August 2017, 14:59

       If your assertion makes sense, then we would expect Hamilton’s’ teammates to have had at least the same amount of poles that he had in their time together in the same car. Can you shed some light on why that isn’t so?
       1. 

          Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          26th August 2017, 15:08

          @kbdavies one of the counter-arguments I’ve ever heard:-)
       2. 

          eric
          26th August 2017, 15:09

          There’s only one pole position.
          His statement only mentioned the car, not the quality of the drivers in it.
          1. 

             Gigantor (@kbdavies)
             26th August 2017, 15:40

             His statement only mentioned the car, not the quality of the drivers in it

             No. His statement mentioned a driver – Lewis Hamilton, and questioned his ability (quality) to get poles in the cars he has driven. Or did the cars drive themselves?

             Again, the question is, there are 2 driver in every team Lewis has driven for, and both have had an equal shot at pole over 19 or 20 races. Why then does Lewis have more poles than his teammates over the course of their time together in the same car?
       3. 

          Marian Gri (@)
          26th August 2017, 16:51

          kpcart underlined something else: the fact that HAM had a capable car like for his entire F1 carreer! How many drivers make their F1 debut in a champ winning car?! HAM is one of the greats already, no comment here, but partially his stats are so good given the number of seasons spent in F1 is down to this fact – always having a good car – then down to the fact that the seasons got longer and longer. We should remember that when M.Schumacher made his debut a season was like 16 races long. In the top part of his carreer – 2000-2004 – a season was like 17 races long. HAM spent his carreer in 19-20 races long, even 21 races in 2016. If in 2000-2004 period a season was like 20 races long, more than sure MS would have had 100 wins and 75 pole positions.
    2. 

       Kgn11
       26th August 2017, 15:44

       “No other driver in the history of the sport has had as good cars year on year as Hamilton has.”

       Fangio, Clarke……..
       1. 

          Blazzz
          26th August 2017, 20:30

          Vettel…. and he even failed to ewin in 2014, when his team mate managed 3 victories.
    3. 

       David BR (@david-br)
       26th August 2017, 16:20

       Its crazy to think hamilton has had a p1 capable qualifying car for 90 per cent of his career.

       Well, you said it, it is crazy to think that, given it’s a nonsense statistic! Since he’s qualified on pole at least once every year, you could say he’s had a P1 capable car 100% of his F1 career. But that doesn’t factor in, at all, the periods when the car he’s been driving has been uncompetitive during a lot of 2009 to 2013. Clearly that was the biggest dent in his chances of more poles. And that’s ignoring the fact his team mate had the same chances almost always – including two F1 champions (and Rosberg who became one).
    4. 

       John H (@john-h)
       26th August 2017, 22:58

       It’s always a pleasure to read a well spirited comment from kpcart :)
14. 

    Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    26th August 2017, 15:14

    The feat of equaling Schumacher’s record is absolutely monumental. Hamilton is absolutely amazing to watch. I actually wonder if he would have had a much faster lap if he didn’t have the conversation in Sector 1 during the pole lap.

    He was 0.5 seconds faster than P2, if not 0.6-0.7 seconds. That’s a lifetime in F1 – he’s practically as quick as next year’s car.
15. 

    Marian Gri (@)
    26th August 2017, 15:57

    VET is really good at sand-bagging, no?! RAI outperformed him all weekend long until Q3, then… boom… pretty incredible lap from VET! OK, I know VET said RAI helped him, but I hardly believe that was worth very much… if it really was worthy of something at all! If it helped him, no more than 0.2sec in my opinion, so he was still good for P2.

    Kudos to HAM, another impressive run, raising again the question if BOT is really champ material. 0.541sec difference in the same machinery is a lot even for a long track like Spa.
16. 

    KaIIe (@kaiie)
    26th August 2017, 17:26

    Just to be extremely pedantic: Hamilton hasn’t equaled the record yet, as he hasn’t actually started the race yet. He could get some random penalty, or the car might fail on the reconnaissance lap(s) tomorrow.
    1. 

       Jake (@jagged-jake)
       26th August 2017, 19:16

       @kaiie what are you on about? The equaled record is about poles and not race wins….so where do starting the race tomorrow & the rest feature???
       1. 

          KaIIe (@kaiie)
          26th August 2017, 19:45

          Being fastest in qualifying does not mean being on pole.
17. 

    He is the one
    26th August 2017, 17:53

    Great lap from Ham and grats with equaling the record of one another legend. Vettel with his magic lap that make you wunder how the race pan’s out.
    and special praise for MV for one another masterclass. What more can you do; beating your team mate with 0.5 seconds. Great stuff
18. 

    Julian (Mr. Sakura) (@xiasitlo)
    26th August 2017, 18:10

    Hamilton delivers when needed, as expected, but Ferrari is getting quite daring in using Kimi as a driving prop. This is why we need more teams not more 3 car-teams as the regulations are allowing if needed. They would use Kimi and Giovinazzi as a double tow, you’d almost be watching a track cycling team sprint. Watch the radio’s guys. Kimi was ordered.

    But really;
    Kyvat is done. Done. He has the same role as Maldonado nowadays only problem is Maldonado actually won a F1 race defeating and holding off 8 world champions along the way. The only chance he stays is if Sainz does leave, and Toro-Rosso doesn’t want to lower the age and chaos of that team anymore.
19. 

    Matn
    26th August 2017, 18:35

    Masterclass from Lewis and Verstappen, Vettel got in between thanks to a masterfull tow… his actuall lap was initially slower than Verstappens, but the tow did it help him for P2.

    It’s a damn shame RBR is behind, it would have been an epic season to see Ham, Vet and Ver fight for poles.
    1. 

       nelson piquet
       27th August 2017, 0:59

       no
20. 

    Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    26th August 2017, 21:41

    Actually one thing that’s never discussed is the ratio of poles to wins. Many drivers have a ratio of close to 1 (Lauda, Ascari, Mansell, the Hills) – it’s uncanny how close they are. Here are some drivers with a substantially higher ratio of poles to wins:

    Lewis Hamilton 68-57
    Ayrton Senna 65-41
    Sebastian Vettel 48-46
    Jim Clark 33-25
    Nico Rosberg 30-23
    Fangio 29-24
    Häkkinen 26-20
    Mario Andretti 18-12
    Rene Arnoux 18-7
    Felipe Massa 16-11
    James Hunt 14-10
    Jacky Ickx 13-8
    Juan Pablo Montoya 13-7

    Here are the drivers with a ratio of poles to wins well under one:

    Michael Schumacher 68-91
    Alain Prost 41-51
    Fernando Alonso 22-32
    Jackie Stewart 17-27
    Jenson Button 8-15

    The first thing to note is that the number of championships for the 2nd group is 17 for just 5 drivers and Alonso could easily have had 5 championships. They also had tremendously long careers in F1, even Jackie Stewart.
21. 

    Hans (@hanswesterbeek)
    26th August 2017, 22:15

    I have been impressed by Verstappen ever since I started following him in F3. But that he would beat a qualifying expert like Ricciardo in this manner … that I did not see coming. It’s 4 to 8 now if I am not mistaken.
    Excited to see how this pans out over the rest of the season.

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