Who would you want driving for your team the most?

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How can you even consider Montoya in this group? Button or Trulli maybe, Fischy possibly. But Montoya? Every driver ranking I have read at the end of the 2005 season, had many other drivers ahead of Montoya.

 

Nah, Montoya doesn't belong in that group. Undeniably fast, but too wild. I'd take Button over him any day.

 

I agree with Dan, lets see what JPM does this year now that he is used to McLaren. I would still pick KR though.

 

Raikkonen.

I agree with you Kizdan about Montoya.

 

Raikkonen

 

Button's had his tail kicked by both Fisi and Trulli. Highly overrated. I'd take Monty anytime over Button

 

Assuming I am Jean Todt and I am looking for a new team leader to replace Michael, I would rate the drivers on the following parameters:

(1) Race Speed - 10 points max
- I want a driver that can put in consistently fast laps on any circuit (i.e. no bogey circuits). Ability to have fast in/out laps.

Alonso: 10 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 10 points
JP Montoya: 8 points

(2) Ability to rally the team around oneself - 10 points max
- I want a team leader, capable of guiding the entire team thru good and bad times.

Alonso: 10 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 5 points
JP Montoya: 5 points

Alonso seems more immersed in his team while KR and JPM seem to be a little aloof from the other team members - they just arrive and drive.

(3) Qualifying Speed - 10 points max
- Ability to deal with pressures of qualifying. Blinding speed. Confidence. Consistency

Alonso: 9 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 9 points
JP Montoya: 8 points

Alonso is more consistent while Raikkonen is faster.

(4) Focus - 10 points max
- Refusal to get distracted by inter-team squabbles, comments from the press and other drivers, etc. Give full attention to the race at hand. Ability to soak pressure.

Alonso: 10 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 10 points
JP Montoya: 5 points

(5) Passion: 10 points max
- Able to channel passion, rage and other emotions to occasionally give unbelievable performances. Passion for the sport and dedication to it

Alonso: 5 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 4 points
JP Montoya: 3 points

(6) Technical ability: 15 points max
- Ability to make the best of the car for a given circuit. During testing - work jointly with the test team to identify the best direction that development should take

Alonso: 12 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 12 points
JP Montoya: 8 points

(7) Racecraft: 20 points max
- Ability to pace the race; mechanical sympathy; capability of driving in wet weather and adverse condition, race fitness; ability to strategize during the race

Alonso: 20 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 18 points
JP Montoya: 15 points

(8) Overtaking ability - 15 points max
- Ability to overtake backmarkers withhout hitting them; find new spots to overtake; element of surprise; finesse

Alonso: 15 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 14 points
JP Montoya: 14 points

(9) Marketing ability - 10 points max
- Size of potential fan base; number of companies that can sponsor him

Alonso: 5 points
Kimi Raikkonen: 5 points
JP Montoya: 10 points

Final Score:
Alonso: 96
Raikkonen: 88
Montoya:76

Alonso is a more complete package. Darn! I would have wanted Kimi just because I like him

 

Jenson Button (Jensuhn Butun) Verb. When one talks but does not win.

 

New Montoya article.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=sportsNews&storyid=2006-01-05T162454Z_01_WRI558286_RTRUKOC_0_UK-MOTOR-RACING-COLUMN.xml

(maybe those Montoya haters should read it)

 

read it...he's still a whining punk.....

 

Button has never once looked blazingly quick. Consistent yes. As Eddie Irvine pointed out he's been beaten by all his teammates save JV and Sato so he can't be included in that group at all. Trulli is fast over one lap but seems to be lacking in racecraft so he's out too. Same with Fisi and he may have seen better days, FA had no problem with him this year so i wouldn't include him either. Monty went head to head with both Kimi and FA and came out on top on a few occasions so how can you not include him? Who else besisdes JPM and Schumacher belongs in that list? Pretty much nobody

 

not from the article, just my opinion of him over the years....

 

Another one sees the light. Good.

BTW: There are arguments to be made for JPM, but honestly if I'd be looking for a new driver, I'd go for a younger guy. So aside from Kimi and Alonso I would have put Kovalainen on this list. After all he totally beat the one guy some of you consider the best there is.

 

Andreas, I have a feeling this kid Nico Rosberg is going to be stellar.

 

The only reason i wouldn't put Kovalainen on the list is for a simple reason. He's not proven anything yet. Kimi, FA and JPM are all proven F1 winners, Kovalainen is still an unknown. Who knows if he can cut it in the big time. Remains to be seen. And Tony you may be right about this Rosberg kid, that remains to be seen as well..........

 

You know I'm nostalgic for F1's golden age, so just seeing the Rosberg name on the roster makes me happy (and that's "only" Rosberg, wait till we have Piquet on there). But I'm not sure he is really that fast. Racerx is right, that Kovalainen is an uproven factor at this moment, but my instincts tell me there is another racing God in the making. Kimi, Alonso, Kovalainen to me is the future of F1.

 

I personally don't make too much of Kovalainen's win at the ROC. It doesn't mean that much. What counts is performance in F1.

Pretty much everyone in F1 today has won some championship or the other on the route to F1. But many careers of erstwhile brilliant drivers have floundered when they hit F1.

Only time will tell on Rosberg and Kovalainen.

WRT Rosberg, I remember reading an article that he aced the written test created by Sam Michael that assesses the thinking mind of a driver. Bodes well for the future...

BTW - This is my 1000 post here

 

If they were on the same team then they could complain and cry to each other

 

So far most agree with me. I'd go Kimi then Alonso with JPM a distant 3rd

 

Kovalainen beat MS on home turf: In a Ferrari. And don't tell me MS didn't take that seriously. The guy is Mr. Ultracompetitive.

True, only time will tell.

What test is that? Sounds interesting.

Congrats, keep it going, bro!