The most overrated driver ever in F1?

That's what all the talks about Vettel's and Massa's real value made me wonder.

My candidates:

Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve

Both sons of disgraced true champions, who didn't have to make a name for themselves and won in an highly superior car.

Only difference: Jacques could actually drive.

 

Damon Hill

 

Ralf Schumacher

 

Ralf Schumacher

 

Good one, although I don't think many rated him particularly highly in the first place

 

At the beginning of his F1 career, definitely Jacques V. I don't think many rate him that high anymore. Especially his BMW Sauber team, who actually laughed at him when he spun out at spa, lol.

Don't rate Damon either, but I can't give a fair comment on him as I find him the most tedious and irritating person I can think of, which gets in the way of my judgement, lol.

Nigel Mansell. Never a true great, and from what I read about him from people who actually worked with him (our very own Ian), he just flat out wasn't good.

 

Yep..Damon and Jacques won the WDC by accident. FFS...seriously guys?

 

Not by accident but quite undeservedly IMO.

 

You're not going very far back in time are you. I believe F1 has been around for a bit longer than the mid 1980s ;-).

If you mean the driver with WDC who stepped in the biggest pile of S*&T, then maybe 2 of those mentioned, but overrated no. No one ever said they were great drivers of their era.

 

Worth a mention just for the rapidity of the fall from hype / expectations. Michael Andretti.

 

Any suggestion? Prost?

 

Have I misunderstood or misread this ? Please tell me how Graham Hill or Gilles Villeneuve can be described as Disgraced ??? What did they do that what so dishonourable ? I would descrbe them both as Distinguished.........

 

Another one-- Jody Sheckter, even though he became Worldchampion; Mansell, Prost, Jacques Villeneuve where great drivers IMVHO, for me not overrated at all. Best-e

 

James Hunt (in the past)
Kimi Raikonen today.....
These would be real drivers,since there should be no place in F1 for amateurs like Petrov,Maldonado and that kid still in diapers (sirotkin).

 

Damon Hill

 

+1

And of course the totally overhyped Scott Gotno-Speed

 

I never could figure out why Red Bull promoted him, he looked like Joe Zilch to me.

 

Yeah sorry my bad, meant ill-fated

 

What the hell does that first sentence mean? Graham Hill and Gilles Villeneuve were "disgraced true champions"? In what way were they disgraced? Did you mean deceased, perhaps?

So, you're saying that Damon couldn't drive? It's one thing to be overrated, and you're certainly not the first person to point the finger at D.H., but one does not win a WDC without some elevated level of skill.

 

I don't think JH ever got rated for great speed, more admired for his attitude.

Disagree completely on Raikkonen. He has the best race craft of anyone in F1 currently. Since his 2 year break he improved his racecraft. Still blindingly quick just issues with getting the tires to heat properly during qualifying and the opening laps.

 

Just a marketing plot to find the next American Mario Andretti/Phil Hill. No logic rationale behind it.

And the yokels at Speed TV made the hype even bigger.

 

Ralf is a pretty good one by I say Michael Andretti.

Scott Speed is also right up there.

 

Michael Andretti, hands down (though in truth he was actually only over-rated for his first couple of races. After that , nobody rated him at all! ) . Ralf Schumacher, much the same.

Hill was a grafter who made the most of what he had. He should, after all, have been a double world champion.

JV was quick when he first went to Williams but his performances fell off a cliff - as did Mansell's eventually - though he was undoubtedly "lunatic fast" at his peak. Whinging git though!

 

Meant Ill-fated. On DH, after all the discussions on Vettel being good just because of his car, I wanted to remember some previous drivers considered top-notch but whose performance was just the product of being at the right time in the right seat. Mansell is another good example IMO, but Hill, considered as a real talent in his time, even more so, having his dad's legacy, the finances and a missile for a car.

The Williams of those years produced IMO some of the least deserving world champions of my time, way more so than any of today's RBs.