Grand Prix 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

Just when you thought you knew what would happen next, Nico Rosberg decides to challenge that thought and win with style the Singapore Grand Prix, taking the championship lead in the process. Bernie Ecclestone should be rubbing his hands and laughing out loud, he'll go with a bang. If you have under a rock, you must know that Liberty Media corporation has purchase a controlling stake of Formula One (trademark) from CVC and already there have been sparks between Ecclestone and the new chairman Chase Carey, vice-president of 21st Century Fox (let's remember Fox News is one of its assets) who in turn is owned by no other that Rupert Murdoch. When you hear his name you usually see the word 'unethical' being thrown as well. This is true on both sides of the pond as he is a major holder of News International, well known by our British friends. So let us recap by saying F1 has changes owners and somehow we ended up with a more devious villain than Ecclestone himself who has already threaten to leave if he doesn't have his way.

Ok, but back to what really concern us, the Malaysian Gran Prix hosted at the Sepang Grand Prix for the 17th time this year. The first of the so-called Tilke motordromes could be the best one of the new circuits of late (with the exception of Austin probably). Long straights, very tight corners, wide track that favours overtaking, the possibility of a monsoon at any time during the race like famously happened in 2001 when both Ferraris went out only to finish 1-2 at the end of the day. The outcome of this race's race lies with Mercedes as no other team has been able to challenge it consistently. With six races to go, anything can happen and not even Lewis Hamilton knows (or prefer not to say) when will the tide turn on his favour. Only 8 points separate him from teammate Rosberg who has won the last 3. From early in the season many people (myself included) has forecast Rosberg will break at some point and so far that hasn't happened.

Best of the rest is still being disputed by Ferrari and Red Bull with the British based Austrian team still leading the Italians. Ferrari has made all that they can to sabotage themselves throughout the season and Malaysia is probably not going to be different. Vettel has grown frustrated and has voiced his concerns loudly. Raikkonen keeps his low profile and somehow has kept his rival close in the classification. Riccardo has now given us 4 o 5 memorable races and is quickly becoming the Driver of the Season whereas young Verstappen has picked a fight with whoever challenges his antics publicly. Both Jacques Villeneuve and Niki Lauda have dealt with the Dutch anger. The conversation about the need to go to shrink though has been truly a interesting one with Lauda having the upper hand in my view.

Will we see another animal on the road like we did in Singapore? Now that's what I call entertainment. Perhaps a bigger one each race to the end of the season so that by the team to get to Japan Godzilla makes an appearance? On with the race and the discussion, things will only get worse before they get better.

PS. Sadly Button is taking a sabbatical day next year. What will the outcome be? Will he return a-la Prost to win his last Championship or retire quietly like Hakkinen and go back to having fun racing? Only time can tell ...
 
That is true The Pits and I see your point. If the rant had been at another driver/team etc then I completely agree but Isn't Don't diss your team the number one rule of sport even if they are shite? If a 4X1 rely team are 50m in front in the Olympic final and the donkey on the last leg drops the baton then none of his team mates would go straight to the interview and call him a nob however much they think he is.

I just think a storm has been created that Isn't neccesary by a guy who 99.9% of the time a carefully thought out young man. Just think someone should have shoved him in a room with a Niki Lauda punch bag for ten mins to get it out his system before they shoved him in front of the world media.
 
Well, i havent heard ghe whole thing, but did he actually diss the team, or was that inferred? To think that there is something odd going on is stating the obvious, no? I dont think he dver suggested that something underhand was going on, but the headlines will say differently.

I shall watch ig fullh when the bikes are all back together, but i think thd issue is media related, not lewis related.
 
Actually, the issue is mostly Sky-related.

Hamilton' s comment was frustration-related, but the "huge" controversy was Sky-created (for a change) , and everyone bit.
 
When he sits down and thinks about it he will realise that if it had to happen then it was a good race for it; Rosberg would, in most races, have inherited a 25 point win, today it was only 15 points.
 
The Pits He said it out of frustration and anger but I go back look what happened in 2014 when Rosberg had engine failures so the conspiracy theory that some people are storming up on twitter is plain stupid

The guy is paid £25m by Mercedes to win the drivers title for a start so sabotaging his efforts not only is a waste of money but also a waste of all the mechanics time

Lewis did not help himself by asking the team why me ? Its not like Prost and Senna where one is supposedly got more powerful engines but they also analysed the telemetry and saw Senna partly was using more of the throttle and subsequently burning too much fuel and developing turbo issues.

I remember Nigel Mansell saying about why his Ferrari kept blowing up whereas Prost's always finished and that time it was because Prost swapped cars behind his back

Really it is possible to do that with the amount of time the cars are locked up
 
The Pits It is an ill advised outburst to the press just imagine you were one of those mechanics or engineers back at Brackley hearing Hamilton accuse you in front of everyone

I would have said "Thanks a lot for gratitude, jerk" so after he has calmed down and talked with Lauda who no doubt had some words with him about it
 
Ive just listened to the interview, and the expression that leaps out is mountain out of a mole hill.

Seriously, the first thing he did was praise his team, he was always referring to us/we. All he said was that it was odd. And hes right, it is.

No accusations, no finger pointing, possibly some naivety but it is hardly his fault that soms of the press want to see this as some sort of scathing attack on everyone at mercedes from ceo to cleaner.

Nothing to see here.
 
Someone on here summed it up well good race made great due to dramatic championship consequences bit like FE title deciders in London last few yrs. That Riccardio Verstappen battle that lasted 1/2 lap was fantastic Shame last 14 laps we didnt get to see part 2 of that fight. Dont believe team orders mainly because horners tried team orders at Malaysia it didnt work. Riccardio on new softs & Verstappen on used softs 3 laps older was always going to have to make the move quickly otherwise. My dad said Makes a change to see Teammates congratulating each other in Parc Firme. But i replied sure ic their battling for a title with the mercedes as expected in 2017 that will soon changed

Disagree with the vettel penalty because, yes he was stupid to stick his car into a everclosing gap. But vettel having a 1st corner DNF is enough of an punishment without a 3 place grid drop & no harm no foul as rosberg got back to podium. At the time i disagreed with nicos but Brundle & Di Resta could be right in saying that he stuck it up & used kimi almost like a brake.

Lewis Hamilton Understandably devastated in the heat of the moment trying rational it Paranoia can set in, we've all been there trying to find solutions to problems that dont exist But next week the fans will need the lewis from Hungary & silverstone 2014. Twice he was this Heartbroken on the Saturday but came back on Sunday beat nico on sunday bit like 2014 sometimes its not how much bad luck you get, its when you get it. As lewis had alot bad luck, nico 2 but 1 of them came in the title decider which cost him the title
 
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No accusations, no finger pointing, possibly some naivety but it is hardly his fault that soms of the press want to see this as some sort of scathing attack on everyone at mercedes from ceo to cleaner

I think it was the "it's like someone doesn't't want me to win this" comment that put the media in a spin. I completely agree with you. Like I've said though he needed someone there to take him away for 10 mins and sort his anger out before being shoved in front of the media. I seriously doubt that his dad or, dare I say it, Martin Whitmarsh would have given the press such quick access to him under these circumstances.
 
He said it was frustrating that he got all the engine failures when the other 7 Mercedes' drivers are. Which it obviously is.

He said someone didn't want him to win. His remedy to that? To go away and pray. I would suggest that he may have been referring to The Man Upstairs.

I thought listening that he seemed introspective about it; like he was genuinely wondering why him. I did not detect any accusation against the team.

That doesn't make headlines, though.
 
Considering he was spun at the start, did brilliantly including that move to get up to third and had to fight to negate the impact of a ridiculous 2008esque penalty, I though Rosberg did bloody well today!
 
He was talking about 'the man upstairs' , when he said someone didn't want him to win. He's religious and he expanded on what he'd said later.
Toto also spoke to those wishing to turn it into something itwasn't by saying. " you know what he meant".
 
Again I don't disagree it's a press spin and molehill made. Just he should have people around him that make sure they have nothing to pounce on.

Lewis appears to be the exact opposite of Fernando Alonso in that Alonso deliberately uses the media to stir things up he wants talked about. Hamilton appears to stir up things he does't want by accident. Again I maintain he misses his Dad's help on that front.
 
....But vettel having a 1st corner DNF is enough of an punishment without a 3 place grid drop & no harm no foul as rosberg got back to podium.....

Rosberg got onto the podium in third place in a race which he would most probably have won. !0 more points and Rosberg would have been the red hot favourite for the WDC.
 
Just he should have people around him that make sure they have nothing to pounce on.

Sorry to disagree, but it is better if they dont. Let them say what they feel, its no different to the team radio stuff really. And things are way too sterile.

Maybe if more drivers spoke out like this it would be less of an issue.

Oh, and anyone recall Danny Ric at Monaco?
 
Yeah but Danny really was shafted by his team.

Hamilton was just extremely annoyed at losing a certain win. Its something and nothing anyway. At least we weren't treated to Hamilton going into the woods and crying his eyes out like Mika Hakkinen did years ago. I dread to think how that would have gone down.
 
The Pits on an entertainment level that's great but on a personal level I feel bad he doesn't have someone like that. Seems to befall a lot of big stars.
 
Considering he was spun at the start, did brilliantly including that move to get up to third and had to fight to negate the impact of a ridiculous 2008esque penalty, I though Rosberg did bloody well today!


Really? Rosberg is clumsy in wheel to wheel battles. Verstappen showed how to overtake in that corner last year already, you stay on the outside of your opponent through turn 1 and not behind him like Rosberg did. Kimi had no idea he would come in divebombing.

The penalty was correct, if you look closely you'll see Rosberg lose the rear and then hit Kimi because he came into the corner too fast. You can't trow your car into a corner and bounce off of your opponent.
 
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