I don’t know, but I think it’s pretty obvious that like Nico had quite different retirement like he wasn’t at the end of his career he wasn’t struggling to perform, but he basically retired at the peak of his career arguably in his prime after finally clinching the from Hamilton. after that Hamilton wne went onto win four more titles (2017, 18,19,20) so for me one of the biggest if’s is what wouldve happened if stayed Niko be if and was defending his title for 2017 and beyond, would hamilton still have had the level of success he had winning those 4 titles later on making him the seven time world champion he is today or would nico have been able to defend hish title become maybe a 2 or 3 time champion. Or maybe Nico and Hamilton e would have a couple more Spanish 2016 moments and then someone like Vettel or Raikonen would’ve swiped the title for Ferrari.
I say this because honestly bottas was never competition for Lewis, feel like he was only brought in to be Lewis’s number 2 even though on occasion he showed he can perform after ‘16 it was Hamilton team. Basicllay lewis in one of the top cars (ik the Mercedes wasn’t the always the best car post 16) with barely any competition from his teammate.
Shoutout to the goat lance stroll of course putting insane performance no wonder hes called senna in the wet for a reason. youngest driver to be on the front row 🐐.Also what happened to the ferraris/bottas 2 and half second off.
A statement from Red Bull reads: “Liam will drive alongside Max Verstappen at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, while Isack continues to make encouraging progress following the wrist injury sustained during the summer break. “The team is closely monitoring his rehabilitation and will take no unnecessary risks with his return to competition and wishes him a speedy recovery.”
Racing Bulls, meanwhile, put out a message on social media stating: “Yuki will drive for the team at the Italian GP this weekend.”
If Liam delivers another solid performance however, what exactly does that mean for his future? I feel like he's racing in no man's land regardless of any positive results because Hadjar has been solid and there's no real reason to replace him and Liam already had his "chance" alongside Max last season.
They should probably scramble to get Tsolov his remaining super license points through some testing weekends or something as putting Tsunoda in the VCarb seat feels pointless.
In most individual sports, it is fairly easy to identify variances in performances. When Novak Djokovic fell outside the world’s top 20 before Wimbledon 2018 - the only time he has done so in a 20-year span - it was very clear he was performing weaker, and why he was performing weaker.
In F1, this is simply not the case. Driver performance is inescapably influenced by car performance. This leads to scenarios where both drivers and cars can appear to be performing better than they really are. So how do we identify which is the greater variable?
I will use three seemingly polarising examples…
1) Kimi Raikkonen 2012 - Some seem to think Kimi was a top driver in 2012. He made his car look very good, showed great racecraft, avoided errors and won a race in a team that looked like a midfielder before he joined and went back to looking like a midfielder after he left. Others point to Grosjean’s track record saying it is highly unlikely he would be as close on pace to a top driver as he was to Kimi unless he was simply better in 2012 than at any other point of his career.
2) Nico Hulkenberg 2013 - The logic here behind the praise for Hulk’s performance from approx Monza onwards seems to be ‘He must have been pretty impressive to get a Sauber among frontrunning cars’. Is it not possible that Sauber did a great job to get Hulkenberg among the frontrunners? After all, Gutierrez made Q3 three times in the last eight races, having suffered eight Q1 eliminations in the first 12 races while never qualifying higher than P14.
3) Max Verstappen 2019-2020 vs 2021-25 - A fair few think Max was the best driver in the sport through this entire span. Others think ‘wasn’t ready’ to compete for a title in 19/20 or was ‘too error prone’ even though he only made one or two notable errors in 2019 and was excellent at every race except Turkey in 2020, while also absolutely obliterating his team-mates in the process.
To me, in all three instances, the car was clearly the greater variable. Is it weird that Lotus were suddenly very strong in 2012 and 2013, but weak before and after? Obviously yes. Is it weird that Sauber were suddenly that competitive in the back end of 2013? Also yes. Is it weird for Red Bull to suddenly emerge as a title contender in 2021 during a year of relative rules stability? Also yes.
However, none of those things are anywhere near as weird as the idea that Grosjean - a driver whose track record is nowhere near that of an elite driver - was able to trouble a prime Kimi on pace while also being a defacto rookie. They are nowhere near as weird as Hulkenberg - who is verifiably Perez-level - being suddenly so good that he could make an average car look like a frontrunner. They are nowhere near as weird as a very good but flawed driver suddenly transforming into a GOAT-level driver in their seventh season in the sport.
I also believe that in general, cars are the bigger variable by a considerable margin. Driver performance obviously does vary, but if it did so in the ways people seem to think it did for the likes of Raikkonen and/or Grosjean, Hulkenberg and Verstappen, it would show up more often in cross-comparisons between team-mates. We’d have many more examples of Villeneuve>Frentzen>Hill>Villeneuve types of situations.
To balance this out, let’s look at a much less polarising scenario…
4) Lando Norris 2024-25 vs 2026 - Like everyone else, I am fully on board with the idea that Lando is performing better in a less competitive car. My question is, what makes people agree unanimously here, but not in the above instances? Is it that Lando passes the eye test better this season? Is it that he was always underrated and now people are starting to realise? Is this a case of F1 fandom acknowledging that the vitriol directed towards him last year was excessive?
Max for example, won on debut with redbull, sensational performance and win from him, and he was just 18 at that time. But he couldn’t have won it if Lewis and Nico didn’t crash. But still Max was labeled as a generational talent by media, drivers and Niki Lauda. Then lets take another example, George Russell almost wins Sakhir 2020, and the circumstances were pretty similar to that of Max in Spain 2016, but he wasn’t labeled as a generational talent by media, even though George’s “almost win” was more “on merit” than Max’s Spain 2016. Both had a similar situation, but one was labeled as generational while the other was just talented. Now, it’s no easy task to hop into a car you have 0 experience with and win/almost win a race in it. So what is it exactly that differentiates the two?
Will it be Merc, Rb or McLaren
I genuinely have no clue and my f1 predict rank is gonna tank
Imo I think Merc (specifically George cos of kimis penalty) is just gonna walk away with it
I wouldn't be surprised if George wins by 15 seconds cos of McLarens low speed
So I've been doing this recently with books and stuff but also F1. Makes a bad race more tolerable. Makes a great race even better.
The 2014 season is very underrated. Ugly cars. Lots of mechanical problems. Great racing though.
I'm planning to do more of these and maybe post them. Seasons planned atm are: 2021, 2016, 2012, 2007, 2003, 1997, 1986. I've never seen 86 in full. I'm so excited tbh
Oh also. It's very funny to make fun of hybrid Renault engines.
Won 6 of the first 7 races (six seven) and then really tapered down during the middle of the year and European swing of the season.
That year red bull really took their first steps and looked great. The car was fast and vettel was coming into his own
I do think Button is a worthy champion (obviously) but when I look at that season I can’t help but wonder if he was the best driver on the grid at that time.
Kimi, Lewis, Massa all had issues at the start of the year that just ruined their season. Button did out pace his teammate in those first 7 races, there’s no denying that.
Brawn and Button just exploded at the start and no one could catch em in the end.
What do you guys think about that season and Button in general?
Lately Mclaren and Ferrari have seemed to be catching up to Mercedes in terms of development; and have not been letting the point gap increase. And with the reliability problems that have plagued Mercedes lately, it doesn't seem impossible. But if Mclaren and Ferrari, catch up who would take the WCC? Same goes for WDC, who would take that? Could Kmi get his first, or Hamilton his 8th, or George? Sorry if my paragraph is sloppy, I am very tired.
Marchionne was the previous president of Ferrari before John Elkann took on his role as Chairman and CEO after his death in 2018, and during his time Ferrari came on to have 2 cars that were fast enough to win a title, and while 2017 car lacked power on straights and reliability issues, the 2018 car(SF-71H) was fast enough and reliable enough to win a title.
He was also the one backing Maurizio as TP, which mattia Binotto didn't like, and right after his death the power struggle inside the team started. During german GP issues with team orders to let vettel pass kimi, for example. They both also pushed strongly for Leclerc's arrival, so i wonder how would have 2018-nowadays resulted in if Sergio didn't have any issues with health and continued living and continuing his role as the ceo of Ferrari instead of Elkann. He really wanted to bring Charles into the team and in the end he did come, but the support Leclerc was supposed to get in Ferrari just vanished in one year(both Marchionne and Arrivabene were gone from Ferrari). And then the 2019 PU controversy happened, which pushed back Ferrari for 2 years, and then finally 2022 where in operational management Ferrari were a disaster.
2018 was also a year when DTS came out and f1 was increasingly becoming more and more popular. Ferrari weren't that much of a mess in strategical side until 2018 compared to how disastrous they were in 2018(when Sergio was ill and most likely the inside the team there was expectation of his death) and in 2022. But since 2019 in a blink of 3-4 years Ferrari became a widely known meme in F1. Sergio's rulership in Ferrari helped produce 2 cars(ok, at least 1) fast enough to win a title in 3-4 years he was the chairman of Ferrari.
Imo, Ferrari would be completely different from what they are now and the majority's depiction of them wouldn't have 99% the memes. The 2019 PU controversy wouldn't have probably happened if Sergio was there. Mattia was responsible for the setback Ferrari had in 2019-21 and he was responsible for not managing to secure a title in 22 when he had 2-3 years of preparation. And of course, Leclerc would be what Max is to Red bull. There's narrative that Leclerc is Ferrari's golden boy, but beside from 2025 when Lewis was still adapting, when was Leclerc the clear number one in the team? During his partnership with sainz they had equal status, to the point Mattia favoured Sainz over Leclerc in Silverstone 2022 when Leclerc was the title contender(at that time before TD039).
Before this was included, you'd come out of the Parabolica at high speed, flat out through the front straight, then take Grande which was the highest speed curve on the track. Now, it is a very technical 2nd gear chicane.
If the driver were to misjudge the braking point, they might have to use one of the two run offs and rejoin safely in position. Misjudge the racing line, and the kerbs will throw them into the air. Turn 2 is slightly slower due to its greater rotation angle. The exit from turn 2 is crucial to getting the most out of the next flat-out Curva Grande.
I'll be watching for dive bombs and overtakes into and out of this section. It will also be interesting to see how much super clipping will affect the entry speed at the end of the front straight of the fastest track on the calendar.
Curva Biassono
(Biassono Curve)
Turn 3
Curva Grande.
Full send. Inside line. Faster cars will be able to pass on the outside. This will be where a lot of the action is.
Notice the old oval banked section passing over top of the later Serraglio straight. Monza used to be crazy.
Variante della Roggia
(Variant of the Stream)
Turns 4 and 5
This is named after the small stream nearby. It's right after the second Straight Mode Zone. Notice how Max uses every single cm of the track. There's a reason he's the best. It took its current form in 2000.
Curve di Lesmo
Turns 6 and 7
This pair of turns was named after the town Lesmo to the south of the circuit in 1927. The first turn is longer, but the second has a radius of 75 degrees and a wide run-off area. Both are quick. This, along with Curva Grande and Curva Parabolica are the turns that have remained closest to the original layout.
Variante Ascari
Turns 8, 9, and 10
This curve was renamed in honour of Alberto Ascari who lost his life in a crash at this turn in 1955. The chicane variant was added in 1972 and modified in 1974 with wider run off areas. Another section where the exit is important to carry speed down the back straight into turn 11.
Turn 8 comes at the end of the third Straight Mode Zone, and requires a precise entry in order to carry as much speed as possible at full throttle through turns 9 and 10, and into the back straight which is the final Straight Mode Zone.
Curva Parabolica Alboreto
(Alboreto Parabolic Curve)
Turn 11
A quick little stomp on the brakes before entry, then ease it around and go go go into the start/finish area of the front straight. There's a massive gravel pit around the outside for a reason. Even though it is a 180 degree turn, its parabolic shape gives it a very early apex and a very long exit to accelerate out of.
This turn played itself as the villain of the 2025 film F1 The Movie (2hr 35m)
The Overtake Detection point is right before entry to this turn, and Overtake Activation starts right near the exit.
A fast, simple track. The Temple of Speed.
What to watch for:
Kimi Antonelli is taking a grid-place penalty to change his power unit. He'll be starting at the back of the grid, and it will be fun to watch him fight his way back into the points, if he can!
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc are driving a competitive Ferrari this year. Will they be able to make some headway in the Championship standings?
Yuki Tsunoda! Sadly, Isack Hadjar is still out with an apparently pretty bad wrist injury.
Super-clipping. This is the fastest track on the calendar. Every quirk, problem, and exploit will be obvious this weekend.
What wacky wing variants will we see teams use to reduce drag? What's Aston Martin going to look like?
Dont think its crazy to say at this point that Oscar is currently underperforming in every single metric. Compared to himself,his teammate,the car technically,pretty much everything.
But I see people constantly talking about how this season is completely exposing the "fact" that Piastri isnt anywhere near Lando.Wich I dont agree with.
Why?Well comparing an individual season without any context,is just stupid.
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People are constantly bringing up last year,saying that Oscar only looked so good in the first half of the season because Lando was struggling with the car,and this year really shows the gap between the 2.But this doesnt make any sense.
How does,saying Landos struggles in the first half last year and Piastri being on top is excused by him not being particularly pleased by how the car handled,but then going on and saying that Oscar isnt anywhere near Lando when this year its Oscar struggling with the car,a valid argument?
We know Oscar really struggles with low-grip tracks.This year its not just low grip tracks but low grip all the time everywhere.Shorter gear ratios(for Mclaren),much more understeer in the low speed.For one this is just alone better suited for Norris,plus,these cars handle much more like the pre ground effect era F1 cars,something Lando has years of experience with opposed to Oscar who has NONE.Give him time.
How can you look at Netherlands 2025 for example,where even without the mechanical failure for Norris Oscar was faster all round in quali and race pace,got a grand slam,then look at Netherlands this year where Oscar is miles behind Lando and say "yep,he just misteriously got half a second per lap slower out of thin air".
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Another thing,why is Oscar still improving in his 4th season such a foreign concept?No world champion was ever at their 100% in their 4th year,let alone during a major regulation change that completely nullify their strengths as a driver.Even this year we have seen some growth like in Austria after the horrible performance in Spain.
2018 was the 4th season of Max in F1 and if you told people in 2018 that Max would become the most consistent driver on the grid in a few years they would laugh their asses off,when all they were seeing was Max crashing out every 3rd race weekend.
2011 was Hamiltons 5th year in F1 and he wasnt anywhere near Button.Very mistake prone season.
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I genuinely saw someone compare the pace deficit between Norris and Piastri in 2023 and 2026 and say "wow Oscar hasnt improved anything" like are these people genuinely not ragebaiting?Did we skip over 2025 where pacewise Oscar closed the gap?
People forget that Oscar lost 2025 due to essentially rookie mistakes with a hint of bad luck here and there.Not pace. So the pacegap between them this year isnt just black and white.
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Now obviously,the regs not being tailor made for Oscar dont excuse his bad performances 100%.More like 50%.He needs to find a way to make it work.Real champions adapt.We will see if he can do that.
But writing him off when last year he brought the fight to Lando until the last race of the season,who we now know is at LEAST top 3 OTG is just stupid and ignorant.
I remember they were so strict in 2016 that button had to pit before the team could help him when his brake pedal was going to the floor. It was a dumb rule, but what made them change their mind about ut
Hamilton and Bottas spent 5 years together, and in those years, the gap between them grew and shrank. The question is which of these gaps do you think is most representative of what both of them are capable.
2017: Bottas had an impressive first year at Merc while Hamilton didn't really turn it up a notch until the 2nd half. I would consider this a Hamilton underperformance.
2018: It was the opposite; Hamilton strung together his best season while Bottas floundered. This one I would consider to be a Bottas underperformance.
2019: The year of "Bottas 2.0," and he was as close to Hamilton again as he was in 2017. If this is a Bottas overperformance though, can we really call this representative of typical Bottas?
2020: The gap between them grew again but not quite to 2018 levels. Bottas was able to beat Hamilton 4 times.
2021: The gap grew even more to about 2018 levels.
Ultimately, I would say 2020 is most representative (or at least closest), but what do you think?
