Daniel Riccardo: Driver of his generation?
Discussion
entropy said:
The same was said of Vettel about what nice guy he was, how polite he was with the media.
I've always had an inkling it was too good to be true and it came out in Malaysia last year (not that I have anything against it)
Wait till Dan has to fight for WDC and how much of a nice guy he really is. Perhaps there might come a time of being sick of seee Dan's pearly whites.
The above sums up my thoughts nicely. DR is clearly a talented guy as is Bottas. I've always had an inkling it was too good to be true and it came out in Malaysia last year (not that I have anything against it)
Wait till Dan has to fight for WDC and how much of a nice guy he really is. Perhaps there might come a time of being sick of seee Dan's pearly whites.
hairyben said:
The Vambo said:
As per title? No, far too early. See S Vettel.
Clearly a very good driver and a top prospect though.
Vettel, for all his silverware, has never shown the range of skill or tools in the toolbox that ricciardo has already demonstrated though. Clearly a very good driver and a top prospect though.
Really ? 
Is this the 1st race you have ever watched ?
hornet said:
Not to mention winning at Monza in the Torro Rosso. I can understand why people dislike Vettel, but you don't win four world titles by accident, regardless of how good the car is. If it was all about car advantage, Webber ought to have a title or two.
Wasnt that when the TR was the same car as the RB just with a Ferrari engine? Pretty sure TR beat RB in that season in the WCC too. Not taking anything away from his achievements but that win is nothing like the achievement people make it out to be, winning in the current TR, now that would be impressive. entropy said:
Wait till Dan has to fight for WDC and how much of a nice guy he really is. Perhaps there might come a time of being sick of seee Dan's pearly whites.
This is the important point for this thread IMO. I agree that he has been very impressive this season, but keeping your cool when you are fighting to keep the lead of the championship. That's the biggest test of a driver.He has impressed me this year kept out of trouble and pushed when needed too gets the passes down straight away instead of waiting (very similar to the way vettel does).
Not sure if its to do with problem with Mercedes this race or the fact Ferrari and red bull are catching up to Mercedes or its down to the track but if this continues with the 2 merc drivers seeming to have either reliability problems or battling with each other. will we see Riccardo do something similar to vettel in 2010 come from behind to win the title in the last race specially with double points for the last race. He is only 70 points behind not a great deal the merc drivers and team have to make sure they don't throw it away for either driver.
Not sure if its to do with problem with Mercedes this race or the fact Ferrari and red bull are catching up to Mercedes or its down to the track but if this continues with the 2 merc drivers seeming to have either reliability problems or battling with each other. will we see Riccardo do something similar to vettel in 2010 come from behind to win the title in the last race specially with double points for the last race. He is only 70 points behind not a great deal the merc drivers and team have to make sure they don't throw it away for either driver.
hornet said:
Not to mention winning at Monza in the Torro Rosso. I can understand why people dislike Vettel, but you don't win four world titles by accident, regardless of how good the car is. If it was all about car advantage, Webber ought to have a title or two.
There's a strong argument that Seb has yet to replicate a win/drive as good as that.Seb previously never had an equal as team mate.
Webber was a strong #2 and that's it. He had one strong year (2010) and yet RBR thereafter struggled for 1-2s with the best car.
There's no doubt that Ricciardo is a massively talented driver and I'd bet on him winning a WDC one day. He's young, happy, and brimming with confidence. This comes across in every interview and he seems like a truly likable chap.
I'm sure people said the same about Vettel when he won his first few races, then he started waving 'The Finger' around. Winning races became the norm so the toys went out of the pram when things didn't go his way. Vettel tries to control it, he's intelligent and savvy with the media, but his petulance sometimes slips out over the team radio. I hope Daniel has the foresight to remain grounded, despite the success he is very likely to achieve.
Whilst you can't take anything away from Vettel's 4 championships (a dominating combination of car and driver) the point has to be made that Ricciardo is making Seb look totally average. It shouldn't take half a season for an experienced driver like Vettel to get to grips with his new equipment. I know he has been on the back foot since the cock ups in pre season testing, but there is no excuse for his lack of performance relative to is rookie teammate. It must be pretty embarrassing for him.
I'm sure people said the same about Vettel when he won his first few races, then he started waving 'The Finger' around. Winning races became the norm so the toys went out of the pram when things didn't go his way. Vettel tries to control it, he's intelligent and savvy with the media, but his petulance sometimes slips out over the team radio. I hope Daniel has the foresight to remain grounded, despite the success he is very likely to achieve.
Whilst you can't take anything away from Vettel's 4 championships (a dominating combination of car and driver) the point has to be made that Ricciardo is making Seb look totally average. It shouldn't take half a season for an experienced driver like Vettel to get to grips with his new equipment. I know he has been on the back foot since the cock ups in pre season testing, but there is no excuse for his lack of performance relative to is rookie teammate. It must be pretty embarrassing for him.
Edited by Oz83 on Monday 28th July 07:09
I think it is a bit early yet to say the best of the current new lot. I am impressed by Bottas and others.
I think the norm is for new drivers with a bit of ability to impress in their early years when nothing much is expected of them. A good result in one race goes a long way.
There's an old saying:
If each day you do more than is expected of you, pretty soon more will be expected of you.
In other words, once you start thinking of them as a top class driver, say of the top 3, then that is when their mistakes start to become more apparent. If we expected DR to win then we'd be criticising him for not doing so (as is seen on so many threads).
That said, I reckon the bloke shows a great deal of promise, as with a number of the new clutch.
It is also nice to see someone who is really over the moon when he wins.
I think the norm is for new drivers with a bit of ability to impress in their early years when nothing much is expected of them. A good result in one race goes a long way.
There's an old saying:
If each day you do more than is expected of you, pretty soon more will be expected of you.
In other words, once you start thinking of them as a top class driver, say of the top 3, then that is when their mistakes start to become more apparent. If we expected DR to win then we'd be criticising him for not doing so (as is seen on so many threads).
That said, I reckon the bloke shows a great deal of promise, as with a number of the new clutch.
It is also nice to see someone who is really over the moon when he wins.
I think there is a lot to his happy nature, so much of the sport is psychological and he seems to be in a great place all the time which has got to be a huge help. Even when things don't go his way he keeps smiling and has positive things to say. Very difficult to judge through the camera but he seems like a genuinely nice guy, great ambassador for the sport.
It was great to see him do well in Australia too. Seems most have forgotten that (you're only as good as your last result after all...) Shame the team cost him that result.
RBR will get back on top sooner or later, but it may be back to the flat-through -all-fast-bends style that proved so effective in the Vettel era. Maybe that suits Dan too. Who knows? Crystal balls have a very poor record here on ph
RBR will get back on top sooner or later, but it may be back to the flat-through -all-fast-bends style that proved so effective in the Vettel era. Maybe that suits Dan too. Who knows? Crystal balls have a very poor record here on ph
I wish we could say he is the driver of his generation, but that's quite an accolade and it's far too early yet to say.
I'm a fan of his, he's really impressed me this year but I did have doubts whether he could cut it up against the finger.
He's come out fighting and just lets any setbacks wash over (Australia being the biggest).
Seems to have the right attitude and temprament (like Rosberg).
I'm a fan of his, he's really impressed me this year but I did have doubts whether he could cut it up against the finger.
He's come out fighting and just lets any setbacks wash over (Australia being the biggest).
Seems to have the right attitude and temprament (like Rosberg).
rubystone said:
I'm v pleased for him. Some friends of mine know him and tell me what you see on TV is what you get in real life. Good luck to him.
Likewise. I think he is going to be a dominant force in the near future for sure.
He is one person I would not get sick of seeing do well. Comes across as very down to earth on the TV ect.
hornet said:
If it was all about car advantage, Webber ought to have a title or two.
Or at least a second place. Three 3rds and a 6th was the best he could do.Ricciardo has also impressed with his attitude - in and out of the car an absolute pro. But it's too early to say how good he is.
The Vambo said:
hairyben said:
Vettel, for all his silverware, has never shown the range of skill or tools in the toolbox that ricciardo has already demonstrated though.
That is only true if you only just started watching F1 this season. Otherwise it is just revisionist nonsense.He's doing great, and I have to be honest and say I'm enjoying seeing him stick it to Vettel all the time. I was never a big fan of Vettel but you don't get four world championships for nothing, even in a Newey car. Even if he wasn't great when he started winning (he was though, he was getting talked about very much like Dan now), after 4 on the trot he now has more experience at winning championships than anyone else on the grid.
Personally, I think its the cars. Dan was quiet last season with revvy engines and joke tyres. Hamilton too, in the seasons where he couldn't push the tyres without destroying them, he lost his edge. Now, with turbos making the cars twitchy and tyres that can handle some abuse, he looks quick again. Still struggling to dominate his teammate though. Perhaps Dan is the same and the current cars let him work to his strengths more. I suspect Schumy would have had a more impressive comeback if the cars had been to this spec too, dominant Merc notwithstanding, but who knows.
Seb on the other hand dominated when it was all about preserving the tyres and hitting a lap time precisely. Perhaps his strength is a particularly precise or sensitive manner and he needs a car that gives him immediate, detailed and accurate feedback. He's not getting on with the imprecise rear brakes, perhaps he's having similar trouble reading the assumedly softer, non linear turbo response, and so he's juat struggling to find that limit all the time. Different rules suit different drivers.
The only one qho goes through all the rule changes and just always seems to be keep his performance there or thereabouts is Alonso. He seems to be at about the same level no matter what car he's put in.
Personally, I think its the cars. Dan was quiet last season with revvy engines and joke tyres. Hamilton too, in the seasons where he couldn't push the tyres without destroying them, he lost his edge. Now, with turbos making the cars twitchy and tyres that can handle some abuse, he looks quick again. Still struggling to dominate his teammate though. Perhaps Dan is the same and the current cars let him work to his strengths more. I suspect Schumy would have had a more impressive comeback if the cars had been to this spec too, dominant Merc notwithstanding, but who knows.
Seb on the other hand dominated when it was all about preserving the tyres and hitting a lap time precisely. Perhaps his strength is a particularly precise or sensitive manner and he needs a car that gives him immediate, detailed and accurate feedback. He's not getting on with the imprecise rear brakes, perhaps he's having similar trouble reading the assumedly softer, non linear turbo response, and so he's juat struggling to find that limit all the time. Different rules suit different drivers.
The only one qho goes through all the rule changes and just always seems to be keep his performance there or thereabouts is Alonso. He seems to be at about the same level no matter what car he's put in.
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