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Seeing that’s the case with Vandoorne being demoted, a massive opportunity has opened up for Magnussen to get some good points on the board and extend his lead.
Alonso in Silverstone 2010 is another good one…
‘Ok I don’t want any more rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrradio for the race please’
Andre Stella: ‘No problem mate, no problem.’
And there’s Hamilton in Australia earlier that season
Hamilton: ‘Who told me to call me in? – Fricking terrible idea’
Kimi in Spa last year
Kimi: ‘I know what I’m doing so just be quiet.’
Paul Di Resta. Outshone by teammate over season, appears to be a solid driver but has not
displayed any outstanding pace over the season.
First half 5/10, second half 5/10.I’m sure Di Resta & Hulkenberg were a match for each other both on-track & statistically, up until the point where the Hulkenberg to Sauber was announced, Hulkenberg seemingly upped his game & comprehensively out-performed Di Resta in every department, with the latter having no apparent answer. A reverse effect to Perez’s to say the least, after his move to McLaren was announced. Differences in maturity & mentality?
Fernando Alonso – My admiration for Alonso is just constantly growing: his ability to consistently extract the maximum out of whatever tools he has been given is something inspiring but controversial, examples of the latter being his acts of gamesmanship on the team radio in Bahrain & Monza. To the positives again, his philosophy in working with the numbers & odds created from the events of previous races as well as persevering to compensate for the fact that the F2012 arguably hasn’t been the quickest package on a single race weekend (with the probable exception of Silverstone & perhaps Monza as well) is somewhat extraordinary. He’s been almost immaculate & I say almost because he has frankly made a few mistakes, most recently during the race in Interlagos when he ran wide at Turn 1 & one will remember Q2 in Australia, triggered by that diligence of his of trying to get the most out of his machinery, with his reaction when getting out of the cockpit being understandably one of annoyance. Unquestionably, this has been Alonso’s best season yet as he approaches the end of his prime years although having mentioned that & witnessed his brilliance throughout the season, you wonder when that 3rd world title of his will come & how long will it keep eluding him because personally – once Alonso gets his 3rd world title, he’ll edge Lauda in terms of the all-time greats.
Lewis Hamilton – Hamilton’s driving this season has been akin to Alonso’s in the sense that his performances have been incredibly consistent & almost flawless, I can’t honestly think of any on-track mistakes he’s made, it’s queer how that can be said for Hamilton but not Alonso. I remember Lewis saying earlier in the year how he wanted to implement consistency into his approach to racing but that should naturally come from the very best drivers on the grid, that including Lewis & I think that’s what he acknowledged after Valencia at least, when that elusive run of scoring in every race was broken by his incident with Maldonado. I was a bit concerned when his qualifying pace that was instantly demonstrated in Australia & Malaysia didn’t quite translate to race winning pace, being outclassed by Button in Australia & having a subdued drive to 3rd in Malaysia but ultimately it showed up in Canada & could have become apparent earlier in Spain had the human error from his team of under-fuelling the car, not happened. A notable mention is his win in Austin, from my perspective it showed that out of him & Vettel, he was the better driver, given that the McLaren & Red Bull were on-par on both qualifying & race pace & to immediately get back pass Webber after losing out to him at the start, hunt down Vettel, stay glued to the Red Bull until backmarkers presented him with the opportunity he determinedly took, was a demonstration of cunning & calculated race-craft. His composed victories were in the form of Hungary & Monza.
All in all, what could’ve been a 2nd world title wasn’t to be: due to a number of operational errors involving pit-stops, virtue to his team as well as misfortune in the form of being involved in first-lap incidents such as Hockenheim & Spa that were through no fault of his own all losing him vital points & compounding it all is his car cruelly costing him likely victories at Singapore & Abu Dhabi. His continuation of succeeding wins with DNFs is just a symbol of what has partly been the story of Hamilton’s career so far, I hope the fresh perception & breathing space he hopefully gets at Mercedes will reward his talent deservedly, through Alonso-esque performances in consistently getting that Merc to places it shouldn’t be in as well as excelling gracefully when they produce a great package, which is likely in 2014.
Both of those drivers have really consistent & taintless in regards to what they can do in their machinery, one main thing they have scared in common this season: they haven’t been matched with the machinery they truly deserve. I can’t rank them separately, they’re both #1 quite frankly.
Notable mentions:
Pastor Maldonado – Putting his hysterical antics aside, he is blindingly fast over one-lap, as the season progressed & the occasions where the Williams have had a package that was ‘best of the rest’, my anticipation of his final Q3 runs increased, I don’t know if they thought he put the car in places where they wouldn’t consider it to be, Barcelona, Valencia & Singapore to name a few, but that’s what I think & I liken it to Vettel’s ability to dig that bit deeper for extra time on that final lap. Although, his race-craft pretty much needs to be nurtured for next season. That is all. If he was to channel his race-craft effectively coupled with his evident raw speed, I think Maldonado, along with Hulkenberg & Perez, is going to be a future protagonist in the sport.
Kimi Raikkonen – The ultra-consistent, on par with the consistency Alonso & Hamilton, if anything superior. His tentative & scrupulous race-craft overall has been served with benefits rather than hindrance & it was great to see many viewing him as a title-contender at the middle of the season. Liking the dynamics he’s providing in regards to personalities in the sport, take him being the team-radio in Abu Dhabi as a primary example. In summary, superb comeback season from him.
Romain Grosjean – Like Maldonado, that raw speed is evident through performances at Bahrain & Valencia, his overtakes on Hamilton in both of those races shows his overtaking ability is good too but ‘RoGro’ needs to use the winter-break to go back to the drawing board & fully evaluate his approach to race-starts & potentially his race-craft as well because given that he’s very much likely to be confirmed for next season at Lotus, I honestly believe that at least at Lotus, he has one final chance to show what he’s made of.
Felipe Massa – That first half of the season; astonishingly woeful. The times when many were calling for Perez to replace him mid-season…
Particularly in the latter stages of the season, since that podium in Suzuka, I think he has returned to form likened to one visible prior to 2010 I must say, his race-pace in Korea, being quicker than his Alonso, was a true demonstration of that as well as his qualifying performances since Suzuka, either matching or out-qualifying Alonso. But even before Suzuka, the signs were a bit visible: keeping up with the leading pack in Monaco, finishing just 6 seconds behind race winner Webber, the latter who Massa was catching in Canada before his spin, again an encouraging performance in Silverstone, finishing not far behind Alonso in 2nd & matching Vettel’s pace for a good portion of the race along with some others. There’s no denying, along with other drivers, he’s had misfortune also: caught up in the first-lap incident in Hockenheim, I believe afterwards he was matching the pace of Alonso, who was leading out in front, losing out & being stuck behind Senna in Hungary.
It was nice to see Felipe take an emotional podium in Interlagos, hope it serves as a potent positive to carry over his strong end to the season & really come strong next season. Looking forward!
@KingShark Kimi also won only one race last season [2012] & was arguably the most consistent driver in both of those seasons.
We could go on & on about this season – but to name a few personally:
-Schumacher’s pole in Monaco sent me hysterical to the point where I was laughing on my way to the bathroom because simply it was unexpected. I was really elated for him & great for the nature of the season at that point.
-Button’s serene & sublime drive in Australia was one that thought he built on his 2011 form & taken himself up another level, little did we know ultimately that would not come to fruition sufficiently, with his form vanishing in mid-season & from that point, even with the upgrades at Hockenheim coupled with the fact that he revealed that the MP4-27 was the hardest McLaren chassis he’s driven, culminated in inconsistency.
-Rosberg isolating himself in China from the overwhelming field that consisted of different tyre strategies, to claim his maiden win that quite frankly originated from his near-perfect pole lap.
-Alonso carrying the Spanish flag with pure humanity on the team radio, after his emphatic & valiant win at Valencia coming through the field & being in the right position to make the most of Vettel & Grosjean’s misfortunes with their alternators.
-Hamilton deservedly earning his elusive win in regards to one for departing McLaren, via fighting through wheel to wheel combat with both Red Bulls, particularly with Vettel in the latter stages of the race, really loved seeing the two fighting in almost equal machinery as well as being on the same type of strategy.
-For overtakes, Alonso on Grosjean at Valencia & Massa on Senna at Singapore were one of calculation & audacity respectively. Other laudable mentions are Vettel on Rosberg at Australia, Hamilton on Alonso at Silverstone & Hamilton on the two Toro Rossos at Spain whilst making his way from the back of the grid after the exclusion from qualifying.
-Mayhem & Hysteria? I’d go for the first corner massacre at Spa & the Williams’ fire at Spain after the race, I don’t think any others will be superior to those although on the other hand, Safety was one of extreme importance in both, in which called for Motorsport to seek for potential increments to improve safety further.
-One that is the most peculiar: I constantly watch Hamilton’s pole lap in Australia and wonder that, that was the point where I think in hindsight ‘little did I know the season that was in store’ & actually think of it, as a McLaren fan, as well as the front-row lockout as a distant memory given the absurd season McLaren went on to have and that the front-row lockout in Interlagos today was just a full circle.
5.) Lewis made a 2-stopped work in what looked to be at least a 3-4 stop race on the circuit with the worst tyre wear on the calendar.
@Kingshark I think you’ve misidentified Barcelona’s history of excessive tyre wear for Barcelona being track where a car’s aerodynamics is tested. For the track with the most demand on tyre wear, it has to be Canada or Singapore.
It’s an utter shame that my fascinating & really engaging topic – has turned into some ridiculous personal banter, the latter is not the purpose of the topic & I’m sure that Keith disapproves of this.
Since I’m an open-minded, indulgent person, I’m not going to close this topic but leave you with my personal ratings:
Qualifying speed
1.) Hamilton
2.) Vettel
3.) AlonsoOvertaking
1.) Hamilton
2.) Alonso
3.) VettelConsistency
1.) Alonso
2.) Vettel
3.) HamiltonTechnicality
1.) Vettel
2.) Alonso
3.) HamiltonCar setup
1.) Alonso
2.) Vettel
3.) HamiltonRace starts
1.) Alonso
2.) Vettel
2.) HamiltonSpeed in wet/mixed conditions
1.) Hamilton
2.) Alonso
3.) VettelDecision-making
1.) Alonso
2.) Vettel
3.) HamiltonCommunication with team-personnel
1.) Alonso
2.) Vettel
3.) HamiltonPersonality – I’m going to give them a fair share given that everyone’s different at the end of the day with their unique personas.
1.) Vettel
1.) Alonso
1.) HamiltonAlonso – 1s: 7
2s: 2
3s: 1Hamilton – 1s: 4
2s: 0
3s: 6Vettel – 1s: 2
2s: 6
3s: 2Just to add my view & probably conclude this all – the WHOLE reason why Vettel gets the stick he does is because he constantly dominates with superior machinery that he has stuck on the front of the grid, the primary theme of the Vettel hatred is down to how proven he is in difficult circumstances such as having inferior machinery or not leading a race generally, we’ve seen flaws & cracks in him in the past, his 2010 season being a primary case but that has begun to disappear & is still disappearing as of now & races such as Silverstone in 2010, Monza last year & Australia this year, for those questioning his race craft or ability to race when not leading, have demonstrated audacity from him when it’s vitally required to gain positions as soon as possible.
People say that – when Hamilton or Alonso leads from the front, whether it’s on the front row or pole position, it’s guaranteed some track action or a lead that’s deservedly earned throughout valiance, remember this, they have both been in positions in their careers where they have had superior machinery regardless if their nearest competition was a Ferrari or a McLaren or even Red Bull, they still demonstrated through dominance & composure in the particular races, that in their hands, their car was the best (or fastest) in qualifying or race day. Answer this – regardless of how boring or dull you find his wins, isn’t that what Vettel, in 2010, 2011 & this season has done? Two things – a driver can’t & WON’T slow down for the sake of entertainment for others (they hope it unfolds naturally of course for the fans) & a car doesn’t drive itself (in the form of ABS, TC & active suspension, compare those innovations to blown diffusers & exhaust systems) & for the best car to win, it needs a driver with a great amount of competence.
Hamilton is one who’s renowned for his natural talent & enviable speed that stands out from all drivers quite frankly, one with the most fascinating, exhilarating & combative driving style, which involves his uncanny overtaking ability, in other words, on par with Vettel, he’s the fastest driver on the grid today. What worries me about him of current is not his consistency in his performance, but the consistency of his surroundings, how well positioned he is to gain the results he deserves given the machinery, hence why I miss the 2007 & 2008 Lewis, despite not watching F1 at the time, because of the natural consistency he showed, a radical example is his first nine races. His independence is another area for concern, as noted above, he hasn’t demonstrated the responsibility of making decisions for himself or stepping away from his team & going with his views, it’s comprehensive to think that the team would know better but ultimately there has to be situations where your views conflicts that of your team’s & the desire to be correct must be of most importance, not the desire to fit in & conform to decisions made by others.
Alonso, as many view & interpret & perhaps what the experiment shows, is the most complete driver of them all. Doesn’t make my experiment a foregone conclusion or a waste of time from others’ perspective but – back to him as a driver, unquestionably one we see today that constantly puts in lap after lap after lap that are virtually on the limit of the car’s capabilities & whatever is given to him on a plate, he makes the most of it, particularly out of other drivers’ misfortune, he’s one that can play the long game that requires patience, calmness & consistency, all in all, it’s all tactical with Alonso & to occasionally, mythical. Whatever he’s got at his disposal & it goes to the finest of details (technicality) whether it’s experimenting with racing lines, KERS usage at a particular part of the track, it also stretches to psychology too, one can think of Valencia & Germany this year when Hamilton & Button respectively, were chasing him for the lead, the ultimate results ending in Alonso taking controlled & enviable wins it must be said, with the McLaren drivers wearing out their tyres & hitting trouble, there’s the gamesmanship side as well in the form of his radio messages that are seemingly directed to the stewards in response to incidents he’s been involved in (Rosberg in Bahrain & Vettel in Monza this year). He can bloody well overtake & calculate moves with precision prior to committing to them.
Back to Vettel – I am saddened that he is putting himself in records that rank amid drivers that he shouldn’t compare nor contrast with, that Webber, annoyingly, for me can’t challenge him, that it is what it is, you can point fingers at Newey’s great intellect for all of Vettel’s success but – success is a part of racing, not just F1, it’s part of life & we just have to get on with it & enjoy what we’ve got.
Apologies for the long post but it had to be done…
This articles supports the topic I was actually going to post today, questioning the current points system & whether a change was needed.
The main reason for the introduction of the current points system back in 2010 was to provide more teams with an opportunity to score points, particularly the ‘new’ teams in Caterham (formerly Lotus), Marussia (formerly Virgin) & HRT, these teams now settled, yet to score their elusive point almost after three seasons since their entrances into the scene of the pinnacle of racing, & they still not demonstrating any encouraging signs that they are likely to score a point in the foresseable future (albeit Caterham in Valencia out-qualifying the Toro Rossos & with Petrov running in P11 at some stage I believe).
Personally, I’m beginning to dislike this points system now, just realised that there’s too much of a gap between 1st & 2nd in terms of difference in points scored (7, which equals the difference between 1st & 6th with the old system) & if a driver happens to score a DNF, especially when it’s through no fault of their own & plus they’re in a title battle, then they suffer immensely & quite frankly, unfairly. It also provides drivers in situations where they undeservedly in places they shouldn’t end up, clear example of this being after Vettel won in Bahrain to conclude the flyaways, after all his struggles with adapting to the RB exhaust systems & Webber arguably being the better driver if not on equal terms to Vettel, suddenly leapt up from 5th to leading the WDC from Hamilton heading to Spain. It was ridiculous for me to witness, first thought was ‘unbelievable, this guy has all his struggles, yet he leads the championship after the flyaway races’. I know it’s racing to some extent, life as well & stats are not meant to reflect performance all the time but… what I’m trying to imply is that a lot is lost from this current points system & it’s overly punishing.
Oh – & let’s not talk about the recent example. Suzuka.
I suppose looking at BBC’s options this season, it’s mainly determined by costs and expenses in terms of equipment, travel and other resources.
Although this topic is requesting for our personal preferences so:
1. Australia
2. China
3. Monaco
4. Canada
5. Silverstone
6. Spa
7. Monza
8. Japan
9. Austin
10. BrazilI’ve tried to implement choices that are of thought about travel expenses, races that are likely to provide excitement obviously and the amount of potential back-to-back races in terms of streaming live. (E.g Monaco-Canada and Spa-Monza)
Massa’s move on Bruno was spectacular: sideways mid-corner after firmly touching both car & barrier, one of the moves that defined real racing, especially in the era of tyre conservation.
I don’t see how Valsecchi & Razia’s relatively long experience in GP2 is of an hindrance in their need to step up to the next level. Glock spent just over half the duration Valsecchi & Razia have spent before becoming GP2 champion, so did Maldonado, even though his sponsorship was an influence in him getting a seat at Williams & Grosjean was in & out of GP2 obviously due to his horrid half-season at Renault in 2009. If we’re discussing about the amount of years spent in GP2 then Van Der Garde should be no exception.
If anything, their experience should smoothen their step up to the next level of Motorsport rather than hinder it, whether it’s F1 or another single-seater series for them is questionable at this present but the gained knowledge of car setup, experience on tracks out of Europe (Bahrain, Malaysia & Singapore) & importantly for them personally, is the improvement & increased strength of them as drivers, it’s been better for them to improve in GP2 than jump to the next level & absolutely flop afterwards & lamenting in hindsight.
what does Sebastian Vettel need to do to get any recognition?
Now that’s like me questioning myself why certain individuals not just on this site but social media have something against Lewis Hamilton.
Anyway, I don’t think recognition is the ‘issue’ with Vettel, it’s the success he’s had & his achievements & how & why he’s asserted the dominance he’s had in recent seasons & the perspectives it’s given fans (including myself). Think about it, you think a casual or insightful fan would really call a particular individual as great as the experts do if variables were controlled in the sense that in this case, all but one of his wins currently in his potentially lengthy career have been won from the front row.
So many times Vettel has been renowned for his technicality (exploitation of his equipment) & excellence in qualifying whilst seemingly his peers in Alonso & Hamilton have been renowned for their completion & natural talent respectively. So referring back to the question, again it’s not recognition it’s the circumstances he’s had his success in.
I’m not sure about the others but for me, Maldonado’s raw speed/talent has never been denied, which he has obviously demonstrated on multiple occasions this season (Barcelona and Valencia qualifying) but clearly it’s been overshadowed by his victimisation of drivers on track in his incidents, whether they’ve been deliberate (Monaco-Perez) or unintentional.
This is me sounding rather light-hearted regarding Maldonado because I’m normally used to cracking jokes after qualifying about potential incidents involving him & who’s his next victim, but I hope he has a strong race tomorrow & collect some solid points (& avoid ramming into someone else).
This is where I have to ask, again, what exactly have Senna, Prost, Clark, Fangio or Moss ever really done for F1?
For Senna that’s a bit of an understatement personally, he’s contributed in quite peculiar & notable ways in the sense that he inspired many many fans in his time, particularly in Brazil & with his compassionate, mystique character, inspires many today (including myself very much) as well as re-establishing the GPA, main intention being to improve safety, ironically his death is what paved way to modern motorsport being incredibly safe.
To respond to @matt90, I can understand where you’re coming from regarding Stewart’s massive influence on safety but I think persona & character are parts of packages in being a great (or rubbish) driver, think about it, If upcoming articles on Senna, Clark, Fangio & Moss as well as completed ones in Alonso, Hill, Stewart, Lauda & Villeneuve were to exclude any information on personality & character then how would the articles present itself? If I’m honest, they would look more obscure & poor to say the least.