Which drivers have the smoothest driving style?

[NathanOlder]

So? Well I was obviously pointing out Prost was nowhere near as fast when it comes to outright speed.

If setup more for the races he obviously won more races during their time as team mates..... nope. 14.11 to Senna.
I think Prost is best described as almost as fast as Senna.

[mzso]

So? Well I was obviously pointing out Prost was nowhere near as fast when it comes to outright speed.

*In qualifying.

I think Prost is best described as almost as fast as Senna.

If you want to be wrong.

[raymondu999]

I don’t think “smooth style” has any correlation to speed. To quote Mark Hughes, “there’s driving style, and then there is the level to which it is being expressed.”

You can be smooth and fast, smooth and slow, aggressive and slow, or aggressive and fast

[raymondu999]

Verstappen I’ve been watching both pole laps recently. He “feels” to me - from the limited viewing we get on onboards, he feels like 2009-2010 Vettel. Not exactly “smooth” not exactly “abrupt” inputs - but definitely tending more toward abrupt, and like to slam the throttle hard and early, with a wide exit slamming over the exit kerb.

Verstappen Hungary pole:


Reference Vettel’s Melb 2010 pole lap


Both very committed on entry, and just total belief in the throttle; willing to slam the exit kerb a little to straighten the exit

Leclerc seems to me like the old 08 hamilton. Lot’s of mid-corner corrections, sort of flowy-floating smooth-ish inputs, but less corrections. Reference Hamilton 08 and Leclerc 2019 pole laps for what I mean:



Both are prone to decreasing/increasing steering several times in a corner, although I wouldnt quite term it as hacking away quite yet.

Note that these are just stylistic observations, not really to do with speed

[Wass85]

8

Verstappen I’ve been watching both pole laps recently. He “feels” to me - from the limited viewing we get on onboards, he feels like 2009-2010 Vettel. Not exactly “smooth” not exactly “abrupt” inputs - but definitely tending more toward abrupt, and like to slam the throttle hard and early, with a wide exit slamming over the exit kerb.

Verstappen Hungary pole:
https://youtu.be/uvlHBDD2R2M

Reference Vettel’s Melb 2010 pole lap
https://youtu.be/qGW_Hu25-c0

Both very committed on entry, and just total belief in the throttle; willing to slam the exit kerb a little to straighten the exit

Leclerc seems to me like the old 08 hamilton. Lot’s of mid-corner corrections, sort of flowy-floating smooth-ish inputs, but less corrections. Reference Hamilton 08 and Leclerc 2019 pole laps for what I mean:
https://youtu.be/JFP6Bzlk5Z8
https://youtu.be/EXlK_GDRZNY

Both are prone to decreasing/increasing steering several times in a corner, although I wouldnt quite term it as hacking away quite yet.

Note that these are just stylistic observations, not really to do with speed

You have to think though it's about the car you are driving, a lot of Hamilton's recent poles have been very smooth and measured.

[raymondu999]

You have to think though it's about the car you are driving, a lot of Hamilton's recent poles have been very smooth and measured.

Of course. I’m just saying that stylistically their approaches were similar, in those cars on those circuits in those years

[NathanOlder]

Hamilton changed his style to what was required. Max is following suit, Charles will too no doubt.

[PlatinumZealot]

Agreed. I think Max does what is needed to drive the car fast. Very adaptable.

[raymondu999]

Agreed. I think Max does what is needed to drive the car fast. Very adaptable.

Could be true, and I’ve heard it before. Until we see him drive cars with a different handling character though I think we cannot factually back up this debate. I certainly believe it, but again I have no evidence

Hamilton changed his style to what was required. Max is following suit, Charles will too no doubt.

Yes of course. But as a snapshot, within that time range their styles were similar as pointed above

[Just_a_fan]

You have to think though it's about the car you are driving, a lot of Hamilton's recent poles have been very smooth and measured.

Isn't it more the nature of the tyres that has led to this approach? Go hard on them and they give up before the end of the lap.

[Just_a_fan]

So? Well I was obviously pointing out Prost was nowhere near as fast when it comes to outright speed.

*In qualifying.

I think Prost is best described as almost as fast as Senna.

If you want to be wrong.

And yet Prost set 41 fastest laps to Senna's 19.

Senna was a qualifying master, a rain master, and a hard racer. Prost wasn't as good as Senna in qualifying and he hated the rain, but otherwise he was a very quick guy.

[Wass85]

You have to think though it's about the car you are driving, a lot of Hamilton's recent poles have been very smooth and measured.

Isn't it more the nature of the tyres that has led to this approach? Go hard on them and they give up before the end of the lap.

I don't know if that's the case tbh but if it is it just goes to show how adaptable he is.

I'm looking forward to 2021 to see if he has to adapt his driving style yet again, just a shame we have terrible Pirelli still on the scene.

[ENGINE TUNER]

So? Well I was obviously pointing out Prost was nowhere near as fast when it comes to outright speed.

*In qualifying.

I think Prost is best described as almost as fast as Senna.

If you want to be wrong.

And yet Prost set 41 fastest laps to Senna's 19.

Senna was a qualifying master, a rain master, and a hard racer. Prost wasn't as good as Senna in qualifying and he hated the rain, but otherwise he was a very quick guy.

Prost 41 fastest laps was because he was always trying to catch up while Senna was just cruising. Fast laps meant nothing until they were given a point recently. Prost was not anywhere as fast as Senna, but he was obviously fast enough to accomplish what he did in F1.