It's been reported (will try find) that Alonso had agreed with Todt to join Ferrari when he left Minardi, he then signed for Renault (can't blame him with MS being cemented as no1) and Todt vowed he would never sign him at Ferrari. Luca Di then wanted Alonso, and the rest is history for Todt.
2012 predictions
- Thread starter Sparky
- Start date
Heh, seems plausible enough to me. Once Alonso realised he was actually a decent driver (I assume when a number of people started wanting him in their team) he realised playing number 2 to Schumacher wasn't what he wanted to do. I can see how backing out of that could pee off Todt too.
Just a shame that peoples grudges can get in the way of things. I wonder how different things would have been if they had signed Alonso for Ferrari in 2007?
Just a shame that peoples grudges can get in the way of things. I wonder how different things would have been if they had signed Alonso for Ferrari in 2007?
Im not trying to be over-critical /pedantic but surely it depends on what is meant be "a better car" seeing as the above three points all rely on different elements to the car
Was it Japan last season where Vettel was on pole and he only got into the lead around the first bend by forcing JB onto the grass (because the McLaren started so well from 2nd place)?
IF it was Japan, remind me please who actually won that race........
(I completely admit my memory could be wrong in which case the second comment doesnt stand up, but even so the McLaren started well either way in the race Im thinking about)
So I dont hold out that those three are primarily important (they would be a HUGE help if its possible though , no doubt about it)
McLaren's main concern is to have a better car over a lot of different tracks - the car worked well on a handful but was equally dire on about another 5 -10 races /trracks - the RBR was a brilliant car on some and good enough for a clear 2nd on the ones that it didnt excel on - unfortunately for McLaren it wasnt anywhere close on too many last season
I still think IF McLaren have built a car close to RBR's for the start of this season, SV can be pushed into making errors (and also he wouldnt gain as much time by driving on the prime line, because he would have to defend more)
Soldato
That is pure speculation as to Webbers mental state. For all you know, his mental state could be the best it's ever been.
It was stated in the media and from Webber's camp throughout 2011 that Webber's problem was with the Pirelli tyres.
The tyres have been changed this season - so how he wili cope with them is completely unknown, he could put in perfamances like he did in 2010, or it could turn out like 2011.
As Kimi would say "We shall see."
The tires havent changed that much over the winter - although Im not disputing MW might have adapted to them (now that he can spend the winter in a simulator with pirelli specifics in mind)
Personally I agree with Surnama , he has been broken mentally - he is doing his best, but he just cant keep up with SV in the same car, I will be amazed if he even manages a number of 2nd places to Vettel's 1st (this is hoping that McLaren are similar pace to RBR so there will be a challange for the podium places)
bit of both, from what we have seen to far i think hamilton can win it.
i think ferrari are behind already and wont be able to claw it back so ruling alonso out.
i would also hope button finishes 2nd behind hamilton.
My personal view is it doesn't matter. 2010 Webber had a decent run at Vettel and Vettel stopped him winning 3 on the bounce by taking him off the road.
It was then pretty clear for the world to see who the people that matter backed at Red Bull. It was also clear when they took webbers front wing. Webber was also going to be out of contract at the end of the year.
They signed him on a one year deal for 2011 and then again for 2012. I'd imagine for a team so quick to show their colours in 2010 it's pretty damn obvious what's in Webbers contract.
Not that I blame them, Vettel is clearly their future they have to keep him happy and one year deals control Webber. I don't think much happened to webber other than the realisation he was second best collecting money for his retirement in one of the best cars ever built.
Brundle alluded to hearing rumours that behind closed doors Vettel is as ruthless as they get. Again I don't blame him if that's true, he's just following a pattern for domination that others have shown works so well.
Of course that's just my own speculation but I imagine once Webber clears off from red bulls pay roll and no longer has to tow the company line he will admit as Rubens and Irvine did that all was not as it seemed
I'd say Di Resta has about as much chance of the winning the title as Webber.
you think Di Resta will end up at Red Bull? Or do you mean 2012 in particular?
If you mean the latter - I would say Di Resta has 100% better chance at getting the title (well given that he is likely to be the leading FI driver this season imo)
I was watching the following video.
In a standard road car, compared with many F1 drivers, check out who the fastest is:
On a wet track, Kimi was pretty decent, but its the dry times which interest me most as this is an exhibition of absolutely, the fastest time anyone has ever done.
In a standard road car, compared with many F1 drivers, check out who the fastest is:
On a wet track, Kimi was pretty decent, but its the dry times which interest me most as this is an exhibition of absolutely, the fastest time anyone has ever done.
not everyone drove in the same conditions - so its pretty hard to judge , no?
(ie even "dry" times would be at different air temps / sunny /dull etc etc)
Plus who knows which drivers did it as a bit of fun, while others might want a lap to warm up the tyres blah blah
It is very unlikely that an F1 driver would put his reputation on the line, for a bit of fun. The inherent requirements of being in F1 means that you have to be uber competitive. If this was not the case, the driver would never have made it as far as F1. You can bet that every single driver on the list has tried his damned hardest to be No.1. Hell - I'm not an F1 driver and if I went on that show, I would do everything possible to be fastest.
I do agree though - conditions can vary a lot so its not a level playing ground. But, it is turning into a huge coincidence that whenever Vettel drives a car, he is consistently the fastest. This could be a coincidence, but the more he delivers, the less likely it is, that these fast times (e.g. consistent pole laps) are merely due to luck.
One trend is emerging though - Vettel is establishing him as the absolute best and is on track to take over MSc's mantle.
I'd be interested to hear Nuts' thoughts on his driver - would he swap Vettel for any other driver, at this point in time?
I do agree though - conditions can vary a lot so its not a level playing ground. But, it is turning into a huge coincidence that whenever Vettel drives a car, he is consistently the fastest. This could be a coincidence, but the more he delivers, the less likely it is, that these fast times (e.g. consistent pole laps) are merely due to luck.
One trend is emerging though - Vettel is establishing him as the absolute best and is on track to take over MSc's mantle.
I'd be interested to hear Nuts' thoughts on his driver - would he swap Vettel for any other driver, at this point in time?
Man of Honour
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Vettel has a long way to go until he takes that crown. People are quick to forget, but MSc put in some absolutely staggering drives. Plus, much of what Vettel has done has very dominant car. Time will tell.
That said, it would be crazy to swap Vettel for any other driver at this point in time, especially seeing as the car and team are built around him.
Is this even timed that accurately? I thought it was stopwatch stuff?
You really expect him to come on a forum and say the driver that's provided him with two years of substantial bonus should be swapped
Regardless I doubt he has the wealth of information at his finger tips to judge his drivers performance against for instance Lewis. He's not going to be keeping track of fuel loads, tyre wear, car superiority and on and on anymore than we are.
I don't think anyone can accurately judge Vettel until his car is not class of the field by 0.5+ of a second as it was pretty much easily all last year. Until then how can you judge whether he took a huge leap forward in personal ability or Adrian Newey and co did.
Soldato
But probably more information than us in this thread and that doesn't seem to stop us giving our opinion on who is best.
It is true that he has had the best car for the last 2 years, however, he has also dominated in 2011. The question is what another driver have scored as many points as him?
Also consider that he has shown terrific consistency and even when driving a standard saloon car, as in Top Gear, he was still the class of the field. I was most impressed by his Top Gear time, as on that program there can be no arguments of a single driver being given preferential treatment, over another driver. Also what is important in Top Gear is that you learn the track and the car quickly. Those who will learn it the quickest, will get the best time.
What I like about Vettel is he is focused. At his age, it would be easy to get carried away with off-track distractions, but he doesn't seem to be suffering from this. He reminds me a lot of MSc, when he was up-and-coming.
This is true, however, Vettel has done the best job he can with the equipment available to him. Some people are almost suggesting that he should move to a lesser team - why should he? Part of being the best driver is to have the ability to negotiate your way into the team which will allow you best chance to win the title. This political wrangling is part of being the most complete driver. [Note: being the fastest driver is only 1 quality we look for, when judging the completeness of a driver]
Don't get me wrong, MSc is without doubt the most complete driver of all time. However, I feel that Vettel is on his way to taking that mantle away from MSc. He will certainly have to win at least as many titles as MSc, but he is racking up the race/title wins at a faster rate than MSc, so stands a good chance of making it.
BTW: why did MSc ever take the Top Gear challenge? Did he ever give a reason for this?
Man of Honour
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He looks so much happier back then! Haven't seen him look that happy for a while.