Quote:
Originally Posted by Hotrodz
I don't think he is a bad driver and I agree he has had more than his fair share of bad luck the past two seasons. He is also the number two drive and that means you get leftover especially when you are behind the number one in F1. I do empathize some on that account but he doesn't make things easy on himself. He can't manage his tires well enough even when he leading a race and is given honors in the pits. He has shown a lack being able to pass when behind even when there is nothing wrong with his car. It cracks me up because the commentators say that Mercedes is not good in traffic and only good in clean air. Really! Why does Hamilton not have that same issue.
Next year will be Bottas's last at MB and I hope he drives well enough to last the season and be able to get a seat with another team.
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Tire management on the W11 is a bit hard to tell when your only comparable data point is Lewis Hamilton! But yes, there's more than just bad luck that has put him this far behind his team mate.
I think that he, along with a few other drivers on the grid, are still stuck with a style that favours rotation instead of short corners and straight line speed. This despite being a student of Rob Wilson. Might be the rally driver in him! But it's not great on tires. Lewis makes lots of small mistakes in a race, but his style favours the car. Or he's able to adapt.
Leclerc is one who can really adapt to his ride. Look where he is in the points - managing to eek out results from a car that is by all accounts un-driveable and underpowered this year. It's astounding that he's running in 6th, but only 4 points behind Ricciardo in 4th.