39 replies to this topic

[Seb S.]

In order to assess the F1 drivers by giving them a note on 10, I would like to discuss with you the different qualities for an F1 driver, here is my list:

Aggressivenes: Attacking ability, "i will have him" the ability to push to catch someone and to overtake.
Natural speed: the natural gift
Set-up: the ability to make the car better on each track and to fit your driving style.
Development: To guide engineers during winter and during the season, the technical feedback
Commitment: How the driver is commited to the team, how much is involved and he is a part of the team
Mental: To not fail under pressure or external stuff that can disturb drivers from his job. Also the capacity to install doubt in the mind of your competitors.
Federative: To federate the team around the driver, to make the team devoted to the driver.
Consistency/Reliable: high rate of finishing races without driving errors-
Race intelligence: To read the race, when the driver need to push or to save his car or to take just some points.
Adaptibility: To be able to adapt to a new team or a new car, in a nustchell to be quick very fast even the condition are changing.
Physical fitness
Rainmaster


Do I miss something ? Or are some redundant?

The point is when we have listed all the qualities required, I will start a new thread to rate the drivers and to determine at the end the average ratings of the board for the current F1 drivers.

Edited by Seb S., 18 September 2009 - 12:29.

[glorius&victorius]

You missed: Parents with **** loads of money

[Seb S.]

You missed: Parents with **** loads of money

It doesn't give the WDC

[Captain Tightpants]

But how do you objectively quanitify what is essetially a package? Jenson Button has proven this season that having a good car is important to a driver's success. But in the first half of the year, his results relative to Barrichello proved that the driver plays an equal part when it comes to ability. So how do you rank someone like Alguersuari compared to a driver like Massa? You can't. Not without letting prejudice in. And it's all too easy to stack Alonso up as better than Raikkonen, citing the German Grand Prix as evidence. But by that stage, Ferrari had pretty much finished introducing upgrades to their car, while Renault were still in the proess of doing it.

Formula One is so ephemeral and there is so much that contributes to a driver's overall performance that you cannot quantify abilities without making huge generalisations. Take Monza as an example: Both Rubens Barrichello and Nico Rosberg could have been completely happy with their cars, getting the best setup available to them. But there was such a huge gap in performance relating to the car itself and the characteristics of the circuit that you simply cannot measure them elative to one another.

[glorius&victorius]

Oh let me rephrase: parents with **** loads of money AND well connected in F1 circles

---
see how Rosberg and Piquet Srs go all out to give their spoiled brats WDC equipment and preferential status in teams (sorry I am wrecking your thread...)

[undersquare]

What's unifer?

Also you missed Spanishness/Finnishness/Braziliannness/Britishness etc.

[Jackmancer]

...spoiled brats WDC equipment...

Sorry but what's WDC? ;p

[Seb S.]

But how do you objectively quanitify what is essetially a package? Jenson Button has proven this season that having a good car is important to a driver's success. But in the first half of the year, his results relative to Barrichello proved that the driver plays an equal part when it comes to ability. So how do you rank someone like Alguersuari compared to a driver like Massa? You can't. Not without letting prejudice in. And it's all too easy to stack Alonso up as better than Raikkonen, citing the German Grand Prix as evidence. But by that stage, Ferrari had pretty much finished introducing upgrades to their car, while Renault were still in the proess of doing it.

Formula One is so ephemeral and there is so much that contributes to a driver's overall performance that you cannot quantify abilities without making huge generalisations. Take Monza as an example: Both Rubens Barrichello and Nico Rosberg could have been completely happy with their cars, getting the best setup available to them. But there was such a huge gap in performance relating to the car itself and the characteristics of the circuit that you simply cannot measure them elative to one another.

I admit it is a challenge to assess drivers. But, everybody here have his own opinion. For example people admits Hamilton is an attacker, or Kimi has natural speed or Alonso is very commited...
The aim is to have the opinion of the board about the current ranking of drivers.
I don't want to assess all the current driver, you will choose the one you can rate.

Moreover, we have historic on alonso, raikkonen, hamilton, barrichello, button etc.. to allow us to have an idea (just an idea i aggree) on the capacity of each of this drivers ;-)

[Seb S.]

What's unifer?

Also you missed Spanishness/Finnishness/Braziliannness/Britishness etc.

Federative. Guys like Hamilton for instance are well know to federate the team around them.

[patgaw]

Sorry but what's WDC? ;p

World Drivers' Championship

[Oho]

You missed: Parents with **** loads of money

May help a bit early on especially but really for my taste F1 is pretty close to pure meritocracy, those perceived the best are made the best offers. Guys like Schumacher and Häkkinen certainly rose form very modest backgounds.

[SpamJet]

You missed Leadership.

[CaptnMark]

Federative. Guys like Hamilton for instance are well know to federate the team around them.

That would be better spelt as 'unifier'.

[Seb S.]

I edited concerning the word unifer/federative.

Can we had "Career choices" as a driver capacity ?

[craftverk]

Adaptability

[Jackmancer]

Ability to perform (and think clear) under pressure.

Plus I believe you forgot physical fitness.

[Seb S.]

Adaptability

Yep, forgot that one!

Ability to perform (and think clear) under pressure.

Plus I believe you forgot physical fitness.

Ability to perform under pressure is what I meant by mental ability.

But for physical fitness yes, you absolutely right...

[RoutariEnjinu]

Arms.

You pretty much need arms.

[RSNS]

Driving
Fast in practice: delivering on one lap: nerves of steel and concentration (eg: Massa, Trulli, Hamilton)
Fast in race: being able to keep a consistently fast pace (eg: Massa, Alonso, Hamilton)
Conservative driving: Don't attack over your limit of safety for too long (best current example: Massa; counter example: Hamilton)
Read the race: knowing when to attack and when to relax (the very best example no longer races: Schumacher; nowadays I'd say Alonso and Massa)
Adaptability to car and track conditions and characteristics (Alonso; counter example: Raikkonen)

Politics
Nerves of steel: not paying attention to what happens outside. I know of no example, although Raikkonen pretends to be just that way
Convince team leader that you are the best; but that is done through 'Driving'

Team work
Motivate mechanics and engineers (Massa, Alonso, counter example: Raikkonen)

Physical fitness
Self explanatory

Psychology (many of the previous ones plus)
Capacity for learning from past mistakes (Massa, Alonso; counter exampe, perhaps Hamilton)
Capacity to endure frustration without losing motivation
Aggression 'I'll have him!' Best example was Schumacher; nowadays I don't know, perhaps Hamilton
Self confidence: 'I know I can beat him if I raise my game' Best example is Valentino Rossi, Nikki Lauda, perhaps Alonso; in the past Fangio
Absence of too much ego protection: not finding too many excuses for mistakes. In the past, Lauda

Well, this off the top of my head.

Please, fans, keep quiet if I didn't say your beloved is the best in all categories ;)

[tormave]

This has I think been throughly explained by Jeremy Clarkson. You need to be a selfish bastard.

[Sakae]

In order to assess the F1 drivers by giving them a note on 10, I would like to discuss with you the different qualities for an F1 driver, here is my list:

Aggressivenes
Natural speed
Set-up
Development
Commitment
Mental
Federative
Consistency/Reliable
Adaptibility
Physical fitness

Do I miss something ? Or are some redundant?




The point is when we have listed all the qualities required, I will start a new thread to rate the drivers and to determine at the end the average ratings of the board for the current F1 drivers.

You are missing something on your otherwise great list.

Add character, inteligence, marketability and what you get? Michael Schumacher as he personifies all of it.

[Jackmancer]

marketability

Imo this doesn't make you a better driver, but it would make your life easier.

[Mandzipop]

Self belief to the point of arrogance.

Although not in the criteria, you are very disadvantaged if you dont speak English, in fact the more languages you speak the more opportunities you have.

[Seb S.]

Race intelligence ;)
Forgot that one, thanks RSNS !

The list is I think more exhaustive, but to allow member to rate we can't make it too long.

[Jodum5]

The qualities are similar to any successful person. In no particular order:

1. Talent
2. Hardwork
3. Ambition
4. Perserverence
5. Confidence
6. People skills

[Jackmancer]

I remember this anecdote about some driver that wanted to join Ecclestone's Formula 1 team.

Ecclestone asked him weither he had some good results to which the driver replied to: "Not really... but I had a lot of bad luck." So Ecclestone finished the conversation saying: "Why on earth would I want a driver who has bad luck?"

So... a quality for a good F1 driver is a good amount of luck ;p it might sound stupid but how many promising talents with all the stated qualities have had a chance in Formula 1, either tests or races, and have not forfilled their 'promise'?

[Tenmantaylor]

Crashability

[Kalmake]

Oh let me rephrase: parents with **** loads of money AND well connected in F1 circles

---
see how Rosberg and Piquet Srs go all out to give their spoiled brats WDC equipment and preferential status in teams (sorry I am wrecking your thread...)

Let me rephrase: a good manager.

[fum3s]

Ruthlessness. A bit different from aggressiveness. Remember Indiana Jones simply matter-of-factly pulling out his pistol and shooting the native putting on a show of 'aggressiveness' with fancy swordsmanship. I can think of some 'aggressive' drivers who are like the latter.

[Birelman]

You forgot "Superhuman" these guys have to have a big "S" in the chest and eyes that won't pop out of their sockets when they stand on the breaks, it's not just phisical fitness!! LOL

Cojones???

This should be a fun thread to read lol

Edited by Birelman, 18 September 2009 - 19:30.

[ralt12]

Ability to lead from the front and control the race pace.
Not to be confused with natural speed; there are a good number of gifted drivers, but not every one of them can be a leader (even in the same equipment).

[jesee]

The ability to say "for sure" and bring six tenths.

[JarnoA]

The ability to commit a crime, whilst using this to blackmail a team principle into getting a contract regardless of lack of talent.

Having a rich dad who is mates with the fia president.

Having info on someone who the fia president hates.

Being able to crash a car.

PK fits all of the above criteria perfectly.

Therefore PK is a perfect F1 driver, and as such 2010 Manor GP driver.

[Mandzipop]

The ability to say "for sure" and bring six tenths.

I thought Stefano was in the lead with the "for sure" championship.


He needs to be fearless, ie not be afraid of making himself look a complete prat in public, because with the publicity stunts they do, they generally end up looking like prats. In general they also need to have bad dress sense (unless they are married but sometimes that doesn't help). Tattoo's are a good idea, big watches help too.

A very important requirement is to be able to spray champagne (unless you are called Kimi then you just drink it ) being able to drink large amounts of alcohol can help when celebrating.

It also helps if you are called Sebastian.

It also helps if you are Italian, British, German or Brazilian (there are other nationalities which help but they are the main 4 atm).

You must like dogs, chicken and pasta (not at the same time).

No smoking unless it is an oversized cigar (even though I think there is or was a smoker in the current line-up).

Erm I think that covers it.

[Spunout]

Let me rephrase: a good manager.

I didn´t know it was Keke who won that GP2 championship?

[Sakae]

Self belief to the point of arrogance.

Although not in the criteria, you are very disadvantaged if you dont speak English, in fact the more languages you speak the more opportunities you have.

Profficiency in English alone doesn't make you a great drive (case of M. Schumacher), but you are correct in stating it's disadvantage if you don't (again, case of M. Schumacher, and his early years, when his ambiguity and words were twisted to his detriment).

[George Costanza]

Just put all of Ayrton Senna's qualities, and that should determine your requirements.

Edited by George Costanza, 19 September 2009 - 03:57.

[OfficeLinebacker]

I can't believe bravery wasn't even mentioned. It takes balls. Foolhardiness, really.

[wasssup bra]

I can't believe bravery wasn't even mentioned. It takes balls. Foolhardiness, really.

Yeah, more balls than a Nascar driver for sure.

[JarnoA]

Yeah, more balls than a Nascar driver for sure.

F1 drivers may have more balls, but NASCAR drivers have more fingers