Yet the only time this season Lewis did have to carve his way through the field he did just that in Monza.

True, and I'd expect Hamilton to do better given his talent but Monza is all straights and slipstreaming so the loss of handling through corners is less relevant there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for who will step in, Vandoorne is the obvious choice, he's already in Bahrain this weekend, knows the car, the team and when it comes down to it, that's his job.

 

Gutierrez didn't have a superlicense earlier this year and I'm not sure if he does now and there may or may not be issues with Bahrain's quarantine laws.

 

Hulkenberg would probablt get his podium but Mercedes aren't slaves to romanticism and the quarantine question is also there.

 

George Russell's appointment would be a clear indication of Mercedes plans for him but Williams may resist that in the quest for points.

 

 

Whoever does take the car, if they beat Bottas he really has no further excuses

If they beat Bottas I’m not sure I’d be able to stop laughing to be honest.

 

 

Nico would depend on if he had been flown out for coverage by RTL, otherwise I can see it likely to be a reserve/3rd/test driver already in Bahrain or Russell being stolen for a race with Williams using their 3rd driver

Hulkenberg has just posted a story on Instagram saying he is definitely not on a plane (followed by a wink)

Russell to Merc and Aitkin or however you spell that (it’s early) in at Williams

wow that's great news, and a bit of a challenge for Bottas too

go Russell!!!

Yes my boy George has the golden ticket! Want him to whoop Valtteri's ass this weekend.

 

Schumacher Jr confirmed for Haas next season but we all knew that weeks ago...

As expected Mick Schumacher joins Haas for next season along with Nikita Mazepin. At least we'll have some rookies on the grid next season.

This weekend will be an interesting indication on several levels but we certainly shouldn't place too much emphasis on anything.

 

Firstly, with the circuit layout the laps will be very short, this will keep cars very close together, both in terms of lap times but also physically on the track. The Merc is perfectly suited to a low drag/high power circuit like this and should be out front comfortably but qualifying is going to be a mess of cars getting in each others way all over the place and slipstreaming will be a factor. I a way it's a shame the layout isn't identical to last weekend as we'd have a direct comparison against Hamilton too.

 

I expect Bottas to take pole but if Russell can get close to him in an unfamiliar car against Bottas' 4 years experience in the team, he'll have done well. Russell himself is a strong qualifier but his race performance (especially his starts) less impressive so far. Russell's target should be a podium as an achievement and a top 6 at least to prove his potential.

 

If Russell beats Bottas in a fair fight then questions will have to be asked of the Finn. And if Russell dominates the race, on one side, the Hamilton comparisons will be off the scale, on the other side it'll give ammo for the 'anyone can win in that car' argument.

 

If Aitken gets the Williams into Q2 with all things being even, we'll know that Latifi's F1 career may well be fairly short

Edited December 2, 20204 yr by Severin

I'd just like Russell to finish in the points for the first time!

Gutted that Hulkenberg isn’t involved but great for Russell. I hope he at least gets his first points finish and possibly a podium. I really want a Max win this weekend

 

Also worthy to note that Lewis has lost the chance to equal most wins in a season - jointly held by Vettel and Schumacher at the moment

Yes I'm hoping for a Max win and a podium for Perez as well. Hoping for a good race. It's an opportunity for Russell, I would think at least getting into the points would be a minimum for him.

 

 

I want a Perez win! What a fitting way it would be to sign off what could be his final season.

@1334587710254829570

 

 

So this is what the outer ring looks like!

Well, Russell topping the timesheet in FP1 is certainly intriguing.

I’m howling. Bottas overdrove the car the BBC said trying to match it and ended up wrecking the car in a few offs. You can’t make it up. Honestly if I was him I’d have my lawyer triple checking my contract

Bottas still looks to be faster. He had quicker lap times deleted for track limits and was on top in every sector, he just didn't do it all in one lap.

 

In race set up Russell was about 3 or 4 tenths off Valtteri.

Edited December 4, 20204 yr by Severin

Grosjean will not return to F1 at Abu Dhabi as his hands need longer to heal.

 

Bit of a shame really. He deserved a proper farewell and should be remembered for more than just the accidents.

Very curious how Russell will manage the start, first time starting in a new car is quite a challenge.

Well done George! Great start when I must admit I was expecting him to fall back... at least he can say he's led a F1 race!

And Perez has just taken out the two cars most likely to make the race exciting. Leclerc not exactly blameless either

Edited December 6, 20204 yr by Severin