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benmc

Their entire lives have been dedicated to being F1 World Champion, not the most marketable face. When they were kids in go-karts it was the stuff of their wildest dreams. They weren't dreaming about contracts and Rolex watches and Autosport polls or whatever. Their whole lives have been all about w...

benmc

If we're looking at wheel-to-wheel racing ability then there's no doubt in my mind that the top three is Kimi, Alonso and Button and has been for a long time. I think the only doubt you can cast on any of those three is Kimi for some incidents he has had this year. For now, I would probably have to ...

benmc

Ricciardo without a shadow of a doubt. You could question whether he was the DOTD in his two previous wins. He drove well but things fell into his lap a little. You can argue the same happened today with the Lewis/Nico collision, but even with that taken into account, Ricciardo's drive was the compl...

benmc

I think the booing is sad. It reflects badly on the sport. But I guess that's what people who are blinded by hero-worship resort to when they feel their guy is hard done by (which, in fairness, he was).

benmc

15 wins from 14 years in F1, and one of those seasons he had a car like Vettel's unbeatable Red Bull, say what you want but the stats speak for themselves. I'm not against the guy being in F1 but a lot more people deserve his seat more than him. He will never ever win another race, probably not eve...

benmc

15 wins from 14 years in F1, and one of those seasons he had a car like Vettel's unbeatable Red Bull, say what you want but the stats speak for themselves. I'm not against the guy being in F1 but a lot more people deserve his seat more than him. He will never ever win another race, probably not eve...

benmc

https://twitter.com/adamcooperF1/status ... 7607448577

Now being reported by many reliable sources.

Good for the sport to see a US driver get an F1 shot, even though I'm not sure Rossi is the long-term answer. Seems to me like Marussia are simply swapping pay drivers.

benmc

Apologies if "bias" comes across as too strong. But I do think there is a general prejudice against Kimi during those years due to the (unfounded) allegations of lack of commitment, and I can't help but feel that sometimes people look to that first rather than other explanations. If it had been any...

benmc

My point was that to say Lewis' improvement was all down to the car while Kimi's was down to the driver upping his game is unfounded and just shows bias. Nothing you've said contradicts that as far as I'm concerned but you clearly remain convinced, so I guess we should leave it at that! You're righ...

benmc

However, this year, Red Bull had alternative options who are far more deserving than AFdC was last year. Both Sainz & Gasly are more ready at this stage. Verstappen could have had a year in Renault 3.5 while they gave one of their other two guys a chance. They also have Lynn, who's leading GP3 and ...

benmc

I have long been a supporter of the idea that if you are good enough, you are old enough. I was one of the few who said Toro Rosso were right to take Kvyat over da Costa last year. However, this year, Red Bull had alternative options who are far more deserving than AFdC was last year. Both Sainz & G...

benmc

And yet Kimi did improve. So either the car did or the driver did. And since neither Kimi nor Massa were getting consistent podiums in the first half of the year, it would seem much more logical to say that the car did. The car had the pace to score four podiums before Hungary, and points at all ot...

benmc

So all of three competitive races, four if you include Monaco, and the McLaren was slow at all others... That's comparable? Comparable to a car that had the pace to score podiums at four races and points at all nine? Sure. Neither of the Ferraris scored points in 9 races individually. They didn't. ...

benmc

Spa predictions...
1. Hamilton
2. Rosberg
3. Bottas
4. Ricciardo
5. Vettel
6. Alonso
7. Massa
8. Button
9. Raikkonen
10. Magnussen

benmc

If I say I don't see it I don't see it. Please don't put words in my mouth Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I took your earlier comment agreeing that you have to look at the season in context, as acknowledgement of the point I was making. Only in Bahrain, Monaco and Germany (where the big McLaren upda...

benmc

I don't see it, I'm afraid. The Ferraris didn't get any better results than the McLaren, excluding Monaco which is a bit of a special case anyway. You do see it, because you acknowledged it earlier... - Kimi was fighting for second in Melbourne when he crashed - Kimi was comfortably in the points i...

benmc

I agree context is important. The Ferraris normally barely scraped the top 10 in qualifying but usually made excellent starts due to their KERS, which gave them some advantage as overtaking was not particularly easy with the cars of that year. However, pace wise they were not really up there, as sh...

benmc

This talk of the Ferrari being improved after Massa's accident when they started to listen to Kimi is really a bit of a myth, they must have changed the car in the immediate aftermath then because the day after Massa's accident Kimi finished second in the race. Also lets not forget Massa's results ...

benmc

If he is such a beast of a driver, if he is such a master of the craft, if he is so demanding with strategy and team, WHY can he not win a championship. He will go down in history and the best driver ever (as some say) without ever winning a crown for Ferrari, the best team ever.... ohh I know, bec...

benmc

He's underrated. He might be even at an Alonso-level . Top driver, definitely. 2010 put a weak Williams car on pole, surprising everyone 2012 totally beat the highly rated Di Resta 2013 did amazing things with the Sauber 2014 no comments needed GO HULK!! Really surprised at that comment. I would ag...

benmc

In numerical order... Vettel - down, obviously. How far down depends on your perception of his season. He has driven well, had some bad luck and has been beaten by a sensational talent. Ricciardo - Way, way up. Looks to be the complete driver but it is impossible to judge given that the Red Bull guy...

benmc

Ok, here goes another one. In the history of modern F1 (1950 - 2013), what links the following and only the following drivers: John Surtees Graham Hill James Hunt Alan Jones Niki Lauda Nigel Mansell Damon Hill Michael Schumacher Lewis Hamilton This is beyond hard. Any clues? I.e team-mates/year of ...

benmc

if a car is not competitive at the start of the season Alonso is clearly the man to have to get some points, but the car is still a bad car, you have made no progress, i f you have bad data that does not correlate to the real world then your driver becomes an integral part of the development , prob...

benmc

I will rather have a driver that is super sensitive to a car, than one who could drive anything, as a sensitive driver will complain and demand and push development forward, a driver that can drive a mule fast will be driving that mule the whole season, or season after season after season. Complete...

benmc

I reckon, he is actually underrated. This year his stock has gone down thanks to Ricciardo and Bottas being on the rise, but last year he was considered Alonso-level by some. Only among the "your only good as your last race" crew. Put Hulk in a front running car and he'll be the goods. Bottas I agr...

benmc

I don't agree with the OPs assessment regarding podium finishes. He's only had two real opportunities. Yes, he should have taken both of them, but you can't judge a three-and-a-half year career on two races. That said, I do agree he is overrated. I agree with pokerman, he is on a similar level to Bu...

benmc

Of course, that renault was probably not the fastest car either year, Fernando Alonso is still a hell of a driver, the Ferraris he's driven have been pretty good too, and if it weren't for Red Bull he could have 4+ championships. it's all swings and roundabouts, but I think it's healthy to challeng...

benmc

Some absolute nonsense in this thread. I'm sure drivers have an influence on the car, particularly in terms of setup. But aero is the big key in car development and no F1 driver, as far as I'm aware, is an aerodynamicist. So their influence on development is strongly limited. For those saying the dr...

benmc

Bottas?... Crashed in Oz. Safety car for his own incident allowed him to catch pack. Outqualified by Massa in Malaysia and couldn't get past in the race. Outqualified in China, both involved in racing incidents at the start, Massa comes off worse. Qualifies ahead in Bahrain but convincing outraced ...

benmc

I'm not sure most of the money is there due to the drivers' standing as a commodity - otherwise, I suspect Hamilton would be by far and away the highest paid driver in the sport. But I think it is definitely a factor. why would he hamilton has some exposure but he's no david beckham when it comes t...

benmc

tl;dr Newey is more valuable than any driver but that doesn't mean you are going to pay him more than the highest-paid driver, because market forces dictate his value. If the F1 team is a jigsaw puzzle then Newey makes up a large part of that jigsaw puzzle because he contributes a large amount to R...

benmc

He "blew" Canada quali? Qualifying second, less than a tenth from pole. No he did not blow it. The same people will tell you that Rosberg is more than a match for Lewis. You can't have it both ways if you bash Lewis when Rosberg beats him by less than a tenth. He blew Austria qualifying, more than ...

benmc

He "blew" Canada quali? Qualifying second, less than a tenth from pole. No he did not blow it. The same people will tell you that Rosberg is more than a match for Lewis. You can't have it both ways if you bash Lewis when Rosberg beats him by less than a tenth. He blew Austria qualifying, more than ...

benmc

He's worth more than any driver IMO the drivers are doing something ultra special to even control the beast of the cars around the circuit. There are only a handful of people in the universe who can complete a lap in an F1 car without crashing. They are like Astronauts in that regard. Newey is more...

benmc

OK a quick and pointless extrapolation exercise Assumes all 3 continue winning at the same rate they have done to date in their careers (i.e % of wins from starts) all 3 retire age 36 all seasons have 19 races They'd end up with Vettel = 90 Hamilton = 53 Alonso = 40 soo.. 91 Schumacher 90 Vettel 53...

benmc

I'd love to say Hamilton, but he has made just as many mistakes as he has had bad luck. Not exactly. Yes he made mistakes in the quali sessions at Austria & Silverstone, and be spun at the start in Hungary, but he managed to rescue podiums from all three races and it is difficult to say if the mist...

benmc

I'd love to say Hamilton, but he has made just as many mistakes as he has had bad luck. Not exactly. Yes he made mistakes in the quali sessions at Austria & Silverstone, and be spun at the start in Hungary, but he managed to rescue podiums from all three races and it is difficult to say if the mist...

benmc

As if Dogboy's opinions are worth anything around here. Ought to have been taken with more than a pinch of salt by now. I don't really understand how Bottas can be considered a top three driver this season. I have him fifth, but some way behind my top four of Ricciardo, Lewis, Nando & Nico. For all ...

benmc

Ricciardo, Hamilton, Alonso in that order. Rosberg a very close 4th.

benmc

Dan and Bottas are easily the two best talents, but I would probably hire Hulk if I'm a team boss because he's a safe pair of hands who probably couldn't match Ricciardo for raw pace, at least not too often. The thing with Bottas is you have to consider how inexperienced he is, and who his team mate...

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