Quote:
Originally Posted by reni
LOL
I'd put the current top drivers as: Alonso, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Verstappen
Vettel is probably somewhere towards the top of the second tier. His win at STR was about the same as Maldonado's and Kubica's - mainly due to luck, but did well to capitalize on the opportunity.
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Yes if Vettel only had the STR win to back him up and never consistently outshone a teammate, i would agree, midfield driver. Nobody gets handed 4 championships, one sure, two, it happens, not 4 and then runner up twice. Out of 10 full time seasons he's been top three in points 7/10 years including this season so far. That's better than Hamilton let alone any "mid field driver" who's been in a Ferrari, Red Bull, or Merc even for a few years when they were strong, Webber, Massa, Raikkonen, WDC challengers who put in midfield performances in top tier equipment.
Shit I don't even particularly like much about Vettel, but Verstappen and Ricciardo have their work cut out for them if you think they'll be considered better drivers when the ink dries on the history books. It's been 15 years, do you remember who people thought were out driving Schumacher and he was just wining because the car was good? I don't.
If top equipment in the hands of a "midfield driver" can produce results like that don't you think Webber would have finished 2nd in the wdc at least once? Or was red bull so starved for talent they let a back marker driver sit in that seat instead of even hiring another midfielder to go take a resounding 1-2 sweep? Ricciardo wasn't ready in 2013 after trouncing Verne in 2012 qualifying and edging him out in race performance?
I won't sit here and argue Vettel is better than Hamilton or Alonso (because I don't think he is) but he is indisputably proven to be one of the top drivers of the past decade imo.
Interesting note, Ricciardo has never won a race after starting third or higher on the grid. All his wins happen when he starts fourth or further back.
If I had to pick drivers that are currently in top form I'd pick Bottas and Ricciardo, we'll see how the season shakes out, if Bottas didn't have an engine failure he'd have the most podiums this year ahead of Vettel and Hamilton. If Verstappen can convert the flashes of brilliance into results he'll climb the ranks quickly, but unfortunately results don't accommodate bad luck, he's gambled and pushed too hard and paid the price.