Danny, the top drivers (assuming we can class MS as a top driver), have never needed the car designed around them to outperform their team-mates. When MS first drove for Jordan, he never had driven in an F1 car before and immediately was outqualifying his team-mate. This continued when he moved to Bennetten, where in a car not designed around him, he was able to out-gun his team mate. Yet again when he moved to Ferrari, he was immediately faster than his team-mate.
The above pattern has not been repeated at Mercedes where Rosberg (who is also new to the team) seems to be doing a better job than MS.
I have to say that I am suprised at the fact that he seems to be slower than his team-mate, something that I never saw in 15 or so years of seeing MS race in F1.
Another point of note is that Button and Alonso have both moved to new teams during the Winter and they have both won a race each. The 'new car - new team' excuse, doesnt wash.
I'm afraid it does wash. Button is clearly struggling with a car designed around hamilton. He has pretty much admitted as much that he has issues with the car that mclaren are working on. If the car doesn't work on a friday Jenson is pretty much lost.
To compare the drivers MS had when he swapped teams before isn't the same I'd say Rosberg could well be the fastest team mate in qualifying he's ever had. Rubens was a solid driver but we all know there was no such thing as parity in a ferrari back then. Irvine was slow. He couldn't put an exocet missle on pole.
I also don't see why we are comparing Hamiltons charge through the field and Alonsos to MS. The cars are not yet in the same league. Also all those drivers did was cut through the grid until they found someone of semi comparable pace. Then they stopped.
Again why are you not looking at MS's pace in bahrain and applauding him for keeping pace with Rosberg, in his first race. It showed in clear air with both cars next to each other MS was atleast as fast as Rosberg.
He was unlucky in oz, lets stick rosberg near the back and see how far he cuts through the field.
Of course MS is past his best, that's hardly a shocker. The tech advantage the ferraris had in the 2000's hid his very slow demise. Thats not to say even a 41 year old isn't a match for rosberg.
Let me tell you exactly whats goign to happen, MS will have things turn his way for a race or two and all of a sudden everyone like yourself will be proclaiming him to have reclaimed his speed and the old magic has returned. When all thats really lacking is a bit of running in the car and a tiny bit more luck.
Wet weather qualifying is always a bit of a lottery and usually the last cars over the line are the fastest, except Webber who gambled.
As I say the man had 3 years out and returned for his first race and was atleast as fast as britney. That for me was stunning and no one can accuse me of ever following schumacher.
And I'd hardly say Schumacher has been "taking a beating" from Rosberg - he got punted out of one race and a wheel fell off on the other! In the first race they were running in what, a couple of tenths of each other's time?
