How does Vettel compare to other drivers?

[PlatinumZealot]

It as only last three or so laps that rained in Spa last year. In Australia the track was wet in the first 10 laps or so but then I think it dried...

The point is that the drivers with the wet weather skills shined in those races. We saw people sliding off all over the place, so the conditions though not lasting were exemplifying of any wet race.

You forgot silverstone 2008 too. Cherry picking the races?

To be fair, Spa 2010 is not the greatest example of Hamilton demonstrating his ability to not slide off in the wet.

Yes I think it is a great example. Hamilton went off track yes, but that off is more complicated than it seems. That turn was flooded with water, and he was the first driver through it on SLICKS. At that speed aquaplaning was inevitable, nonetheless he did well to guide the car back on track and continue a commanding lead.

[Robbobnob]

when did this become a thread about Hamilton?

[beelsebob]

when did this become a thread about Hamilton?

When people conspicuously missed all his good wet races out of the list used to compare drivers .

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

when did this become a thread about Hamilton?

When people conspicuously missed all his good wet races out of the list used to compare drivers .

How about the races he went missing in an average Mclaren in 2009?

[SiLo]

That car was below average at best for half the season. No amount of Godly ability could make that thing do well.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

That car was below average at best for half the season. No amount of Godly ability could make that thing do well.

Thats true. And its why I used the point, Vettel did however win in a Torro Rosso.

While he was mooching at the back of the field I also didnt once hear Vettel ask his team to "turn the engine down" in race.

Vettel IMO would be slightly quicker than Hamilton over a single lap. However Hamilton is far better at overtaking. Racecraft? who knows....

[andrew]

How does he compare to the other drivers? Er, he's the reigning world champion, should have been champion in 2009 if it wasn't for Brawn's gift from MrM and will hopefully be champion this year. The results speak for themselves and he is simply the best driver out there at the moment.

Comparing with another driver is pointless unless they are all in the same machinery.


OT: JET I am still wiating for an explanation about this mysterious e-mail you mentioned.

[beelsebob]

That car was below average at best for half the season. No amount of Godly ability could make that thing do well.

Thats true. And its why I used the point, Vettel did however win in a Torro Rosso.

While he was mooching at the back of the field I also didnt once hear Vettel ask his team to "turn the engine down" in race.

Vettel IMO would be slightly quicker than Hamilton over a single lap. However Hamilton is far better at overtaking. Racecraft? who knows....

I agree pretty much entirely with your summary here, Vettel has the capacity to get the perfect lap perfect more often, Hamilton has the ability to make something harum scarum work.

[Giblet]

Everyone makes a big deal about Monza and Vettel. Bourdais also had blistering pace that day, and actually turned faster laps. Getting stuck at the start line ended his race.

I think the STR was good enough for almost any driver to win in Monza and flattered an already quick Vettel.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Everyone makes a big deal about Monza and Vettel. Bourdais also had blistering pace that day, and actually turned faster laps. Getting stuck at the start line ended his race.

I think the STR was good enough for almost any driver to win in Monza and flattered an already quick Vettel.

It wasnt the way he drove or the circumstance of it. He beat Ferrari, Mclaren and Red Bull at an inferior team. It was also his first victory, the youngest man ever to win an F1 race, he did so in the wet as the race started behind saftey car if I remember correctly.

It may sound like effusive praise, but Vettel did the business in a highly efficient manner. I still rate Hamilton, Alonso, Kobayashi(yes really) and maybe even Rosberg as better racers. But if you have a car that can lead from the front, Vettel is the man who will rack up the points quicker than his pole laps.
Very Hakkinen-esque in that regard.

However there are very real misgivings about the guys ability to overtake. DRS is certainly a boon for him, making things easier on that front. Talented and quick he may be, but he needs a bit more "Kobayashi" in the mix to be full on spectacular.

[HampusA]

But if you did not know, Hamilton Raikkonen adn Kubica all failed to set a time in Q3.

Hamilton lapped a full second quicker then Vettel in race, (with traffic).
All the conditions were absolutely right for Vettel that day.

Same way he won the championship last year. Freak accidents caused him to win the last race which in my opinion he did not deserve. Webber and Alonso deserved it more.

[Just_a_fan]

Vettel is a blindingly quick driver, no doubt. Hamilton and Alonso are blindingly quick racers. I have no doubt that Hamilton would be winning everything in the RB7 (as would Alonso or Button for that matter).

I'm not so sure that Vettel has fully demonstrated his ability to make a not-quite-the-best car win races in the way that Alonso and Hamilton have. Sure his STR Monza performance was a winner but there's no reason to think that 2 or 3 other drivers wouldn't have done the same thing in the same situation.

If the RB7 were no quicker than the Ferrari or the McLaren, would he be so dominant? I don't think so.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I agree with all that.

My point here is Vettel majors on pure speed rather any other quality.

[Giblet]

It wasnt the way he drove or the circumstance of it. He beat Ferrari, Mclaren and Red Bull at an inferior team. It was also his first victory, the youngest man ever to win an F1 race, he did so in the wet as the race started behind saftey car if I remember correctly.

So did Bourdais in quali and with pace in the race. One stall at the line, one mistake, took away a great potential result and flattered Seb.

I stink Sebastian is one of the most talented drivers at hitting the exact line and getting on the throttle that little bit earlier, but I see hardly see any real race craft from him like Alonso and Hamilton as just two examples. He seems like the type that would fall apart in a rally where nothing is ever the same twice and requires constant reaction.

But he is still so young, and it would be unfair to say he will never get better at it, or has had bad luck in big situations on track when cars are near by.

It's quite amazing how much we've seen him grow, I mean this was not that long ago really. Notice the finger, it's not a thing just to annoy us

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I see hardly see any real race craft from him like Alonso and Hamilton as just two examples.

I agree with that.

[
So did Bourdais in quali and with pace in the race. One stall at the line, one mistake, took away a great potential result and flattered Seb.

Flattered or not I can level that same critique at Hamilton. Had Glock not spazzed out on the last lap in Brazil, Massa would be World Champion. If's and buts are all very well, but Vettel won in a Torro rosso, and I cannot ever remember a performance like that from Sebastian Bourdais in F1.
Faster laps mean nothing unless you can utilise them at the sharp end of the grid.

Unless of course you are Vettel who likes to collect stats