Is Vettel overrated?

Is Vettel overrated?

Poll: Is Vettel overrated?

Total Members Polled: 458

Yes: 41%
No: 23%
Apparently!: 7%
Too early to tell: 18%
STFU "hater"!: 4%
Ricciardo is really just that good: 7%
Author
Discussion

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,057 posts

199 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
So, 3 races in, beaten by his "lesser" new team mate 2-1 in racing and quali, in SV's team.

I mean really, if DR starts beating SV you'd expect it to be mid-season onwards not straight away. It's also interesting how the radio excuses have started to fly with SV already - like DRS not working, when it clearly was... or maybe truly an intermittent fault but it didn't help DR when it came to the racing. Excuses are usually a good indicator of sore losership.

I haven't really rated Ricciardo as anyone particularly special in previous years in F1 or earlier formulae - not in that LH, FA, SV, KR league. Should I now be or should that league simply not include SV?

Discuss.

edit: btw, I am not a hater. I think SV is the soundest bloke on the grid with a great sense of humour. As a principled patriotic Brit, I've always maintained that he's such a difficult guy to not like.

Edited by mattikake on Sunday 6th April 19:00

The Vambo

6,643 posts

141 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Yep, but he is still one of the top 3 drivers on the grid, just not the all time great that he was being touted as.


Doink

1,652 posts

147 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
If i remember rightly he peddled a torro rosso pretty well so the guy clearly has something about him but the 4 years in a ballistic RBR made him look better than he was IMO, one things certain; when things aren't going his way he complains and whines like a spoilt kid thats just had all his toys confiscated

bagman13

66 posts

139 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
I always got the impression that Vettel likes a certain type of car. In the past few seasons whenever there has been a rule change on the aero at the back of the car, he always seemed to struggle, and Webber would have the upper hand.

But when the aero was sorted, he was clearly faster than Webber. He was able to drive pretty much perfectly through the race weekend.

It would seem Newey was very good at getting the car just how Vettel wanted it to be at.

Just my thoughts.

vonuber

17,868 posts

165 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Seriously?

The Vambo

6,643 posts

141 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
vonuber said:
Seriously?
Seriously overrated is not one of the options.

pick again.

Edited by The Vambo on Sunday 6th April 19:02

Crafty_

13,277 posts

200 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
He's Button. Awesome when the car is right where he wants it but average when its not. Maybe not so "needy" as Button, but nevertheless I reckon he has a similar trait.

As I said on the Bahrain thread I wonder if he's starting to understand where Mark was the last few years, young smiling guy appears in the team and totally upstages you. Interesting times.

CocoUK

952 posts

182 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Just so that i'm clear - are we talking about the four-times World Champion Sebastian Vettel?

This season:
Race #1 - engine retirement
Race #2 - 3rd place finish
Race #3 - 6th place despite an engine issue (lack of power?)


Of course it depends on your perception of his 'rating' but for me I voted STFU - but only because there wasn't an option of 'NO, HE'S A FKIN AWESOME DRIVER, EASILY THE TOP 3, MAYBE THE BEST, OF THE LAST DECADE'.

Crafty_

13,277 posts

200 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
No engine power issue reported during Bahrain race.

Best driver of the decade that went out in Q2 yesterday ? hmmmm.

anonymous-user

54 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
O this again. Best race in a long time but still lets pick faults biggrin

Likes Fast Cars

2,770 posts

165 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Or should this post be "Is DR under-rated?".

I have to say Vettel isn't looking so good this year with the new rules, but neither are Kimi and his arrogant team-mate.

Have been pleasantly surprised by DR so far and his resillience, plus his ability to keep smiling in the face of the issues he's had while his team-mate trots out the excuses.

CocoUK

952 posts

182 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Crafty_ said:
No engine power issue reported during Bahrain race.

Best driver of the decade that went out in Q2 yesterday ? hmmmm.
I'm sure they played a radio-message where he complained of a lack of power - possibly shortly after the safety car period?

As for Q2 - his car was suffering from a down-shift issue which was upsetting the balance.


I'm not a fan of his, as per my comments in the recent thread about his 'sportsman' award and as I mentioned above - to judge him 'overrated' depends upon how you rate him yourself - but at the end of the day he is a *4 World Champion and has suffered car issues beyond his control this season.

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

174 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
DR is certainly more capable of giving him a run for his money than Webber ever was, however I don't think anyone who has won 4 championships can ever be considered 'over rated'.

Maybe the people saying Vettel is too car sensitive (similar to Button or Raikkonen) are correct? But I think too many people are willing to make judgement and gloat after only 3 races; it is too early to tell and the amount of hate for Vettel is a tad pathetic really.

Hamilton/Rosberg have 2x the car advantage Vettel ever did so it will be interesting to see how long it is before people get fed up of Merc dominating........ I suspect they wont while it is a Brit doing the winning !

The fact is it takes a great car to win a championship. I can't remember the last time someone won a WDC/WCC with the second best car? Maybe 07 when Mclaren imploded?



Edited by VolvoT5 on Sunday 6th April 19:49

mattikake

Original Poster:

5,057 posts

199 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
CocoUK said:
Crafty_ said:
No engine power issue reported during Bahrain race.

Best driver of the decade that went out in Q2 yesterday ? hmmmm.
I'm sure they played a radio-message where he complained of a lack of power - possibly shortly after the safety car period?

As for Q2 - his car was suffering from a down-shift issue which was upsetting the balance.
No power issues were reported by RBR. Could that have been the same DRS issue, which was either a very short-lived issue or didn't exist at all - you saw his DRS working as the commentators were talking about that claim.

And on analysing the quali the pundits commented that you could usually see a down-shift problem but they couldn't see anything visual.

To me they both have too much an aura of whinging than actual problems big enough to cause a big problem to pace, but who knows for sure?

CocoUK

952 posts

182 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
mattikake said:
CocoUK said:
Crafty_ said:
No engine power issue reported during Bahrain race.

Best driver of the decade that went out in Q2 yesterday ? hmmmm.
I'm sure they played a radio-message where he complained of a lack of power - possibly shortly after the safety car period?

As for Q2 - his car was suffering from a down-shift issue which was upsetting the balance.
No power issues were reported by RBR. Could that have been the same DRS issue, which was either a very short-lived issue or didn't exist at all - you saw his DRS working as the commentators were talking about that claim.

And on analysing the quali the pundits commented that you could usually see a down-shift problem but they couldn't see anything visual.

To me they both have too much an aura of whinging than actual problems big enough to cause a big problem to pace, but who knows for sure?
I've just had a quick hunt, his radio comments:

"My DRS is not working anymore."
and
"I'm really really slow in the straights. losing out a lot."

Your quite right - it can easily be filed under 'whinging', only data that we cannot see would tell the truth.

The same applies regarding his qualification 'issue', without data we, including the pundits, have no absolute certainty if it was causing an issue as he describes.

Doink

1,652 posts

147 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
VolvoT5 said:
DR is certainly more capable of giving him a run for his money than Webber ever was, however I don't think anyone who has won 4 championships can ever be considered 'over rated'.
You forget during those 4 years he had the best car on the grid which made his job considerably easier, now if he'd of won those 4 WDC in a Sauber then you'd have a point

CocoUK

952 posts

182 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Doink said:
You forget during those 4 years he had the best car on the grid which made his job considerably easier, now if he'd of won those 4 WDC in a Sauber then you'd have a point
That old chestnut hey!
YOU forget during those 4 years he did NOT always have the best car on the grid etc etc

VolvoT5

4,155 posts

174 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Doink said:
You forget during those 4 years he had the best car on the grid which made his job considerably easier, now if he'd of won those 4 WDC in a Sauber then you'd have a point
I didn't forget anything.

When was the last time someone won a WDC without the best car on the grid? Your statement is ridiculous because nobody in recent memory has won anything, let alone 4 WDC, in a crap car like the Sauber.

Schumacher had a dominant car for much of his career, the Mclaren was awesome when Hakkinen was winning, In 09 Button had the diffuser thingy. I can only think of 07' where Mclaren perhaps had the best car but blew it as usual due to the infighting with Alonso/Hamilton.

And the advantage those cars had over the field was tiny compared to what Mercedes have now.


CocoUK

952 posts

182 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
Well said!

He didn't even blow everybody away in each of his championships.
I mean, two of those went to the last laps of the championship and we had no idea who would come out on top.

deadslow

7,987 posts

223 months

Sunday 6th April 2014
quotequote all
VolvoT5 said:
When was the last time someone won a WDC without the best car on the grid? .
Fred Alonso/Renault