129 replies to this topic

[discover23]

I don't know what you expected from Bottas, but he has not lost a season to his known fast and experienced team mates.
He also wasn't more hyped than an average F1 new comer, I think.. If anything he has been a positive surprise, to me at least..

I believe he is overrated. He wouldn't hold a candle against Lewis, Alonso or Ricciardo.

I forgot Hulk. He was also hyped up.

[Wheels23]

Hulkenberg I remember was like hyped up and kind of is. 

 

Hamilton (Exceed expectations), Bourdais? Liuzzi, HHF, Pizzonia, Kovalainen, Ricciardo is currently, Pantono and of course Montoya.

 

I don't recall Webber getting hyped much. I don't remember Button, Vettel didn't come with much hype nor did Nando. 

[GhostR]

Hulkenberg I remember was like hyped up and kind of is. 

 

From memory, Hulk was forecast well before he got to F1 as being "the next Schumacher". Turns out (much like Webber) that he's too big physically and most likely won't get a shot at a top team because of it. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but as far as being "the next Schumacher" he was rapidly surpassed by Vettel.

 

(Would love to see Newey's idea of ballasting driver's seats so that they all weigh the same brought in. Alongside a minimum cockpit size that ensures there is no disadvantage from being tall and/or broad shouldered. Suspect if such rules did exist we'd have seen more from both Hulk and Webber, who are/were both disadvantaged due to size/weight compared to the superstars.)

[Nemo1965]

From memory, Hulk was forecast well before he got to F1 as being "the next Schumacher". Turns out (much like Webber) that he's too big physically and most likely won't get a shot at a top team because of it. He's shown flashes of brilliance, but as far as being "the next Schumacher" he was rapidly surpassed by Vettel.

 

Your post gave me an idea. Could we not say that a driver is truly hyped when a major publication or a authoritative ex-driver says of a youngster: 'Here comes the new Schumacher/New Senna/New Vettel/New Hamilton?' Or words in that vein? And that this laurel becomes almost 'stuck' to this driver?

 

Sato was hailed like that. Magnussen. Verstappen, even in the British press. Ricciardo not. Vettel not. Alesi not. Heidfeld not. Even Hulk was not. At least: I haven't seen it.

[balage06]

I remember Grosjean was often referred to as "the French Hamilton" after his dominant first GP2 Asia season, but sadly it quickly turned into "madman" during his main series campaign. 

[Balthazar]

I remember Grosjean was often referred to as "the French Hamilton" after his dominant first GP2 Asia season, but sadly it quickly turned into "madman" during his main series campaign. 

 

The boy can still drive.

[Jon83]

Bottas, perhaps?

[PlatenGlass]

Until we invent time travel, nobody will have said that Senna could be the previous Verstappen.

I must have misremembered. Or something.

[scheivlak]

Your post gave me an idea. Could we not say that a driver is truly hyped when a major publication or a authoritative ex-driver says of a youngster: 'Here comes the new Schumacher/New Senna/New Vettel/New Hamilton?' Or words in that vein? And that this laurel becomes almost 'stuck' to this driver?

 

Sato was hailed like that. Magnussen. Verstappen, even in the British press. Ricciardo not. Vettel not. Alesi not. Heidfeld not. Even Hulk was not. At least: I haven't seen it.

I can't remember Hulk being hyped as 'the next Schumacher' either. The expectations about Vettel - fast from the word go in F1 free practice for BMW - might well be higher.

 

It would have been quite strange if Alesi - arriving in F1 in 1989 - would have been seen as the next Schumacher. He wasn't known for his goalkeeping skills 

[Christbiscuit]

Ricardo Zonta. He was supposed to be big time, but he never delivered in a F1 car. Granted, those BARs sucked arse, but still, he didn't live up to expectations at all.

[topical]

I can't remember Hulk being hyped as 'the next Schumacher' either. The expectations about Vettel - fast from the word go in F1 free practice for BMW - might well be higher.

 

It would have been quite strange if Alesi - arriving in F1 in 1989 - would have been seen as the next Schumacher. He wasn't known for his goalkeeping skills 

 

As far as I remember, Vettel's first GP weekend, as a stand in for someone at the US GP (was it after Kubica's Canada accident?), he didn't get within half a second of his teammate (Heidfeld?? who, incidentally, was another who was massively hyped before entering F1 and I think hasn't been mentioned yet. . .). So he really wasn't fast from the word go. In fact, didn't BMW let him go after being unimpressed?

[krea]

BMW was in a position of having a pretty strong driver pairing with Kubica and Heidfeld at that time. A youngster was an unnecessary riSK for BMW.

In that one GP for BMW he became the youngest driver who got a WDC point. Also achieved the best result for Torro Rosso in the same year until his victory next year.

So the hype just became lived reality.

Edited by krea, 29 October 2015 - 14:18.

[noikeee]

I can't remember Hulk being hyped as 'the next Schumacher' either. The expectations about Vettel - fast from the word go in F1 free practice for BMW - might well be higher.

 

It would have been quite strange if Alesi - arriving in F1 in 1989 - would have been seen as the next Schumacher. He wasn't known for his goalkeeping skills 

 

lol @ the bit in bold - cheeky

 

Vettel didn't arrive with huge hype because he had been "beaten" by Di Resta in F3, so that ruined his momentum and people were slightly unconvinced. Of course that was all bollocks given that Di Resta had a little more experience and it was almost a draw between them anyway, whilst Vettel had absolutely demolished everyone else in every other category he had driven in, and was still really young.

 

 

 

As far as I remember, Vettel's first GP weekend, as a stand in for someone at the US GP (was it after Kubica's Canada accident?), he didn't get within half a second of his teammate (Heidfeld?? who, incidentally, was another who was massively hyped before entering F1 and I think hasn't been mentioned yet. . .). So he really wasn't fast from the word go. In fact, didn't BMW let him go after being unimpressed?

 

He was a bit slow in that first GP start, yes (although scored a point and therefore broke the record of youngest point scorer; also his lack of pace was a bit understandable as it was a completely unexpected sudden call-up, in a track he'd never driven before). However, BMW didn't want to let him go and didn't let him go - he was never contracted as a BMW driver anyway as he was only on loan from Red Bull to BMW for that season, which was a bit of a weird arrangement. I've no idea what BMW gained from training a driver that wasn't theirs, other than perhaps some minor PR benefit from helping the career of a new big German talent.

[StraightEdge]

Vincenzo Sospiri and his only chance at F1 was that ill-fated Lola cars attempt.

 

For Frentzen he didn't set the world on fire at Williams but somehow at Jordan he wound up fighting for championship in 99.

[scheivlak]

As far as I remember, Vettel's first GP weekend, as a stand in for someone at the US GP (was it after Kubica's Canada accident?), he didn't get within half a second of his teammate (Heidfeld?? who, incidentally, was another who was massively hyped before entering F1 and I think hasn't been mentioned yet. . .). So he really wasn't fast from the word go. In fact, didn't BMW let him go after being unimpressed?

His first GP weekend was the 2006 Turkish GP - FP1!

It is often forgotten that he already had done  a few FP1's before his 2007 US debut for BMW.

 

In his next GP, the 2006 Italian GP, he was already fastest of all in FP1 (of course helped by the fact that he didn't have to worry about engine mileage those days).

 

BMW certainly didn't want to let him go. A search of news stories from 2007 will show you that they wanted him so much that there was even talk about the difficult choice they had to make between Robert and Nick for 2008. In the end, that didn't matter. He was still under contract with Red Bull, and they made it clear that they didn't want to let him go.

Edited by scheivlak, 29 October 2015 - 14:55.

[Wheels23]

I'm surprised Nick was actually hyped up. Dude was boring as mud. Actually mud was more interesting. 

[topical]

I'm surprised Nick was actually hyped up. Dude was boring as mud. Actually mud was more interesting. 

 

Boring as opposed to who? Vettel? Alonso? Hamilton? None of them are exactly Oscar Wilde, are they? Heidfeld was hyped because he was very strong in the feeder series, like most the others mentioned. F1 is about driving, not a personality contest.

[Risil]

I reckon it was Heidfeld's anonymous first season with Prost and then his run of 1000 4th places in a row with BMW that got him the "dull" reputation.

[Nemo1965]

For a bit of fun.
 Two drivers that were heralded as possible champions, one that was introduced calmly. The last one did become world champion. In order: Heikki Kovalainen, Nick Heidfeld and Jenson Button:


Pat Symonds (Renault) predicting the 2007 season for Heiki Kovalinen (debut year):



"I would not put it past him to win a race this year even as a rookie, it could happen. And we will also look at some spectacular mistakes, thinking why on earth did he do that? But that is part of the learning process."



Atlas F1 (forefather of this site) about the 2000 season of Nick Heidfeld (and his further future):



Few drivers have come into Formula One in recent years with better credentials, having won both the German F3 and international F3000 championships with the backing of German giant Mercedes-Benz. (..) Could Nick Heidfeld, and not Jenson Button, be the next big F1 star? 



In the same review, Atlas F1 is much more calm about Jenson Button:



'Button might just take the F1 world by storm, confirming an often made claim that the overall standard of current driver abilities is at an all-time low. Or he might sink without trace by mid-season, despite his highly impressive resume in F3, Formula Ford and karting
.'

 

EDIT: Scheize, I missed a pearl in the above mentioned article by Atlas F1 about Ralf Schumacher.

 

Williams firmly believe that they have a future world champion on their books and they may well be proved right in time.

Edited by Nemo1965, 29 October 2015 - 20:41.

[Wheels23]

Well he was close in like 2003? Kind of, somewhat. Well he won races. 

[BCM]

Vergne's the guy that had a bit too much hype - Carlin said he was the best driver he had ever had or something along those lines... 

 

 

Vergne was indeed hyped by RB. In fact Marko famously made the comment along the lines of "If Alguesuari, Buemi, Ricciardo and Vergne all went into a corner at the same time, Vergne would come out first" whilst Ricciardo and Vergne where at STR.

[krea]

Well, Heidfeld was beating the even more hyped Kubica. And Kubica got sold as new WDC even when he was beaten by Heidfeld.

[SuperSwede]

Vincenzo Sospiri and his only chance at F1 was that ill-fated Lola cars attempt.

Wasn´t it Sosperi who was pushing his team mate Damon Hill off the track several times during a F3000 race because Hill got first dibs at driving the (faster) Reynard chassi while Sosperi had to use the uncompetitive Lola which the team had been using the whole season until then? It´s a bit weird as I do remember that situation clearly, but I´m not 100% sure if it was Sosperi, but I believe that it was, and that his actions on that day pretty much ruined his chances to get into F1.

 

Anyone?

[Jimisgod]

Tuero was hyped before 1998, mostly due to his age, but then he quit for 1999 despite having a Minardi contract.

[BlackCat]

not exactly hyped maybe, but iirc there were some high hopes about Tony Brise.

[LB]

Button was hyped to the rafters I have no idea who is coming up with introduced calmly...

[RPM40]

Liuzzi was hyped up very aggressively but never amounted to much.

[AlexS]

An hyped driver is one that couldn't get a title in the best car. About whom can we say that?

 

Edit: if Hamilton remained at Mclaren how would his reputation be today?

Edited by AlexS, 31 October 2015 - 05:45.

[eronrules]

An hyped driver is one that couldn't get a title in the best car. About whom can we say that?

 

Edit: if Hamilton remained at Mclaren how would his reputation be today?

that's easy ... Mark Webber 

 

and ... to an extent, David Coulthard (next year will be his year) 

[David Lightman]

not exactly hyped maybe, but iirc there were some high hopes about Tony Brise.

Quite rightly so, and you can hardly blame him for not delivering as he died in a plane crash...