Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
These are the drivers in contention for the World driver championship:
01 Jenson Button 84 points
02 Rubens Barrichello 69 points
03 Sebastian Vettel 59 points
What does Barichello and especially Vettel have to do? How extreme do these two have to get to get their hands on the Title? Look at Vettel! 25 points down and THREE races to go!
for Barrichello to win he needs to win every race and Button needs to get less than 5 points per race.
For Vettel. Win every race and Button to get less than 5 points in three races and also Rubens not to get higher than 3rd every race...I think
"It could be done manually. It would take quite a while, but it could be done. There is however a much more efficient and accurate way of getting the data. Men with lasers." Wing Commander Andy Green
Also, Barichello is notoriously unlucky at his home race in Brazil.
To be honest, unless he does a Hamilton in 2007, Button's got it in the bag. Shame really, as I don't especially rate him. I'm pretty certain had the Mclarens or Ferraris been even close to Brawn from the beginning of the season, the title race would have been very different.
Having said that, I'd like to see a title showdown at Abu Dhabi.
Lets not lose faith Button could just cock it up big time then he'll get all tense then Barrichello & Vettel could capitalise. Vettel 3 wins from last 3 races? He could do it and pray that Button and Rubens cock up have a sort of Hungary GP struggle in the last races. Personally I'd want Vettel to win but his engine dilemma comes in the picture aswell but anything can happen in Formula One so I'm sure we'll have a dramatic climax to the 09 season , because Jenson Button as champion well that just says it all really pretty mediocre.
Such bullshit about meritocracy being tossed about, I think its such a relief to see such different drivers winning the WDC's atm rather than just a single unbeatable driver. (Schumacher? )
Just because Button, Barichello are mediocre doesn't mean they are bad, they are making the most (maybe) out of the most intuitive car on the grid and we shouldnt knock that, Formula1 isnt just about the drivers.
modbaraban wrote:So if a mediocre driver does better than the other two then what does that make them... aw and that's the pinnacle of motorsport
Based on what? Opinion?
Whats to say Button,Vettel, Rubens or Mark could not do what Lewis/Massa/Kimi did last year?
You say a driver, then the other two, so thats 3? Who do you rate as not mediocre? Vettel? The one who's failed to capitalize on his chances? The one who's made mistakes? The one who once behind seems to prefer staying behind.
Jenson's championship has been based on making the most of chances and key overtaking moves, he's finished all races in the points except Spa, all the others have made silly mistakes but when it matters, Button has been there and by far the most consistant. Whats mediocre about that? On the other hand in the last few years Lewis has done his best to make as many mistakes as possible when it mattered, Massa the same and Kimi just wants to be quick when he feels like it. None of them ahve displayed anything for me to believe they are special or better than the rest.
modbaraban wrote:So if a mediocre driver does better than the other two then what does that make them... aw and that's the pinnacle of motorsport
Based on what? Opinion?
Whats to say Button,Vettel, Rubens or Mark could not do what Lewis/Massa/Kimi did last year?
You say a driver, then the other two, so thats 3? Who do you rate as not mediocre? Vettel? The one who's failed to capitalize on his chances? The one who's made mistakes? The one who once behind seems to prefer staying behind.
Jenson's championship has been based on making the most of chances and key overtaking moves, he's finished all races in the points except Spa, all the others have made silly mistakes but when it matters, Button has been there and by far the most consistant. Whats mediocre about that? On the other hand in the last few years Lewis has done his best to make as many mistakes as possible when it mattered, Massa the same and Kimi just wants to be quick when he feels like it. None of them ahve displayed anything for me to believe they are special or better than the rest.
First you complain about a post based upon opinion, and then you make your argument by spewing your own...
I was being sarcastic. Mediocre is a word in one of the posts above I initially reacted to. I can't see what's the fuss about Button 'cracking under pressure'. So far it's his opponents who tend to mess up, pressure or not. Button+Brawn has been top class in making the most of the chances. I'll be happy to see him crowned at the end of the year.
axle wrote:So Kimi was lucky in '07
Lewis in '08
and now Button in '09??
See if you can spot the armchair pundit's trend for comments about the winners...
Does anyone on here ever just congratulate a driver for collecting more points than the opposition?!
the problem with that is requiring people to admit defeat.
Button has been more than worthy of his status this season and deserves the WDC if he makes it. All of these armchair pundits saying he's rubbish are foolish. He's survived through good and bad in the past 10 yrs and he's shown this year he's still a top driver. Comparing horrific seasons at Honda with his teammate are silly, especially since he has the same teammate and he's beaten him fair and square all year. He finished 3rd in the WDC in 2004 behind the dominant Ferrari's of Schumi and Barrichello without even winning a race. His consistency has always been his number one trait and he continues to show his fantastic driving even 10 yrs later.
Button will be the kind of champion Mika Hakkinen or Damon Hill were. Or if you go to the past, like Denny Hulme or Keke Rosberg. Consistant? Yes. With good cars? Yes. Lucky? Yes. Fast? YES! Fantastic? No way!
"Fantastic" is another league, the league were you have to do something that goes beyond the simple fact that winning a WDC is. Maybe Alonso, Hamilton or even Vettel are closer to that than Jenson.
I hope he gets the WDC because I rate Rubens below Jenson, and my opinion is he was born to be 2nd.
"You need great passion, because everything you do with great pleasure, you do well." -Juan Manuel Fangio
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication and competence." -Ayrton Senna
Time to step in this thread (and I hope, for the last time).
You know, I would like to have new members that are as good analyzing a driver qualities as Button, Hamilton, Barrichello and Wonder Boy Vettel are driving a car. I know some of the oldies around can do that.
I firmly and respectfully think that many of you who believe that Button is mediocre simply don't have the ability to spot a good driver.
It oozes with extreme newbiness the claim that any F1 driver these days is mediocre. It's evident you're comparing them only with the rest of the grid, not with the millions of truly mediocre drivers that exists in this world, people like you and me. Mention any driver in the grid that hasn't been among the very best drivers in his country when young.
If any of you can drive better than Jenson Button, I will believe every word he says when judging a driver ability. For the moment, I lump everybody that sustain the opinion that any F1 driver is mediocre in the bunch of envious people, ehem. Fortunately, nobody here has said that, isn't it?
I'm really tired, very tired of people that haven't ever raced to pontificate about F1 drivers.
It's the same tiredness that invades me when I hear a fat guy in the stands saying that, I don't know, Ronaldinho doesn't know how to play football or a person that barely can write criticizing a paint by Cezanne.
I can understand how they reach their conclusions: by reading other professional critics as mediocre as them in that particular area, people that can talk but cannot drive, play football or paint. And p-le-eeze, don't talk about the "relativeness of taste here": if you have such good taste for drivers (or painters, or football players), then prove your taste by explaining to us who the good ones are and telling us what distinguishes them and (over all!) how many good drivers you've identified and supported since they were young.
So, do me a favor: be positive and then, once you've exhausted the subject, start to compare the good with the bads.
Button will be (apparently) the new WDC. Only because of this, he has all my respect and admiration and I will nag to death any person that claims he doesn't shine driving. Even the worst driver in the grid is among the 20 or 30 better drivers in the world. Being 20 among 1 billion is pretty good to me. I'm pretty sure that any of the local drivers I know would be delighted if any driver in the F1 grid teaches them some driving lessons.
So, if this thread continues its (up to this minute) sorry existence only to include "armchair hits" to Hamilton, Button, Barrichello, Vettel, Schumacher or whoever, I would use my formidable and serendipitous ability to interfere in perfectly normal (for other forums) conversations and shut this thing once and for all.
If you want to complain about F1 in general or F1Tech in particular, I would gladly help any undecided soul to find his joy elsewhere: just send me a note. After all, my PM folder has been notoriously empty for the last month or so, after a time when I was absent and everybody splashed the forum with this kind of threads.
On the other hand, if you think any driver is not as good as the rest, then this site requires from you to prove that you're a better poster than the people that writes at other forums: get some telemetry, post a few images and give us a lesson about your knowledge of good driving. That's why a technical site is wonderful: you don't fight other people, you ask for proof that anyone can understand.
I hope this is not the Murray Walker's curse thread!
Button deserves to win, because he was the best of the pack this season. Everything worked for him in the beginning, and even at bad times the others didn't take advantage. Blame it on the cars or pure bad luck, doesn't matter. So far, so good. He's up there.
There's no place for spectacular in F1 nowadays - it wouldn't even start racing -, which makes Button a great interpretaition of modern F1.
Vettel will win, maybe Alonso and Hamilton. But not this year. At least none of them.
And the best thing is that two smaller teams are leading the championship. A big cheers for the "garagistes"!