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Strongest driver pair for 2014


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#1 Vickyy

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 05:35

Caterham and Marussia are yet to complete their line up, but it is obvious to state that they will pick some cash cow.

 

Here is my thought on driver pairs for 2014:

 

1) Alonso-Kimi

2) Hamilton-Rosberg

3) Hulk-Perez

4) Vettel-Ricciardo

5) Grosjean- Maldonado

6) Button-Magnussen

7) Massa-Bottas

8) Sutil- Gutierrez

9) Vergne-Kvyat

 

Be mindful of the fact that this is not a individual driver thread, hence please don't get carried away for rank 4  :)

 

 



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#2 f1RacingForever

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 06:03

Alonso and Kimi, although i fear Kimi won't be ready to start the season. Probably worrying too much but it's just how i feel. Next strongest pairing is the Mercedes duo After that it gets tricky. Riccardo is a big unknown but Vettel is enough to put them 3rd. Strength of driver pairing probably won't mean much unless a few teams are very competitive then Ferrari look to have the advantage.



#3 bourbon

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 06:29

Caterham and Marussia are yet to complete their line up, but it is obvious to state that they will pick some cash cow.

 

Here is my thought on driver pairs for 2014:

 

1) Alonso-Kimi

2) Hamilton-Rosberg

3) Hulk-Perez

4) Vettel-Ricciardo

5) Grosjean- Maldonado

6) Button-Magnussen

7) Massa-Bottas

8) Sutil- Gutierrez

9) Vergne-Kvyat

 

Be mindful of the fact that this is not a individual driver thread, hence please don't get carried away for rank 4  :)

 

The pair is only as strong as the car - it is always car + driver.  However, assuming an equivalent car for teammates, just for kicks:

 

1) Hamilton (9.5) -Rosberg (8.5) = 18

2) Alonso (9) -Kimi (9) = 18

3) Vettel (10) -Ricciardo (7) = 17

4) Hulk (7.5) -Perez(8) = 15.5

5) Massa (8) -Bottas (6.5) = 14.5

6) Grosjean (7.5) - Maldonado(7) = 14.5

7) Button (8.5) -Magnussen (5) = 13

8) Vergne(7.5) -Kvyat (5) = 12.5

9) Sutil (6.5) - Gutierrez(6) = 12.5

 

Some assumptions:

A.  Vettel is the strongest driver on the grid right now, so he is a "10" and the rest of the numbers are based on that.  Vettel will remain a 10.  Ricciardo will be adapting to the new team.  Probably 7.5-8 by year's end.

B.  Hamilton entrenched in Merc in year 2 will be very strong, but I believe it will take some of the year to complete adjustment; Roseberg, an 8 this season will improve to 8.5 (with an outside possibility of 9ish)

B.  Alonso in Ferrari year 5 levels him with Raikkonen because it is a new environment for the latter (although not a new team)

C.  Perez will outrace the Hulk, moving from 7.5 to 8.   Hulk remains at 7.5, with an outside chance of matching Perez for 8

D.  Massa will shine.  From 5 this season, he will shoot up to 8.  Bottas will improve from 6 to 6.5.

E.  Button will remain at 8.5 minimum, if the car improves a lot then he'll take that up a notch to near 9s.

F.  Magnussen and Kvyat are automatic "5"'s because they are newbies.  However, hype has it that we have too new young guns on the prowl.  Let's see.

G.  Vergne remains at 7.5

H.  Sutil remains at 6.5 and Gutierrez takes it up a notch from 5.5.


Edited by bourbon, 22 December 2013 - 06:34.


#4 aray

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 06:33

Sultil-Guti............................



#5 SpaMaster

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 06:36

Everything is fine, I just think that there should be a big gap between 2 and 3. :p The strong driver pairing of Mercedes is what that proved to be the difference in them clinching no. 2 in WCC.



#6 Otaku

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 06:54

 

4) Hulk (7.5) -Perez(8) = 15.5

 

C.  Perez will outrace the Hulk, moving from 7.5 to 8.   Hulk remains at 7.5, with an outside chance of matching Perez for 8

 

 

Interesting, I think Hulk will destroy Perez.



#7 dreamer

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 07:37

1. Ferrari (Kimi /Alonso) - Very strong and I think they'll get along fine.

2. Mercedes (Rosberg / Hamilton) - We saw this year that Mercedes has a strong pair.

3. Red Bull (Vettel / Ricciardo) - Vettel will dominate but Ricciardo will score some big points too.

4. Mclaren (Button / Magnussen) - Not so strong as the 3 pairs above but Button is a very experienced driver and this will help Magnussen to adjust fast.

5. Force India (Hulkenberg / Perez) - It seems strong and they both showed that they can score good points but it's a new team for both of them (yes, I know that Hulk was there before)

6. Williams (Massa / Bottas) - I believe that they are both good drivers and they will have a good collaboration.

7. Lotus (Grosjean- Maldonado) - Don't know... I can find positive things to say about each of them but I don't think the combination will be good.

8. Toro Rosso (Vergne / Kvyat) - They are good drivers but I think it's too early for Kvyat to drive in F1 (I hope I'm wrong because I really liked watching him drive in GP3)

9. Sauber (Sutil / Gutierrez) - Don't think it will turn out to be a strong pairing but they'll score some solid points. Also Guttierez had some strong races in the second half of this year so I hope this will continue.



#8 Bawdy

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 07:43

Kimi/Alonso is the best pair, followed by Hamilton/Rosberg. Can't be bothered to list everyone else, although I have a feeling that Williams with Massa/Bottas will surprise many.

#9 Lone

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 08:18

1. Ferrari
2. Mercedes
3. Red Bull
4. McLaren
5. Williams
6. Lotus
7. Force India
8. Toro Rosso
9. Sauber

#10 emmanuelrubi

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 08:27

I really don't think Hulk will trash Perez maybe he will beat him who knows but the thing with Perez is that people tend to underrate him, he could put a good fight and beat in quali a wdc has manage to get 3 podiums something that hulk has not achieve yet even with one more year on the sport so yeah people will say it was because of the car, same reason why hulk did so well this second part of the season the Sauber was amazing on straights but as i said who knows i can see Hulk beating Perez but not trashing him as many people expect.



#11 Jimisgod

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 09:39

Ferrari
Mercedes
Red Bull
Force India
McLaren
Lotus
Williams
Toro Rosso
Sauber

#12 ArkZ

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 09:58

Ferrari then Merc have easily the strongest duos before the before the start of the season, maybe after the start some team will join them, who knows.



#13 Anderis

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 10:02

For me it's:

1. Mercedes

2. Ferrari

3. Red Bull

4. Force India

5. McLaren

6. Lotus

7. Williams

8. Sauber

9. Toro Rosso

Some teams have talented drivers, but not experienced enough, what moves them down in ranking a bit. I will my revise my opinion after this season if there are some drivers who are going to surprise me. For example: if Magnussen can dominate Button in his 1st season, I would certainly move McLaren up from 5th. If Massa can be back near his 2008/2009 level, then Williams may be higher than 7th. But my ranking is as it is after what I've seen so far.

I know my 1st place may be controversial a bit (picking Mercedes over FerrarI), but if I was a team-boss, I would rather have Hamilton-Rosberg, than Alonso-Raikkonen. I think Mercedes' duo can complement themselves better than Ferrari's duo.



#14 Henri Greuter

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 10:23

On first thought I would say Kimi and Fernando as strongest pairing.

 

But I remember Scheckter and Villeneuve being one of the strongest pairings possible in 1980.....

If kimi and Fernando end up with a 2014 equivalent of the 1980 312T5, I wonder how motivated they will remain to fulfill any promise.

Or any other potentially strong driver pairing

 

So I wait with my verdict till I've seen what tools the differnt teams provide to their drivers and how they make use of it.

 

 

Henri



#15 KavB

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 11:04

1) Ferrari

2) Mercedes

3) Red Bull (Vettel's strengths will compensate for Ricciardo)

4) Force India (Only because of Hulk)

5) McLaren 

6) Lotus

7) Williams

8) Sauber

9) Toro Rosso

 

If Magnussen and Kyvat are really good then they both will move up one place I think. Imo, the line up for McLaren, FI and Lotus are fairly tight. I also think Maldonado and Grosjean are faster drivers than Perez but I feel Hulkenberg will make up for that.



#16 Hayden1

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 11:19

1) Ferrari

2)Mercedes

3) RBR , McLaren

4)FI,Williams

5)Lotus



#17 kimister

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 12:17

First Ferrari, later Mercedes comes



#18 sopa

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 12:23

Ferrari and Mercedes are a close call. Raikkonen is preferred to Rosberg, because he is WDC and proven, but it is entirely possible that in Ferrari athmosphere he once again won't quite look at the best light and will be trailing behind Alonso. Also we know Rosberg is very close to Hamilton. Another spanner in the works is that Alonso in general is rated as performing better than Hamilton, so this may move things in Ferrari's favour. But the Mercedes' line-up is younger, so future might be theirs. I'll try to keep open mind here.

 

In RBR it will entirely depend on Ricciardo. If he can give Vettel a run for his money or at least be reasonably close, he will have earnt a status of performing on Rosberg/Raikkonen level, which moves RBR among the best line-ups on the grid. Otherwise they will be third.

 

Force India looks #4 to me. Some say Hulkenberg is basically a top driver, however it is unclear if he can match the #1's of three top teams. Perez hasn't even proven himself as a strong #2 on Button/Rosberg level yet either, so in both areas Force India lags a bit behind top teams, but they are still good.

 

Lotus - #5 or #6? Grosjean has improved, but Hulkenberg is still viewed as slightly more convincing. Who knows? On the other hand Maldonado may not be even on Perez' level, even if he can be considered to be close.

 

McLaren is very open and much-dependant on Magnussen' form. If Magnussen proves to be a true hot-shoe, McLaren can even be right up there with the best line-ups. However, at the moment they have to prove they can get above Force India and Lotus. If Magnussen performs on Perez level (~2/3 of Button's points), which is a reasonable guesstimate, it will be a close call with FI, esp if Hulkenberg beats Perez by the same margin as Button did this year.

 

Williams is in my view behind those teams. Massa hasn't even shown to be on a decent #2 driver level in recent years, which the lead drivers of above teams all have. Bottas could be the saving grace, but he hasn't convincingly proven yet that he is better than Maldonado-level even if he got more points in his debut season. I think Williams can move above any of the above teams only of Bottas proves to be really good and actually beats Massa.

 

Sauber is unconvincing as many say, actually it could be a close call with Toro Rosso. Both Sutil and Vergne were disappointments of 2013, I am not even sure, who was a bigger disappointment. I guess Vergne, because at least Sutil seemed to give di Resta a serious run of money, even if he suffered from unluck. Gutierrez has a lot to prove like Petrov had in 2011, while Kvyat could have potential, but is still very-very young.



#19 SteF1an

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 12:51

1. Mercedes

2. Ferrari

 

3. Red Bull

 

4. Force India

 

 

5. Lotus

6. McLaren

 

7. Williams

 

8. Sauber

 

9. Toro Rosso



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#20 Zoetrope

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:07

I would rather have Hamilton-Rosberg, than Alonso-Raikkonen. I think Mercedes' duo can complement themselves better than Ferrari's duo.

That's very important factor. On pure pace and racecraft I would put Ferrari ahead of Mercedes, but Lewis and Nico can work together and positively push each other. Ferrari atmosphere might be more toxic (including LdM).



#21 sennafan24

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:12

I pretty much agree with Bourbon, other than the ranking of Perez over Hulk, and I might have the McLaren and Lotus pairings over the Williams pairing, 



#22 Xeriks

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:20

Ferrari might have the best pair on paper, but we're not sure how they will get along, so I'll have to say Mercedes for now.



#23 DutchQuicksilver

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:22

1. Ferrari (Alonso/Raikkonen) - Alonso has the edge over Hamilton and Raikkonen is a far better racer than Rosberg.

2. Mercedes (Hamilton/Rosberg) - Both capable of winning races, with one them being part of the big four in F1.

3. Red Bull (Vettel/Ricciardo) - Mostly due to Vettel, Ricciardo is an unknown factor really.

4. Lotus (Grosjean/Maldonado) - Both superfast, but need more intelligence during races, Grosjean is getting there though.

5. Force India (Hulkenberg/Perez) - Rate Hulkenberg higher than someone like Button, who's past his prime. Pérez is strong as well.

6. McLaren (Button/Magnussen) - Button can still be good on his day, but past his prime. Magnussen a big unknown, could be like is dad or could be a Hamilton.

7. Williams (Bottas/Massa) - Bottas looks to have intelligent race skills, whilst Massa is following Barrichello's path who excelled at Williams in 2010.

8. Sauber (Sutil/Gutierrez) - Sutil is solid, he gets the edge over the Toro Rosso guys, Gutierrez improved steadily.

9. Toro Rosso (Vergne/Kvyat) - Vergne looked promising, but 2013 was not good. Kvyat looks talented, but also an unknown.



#24 Timantti

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:27

I really don't think Hulk will trash Perez maybe he will beat him who knows but the thing with Perez is that people tend to underrate him, he could put a good fight and beat in quali a wdc has manage to get 3 podiums something that hulk has not achieve yet even with one more year on the sport so yeah people will say it was because of the car, same reason why hulk did so well this second part of the season the Sauber was amazing on straights but as i said who knows i can see Hulk beating Perez but not trashing him as many people expect.

 

Me neither. Hulk has been flattered by Gutierrez big time and Perez is slightly underrated right now. There is no way Hulkenberg will "destroy" him. Let's not forget that Hulk was beaten by Barrichello and was very even with di Resta. Only this season he has seemed like a world beater despite providing same kind of results as Perez / Koba the year before. The only difference was that his teammate sucked.

 

I do believe that Hulkeberg will beat Perez but not by much. I think it's going to be as close as it was with di Resta in FI.


Edited by Timantti, 22 December 2013 - 14:29.


#25 Szoelloe

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 14:39

Mercedes still has the strongest pair. LH and NR are young, work well together, and both better on the technical side. With the arrival of KR Ferrari jumped up to second. Force India with NH and Perez should be a pretty strong pair in third. Red Bull 4th, I think they will be even more lopsided with Ricciardo than with Webber. I don't know what to think of Magnussen. Bottas and Massa could be pretty strong too. The rest is fodder. Maldonado is on Petrov's level, though this season RG impressed me, while he improved, Maldonado faded. Vergne is mediocre IMHO, don't know Kvyat.

 

1. Mercedes

2. Ferari

3. Force India

4. Red Bull

5. McLaren

6. Williams

7. Lotus

8. Toro Rosso

9. Sauber

 

etc

 

We'll see how the season goes, and review?



#26 Kingshark

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 16:20

1. Ferrari

2. Mercedes

3. Force India

4. Red Bull

5. McLaren

6. Lotus

7. Williams

8. Sauber

9. Toro Rosso

 

Caterham and Marussia are still an unknown.


Edited by Kingshark, 22 December 2013 - 16:22.


#27 halifaxf1fan

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 16:53

1. Ferrari

2. Red Bull

3. Mercedes

4. Force India

5. Lotus

6. Williams

7. McLaren

8. Sauber

9. Toro Rosso



#28 Disgrace

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 17:06

The new regulations should hopefully change the form book. These lists are only representative of what is now history.



#29 InSearchOfThe

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 17:13

Mercedes at the beginning. I expect Ferrari to click by race 3.



#30 ric

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 22:58

Me neither. Hulk has been flattered by Gutierrez big time and Perez is slightly underrated right now. There is no way Hulkenberg will "destroy" him. Let's not forget that Hulk was beaten by Barrichello and was very even with di Resta. Only this season he has seemed like a world beater despite providing same kind of results as Perez / Koba the year before. The only difference was that his teammate sucked.

 

I do believe that Hulkeberg will beat Perez but not by much. I think it's going to be as close as it was with di Resta in FI.

Sauber team often described Esteban Gutiérrez as the more talented of their Mexican drivers. They possibly gave him the F1 seat a season too early, so in many eyes he seemed not being good enough. Occasionally he could match his highly rated teammate Hulk, but only in some sessions (don't know why you used the expression "Hulk has been flattered", look at the results in qualifying and races).

Hulk was better than RB during the second half of his debut season. And he was far better than PdR during his second F1 season. So let's wait for the team battle against Perez, who had good races in the Sauber last year, but was not very lucky in the McLaren this year.

I hope Force India will produce a decent car, so these young guns will achieve good results :-)



#31 discover23

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Posted 22 December 2013 - 23:09

Ferrari without a doubt.

 

Followed by Mercedes

 

Force India

 

Lotus

 

RedBull

 

The rest in no particular order..



#32 apoka

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 08:55

Ferrari without a doubt.

 

Followed by Mercedes

 

Force India

 

Lotus

 

RedBull

 

The rest in no particular order..

 

RB in 5th seems very low. Ricciardo had a promising last season - a bit like Perez in 2012, however, with less highs but higher consistency. Perez had a year in a top team in 2013 and showed average performance, whereas Ricciardo is still an unknown, but may shine in a top team. Compared to Maldonado, I'd also rate Ricciardo higher at the moment. He is 4 years younger, will improve next year and Maldonado didn't show that much potential apart from his win. Allowing for some bias in either direction, I'd say that the second drivers of FI and Lotus are not worlds apart from the second RB driver. And since the first driver is a clear case, I think RB should be in front of Lotus and FI.



#33 thuGG

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 09:18

1. ALO - RAI

2. HAM - ROS

3. VET - RIC 



#34 discover23

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 12:21

RB in 5th seems very low. Ricciardo had a promising last season - a bit like Perez in 2012, however, with less highs but higher consistency. Perez had a year in a top team in 2013 and showed average performance, whereas Ricciardo is still an unknown, but may shine in a top team. Compared to Maldonado, I'd also rate Ricciardo higher at the moment. He is 4 years younger, will improve next year and Maldonado didn't show that much potential apart from his win. Allowing for some bias in either direction, I'd say that the second drivers of FI and Lotus are not worlds apart from the second RB driver. And since the first driver is a clear case, I think RB should be in front of Lotus and FI.


The reason i put them on 5th is because i predict the team will continue to be a one driver team and Ricardo will only be a supporting driver. I don't see the two fighting for points like the other teams will.
It will be easier for Vettel than for Lewis or Alonso if their teams are all championship contenders..
I hope i am wrong btw.

#35 indian

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 12:25

On paper, the Ferrari pair is certainly the strongest, followed by the Mercedes pair.

 

We also have some interesting pairings at RB, McLaren, Lotus and FI.



#36 MetallurgicalHedonist

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 12:46

Caterham and Marussia are yet to complete their line up, but it is obvious to state that they will pick some cash cow.

 

Here is my thought on driver pairs for 2014:

 

1) Alonso-Kimi

2) Hamilton-Rosberg

3) Hulk-Perez

4) Vettel-Ricciardo

5) Grosjean- Maldonado

6) Button-Magnussen

7) Massa-Bottas

8) Sutil- Gutierrez

9) Vergne-Kvyat

 

Be mindful of the fact that this is not a individual driver thread, hence please don't get carried away for rank 4  :)

 

Nothing to complain about 1) and 2) (whether it's the Ferrari or the Mercedes driver pair at 1) doesn't matter).

 

Call me crazy, but I think Button/Magnussen is a tad higher than 6) and Hülk/Perez lower than 3) (maybe even Grosjean/Maldonado are abouve Hülk/Perez or to put it this way: at least Grosjean/Maldonado are not really worse than Hülk/Perez). Massa/Bottas at 7) could also be very well underestimated.



#37 jjcale

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 13:02

Mercedes still has the strongest pair. LH and NR are young, work well together, and both better on the technical side. With the arrival of KR Ferrari jumped up to second. Force India with NH and Perez should be a pretty strong pair in third. Red Bull 4th, I think they will be even more lopsided with Ricciardo than with Webber. I don't know what to think of Magnussen. Bottas and Massa could be pretty strong too. The rest is fodder. Maldonado is on Petrov's level, though this season RG impressed me, while he improved, Maldonado faded. Vergne is mediocre IMHO, don't know Kvyat.

 

1. Mercedes

2. Ferari

3. Force India

4. Red Bull

5. McLaren

6. Williams

7. Lotus

8. Toro Rosso

9. Sauber

 

etc

 

We'll see how the season goes, and review?

 

+ 1



#38 03011969

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 13:08

Caterham and Marussia are yet to complete their line up, but it is obvious to state that they will pick some cash cow.
 
Here is my thought on driver pairs for 2014:
 
1) Alonso-Kimi
2) Hamilton-Rosberg
3) Hulk-Perez
4) Vettel-Ricciardo
5) Grosjean- Maldonado
6) Button-Magnussen
7) Massa-Bottas
8) Sutil- Gutierrez
9) Vergne-Kvyat
 
Be mindful of the fact that this is not a individual driver thread, hence please don't get carried away for rank 4  :)


I think that's a pretty reasonable order TBH. Remains to be seen how well Magnussen and Kvyat will do of course.

I'll be cheering for Williams next year - I think Bottas is impressive, and if Massa can continue his form from the last few races of 2013 they could get some good results if Williams can produce a car worthy of their name.

Edited by 03011969, 23 December 2013 - 13:08.


#39 UPRC

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 13:33

I'm guessing it'll go something like...

 

1. Alonso/Raikkonen
2. Hamilton/Rosberg
3. Hulkenberg/Perez
4. Vettel/Ricciardo
5. Bottas/Massa
6. Button/Magnussen
7. Grosjean/Maldonado
8. Gutierrez/Sutil
9. Vergne/Kvyat



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#40 noikeee

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 15:01

1. Kimi/Alonso
2. Hamilton/Rosberg
3. Vettel/Ricciardo
4. Hulkenberg/Pérez
5. Grosjean/Maldonado
6. Button/Magnussen
7. Massa/Bottas
8. Vergne/Kvyat
9. Sutil/Gutiérrez


#41 GhostR

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 15:11

The pair is only as strong as the car - it is always car + driver.  However, assuming an equivalent car for teammates, just for kicks:

 

1) Hamilton (9.5) -Rosberg (8.5) = 18

2) Alonso (9) -Kimi (9) = 18

3) Vettel (10) -Ricciardo (7) = 17

4) Hulk (7.5) -Perez(8) = 15.5

5) Massa (8) -Bottas (6.5) = 14.5

6) Grosjean (7.5) - Maldonado(7) = 14.5

7) Button (8.5) -Magnussen (5) = 13

8) Vergne(7.5) -Kvyat (5) = 12.5

9) Sutil (6.5) - Gutierrez(6) = 12.5

 

Some assumptions:

A.  Vettel is the strongest driver on the grid right now, so he is a "10" and the rest of the numbers are based on that.  Vettel will remain a 10.  Ricciardo will be adapting to the new team.  Probably 7.5-8 by year's end.

B.  Hamilton entrenched in Merc in year 2 will be very strong, but I believe it will take some of the year to complete adjustment; Roseberg, an 8 this season will improve to 8.5 (with an outside possibility of 9ish)

B.  Alonso in Ferrari year 5 levels him with Raikkonen because it is a new environment for the latter (although not a new team)

C.  Perez will outrace the Hulk, moving from 7.5 to 8.   Hulk remains at 7.5, with an outside chance of matching Perez for 8

D.  Massa will shine.  From 5 this season, he will shoot up to 8.  Bottas will improve from 6 to 6.5.

E.  Button will remain at 8.5 minimum, if the car improves a lot then he'll take that up a notch to near 9s.

F.  Magnussen and Kvyat are automatic "5"'s because they are newbies.  However, hype has it that we have too new young guns on the prowl.  Let's see.

G.  Vergne remains at 7.5

H.  Sutil remains at 6.5 and Gutierrez takes it up a notch from 5.5.

 

I like your methodology, but don't agree so much with your ratings and therefore your final conclusions... So I'll borrow the method and re-calculate based on my own opinions for individual drivers.

 

I'll start with my assumptions that replace yours:

 

Some assumptions:

 

Preface: As 2014 has such a large rules reset, we can only use historical results for estimating driver strength. Any predictions of 2014 performance are merely guesses - we have no idea which drivers will adapt quickest to the new rules, nor which drivers will just naturally suit the new rules and be mega out of the box.

 

A.  Vettel as reigning WDC, 4 times on the bounce, gets a 10. Also comprehensively dominated Webber over entire 2013. Ricciardo - has a lot of proving to do. Still improving, quick over a single lap, put Vergne in the shade. Noises coming out of the team suggest he's quicker than the STR allowed him to show. I'll give a generous 8, subject to revision once we see him against Vettel.

 

B.  Alonso not as good on qualifying day, but at least as strong on race day. Qually results hampered race day results in 2013, so he gets a 9.5. Raikkonen. He's a damn fine driver, and very solid. I still have lots of question marks on exactly how good he really is that need answering, though, and I put him slightly behind all of the above for now. I expect Alonso to have the advantage - it's just a matter of how big. 8.5.

 

C.  Hamilton had an up-and-down year but clearly showed he can challenge if Merc can produce the car. If he'd been consistent, a definite 9.5 but the consistency question drops him to a 9. Rosberg. If Hamilton gets a 9, Rosberg gets a 9.

 

D.  Grosjean. Now he's stopped crashing, and re-found his pace without starting to crash again ... Still, a lot of doubts over his ability to deliver over a full season so 7.5. Maldonado - One impressive race over last two years, plus some thrown away. 6.5.

 

E.  Hulk - Most impressive driver not in a top team. 8.5. Perez - Some great drives at Sauber, failed to consistently deliver at McLaren. I rate Grosjean as the better long term prospect, but Maldo as worse ... so 7.

 

F.  Massa - He's faded since the highs prior to his injury. 7. Bottas - Improved towards the end of the season. Close enough to Maldo during his rookie year that I rate him slightly higher. 7.

 

G.  Button - Not top drawer, but better than midfield. In a car he likes, a 9+. But his perennial struggles with a car he doesn't like drops him to an 8 for me. Magnussen - No F1 history, so I give him a baseline 7 on the basis he won FR3.5 against some rated drivers (same as the driver he replaces).

 

H. Vergne - Failed to deliver in qualifying, but managed some strong races and clearly has talent that gets demonstrated in the wet. Assuming renewed motivation for 2014, he squeaks a 7. Kvyat - Too young, jumping too many classes. Giving him a baseline guess of a 6, purely because the team believe in him.

 

I.  Sutil - Solid midfield but nothing special. 6.5. Gutierrez - 6. Needs to deliver in 2014 or he'll disappear.

 

 

1=) Mercedes: Hamilton (9) - Rosberg (9) = 18

1=) Ferrari: Alonso (9.5) - Kimi (8.5) = 18

1=) Red Bull: Vettel (10) - Ricciardo (8) = 18

 

4) Force India: Hulk (8.5) - Perez (7) = 15.5

5) McLaren: Button (8) - Magnussen (7) = 15

6=) Williams: Massa (7) - Bottas (7) = 14

6=) Lotus: Grosjean (7.5) - Maldonado (6.5) = 14

 

 

8) Toro Rosso: Vergne (7) - Kvyat (6) = 13

9) Sauber: Sutil (6.5) - Gutierrez (6) = 12.5


Edited by GhostR, 23 December 2013 - 15:12.


#42 goingthedistance

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 15:16

How anyone could rate Vergne above Ricciardo this year is beyond me. RIC outqualified JEV 15-4, beat him in points finishes 7-3 and overall in points 20-13. JEV had a 6th versus Dan's 7th yes, but RIC was unlucky not get a 4th-6th place in Silverstone due to the very late safety car and a poor strategy call by STR to leave him out on old tyres (the same fate that befell Kimi Raikkonen).



#43 GhostR

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 15:57

How anyone could rate Vergne above Ricciardo this year is beyond me. RIC outqualified JEV 15-4, beat him in points finishes 7-3 and overall in points 20-13. JEV had a 6th versus Dan's 7th yes, but RIC was unlucky not get a 4th-6th place in Silverstone due to the very late safety car and a poor strategy call by STR to leave him out on old tyres (the same fate that befell Kimi Raikkonen).

 

Agreed. Even in 2012, Ricciardo (despite losing on points) had a slight edge over Vergne. That's an edge that turned into a clear win this year. There's no logical reason to believe Vergne will be better than Ricciardo next season. Sure Ricciardo has to change teams, which comes with an adjustment period, but that's a small thing compared to the big changes in the cars that all drivers will need to adjust to for 2014.



#44 joshb

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 16:35

Ferrari by a whisker, as I feel Raikkonen is a bit more better than Ricciardo than Seb is versus Alonso- Ricciardo being the unknown quantity. If he is quite close to Vettel, then RB without a doubt

Then Merc a shade behind RB- Rosberg better than Ricciardo but Vettel better than Hamilton by a slightly bigger margin

Then a gap before a tight one between McLaren and Force India

Then a gap to  close one between Williams and Lotus, with Toro Rosso edging out Sauber a bit behind those two



#45 halifaxf1fan

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 17:50

1. Ferrari - FA 9.5 KR 9

2. Red Bull - SV 10 DR 7

3. Mercedes - LH 8.5 NR 8

4. Force India - NH 8.5 SP 7

5. Lotus - RG 8 PM 6.5

6. Williams - FM 7 VB 6.5

7. McLaren - JB 8 KM 5

8. Sauber - AS 6.5 EG 6

9. Toro Rosso - JEV 6.5 DK 5


Edited by halifaxf1fan, 23 December 2013 - 17:53.


#46 Wander

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 18:30

 

 

1=) Mercedes: Hamilton (9) - Rosberg (9) = 18

1=) Ferrari: Alonso (9.5) - Kimi (8.5) = 18

1=) Red Bull: Vettel (10) - Ricciardo (8) = 18

 

4) Force India: Hulk (8.5) - Perez (7) = 15.5

5) McLaren: Button (8) - Magnussen (7) = 15

6=) Williams: Massa (7) - Bottas (7) = 14

6=) Lotus: Grosjean (7.5) - Maldonado (6.5) = 14

 

 

8) Toro Rosso: Vergne (7) - Kvyat (6) = 13

9) Sauber: Sutil (6.5) - Gutierrez (6) = 12.5

 

A much better list and more logical conclusions than those of bourbon who assumes way too much in less than comprehensive manner.

 

Personally, I am slightly sceptical of Ricciardo so I'd put Red Bull a touch below Ferrari and Mercedes (in that order). Other than that I find this list quite agreeable.



#47 GhostR

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Posted 23 December 2013 - 18:47

A much better list and more logical conclusions than those of bourbon who assumes way too much in less than comprehensive manner.

 

Personally, I am slightly sceptical of Ricciardo so I'd put Red Bull a touch below Ferrari and Mercedes (in that order). Other than that I find this list quite agreeable.

 

Large part of the reason I have them on equal 'points' but RB third on the list - it's the least certain line up of the three teams with Ricciardo being a big question mark. Maybe a 17.8 or 17.9 would be more appropriate for RB, to take account of that, but I didn't want to go that deep into decimals :).



#48 Mandzipop

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Posted 24 December 2013 - 09:05

My simple method is by using last year's points and assuming that the same amount will be scored by that driver in the 2014 season (in other words the rookies will get zero).

 

Ferrari 425
Red Bull 417
Mercedes 360
Lotus 133
Williams 116
Force India 100
Mclaren 73
Sauber 35
Toro Rosso 13



#49 DriveFastLiveSlow

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Posted 24 December 2013 - 11:04

 

1. Ferrari - FA 9.5 KR 9

2. Red Bull - SV 10 DR 7

3. Mercedes - LH 8.5 NR 8

4. Force India - NH 8.5 SP 7

5. Lotus - RG 8 PM 6.5

6. Williams - FM 7 VB 6.5

7. McLaren - JB 8 KM 5

8. Sauber - AS 6.5 EG 6

9. Toro Rosso - JEV 6.5 DK 5

 

 

+1

This works for me.



#50 Hans V

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Posted 25 December 2013 - 11:50

I think both Merc and Ferrari have tremendously strong pairings, and Red Bull isn’t far behind as I thing Ricciardo will positively surprise. In a year like 2014 with a lot of development I believe Mercedes pairing to be the strongest. They have Rosberg who is very clever and supposedly a very good development driver – and Hamilton who can extract the absolutely maximum out of the car. These guys complement each perfectly and will probably contribute to car development better than the other teams. In Ferrari I believe Raikkonen will contribute more than Alonso. Raikkonens feedback is allegedly second to none and Alonso is apparently not as smart as he thinks when it comes to car set-up.