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Poll: Rate the 2019 debuts!


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Poll: Who had the best debut? (101 member(s) have cast votes)

Rookies

  1. Lando Norris (74 votes [73.27%])

    Percentage of vote: 73.27%

  2. Alexander Albon (4 votes [3.96%])

    Percentage of vote: 3.96%

  3. George Russell (19 votes [18.81%])

    Percentage of vote: 18.81%

  4. Robert Kubica (honorary) (4 votes [3.96%])

    Percentage of vote: 3.96%

Drivers with new teams

  1. Charles Leclerc (6 votes [5.94%])

    Percentage of vote: 5.94%

  2. Kimi Raikkonen (35 votes [34.65%])

    Percentage of vote: 34.65%

  3. Lance Stroll (45 votes [44.55%])

    Percentage of vote: 44.55%

  4. Daniil Kvyat (12 votes [11.88%])

    Percentage of vote: 11.88%

  5. Pierre Gasly (2 votes [1.98%])

    Percentage of vote: 1.98%

  6. Antonio Giovinazzi (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  7. Daniel Ricciardo (0 votes [0.00%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.00%

  8. Carlos Sainz, Jr (1 votes [0.99%])

    Percentage of vote: 0.99%

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#1 Risil

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 13:59

As the truism goes, the thing with first impressions is that you only get to make one. The same naturally goes for debut races (and opening sentences). Only Mercedes and Haas retained both their drivers for 2019 (didn't hurt them, did it?) -- elsewhere on the grid we had the kind of personnel changes that were crying out for a video montage of the new drivers with their names and personalized numbers overlaid on it with splashy graphics. 

 

Now the first race of the 2019 has been confined to the record books, ne'er more to haunt us in our fancy nor in our wakefulness, the question remains: who had the best debut? Who's made a bad first impression? And who's (already) in deep trouble? Our three genuine rookies, scrumpy king Lando NorrisAlexander Albon Jovi and "The Terrier" George Russell (all Brits, kinda) all finished outside the points so there's no objective way of saying who did best, which is a fancy way of saying none of them did that well. Or did they?

 

As for the guys with new teams, or indeed with old teams, only Lance Stroll managed to finish ahead of an established teammate. Does that matter? Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz Jr both broke down, or rather their cars did. Do they get a free pass?

 

There's a poll so you don't even need to express yourselves verbally. No doubt someone will, so please comment and over-analyse below. Feel free to complain that I've listed Robert Kubica as a rookie.



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#2 Afterburner

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 15:20

I thought Lando Norris did rather well for his first outing, but then I was only watching him because his first name is Lando and I'm patiently waiting for him to say, "It's not my fault!"

I also thought Kimi Raikkonen did rather well, but since Wikipedia has "+1 lap" as the gap for more than half the field I have no way of knowing exactly how well.

#3 jgrwill

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 15:37

If Stroll manage to stay in front of Perez in next race again..... then the conspiracy can begin 😂

#4 TheJammin

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 15:50

Lando won out of the debutants, especially in qualifying, though I think he Albon and Russell all kept their noses clean and sensible in the race, so they all did pretty well. None of them looked like they didn't belong. All three outqualified their team-mates as well. So Lando pips the others but not by a huge margin.

 

Gio was the odd one out, just shy of half a second off Kimi in quali and given a dud strategy by Alfa followed by some aggressive defending. Hard to judge really but felt he stood out for the wrong reasons this time out, being compared to the Trulli train.

 

As for the drivers in new teams, Kimi and Stroll stood out. Kimi proved he's still hungry and has the pace, Stroll indicated he's not out of his depth and took advantage of luck coming his way to score points. Will be tough to beat Perez over a year but I reckon Stroll has it in him. Kvyat was pretty good as well, and looked fighty, hoping that continues.

 

Ricciardo and Sainz were the losers, a bit unlucky but it happens.



#5 RECKLESS

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:08

Kimi was solid the whole weekend and gets my obvious vote.

#6 MattK9

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:20

Gio is a proper rookie and he is not in a new team.

 

Im not sure how you class Kvyat at with a new team either!

 

I was tempted to vote for Ricciardo as best rookie. For the bants.



#7 BuddyHolly

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:23

Voted Lando and  ..as much as I hate myself.. Stroll.



#8 AlexPrime

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:34

Voted Russel and Charlie



#9 CharlesWinstone

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:48

Has to be Stroll. Many despised him but Stroll has showed some promise before. Third in Baku and he is good in the rain too (Quali in Monza).
Sometimes he still does some stupid things but the positive trend is there.
Kvyat did well also. Must not have been easy after what he has been through. But he is not hiding. Good job.
Lando as the rooky.

#10 Marklar

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:52

Norris for the rookies, but Russell is a close second. And Albon did very well too.

For the others: Kvyat and Stroll were good, but were ultimately helped by strategies after being defeated in qualifying. This leaves us with Kimi (the others are not in contest)



#11 CharlesWinstone

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 16:58

Norris for the rookies, but Russell is a close second. And Albon did very well too.

For the others: Kvyat and Stroll were good, but were ultimately helped by strategies after being defeated in qualifying. This leaves us with Kimi (the others are not in contest)


Stroll was blocked by Grosjean in his fast lap in Q2. Cost him a couple of thenths.

#12 Sunnny

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 17:10

Easy Russell and Stroll. 

 

In Q I look at the difference in team mates times. Russell almost 2 seconds to Kubica. I doubt many driver on the grid could had done better. Give him any of the debutantes cars and I am sure he will do better. And in race completely owned Kubica by a whole lap

 

 

As for Stroll best starter in F1 and he soundly beat Perez


Edited by Sunnny, 19 March 2019 - 17:11.


#13 Kev00

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 18:03

You could have put prime Senna in that Williams and he would still have finished second to last. One thing for sure is that Russell destroyed Kubica on Saturday and Sunday.

#14 messy

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 18:24

Russell gets my vote because I really don't think he could have done anything more all weekend. The car is a tank, we know that. Russell beat Kubica all ends up in every session, raced perfectly and did a 10/10 job really with what he had. Norris set a couple of brilliant Q2 and Q3 laps and eighth on the grid was phenomenal, but his race went awry slightly and ditto Albon really, only AA was a few steps back from there.

All three of them did a good job and were a credit to F2 really.

Of the second lot I really don't think Kimi put a foot wrong and will probably unobtrusively put in those points scoring drives all season. Stroll did very well in the race, but I dunno why it's shocked people because what he did - make a great start and several positions on the first lap, then put in a feisty drive and keep faster cars behind him to the flag - that's what he's always been doing.

#15 Sterzo

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 19:14

Norris for doing so well in a tricky car; Stroll for impressing.



#16 Lights

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 19:35

Norris and Raikkonen.

 

But to be honest none of the guys in these polls impressed enough to make my top 5 of last weekend.



#17 P123

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 19:41

Norris was exceptional in qualifying, but for the weekend as a whole I'd pick Russell. I just hope Williams aren't cast adrift all season long. Albon was solid too.

Kimi, Stroll and Kvyat on his return all had strong first races.

#18 Spillage

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Posted 19 March 2019 - 22:31

Hard to say. I went for Norris but he didn't really have a yardstick given that Sainz had a miserable weekend. I was impressed with Albon, who out qualified Kvyat and would have outraced him were it not for Giovinazzi. Russell is similar to Norris - looked good, but again no benchmark.

Went for raikkonen in the established drivers with new teams. I don't think it's close. He was the only one who was both fast and consistent. Not that impressed with Stroll, who didn't get out of Q1 and got pretty lucky in the race. Perez will beat him this season.

Edited by Spillage, 19 March 2019 - 22:34.