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Sebastian Vettel Thread


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#301 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 07:22

I disagree. If that were true, it would be built into the WDC race so that a driver could not win unless he met your criteria during the season. Although Vettel did meet the disadvantaged car criteria in 2010, it is obvious that it is not a factor in becoming WDC.


It has nothing to do with the WDC, no reason for it to be built in. Strawman. Are you seriously suggesting vettel did not clearly have the best car in 2010?

Actually if you can get a hold of tapes from the 2008 season and watch it, you would see that when put to the test, Vettel excels throughout the season.


He was midfield in 2008.



No, I have no desire to see Vettel extend himself and prove himself based on your criteria. I don't think it would prove anything at all. If you find it praiseworthy that is great, but you can't assume everyone agrees with you.


You clearly know absolutely nothing about F1, if you think, it proves nothing to prove yourself without the best car, and against strong team mates.

I do not want Vettel to have a bunch of disadvantaged cars or some Ego Tripping WDC teammate that sabotages everything in his path before losing big time in a blaze of glory. I have to be honest, to me that criteria sounds like a means of rationalizing the poor outcome of a favored driver and trying to turn it into something magnificent by getting fans of more contemporaneously successful drivers to admit that what the poorly performing driver is doing is "stellar" under the circumstances of having a poor car, etc.


No its just objectively judging Vettel. something you are clearly unable to do, to the point of even denying Vettel has beenb flattered by great cars, and other drivers have not. The mere concept seems to offend you, despite being objectively used for decades in the sport, but if its used against little Vettel its unfair and double standards.

Of course I want Vettel to have the best of everything - he deserves it. He struggled in 1/2 of 2007, 2008, 1/3 of 2009 and 2010, that is enough. You know, like most other top drivers, Vettel has worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to be where he is. So to be quite frank with you, I would not only refuse to wish what you are talking about on Vettel - I wouldn't wish it on any driver.


lol. He has had a free ride his entire career by redbull, and spent his entire F1 career driving the cars of the greatest designer of all time, and you post that? No wonder you are wrong about practically everything.

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#302 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 07:24

If I were everyone I'd stop trying to convince these two 'new' guys.

They come onto this thread, disagree with every single thing we say that's in any way, shape or form, positive about Vettel, then contradict themselves when they talk about Alonso or Hamilton.

It's Cowboymilkman all over again.



And you and them, disagree with everything I say that is negative about Vettel. Whats the difference? If you cant tolerate different opinions maybe you shouldnt be here.

Edited by W03, 24 February 2012 - 07:24.


#303 apoka

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 07:45

Who said Alonso dominated 2006? He couldnt with a car that was second fastest for most of the season. Alonso would not know which car was best in 2006, although common sense points to the Ferrari considering how often Massa was a front runner that season. For Vettel to prove he is truly elite he needs to prove he can win or even fight for a title with car disadvantage, and handle the pressure that comes with it. It's a totally different ball game, and I doubt he can do it. He is a good front runner (most drivers are), but seems very brittle when the going gets tough.

Brittle? Did you watch the 2010 season, the qualies in the past years, the closer races in 2011? He did mistakes, but also won many of the close battles.

The RB6 was probably the fastest car, but had low reliability, which was very costly. (It wasn't extremely dominant either, otherwise Webber would have been ahead of all other cars.) The RB7 was probably the best car over the whole season, but in the second half pretty close to the McLaren. Vettel had many wins, which were not easy.

#304 apoka

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 07:54

Lets be clear here. There are two main criteria that prove a driver is really a great.

1. Being a championship force without the best car. Not a single freak race. Frentzen won races without the best car at Jordan 1999, he was not a great driver.
2. Being competitive against a great team mate.

Senna, Prost, Schumacher, Hamilton, Alonso, all meet one or two of these, while Vettel does not. This is not bias, just a fair assessment.

Well, the problems are:
* different people have different criteria - for instance others may not see much difference between narrowly winning the championship in an equal car and dominantly winning the championship in a few tenths faster car
* the evaluation of the criteria is subjective

For instance, you could say that Vettel was a championship force in not the best car in 2009 (or even 2010 because you could argue that the other RB7 was better due to reliability ;) ). You could also rate Webber highly by using his pre-Vettel performance against team mates and taking into account that apparently he is stronger than the previous TR drivers, because he manages not be replaced at Red Bull. You will probably disagree on those points - they just server to illustrate that both your criteria as well as their evaluation are subjective.


#305 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 07:57

Brittle? Did you watch the 2010 season, the qualies in the past years, the closer races in 2011? He did mistakes, but also won many of the close battles.

The RB6 was probably the fastest car, but had low reliability, which was very costly. (It wasn't extremely dominant either, otherwise Webber would have been ahead of all other cars.) The RB7 was probably the best car over the whole season, but in the second half pretty close to the McLaren. Vettel had many wins, which were not easy.



Yes brittle when the going gets tough, and he has to fight without a huge car advantage, like his many mistakes in 09/10. We didnt see that much last year because the car was so good. The Rb6 was so good it allowed an average driver like Webber to be leading the likes of Alonso and Hamilton in the championship very late into the season. That says it all.

#306 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:03

Well, the problems are:
* different people have different criteria - for instance others may not see much difference between narrowly winning the championship in an equal car and dominantly winning the championship in a few tenths faster car
* the evaluation of the criteria is subjective

For instance, you could say that Vettel was a championship force in not the best car in 2009 (or even 2010 because you could argue that the other RB7 was better due to reliability ;) ). You could also rate Webber highly by using his pre-Vettel performance against team mates and taking into account that apparently he is stronger than the previous TR drivers, because he manages not be replaced at Red Bull. You will probably disagree on those points - they just server to illustrate that both your criteria as well as their evaluation are subjective.



Of course, its all subjective evaluation, just as saying Senna is one of the greatest of all time. It does not mean an educated evaluation cannot be reached. I have to admitt Im a very good judge of drivers, for example I was 100% sure, Alonso would destroy Massa, while the majority of people thought it would be a battle (lol), and after half a season I was sure Hamilton was special, so I know what I am talking about. It is quite clear Vettel is very good, but I am still not convinced he is truly great, based on the reasons I mentioned. I still question his ability to be fast in anything other than a brilliant Newey chassis. He could be another Kimi, who needs a certain car to excel. I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent.

#307 Desdirodeabike

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:12

Of course, its all subjective evaluation, just as saying Senna is one of the greatest of all time. It does not mean an educated evaluation cannot be reached. I have to admitt Im a very good judge of drivers, for example I was 100% sure, Alonso would destroy Massa, while the majority of people thought it would be a battle (lol), and after half a season I was sure Hamilton was special, so I know what I am talking about.


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#308 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:20

I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent.

But if he beat a 'real young talent' he still wouldn't meet any of your criteria, would he?
Beats Webber?
Oh, Webber's just average.
Wouldn't it work the same way?

#309 goldenboy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:21

classic :lol:


at least we know he is always right because he just told us I suppose :lol:

#310 apoka

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:26

I have to admitt Im a very good judge of drivers

I'm impressed that you plucked up the courage to admit that.

He could be another Kimi, who needs a certain car to excel. I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent.

The problem is that a) so far Webber seems to come off pretty well against the previous young RB/TR drivers and b) when the next young talent gets an RB seat you could still (unless there is a big surprise) argue that this talent hasn't won a race or a WDC - just like Webber before.


#311 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:33

But if he beat a 'real young talent' he still wouldn't meet any of your criteria, would he?
Beats Webber?
Oh, Webber's just average.
Wouldn't it work the same way?



Sorry I just meant not a middle aged driver like Webber, and one who is of course established.

#312 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:34

I'm impressed that you plucked up the courage to admit that.


The problem is that a) so far Webber seems to come off pretty well against the previous young RB/TR drivers


And who were they exactly and what had they acheived in the sport? It is really unreasonable to simply asking for Vettel to prove himself against an established quality team mate in his prime? Geez.

Examples of such drivers previously.

Button
Barrichello
Fisichella
Trulli
Massa
Kimi

Edited by W03, 24 February 2012 - 08:39.


#313 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:35

Sorry I just meant not a middle aged driver like Webber, and one who is of course established.

Like who?

btw...'Middle-aged...' :lol:

Edited by trogggy, 24 February 2012 - 08:36.


#314 toroRosso

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:36

Don't bash him too much, these threads are afterall exchange of thoughts, though some people have barriers, he seems to admit a 1% possibilty of being wrong. I suppose he's from youtube where he got a top comment :p

Edited by toroRosso, 24 February 2012 - 08:37.


#315 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:43

Don't bash him too much, these threads are afterall exchange of thoughts, though some people have barriers, he seems to admit a 1% possibilty of being wrong. I suppose he's from youtube where he got a top comment :p



Its funny because Im pretty much the only open minded one here who is actually not making any claims, other than its too early to judge Vettel, unlike everyone else who refuses to consider they could be wrong and to budge from their beliefs. Its interesting that your perception of this debate is totally opposite to the reality of it. Just shows the power of extreme bias.

#316 apoka

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 08:57

And who were they exactly and what had they acheived in the sport? It is really unreasonable to simply asking for Vettel to prove himself against an established quality team mate in his prime? Geez.

You wrote "I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent. " and my point was that this may actually not change your and other opinions about Vettel as you could simply dismiss the young talent (most likely Vergne or Ricciardo) as "actually not that talented" if beaten by Vettel (which is just what happened to Webber).


#317 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:08

You wrote "I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent. " and my point was that this may actually not change your and other opinions about Vettel as you could simply dismiss the young talent (most likely Vergne or Ricciardo) as "actually not that talented" if beaten by Vettel (which is just what happened to Webber).


they are not established drivers of course.

#318 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:12

they are not established drivers of course.

Who would be acceptable to you?

#319 toroRosso

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:26

Its funny because Im pretty much the only open minded one here who is actually not making any claims, other than its too early to judge Vettel, unlike everyone else who refuses to consider they could be wrong and to budge from their beliefs. Its interesting that your perception of this debate is totally opposite to the reality of it. Just shows the power of extreme bias.


Everyone acknoledges this, how will Vettel drive in another team and will he be succesful. What I think people despise is that in your opinion he hasn't shown enough that he can pull it off. A Vettel doubter doesn't get much understanding today and rightfully so.

Edited by toroRosso, 24 February 2012 - 09:27.


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#320 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:44

Vettel did it with a dominant car, Alonso did not, infact you will barely find anyone who reckons the 06 Renault was the best car, yet no one with a straight face will claim wasnt the fastest car by a mile. Vettel fans just need to accept that he has only won titles in a dominant car, unlike really great drivers.


How do you know 06 Renault wasnt the fastest ?
Can you PROVE it like you did in your earlier post :)

#321 goldenboy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:47

as a follower of webber since his first race, I am seriously going to be hunting down some apologies from people if vettel smokes a so called "tier 1" driver team mate in the not too distant future :lol:

#322 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:48

How do you know 06 Renault wasnt the fastest ?
Can you PROVE it like you did in your earlier post :)



Not 100% but everything points to the Ferrari being the quickest over the season.

#323 W03

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:49

Who would be acceptable to you?



Mclaren, ferrari drivers, and Kimi.

#324 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 09:59

Mclaren, ferrari drivers, and Kimi.

Did you think Alonso was unproven when he collected his 2nd wdc?


#325 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 10:01

Did you think Alonso was unproven when he collected his 2nd wdc?


Thats the real question ! :up:

#326 LiJu914

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 10:12

Mclaren, ferrari drivers, and Kimi.


Since i watch F1 (80s) there were only two occasions, in which two drivers "teamed up", who were already world champions at that time: 1986 Prost/Rosberg, 2010 Hamilton/Button.

So i guess, you have to be patient...


#327 joshb

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:14

I've never understood this' he has to beat a WDC teammate to be great' tosh

if someone came in to RB to replace Webber, and Seb beat him, it would only be 'because he had the support of the team, its his team/favouritism'
If he went elsewhere and beat one, it would be 'because they were rubbish that year'

don't wanna get too far ahead but i can imagine an awkward situation IF (big IF) Seb went on to finish top this year, and we'd be saying a 3xWDC (3 x in a row even) is unproven

#328 gillesthegenius

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:21

Who said Alonso dominated 2006? He couldnt with a car that was second fastest for most of the season. Alonso would not know which car was best in 2006, although common sense points to the Ferrari considering how often Massa was a front runner that season. For Vettel to prove he is truly elite he needs to prove he can win or even fight for a title with car disadvantage, and handle the pressure that comes with it. It's a totally different ball game, and I doubt he can do it. He is a good front runner (most drivers are), but seems very brittle when the going gets tough.


So what you are saying is that Alonso lacks common sense? :p

#329 Sakae

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:25

Towards second half of 2011 Hamilton and Button had a competitive car to RBR, and like Webber, they were both comprehensively defeated by Vettel.

Edited by Sakae, 24 February 2012 - 11:25.


#330 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:30

I've never understood this' he has to beat a WDC teammate to be great' tosh

if someone came in to RB to replace Webber, and Seb beat him, it would only be 'because he had the support of the team, its his team/favouritism'
If he went elsewhere and beat one, it would be 'because they were rubbish that year'

don't wanna get too far ahead but i can imagine an awkward situation IF (big IF) Seb went on to finish top this year, and we'd be saying a 3xWDC (3 x in a row even) is unproven



Beating a WDC is tosh on another level too ....

If you dont rate Vettel (who is a 2xWDC) , then basically what you are saying is that WDC is no biggie
... any Tom Dick or Vettel can be a WDC :) okay ! Now if WDCs are not biggies then How can beating a WDC be any proof of greatness ??

Thats the circle people get themselves trapped into when they use selective criteria !

Edited by flyer121, 24 February 2012 - 15:47.


#331 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 11:40

Towards second half of 2011 Hamilton and Button had a competitive car to RBR, and like Webber, they were both comprehensively defeated by Vettel.

Really?
A bit of cherrypicking for you then...

Last 5 races:
SV 83 points.
JB 80 points.

Last 9 races:
SV 176 points.
JB 156 points.

That looks at least respectable, no?
And yes there's a Red Bull DNF in there, before you point it out.

#332 H2H

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 12:52

Since i watch F1 (80s) there were only two occasions, in which two drivers "teamed up", who were already world champions at that time: 1986 Prost/Rosberg, 2010 Hamilton/Button.

So i guess, you have to be patient...


Oh not one of those pesky facts which make one of those favorite and senseless 'arguments' look ridiculous :eek:

I will never understand how some of those guys who come up with some of those 'proving' criteria can seemlessy blend double and triple standards. It is one thing to make an intelligent argument about how difficult it is to compare drivers, it is however a completely different beast to apply one thing to one driver and completely different things to another or others.

#333 joshb

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 14:14

There was the poster who said something like Hamilton has never had 10 poles in a year, so he isn't proven, only for the response to be 'that isn't one of the criteria', but thats the same person who slams Vettel for not winning from lower than 3rd and not coming through the pack to salvage a win/podium on a regular basis.
That sort of double standards is strange.



#334 apoka

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 15:01

they are not established drivers of course.

You wrote yourself that Webber should be replaced by a "young talent" and a few posts later you write that Vergne and Ricciardo would not be "established" [enough to rate Vettel higher]. :drunk:


#335 Afterburner

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 15:32

You will have to excuse the dodgy formatting. I'll be using red text for this post so you will be able to easily find my comments--the board informed me that I had exceeded the number of allowed quote tags before making my post. My apologies in advance for the inconvenience (and to everyone else who remembers my liberal use of red text in the past :lol:).

Vettel did it with a dominant car, Alonso did not, infact you will barely find anyone who reckons the 06 Renault was the best car, yet no one with a straight face will claim wasnt the fastest car by a mile. Vettel fans just need to accept that he has only won titles in a dominant car, unlike really great drivers.

And again, we're certain of the car's pace through what formula exactly? You people keep ranting on about how you know which car was the best and how, but I still haven't seen any logical methods which can applied to provide a conclusive answer for the pace of all the drivers...

As if that proves anything at all?? It proves everything, and its one of the biggest reasons why Senna and Prost are rated so highly. A team mate is the only true benchmark a driver can have so it has a lot of value, proves a lot. How can you say Hamilton proved nothing by matching Alonso?? It proved he was a great driver. Losing to Button meant he had a poor season, but it does not erase what he proved in 2007. Vettel has yet to prove he can beat a quality top line team mate. Schumacher was also critisized for that by the way, but he made up for it by spending half his career without the best car.

(This is exactly the sort of bias I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. By your own admission, Button was not driving the best car last year, yet he still managed to secure a strong run of results and beat a 'rated WDC teammate'. The excuse? Exactly what I said it would be: "Oh, Hamilton had a bad year." How is it possible that what Hamilton did in 2007 is sufficient to prove his talent for the rest of his career? Would you really still rate him as a great driver if he had another season like 2011?

This is why we have a hard time taking opinions like yours seriously. If you don't rate Button even after he has filled your criteria, then there is absolutely no reason for us to believe you will rate Vettel either. This sort of double-standard is called 'hypocrisy'.)


This is no bias its the same criteria used against everyone else.

(As evidenced by the above quote, it clearly isn't.)

Very disputable that there were days he did not have the best car and prevailed. Just because he did not get pole, and had to struggle does not mean he does not have the best car. It could just mean he lost the car advantage he had.

(Again, where is this magic formula we have that can separate car pace from driver ability? :drunk:)

There are two main criteria for a driver to prove themselves. The car, and team mate.

(According to who, exactly? People who think they can isolate the driver factor in a team sport? There are too many variables that prevent us from doing so, so this criteria is rendered invalid for use of concluding fact due to heavy subjective influence. You want to use it to form your own opinions? You're more than welcome to do so--but if you're going to do this, you have to apply the same standards for every driver, rather than cherry-picking outliers in order to create the ranking you want to see. You should also remember that this is only your opinion and it is important not to take it too seriously--in other words, don't confuse it with fact, as you have frequently done in your posts here.)

Hamilton and Alonso have won titles without dominant cars, while Vettel has not, so stop making up false facts.

(:rotfl:

The first part of your sentence contradicts the second part. The idea that Hamilton and Alonso's titles were not won in dominant cars is your opinion and cannot be proven as fact.)


Hamilton and Alonso have proved their class against top quality team mates,

(In the interest of asking, who exactly? Which 'top-quality' teammates did Alonso beat before racing against Hamilton? Hamilton is rated because he performed well against Alonso, who was relatively unproven before he raced Hamilton? :drunk: By that logic, Buemi and Alguersuari could be the best two drivers ever to have raced. :lol:)

Vettel is being judged by the exact criteria everyone else is.

(No, he's being judged by your criteria in this case, which you are not applying to everyone evenly, as proved above.)

Some people like you cannot accept he fails to meet those criteria,

(After examining your posts, hopefully it isn't hard to see why. ;))


To be honest, it depends on your character, most people like a fair fight for something to be interesting, a smaller minority don't care, a win is just a win to them, period.

So it's a character thing now, is it? For the record, we all want to see a fair fight, and I hate to break it to you, but each F1 season is a fair fight. Every team builds and races a car under the same rules. Sounds like a pretty level playing field, if you ask me. Naturally, there will be differences in car and driver pace, but these differences help us to see exactly what we're holding the competition for: who is best. May I repeat for the umpteenth time, if you still haven't read it yet: F1 is a team sport, and the drivers are not the only people who give a team success. F1 is made all the more remarkable when teams are close throughout the year, but the reason these battles are remarkable and special is because they are so rare. This 'smaller minority' you refer to are the ones who see F1 for what it really is, and understand that winning even with a 'dominant car' by a large margin is still just as fairly earned and valid as a win in a close fight. If you can't understand this, then I'm afraid you are the one who has no understanding of F1, not us.

Monza 2008 was a good drive but like I said, Frentzen won races in a Jordan in 2009.

Er, what? :drunk:

You clearly know absolutely nothing about F1, if you think, it proves nothing to prove yourself without the best car, and against strong team mates.

(Fascinating. And here I was thinking that the reason we've been running in this thing all these years was to win the WDC and WCC. :drunk:)

No its just objectively judging Vettel. something you are clearly unable to do, to the point of even denying Vettel has beenb flattered by great cars, and other drivers have not. The mere concept seems to offend you, despite being objectively used for decades in the sport, but if its used against little Vettel its unfair and double standards.

(What 'offends' us is your repeated assertion that your hypocritical judgment is valid. Other posters have come and gone suggesting that Vettel is not the best and have been received quite cordially, because they make it clear that it is just their opinion and don't take their opinions any more seriously than anyone else's.)

lol. He has had a free ride his entire career by redbull,

(You make it sound so easy. Speaking of bias...)


Yes brittle when the going gets tough,

(And this has never happened to Alonso or Hamilton, right? Not even at China '07, Brazil '07, or Abu Dhabi '10, right? :rolleyes:)

Of course, its all subjective evaluation, just as saying Senna is one of the greatest of all time. It does not mean an educated evaluation cannot be reached.

(Actually, it does, for reasons I've already pointed out. There are too many variables in Formula One to accurately determine who the best driver is. You can come to whatever conclusion you want with whatever criteria you want, but if you do not consistently apply these criteria then you must not expect us to take your opinion seriously.)


I have to admitt Im a very good judge of drivers, for example I was 100% sure, Alonso would destroy Massa, while the majority of people thought it would be a battle (lol), and after half a season I was sure Hamilton was special, so I know what I am talking about.

(Your confidence in your perceived infallibility is quite amusing. May I remind you that pride often cometh before a fall.)

It is quite clear Vettel is very good, but I am still not convinced he is truly great, based on the reasons I mentioned. I still question his ability to be fast in anything other than a brilliant Newey chassis. He could be another Kimi, who needs a certain car to excel. I hope they finally get rid of Webber next year and put Vettel up against a real young talent.

(As others have pointed out, the likelihood of your opinion changing is not very high.)


Its funny because Im pretty much the only open minded one here who is actually not making any claims, other than its too early to judge Vettel, unlike everyone else who refuses to consider they could be wrong and to budge from their beliefs.

For full disclosure, I am a Vettel fan. I believe it is very likely that he is the fastest, most-talented driver on the grid at the moment. However, my opinion is not permanent and is prone to change should I feel it is contradictory to what reality indicates. As I said before, I will let the racing do the talking--Melbourne can't come soon enough.

Generalisations are a good way to make a lot of enemies in a short amount of time. The level of hypocrisy displayed in your request for others to have an open mind while you continue to maintain a narrow perspective, reinforced by your own contention that you "know what [you] are talking about", is staggering.

With all due respect, your argument is invalid.


Beating a WDC is tosh on another level too ....

If you dont rate Vettel (who is a 2xWDC) , then basically you are saying is WDC is no biggie
... any tom dick or Vettel can be a WDC :) okay ! Now if the WDCs is no biggie then How can beating a WDC be any proof of greatness ??

Thats the circle people get themse;lves trapped into when they use selective criteria

Excellent point. :up:

#336 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 15:34

[quote name='joshb' date='Feb 24 2012, 11:14' post='5548102']
I've never understood this' he has to beat a WDC teammate to be great' tosh



I'm sorry but that is a simple minded comment. Do you understand why a boxer needs to fight the best or the highest regarded boxers in his time to be labelled THE BEST!...If not, then there is no help for you


#337 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 15:46


I've never understood this' he has to beat a WDC teammate to be great' tosh



I'm sorry but that is a simple minded comment. Do you understand why a boxer needs to fight the best or the highest regarded boxers in his time to be labelled THE BEST!...If not, then there is no help for you


Dude - your repeated failure to be able to use the QUOTE function tells me that you are not the same cowboymilkman with a new avatar - You really are a Newbie - Congrats !

To answer your question let me quote this reasoning from a great philosopher :) Linky

Edited by flyer121, 24 February 2012 - 15:51.


#338 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:04

I'm sorry but that is a simple minded comment. Do you understand why a boxer needs to fight the best or the highest regarded boxers in his time to be labelled THE BEST!...If not, then there is no help for you


Dude - your repeated failure to be able to use the QUOTE function tells me that you are not the same cowboymilkman with a new avatar - You really are a Newbie - Congrats !

To answer your question let me quote this reasoning from a great philosopher :) Linky



Can you please at least attempt to answer the question. How is it that it is not understandable like most sports that in order to be able to be called the best, you have to beat the best

Afterall, isn't that why Button isn't called the best. Afterall he beat everyone including vettel, Hamilton, Alonso e.t.c..When people said he was moving to Mclaren we all braced ourselves to REALLY see how good he was against a driver who was regarded as at least top 3. Why is the same yardstick not laid down for Vettel


#339 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:27

Can you please at least attempt to answer the question. How is it that it is not understandable like most sports that in order to be able to be called the best, you have to beat the best


First up mate the issue being discussed was whether beating WDCs (not BEST ) is proof of greatness ? so you changed a bit of track here ...

Anyway the real problem is that the NEW question is that to answer the question you have to make some vague assumptions about what you mean by the BEST?
What exactly do you mean by best ? How do you define best in F1? Would you consider a WDC to be the best? Or NO?

If you think WDC is the best do then Vettel is the BEST ? right
If you dont then beating a WDC isnt great shakes either - hence is hollow proof of greatness !!

So which one is it?

The statment itself is valid that you need to beat the best in order to be the best !! No problems with that .... I have a problem in your selective application of the statement by virtue of which Hamilton is great because he beat a WDC but Vettel aint even though he himself is a WDC.

Afterall, isn't that why Button isn't called the best. Afterall he beat everyone including vettel, Hamilton, Alonso e.t.c..When people said he was moving to Mclaren we all braced ourselves to REALLY see how good he was against a driver who was regarded as at least top 3. Why is the same yardstick not laid down for Vettel


Again - what is your criteria of being the Best as to why Button is not the best? Button has beaten a WDC (and the BEST in your eyes) afterall - No?

All your arguments have the evidence in the form of " Everyone thinks ... " | " Its so obvious ..." | & " He isnt called as the best ... "

Its all hearsay mate - really speaking until you put each of the drivers in a round robin teamamte play-off , we wont know.
People are influenced by widely held perceptions which doesnt mean they are true AND when those perceptions change - its time to change your thinking too !!
I have manged to upgrade my opinion of Button , Webber and even Schumi's case ...

This mini era belongs to Vettel - I dont care if he is the BEST or not until the time we are debating what the damn term means ...
Dont like it ? Tough - but I survived the Schumi era... you will too :)

Edited by flyer121, 24 February 2012 - 16:38.


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#340 trogggy

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:35

Again - what is your criteria of being the Best as to why Button is not the best? Button has beaten a WDC (and the BEST in your eyes) afterall - No?

Two of 'em acksherly. :up:

And no, that doesn't make him the best. At this point 'the best' really is just opinion.

#341 seahawk

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:38

Beating a WDC is only possible if

a) the team wants to employ a second WDC
b) another WDC wants to join the team
c) you want to stay with the team if a+b happens

Now if we consider the Red Bull policy to favour their junior drivers for the second seat.

Vettel would have to

a) leave the team
b) find a team that employs a WDC and wants to sign him

Not much he can about that imho.

#342 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:40

@ flyer

First up mate the issue being discussed was whether beating WDCs (not BEST ) is proof of greatness ? so you changed a bit of track here ...

[/b]

LOL, Did you just make that up or couldn't logically answer my question and made such a simple question sooo complicated?

Anyway it doesn't matter, lets say its 'greatness' that was being discussed. How in the world do you get to be regarded as great if you aren't even regarded as the best in your own era? GREATNESS crosses eras does it not?

Edited by F1Maestro, 24 February 2012 - 16:41.


#343 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:43

This mini era belongs to Vettel - I dont care if he is the BEST or not until the time we are debating what the damn term means ...
Dont like it ? Tough - but I survived the Schumi era... you will too :)



That sums all you arguments up really, I knew that before

#344 flyer121

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:50

@ flyer




LOL, Did you just make that up or couldn't logically answer my question and made such a simple question sooo complicated?

Anyway it doesn't matter, lets say its 'greatness' that was being discussed. How in the world do you get to be regarded as great if you aren't even regarded as the best in your own era? GREATNESS crosses eras does it not?



Man - What are you even talking about ??
I was just pointing to the circular convenient logic about beating WDCs... that was all which I pointed to you in that link. Okay.

I cant even begin to think of a way to discuss this new curve ball you have thrown here - so Greatness !! yeah it does cross eras .. I m with you on that one.
So what about it?

Edited by flyer121, 24 February 2012 - 16:51.


#345 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:54

Man - What are you even talking about ??
I was just pointing to the circular convenient logic about beating WDCs... that was all which I pointed to you in that link. Okay.

I cant even begin to think of a way to discuss this new curve ball you have thrown here - so Greatness !! yeah it does cross eras .. I m with you on that one.
So what about it?


No, you threw the curve ball mate, you said we weren't discussing who is best but greatness, so I said ok, i'll play that game, let us discuss greatness then...Now you ignored my other question...you know what i'm done with you...Vettel has never been in the fastest car, he has proved himself mightily, he beat everyone fair and squared, he's the man

Edited by F1Maestro, 24 February 2012 - 16:55.


#346 Afterburner

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 16:56

Anyway it doesn't matter, lets say its 'greatness' that was being discussed. How in the world do you get to be regarded as great if you aren't even regarded as the best in your own era? GREATNESS crosses eras does it not?

I hear the sound of goalposts moving...

'Greatness' is a subjective assessment. There's no way a driver can definitely be 'great', because regardless of what they achieve, they will always be seen as mediocre in the eyes of some nutter (see Schumacher for an example). Because greatness is a subjective assessment, there's no point arguing about what a driver needs to do to be 'great', because everyone's definition is different. Consider this before reading the opinion that follows.

What you're essentially asking is what we think makes a great driver, no? For me, it depends. Sometimes I take a liking to drivers because they're underdogs, sometimes I take a liking to them because they display exceptional character. Sometimes it takes me a while to recognise a driver as great due to personal opinion about their personality or off-track antics (e.g. Alonso). Vettel is a great driver, in my opinion, because he is not only fast, but he is also humble--and whether or not he is the fastest, I think he is the greatest driver in the field right now because (and I detest this term) he is the 'most complete package' in terms of speed, ability, dedication, work ethic, and character. Again, whether this will remain to be the case is yet to be seen, but for now, yeah--Vettel's the greatest driver in the field, I think.

Anything else?

#347 F1Maestro

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 17:03

[quote name='Afterburner' date='Feb 24 2012, 16:56' post='5549122']
I hear the sound of goalposts moving...

'Greatness' is a subjective assessment. There's no way a driver can definitely be 'great', because regardless of what they achieve, they will always be seen as mediocre in the eyes of some nutter (see Schumacher for an example). Because greatness is a subjective assessment, there's no point arguing about what a driver needs to do to be 'great', because everyone's definition is different. Consider this before reading the opinion that follows.


This is what flyer said "First up mate the issue being discussed was whether beating WDCs (not BEST ) is proof of greatness ? so you changed a bit of track here ..."

I thought we were discussing the best drivers of this era and why Vettel may or may not be regarded as such...He switched goal posts as proved by the comment above and said nooo, we were talking about greatness lad...so my comment about greatness was in response to him cause i know that is not we have been discussing all this time

Edited by F1Maestro, 24 February 2012 - 17:04.


#348 Afterburner

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 17:11

This is what flyer said "First up mate the issue being discussed was whether beating WDCs (not BEST ) is proof of greatness ? so you changed a bit of track here ..."

I thought we were discussing the best drivers of this era and why Vettel may or may not be regarded as such...He switched goal posts as proved by the comment above and said nooo, we were talking about greatness lad...so my comment about greatness was in response to him cause i know that is not we have been discussing all this time

In flyer's defense, I believe he/she is not a native English-speaker, and the superlatives 'best' and 'greatest' are probably quite similar to someone whose first language isn't English. :)

You used the term 'best' a number of times in previous posts:

Do you understand why a boxer needs to fight the best or the highest regarded boxers in his time to be labelled THE BEST!

How is it that it is not understandable like most sports that in order to be able to be called the best, you have to beat the best

Perhaps this is where the confusion occurred. Remember that this board has an international membership. :)

(And flyer, if English is your first language, then I apologise--it's not immediately obvious from some of your posts! :p)

#349 Group B

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 17:11

Good discussion :up:

F1Maestro makes some interesting points, and it's not just him. They have, after all, been raised in very similar fashion before by other posters: milkman4cowboy, mrmusicman, spa08 and others all said exactly the same things; in a way it's a shame they're not here to compare notes and add to the discussion, but unfotunately it seems that every time one of them joins it's just after another one has left. Reminds me of Superman and Clark Kent :drunk:

#350 gillesthegenius

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Posted 24 February 2012 - 17:18

Good discussion :up:

F1Maestro makes some interesting points, and it's not just him. They have, after all, been raised in very similar fashion before by other posters: milkman4cowboy, mrmusicman, spa08 and others all said exactly the same things; in a way it's a shame they're not here to compare notes and add to the discussion, but unfotunately it seems that every time one of them joins it's just after another one has left. Reminds me of Superman and Clark Kent :drunk:


:lol: Well said. :up: