How soon can Vettel win 2011 WDC?

[CyleB]

^^ how many races were on the calender in those seasons

[beelsebob]

^^ how many races were on the calender in those seasons

18, 17 and 16 respectively. Hence why I quoted the percentages as well.

[CyleB]

i could have done the math but i have been up all night working and im feeling lazy

[HampusA]

Why is everyone only mentioning Hamilton as the only viable option despite the fact that we are only at race 6 of 19, or 325 more points to collect and lose.

Now obviously i think Vettel will take home the title but just saying it´s a long long way to go before it´s over.

We have Webber who is in the same car, then Button, Hamilton and Alonso. All will do everything they can to not see Vettel run away with it.

Because the McLaren is the only car that can come anywhere close to the RBR come a track with any high speed corners on it, and because Hamilton has a lead over Button, and doesn't look like letting it slip.

Webber doesn't look like mounting any challenge, nor Button, nor Ferrari – that leaves Hamilton.

I think they do, the only place where Vettel this year has been dominant is in Qualifying. Last 2 races have ended with mere seconds apart.
One of them was a track that was supposed to show all the superior strengths of the RBR.

It´s alot of races left and Button, Hamilton, Webber, Alonso are all hungry. They all have on par or better race pace then RBR.
We don´t really know what the reliability is of the RBR so early.
When a couple of engines gets used we will see if their overrun map hurts the engine in any way or increases the wear or whatever.

Even though Vettel has completely dominated everything so far it´s still very much a possiblity to catch him.
I´ve said this before and will say it again. To get Vettel you need to catch him in T1 on the first lap. Or you have to be named Hamilton or Alonso to stay with him.

Webber might find some speed and the engine maps might be deemed illegal etc.
Alot of stuff can happen and i´m very interested to see how it all play out.

[HampusA]

I also think that if you get beside Vettel, he will be the first to budge.
Not because how he is as a driver but for him it´s safer to just stay second instead and not do anything stupid.

Instead of let´s say Hamilton is first and Alonso tries to get him, it would be a total war between them just because both are so hungry.
The problem is actually getting that close to have the opportunity to catch him.

[Mandrake]

I also think that if you get beside Vettel, he will be the first to budge.
Not because how he is as a driver but for him it´s safer to just stay second instead and not do anything stupid.

It depends, take the situation that Hamilton is P2 in WDC and behind HAM there's quite a gap: Would Vettel really give way to Hamilton if HAM tried a stupid move? In such a situation Vettel could also not give in and risk that both get a DNF, would help him either way Not that I believe he'd do so! Senna would most probably have done so.

[PNSD]

I would never under estimate a determined Alonso and Ferrari.

They are always a threat. Alonso perhaps will not make the same rash moves or mistakes Lewis will might make over the course of a season.

Vettel has 3 former world champions chasing him. tbh, I bet he's worried about all of them.

[HampusA]

It depends, take the situation that Hamilton is P2 in WDC and behind HAM there's quite a gap: Would Vettel really give way to Hamilton if HAM tried a stupid move? In such a situation Vettel could also not give in and risk that both get a DNF, would help him either way Not that I believe he'd do so! Senna would most probably have done so.

When we are talking Hamilton i think he would let it all on the line even if he´s P1 in the standings The race itself is more important to him in that moment.
Vettel seems like the more Prost type of guy, very calculated just finish the race type of guy.

Hamilton is more balls to the walls do or die And Alonso is abit of both which makes him the most complete driver imo. (apart from other obvious things)

I really hope he will go on a rage like last year Grabbing Monza, Singapore & Korea.

[PlatinumZealot]

Hamilton is the only driver I hear talking about how Vettel is running away with the championship. He does think about it not only the race on hand as you are trying to say.

What is different with him is that he believes that the best way to win the WDC is to take every race to the maximum and let the chips fall where they may.

[HampusA]

That´s what i´m saying, sure he thinks about the championship but in the moment it´s hunting time, unlike other who are like: "ok i can´t get past, let´s just leave it at that and bring the car home"

Hamilton will try everything at you and give up once the checkered flag comes up.
Obviously all drivers think about the championship but not all are so calculated in their thinking and can turn it down a notch and just collect the points instead.

There was no bashing made so don´t call the rest of the defense force
I´m a hamilton fan aswell but i see things very objectively in my opinion.

He has for instance said stuff like "Do you want me to race these guys or what" when they told him to save the tires etc Proper racing driver for sure.

[i70q7m7ghw]

Alonso was actually the one saying Vettel has effectively won the championship.

[HampusA]

Really? Link?
From what i´ve read about Alonso he said Silverstone would be the decider.

[i70q7m7ghw]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/formula ... 591355.stm

Alonso, who was second in Monaco, said Vettel's blistering start had put him on the verge of the championship, despite there being 13 more races this season.

"We saw in the last couple of years that if you win five or six grands prix you've nearly won the championship," said the Spaniard.

Asked how he could close the 74-point gap that now separates him from Vettel in the drivers' championship, Alonso pointed out that even with the new scoring system, under which the winner of each race receives 25 points, he would need to win three races and Vettel not score at all.

"I think at the moment it's not possible," said the Spaniard.

"If you are one second behind in every qualifying and you have to do some strange strategies, so some starts or something always out of the normal race [to try and win], it's difficult.

[PlatinumZealot]

Yeah, I think his methods works well. Race to win, because really the worst thing that can happen is a DNF, and going by records, Hamilton has the lowest DNF rate of any driver in the last 20 or so years. Could he have gotten more points if he raced differently? Maybe But it can be argued that he would not have gotten the points he has if he raced like say a Vettel or a Button. Why leave it at that and bring the car home when it is possible (risky but it is possible!) to get more points?

That is the difference between the greatest and the also rans.

[HampusA]

"Hamilton has the lowest DNF rate of any driver in the last 20 or so years."

Wow, i wasn´t into the statistics like that but maybe it´s just me, i was shocked when i read this. Sure i knew he´s a stable driver but you would think with his style that it would atleast make him average in terms of DNF´s.

Diesel, thanks, must have read an earlier report then :S
I don´t mind Vettel running away with it, i just hope that we as a fan get some entertainment from it. So he has to fight for it like Spain and Monaco.