326 replies to this topic

[F1Frog]

Brazil 2016, COTA 2021, Spa 2022, Suzuka 2022? I think they all just got trumped.

[Button4life]

Greatest drive this century I’d argue. Maybe Kimi’s drive in Japan comes close.

[Disgrace]

No, this was more of a team than individual win. It was a great drive, but he was also on the correct strategy.

[thefinalapex]

Greatest drive this century I’d argue. Maybe Kimi’s drive in Japan comes close.

Schumacher at china 2006 was brilliant as well, fighting as only bridgestone runner in the top ten and then pulling it off by winning. One of my happiest memory’s of following f1.

[JimmyClark]

Greatest drive this century I’d argue. Maybe Kimi’s drive in Japan comes close.

I think Kimi's was still more impressive as it was done without the aid of safety cars (beyond lap 1) or weather.

[Risil]

We have so many to choose from. I'd probably still go for Austin in 2021. This one was very good but I'm not going to overlook the fact that Max didn't have to pass the fastest cars owing to being in the right place when Colapinto's crash brought out the red flag.

 

Germany 2019 is his best wet weather chaos drive.

[Joseki]

Hard to judge but Austin 2021 imo is still better.

[DutchQuicksilver]

And got massively helped by a free tyre change with the red flag. So nowhere near the greatest drive in history. That’s still Raikkonen in Japan 2005.

[pUs]

Slightly lucky strategy-wise, but what stood out to me was his sheer pace and consistency. Slightly behind alpines when it was pouring, but apart from that just demolishing the field. I wasn't expecting it.

[Myrvold]

I wouldn't say it was his greatest Brazil drive even!

 

Now, that probably says more about Verstappen than this race!

 

I am curious on what looked like a sizeable time-loss right before the SC and Red Flag. It looked like, even with a stop under SC that he would've rejoined relatively low in the field.

Edited by Myrvold, 03 November 2024 - 18:25.

[Disgrace]

We have so many to choose from. I'd probably still go for Austin in 2021. This one was very good but I'm not going to overlook the fact that Max didn't have to pass the fastest cars owing to being in the right place when Colapinto's crash brought out the red flag.

 

Yeah, his only true competitors were the Alpines. There's a reason why Alpine beat McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, etc.

[EightGear]

Just throwing France 2021 in there.

[pUs]

And got massively helped by a free tyre change with the red flag. So nowhere near the greatest drive in history. That’s still Raikkonen in Japan 2005.

Perhaps not, but given the pecking order, was this one really expected? From 17th on the grid? With that sort of finishing margin?

[Button4life]

No, this was more of a team than individual win. It was a great drive, but he was also on the correct strategy.

Starting p17 and winning by 20 seconds under awful conditions isn’t down to the team

[Risil]

Just throwing France 2021 in there.

That was the only time I've ever enjoyed a race at Paul Ricard!

[Clrnc]

Nowhere near, he had it easy today and a bit of luck. 

 

I think some of his 2021 drives easily trumps this

[flyboym3]

Its like saying Singapore 2008 was Alonsos best win..

[Garagista]

Best wet race definitely. Lets not forget that Max even in his masterclass drives in the wet, he always had his moments with spins etc. today was just clean from the start, amazing drive!!

[pUs]

Its like saying Singapore 2008 was Alonsos best win..

Uhm, no.

[Button4life]

Hard to judge but Austin 2021 imo is still better.

I don’t quite remember that race but Max had the quickest time in q2 and q3 and started on pole. Why is that race more impressive than this one?

[garoidb]

Its like saying Singapore 2008 was Alonsos best win..

 

Fernando had better wins than that. Nurburgring 2007, for example.

[Ramon69]

Brilliant drive, Max showing once again that he belongs to the all time greats! Can't remember  a single error from him this GP, when most of the others had a moment, significant or insignificant.

[Augurk]

Nowhere near, he had it easy today and a bit of luck.

I think some of his 2021 drives easily trumps this

Sure every drive is easy when every other top team driver completely fails. Maybe the conditions weren’t that easy were they?

[thefinalapex]

Its like saying Singapore 2008 was Alonsos best win..

Oh i love the saltiness from posts like this. Its just proves that accounts like yours are nothing more then troll accounts😂

[EightGear]

Its like saying Singapore 2008 was Alonsos best win..

Copium was on discount?

Edited by EightGear, 03 November 2024 - 18:33.

[DW46]

France 21, Japan 22, Cota 21 for me.

[garoidb]

Whatever about the race being his best, I think this championship probably is.

[Clrnc]

Sure every drive is easy when every other top team driver completely fails. Maybe the conditions weren’t that easy were they?

I just think his races against Lewis is alot harder than racing the Alpines today

[Augurk]

I just think his races against Lewis is alot harder than racing the Alpines today

My point is he was racing everyone today. Not just the alpines.

[JimmyClark]

Whatever about the race being his best, I think this championship probably is.

I think 2021 is still better. He didn't have the experience of a title fight yet and didn't have a much faster car at any point really, and was up against one of the best teams and drivers of that decade.

This year has been impressive, but he built the foundations by maximising the results when he had a much faster car earlier on in the season, and the opposition haven't been consistent when they've had the faster car.

Edited by JimmyClark, 03 November 2024 - 18:37.

[RaceBoyer]

COTA 2018 is close, where he technically completed the race distance faster than the winner, as he was only about a second behind Kimi at the chequered flag, but he started near the back of the grid and unfortunately for him his race clock starts when the lights go out, rather than when he himself physically crosses the line at the start of lap 1. The race was dry too, so there were no random elements like safety cars coming at the right time etc.

 

Max was mega today, but getting past Lando and George was mostly luck.

[PlatenGlass]

It was a really good drive but everything fell for him too.

[Button4life]

People here really underestimate how difficult it is to drive under wet conditions.

[Blundle]

The red flag gave him track position and a free pit stop so no. 

[TomNokoe]

It was a really good drive but everything fell for him too.

He made his own luck with the great start and passing moves.

Also, letting a race come to you is a skill not many drivers have. For example, at the restart many in his position would have pushed Ocon and hurt their tyres, but he hung back and then beautifully took his chance at the next restart.

[F1Frog]

People here really underestimate how difficult it is to drive under wet conditions.

 

I would argue that this was demonstrated by the performance of the rest of the grid. Esteban Ocon would have put in the best drive of the season if not for Verstappen today. Russell and Gasly were also very good. Tsunoda, Lawson, Leclerc, Norris and Bottas were all acceptable. And the other 11 drivers on the grid all had an absolute shocker! I can't remember the last time someone made my top ten in the personal rankings with as poor a performance as Ollie Bearman had today.

[PlatenGlass]

Verstappen wasn't making any impression on Ocon before that final safety car. He was dropping back if anything. It would have been interesting to see if he could have come back to win without it.

[TheFish]

It was a very strong drive for sure, reckon he’s had better though. The red flag rules helped him but I suspect he’d have won anyway. The fact he got that help probably stopped it being his best in my eyes.

[SophieB]

@F1Media

Stefano Domenicali Statement: 

 

I want to thank all our fans and everyone working across the sport for their patience and dedication this weekend. I believe it was the right thing to do to move qualifying and the race to earlier on Sunday to maximise the opportunity for racing to take place because of the potential forecast later in the day. It is a tribute to our fans in Brazil that over 290,000 joined us for this incredible weekend of racing and we had an unforgettable race. 

 

A big thanks to all the fans, FIA, promoter, drivers, teams, media, broadcasters, and marshals that made the weekend a great success under challenging circumstances.

[MikeTekRacing]

Verstappen wasn't making any impression on Ocon before that final safety car. He was dropping back if anything. It would have been interesting to see if he could have come back to win without it.

Not true.he dropped back first then caught up as Ocon probably used his tyres

[PrinceBira]

Verstappen wasn't making any impression on Ocon before that final safety car. He was dropping back if anything. It would have been interesting to see if he could have come back to win without it.

No, initially he dropped back. But the laps leading to the SC he was decreasing the gap.

[jonklug]

All race I could only think of Jenson's 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. This was that race for Max. And ironically, this season is similar to JB's 2009 so a bit of a parallel there for me. I'm super pumped now so it's easy to say it's his best, starting from 17th in the rain. Insane. It's definitely top 3 but people will argue it's the best and I won't have complaints. 

[Button4life]

All race I could only think of Jenson's 2011 Canadian Grand Prix. This was that race for Max. And ironically, this season is similar to JB's 2009 so a bit of a parallel there for me. I'm super pumped now so it's easy to say it's his best, starting from 17th in the rain. Insane. It's definitely top 3 but people will argue it's the best and I won't have complaints.

I’m a massive Button fan but Button was only clearly the fastest during the last 15 laps. Max was 2 classes above everyone else from start to finish.

Edited by Button4life, 03 November 2024 - 19:02.

[ensign14]

Sorry, it's not even close to his best drive.  Basically a short sprint from the front of the field, having been gifted pole by insanely stupid rules. 
 
How far would he have been behind Russell had he had to make a pit stop like literally everyone else - bar two - had to do?  And that those two exceptions suddenly finished a dozen places higher than they normally finish shows just how much it was down to the arbitrary stupidity of the red flag rules. 
 
Something I've been complaining about btw since at least 2011.

[ensign14]

And got massively helped by a free tyre change with the red flag. So nowhere near the greatest drive in history. That’s still Raikkonen in Japan 2005.

Nuvolari, Germany 1935.

[PlatenGlass]

He made his own luck with the great start and passing moves.

Also, letting a race come to you is a skill not many drivers have. For example, at the restart many in his position would have pushed Ocon and hurt their tyres, but he hung back and then beautifully took his chance at the next restart.

Making your own luck isn't really a thing because it's not what luck is. It's just a silly saying that caught on.

But when he was in the train behind Tsunoda, Ocon and Leclerc he appeared stuck. Had things played out in a more "normal" fashion from there and he'd still won then I think it would be a clearer candidate. But the red flag having not pitted and then that safety car to help hom pass Ocon made it much easier.

It was a great drive but these things matter when comparing against other great drives.

[Button4life]

Sorry, it's not even close to his best drive. Basically a short sprint from the front of the field, having been gifted pole by insanely stupid rules.

How far would he have been behind Russell had he had to make a pit stop like literally everyone else - bar two - had to do? And that those two exceptions suddenly finished a dozen places higher than they normally finish shows just how much it was down to the arbitrary stupidity of the red flag rules.

Something I've been complaining about btw since at least 2011.

Let’s just ignore he put 12 fastest laps in a row and his 2nd fastest lap was over a second faster than the fastest lap of anyone else

[Baddoer]

Good but not greatest. Red Flag allowed him to freely change tires also rain stopped and track has dried up, these conditions suited him well.

Still gutted for Tsunoda...

[P123]

Just throwing France 2021 in there.

 

Some late race excitements, but France 21 was a strategy gift by Merc. Pitted too late, slow stop, lost lead, stuck to a one stopper.  Austin is head and shoulders above that one.

[FLB]

He made his own luck with the great start and passing moves.

Also, letting a race come to you is a skill not many drivers have. For example, at the restart many in his position would have pushed Ocon and hurt their tyres, but he hung back and then beautifully took his chance at the next restart.

Exactly for those reasons, I vote 'Yes!'.