Hamilton wins at Abu Dhabi but......

[Nigel H-J]

But Nico Rosberg clinches title, so well done Nico as he has been the outshined for a couple of years and failed once in his bid for World Champion when he had problems with his car. Though can't help thinking that he only won this championship through the problems Hamilton had with his car during this season. Did not watch the race as we went out for the day, Jenson Button was forced to retire after suspension trouble. Shame we will not see him race next year.

I have only watched F1 occasionally as there just isn't the excitement nowadays of close wheel to wheel racing as when Mansell, Senna, Prost and other well known drivers took part.

Just have to wait now until next year to see what improvements other teams make to close the gap on Mercedes.

Regards
Nigel

[petermcleland]

Next year will be different with the wider wheels allowing more cornering G...I bet the wheel change time will change too!

I have to say that I do not agree that any driver should be allowed to ignore official orders to stop slowing the race pace just for driver championship considerations...These drivers are paid vast sums and are priviledged to drive these cars and if the boss says do this then he bloody well should do it. Mercedes came first and second...It would have been sporting for Lewis to slow as he approached the finish line to let Nico take the win of the Race as well as the world driver championship...It would still have been a Mercedes 1,2 and Lewis would still have been second in the driver championship as he is now.

[Nigel H-J]

Fully agree with you Peter, Hamilton could not have won the championship unless Rosberg was below third place, so he could, as you said, allowed Rosberg through. I think Hamilton was trying to make a point by winning but not sure what that would achieve!

I think one of the worst team orders ever given were by Ferrari during the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix when Ruben Barrichello was ordered on the very last lap to slow down and give his position to Michael Schumacher just before the finishing line, Barrichello drove a superb race and should have been allowed to take the flag!

Some interesting facts regarding team orders in F1 from the fifties through to 2008 can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_orders

Regards
Nigel.

[cstorey]

There is something sad about Hamilton . He has enormous talent, but a whining petulance when things don't go his way, and an arrogance ( as yesterday ) which defies belief. Frankly, I would have terminated his contract on the spot after yesterday's display of unsporting conduct. What fascinated us was, even if his tactics had succeeded and delivered him the championship title , what pleasure would it have given him to win by unsporting conduct, particularly when it was directed against his team mate ( and only against his team mate rather than any other competitor )?

[511Flyer]

I've only ever been to one GP, and I saw two people win the same race. Any ideas?

[cstorey]

Was that the one where Schumacher drove into the pit lane on the last lap ? Another bit of characteristic chicanery , which in that case, sadly, succeeded

[ajb]

I have watched F1 since the early 80s. When both Schumacher and Hamilton first started in F1 I didn't like them or their tactics, possibly because I was rooting for other drivers at the time. However watching race after race you see the greats emerge and both of those guys were/are way ahead of the rest of the pack. They both have the same instinct to win almost at all costs whether you like that fact or not. Put yourself in Hamilton's position, would you when the championship is on a knife's edge simply allow your competitor to take the win and the championship or would you do as he did and play tactics and try to force an error? Gentlemanly conduct does not figure in racing as long as you do not infringe the rules. Look at the new upcoming great, Max Verstappen. Hard, aggressive and uncompromising. The fact of the matter is that yesterday Hamilton was leading the race and is perfectly entitled to control the pace. If Rosberg didn't like that he should have gone to pass Hamilton (I know, it's not easy, but that's the stuff of champions).

To be honest I reckoned that the championship was Rosberg's a few races ago. He had the advantage after the failure of Hamilton's car in Singapore and it was difficult to see that Hamilton could ever reverse that position given that they usually came home in a one-two. I thought it a shame that Hamilton didn't floor it yesterday and show just what he can really do. But then what if the boot had been on the other foot and Rosberg was leading Hamilton for the championship? Or what if Vettel had been in the same position with Raikkonnen?

As to Hamilton and his whining petulance, look at Rosberg and Vettel and tell me that they do not do just that when things are not going their way. And terminate his contract because he refused to be told how to drive the race? Come on, nobody shoots themselves in the foot deliberately, do they?

[cstorey]

Well, ajb, we shall have to wait and see what sanctions are applied. However , in relation to Schumacher I fear that you are way off the beam. He was not merely a driver whose conduct was questionable , but a lethal one. After the deliberate shunting off of Hill to prevent him winning the championship, ( and of ? Villeneuve on another occasion) , Schumacher's superlicence should have been withdrawn and he should never have been allowed on a racetrack again. I do not like to see the very young Verstappen , who you seem to admire , heading in the same direction .The problem is that racing has become much too safe . You would not have found the true greats such as Fangio , Moss, Ascari, Nuvolari indulging in such behaviour , because it would not lead to an appointment with the stewards, but to half a day out with the undertaker

[adysmith]

Both Prost and Senna indulged in such tactics (taking the other out of the race) to win championships when cars and tracks were a lot less safe; it h as been going on since the invention of the internal combustion engine.

Verstappen might, just, have got past Rosberg, but there was no way, in the time available, that he could have taken the win, I am certain Hamilton had worked that out as well and won the race at the slowest possible speed. Had Verstappen got past Rosberg I am sure we would have seen some much faster times from Hamilton who was perfectly capable of them.

Hamilton might have backed Rosberg into Verstappen but he had no influence on the third/fourth positions which is where the title hung.

[Jon.M]

I watched the end of the race and agreed with the Italian commentator who said that Hamilton is a good winner but needs to learn to be a good loser.

Jon