Max vs Lewis - The Psychological WDC
Discussion
As the title says..... whose winning the pyschological war?
Max's response to Lewis's comments in the pre-Russia interviews were quite bullish, flippant, windy-up-ish, i'm chilled out. But whose hurting who with the war of words between them?
They're both as arrogant as each other, maybe Max a bit more than Lewis, but it's hard to ignore whats said about each other by the other. At some point this is going to get under one or the others skin and is going to have an effect on the races.....
Thoughts?
Max's response to Lewis's comments in the pre-Russia interviews were quite bullish, flippant, windy-up-ish, i'm chilled out. But whose hurting who with the war of words between them?
They're both as arrogant as each other, maybe Max a bit more than Lewis, but it's hard to ignore whats said about each other by the other. At some point this is going to get under one or the others skin and is going to have an effect on the races.....
Thoughts?
Max has the benefit of being young, so naturally more bullish and confident. I also feel the Dutch very 'matter of fact' outlook is probably quite helpful. I'm undecided whether Max is just being frank and straightforward (which he has always seemed) or is playing his side of the game with Lewis.
Lewis obviously has 7 titles to swing around and the associated experience, and knows every trick in the book on and off track and no doubt has more tools at his disposal beyond just his excellent driving.
I feel Lewis is more one to dwell on things and think about them, and to then turn that nervous energy in to motivation to be more productive and work harder, whereas it feels like Max has the (remarkably relaxed) outlook that he basically needs to drive the best he can, and we'll see what happens, if he does a better job he'll win, if not, he won't.
Lewis obviously has 7 titles to swing around and the associated experience, and knows every trick in the book on and off track and no doubt has more tools at his disposal beyond just his excellent driving.
I feel Lewis is more one to dwell on things and think about them, and to then turn that nervous energy in to motivation to be more productive and work harder, whereas it feels like Max has the (remarkably relaxed) outlook that he basically needs to drive the best he can, and we'll see what happens, if he does a better job he'll win, if not, he won't.
It's the same at election time.... the sitting Prime Minister always looks more Prime Ministerial because they are the Prime Minister. This can make it harder - physically and psychologically for opponents to overcome.
Max speaks with ambivalence but he's demonstrating a little desperation in his driving as the season goes on that would suggest he's struggling to more than Lewis.
Max speaks with ambivalence but he's demonstrating a little desperation in his driving as the season goes on that would suggest he's struggling to more than Lewis.
StevieBee said:
It's the same at election time.... the sitting Prime Minister always looks more Prime Ministerial because they are the Prime Minister. This can make it harder - physically and psychologically for opponents to overcome.
Max speaks with ambivalence but he's demonstrating a little desperation in his driving as the season goes on that would suggest he's struggling to more than Lewis.
Agree with this, also Lewis has put the idea in his head, Max hasn't done anything except try to refute it. So he's on the backfootMax speaks with ambivalence but he's demonstrating a little desperation in his driving as the season goes on that would suggest he's struggling to more than Lewis.
StevieBee said:
Max speaks with ambivalence but he's demonstrating a little desperation in his driving as the season goes on that would suggest he's struggling to more than Lewis.
I'm not sure if it is desperation in his driving. Taking the Monza crash, I think Max would have gone for that move at any point in the season, or last season, or whenever. The difference over the course of this season has been because now that it's important to score as many points as possible, Lewis isn't going to back out of the way any more.If Lewis was in the same mindset earlier in the season, they'd have collided more, but obviously thinking of the long game, Lewis was initially happy to concede the place and fight another day. From Silverstone onwards, Lewis is now aware he doesn't have enough races left to yield to Max and pick up the points later in the season, he now needs to fight back.
They're two excellent drivers in competitive enough cars who (now) will not back down / yield to their opposite number. It's going to be a spicey rest of the season!
This weekend is going to be crucial in the championship. Assuming no mechanical failures, Lewis is very likely to win the race, and Max needs to find as many points as possible coming through the field from the back of the grid.
I have a feeling that a few of the more senior gentlemen on the grid noticed Mr Verstappen’s “Let me through or we crash” attitude in the last race, and that he’s going to find passing somewhat more difficult this weekend as a result.
Max has had the faster car over the season, and if he keeps his head together he really should be champion. For Lewis, well he’s been here before, every year for more than a decade. It’s MV’s title to lose, and it’s starting to get to him.
I have a feeling that a few of the more senior gentlemen on the grid noticed Mr Verstappen’s “Let me through or we crash” attitude in the last race, and that he’s going to find passing somewhat more difficult this weekend as a result.
Max has had the faster car over the season, and if he keeps his head together he really should be champion. For Lewis, well he’s been here before, every year for more than a decade. It’s MV’s title to lose, and it’s starting to get to him.
Schumacher went to a very dark corner of his mind on many occasions in his career. He was capable of dicing within millimeters of opponents for many laps, however, when it came to losing a championship or not he would do anything unsavory to be the champion.
I feel that Max has the same makeup as Schumi, but has a lesser ability to dice in close proximity from corner to corner. Monza was either a cynical points grab or a lack of circumspection. I know which one I would put my money on if there was an FIA polygraph.
Lewis is a known clean racer - apart from his wtf 2011 season - and will race toe to toe at 10 tenths. I do not think he is of the mindset to want to win by default. Even in the last race in 2016 he did not do anything extreme against Nico and I do not think that he will with Max. He has upped his resistance to Max's "move out of my way" - hence the understeer into Max at Silverstone, when Max kept a tighter line than was necessary (he did not steer into LH imo) with the unfortunate consequence of Lewis not being able to turn into the apex more because he was understeering.
But obviously, whaddaIknow...
It's going to be interesting, but I think with the coming races more suiting the RBR, Max should win the WDC...although would like Lewis to.
I feel that Max has the same makeup as Schumi, but has a lesser ability to dice in close proximity from corner to corner. Monza was either a cynical points grab or a lack of circumspection. I know which one I would put my money on if there was an FIA polygraph.
Lewis is a known clean racer - apart from his wtf 2011 season - and will race toe to toe at 10 tenths. I do not think he is of the mindset to want to win by default. Even in the last race in 2016 he did not do anything extreme against Nico and I do not think that he will with Max. He has upped his resistance to Max's "move out of my way" - hence the understeer into Max at Silverstone, when Max kept a tighter line than was necessary (he did not steer into LH imo) with the unfortunate consequence of Lewis not being able to turn into the apex more because he was understeering.
But obviously, whaddaIknow...
It's going to be interesting, but I think with the coming races more suiting the RBR, Max should win the WDC...although would like Lewis to.
Hard to say who has the advantage.
For the first quarter of the year I would have said Lewis but RBR have the slightly quicker car and Max has been getting it done.
British GP was rather telling. Lewis backed out at Copse for the the Sprint race but not for the GP. Feels like its now squeaky bum time for Lewis.
Max thinks he's Moses parting the Red Sea with his all or nothing approach and expects rivals to move out of the way for him. I can see him lose the WDC due to petulance. He will either learn from it and refine his racecraft or it will rile him into thinking the world is against him. It's not a good thing to take things personally when a race car is your day job.
For the first quarter of the year I would have said Lewis but RBR have the slightly quicker car and Max has been getting it done.
British GP was rather telling. Lewis backed out at Copse for the the Sprint race but not for the GP. Feels like its now squeaky bum time for Lewis.
Max thinks he's Moses parting the Red Sea with his all or nothing approach and expects rivals to move out of the way for him. I can see him lose the WDC due to petulance. He will either learn from it and refine his racecraft or it will rile him into thinking the world is against him. It's not a good thing to take things personally when a race car is your day job.
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