myurr wrote:fiohaa wrote:Ral wrote:
The cream still comes to the top. They just have to work a bit harder for it, especially because there are more competitors now close enough to take advantage of any mistakes.
well in that case - you have to accept this - that maldonado is world championship material.
Or. Williams finalised a setup on Saturday morning after FP3, which just so happened to coincide with track temperatures which gave rise to a pirelli operating window which happened to match the williams setup. Just like rosberg in china. Or alonso in malaysia. Or vettel in bahrain.
If youre choosing to take the 'the best drivers rise to the top, and the tyres are just another added complexity' argument, then you have to accept that maldonado deservedly won that race, and is now a genuine championship contender.
what are you going to say if, at the next race, he is back in the midfield? they suddenly, at the next race, 'got it wrong'? Or just so happens that the track temperature on the sunday happens to fall outside the cars setups operating window.
is maldonado now an 'elite' driver?
Maldonado's setup worked across two days with a wide variety of temperatures. It wasn't just luck it was a good car with a good setup and a good driver. That doesn't mean he's championship material, but if he can start stringing performances like that together then why couldn't he ultimately challenge for a championship? And I say that as someone who doesn't like the guy.
Most of the drivers on the grid are good enough to win a championship if they're given the best car and, at least with Hamilton out of the picture, Maldonado was the best driver in the best car on the day. It's great for the sport that so many drivers are able to challenge when they do get the setup right rather than it always being the same couple of drivers that win when they have a good day or come second when they have a bad day.
I echo myurr's response.
Also, specifically to your statement that if I stand by my statement which you quoted (I do) that I have to accept that Maldonado is capable of winning a championship, and/or that he is one of the elite drivers:
1: And why not? He's won minor/junior championships before. On the face of it, his style isn't that different from Hamilton's, apart from being perhaps not quite as polished.
2: And if he isn't elite as such, he is clearly one of those drivers close enough both in his own ability and the equipment available to him this season to take advantage of the faster cars/teams not getting it right. This weekend actually being a prime example.
Hamilton beat him to pole. Hamilton's team messed up (something other than the car in this case, but they messed up) and he's there to pick up the points which quite possibly would have gone to Hamilton. And while Alonso/Ferrari pushed Maldonado/Williams in the race, one could argue that it looked like the Williams was just faster.
Why does it matter if the teams take all season to figure out the tyres? They are still the same tyres for all the teams. I don't see how the tyres are any different than the blown diffuser last year for example and it's actually fairer because it's the same for everybody from the start and everyone has the same chance to get their car to work with the tyres.
