The best driver with the fastest car on the grid on pole in Singapore.
I would say there is 96% chance Hamilton wins the race, and 3% Max, and 1% Vettel.
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Hamilton needs to mess up the start to not win the race.
If Hamilton takes the start he can build up a gap without pushing very hard due to it being a street race. The others will destroy their tires in dirty air.
Is there AT ALL any scenario Lewis does not win if he takes the start? Will Max have even a fraction of a chance to overtake at the pitstop?
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Hamilton could easily follow Kimi at Monza, and yet people claim Ferrari has the better car by a clear margin, I fail to see how that "myth" is being taken as the truth.
It must be the case of too many brits repeating a lie until people start believing it!
"Formula 1 is not a sport anymore” - Fernando Alonso
An SC/VSC is gaaaaraunteeeeed at this track....maybe 2. Throws a monkey wrench in any type of strategy. So have to play "what-if" strats given what lap and so on.
Race pace on HS for Ferrari is good, they did go for long stint.
If there’s any possibility of Monza instance, need to replicate the same by Ferrari. For this to happen kimi need to be on similar pace with front leaders, which I don’t see it happening. As bottas is ahead of him.
Another operational disaster when Seb was saying that they had the pace for pole. Not sure about Kimi but Seb could've done it as no one else can put a better lap than him in Singapore. Now there is no chance for win. Hamilton will pull away, Verstappen will hold off Vettel for the entire race. Pathetic.
Now the only hope is 2019. 2018 is done and dusted.
Kimi needs to jump bottas at start, so that Ferrari can play with strategy. If it’s 2 stop everything is in play.
And how would that even be remotely possible?
Hamilton will NEVER pit so he ends up behind Kimi. In fact Hamilton might easily pull out a gap so he can pit and come out in front of Kimi even.
I mean, with this circuit, Hamilton will get maybe 2 seconds a lap easily, so it will be quick to build a gap.
Kimi will be in dirty air so his tires will go before Hamilton....
Anyway, Hamilton has no reason to pit earlier than anyone behind.
Also Bottas will be in front of Kimi, so if needed he will hold up Kimi so Lewis can build enough gap to pit and come out in front.
"Formula 1 is not a sport anymore” - Fernando Alonso
True! If Kimi fights Seb who's fighting bottas he's also fighting bottas who's covering Lewis so Kimi is fighting Lewis who is being covered by Bottas and at the same time Kimi is fighting off Max who is prob. right next to Seb and Dan wishes hee was in Kimi's place on the track. Alonso seems to be avoiding all Kimi's hard work.
Given the Monza situation, top3 won’t pit first.
1) If kimi jump bottas at start, there will be flexibility for Ferrari strategy :
vettel would get some leverage to attack ahead. Else he will start thinking about bottas behind who will definetly go for longer stint n block him if vettel pit early. (Remember bottas will play wingman here for sure)
if kimi jumps bottas, it will be 2 ferrari cars against one mercs & one RB. Kimi will be key here again, if he manages his tyres for longer stint n stay out. Vet can pit n attack with new US, as ham will not pit unless mad max is into pit lane. This is where vettel have more chances.
Sad thing is, kimi will be sacrificed. Don’t know which position he will finish if above thing works out.
Today’s race will be defined by start+ tyre management+ strategy call+ SC.
how could that Pirelli tyre be done after just one sector?
Vettel will try desperately to beat Hamilton by lap one and crash or damage his car and the championship will be truly dead... hate being this negative but it's what I fear will happen today..
Interviewer: “The helmet has a special meaning for many drivers. How important is it to you?”
Kimi: “It protects my head.”
HAM has nothing to worry about..If he sees Max xoming agressively he can just let him go, perhas try something at pit stop,then he is still in front of Seb, even if he also let's Seb go tha he is still P3 and only looses 3 points to Seb, which he can afford... Why should he worry? He just try to do a good start and stay ahead and then he will win, if Max get's a better start he can afford to let him go (and not defend agressively like Seb last year).
It's Seb who IS worried, he needs to make up a massive gap to Lewis, and he already starts behind him hear... The start is probably the best opportunity to overtake so he should be agressive, however, one more mistake from him and the championship is really over (if it isn't already).
“The Ferrari is a dream - people dream of owning this special vehicle and for most people it will remain a dream apart from for those lucky few.” ~ Enzo Ferrari
the top 4 tangle and Kimi wins, that would actually help us in wcc.
Warm up issue. US & HS rear tyres are going off by the end of first sector itself.
You could see the same problem with RB in FP2 & FP3. Mercs somehow found the right operating window with the best outlap. While Ferrari sent their both cars in traffic q3 for 1st FL.
This is where vettel asked the team on radio, to give clear track & good outlap.
If u see RB was behind vettel n pushing him on outlap. Where vettel was not giving the track position.
So it completely ruined vettel outlap, ric outlap. On the other side kimi was overtaking all of them n getting track position for final lap. Both didn’t work.
So it’s down to method which ferrari followed.
Everyone is capable formula one driver. That’s why they r in F1.
Tell me one thing, have u ever seen Lewis accepting his own mistakes if he does any. He will throw on to the car or team.
Vettel if it’s his mistake, he accepts it n move on. Even if it’s team, he doesn’t let it out just move on.
Vettel & kimi do a lot of testing & give a lot of feedback in Maranello. But Lewis is opposite, it’s the team that is giving him right tools & he’s delivering it. Also with a great wingman.
Imagine if Lewis had stayed at McLaren. It would have been fascinating to see how he would have faired vs Alonso in this year's 'slow' car for example.
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