[Official] Team of the Grand Prix: Russian Grand Prix 2018

[Born Racer]

Who do you rate as the team of the Russian Grand Prix?

[bjohnsonsmith]

RBR. Ricciardo and Verstappen started 18th and 19th, with Verstappen finishing 5th and Ricciardo 6th.

[EffectiveSprinkles]

I would like to give Ferrari a shout for doing tactics right this time, managing to get Vettel in front of Hamilton. The Mercedes was the better car in every respect so that was their only shot. It didn't go their way in the end.

[GT6]

RBR gets my vote and after the disgraceful way Mercs acted i will never vote for them again

[JeremySmith]

Red Bull Racing...

[Neil22]

Mercedes, but they picked up a load of bad karma too.

[TrapezeArtist]

Very tricky. On performance it should clearly be Mercedes, but I hate team orders. In the end I abstained.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

Very tricky. On performance it should clearly be Mercedes, but I hate team orders. In the end I abstained.

and that's the reason I gave it to Mercedes. where as Ferrari have tried to deceive fans with team orders in the past, Toto was the perfect manager and made the right call for the team. and then explained his decision afterwards.

1,2 in qualifying, the race and played a perfect team game

[TrapezeArtist]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

and that's the reason I gave it to Mercedes. where as Ferrari have tried to deceive fans with team orders in the past, Toto was the perfect manager and made the right call for the team. and then explained his decision afterwards.

Fair point. TW was up-front about it, whereas Ferrari in the past were very evasive.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Neil22

Mercedes, but they picked up a load of bad karma too.

Will that bad karma come round and bite them?

[GTRMagic]

Sauber for turning what looked to be a pigs ear earlier this year and somehow creating a silk purse...

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Will that bad karma come round and bite them?

I can't see any reason why. As has been said forever and a day (it seems), team orders have always played a part in F1, whether overtly or otherwise. It was clearly the right thing to do and if any of us had been team managers, we'd have done it to.

I don't see what difference it made to a dull event.

I give my vote though to RBR as irrespective of Mercedes, they deserve it.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I can't see any reason why. As has been said forever and a day (it seems), team orders have always played a part in F1, whether overtly or otherwise. It was clearly the right thing to do and if any of us had been team managers, we'd have done it to.

I don't see what difference it made to a dull event.

I give my vote though to RBR as irrespective of Mercedes, they deserve it.

My question about karma was purely philosophical.

It's not about what difference it made to a dull race. If this had happened in an exciting race, the reaction would be the same, maybe worse.

[JeremySmith]

[QUOTE=Neil22;3853708]Mercedes, but they picked up a load of bad karma too.[/QUOTE

We have always had team orders in F1,many of us would have made the same call..

[EffectiveSprinkles]

Originally Posted by TrapezeArtist

Fair point. TW was up-front about it, whereas Ferrari in the past were very evasive.

Evasive? Only when team orders were forbidden so they had to be. This is just as blatant as any team order ever given, how anyone can say they were 'upfront' about it is ridiculous. How many times have we not heard the same Wolff claim they want to let Bottas race however he wants to?

[Aysedasi]

Blatant or upfront, same thing to me. Bottas knows his opportunity to race Hamilton will now come only once Hamilton has finished winning the WDC. He had his chance to establish the right to fight him many races ago - and failed.

[EffectiveSprinkles]

Missing the point. There are people trying to deflect this issue by twisting this into some criticism of Ferrari, who don't even have anything to do with this. In fact, when it comes to team orders Ferrari have actually been honorable to their own detriment this season.

[Aysedasi]

I don't believe I've missed any point, but nor am I deflecting anything at Ferrari, I haven't mentioned them at all, as far as I recall. I'll eat crow over Vettel's 'double move' but not this one.....

[EffectiveSprinkles]

You're not of the 'people' I mentioned

[Aysedasi]

Cheers.

[fieldodreams79]

Merc. Otherwise, we'd only be talking about Bernie's beard snuggling up to Vlad.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by EffectiveSprinkles

Evasive? Only when team orders were forbidden so they had to be. This is just as blatant as any team order ever given, how anyone can say they were 'upfront' about it is ridiculous. How many times have we not heard the same Wolff claim they want to let Bottas race however he wants to?

So what you’re saying is Ferrari cheated....

I don’t like what Mercedes did on Sunday but I can see why. Not only are they under threat in the championship but Vettel was within striking distance of Hamilton in the race. You only need backmarkers like in Singapore to make a huge difference and put Hamilton at risk. So given bottas is out of the championship, why wouldn’t you swap positions?

For the record, I wasn’t criticising Ferrari, but making the point that Toto was the perfect manager and stood up to say it was his choice, made it obvious what he was doing rather than being underhand and treating fans like they’re idiots.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

So what you’re saying is Ferrari cheated....

I don’t like what Mercedes did on Sunday but I can see why. Not only are they under threat in the championship but Vettel was within striking distance of Hamilton in the race. You only need backmarkers like in Singapore to make a huge difference and put Hamilton at risk. So given bottas is out of the championship, why wouldn’t you swap positions?

For the record, I wasn’t criticising Ferrari, but making the point that Toto was the perfect manager and stood up to say it was his choice, made it obvious what he was doing rather than being underhand and treating fans like they’re idiots.

This has nothing to do with Ferrari and I don't like what Mercedes did either but it's obvious why TW made the call. Lewis now has a 2 race DNF cushion, so effectively there are three races left.

As for being underhand, there didn't appear to be any blistering on Hamilton's tyres, rear or otherwise, when the call for Bottas to give up his position was made. Unfortunately, I feel fans were cheated.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

This has nothing to do with Ferrari and I don't like what Mercedes did either but it's obvious why TW made the call. Lewis now has a 2 race DNF cushion, so effectively there are three races left.

As for being underhand, there didn't appear to be any blistering on Hamilton's tyres, rear or otherwise, when the call for Bottas to give up his position was made. Unfortunately, I feel fans were cheated.

I know this has nothing to do with Ferrari, but as it’s a DISCUSSION forum, are we not allowed to have an opionion on team orders, compare it to orders in the past and be able to praise a team manager for making the correct call for the team, and being completely open about it, rather than trying to hide the call and treat the fans as mugs, as has happened before?

As for the blister, you can see a small blister appearing on the left rear of Lewis’s car as highlighted by the commentators and DC at the time.

[Aysedasi]

Again, why were fans 'cheated'. Perhaps those who watch F1 on a superficial level, maybe, but not 'fans'. They would have known what was likely to happen and shouldn't have been surprised about it. I'm not debating that it was good for the race or for F1 in general, it clearly wasn't. But its allowed and was (by me at least) 100% expected.