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Can a contract be more important than skills for a driver's career?


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#1 mattferg

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 14:09

There's been a lot of discussion on the forum lately about driver's skills and how their cars either limit or magnify their performances, and it got me thinking - can the team which a driver signed for be more crucial to their success than their own skills?

For example, if Button had decided to leave Brackley after Honda pulled out, it's likely he wouldn't have his WDC, nor would he have signed for McLaren - this single act of staying with Brackley meant he's considered far more favourably than he would've been, had he left.

Another example is Alonso. He's been all over the place in the last few years, and if he'd decided to stay with Renault rather than go to McLaren, it's likely we'd think both differently of him AND of Hamilton, as they'd never have been paired together. He also was offered David Coulthard's seat at Red Bull for 2009, which he turned down. How would this have affected our image of him?

Same thing for Raikkonen leaving McLaren for Ferrari - would he have won the WDC in 2007 in a McLaren? What about Lewis's car in 2008?

What if Schumacher had stayed at Benetton? Vettel for BMW Sauber?

Obviously we have a similar scenario unfolding for Hamilton now - if the McLaren dominates this year, how will it affect our image of Hamilton? Same goes for the Merc's performance.

Discuss!

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#2 TFLB

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Posted 14 March 2013 - 14:51

Personally I think most of the drivers are very close in terms of talent and some get lucky and end up in a good team, which makes people think they are better than they are. Chief examples this are Button and Webber I believe. Substitute them for almost any other driver on the grid and you'd get the same or better results.

Edited by TFLB, 14 March 2013 - 15:13.