dragoll

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  • #333680
    dragoll
    Participant

    I think I’ll let others do the ratings, however, I’ll post a few positive and negative comments of some of the key drivers.

    Vettel
    + Solidified himself in the Ferrari team as the #1 driver (I’m not talking about his performance blowing kimi out of the park, but whenever there was a call from Ferrari on track, it always favored Vettel).
    – His form towards the end of the season was what I would call focused aggression. This doesn’t suit his driving style though and he made a lot of mistakes because of the over hyped aggression. I think he performs better when things are in harmony.

    Hamilton
    + Proved to be one of the faster drivers in the season, dominated many races and race weekends.
    – His attitude outside of the car hurt him more than it did Rosberg and I think that ROS ended up winning the championship because he didn’t let Hamilton’s antics get to him.

    Rosberg
    + The most consistent driver all year. He may have the best car, but this year he took the championship by winning everything that Lewis couldn’t, and then settling for 2nd when he couldn’t win. Very reminiscent of Prost. I also think that Rosberg showed maturity, and that was able to withstand the grandstanding from Hamilton.
    – He’s not faster than Lewis in a straight fight, but he didn’t need to be.

    Verstappen
    + Following in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna, essentially upsetting the accepted F1 establishment by pushing the boundaries of good manners. As Schumi and Senna would atest to, being nice doesn’t win championships. Verstappens fierce overtaking and blocking this year was used at the right places and in the right times for his own advantage.
    – He is impetuous, and tends to gamble on making tough moves, which can cause him problems, like it did in Mexico.

    Wehrlein
    + Incredibly fast and on top of it, consistent… He put the Mannor into Q2 several times this year.
    – Very much a rookie year, with some very big mistakes, like the one in Qualy in Malaysia where he hit a bump in damp conditions and aquaplaned off.

    Hulkenberg
    + Arguably a great season, solid drives, week in and week out. Had a few unlucky moments, like getting taken out at the start of Singapore, but had such solid drives each race weekend.
    – Beaten by Cecco in the WDC.

    #330556
    dragoll
    Participant

    I just sunk 30mins into catching up on this thread… Amazing stuff…

    #330324
    dragoll
    Participant

    @rob91 I think you’re being a little melodramatic, because there are countless overtakes that take place that don’t involve DRS or contact. I do agree however, that overtaking is difficult, but that makes it well worth waiting for. If there is a long build up and a great battle ensues because a driver is on the offensive, while the other is on the defensive, then that is a great talking point of the race. However, I liken this to Football, if you got rid of goal keepers or made the goals 5m bigger, then the sport wouldn’t have the same amount of tension, as its too easy to score. While I don’t like DRS, I think its necessary because without it, we get Trulli trains, and they weren’t fun to watch.

    I will be interested to see next year if wider tyres and standardised rear wings will help to promote overtaking or not.

    #329778
    dragoll
    Participant

    @brickles It’s funny isn’t it, that is virtually the same incident, the only difference is you could clearly see Schumacher reacting to DC’s move very quickly and Schumi got out of his way, but it was very light contact.

    I look at both the incidents and in my mind I feel Rosberg’s move is clumsy and overly aggressive, where as, I feel DC’s move is aggressive but doesn’t look as clumsy. But logic dictates that it is the same move, but to me the 2 moves feel different.

    But credit where credit is due, that’s a great point you’ve raised @brickles, I cannot really explain the difference other than a feeling I get.

    #329710
    dragoll
    Participant

    @craig-o

    Aggressive, yes, but we have been crying out for that from Rosberg for years now.

    While I agree that Rosberg is a bit of a wet fish when it comes to wheel to wheel racing, it seems as though when he gets his elbows out, he seems to look clumsy. Austria this year is one case in point.


    @lolzerbob

    When Rosberg does it it’s not fair but Bianchi’s move was identical. It was tough but fair and that’s the racing we want to see

    This is the comment so far has made me think twice about my views on the incident. For those who haven’t seen the overtake, Bianchi Monaco 2014. I think the reason why it has me thinking is that I too agree that this is a great overtake. I think though that you need to take this in context, you just can’t pass at Monaco, so I think some leeway is acceptable, further to that point, Bianchi didn’t damage the Caterham he was passing.

    I believe my point at the moment still stands though. I don’t believe you can barge your way through and damage the guy ahead of you just to make a pass, it isn’t fair on the guy in front, in this case Kimi, the rest of his race is compromised because of an overtake. Imagine if it was Hamilton, there would be untold cries of foul play.

    Unless someone can provide some more evidence for me to consider? I’m open to changing my mind, but at the moment I can’t see it.

    #329709
    dragoll
    Participant

    @brickles

    It was pretty much an identical move to the one Coulthard did to Schumacher in 1999.

    Is there a video online of the pass you are talking of, I cannot remember that one.
    I found one of Coulthard passing Schumi in 2000 at Magny and there was contact, but wasn’t as forceful as Rosberg.
    2000 Magny Cours – Coulthard passes Schumacher

    #316430
    dragoll
    Participant

    Felippe Massa missed the rest of the 2009 season, after the injuries he sustained by the debris that hit his helmet in Hungary.

    #311730
    dragoll
    Participant

    This one from Hamilton in a GP2 is amazing at Becketts

    #311729
    dragoll
    Participant

    If you don’t like the V8 supercars, maybe something like WEC 2014 at Fuji, where a backmarker caused a moment and Olivier Pla managed to overtake around the outside.

    #311728
    dragoll
    Participant

    Here is another one in the dry for the V8 Supercars last year at the Adelaide street track (a modified version of the one that the F1s raced at)
    Watch the lead up and the overtake, and then keep watching to the end of the race.

    #311727
    dragoll
    Participant

    Ok, let me throw this one into the mix. I love wet weather overtakes, because they’re very opportunistic, but this one captures the moment so well. If you want to feel the build up and how tense it is, watch the video, as there is a minute lead in to this where you can see the struggle for traction.

    #311336
    dragoll
    Participant

    @keithcollantine with the awaiting moderation thing in the live thing, I noticed it was so strict I couldn’t mention Nobaru Mat’s full surname at all, this became a problem when he won the GP2 race last year :P

    #311335
    dragoll
    Participant

    This year’s introduction of the weekend race wrap-up was great. There is so much motorsport going on these days its hard to keep in touch with all of it, and sometimes there are some noteworthy achievements, even if its from Nascar, which isn’t exactly my sort of racing.

    I like the idea of liking comments, but don’t sort these, then it turns into something like reddit where everyone follows the sheep type of deal, and ppl make comments to win praise, but a simple like where ppl can agree with other ppls comments is a nice touch.

    I also would like the technical posts as well, however, understand that this really is a niche speciality, perhaps a special round-up of technical articles instead, there are many places like f1tech and autosport regularly do features, so perhaps a monthly round-up of technical posts in a special article would be good.

    #310521
    dragoll
    Participant

    @hunocsi While I respect your opinion to have Hamilton as number 1, I’d like to point out that your reasoning doesn’t stack up given Hamiltons drop in form at the end of the season. Granted he no longer needed to push, however, if you’re citing 2 bad races that Vettel had, Hamilton lost the last 3 races to Rosberg.

    #310293
    dragoll
    Participant

    1. Vettel – His move to Ferrari has reignited his passion for the sport, and he has found something to fight for. His victories this season have not been expected by the fans, nor from Ferrari themselves. His consistency and regular podium positions meant that he put Rosberg’s 2nd place finish in the championship in some doubt. I think that the switch to Ferrari has proven to all F1 fans that this German is quick and is deserved of his 4 titles.

    2. Hamilton – No matter what you may think of him off the track, on it, he races hard, and he races to win. There is no more that could of been asked of him during the season, he easily had it over his teammate all year. The blip at the end of the season doesn’t overshadow a dominant championship winnning performance.

    3. Verstappen – Mad Max has been epic this season. I remember when the likes of Alonso and Schumacher burst onto the scene in cars that were at the back of the grid and make their mark. We may be watching one of the single greatest drivers of all time. His overtaking has been breathtaking, and his have a go attitude is refreshing in a field full of drivers who seldom take risks. He has made mistakes, Monaco being the biggest, but if you’re racing at the limit and you never make a mistake, then you aren’t trying. I look forward to his 2nd season in F1, because while there is no expectations upon him this year, next year the eyes of the paddock and the world will be.

    4. Ricciardo – This position was by far the hardest to select, I think the top 3 were just a notch higher than the pack. Of the pack, I think Ricciardo was just a fraction more consistent than most, he started the season on a high, but it trailed off once the RBR/Renault tension escalated and it became clear that the car would not improve. He finished behind his teammate on points, however, drives like Hungary where you could see the honey badger literally throw his car around, shows that this young kid is our best hope yet at seeing our first Australian F1 champion since Alan Jones in 1980.

    5. Kyvat – I really do think it was close between Ricciardo and Kyvat, and Danil’s consistency is what got him over the line on points over his teammate. However, the opening of the season saw Kyvat really struggling to integrate into the RBR team, especially given the rapport that Ricciardo has with the team and the entire paddock. It is hard for me to recall an impressive race by the young Russian.

    6. Massa – I have always felt that Massa was at his best in 97 at Ferrari, and I think his early performances in that season lost him the championship, from that point on, he has always been a number 2 driver in my eyes. This year, I actually have questioned my long held view on him, or is this a case that his Finish teammate is over hyped in comparison? Whatever the situation is, Massa has earned this position with consistent solid drives, with a few stand out performances.

    7. Rosberg – I’m being generous adding him in this position, I think that his performance this year is nothing short of lack lustre and has been completely out classed by Hamilton every step of the way. In my view, even his wins in the last 3 races aren’t enough to justify Rosberg’s selection in the top 6 drivers of the year. These wins, while important for his morale for next year, are essentially off the back of a dismal season, Hamilton not only beat him, but pushed him around on the track like a ragdoll, and Rosbergs only defense was a whinging “he pushed me wide” statement after the fact. He continues to make critical errors when the pressure is on, losing the race at COTA is just one of these examples. In my view, Rosberg has sealed the deal, he is and will be remembered by most F1 fans, a number 2 driver.

    8. Hulkenberg – I think that of all the drivers on the grid, that Hulkenberg will be remembered as the guy with the most natural talent that never got a break in F1. Many people will cite his lack of consistency as a negative, however, I look at Hulkenberg slightly differently, yes he seems to have awesome weekends, however, when he isn’t having an awesome weekend he is still finishing in or near the points in car that is a little hit and miss on pace. Whereas, his teammate is truly hot and cold in comparison. A special note as well about his performance in Le Mans, the Hulk has shown us that perhaps will be remembered as the most versatile race driver that has ever been, take a look at the cars he has driven to get into F1 and see how he dominated most of those classes.

    9. Perez – It was close between the 2 force india drivers, because of the inconsistencies both demonstrated, however, in my view Perez’s bad races means that he’s struggling to even salvage a point from his result where Hulkenberg typically found himself in the points. Perez at Mexico will remain a highlight for me, the crowds reaction to the Mexican driver each lap was sensational, and Perez himself lifted because of it.

    10. Sainz – If Verstappen wasn’t such a sensation, I think we would be talking about how solid a year Sainz’s has had. However, while I say solid, I still think there is something a little mundane about this driver. He takes no risks, he feels like a Jarno Trulli to me, a guy who will be happy to plod around in his current position and protect that place, rather than finding a way of improving his placing. However, this is his first full f1 season and he has done extremely well for a rookie, and his performances have outshone some of F1’s more senior drivers.

    Its been almost 2 hours writing this post, so I might just list the rest :P

    11. Maldonado – treated unfairly by most this year, has improved on consistency.
    12. Grosjean – should join the #occupy movement, as he has been anonymous in 2015.
    13. Bottas – he probably deserves to be higher, but I think he just wasted his own time in F1 this year.
    14. Nasr – great start in Australia, the Sauber was anonymous for the remainder.
    15. Button – showed that even a polished honda, is still an earth dreams nightmare.
    16. Alonso – provided the greatest f1 meme of all time.
    17. Raikkonen – he may no longer know what he’s doing.
    18. Rossi – demonstrated the talent pool in GP2 runs very deep.
    19. Ericsson – showed some promise, but very little overall.
    20. Mehri – he is so good that I can’t remember the last time I saw him or his car on TV.
    21. Stevens – making up the numbers, both on track in Manors back pocket.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 205 total)