2016 Formula 1 Japanese Grand PrixFormula 1 

ShiftingGears
I've noticed that the less Hamilton is antagonised the worse he performs. Whenever Rosberg and Hamilton have collided on track it has always resulted in Hamilton having strong performances in the next few races. He won five in a row after Belgium 2014, six from seven after Spain this year - after the summer break Rosberg was speaking a lot more positively about Hamilton, which I think is a deliberate strategy.
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It seems that Toto Wolff agrees with you - he says that Hamilton "needs the enemy" to be at his very best. If Rosberg is being less antagonistic, it's a curious Achilles heel for Hamilton to have.
 
They're just trying to sell a story or trying to rile Lewis up. A lot of people are blaming Lewis for the bad starts, but Mercedes has had them all year and admitted there's no cure. If Lewis had even a decent start to Suzuka, he could have challenged Nico. But he fell to 8th. That's a hard task for anyone to podium in these cars, especially at Suzuka. The gap was near 17, 18 seconds at lap 8. I think the upcoming tracks are easier to overtake on. The drs will probably be a lot more effective than at Suzuka.
 
trustjab
They're just trying to sell a story or trying to rile Lewis up. A lot of people are blaming Lewis for the bad starts, but Mercedes has had them all year and admitted there's no cure. If Lewis had even a decent start to Suzuka, he could have challenged Nico. But he fell to 8th. That's a hard task for anyone to podium in these cars, especially at Suzuka. The gap was near 17, 18 seconds at lap 8. I think the upcoming tracks are easier to overtake on. The drs will probably be a lot more effective than at Suzuka.
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Lewis himself said it was his fault.
 
trustjab
A lot of people are blaming Lewis for the bad starts, but Mercedes has had them all year and admitted there's no cure.
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There's no cure from a technical standpoint.

The old system was to use a twin clutch. The driver could pre-set the second clutch to find the bite point, then use the first to feed the power in before engaging the second to get away cleanly. The new system is a single clutch where the driver needs to feed the power in to the bite point simultaneously, but unlike the old system, the bite point is not at a fixed position. So it's a very fine balancing act that needs to be done in the moment, and no two getaways are the same because the bite point moves around.

There is, however, a cure: the driver needs to get better. It's not an impossibility, considering that Hamilton is probably the worst starter on the grid (he is at best the most inconsistent starter).
 
Samus
Lewis himself said it was his fault.
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He said that in Monza as well and the team gave a statement close to what they said here at Suzuka. Classic case of driver taking one for the team. Im not saying he's without fault but it's not just Hamilton.

And no, he's not the worst starter. That's a ridiculous statement @prisonermonkeys
 
trustjab
And no, he's not the worst starter. That's a ridiculous statement @prisonermonkeys
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Exhibit A: Suzuka. He started second, and was eighth by the first corner. It was his seventeenth race with the single-pedal clutch, and given the difficulty in getting the car off the line, drivers rehearse the starts extensively, and so he likely would have done at least fifty starts this year.

So who would you say got a worse start in Suzuka?
 
He spent too much time worrying about the wet bit just in front of his grid slot and it just got to him before the start.
 
I thought he just ballsed up his clutch release. Maybe he was overthinking the wet patch at the front of the grid but it seemed like he messed up the start for no particular reason, it just happens sometimes.

When did anti-stall become standard on all F1 cars?
 
Liquid
When did anti-stall become standard on all F1 cars?
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Years ago. The engines cannot be started on their own, so if somebody stalls on the grid, race control would have no choice but to keep sending everyone off on formation laps until the stricken car can be cleared. A stationary car can also be extremely dangerous, so anti-stall allows a driver to get the car moving.
 
prisonermonkeys
Exhibit A: Suzuka. He started second, and was eighth by the first corner. It was his seventeenth race with the single-pedal clutch, and given the difficulty in getting the car off the line, drivers rehearse the starts extensively, and so he likely would have done at least fifty starts this year.

So who would you say got a worse start in Suzuka?
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You said "probably the worst starter on the grid". That's not "worst start at Suzuka". This year he has a team with a faulty clutch. But that doesn't make him the worst starter. He's made dynamite starts and usually keeps his position barring an issue.
 
trustjab
He's made dynamite starts and usually keeps his position barring an issue.
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Suzuka was one example. There have been plenty of starts where he has struggled to get away cleanly. Compare that to, say, Marcus Ericsson, who hasn't lost a position on the opening lap all year. You can't really fault the equipment because Rosberg has the same clutch and - Germany not withstanding - has been getting away just fine; if anything, his poor start in Germany galvanised Rosberg.

But you are right about one thing: his starts have been dynamite. If he loses the title, it will be because of his poor starts, so in a sense his starts have been skin to setting dynamite around his title bid and watching it collapse.
 
prisonermonkeys
Rosberg will no doubt be wise to it and yield early to save second, but as soon as he finishes outside the top two, Hamilton is back in the fight.
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Nico can actually afford three 2nd's and one 3rd and still win.
 
prisonermonkeys
Suzuka was one example. There have been plenty of starts where he has struggled to get away cleanly. Compare that to, say, Marcus Ericsson, who hasn't lost a position on the opening lap all year. You can't really fault the equipment because Rosberg has the same clutch and - Germany not withstanding - has been getting away just fine; if anything, his poor start in Germany galvanised Rosberg.

But you are right about one thing: his starts have been dynamite. If he loses the title, it will be because of his poor starts, so in a sense his starts have been skin to setting dynamite around his title bid and watching it collapse.
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Actually I believe f1 fantatic ran a report showing that Nico has lost more places and had equal faulty starts to Lewis this season. I think Lewis is just screwing up toward the end of season because of factors out of his hand and just over thinking when he should be just trying to get the best out of the day. Not the year. He's got 3 WDC sure a fourth would put him into even rarer territory but I feel he should focus on his drive like he use to and less on how it will effect him in the grand scheme.
 

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