F1s Greatest Drives

[Tamburello]

Don't worry it's hard for a fanboy to get, I'm sure...but just to let you know, Hamilton also had many things going in his favour. There was for example the little crucial matter of Vettel and Massa going on suboptimal strategies which made it possible for Hamilton to stay close to them. Without that he'd be fighting for 3rd at best and Webber would have finished 4th.

[ringo]

Dude, Hamilton started 15 places in front of Webber and only finished 7 seconds and two places ahead. That should lay your doubts to rest.

Ever heard of a massive car advantage?
Webber and Hamilton had an equally good race, but webber has done this before many times last year. Remember Singapore?

That redbull car is massively quick, and the only reason he was so close to vettel was because the 2 stopper didn't work.
Great drive from webber but it can't eclipse Hamilton's race, who did just as well to recover.

Reminds me of silverstone 2010 when Vettel fell to the back after a puncutre and started moving through the field in the RB6, great drives, but massive car advantage.

[beelsebob]

Don't worry it's hard for a fanboy to get, I'm sure...but just to let you know, Hamilton also had many things going in his favour. There was for example the little crucial matter of Vettel and Massa going on suboptimal strategies which made it possible for Hamilton to stay close to them. Without that he'd be fighting for 3rd at best and Webber would have finished 4th.

Sure – Vettel and Ferrari cocked up their strategy badly, I don't understand why you think this makes Webber's drive better.

[Tamburello]

Of course you need a car advantage. You can't do it on a push bike. When Hamilton came through the field at Sepang last year it was also because of a massive car advantage.

[Tamburello]

Don't worry it's hard for a fanboy to get, I'm sure...but just to let you know, Hamilton also had many things going in his favour. There was for example the little crucial matter of Vettel and Massa going on suboptimal strategies which made it possible for Hamilton to stay close to them. Without that he'd be fighting for 3rd at best and Webber would have finished 4th.

Sure – Vettel and Ferrari cocked up their strategy badly, I don't understand why you think this makes Webber's drive better.

But the point is there would be little gloss on Hamilton's drive without those cock ups of strategy ahead of him whereas Webber would still have carved his way through the field.

[raymondu999]

Had Ferrari & Vettel been on 3-stoppers I don't think much would've changed with Hamilton's race tbh, except that he would've come 2nd.

[myurr]

Would there? Button didn't cock up his strategy but Hamilton still made his way past him, thanks for the most part to his choice in Q3 yesterday to save a set of tyres.

Rosberg and Button were on the same strategy but Hamilton was the one that made it really work.

[beelsebob]

Don't worry it's hard for a fanboy to get, I'm sure...but just to let you know, Hamilton also had many things going in his favour. There was for example the little crucial matter of Vettel and Massa going on suboptimal strategies which made it possible for Hamilton to stay close to them. Without that he'd be fighting for 3rd at best and Webber would have finished 4th.

Sure – Vettel and Ferrari cocked up their strategy badly, I don't understand why you think this makes Webber's drive better.

But the point is there would be little gloss on Hamilton's drive without those cock ups of strategy ahead of him whereas Webber would still have carved his way through the field.

Note above – I wouldn't count Hamilton's drive as one of "F1's Greatest Drives" either – but sorry, driving the fastest car on the grid by a good strategy, with a bunch of good tyres to a finish not far behind the very front of the pack isn't a "greatest drive", instead it's simply "roughly what you would expect a good F1 driver in a fast car to do".

[Tamburello]

Yes, he would have been hailed for beating Button again but little more.

[Tamburello]

There's no greatest drives without machinery either...

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Of course Webbers drive was more impressive than Hamiltons.

He gained more groun and got a podium starting from 18th, doesnt happen everyday. Hamilton started 3rd and drove a stellar race to win, but how is that better than 18th to 3rd?
Webbo could have lay in a sullen state as Hamilton has before to just bring the car home, but he drove on in the face of all the problems he has had this year.

And in race trim the Mclaren was as good as the Red Bull, so in terms of hardware, anyone coming through from 18th to bag a podium has had a decent car beneath them.
Inevitably comparisons will be made, but in terms of the context of this thread? Neither deserve to mentioned in view of what a truly great drive is from the some of the examples already mentioned.

[beelsebob]

Of course Webbers drive was more impressive than Hamiltons.

He gained more groun and got a podium starting from 18th, doesnt happen everyday. Hamilton started 3rd and drove a stellar race to win, but how is that better than 18th to 3rd?

18th to 3rd is not that impressive an achievement in and of itself. It simply means "managed 3rd place with a 15 second handicap". It happens rarely because it's uncommon for a driver with such a good car to be so far out of position on the grid, and because up until this year, even if you started on the slower tyres you'd still be held up by backmarkers.

Suppose webber had started from 4th on the grid, and finished 8 seconds ahead of Hamilton, would you then say a win by 8 seconds in a massively superior car was one of "F1's greatest drives"?

[Tamburello]

Ok it wasn't one of F1 greatest drives but it was better than Hamilton's race

[beelsebob]

Ok it wasn't one of F1 greatest drives but it was better than Hamilton's race

Debatable, but I think we've debated that out now , I'll agree to disagree from there.

[myurr]

How many more cars did you want Hamilton to overtake? He beat the entire field on the day without having the best car.