Mercedes dominance leads to "internet hate"
Mercedes' increasing dominance of Formula 1 is now leading to "internet hate".
That is the concerned view of team boss Toto Wolff, who said Sebastian Vettel's controversial penalty in Canada recently led to a spate of online abuse.
"It's good to polarise," the Mercedes chief is quoted by Blick newspaper. "You can argue emotionally and heatedly.
"But internet hate sometimes comes to a point where it turns into verbal abuse that becomes personal. That has no place in sport."
The latest problem for Mercedes and F1 was Paul Ricard, where Mercedes won its eighth consecutive grand prix in 2019 in a race that was universally described as boring.
"We would also like to have more exciting races," Wolff admitted.
And Hamilton said of his dominance of uninteresting races: "I don't enjoy it either."
That could be why the British driver recently travelled to Paris to take part in the FIA's crisis meeting about the rules reform for 2021.
Ross Brawn, Liberty Media's F1 sporting director, said the five time world champion has also agreed to take part in a series of forthcoming meetings.
"I'm happy Lewis has confirmed his willingness to make his own contribution in the coming months, and we can't wait to work with him, particularly in each of the three meetings now scheduled," said Brawn.
But that won't help for 2019, with Brawn suspecting that Mercedes could wrap up the championship by "Monza, with a third of the season still left".
Brawn said: "We must all understand that the sport we love needs more competition, so that other teams can also aspire to podium finishes and it is not just a few powerful teams that dominate."
✅ Check out more posts with related topics:
It's not the drivers or the teams that's causing the problem it's the penalties. The drivers are getting to the stage the if they try to pass or make a mistake the will get a time penalty or some sort of penalty so they do they play it safe even if its for one point i say just let them race some of the rules need scraping the vettle thing just high lights that
This is all a perfunctory, a lip service. Mercedes and everybody else knows it. The highest percentage of races won in a season was by McLaren way back:
United Kingdom McLaren 1988 16 15 93.8%
Mercedes wants to beat that record and be at 100%.
Unless something goes drastically wrong Mercedes will win this season. So, why then didn't they go with their professed "not wanting to win" by stewards' vote and give a winning position to Ferrari that it won? Because that is what they have their eyes set on - total dominance, 100% victory. All this wanting more competition is total bu*****t, that offends decent people.
And then they wonder why they are disliked so much!?
did any of you say these things when Ferrari dominated f1 so now enjoy, I personally from the first race of Hamilton in f1 had that feeling he's gonna be an intelligent racer that lead him to success,from then on I hardly missed him racing.Keep it up LEWIS you still can show the world how great you are and to teach the young ones real driving.
.....did any of you say these things when Ferrari dominated f1 so now enjoy,....
Of all the races that it entered Ferrari won 24.4%. Mercedes won almost a double of that, 48% of all races it entered.
Do some math before making the claims like the one above.
And in 2002 Ferrari won something like 95% of percentage of all races.
Ferrari win rate will obviously be lower as they've were in F1 during the competitive years.
There's lies, damned lies and statistics. Please understand this before making claims like the one above.
Yes, there are lies, damned lies, perception management, and Nelson's eye - which you do very well.
You conveniently ignore Hamilton's occasional reference to his car being unmanageable, and Wolff's constant harping about Ferrari's superior speed. Then Wolff lets the cat out of the bag a few weeks ago by saying that aiming for a clean slate season is unrealistic, in other words that is Mercedes' objective: win every race of the season, that nobody's done before. Wolff and Hamilton know that blurting out that would be too crass. That's why it was such an embarrassing situation for them to admit they did not win Canada but latch onto it like a drowning man to a straw.
Please understand that before you quote worn out American wit.
I believe that the drivers should have more say in the rules of f1. and that more of the stewards/officials should be ex f1 drivers so they know what they are talking about.
Don't count yourself as decent this is sport and will always remain as sport and not favouritism to make fans like you happy. When Bolt won every 100meters race in his era did you expect him to slow down so that someone else wins to make it fare, no I don't think so when Vetel won and was dominant with redbulls for four years in a row did you mention then what you have just said no I don't think so... Why can't all you haters accept that you're witnessing the greatest sport man in motors racing.. How ferrari are quick and so redbulls they all have a winning car but they just can't match Lewis and why can't fans just accept that.. Vetel has made more mistakes just from last year than Lewis made throughout his career since 07. Ferrari were much quicker last year but Lewis was a better driver they just can't match him. Give Lewis some credit and I mean f1 fans and not idiots who only watch the sport once a while thank you...
At least Mercedes drivers race one another.Other teams never permitted this to even have a chance of happening.
What are you smoking? Let me know the brand, would love to try it!
Last time Mercedes drivers raced each other was when Rosberg won Championship. Or have you forgotten when Wolff called Bottas "an amazing wing man?"
Ouch!....Lots of built up tension. Try supporting a more successful team or take stronger meds!
I don't remember me asking for your advice. I'll let you know when I decide I need one.
I notice the Ferrari fans did not complain when Michael Schumacher was winning, even though it was a laid down certainty. Michael got away with some pretty dangerous moves and Ferrari dominated for 8 years. In the 60's it was Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Ferrari, all now really owned by the Italian government. The Brits tried with the ERA, BRM and Vanwall, only one Vanwall owned by a millionaire the others supported by donations. Brabham was driver and his own mechanic. How times have changed.
F! cannot bemoan the lack of competition and still let the top teams take all the money. Without more evenly distributed funds, the bottom teams will not be able to approach the performance of the top teams.
If all the fans complaining of rules,boring races etc withdrew their support and went to snooker, darts or whatever for their adrenalin hit, there would still be enough fans supporting F1 to continue it being massively lucrative for Liberty and friends. Send your flowers and then f*** off as quickly as your little chicken legs can move...please.
Yep, no one complained when Vettal blew everyone away for 4 years or schumacha was so dominant. I look back at the exiting races with Senna, Mansell, Prost,
ZAK, that actually is not true.
There was a complaint about the RB being so dominant. There was the RB and then there was everybody else.
And guess who complained. Yes, you got it, it was Hamilton. I posted the news clip about that a while back, check it out.
Why do you hate Hamilton so much? He's an incredible talent and you've never given him any credit yet you heap praise on lesser drivers.
Is there an underlying issue you have with him? I've asked you three times now in different threads whether race is a factor in your dislike because you take a swipe at anyone you disagree with on lots of topics (that's fine because you are as entitled as anyone to a point of view). Yet when a member of this forum used racist language and affirmed "That it was a well known FACT that Blacks (he used a more inflammatory term) can't drive as well as Whites on a thread that you were contributing to you were uniquely silent.
And as for your point on F1 Drivers complaining about another teams advantage? Come on......They all do it and no one more so than your current favourite Max and Marco.........They do it every week.
Let us say that I hate Hamilton, which I don't.
You obviously wear peculiar glasses which make you read into what I post that which is not there.
I have said it repeatedly, and I shall spell it out for you again, and then - please, please, please - stop bringing it up. So for the record:
1, I think highly of Hamilton as a person and as a driver,
2, I dislike, and make no secret about it, Hamilton as a marketing product,
3, I have admitted on numerous occasions that I favour underdogs and Hamilton does not qualify
3, I have singled out media for pandering to Hamilton and that turns me off
4, Posters here berate other drivers, Verstappen in particular, for being reckless and too aggressive. I have pointed out repeatedly that Hamilton was exactly that earlier in his career. (In 2011 Hamilton crashed into Masa alone 5 times, and four of those were his fault.) But you all have selective memory about that.
5, As for the race issue, yes, I thought we'd get to that: the guilt ridden anglo-racist do gooder couldn't pass that up. Let me inform you: I belong genetically, culturally, ideologically, and politically to the group that late Norman Mailer sided with and referred to as "white niggers." The West, and the smug bigots like you, consider it to be an open season on the group. So, look in the mirror and don't ask others to commiserate with your politically correct bulshit about race. I have been at the receiving end of the racist stick longer that Hamilton himself, so fuck off with you Good Friday dirges.
Got that?
Now, please, find someone else to pick your fights with.
It'd have been a lot easier and clearer for you to just say that you don't like him because he's Black and been honest from the outset.
The other stuff is nonsense frankly and I'd suggest that you look up the word Bigot and reflect upon it. Even by your remarks above you qualify and that's without the foul language in a medium where young people visit.
i do agree with you mate until the point that you talk about Hamilton crashing in to Massa... that is not true, Massa could not stand Hamilton since he lost the championship in Brasil by 1 point on the last lap. Remember? (Hamilton 2nd year) since then Massa crashed in to him every time he came across him on track just because he knew he would lose on a straight fight. Hamilton has always been aggressive but he still is one of the cleanest racers on the grid.
Fernando,
I make no secret of having a weak spot for Masa. To this day he is one of my favourites. You may very well be right. No doubt there was no love lost between the two drivers. The Telegraph of 31 Oct 2011 seems to have ascribed most (4 out of 5) incidents to Hamilton. I remember seeing Hamilton speaking into a news microphone and Masa passing by and slapping him on the back of the head - clearly implying that Hamilton was at fault.
Also, I remember an interview after a race where Hamilton's driving was questioned by the interviewer (implying aggression, playing dirty, or something like that) as there was an accident he was involved in, and Lewis responded "What are you talking about? I love the way I drive." But, of course, every driver, presumably, loves the way he drives.
I do totally agree he drives a lot cleaner now, but that is partly due to being up front and not having to deal with traffic. You recall when he and Rosberg both took each other out. In tight situations it's difficult to be clean or to unequivocally assign the blame.
Be well.
I think that Bottas is a second driver,good but not as Verstappen or Ricciardo or Vettel and Lecler too.All these in the seat og Hamilton can do the same,I would like to see Hamilton on FerrarI or RB or Renault what he can do
I'd have that in the main Frank. Max and Seb definitely, Danny very likely but not Leclerc. Given more time maybe Charles will be something special but it's far too early to say which we he will go as he's had some great races, some very ordinary and the odd dreadful one. And I'd like to see Hamilton try another team before he retires and I fancy that might be Ferrari the year after next.
✅ Checkout the latest 50 F1 Fans comments.