Funny how all the button bashers have gone quiet.

[De Jokke]

Button is a GOOD driver.. but we don't know if he is GREAT.

We know Hamilton is GREAT because he got more points than the previous World Champion (Alonso) in his rookie year in the SAME car. (whooped Alonso's ass and make him look like a little girly man).

I say Button is GOOD.. But we need to see a better comparison to make him GREAT. Sure Barichello WAS good. he even scored more points than button last year, but we can not make a conclusion currently.

? They got exactly the same points...

Kimi "whooped" both their asses. More points in a less-reliable car, that's who "whooped" Mclaren.

concerning your avatar: here's your champion:

[Giblet]

Don't get me wrong I don't agree with Mosley's idea for F1, but it would find the best driver after a couple of seasons for sure.

[KJM3]

Personally, I think Button is a good driver (NOT Great) as he is showing now by smoking Rubens in qualifying with the same fuel load and then out racing him in the race.

Then again, seeing Rubens almost stall the car on the grid in Australia and then have trouble getting out of the pits a few times cuz he doesn't know how to use a clutch kind of shows how bad Rubens is.

So I think it's a combination of slightly above average driving from Button, a bad Rubens and an AMAZING car that are making him look good now.

If you put Alonso or Hamilton in the Brawn GP car, they'd be beating up on Button like Button beats up on Rubens now.

- KJ

[freedom_honda]

Then again, seeing Rubens almost stall the car on the grid in Australia and then have trouble getting out of the pits a few times cuz he doesn't know how to use a clutch kind of shows how bad Rubens is.

It is a well-known fact that the gearbox in the BGP001 isn't working very well. So you cant blame Rubens for that one.

[ringo]

Button is a GOOD driver.. but we don't know if he is GREAT.

We know Hamilton is GREAT because he got more points than the previous World Champion (Alonso) in his rookie year in the SAME car. (whooped Alonso's ass and make him look like a little girly man).

I say Button is GOOD.. But we need to see a better comparison to make him GREAT. Sure Barichello WAS good. he even scored more points than button last year, but we can not make a conclusion currently.

? They got exactly the same points...

Kimi "whooped" both their asses. More points in a less-reliable car, that's who "whooped" Mclaren.

I dont recall kimi whooping LH we also have to realize that he has been racing for many years compared to Hamilton. The ferrari was always the top car in 07 in my opinion. Hamilton, as a rookie, lost by 1 point because of a bit of bad luck in china, not because kimi whooped him. [-X
Now button had a sound beating. whooped him and sent him to bed without supper.

[WhiteBlue]

Red Bull, BMW, Renault, Ferrari and later McLaren will be in a position to win races. We are having quite close performance and with the diffusor advantage gone the going will be much tougher for Brawn very soon. We will then see what qualities Button has to bring to the track in oder to snatch a championship. I would think that a guy like Vettel would easily beat him in the same car and it will not take very long for Red Bull to get to that level. They may have KERS much sooner than Brawn. With downforce been equal Brawn will struggle in the second half of the season without KERS.

[ringo]

The funny thing is that i don't even think red bull needs KERS, that car has probably the best chassis on the field, its already so quick without the diffuser!
brawn better get points while the getting is good, because a RBR with a diffuser would be damn fast.

[WhiteBlue]

The funny thing is that i don't even think red bull needs KERS, that car has probably the best chassis on the field, its already so quick without the diffuser!
brawn better get points while the getting is good, because a RBR with a diffuser would be damn fast.

Basically correct, except the car obviously has a diffusor. It is just not using a second level like the Brawn, Williams and Toyota cars do.

[xpensive]

The way I understand history of this "interpretation" of diffuser-rules, it was figured out by SAG-people who took it with them to Honda and Toyota (+Williams), why it's only natural that those teams have a huge advantage for now.

Illegal or not, this is like judging Mario Andretti in 1978, when Lotus pioneered venturi-underbodies.
He once said it himself, "a monkey could have won in this car today".

The situation will of course change as soon as everybody is on a level field. Except for BMW.

[kilcoo316]

Is Loeb the best driver of this generation?

Probably.

[jamsbong]

Is Loeb the best driver of this generation?

Probably.

To me, he is one real talent. Loeb started off with abilities on Tarmac, then Gravel. Snow has always been the specialty of Finn drivers. However, this year he manage to better the best Finn driver on Snow. I donno if there are any driver out there who can continue to learn, improve and eventually become the best like the way he can.

Maybe Valentino Rossi??

[axle]

Just to add to the Loeb appreciation thread...

To "master" all those surfaces and be the best driver in a field of the best drivers, makes, for me, Loeb the most complete driver.

Rossi is a god too...

Rossi, Loeb and Schumacher are equally brilliant and show stealing from their competitors but in some ways Schumi had it easy. Easy?! Well yes, having now witnessed Ross Brawn's impact on Honda (and Ferrari's apparent performance drop despite still having 2 very quick drivers) I'd say that Schumacher's dominance was more down to team orders and the men in the factory than Schumi himself.

[jon-mullen]

Button is a GOOD driver.. but we don't know if he is GREAT.

We know Hamilton is GREAT because he got more points than the previous World Champion (Alonso) in his rookie year in the SAME car. (whooped Alonso's ass and make him look like a little girly man).

I say Button is GOOD.. But we need to see a better comparison to make him GREAT. Sure Barichello WAS good. he even scored more points than button last year, but we can not make a conclusion currently.

You're ready to call a guy GREAT (caps yours) after he fell into the best car in the field and then did everything he could to throw away the WDC in Brazil? Twice? Really?

This would be Lewis's year to prove that he's great, to outperform his car consistently (and Heikki, once he gets to lap 2) and to overcome the adversity of not having the McLaren team 100% behind you. (remind you of anyone?)

If anything, your argument has swayed me over more to Button being great. In Australia people were asking if maybe he had forgotten how to really race after being in such an awful car for two years. He now has two winning drives, one from pole and one in the slop. His persistence and drive is something Lewis has not had time enough to show, and if the McLaren becomes dominant once again, may never have to show.

[timbo]

I'd say that Schumacher's dominance was more down to team orders and the men in the factory than Schumi himself.

Don't forget that it was Schumi who asked Todt and Luca to bring Ross into the team. Ans in 1997-2000 he didn't have a best car in his disposal, yet he made a good fight.

[ernos5]

yes yes i agree although that's Just my opinion. People may hold different views. Let's talk about it!