LT42 It’s not possible that the best drivers in the world come exclusively from wealthy families.
Formula 1
Along_the_Wire Not saying that’s the case, mate. They might not be the best rally drivers or Motocross racers but they’re the best F1 drivers. It would be like saying there’s probably thousands of better players out there than Nadal or Messi.
You can be rich and spoiled and still not cut the mustard with a top F1 team, I’m sure there’s thousands that have tried and failed.
Any kind of motorsport, even karting is very expensive. There’s no way you can even get started without having a lot of money behind you but to get to F1, the drivers have to go through so many different racing series, anyone lacking the necessary talent, regardless of how much money their parents have would be found out before they got anywhere near an F1 car.
The best young drivers will be picked up by the major teams junior programmes at a very young age. Even for those drivers, the pressure to perform is immense and they are never far from being replaced by the next up and coming talent if they aren’t getting results.
The drivers that have fended off all of the competition, from their early teens or younger, usually become the top F1 drivers.
All I’m saying is that the talent pool is tiny from the very start.
Along_the_Wire You’re not wrong there. It’s a rich man’s sport.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/53630904
You’ve got to laugh at this ‘Eco Venture’. Basically we are going to travel to 5 remote locations in the world, transporting all the cars, kit and people using planes/ships/lorries to race E-SUVs across natural habitats.
Very thoughtful of your Lewis.
Vettel moving to Aston Martin.
rhouses Yeah, of course - but saying that he is “without doubt” the best driver/fastest on the grid etc etc is meaningless. I would LOVE to see him and Hamilton in the same car, as I reckon it’d be a fantastic match-up. I think Hamilton is the faster driver, but have no way of knowing that without seeing them in the same machinery - and no one really does…
I like Hamilton and don’t get where the hate comes from hides behind bookcase
LT42 Same. He said/did some daft stuff in his early career, but who doesn’t? Whenever you see him interviewed I think he comes across very well. He probably won’t get the recognition he deserves until he’s retired or dead.
You can’t really compare drivers across the generations, but he has to go down as one of the best there’s ever been, blisteringly fast in qualifying, outstanding wheel to wheel racer and has never resorted to dirty tricks to win, as other legends of the sport have (Senna, Schumacher).
rhouses The Red Bull is not far off the Merc in race trim, In fact, there have been races, this and last season where its been the better car. In qualifying, the Red Bull is definitely lacking, which does spoil the races somewhat.
I agree with Vinny that if you stick Hamilton and Verstappen in the same car, I reckon Hamilton still comes out on top over a season.
Hamilton came into F1 up against Alonso, (Straight off the back of 2 world championships with Renault). Hamilton should have won the championship that year, but for a couple of silly rookie errors, but more due to bad team decisions. Alonso had to resort to dirty tricks (blocking Hamilton in the pit lane during a qualifying session to stop him gettin pole). He still only managed to tie with him on points that year.
Verstappen’s team mates have all been relatively unproven, with the exception of Riccardo (who certainly isn’t of the same quality as Alonso in his prime).
People tend to forget the tough time Lewis had with McLaren after the 2008 championship… sure he had a dream rookie season against a bitter Alonso, but Jenson Button got the better of him a couple years later. And Nico Rosberg did the same for one season with the Mercedes. Lewis is definitely a GOAT contender and he’s one of the cleanest World Champions there is… no dirty tricks, just pure pace and amazing race craft. Have to admit I’ve warmed up to him this year. But at the same time, you can’t deny the machinery he’s in. The Red Bull is not in the same league as the Mercedes - the only reason they seem like they are is because of luck, avoidable strategy mistakes and some fleeting issues with tyre pressure this year. Put Lewis in a car that requires more work and grit to win a championship and he tends to get flustered, I can’t say the same about Max on the back of this season.
He might not be reaching Lewis, but what he’s doing to Bottas is good enough reason to believe he’s the quickest. That being said, in the same car, maybe I’d give it to Lewis too. Definitely up for debate.
Gotta feel for Checo… if anything tells you F1 is a rich white man’s sport.
rhouses yeah, this whole situation has worked out really badly for him, especially considering he was instrumental in saving the team when it looked to be going under. F1 is a cut throat business.
He’s a solid driver though and comes with some rich sponsors, I’d be surprised if he didn’t get a seat elsewhere. It probably won’t be as competitive as the one he’s just vacated though.
Your points on Hamilton, yeah he definately had a few rough years after 2008. In fact he just about scraped that one over the line, doing the bare minimum on the last lap.
His time up against Button was quite interesting if you look at the stats Hamilton was ahead on almost everything, wins, poles, fastest laps. Also had more DNF’s, which is what gave Button the edge, points wise over the seasons they were team mates.
Rosberg did a great job up against Hamilton on 2016 but had it not been for reliability issues on Hamiltons car, he would have taken the championship over Rosberg.
I’m not trying to dismiss Verstappen here, there’s no doubt he’s a fantastic driver and is certainly good enough to be a multiple world champion. Mercedes should break the bank to get him when Hamilton retires.
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Matt Tbf I was actually pushing for Hamilton the year Rosberg won. Rosberg played dirty and don’t think I’m being cynical when I say Mercedes wanted to see a German driver win it. The fact that he quit immediately means something wasn’t sitting right with him and he knew he was toast if he stuck around for the next year.
Hamilton was at his prima donna worst when Button was around… posting up confidential telemetry on social media like a twat. Constantly complaining, while Button just put his head down raced hard. I do like who he has become since then though. He’s been quality with Mercedes, and he’s also much less of a twat now.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Checo in a Red Bull, though I’m guessing it’s Haas.
can any of you F1 weirdos get hold of a Castrol GTX jacket?
Puma should have the Ferrari ones if you’re interested.