Thoughts? I have to say that personally I agree with them. Frank _____________________________ http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/21052010/23/red-bull-only-drivers-fear-f1-2010-title-fight.html Dr. Helmut Marko has asserted that there are only two rival drivers Red Bull Racing is wary of in the battle for the F1 2010 World Championship crown and the defending title-winner is not one of them. Heading next across the Bosphorus to Istanbul for the Turkish Grand Prix at the end of the month, Red Bull duo Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel currently sit tied atop the points standings, three markers clear of former double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso and eight ahead of 2009 king Jenson Button, who until Monaco last weekend led the way. To underline the energy drinks-backed outfits early-season superiority, no other team has yet to claim pole position in qualifying six races in, whilst of RBRs three victories to-date, two of them have been commanding one-twos, and arguably but for reliability woes and occasionally questionable strategy, the Milton Keynes-based squad could be unbeaten. Outspoken ex-grand prix ace Marko now a special advisor to Red Bull insists such form should come as no surprise, and revealed the team is so confident in its potential that it has narrowed down the drivers it sees as threats to Webber and Vettel to just two. There are two people that we fear for this world title, the 67-year-old Austrian told APA news agency. They are Fernando Alonso, because he is at his absolute peak, and Lewis Hamilton. What the others are doing bothers us not so much. With the package that we have, we clearly have to be going for the championship and in the coming years [too]. We have the people we need and the necessary tools to adapt to changes. We have had a winning car also in 2008 and 2009, so you cant say that its a fluke when you build a top car in three consecutive years.
It's obviously true. They fear the guys with the pace. Mercedes is a bit player this year, as was clearly evident within the first few races when Webber said as much.
The thread titles a little bit misleading as the reality is RBR are not saying anything, a "special advisor" to the team is making statements on their behalf. These statements may be based on conversations from within the team, but they are about as valid as a statement from the guy who provides the sponsorship decals. With 25Pts for each race win and Red Bulls reliability record so far (at least with Vettel so far), I'm sure they are not so arrogant as to easily dimiss the likes of Massa, Button, Rosberg, Schumacher and maybe even Kubica along with Alonso and Hamilton, especially with a maximum of 325 points still available. Look at the season so far, a DNF here or a bad race there and suddenly you're not leading the Championship anymore, you're down to 4th, 5th or worse. Trust Me when I say, RBR may consider Alonso and Hamilton the biggest threats, but they are not so stupid as to rule out any of the other drivers I have mentioned, not this season!.
they may not be 'ruling out' the other fella's, but just as was said--those two dudes, FA and Hami are the most 'feared'. the other guys are merely 'noise' fluttering in the background. this championship is between the 2 RBR drivers, and FA, Hami will be doing their best to elbow their way into head of the lunch line...
+ 1...Certainly stuff happens during a race weekend, but Alonso and Hamilton are the only two guys who can give them trouble each race with all things being equal. They are the two who can get the most out of their cars.
Whilst Alonso and Hamilton may be seen as the bigger of the threats, anybody who rules out Massa and Button at this stage is, to Me at least, seriously misguided, especially with 325Pts up for grabs, they are both very capable drivers. Button DNF'd in Monaco and yet he is still only 8Pts off leading the WDC. As for Massa, a couple of good races and who knows?. remember the 2007 season?, pretty much a two horse race, Hamilton or Alonso, but hang on!, who won the WDC?, Oh yeah!, the outsider in the Ferrari!. In F1 you can take nothing for granted!
'Outspoken ex-grand prix ace Marko ' ACE? When was he ever a GP 'Ace'?? He had a few decent years in a Porsche 917, that's about it, until he was in a fiery crash that burned his hands, IIRC. But 'GP ace'?, no..
Kubica and the rest are capable of wins here and there, but , with a 1/3 of the season, it looks like the Ferrari and McLaren are the only 2 chassis with the pace to challenge for the title over the long haul of the season. Alonso and Hamilton have both proven their ability to win championships given their consistency with racking up pts positions. With their chassis, they are able to consistently rack up a larger number of points per race than they would in one of the mid-field chassis...the rest must usually settle for scraps. No disrespect to Massa, Kubica and the rest, but I don't believe they have the chassis/talent combination to challenge for the WDC as strongly as Alonso or Hamilton. That is my opinion and I respect the opinion of others that may disagree with this POV. Frank
What he is merely recognizing is that when the season ends the top four points scoring drivers will most likely be Alonso, Hamilton, Vettel & Webber. I don't think that's a controversial statement in anyway. Betting lines are similar.
I always wonder when I hear a comment like this. Just stating the obvious. Anyone in F1 will tell you that Lewis and Alonso are the two best drivers at this point.
Like I have said, I suspect McLaren didn't fear Kimi going into that last race in 2007, afterall, points wise he was a rank outsider and so it was pretty much a done deal for either of the two Mclaren drivers to take the title and yet..... You dismiss your rivals at your own peril!. One development in the right direction for someone and the world of F1 can change very quickly indeed, especially with 25 points per win available. (Still haven't seen anyone from RBR themselves making this "fear only 2 drivers" statement BTW, If anyone finds an official quote, feel free to let Me know ).
I can go with that. Does it matter it though, I'm sure they would be real foolish to rule them out as a threat.
Well, no false modesty there. And I must say: I like that. This 'bring it on'-mentallity. Having said that, I hope Alonso can kick some RBR-A$$!
At this point anyone from Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes or Poland can win the title. It is a long season and everybody is still relatively close.
The only reason Red Bull can run away during the races is because they have good quali setups, and always start at the front. They fell back in China, and looked ordinary. The other teams just gotta beef up their quali setups, and Red Bull will look ordinary again.
Wasn't China a rain race? My memory is failing me, but hasn't RBR essentially led from every pole until rain/mechanical issues?
Its not over till Bernie sings. Yes a great start is impressive but teams have caught up in years past. What is truly crippling to others efforts is the lack of testing. It appears until the rules change, if you have a good car out of the box, that is going to be the champ. Like Brawn last year. Makes for boring F1. And Red Bull is supposed to introduce an S duct. Great.
