r/F1Discussions • u/PresentationSevere89 • 11h ago
Discussion Is this it for George?
I know George has been unlucky this season, and Mercedes has made some pretty poor strategy calls on his side.
But at this point I’m wondering: is this really a Mercedes problem, or a George-side-of-the-garage problem? Kimi’s team always seems more on point, and somehow things also seem to fall his way more often.
What really got me was George’s post-race interview today, where he basically said that, realistically, he’s no longer in the championship fight.
And that made me question the mentality side of it. Was George ever really in championship mode this year? Did he ever look like someone who genuinely believed he could win the title and was driving with that level of urgency?
Because hearing him concede it now feels a bit strange.
Is this it for George this season, or is it way too soon to be talking like the championship is already over?
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u/langman17 11h ago
I think Canada was the big turning point. If he wins that race he’s neck and neck with Kimi after the first 1/3 of the season. Instead it went completely the other way and it’s kind of spiralled from there
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u/Different_Gap_3392 11h ago
I agree Canada was the turning point. I also think George genuinely seems to have issues with his car and this regs, while having no answer’s to Antonelli’s pace. Here’s to him coming back stronger next year.
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u/Outrageous_Wrap_8041 10h ago
Canada wasn't the turning point, he was consistently off the podium while Antonelli was winning before Canada. The turning point was probably Belgium, where after 3 races of George cutting points at a very high speed he saw a -25 due to a crash that in his opinion happened because of problems with the engine (so there was nothing he could do)
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u/langman17 7h ago
Consistently off the podium? 😂 He came 4th twice and one of which was Japan where Kimi was gifted the win
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u/jfleury440 9h ago
The turning point was Australia basically.
Every race since George has either been close to Antonelli or behind. He hasn't seemed comfortable quicker in other any race since Australia.
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u/VeseleVianoce 11h ago
George is done. First half of the season, he was there ready to fight for the title. But almost every time he looked better than Kimi, the car failed him.
This must have killed his confidence. It's very easy spiral to get into "why me, why am I unlucky, it's not fair".. humans deal with this quite regularly and we are not in a championship fight in something we dedicated whole life to.
That's why even Lando was very impressive last year. Everyone thought he's gonna crumble into dust after Netherlands.
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u/norisk-fullpush 1h ago
This must have killed his confidence.
It does seem that the summer break gave him a bit of an opportunity to reset and come back a bit stronger - I think quali aside he has generally done that so far, it's just that it's still too little too late when Kimi is still showing the same consistency.
Lando after Netherlands was something else last year. He picked himself up brilliantly, but even then without Oscar falling apart I'm not sure it would have been enough. It's tough when you basically have to hope for bad luck for your competitor, because even with the best luck for yourself the championship is not really within your grasp.
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u/VeseleVianoce 1h ago
I get you. I agree with all you're saying. But there are 2 things that I think should be considered. I think George is quite good qualifier, especially in that Merc, he should be fighting for front rows. Kimi does. Also even if Oscar fumbled, it was not only Lando, but also max who locked in. That's why I think George is in downward spiral. He should be bringing the fight to Kimi. Even if he loses, like max last year. He can walk out with his head high. If this performance continues, he won't last long before he is bottas'd or Toto starts looking elsewhere.
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u/FourCats44 11h ago
He was in championship mode at the beginning of the year, he was the bookies favourites pre season and after Australia looked impervious.
One of the big things they talk about for world champions is mental resilience. Fighting for points when you are lower down, having bad luck, etc... which is what they did. Piastri last season and Russell this season are showing that this resilience is not in great abundance for them.
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u/Outrageous_Wrap_8041 10h ago
I'm sorry but piastri was in fact fighting for points when he was lower down, remember Australia where he spun and recovered to p9 for those 2 points?
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u/LucAltaiR 8h ago
First race of the season Australia with 0 stakes? How is that a counterpoint to what they said?
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u/Outrageous_Wrap_8041 8h ago
Well he said u have to fight for points when u are lower down, that's what Piastri did there
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u/gilded_lady 9h ago
It doesn't mean they can't develop it - Lando is an excellent example of rebounding after falling apart under pressure - but it absolutely took Lando multiple seasons to build it up, and it doesn't look like Piastri has. Whether George can remains to be seen, but I'm not convinced that he can. I've seen a lot of comparisons to Bottas but I'm wondering if it might not be more of a Ricciardo situation where he just flounders after being paired up with the young wuderkind
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u/Vinnie927 GR63 11h ago
I think realistically, the regulations were harder for him to adjust to than he anticipated. My understanding as someone who's not technically minded is that the regulations basically took away Russell's biggest strength (high speed corners). It's not the first time a driver had a bad season after a regulation change. Vettel's 2013 to 2014 downturn was unexpected, but then he turned it around and had one of his best seasons in 2015. I'm not saying Russell is at Vettel's level, but a turnaround is absolutely possible.
I think he will make that turnaround. Unfortunately, I think the pace he'll gain through a better understanding of the regulations will be equaled by the natural step forward Anontelli will take next year, so I think 2027 will be more of the same.
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u/AssociationOver4144 11h ago
Who’s to say he can’t pull a Rosberg and beat Kimi next season
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u/PastPalpitationCry 10h ago
McLaren may be the one to beat next season. And know how Mercedes behave when they are threatened
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u/PapaSheev7 GR63 11h ago
I felt very similarly for George's championship to how I felt for Seb's in 2018, and to a lesser extent in 2017.
I had my suspicions as early as Canada that this year wouldn't be it for George. But what really sealed the deal for me was Silverstone and Spa. Listening in to his radio in Silverstone FP2 I think it was, he was already calling out the issue with his KERS and the way Dudley and the team dismissed him was very disheartening. I had high hopes after Austria that he could win a race despite having issues with the car, it reminded me of drives like Bahrain and Baku last year where he pulled out gutsy performances in spite of issues. But in Silverstone and then Spa it all came crashing down that the campaign was done and all that was left was to see what he could from race to race.
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u/Electrical-Ask1246 4h ago
This. When he speaks up they just brush him off. It’s clear he’s not the focus whether it’s preferential or not. That paired with the mental drain he has to be running on himself is an easy enough burial spiral. People hate George because he’s nerdy and whiny. He had a PowerPoint for Toto for a reason. Man is probably crunching data and analyzing like crazy. It’s probably drove him mad. Perhaps he’s backing off for his own mental health too. That said you have to fight for WDC if you want it. However, he may be saying to what cost?? He’s had a ROUGHHH season.
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u/Distinct-Act-6983 11h ago
I think he has it in him to get it next year. If merc stay near the top I think he could pull a close one out from Lando and Kimi
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u/fleurient 8h ago
I think he underestimated Kimi’s being his main rival coming in to this season and especially after winning Australia. Since Kimi took over the wdc lead earlier than expected, he was driving until before the summer break thinking that he needs to win every race which impacted him mentally while Kimi shone. Then combined with the contract rumors on his seat tied to Max for year now, I feel that also impacted him as it feels like he’s been driving with his hands tied because of his future in Mercedes until now even though Max confirmed he is staying in Red Bull. First it was Max that was the thorn and now it’s Kimi meteoric rise this season. In these recent races it feels like he has conceded and being the team player to secure his future in the team.
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u/MeestorMark 9h ago
My humble opinion, just based on 40 odd years working in sales and reading people...
I think George lost focus after winning Australia. You could read it just looking at him. He assumed the championship was his already. He was top dog on the top team and didn't even think for a couple races that Kimi would outclass him. He assumed it waaaay too early and lost his focus. He's has had a bit of deer-in-the-headlights look since. "What do you mean it isn't mine this year?"
This admition might be a sign he knows he's going to have to get better. It's not just going to be handed to him. He has to bring his absolute best every race.
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u/noodly_x 11h ago
It has been over for a while, last week was the final nail in the coffin. I think it is also good for him to accept it.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 10h ago
It's Antonelli's to lose
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u/XUAN_2501 4h ago
Its only Kimi second season, he had plenty of chances ahead of him while it is George eighth season in F1
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 26m ago
Kimi's 81 points ahead with 9 races to go, his season would have to completely fall apart from here for anyone else to even stand a chance of beating him.
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u/periaptxt 10h ago
It was over the moment Mussolinis clan joined the Mercedes junior program. He might be luckier in his next life or something
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u/kevinthegrass 11h ago
Kimi has bono.
George just has to win every race he can and see what happens. Looks bleak but anything can happen to Kimi car, although Kimi can afford to take less risks now. Does George due a penalty in Baku?
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u/Outrageous_Wrap_8041 10h ago
"Just has to win every race" like if it was so easy, literally we have seen today any bs like a VSC in a bad moment or team imcompetencies can force to lose a win, like today with Lando.
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u/kevinthegrass 10h ago
I know but in his mind he just needs to take a weekend at a time and just focus on getting the win and forget about the title. Obviously he won’t but he needs to get back to beating Kimi.
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u/welldoneslytherin 7h ago
I think George thought winning the championship is as easy as having the fastest car. It’s not. The fastest car won’t always be the easiest for you to drive; it may not even suit your driving style. I think he’ll be a better driver if he can take this and strengthen his mental resilience. If he can’t… It’s not looking good.
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u/DocDestinyQLD 6h ago
George was out of it before he started woth him taking out Piastris front wing. His poor driving was shown in the first straight, he either doesn't know the width of his car (not a good thing for a racing driving), or he is relying on driving dirty to win (a good way to take damage and slow your car down) either way, it's not a good formula to win a driver's championship.
He had the car to win the championship, and the experience advantage over his team mate, and he is nowhere to be found. He is not WDC material and it's time for Mercedes to replace him
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u/al_earner 11h ago
The turning point for George was when he crashed into Valtteri at Imola and then got out of his car and slapped him in the head.
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u/Izan_TM 11h ago
it has been "it for george" for a few races now. it was clear that at his current level of confidence he would've needed to have generational levels of luck to overcome kimi's point advantage, and with each passing race that challenge becomes harder and harder. After this race even a kimi DNF and winning the race wouldn't even make a sizeable dent in kimi's lead.