18 replies to this topic

[LHamilton0810]

From the 9 GP2 champions so far, which driver is the most to the least talented in terms of racing up to now?

 

2005 - Nico Rosberg

2006 - Lewis Hamilton

2007 - Timo Glock

2008 - Giorgio Pantano

2009 - Nico Hulkenberg

2010 - Pastor Maldonado

2011 - Romain Grosjean

2012 - Davide Valsecchi

2013 - Fabio Leimer

[Jelinski619]

Least has to be Maldonado. The guy can barely get around a corner without getting into trouble.

[Goma]

Hamilton

Rosberg - Hulkenberg - Grosjean (getting there)

Pantano - Glock - Maldonado

Valsecchi - Leimer

[Spillage]

Least has to be Maldonado. The guy can barely get around a corner without getting into trouble.

Maldonado is one of only three men on that list to have won a Formula 1 GP.

 

My rankings:

1) Hamilton

2) Hulkenberg

3) Rosberg

4) Grosjean

5) Maldonado

6) Glock

7) Pantano

 

The other two are a bit difficult to judge as we never saw them in F1, but I think I'd rank Leimer ahead of Valsecchi in 8th and 9th places.

Edited by Spillage, 30 March 2014 - 18:11.

[Anja]

Hamilton

Rosberg - Hulkenberg - Grosjean (getting there)

Pantano - Glock - Maldonado

Valsecchi - Leimer

 

That seems about right.

[Kingshark]

1. Lewis Hamilton

2. Nico Rosberg

3. Nico Hulkenberg

4. Romain Grosjean

5. Timo Glock

6. Pastor Maldonado

7. Giorgio Pantano

[betafan]

Hamilton

Rosberg - Hulkenberg - Grosjean (getting there)

Pantano - Glock - Maldonado

Valsecchi - Leimer

 

I would only move Pantano a level below Maldonado and Glock, but still above Valsecchi and Leimer.

Maldonado is extremely talented, up there with Lewis, but quite uncontrollably crazy and as a package he's 2 level behind.

[Andrew Hope]

One lap pace:

 

Hamilton

Hulkenberg

Maldonado

Rosberg

Grosjean

Pantano

Glock

Valsecchi

Leimer

 

One race pace:

 

Hamilton

Rosberg

Hulkenberg

Glock

Grosjean

Pantano

Maldonado

Valsecchi

Leimer

 

Championship pace:

 

Rosberg

Hulkenberg

Hamilton

Glock

Pantano

Maldonado

Valsecchi

Leimer

 

[Imateria]

I think most of us are agreed that it's something in the region of this:

 

Hamilton

Rosberg

Hulkenberg

Grosjean

Maldonado

Glock

Pantano

Valsecchi

Leimer

[Anderis]

One lap pace:

 

Hamilton

Hulkenberg

Maldonado

Rosberg

Grosjean

Pantano

Glock

Valsecchi

Leimer

 

One race pace:

 

Hamilton

Rosberg

Hulkenberg

Glock

Grosjean

Pantano

Maldonado

Valsecchi

Leimer

It makes no sense for me. Maldonado is not a qualifying specialist. He didn't score a single pole during his championship season in GP2, despite having the longest streak of main event races won in the history of series. Also last year you could clearly see he was outpaced by Bottas more often than not in qualifying, but in races it was the other way around.

2012 with great car and struggling team-mate really flattered his qualifying skill. I don't think he would beat Rosberg head-to-head in qualifying over a season in the same car (let's not forget Nico outqualified Lewis in more than 40% of Q sessions last year, and it's as good as Alonso did against rookie Hamilton in 2007). And I also do think Pastor's race pace is a bit underrated due to him getting into the trouble in races often through the reasons other than pace.

[Jackman]

Hulkenberg

Hamilton

Glock

Grosjean

Rosberg

Pantano

Leimer

Maldonado

Valsecchi

[Kobasmashi]

Maldonado is very difficult to place. He has a lot of raw talent, but his talent is REALLY raw.

[Spillage]

Just want to add that, for all of GP2's recent criticism, that's a remarkably talented group of drivers; two-thirds of that list really managed to establish themselves as respected racing drivers at the highest level. How did it all go so wrong so fast for GP2?

[Jackman]

What makes you think it's gone wrong?

[Spillage]

What makes you think it's gone wrong?

Well, neither Valsecchi nor Leimer have been able to secure race seats in F1. The only GP2 driver to graduate from last season was Ericsson, and he only finished sixth in the championship. FR3.5 seems to have rather stolen its thunder in the past couple of years.

Edited by Spillage, 31 March 2014 - 23:10.

[Ross Stonefeld]

It surges back and forth. The bigger issue is the huge increase in GP2 costs over the years when on paper there shouldn't be. Rules are fairly stable, car performance is within a relatively similar window year-to-year, etc.

[Farhannn15]

Hamilton 

Rosberg

Hulkenberg

Grosjean

Maldonado

Glock

Pantano

Leimer

Valsecchi

[Jackman]

Well, neither Valsecchi nor Leimer have been able to secure race seats in F1. The only GP2 driver to graduate from last season was Ericsson, and he only finished sixth in the championship. FR3.5 seems to have rather stolen its thunder in the past couple of years.

The fact that the guys who won the feeder series can't get into F1 rather suggests that F1 has become a buyers market - if F1 is too expensive for guys with reasonable money I'm not sure that's GP2's fault.

[Makarias]

My ranking:

Hülkenberg

Hamilton

Rosberg

Grosjean

Glock

Maldonado

Pantano

Leimer

Valsecchi

That's six drivers deserving to be in F1, although I still think Maldonado is a tosser.

 

Last night I took a very quick look at the 2014 GP2 roster's CV's to make my ill informed guesses in Mekola's exciting TWPC game which I heartily recommend:

http://forums.autosp...ionships-round/

http://forums.autosp...ons-r01-sakhir/

I felt pretty unimpressed by large portions of the grid. The exceptions would be Evans, Marciello, Nasr and Vandoorne, but after those it all gets a bit or very much ho hum I'd say, with few outstanding title campaigns in the CVs. I don't see how it could be F1's fault that the GP2 grid is so weak.

Leimer and Valsecchi both come from that anonymous mould. I can't really fault the F1 teams for not being excited about them, coz neither am I. Then again it's a bloody disgrace that the consistently impressive Hülkenberg remains overlooked by the top teams.