27 replies to this topic

[mp4]

Hello,
I have a question and would appreciate some insightful views from the many who like to express a view about all things F1.

What does everyone think of Pedro de la Rosa?

He hasn't done a whole lot this year and, yet, I think he's a pretty good driver. Is it the car? Is it the driver? Is it his team mate?
I have a sneaking suspicion he could do a whole lot better elsewhere but am not sure why other team bosses haven't made any offers. He seems very committed, doesn't bad mouth others and tries to go about his business in a dignified manner.

Please opine.

Thanks

[baddog]

It begins to appear that he really is just a competent journeyman driver. he seems to be able to get a decent performance out of any car, but when the car is working and the chance comes to really go for it he seems to not be able to raise his game in the way his current teammate has been able to. Of course this is just an impression but it seems to be something of a pattern.

Shaun

[RedFever]

I always thought Irvine is a much better driver people think he is (being Schumi's teammate is NOT easy), but being regulraly outraced by a 36 year old driver with the same car is not doing much to prolong Pedro's career.........

[Flying Panda]

I think that PdlR is underrated, and doesnt getthe credit he deserves.
I'm not sure how to word it, but Perdo has been unfortunate to be partnered with a teammate whos faster than him at every F1 team hes driven for. 1999 is a rather difficult season to comment on, I wouldnt say that Tora was faster than Pedro. Pedro was ahead most of the times that I saw him, and was the only driver to bring Arrows any points in '99.
But a couple of races in 2000, andmost of the 2001 season, he was giving his aparently superior teammates quite a flogging.

I dont see whay everyone wants him kicked out of F1. Therehas been nothign wrong with his performances, the only thing I could imagine it to be is because he is quite simply, the quite one, and some fans probably dont like that.

[TT6]

Originally posted by Flying Panda
I think that PdlR is underrated, and doesnt getthe credit he deserves...

...Perdo has been unfortunate to be partnered with a teammate whos faster than him at every F1 team hes driven for.

...I dont see whay everyone wants him kicked out of F1.

If a racedriver (or journeyman in this case) is always partnered with faster team mates, he will be considered slow (rightly in most cases). Obviously, more faster team mates he has, more distant he's from the top.

Average drivers should be kicked out (and they will be sooner or later), just to find out if the ones after the reject would be faster.

[Ghostrider]

de la Rosa seems to be pretty fast on Saturdays, but often disappears on Sundays. So I would not rate him among the top 10-12 drivers in F1. But he seems to be a nice guy though.

[Garagiste]

I think he seems quiter than he actually is, thanks to having such a gobshite of a teammate.
He's not a bad driver by any means, but to me he seems to epitomise a mid-grid man. Perhaps a spell in a really front line car would prove me wrong, but he needs to be much closer to Swerve to even get such a chance.

[FordFan]

Lately, he hasn't even been particulalry quick on Saturdays. 17th at USA harkens back to the early part of the season. EI had the measure of him most of the weekend.

Much as I hate to say it, if the team want to improve, it should be PDLR on the way out, and not Irvine. A nice guy as others have said, and a competent driver who doesn't mind doing a lot of testing - but Jag need someone who is quicker.

[Clone]

Originally posted by Flying Panda
I think that PdlR is underrated, and doesnt get the credit he deserves.

He probably doesn't even get the attention he deserves, so I'm not surprised that many people here can barely rate him. Last time I looked, he's pretty even in qualifying and race wise, I haven't really been paying attention to what Jaguar is where. It's just in the last few races Irvine has been doing better but before that my impression was that de la Rosa had the edge.

Right now (and next year I'd suggest), Jaguar need experienced heads. Irvine and de la Rosa would be perfect for the job, with maybe Webber as test driver (ooow, that must hurt if your an Aussie).

[SeanValen]

I like Pedro, but definately has become dissappointing, because as a f1 fan your patient, I kept waiting, but he should be faster, I remember his Arrow performances, maybe he is a very needy driver with the car, needing it in a different way to Irvine, but needs to impress somehow if he wants to stay in f1, maybe a bit too calm, kinda feels like he's lucky to be in f1, but he knows his position, I won't be a world champion, but I enjoy driving. Jaguar's been pretty dismal up until recently, good Suzuka race can still make a impression, just say Pedo, the car has been good since Monza, didn't work out for me in Monza and Spa, but here I am in Suzuka, but Irvine is good at Suzuka, and Jaguar should go well there, don't think Pedro can hide anymore, just been very invisable on track all year, needs to get our attention, Suzuka might be his last chance, fight for your career Pedro, be counted.

[WebberF1]

I have to agree with Ghostrider. Pedro is a good qualifyer but poor in the races. Just download the timing stats from Tag Heuer F1 site to verify.

I like Pedro but I feel it would be in Jag's interests to drop him for next year. Let's see if Lauda is willing to drop a close friend for the greater good of the team.

Personally I would like to see Irvine/Webber or Webber/Pizzonia combo for next season.

[Ross Stonefeld]

How was he at Arrows? I remember him scoring a point on his debut. PSR/StewartGP/Jaguar has historically been a one car team.

[Pikachu Racing]

I say PdlR was good in the Arrows. He pretty much carried the team in 1999 when it was on the major downside. In 2000, he was quick with the car with a lighter fuel load. Problem was scoring points. Jos Verstrappen outscored him at the end of the season.

[role]

Originally posted by WebberF1
I have to agree with Ghostrider. Pedro is a good qualifyer but poor in the races. Just download the timing stats from Tag Heuer F1 site to verify.

I like Pedro but I feel it would be in Jag's interests to drop him for next year. Let's see if Lauda is willing to drop a close friend for the greater good of the team.

Personally I would like to see Irvine/Webber or Webber/Pizzonia combo for next season.

Which races are you looking at? In the last races he has had the bad luck to be stuck behind slowler cars on difficult to overtake traks (i.e. Hungary).

I remember doing a comparison lap by lap between Irvine and DLR on the first 5 races and Pedro was always faster on lap by lap.

My opinion is that Pedro is having bad luck just when the car is starting to go well so he is loosing all the attention. Also Irvine has had a tremendous amount of luck, and good driving skills, on those ocasions where he scored.

[MuMu]

Not really all that good. Can't even consistently beat Eddie Irvine.

[AT-LAW]

I can´t be completely objective on this matter, but I would like to point out a few things about PDLR:

1. Kindly note that he is from Spain: a country with few F1 tradition, no current sponsors and no big commercial interest for any car maker. Thus, he does not have a crowd of fans saying he is the best; he does not have a bunch of newspapers, sites or TV programs saying he is the real deal; and the sponsors are not going to kill to get him on their side. Have a look at the Button hype and you will get the opposite example to what I am trying to explain.

2. His pre-F1 achievements are not a joke, but he has never been in the right place at the right time. Joining Jaguar in 2001 after his shock dismissal from Arrows appeared as the golden chance he was looking for, but the dream quickly vanished in the air. Have a look at the unexpected Sauber that Kimi received in 2001 and you will get the opposite example to what I am trying to say.

He has had a very poor campaign this year. A difficult year for Jaguar, in fact. But I tend to think that PDLR is a competent driver, a good developer and an excellent team contender. He really deserves a chance in the promising R4.

And for those who always forget the facts, let us say that PDLR outqualified and outraced Tora Takagi, outqualified and outshined Jos, and almost outqualified Eddie (7-6) last year after his dramatic jump into the car by mid season. Not bad for a guy who was labelled in 1999 as a pay driver because he used to have the smallest personal sponsor of the paddock (Repsol, 2.0 USD in 1999).

[Eau Red]

Originally posted by SeanValen
I like Pedro, but definately has become dissappointing, because as a f1 fan your patient, I kept waiting, but he should be faster, I remember his Arrow performances, maybe he is a very needy driver with the car, needing it in a different way to Irvine, but needs to impress somehow if he wants to stay in f1, maybe a bit too calm, kinda feels like he's lucky to be in f1, but he knows his position, I won't be a world champion, but I enjoy driving. Jaguar's been pretty dismal up until recently, good Suzuka race can still make a impression, just say Pedo, the car has been good since Monza, didn't work out for me in Monza and Spa, but here I am in Suzuka, but Irvine is good at Suzuka, and Jaguar should go well there, don't think Pedro can hide anymore, just been very invisable on track all year, needs to get our attention, Suzuka might be his last chance, fight for your career Pedro, be counted.

my god, man, was that only two sentences?

[flyer72]

IMO Irvine is a better driver - PDLR isn't really all that good, a better car would help but I'm not so sure what his problems are - he simply can't deliver.

I think that PDLR isn't worthy of a drive at Jaguar - the whole season is almost gone and Irv the Swerve is the only driver to score any points at Jaguar.

[Chrissy Boy]

IMO I think PDLR don't get the cred he is worth, if you look at the stats there is now differnce between EI in qual, think EI have out qualed PDLR 1 or 2 times more than the other way around, but then again PDLR don't have as many races for Jag as EI.

PDLR have had a bad season this year, he was mutch faster in 00 and 01. But I think he still is a good driver and worthy of a drive for Jag. He as many others have sufferd from a lot of DNF's, so it's quite hard to show how good you realy are.

[Cojayar]

Tank you At-Low for your point of view. I totally agree with you.

I also consider that PDLR is underrated. He has been able to match Irvine's performance until the last three races (where he has an incident with Massa and two mechanical failures). Certainly he had bad luck just when the car was able to put him in the points.

Regarding the opinion that PDLR is not able to develop the car. Well, Irvine demonstrated what he was capable of when he was at Ferrari. Irvine also wanted to stick with the R2. With these two precedents it's difficult to believe EI's words about who developed the car. So if EI is not able to, and the car has evolved, why could not be because of PDLR ability?

People in F-1 just tend to remember the last races and so changes his mind. In that case the trend is to say something bad about PDLR and unfortunately he doesn't have the newspapers and websites who back him (like do with others).

And those who say that prefer Pizzonia or Webber instead of De la Rosa, well, how impressive was MW the last part of the season? How impressive was Pizzonia's championship compared with other drivers? The answer is clear: "not so much". So I don't see where are they better than PDLR.

[Captain Cranckcase]

Originally posted by AT-LAW
I can´t be completely objective on this matter, but I would like to point out a few things about PDLR:

1. Kindly note that he is from Spain: a country with few F1 tradition, no current sponsors and no big commercial interest for any car maker. Thus, he does not have a crowd of fans saying he is the best; he does not have a bunch of newspapers, sites or TV programs saying he is the real deal; and the sponsors are not going to kill to get him on their side. Have a look at the Button hype and you will get the opposite example to what I am trying to explain.

2. His pre-F1 achievements are not a joke, but he has never been in the right place at the right time. Joining Jaguar in 2001 after his shock dismissal from Arrows appeared as the golden chance he was looking for, but the dream quickly vanished in the air. Have a look at the unexpected Sauber that Kimi received in 2001 and you will get the opposite example to what I am trying to say.

He has had a very poor campaign this year. A difficult year for Jaguar, in fact. But I tend to think that PDLR is a competent driver, a good developer and an excellent team contender. He really deserves a chance in the promising R4.

And for those who always forget the facts, let us say that PDLR outqualified and outraced Tora Takagi, outqualified and outshined Jos, and almost outqualified Eddie (7-6) last year after his dramatic jump into the car by mid season. Not bad for a guy who was labelled in 1999 as a pay driver because he used to have the smallest personal sponsor of the paddock (Repsol, 2.0 USD in 1999).

Nah he never outqualified tora it was 8-8 as far as I recall. As for Jos I can't remember but Jos was better in the races for sure.

[Zawed]

Pedro is a competent, journeyman driver who would make an excellent number 2 ala Rubens. I still regard Irvine as the better driver overall. Pedro did a good job with Arrows, generally being quicker than Jos in qualifying and occassionally in the races. He did'nt deserve to get dropped from Arrows. He had been promising with the Jaguar, but lately his performances have'nt been what they could have been, bad luck or otherwise.

[silver]

I sort of agree with AT-LAW but not totally.

On some cases it has helped drivers to be from certain countries (Panis to Toyota, probably some brasilian to Toyota etc) but that is not always the case.

And although luck has some role in driver markets it is still in the end in the hands of the driver himself.

Since AT-LAW brought Raikkonen up one must remember that Raikkonen is by no means PR peoples' dream driver. He comes from Finland (some 5 milloin inhabitants) and is very silent or just doesnt give monkeys about F1 press.

First Sauber and then McLaren took him purely because of his driving skills.

[petri]

Who is Pedro de la Rosa?

[r2d2r3d3]

Pedro is not as good as past seasons . 2002 will be his poor year since karting times. Why? I think there are two main reasons:
1. Irvine scored 3 points in Australia (Pedro was on the way to score 2, but had a mechanical failure, typical Pedro's bad luck). It means that Pedro has been under presure since the begining.
2. Pedro got married last December, many Pedro's fans believe that he has become a more slow and poor (conservative) driver since that, because:
- During the current season, Pedro has lost positions in starts & first laps at EVERY race.
- This year, Pedro has NEVER make a decent overtake (and he has been blocked by drivers with slow cars during many GPs)
- And, as usual, Pedro has a TERRIBLE BAD LUCK. (Well, this is not a new fact)

This is a opinion made by a spanish PDLR fan (sorry for the bad english ). I still hope that Pedro returns to be the aggressive driver he was in the past. At least, he is still (and will be forever) one of the most nice persons in the paddock (You will never hear him to blame a team-mate or to create stupid battles with other drivers as E.Irvine is accustomed to do).

[UPRC]

I've always thought highly of de la Rosa, even when he wasn't getting anywhere with Arrows.
If Jaguar can keep improving, I bet he'll pump out some good performances.

[AT-LAW]

Originally posted by silver
Since AT-LAW brought Raikkonen up one must remember that Raikkonen is by no means PR peoples' dream driver. He comes from Finland (some 5 milloin inhabitants) and is very silent or just doesnt give monkeys about F1 press.

First Sauber and then McLaren took him purely because of his driving skills.

I agree with that, but I was mentioning Raikonnen as an example of a lucky guy, not as a PR people´s dream driver. Peter Sauber did not had an easy task in 2000 to get a competent drivers. At the end of 1999 Diniz was dismissed, Salo rejected the chance of staying with the team, and even Joss denied the posibility of joining Sauber, which was considered a worst option than Arrows or Prost.

After showing nothing in 1999, Heidfeld was signed, Kimi appeared from nowhere to get the second seat, and we all now what happened before: against all odds, the car was great, and both Nick and Kimi shined a lot during that season.

Kimi is a great driver, but he was blessed with the right car at the right moment. Pedro (as many others in the grid) was never so lucky. That was my point.

[theMot]

Most the latino's i know a rowdy party animals.

Whats the go Pedro!