which driver will gain most from 2014 regs ?

[Pierce89]

If Button keeps whinging for no grip with a measly 270 foot pounds of torque, how in the world is he going to manage with 400 foot pounds AND reduced down force? 2014 is going to be hell for drivers who are poor at coping with oversteer in its different forms.

At this level, all the drivers can cope with power oversteer. Driver whining(or whinging for you Brits) has much more to do with preference than an inability to cope. Besides, "no grip" is a relative term. If Button had the same level of grip but others had less, he'd say " wow what an awesome car". In fact, I'd bet when Button was saying "no grip" , his Macca was making more grip than the Brawn ever did. Yet, he called the Brawn the best
car he'd ever driven. So, in closing, as it ever was, the relative pace of the cars will mostly determine how well each drivers "copes".

[Blanchimont]

If Button keeps whinging for no grip with a measly 270 foot pounds of torque, how in the world is he going to manage with 400 foot pounds AND reduced down force? 2014 is going to be hell for drivers who are poor at coping with oversteer in its different forms.

Do you know what a gearbox is?

[lebesset]

it's a pity that this thread has descended into who is going to win under the new formula ... gain means to progress , not to reach the top ; wouldn't a driver who could get a caterham or marussia into the points demonstrate a massive gain ?

at the same time it could be about ability to exploit a feature of the car ? this year ferrari had the quickest car off the line , and both alonso and massa were able to exploit it [ alonso won his 2 WDC in such a car I know ] ; maybe it could happen again in a team where only one driver had the knack of doing it !

gain isn't just measured in victories , it's a relative term

[PlatinumZealot]

If Button keeps whinging for no grip with a measly 270 foot pounds of torque, how in the world is he going to manage with 400 foot pounds AND reduced down force? 2014 is going to be hell for drivers who are poor at coping with oversteer in its different forms.

Do you know what a gearbox is?

Have you ever heard of something called the right foot?
At the end of the day, the torque curve is going to be flatter and it doesn't matter how much you wanna reduce the gear ratio the engines are gonna be making even more toque in a smaller rpm spread.

[Blanchimont]

Have you ever heard of something called the right foot?

That's the term on the right side of the unit pound-foot, isn't it?

[lebesset]

as has been oft discussed vettel's big gain has been his ability to put his pedal to the metal early on corner exit , making full use of the downforce on the RBR

if reports are to be believed a lot more sensitivity will be required in 2014 and although I have no doubt that vettel will adapt ...I also doubt that there is anyone more sensitive than button which is why ~I felt he would be the biggest gainer

[JAllen]

One thing's for sure it's going to be interesting.

Best car out of the box is clearly the golden ticket, but in that the rules are all new, we will surely see a lot of development in the season? I'm thinking the drivers who are best at developing cars will come racing through quite quickly. Think brawn vs red bull in 2009, although by this stage the budgets were obviously quite different. So which team has the best two drivers for developing he car?

None of this matters of course if your engine manufacturer doesn't turn up to the party!

[Gerhard Berger]

Hamilton and particularly Alonso have shown themselves to be quite adaptable. I think they will shine again in 2014.

With Vettel, it is harder to tell. Usually the car has been to his liking, and in 2012 when it was not, he definitely took time to adapt. Like others said, he has the most to lose given that he built his driving style of the last few years around the EBD which RB perfected.

As for Button, well in 2009 the rules led to less rear downforce and more front downforce, but he was very quick out of the blocks.

[Jonnycraig]

Hamilton and particularly Alonso have shown themselves to be quite adaptable. I think they will shine again in 2014.

With all due respect (and at the risk of his fanboys going nuts with the downvotes), Hamilton has arguably suffered the most of any driver from the need to manage races. That need is only going to increase next season. This is also the same Hamilton who has openly mentioned several times this season his struggles to adapt and feel comfortable with the Mercedes package.

With regards Vettel, Webber stated just the other week that his adaptability and race management were amongst his strongest assets.

[ChrisF1]

Prime example of Vettel is where he managed his car perfectly at Malaysia 2013 - kept on Webbers ass but had a load of tyre life and fuel left at the crucial point. Not to rehash the whole event, but he proved to be the guy who had driven the fastest and smartest race that day.

It is also really difficult to get a fastest lap now if you're a top 6 contender as the guys in the midfield who put a set of tyres on with 5 laps to go WILL beat your time due to the fresher rubber, but Vettel has always got that bit of tyre life at the end to go for that fastest lap.

[Aced]

Guys, you need to realize that it's not torque that's Buttons problem, it's actually a very specific way of setting up the car where he sometimes ends up with maxed front wing and an understeery car at the same time. That's also very hard to counter during a race. Also he takes very traditional lines which aren't really characterized by early acceleration so I don't see him as the one suffering the most because of oversteer.

The one I'm really curious about is Vettel. He's known to apex very late and go on the throttle early which could prove to be a big no-no next year.

[henra]

The one I'm really curious about is Vettel. He's known to apex very late and go on the throttle early which could prove to be a big no-no next year.

With the reduced aerodynamics and the massiv torque at lower RPM of the new enignes aligning the car for the next straight and getting on throttle early will probably be even more important than it was. Trouble is it won't be easy to bring all the torque on the track. And not killing the tyres by doing so.
The driver who manages that best should have an advantage. Who ever that will be.

[SectorOne]

With the reduced aerodynamics and the massiv torque at lower RPM of the new enignes aligning the car for the next straight and getting on throttle early will probably be even more important than it was.

I think it´s the exact opposite. You´ll want to get on the throttle as late as you possibly can to make sure the car is as much in a straight line as possible.
Early throttle application pre-apex is only going to work the rears harder then you need to.
Better to throw the car in, lean on the fronts as much as possible, get the car straighter then apply all the torque and power.

There will be absolutely no gain as well from being on the throttle pre-apex. (oither then shifting weight off the front wheels)

[Gridlock]

Logically Kevin Magnussen will gain the most, as he joins a top-4 team (I assume this is still true..) without the baggage of driving V8s?

Having said that, maybe VDG gets a podium. Exciting, isn't it?

[PlatinumZealot]

as has been oft discussed vettel's big gain has been his ability to put his pedal to the metal early on corner exit , making full use of the downforce on the RBR

if reports are to be believed a lot more sensitivity will be required in 2014 and although I have no doubt that vettel will adapt ...I also doubt that there is anyone more sensitive than button which is why ~I felt he would be the biggest gainer

Being sensitive is one thing, but being precise in your response to those changes is another. In a control system you could have the best sensors, but if your effectors are only as precise as a battering ram then you aint gonna get good system control. Button is known to be very sensitive but while he can feel minute changes in his car he rarely has the nous to instantly react to those in car changes. Don't get me wrong, he is the best to reacting to the environment around the car, but he is notorious for not being able to adapt to changes in car behavior.