Mediocrity in F1 | FerrariChat

Mediocrity in F1

Discussion in 'F1' started by asianbond, Aug 29, 2009.

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  1. asianbond

    asianbond Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
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    Chris
    What happen to the era when certain drivers performed head and toe above others and drove the crap outta a car to win? After MS no one has really stood out as a supernatural driver. Alonso did a great job for two seasons but nowadays none of the drivers seems super talented. Even if rubens, button or weber wins the world championship I hardly believe anyone in the room would consider them a legendary champion.

    Can a true champion kindly stand up.

    Has all the regulation tinkering really level the playing field?
     
  2. S Brake

    S Brake F1 World Champ

    Aug 3, 2006
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    I think this is what has impacted the playing field the most. Teams now have to worry about preserving their engines and gearboxes, and making sure they use both types of tires during the race. Imagine how much more this will be the case when refueling is outlawed.
     
  3. geo3

    geo3 Karting

    Oct 31, 2006
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    George MacGruer
    +1
     
  4. kraftwerk

    kraftwerk Two Time F1 World Champ

    May 12, 2007
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    Yes a true champ can still stand out. You can't say FA has stopped trying, and he is still super talented, the car does make a difference.

    I know tons of folk that watched the start of the race when MS raced, as soon as he was round the first corner in the lead they turned off! MS as brilliant as he was turned F1 boring in many peoples eyes. I also hated the FIA = Ferrari International Assistance joke.

    FA LH SV are out of the same mold as MS IMO. The FIA and Bernie will not allow any driver to run away with it again like MS did.

    But IMO the racing as of now is more interesting, different winners make it that way and personally I like that.
     
  5. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Oct 3, 2002
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    Andreas
    Hamilton in his rookie year challenged 2 times WDC for the title and clinched it a year later.
    Vettel in a Minardi won Monza last year.

    Doesn't get much more super champion than that.

    Rubens, Button or Webber wouldn't not be legendary champions. Agreed on that point.

    But make no mistake:

    Hamilton and Vettel are the next multiple WDCs in the making. They're made of the Senna/Schumacher/Alonso wood.
     
  6. Mitch Alsup

    Mitch Alsup F1 Veteran

    Nov 4, 2003
    9,252
    Consider that there are only about 6 definate supernatural drivers fron the entire history of F1, and another 7 (or so) arguables, and a few more very difficult arguables.

    Acsari
    Fangio
    Clark
    J Brabham
    G. Hill
    Prost
    Senna
    Schumacher

    Maybe:
    Nuvolari (not modern era)
    Surtees
    Stewert
    Lauda
    G. Villenue
    Fittipaldi
    N. Piquet

    Very maybe:
    Hamilton
    Alonso
    Hakkinen
     
  7. robert_c

    robert_c F1 Rookie

    May 12, 2005
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    Robert C
    With all the new drivers this year and next, we might not see him stand up for a season or so.
     
  8. LightGuy

    LightGuy Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 4, 2004
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    #8 LightGuy, Aug 29, 2009
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2009
    MS was in a supernatural car.
    But yes he was an amazing talent.
    The perfect storm.

    Alonso,Hamster,and Vettel are of the same cut.
    IMO add Rosberg but without the car or the "win" is still a black horse.
    Kimi has the skill, perhaps not the drive anymore.
    And the Hulk is also the real deal talent wise. Make no mistake.

    Calling these guys mediocre is somewhat of an insult.
     
  9. asianbond

    asianbond Formula 3

    Nov 8, 2003
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    I concur about hamilton, he couldn't have done any better in his 1st two seasons. My mistake for not mentioning him earlier.

    The fact that no driver is a consistent performer is really my point. Sure they don't have to win every race but a consistent top sixth showing would be nice. That would show they can perform no matter how competitive their car is.
     
  10. bigodino

    bigodino F1 World Champ
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    Apr 29, 2004
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    I think the problem with F1 is still the lack of overtaking possibility.

    This is magnified by the fact that the cars have gotten very close, which makes qualifying a bit of a lottery (one little mistake and you're five or more places down, one wrong development on the car and you're from the front row to the back).

    Once qualifying and the first corner are over, there's not much a driver can do to go up the field. No matter how good they are.
     
  11. snakeseare

    snakeseare Karting

    Aug 28, 2009
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    Ke
    You are mistaking parity for mediocrity. It's not that there are no great talents, it's that everyone has raised their game. Look at Badoer. He's starting hos 50th GP, and the general consensus is that he shouldn't be there. Well, the grid used to be FULL of Badoers. Andrea de Caesaris was the most experienced driver (had the most starts) for ages, and he was well-know to be rubbish.

    Here's the 1991 driver list

    Some pretty unimpressive names in there, a lot more than today IMO. The list drops off pretty steeply after the top five (what can I say, I just don't like Piquet. Any man who would call his teammate's wife "ugly" in the press , I got no time for.) These days, the driver pool is deeper and the talent level is higher across the board. These days everyone can turn a fast lap. The difference is who can do it most consistently over a race distance.

    Heck, talent aside, Michael Schumacher revolutionised the sport by being ultra-fit and able to push 100% over an entire race distance. Everyone had to catch up to his fitness level.

    The other factor this year is the parity of cars. The entire field is covered by one second this weekend. That is unheard-of. The rules changes and the testing ban have made the big teams unable to spend their way to the front quite so quickly as before, and that was the point. Frankly, I love the fact that a Force India is on pole. It takes nothing from McLaren et al.

    Yeah, I have plenty of complaints. too. Forcing everyone to spend part of the race on the wrong tyres is a cheap gimmick, designed to entertain the punters. I could go on but it's far too early to make sense.

    Cheers!
     
  12. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 26, 2005
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    Talent aside, don't forget nowdays wonderful ruling really restricts the speed, and the potential of legends.

    MS tested and tested and tested for perfection. Current rules just freezes everything, nothing can be done, and it's all stagnant. I'm qute sure, with testing allowed, Kimi, Rubens, Jenson, Vettel, and as well as Alonso, would have definitely spiced things up.

    I blame the FIA. Because of the in season testing ban, no legends like MS can just pop up.
     
  13. Mitch Alsup

    Mitch Alsup F1 Veteran

    Nov 4, 2003
    9,252
    MS CREATED this car. When MS arrived at Ferrari the GP team was crap. MS turned the team around, and created the most dominate team in F1 almost by himself (Brawn did not hurt in the least). MS even won (here and there) when teh car was not capable of winning: see "best driver beats best car" from about 10 years ago.
     
  14. aventino

    aventino Formula Junior

    Jun 16, 2003
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    David L
    I thought Prost told Ferrari the car was junk and got thrown out for it and they then decided maybe he had a point. Is it bad form to recall MS back in the Sauber in Grp C days when Thackwell used to climb into it after MS, midway through the race and repeatedly drive quicker, especially in the wet. Then Thackwell got fired for not being German.

    In the same car with the same setup and the same experience on the same day there were plenty of others as quick as MS.
     

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