199 replies to this topic

[F1Frog]

What have been your worst motorsport takes in the past? Either an opinion you once held that now seems ridiculous, or a prediction that turned out to be totally wrong?

 

I fully expected Carlos Sainz to absolutely destroy Alex Albon at Williams this year. There's still time for that to happen but so far we've seen the exact opposite.

 

I thought Valtteri Bottas would be better at Mercedes than Nico Rosberg was, and I was also simultaneously sure that Pascal Wehrlein was the best option for that drive. Clearly, I massively underestimated how good Hamilton and Rosberg were.

[7MGTEsup]

What have been your worst motorsport takes in the past? Either an opinion you once held that now seems ridiculous, or a prediction that turned out to be totally wrong?

 

I fully expected Carlos Sainz to absolutely destroy Alex Albon at Williams this year. There's still time for that to happen but so far we've seen the exact opposite.

 

I thought Valtteri Bottas would be better at Mercedes than Nico Rosberg was, and I was also simultaneously sure that Pascal Wehrlein was the best option for that drive. Clearly, I massively underestimated how good Hamilton and Rosberg were.

 

I thought Jean Alesi would be a world champion or at leat win 10+ grand prix back in 1990 after dragging that Tyrrell around.

 

I thought Montoya would have done much more than he did and also Kimi didn't deliver as much as I though he would either given how they both started with a bang.

Edited by 7MGTEsup, 07 April 2025 - 10:56.

[Risil]

I thought (hoped!) Giancarlo Fisichella would give Alonso a run for his money in 2005.

[jonklug]

I thought Nick Heidfeld would become a multiple WDC. Still think he had a lot of talent but perhaps lacked a killer instinct and more personality to push him into a top car. 

[jcbc3]

Penske taking on an Australien touring car driver believing he would be any good in Indycar.

[DW46]

Fisi just needed a top car and he’d be second only to Schumacher.

[KavB]

I thought Nick Heidfeld would become a multiple WDC. Still think he had a lot of talent but perhaps lacked a killer instinct and more personality to push him into a top car. 

I reckon he would have won the title in 2009 had he moved to Honda/Brawn as was rumoured.

[lukestanton91]

What have been your worst motorsport takes in the past? Either an opinion you once held that now seems ridiculous, or a prediction that turned out to be totally wrong?

 

I fully expected Carlos Sainz to absolutely destroy Alex Albon at Williams this year. There's still time for that to happen but so far we've seen the exact opposite.

 

I thought Valtteri Bottas would be better at Mercedes than Nico Rosberg was, and I was also simultaneously sure that Pascal Wehrlein was the best option for that drive. Clearly, I massively underestimated how good Hamilton and Rosberg were.

 

I mean, it's still early days, so there's still time and scope for him to get the upper hand. Personally, I never believed he would ''destroy'' Albon, but I know it was a popular opinion prior to the season. I think it's got a lot to do with how people - still - underestimate/underrate Albon. We heard a bit of that in Villeneuve's commentary on Sky this weekend.

 

I'm with you on the Bottas thing though. I definitely remember believing that.

[H0R]

"Now that Honda is gone McLaren will be fighting for championships immediately".

Yeah, sure. 

 

Oh, and Nigel at McLaren. I thought it was a great idea.

Edited by H0R, 07 April 2025 - 11:36.

[Taxi]

We were all in the Fisichella bandwagon. 

[ernestomodena]

That when Toyota entered F1 they would win the championship in 10 years with al that money. But they left instead.

[Risil]

That when Toyota entered F1 they would win the championship in 10 years with al that money. But they left instead.

 

The 2010 car was reportedly very good. But I suppose the ones that don't race all are.

[Alfisti]

This is a good thread idea. I am struggling to think of a personal howler though, i mean got stuff wrong but nothing crazy. I tend to feel the incumbent has a huge advantage so I rarely pick the new guy to do well and that has served me pretty well. I also don't believe in fairytales so Frentzen in 99, Kubica 2008, Norris 2024 etc etc etc I never thought were gonna happen and stood firm by that opinion. 

 

Closest I think is Hulkenberg's return, I really never thought much of him and never understood this desire to have him back yet he was tremendous in that Haas. I was legit shocked to see him paste his teammates.

Edited by Alfisti, 07 April 2025 - 12:03.

[Jops14]

I reckon he would have won the title in 2009 had he moved to Honda/Brawn as was rumoured.

Not if Button was there

I thought Nelson Piquet Jr would go on to become a multiple race winner. I remember his battles in 06 in F2 and thought he was great, and then just… nothing

I also thought Sam Bird would forge a career in F1, likewise Alex Premat, Nico Lapierre and Adam Carroll (thise 3 because i loved A1GP)

[Myrvold]

As it is motorsport and not F1.

 

I thought Dylan Kwasniewski would be the next great NASCAR driver... (gm914 - I still have the Dylan Kwasniewski T-Shirt you fixed for me. I know your account is gone here, but I also know you are around! )

 

The one take that is probably seen as worst, is that I still believe, if he'd had a safe contract for more than 1 season in a proper team, and had a season with FP1's. So... A normal year. Bruno Senna would've done enough to get a nice career in F1.

[JonnyA]

I thought (hoped) Montoya would prove capable of matching Schumacher from race to race, across a full season. We got occasional flashes, but the consistency wasn't there.

 

I expected Justin Wilson would have a long and successful F1 career - maybe not a world champion, but as a semi-regular race winner.

[tempname11]

I didn't appreciate Schumi at the time.

[Autodromo]

I never thought Mansell was going to amount to much.

[PlatenGlass]

I expected Frentzen to destroy Villeneuve and become a multiple WDC.

[Jops14]

As it is motorsport and not F1.

I thought Dylan Kwasniewski would be the next great NASCAR driver... (gm914 - I still have the Dylan Kwasniewski T-Shirt you fixed for me. I know your account is gone here, but I also know you are around! )

The one take that is probably seen as worst, is that I still believe, if he'd had a safe contract for more than 1 season in a proper team, and had a season with FP1's. So... A normal year. Bruno Senna would've done enough to get a nice career in F1.

Yessss i am with you on the Senna piece, i thought he was much better than he really got the chance to show. He had a classic 90s career, 3 seasons in teams falling apart, then never given another shot

[Hrco42]

After he won the title in 2008, I thought Hamilton would have Villeneuve-like career and won't win another title (and possible race)

[Alfisti]

After he won the title in 2008, I thought Hamilton would have Villeneuve-like career and won't win another title (and possible race)

OOooof. Mate, was clear as day the kid had something.

[7MGTEsup]

After he won the title in 2008, I thought Hamilton would have Villeneuve-like career and won't win another title (and possible race)

 

I think I wrote somewhere on these boards in about 2011 that I thoguht Hamilton may never win another. Called that one a bit wrong, although his career had stalled a bit at that point.

 

Edit: It was September 2012

 

I'm sorry to say Lewis is looking more and more like a one time champion to me. I just don't see him winning another unless Alonso and Vettel retire as they are far more consistent and just as fast. Unless Merc turn a corner and quickly then I just can't see him being anything more than an odd podium finisher every now and again. I also think Nico will give him a much tougher time than Jenson.

Edited by 7MGTEsup, 07 April 2025 - 14:05.

[Myrvold]

Yessss i am with you on the Senna piece, i thought he was much better than he really got the chance to show. He had a classic 90s career, 3 seasons in teams falling apart, then never given another shot

 

Indeed. Sitting out 2009 after testing for, and being strongly linked to Honda - but Brawn deciding (probably wisely) to stick with Button and Barrichello when he got the team. Then 2010 in the GP2+ Hispania. 2011 with a 1 year contract for Williams where he also sat out 15 out of 20 FP1's. Half 2012 for Genii Lotus Renault - and that was it.

 

After he won the title in 2008, I thought Hamilton would have Villeneuve-like career and won't win another title (and possible race)

 

Well. - rookie season, fighting for a championship, in the fight in the last race of the season, ending up 2nd. 2nd season. Getting a new teammate, a driver from a mid-pack/upper-mid team, seen as a talent, but not been amazing. Winning the title. 3rd season. Huge rule changes, team not really fighting for wins at the start. Struggling a lot. Up until Hamilton got a win in his 3rd season, the F1 careers of Villeneuve and Hamilton were very similar!

Then later on, both went to Brackley.

[Garagista]

Alter 2015, I thought 16 would be Ferrari's year, a team clearly on the raise. 18 i thought was Ferrari, 17 car was almost there, they could only improve. And then 2025 comes...

I can only think of that Texas saying George Bush mentioned hehe

This Topic for a Ferrari Fan is kind of a sum of all years right?

[ensign14]

Thought the BT55 would be a race-winner.   

 

Also that Schumacher would stop the dirty driving once he "won" the title.

[Ruusperi]

I was against the halo. Now it's so embarrassing to read my old comments, just look at these horrible examples

Why can't there be both open-cockpit racing series and closed-cockpit racing series. F1-OC and F1-CC. Just like there is vehicles with roll cages and vehicles without any protection (namely, motorcycles). The drivers and the fans can then decide what they like most and if they don't care the risks, it's their problem.

Personally I predict that in 2030 there will be several open wheel categories, some of which are open cockpit and some are closed cockpit. Just like not all formula cars have similar design to Indycars that prevent rear wheels from touching, I think, for example, national Formula Ford or Formula 4 cars will remain open cockpit long time.

By "closed cockpit" I meant the halo. Obviously F1 cars are still very much open cockpit and these days I don't even notice the halo, I'm so used to it.

Edited by Ruusperi, 07 April 2025 - 13:53.

[Sterzo]

I am still waiting for Rodney Nuckey to become World Champion.

 

[Anderis]

I think I predicted McLaren to be the disappointment of the 2024 season. The expectations were so high and I didn't quite believe they had it in them to be (much) better than being the 4th best team.

 

Prior to 2015/2016 I was also pretty confident that Hulkenberg was on his way to become a top tier driver, someone who could give Alonso or Hamilton a run for their money in the same car.

 

I don't think I remember anything more egregious than that, excluding my first 2-3 years of following F1 maybe when I may have held some uneducated views purely due to my youth and lack of knowledge.

[Afterburner]

The one that most comes to mind is that, after some strong showings to open his 2023 season, Romain Grosjean would contend for the IndyCar title.

 

I also thought the halo was a disastrously stupid idea, though that may have been more a reaction to Jean Todt and the FIA's exceedingly pompous attitude about it.

[IrvTheSwerve]

I thought (hoped!) Giancarlo Fisichella would give Alonso a run for his money in 2005.

 

1 of 2 drivers to have led the WDC that year, I'll have you know! 

[eibyyz]

I thought Lole, Mario and the Lotus 80 would stomp on the Earth in 1979.

 

Not my take, but I remember that when Michael Andretti moved to Macca, one pundit in Autosport said he "might win two or three WDCs, but he'd not be on Senna's level..."

[Dan333SP]

I felt pretty sure Schumacher returning in 2010 would result in multiple additional wins if the car was capable and he'd comfortably beat Rosberg. 

 

I was also all in on the "Daniel Ricciardo is a top 4 driver and future WDC" hype train at some point in the 2017-2019 era. 

[JL14]

That the FIA knows what it's doing.

Proven me wrong over and over with their rules, regulations, solutions, interpretations etc.

[1player]

Not sure if it's a "worst" take, but a well-managed World Rally Championship series could destroy any type of circuit racing. Balls-to-the-wall racing in treacherous conditions is more fun than any Formula series could ever be, where there is only one good racing line and it's synchronised racing to the delta.

 

The fact that I religiously watch Formula 1 and never seem to find the time to catch up with WRC is proof of how mismanaged that series is.

[Marklar]

My takes are too risk-averse to think of anything I got terribly wrong.

best I can think of are how feeder or karting drivers will do in F1. I remember thinking that Sargeant would be a capable lower midfield driver in F1, though I ammended my opinion once I saw his first Free practice only session where he could barely hold his steering wheel straight.

There was also the typical Raikkonen will be considered one of the quickest drivers ever debate my young self got definitely wrong.

[Risil]

1 of 2 drivers to have led the WDC that year, I'll have you know!

Believe me, I remember. A well-timed rain shower in Melbourne and Fisi was on top of the world.

[Amin]

It's not necessarily a take that I had, more a firmly held belief, that Alonso and Raikkonen would win at least one more WDC between them post-2007.

[RainyAfterlifeDaylight]

Transformation of McLaren to become a competitive team under technical direction of James Key ...

[IrvTheSwerve]

Believe me, I remember. A well-timed rain shower in Melbourne and Fisi was on top of the world.

 

Nothing but pure skill.

 

Haha. In all seriousness, as a long-term Fisi fan, probably my only ever driver that I've seriously supported (more so than Eddie Irvine), it was a bit of a dream watching that race as an 18 year old in the middle of the night here in the UK...with Fisi leading the WDC as the sun rose. I just don't get those moments anymore, sadly.

[Risil]

Nothing but pure skill.

Haha. In all seriousness, as a long-term Fisi fan, probably my only ever driver that I've seriously supported (more so than Eddie Irvine), it was a bit of a dream watching that race as an 18 year old in the middle of the night here in the UK...with Fisi leading the WDC as the sun rose. I just don't get those moments anymore, sadly.

You've been hurt before and won't let yourself fall in love again

[SophieB]

I really did think Stoffel Vandoorne would have a much more successful F1 career than it turned out. I also suspected Ricciardo was a future WDC when he was at HRT.

[Brawn BGP 001]

I thought Montoya/Raikkonen would be the modern-day Senna/Prost

[B Squared]

I underestimated the ability of Jacques Villeneuve and Al Unser, Jr. to make such wrong decisions (obviously of very different nature) that would keep them from achieving their full potential. After these two, I've avoided driver favorites since.

[SophieB]

I thought Montoya/Raikkonen would be the modern-day Senna/Prost

That one should really have happened. I think that’s not so much a bad take as a case where reality itself really let everyone down and should have a bit of a think about what it did.

[SpeedRacer`]

Agreed completely about Fisi and Vandoorne. Fisi had such a strong 2004 as well.

 

Pat Symonds kept comparing Williams-era Bottas to Alonso, I didn't expect him to beat Hamilton but I thought he would be closer to Rosberg level performance.

 

Rubens Barrichello whilst very good, I thought early in his career was the second coming of Senna. An underweight car at Donnington was partly to blame for that!

 

Alex Wurz as well looked like a megastar, his non-publicised weight penalty to Fisi held him back (and also inflated Fisi's rep a bit it seems).

[Alfisti]

I also suspected Ricciardo was a future WDC when he was at HRT.

He was though. He never once drove a CC winning car, he has 9 wins in a cars than never won a CC. He lost his skill set once at McLaren and never got it back but Red Bull/Renault Danny Ric was capable of being champion.

[ATM]

Back în 2012, when Hamilton announced his switch to Mercedes, I thought for sure this was a really, really bad move. I still have a mouthful of crow feathers for that.

[Ferrim]

Not one of very strong opinions, but I thought Alonso would never drive for Ferrari after the McLaren 2007 disaster.

I also thought Bottas would do at least as good as Rosberg.

I think Leclerc will never win a title, so quote me in a few years.

[Red5ive]

I woke up at 5.30am yesterday looking forward to a cracking race in Japan.....