Actually I was sold hook, line and sinker on the Shoe when he put that Jordan on the 7th grid spot at Spa. I was shocked then, but not so much once he got into a Benetton. Only the very best do that like Alonso in the Minardi, Vettel in the Toro Rosso, Belloff in the Tyrrell or Senna in the Toleman.
Agreed. What's the deal about Kubica, who cares! He won one race, he is no Alonso, Hamilton, or even a Vettel.
He has looked mighty impressive in the Renault this year even in qualifs at tracks that separate the men from the boys (2nd at Monaco and 3rd at Spa in an inferior car).
Because 9/10 times it really is the car. Up until early 90s, it would have been 70% driver and 30% car to win races. Now it's as bad as 10% driver and 90% car. I do agree that Hamilton is a better package, Button IMO isn't in the top 10 of current (2000 to 2010) 'best' drivers. Hamilton is... Have you seen what he's doing to his teammate? Renault is a team with not much money and he is absolutely obliterating his teammate. Yes Petrov is a rookie, but 5x as many points as your teammate has got quite a bit to do with skills. The car is a dog and how do you expect him to shine during races? He has actually, 2nd at australia 3rd in monaco and belgium...
Exactly. A driver can do only so much. He's a hard racer but also very consistent. I'm confident that he will shine once he's in a championship worthy car. Somehow I think he won't make silly mistakes like others have that are in a competitive car. Let's hope he gets the change to prove me right some day!
I think you just don't like Button, fair enough. Reality check watch Brazil 09. There are more ways to win a WDC than just raw pace. Button showed he could put the hammer down when he needed, to wrap up the 09 title, the difference is there are more ways to win than just having raw pace, just because he appears to take it easy means to me he is looking at the bigger picture, if Vettel had not T boned him in SPA he would be sitting pretty now, Ham made his move in Monza and went backwards, thats the difference. I admire both drivers for different reasons.
You Know Steve it is post like this that make it impossible to dispute your opinion. I must give you credit. I know you like a lot of drivers and you seem to always be impartial with any analysis you speak about. I wish more fans could be honest and admit that biased towards one driver or manufacturer causes us to see things differently.
Thanks Scott... It is not always easy to remain impartial, I do try to keep a balanced view. I suppose I object to senseless bashing of any driver, It is one hell of a feat just to get a drive in F1. Hope your well..
Kovalainen won one GP too. Does that make him a superstart? No. So, what the big deal with Kubica? In a recent interview with Nigel Roebuck, in Motorsports, he more or less abdicated ambitions to be WDC one day and admitted that he is not at the level to replace Alonso in the Renault team.
You are right about that ! He also has a strange way to observe contracts ... Just ask Frank Williams.
He bought himself out of a contract with his own money to stay at Honda IIRC, and stayed with BrawnGP on a low salary to help the team get up and running, yes he is a real nightmare. Just ask Ross Brawn. Its ironic you mentioned contracts, because IMO thats one reason why he has never had the chance to shine, making bad career decisions, staying with Honda whilst they floundered was one.
+1. At Williams he was just a kid (20 yrs old IIRC) and was universally tarred and feathered for the way he handled the situation. He has spent the last decade overcompensating for that mistake by loyally sticking by his later teams through thick and thin taking on all comers. Since then Button has been loyal to a fault... He learned his lesson well... Frank
Not me. Vettel needs to mature, which he will over time. But whether Kubica has the raw speed of Vettel I seriously doubt. He should have devastated Heidi when they drove for Sauber and he didn't. The fact that he looks good against Petrov is meaningless.
I'm happy that Petrov is in F1 as it helps with getting F1 into Russia. But I really think he is in it over his head. If it is true that he gets relegated to Lotus, then that's just fine. He can learn the ropes in that car for a while and if he really gets better, he can move up again. That's why I'd love to see Kimi back in the Renault: Then we'd really know where Kubica stands. If he annihilates Kimi, I'll join the band waggon.
My problem this year has not been with Alonso or Massa but with the team as a whole. Alonso has done a pretty good job. I think he wants to win (I never felt that way about Kimi). And I know Massa wants to win. It's the team that's been a disappointment. Monsa was one of the first races this season where I felt the entire team got it's act together.
I feel the same. The sparks have been lacking at the Scuderia this year. Let's hope that Monza was a watershed, but I fear it's already too late for Alonso this year.
