Mexico City GP: Nov. 5-7, 2021

graniteharbor502 said:... Lewis still had two Red Bull Racing cars breathing down his neck, risking someone diving up the inside. He even admitted it himself: "But obviously I was alongside him, which was good. And then I was just covering my side of the track, trying to make sure no one could come up the inside so I was trying to keep whichever Red Bull Racing I could see in my mirror behind."

Lewis is really only fighting Max.
His main goal lately isn't actually winning—it's just staying ahead of Max. Winning would be nice, sure, but the priority is making sure Max doesn't beat you.

If Sergio Perez had overtaken him at the start, it would have been annoying, but manageable. Something he could deal with.
A win for Max is a much harder pill to swallow.
Hypothetically, if the finish had been P1 Perez P2 Lewis P3 Max, the points gap for Max would only be 6. Instead, it's 19. That's a massive swing.
At the start, Perez was basically a 2% problem; Max was the other 98%.

Mercedes nailed qualifying and had the perfect grid position.
But a couple of days later, I get the feeling they spent way more time worrying about Lewis than they did about Max.

Roger Wright94 said:Lewis is fighting exclusively and solely against Max.
His primary objective in these recent races seems to be staying ahead of Max rather than simply taking the win. While winning would certainly be a luxury, isn't it far more vital that Max doesn't beat you?

If Sergio Perez had overtaken him at the start, it would have been unpleasant, certainly, yet perhaps manageable—even solvable.
However, seeing Max take the victory is a much harder pill to swallow.
Hypothetically speaking, if the finishing order had resulted in P1 Perez P2 Lewis P3 Max, the points gap for Max would have been only 6, whereas today it sits at 19. Is that not a truly dramatic difference?
In terms of where the issues lay at the start, Perez represented perhaps 2% of the problem, while Max accounted for 98%.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas performed brilliantly in qualifying and secured an ideal starting position for the race.
Yet, I am left with the impression that a day or two later, their focus during the start shifted more toward Lewis and less toward managing Max.

Had he lost his position to Perez, the loss of points would have been even more devastating. 😉
Because if Max had managed to slice past Lewis, Perez would have subsequently fallen behind Max. In such a scenario, Red Bull Racing would have secured a 1-2 finish, leaving Lewis at an even greater deficit.

It is quite easy for those of us watching from the comfort of our armchairs to lecture them on how Mercedes-AMG Petronas should have handled things this way or that. If they had acted differently, perhaps the point deficit wouldn't be so significant. We must remember that agreements made between teammates regarding track positioning and cooperation can often fall apart; one need only recall Ferrari's attempts at towing during the Monza Massa-Alonso era. There are immense speeds at play here, along with countless other unpredictable factors.

Suppose, for instance, that Valtteri Bottas had started better than Lewis Hamilton, creating a situation similar to 2019 where he was being blocked in a manner reminiscent of how Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton interacted back then; in that case, Lewis would be forced to contend with Max. And what if Max refuses to yield? You end up with a collision. Such a thing would be disastrous for Lewis, given his current standing in the championship.

And what is most regrettable is that Max Verstappen's sheer brilliance in emerging victorious from a three-way battle is now relegated to the background. This start was arguably the most exhilarating opening of the entire season.

graniteharbor502 said:... And what’s even more tragic is how Max Verstappen’s masterclass gets overshadowed by all the chaos. That start was easily the most intense one we've seen all season.

Max played it perfectly.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway layout has one of the longest stretches from the start line to that first turn. If other tracks were built like this, we might actually get some decent opening-lap action for once.

graniteharbor502 said:If he’d let Perez through, he would have lost even more points in the long run.😉
Because if Max managed to jump ahead of Lewis, then Perez would end up losing out to Max. Red Bull Racing would land a 1-2, and Lewis would be stuck in an even deeper hole.

I was talking about a scenario where they sacrifice letting Perez past just to successfully defend against Max. That’s the only move that actually makes sense.

graniteharbor502 said:... It’s easy for us to sit back in our armchairs and act like we know how Mercedes-AMG Petronas should have handled things. If they had played it differently, maybe the points gap wouldn't be such a joke right now. Team orders and agreements between drivers about strategy and cooperation often fall apart when things get heated on track (just look at those messy Ferrari's attempts at towing during Monza Massa-Alonso). High speeds, split-second decisions, plenty of other variables... it's never that simple.

I'm sure they had a plan. I just want to know where it went sideways—why did the whole strategy fall apart? (Though I guess Lewis Hamilton already gave us a hint about that).

shadowmarlin22 said:Look, I might sound like a jerk here, but he’s actually got a point. 🤷

Whether he was right or not doesn't even matter. This is just blatant, smug entitlement. He’s basically mocking someone because he thinks they aren't on his level.

He saw the backlash to what he said, and he did it on purpose. That’s why he’s now crawling back with those fake apologies and "clarifications."

He said what he said. It was arrogant and totally unsportsmanlike. This kind of behavior is exactly why the fans generally can't stand him. People boo him at tracks all over the country, regardless of how much he tries to suck up to the crowd with his commentary.

Richard Walker38 said:Whether they had the right to say it or not is completely irrelevant. This is just blatant, entitled mockery aimed at someone they’ve decided isn't on their level.

He’s too much. That look on his face—pure, unadulterated contempt. He just couldn't help himself; he had to let it show.

Richard Walker38 said:Sam saw how people reacted to what he said, and honestly, he did it on purpose. He knew exactly what he was doing. Now he’s just going through the motions, putting out those fake apologies and "clarifications" like he actually cares.

Maybe you could always shell out some cash for a few PR consultants or communications gurus. Not like we don't have the budget for that.

I don't know, maybe I'm just seeing things, but it looks like the kid outsmarted those two "old pros" right at the start—totally based on pure instinct 😁

View on instagram

I am absolutely loving this Valtteri Bottas troll.

Toto is breathing down his neck, his own teammate is calling him out, but honestly? He just doesn't give a damn.🤣.

There is no way on earth I'm letting anyone convince me he didn't slow down early on purpose just to let Max Verstappen through.🤣

graniteharbor502 said:If he’d missed Perez, he would have lost even more points 😉
Because if Max had sliced past Lewis, Perez would’ve let Max through. Red Bull would’ve secured a 1-2, and Lewis would be stuck in an even deeper hole.

It’s easy for us armchair experts to sit back and lecture about what Mercedes should have done. If they’d played it differently, maybe the point gap wouldn't be this massive. Team orders and "cooperation" between teammates often fall apart anyway (just look at those messy Ferrari attempts at Monza Massa-Alonso). There's too much speed and way too many variables involved.

Say, by some miracle, Bottas had outstarted Lewis and we ended up in a 2019 situation where they were blocking each other like Vettel Hamilton back then—well, Lewis would have had to push Max. And if Max refuses to budge? You get a collision. That doesn't help Lewis, especially since he's already fighting an uphill battle in the standings.

The saddest part is that Max Verstappen’s absolute masterclass of winning a three-way scrap gets pushed to the background. That start was easily the most electric one of the season.

Remember Ferrari...
When Ferrari screwed over Kimi in public, they basically killed their own title chances, even though Kimi and Seb actually got along privately...
After that, it turned into shoving and contact on track. Any talk of helping each other became impossible; instead, it just turned into bitter resentment.
Apply that logic to Mercedes, where it’s obvious as day that Bottas and Luxury don't exactly share a bond, and everything makes sense.

Ever since Bottas got a taste of Lewis's aggression, he hasn't received any help—in fact, there have been some massive screw-ups that specifically hurt Luxury...
On the flip side, Bottas has been letting Max past in races way easier than Perez, Yuki Tsunoda, or Pierre Gasly ever would.

Richard Walker38 said:View on instagram

I’m giving this Valtteri Bottas troll a like.

He's getting grilled by Toto Wolff, he's getting grilled by his own teammate, and yet... he just doesn't seem to give a damn. 🤣

Honestly, I don't think anyone could convince me that he wasn't slowing down on purpose just to let Max Verstappen through. 🤣

Look, I think he's a great guy, but as far as driving goes, he just hasn't quite reached the level needed for the elite teams.

It would be pretty damn interesting to hear the full team radio from Valtteri Bottas...

Roger Wright94 said:They must have had a prearranged strategy. I really wonder where the breakdown happened—what caused the plan to fall apart? (Though I think Lewis hinted at it indirectly already.)

Honestly, as soon as I read somewhere in Autosport that they supposedly had a specific start plan in place, I felt a wave of relief. I just knew right then and there that it wasn't going to work out.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ha...start/6756461/

Think about it: in those opening corners, everything is chaotic. Time is tight, the adrenaline is surging, you're dealing with the start procedures, tires are cooling down while the car is heating up, and you've got the thunder of 19 engines roaring behind you. There are a hundred different variables at play; at that moment, you simply have to trust your gut.

If they had actually played their cards right and stuck to the script, I am certain they would have had a much better result.

Now, everyone loves to blame Valtteri Bottas for everything, but personally, I wouldn't hold this particular moment against him.

He’s been struggling for quite a while now; honestly, they should have moved on from him ages ago.

Now that they aren't driving a rocket ship for once, it turns out Bottas just isn't quite up to par with the heavy hitters.

leave Valtteri alone!

Timothy Castillo6 said:It would be quite fascinating to hear the entirety of the team radio from Valtteri Bottas...

But which specific portion are you referring to? Are you interested in what happened immediately following the opening lap?

Cili.

Timothy Castillo6 said:Exactly.

If you have access to F1TV, you can actually watch the entire race from his onboard camera and listen to his direct team radio transmissions; after the opening lap, he simply remarked that someone had struck him from behind and inquired with the pit wall as to who the culprit was.

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-b1954133.html

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, thinks Toto Wolff was being totally unfair by throwing his own driver under the bus. “Look, you’ve got to give a car's width of space; if he hadn't, he would've been slapped with a penalty,” the 24-year-old argued. “I honestly have no clue what Toto is getting at here. It’s incredibly easy to just point the finger at Valtteri, but if you ask me, that feels like a pretty cheap shot.”

stormybadger8 said:Let’s be honest here...
Bottas was brought in to do exactly that.☕
At the end of the day—Toto made it pretty clear when he was looking for a replacement for Rosberg—that they picked Bottas specifically because he isn't a troublemaker. He wanted a team without drivers constantly clashing with one another, or whatever the official line was...

Anyone actually following Formula 1 who isn't willfully blind or deaf knew Bottas was signed to be a pure No. 2 driver. He certainly knew it too, and I'd bet anything it's baked right into his contract.
It’s nothing new in the history of this sport—there's always been this dynamic, and there always will be.
In all honesty, being the support driver has been his sole mission during his years at Mercedes, and Bottas has been more than compensated for it.
If he hadn't agreed to those terms, he wouldn't have seen the money—and he probably wouldn't even have a seat in Formula 1 anymore just like his former teammate Massa, who was essentially the same kind of reliable team player...

There was once a contract where the hierarchy was explicitly laid out, but let's face it—those agreements go out the window if the second driver happens to be a hundred-time GP winner and a multi-time world champion on the level of Schumacher...
Back in the mid-80s, there was a similar setup regarding first and second drivers, and that agreement wasn't respected either, despite what the Italians might claim about their honor...
Interestingly enough, both of those second drivers were British...
You'd think they'd have more pride, given how much the Brits tend to dislike playing the supporting role...
Then you have the 2009 Brawn case, where Rubens was basically sidelined to ensure the British driver didn't lose his edge...

There's plenty of nonsense like that out there.

Unless it's an Austrian team—then maybe a driver from the Commonwealth can get away with being the No. 2...
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Drew Bennett68 said:I think I saw somewhere on Autosport that they actually had a start strategy in place...

Maybe they had a plan, but it went straight out the window the second Lawrence Stroll and the crew started messing around. That’s why Toto was practically screaming at Michael Masi over the radio. 🙂
Mercedes always struggles with tire warm-up, and even though they were in Mexico, they dragged things out so much that Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas spent an eternity on the grid just trying to get those tires up to temp...

Sure, it bugs Red Bull Racing, but it looks like they don't deal with this stuff nearly as much as Mercedes does.
So, it's hardly a shock that the Mercedes cars had a rough start and zero confidence in their brakes.

Palmer has put together a rather intriguing breakdown regarding the race starts over on F1TV. He seems to be zeroing in on the blatant inconsistency we're seeing from the stewards lately; for instance, consider how Pierre Gasly was penalized for squeezing Fernando Alonso into the wall at Turn 1 during the race in Turkey, yet when Daniel Ricciardo pulled the exact same maneuver on Valtteri Bottas in Mexico, he escaped without any penalty whatsoever.