stormybadger8 said:Probably because even Schumacher's race car wasn't anywhere near as dominant as the Mercedes...
And talking about legality is just mindless noise. Who's to say this Mercedes isn't "illegal" anyway?🙂
A race car is legal until they find something wrong and disqualify the crew.☕
As far as I know, Schumacher's cars were never disqualified or ruled illegal, so they're just as legitimate as the Mercedes...
Regarding Lewis, yeah, he's sitting in the most dominant machine ever made, but you still need consistency and you have to stay at the top to win.
Every title he grabbed was absolutely earned. Anything else is just fairy tales...
Saying "anyone could do it" is just pure nonsense...
In that car, pretty much anyone on the grid would win a race or two during a season, sure. But winning a championship is a different beast entirely, and winning them back-to-back is on a whole other level...
There are way fewer drivers who could snag a title than there are who could grab a single win—honestly, I doubt half the grid could do it. And as for those who could win consecutive titles? I'm not even sure there are three or four of them on the entire grid.
One guy I'm certain wouldn't be in that group is Kimi, whom I personally love, but he definitely wouldn't be winning titles in a series... he'd be too busy getting hammered after his first win. There are plenty of drivers whose mental game would just crumble under that kind of fame...
But honestly, the "GOAT" talk is also a stretch. A true GOAT wouldn't have choked in a single race or qualifying session, let alone against the relatively mediocre competition of Nico Rosberg...
He also dropped a mountain of PP's (45!!! 🤦) and wins (31 🤦) against Valtteri Bottas and Rosberg... who are supposedly equals, except for the fact that the boss tells the media Bottas is the "perfect wingman," and James keeps telling him to move out of the way at Turn 12 so Lewis can pass, and then he actually does it at Turn 12 so Lewis doesn't ruin his tires overtaking... and we're supposed to believe they're equals? 😍
With Rosberg, things were somewhat obscured, but with Bottas, it's not hidden at all. It's obvious, loud, and public: he's the Number 2 driver.
At the end of the day, it's clear enough that his talent doesn't even come close to the level of that car; he was brought in as the Number 2, and that's his ceiling. Honestly, there are plenty of drivers out there significantly better than him.☕
It’s wild that even looking at the stats, Rosberg and Bottas have twice as many poles as multi-time champs like Alonso, yet they're basically mid-tier Formula 1 drivers... I mean, Rosberg is definitely better, but it's not even a huge gap...
Hamilton alone has 22 PP's over his long career, while Bottas & Rosberg have 45 PP's🤦 even though their win counts are identical...
So, we were looking back at those different championships from 2000 to 2004. Aside from 2003—where tires were basically the only thing making a difference—Ferrari had the best car on the grid, and they weren't just winning; sometimes they were a full second per lap faster than everyone else.
Even the Benetton back in '94 and '95 was an incredible machine. Looking back at '94, sure, maybe Williams had more raw pace, but their cars were way too twitchy and unpredictable to handle.
The race car stays legal until someone finds a loophole or a trick they didn't like, and then the whole team gets tossed out. It’s all fine until it isn't. ☕
As far as I can tell, Schumacher's race car wasn't disqualified or ruled illegal. So, if you ask me, it was just as legal as anything Mercedes is running today.
Maybe do a little more homework here. Benetton actually got disqualified a few times back when Schumi was driving because the race car just wasn't up to code with the regulations.
Honestly, all this talk about him being the G.O.A.T. is just pure fairy tale nonsense. A real G.O.A.T. wouldn't have blown it in a single race or qualifying session, let alone struggled against the kind of "competition" he had in Nico Rosberg.
It’s all just a facade. If things had gone differently, we wouldn't even be talking about PP's wins over Bottas and Rosberg. They claim those two are equals, right? Total parity. But then you look at the media coverage—the team principal keeps spinning stories about how Bottas is just the "perfect wingman." Meanwhile, James is constantly chirping in his ear, telling him to back off at Turn 12 so the Luxury driver can sweep past without losing time or shredding his tires. It's a setup. And yet, they still have the nerve to call them equals. 😍
With Nico Rosberg, there was still enough smoke and mirrors to hide what was actually happening. With Valtteri Bottas, there’s no mystery at all—he’s been very loud and very public about being the No. 2 driver. At the end of the day, it’s pretty obvious he doesn't have the talent to be in that race car on his own merits; he was brought in specifically to play the supporting role. ☕
It’s honestly kind of ridiculous. You look at the stats and see that Rosberg and Bottas have twice as many poles as multi-time champions like Fernando Alonso, yet those two are pretty much just mid-tier talents in the Formula 1 league. Sure, Rosberg is clearly the better driver of the two, but he isn't exactly operating on a different planet.
Look at the numbers. Fernando Alonso has only managed 22 wins in his long career, while Bottas & Rosberg have racked up 45. It just puts things in perspective. 🤦 And their win count is exactly the same...
Look, Rosberg is a hell of a driver. Why does Hamilton need to have some perfect, 100% win record against every single person on the grid just for us to call him the G.O.A.T.? That’s just not realistic. It's impossible.
In this modern era of Formula 1, none of the world champions have ever had teammates as solid as Lewis Hamilton. The guy’s been winning since his karting days, and he hasn't stopped since.