I wasn't really talking about this forum in particular just what I've observed in general.
I don't think Albon is rated, but most people tend to say that it's proof how amazing Max is that he's beating him comprehensively.
But then when it comes to Hamilton, it's because Bottas is not a real challenge and Max needs to be put in the Merc, despite the fact Bottas is a lot closer.
Look at another of Hamiltons team mate. In general people rate Button higher than Bottas. And there are people that considered Button on the same level as Hamilton for a while (not me). Where does that place Bottas for those people?
My point earlier on Bottas vs. Barrichello is also because they have pretty much the same position in regards to their team mate. Bottas keeps Hamilton honest. Barrichello was in average slower by 0.2 seconds than MSC. How much is Bottas in average slower than Hamilton? Bottas seems to better than Rubens in the "push myself ahead rather than whinge" department. In contrast, everyone is used to the quality and consistency of Hamiltons racing. So he can only go down in people's estimation.
As to Verstappen. He is very good. Is he better than Hamilton? We simply cannot tell. Hence many give him the benefit of doubt. The direct comparison to Hamilton would solve that. It would be treat to see how both LH and MV push each other to be even better and best the other. To Hamilton fans, I can only say this from my perspective. Many of you seem to see him as a better version of Senna. Hamilton himself made sure of that perception. However career wise, Hamilton is currently in the position of Prost and Verstappen is in the position of Senna. The younger is bound to replace the older at some point. Shame for all of us that we probably never see both next to each other racing the same car and demonstrate their skills in a direct comparison. Of course, there would be disappointment in one fan club. But the battle would be enjoyable for F1 fans like me.
Albon and Bottas are not important in that equation. Bottas might get a WDC if he stays long enough at Mercedes for Hamilton to have lots of unreliability on his car or decline fast or leave Merc or retire, and Merc continue to be the dominant force. On Albon I agree mostly with you. What I differ from your opinion is this: Albon fails to keep Verstappen honest. So for now Verstappen being able to push himself nearer to the ultimate top seems more impressive at first to many. However it is at least equally hard for any guy to stay on top as long as Hamilton has done. Just enjoy it as long as you can. Realistically it won't last forever.
Finally Bottas is way better than Albon. The championship battle at this point would be much tighter, if not for the tyre blowout earlier in the season. Before this Eiffel GP, point difference between Hamilton and Bottas 44 points ~ 20%, Verstappen vs Albon 64 points, which is exactly 50%. Albons clash earlier this season with Hamilton even contributed to the stat difference. On the other hand, had that clash not happened and Albon gone by Hamilton proper, then Bottas gap to Hamilton would also been a bit closer. As it stands right now Hamilton has the luxury of one DNF. Not that I think that the one DNF will cost Bottas the WDC in the end. But lets entertain that thought. What if Bottas ends up losing the WDC with less than 25 points to his tally? Will Hamiltons fans make the same noise than they did when Rosberg won the championship, because Hamilton had more unreliability? You guys could so far not even make the claim of Bottas being a dirty racer.
So no reason to be bothered about your original claim. There are clear facts that people don't rate Albon as high as they do Bottas. But no sane person would rate Bottas higher than Hamiltons overall career, even if Bottas really should manage to win a championship against Hamilton. Before Bottas would be in a position to overhaul Hamilton's records, F1 probably closes because of boredom of the current formula.
Anyhow, to make it crystal clear where I stand in this, I don't rate Bottas much. But he is currently much better than Albon, very competent but inconsistent. If he could keep his best form throughout a season, then he might challenge Hamilton. Haven't seen inconsistent drivers that were able to change that trait tough. Naturally gifted drivers like Hamilton are consistent precisely because they are so gifted. They have a higher starting point to boot from. An no matter how many "upgrades" Bottas goes through, the efforts involved to upgrade will wear him out sooner or later. Actually we see that already with the inconsistency that seems always be looming around.
