F1 2014- The highest standard of driver ever?

[The Vambo]

While watching today's race where several times there were two and three car battle, inches from each other, going into corners where all cars would come out unscathed made me wonder.

Even though I think Schumacher was a better driver than any on the current grid, with 4 former world champions currently racing, is the overall F1 driver standard higher than ever?

I think so.

[Walford]

drivers were always there,, cars have changed

[anonymous-user]

The Vambo said:

While watching today's race where several times there were two and three car battle, inches from each other, going into corners where all cars would come out unscathed made me wonder.

Even though I think Schumacher was a better driver than any on the current grid, with 4 former world champions currently racing, is the overall F1 driver standard higher than ever?

I think so.

I wouldn't think so, notwithstanding that you can't really compare different eras.

I would say there are maybe 5 or 6 really good F1 drivers on the grid at the moment, 5 or 6 good and the rest are also rans who are there for reasons other than ability.

[CharlesAL]

Not been a fan for many years but it is pretty high. The world champions in Ferrari, then Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg and Button, plus up and coming drivers like Bottas, Ricciardo, Magnussen, Hülkenberg, Perez, Grosjean and Kvyat.

Then there are a few drivers bringing the overall standard down a bit.

[entropy]

I think Tilke should get a bit of credit for a change. He is often castigated for hacking old favorites to death but Hockenheim 2.0 has put on some good races over the years and its one of the few tracks where it often puts on a good show for DTM.

As for the standard of driving its debatable. First corner incident was arguably a racing incident, Kvyat made a rash move and took himsel out; Perez and Maldonado can be lairy and the former was penalised for banging into Massa in Canada.

[Jasandjules]

There are some gifted drivers, there are some muppets.... It has always been thus...

[Vaud]

I think the last 4/5 years have seen some very high driving standards overall, yes. Today was a good example. Great to see how close and how much respect there was in very close racing.

[Fire99]

I think there are some very good current drivers.. Hamilton, Alonso, Ricciardo, Raikkonen (when he's in the mood)

However, there is no way to compare current with past drivers. This 2014 is light years different from the 1980's turbo cars, which were light years different from 1960's cars.. (perhaps a bigger fundamental difference 2014 to 1980's than earlier)

Fitness is in a different league from past eras but I wouldn't dream of dismissing the abilities of the likes of Graham Hill, Villneuve, Moss, Fangio, Senna etc etc where the skill and bravery required by those guys was huge and the cars / tracks were far less forgiving.

I can't say that Hamilton / Alonso etc are any worse, but IMO they aren't challenged to the same degree for us to find out.

[supertouring]

Funny incident today was the Button & Hamilton coming together.

In the post race interview, Button said "I am not going to just let him past". However, he did go very wide and turn in very late.

He is not friends with Rosberg is he?

[coppice]

[quote=entropy]I think Tilke should get a bit of credit for a change. He is often castigated for hacking old favorites to death but Hockenheim 2.0 has put on some good races over the years and its one of the few tracks where it often puts on a good show for DTM.

/quote]

Eh ? Hockenheim is now a pale imitation of what it once was- I loved those flat out blinds through the forests folllowed by who blinks first late braking ; now it could be anywhere it's so bland .

[Forbes82]

There is very good quality at the front of the grid, but not so much towards the back in my opinion. I think taking the complete field into consideration there has been a higher standard in the past. Through the cash-rich 90's there were some examples of excellent drivers even in the lower teams, these days a big funding package counts for more than talent at the back of the grid.

[BarbaricAvatar]

Nope.
I'm tempted to name names, but i won't. There are a handful of drivers out there who don't deserve to be in F1. For quality throughout the field i'd say the peak was from 2007 to 2009 where every driver deserved to be there.

[MGJohn]

coppice said:

Eh ? Hockenheim is now a pale imitation of what it once was- I loved those flat out blinds through the forests followed by who blinks first late braking ; now it could be anywhere it's so bland .

This is quite true if pure speed is king, which for me it is. Even the smaller capacity GP bikes in the 1960s were posting silly fast times back then. Fabulous stuff.

With the exception of the Isle-of-Man TT Mountain Circuit, most if not all circuits have been hugely sanitised compared to the way they all once were. There are of course good and valid reasons for this, but, somehow it will never be the same for me.

[MGJohn]

supertouring said:

Funny incident today was the Button & Hamilton coming together.

In the post race interview, Button said "I am not going to just let him past". However, he did go very wide and turn in very late.

He is not friends with Rosberg is he?

Friends... silly question. ... He's one of the more likable drivers and I believe Button has many friends on the grid.

Button's "mistake" with the incident with Hamilton was in assuming Hamilton would do the right thing and use the obvious superior speed of the Mercedes on the safer straights for the pass which most other drivers did without incident. Which is what actually happened soon after their 'incident' resulting in a faultless pass by Hamilton..

Who's to blame ? .... God knows but, a few millimetres one way or the other, the move could have resulted in a DNF for one or both drivers. Both were lucky that did not happen.

[Matt..]

One point would probably be that the cars now appear to be far stronger and able to take more abuse than in the past.

[Trophybloo]

Matt.. said:

One point would probably be that the cars now appear to be far stronger and able to take more abuse than in the past.

Exactly so, there are drivers from the 60s who were extremely quick but perpetually let down by the machinery. A quick look at the British GP grid for 1967 shows 7 previous or yet to be world champions (Clark, Hulme, Brabham, Stewart, Hill, Surtees, Rindt) 5 other drivers who were GP winners (Gurney, Bonnier, Siffert, Rodriguez and McLaren) and 4 who should've, could've in the current era; Amon, Spence, Irwin and Courage. That seems like a higher quality field to me than the current crop

[oyster]

Trophybloo said:

Matt.. said:

One point would probably be that the cars now appear to be far stronger and able to take more abuse than in the past.

Exactly so, there are drivers from the 60s who were extremely quick but perpetually let down by the machinery. A quick look at the British GP grid for 1967 shows 7 previous or yet to be world champions (Clark, Hulme, Brabham, Stewart, Hill, Surtees, Rindt) 5 other drivers who were GP winners (Gurney, Bonnier, Siffert, Rodriguez and McLaren) and 4 who should've, could've in the current era; Amon, Spence, Irwin and Courage. That seems like a higher quality field to me than the current crop

In 2014 there's 5 world champions (Alonso, Raikonnen, Hamilton, Button, Vettel).
At least a further 4 potential world champions (Ricciardo, Bottas, Grosjean, Hulkenberg).
2 race winners (Massa, Maldonado).
2 who are well-rated as potential race winners (Perez, Bianchi).
2 promising rookies (Kvyat, Magnussen).
4 journeymen pedalers (Sutil, Vergne, Kobayashi)
3 paid-for-their-seaters (Gutierrez, Chilton, Ericsson).

In fact it's probably a testament to modern safety that we have so many former world champions still around to compete. I really can't see why anyone harks back to the dark days of the 60s/70's where, on average, we would have lost a couple of those world champions.

[Vaud]

Trophybloo said:

Matt.. said:

One point would probably be that the cars now appear to be far stronger and able to take more abuse than in the past.

Exactly so, there are drivers from the 60s who were extremely quick but perpetually let down by the machinery. A quick look at the British GP grid for 1967 shows 7 previous or yet to be world champions (Clark, Hulme, Brabham, Stewart, Hill, Surtees, Rindt) 5 other drivers who were GP winners (Gurney, Bonnier, Siffert, Rodriguez and McLaren) and 4 who should've, could've in the current era; Amon, Spence, Irwin and Courage. That seems like a higher quality field to me than the current crop

I think it is a testament to the skill of F1 engineers that with a complete rule change, fundamentally different engines and all the new systems that we have seen such reliability this year. I was expecting a huge attrition in the first half of the season.

[BarbaricAvatar]

oyster said:

In 2014 there's 5 world champions (Alonso, Raikonnen, Hamilton, Button, Vettel).
At least a further 4 potential world champions (Ricciardo, Bottas, Grosjean, Hulkenberg).
2 race winners (Massa, Maldonado).
2 who are well-rated as potential race winners (Perez, Bianchi).
2 promising rookies (Kvyat, Magnussen).
4 journeymen pedalers (Sutil, Vergne, Kobayashi)
3 paid-for-their-seaters (Gutierrez, Chilton, Ericsson).

Impossible to quantify who's going to be a future WDC. The same was said of Brundle, Heidfeld, Jan Magnussen, Jean Alesi, Tonio Liuzzi and countless others. If they get the car, then they'll be champions - which means anyone can be.
Mark Webber was in contention for a Championship, and if he'd won it it would have been his first Championship on ANY level. He didn't blaze his way to F1 on a wave of success, but when he got the car then he was a contender.

Maldonado yes has won a race, but hasn't looked anything like threatening to do so again since. I don't know what he was drinking that day but it was a flash in the pan and not par-for-the-course of his career.
If i were a deep-rooted cynic i'd say that he happened to benefit from a "Bernie-Special" to raise awareness for F1 in Venezuela.

Massa is under-valued in your appraisal. He's a Championship runner-up, which means that he's got the ability to perform for a whole season.
You also seem to have forgotten that Ricciardo is a race winner.

Yes, half the 2014 field is very strong. But the other half is much the same as any other year. There are potential stars, over the hill campaigners and monied no-hoper's.