Will Vettel ever be WC in a Ferrari?
Poll: Will Vettel ever be WC in a Ferrari?
Total Members Polled: 203
Discussion
I voted no - IMO Vettel is supremely quick when the car suits his driving style (hence the 4 titles on the trot), when it doesn't he really struggles. Ricciardo made him look like a journeyman last year - if you didn't know he had 4xWDC to his name you'd never have thought it of him. Now I don't doubt that he was working hard to try and adapt to the new cars but in 19 races he never got there, failing to win a race in a car that whilst not the best of the field by any stretch was a 3x winner in the hands of his teammate.
The key thing it will hinge on though is the next big regulation change for 2017 - if that produces a breed of F1 car that Vettel can get on with and Ferrari manage to produce a quick car for those rules then he could do it then - if not he'll be in the last year of his 3 year deal there and I could see him walking away at the end of 2017 and going to someone who has.
The key thing it will hinge on though is the next big regulation change for 2017 - if that produces a breed of F1 car that Vettel can get on with and Ferrari manage to produce a quick car for those rules then he could do it then - if not he'll be in the last year of his 3 year deal there and I could see him walking away at the end of 2017 and going to someone who has.
I voted no. He didn't look like a 4 times WDC last year did he? Ricciardo is not a 'top' driver IMHO (never outshone team mates who have picked up P45s) and he made him look very ordinary last year. I remember all the 'I have a puncture, I have an engine issue' calls on the radio last year and Rocky replying 'no you don't, just drive' every time. I think Kimi will outperform him this year, I can't see him winnng a race, never mind the title.
I've voted Yes but that is because I would like to see it.
He seems to be a nice chap (to me) - he likes driving fast (even when winning and nursing a car home, he still wanted fast lap, that to me is great), he seems to have a good sense of humour.
IF he can pull it off, then he will follow in Schumacher's footsteps.
Don't get me wrong, I always prefer a Brit to win WDC, but still.
He seems to be a nice chap (to me) - he likes driving fast (even when winning and nursing a car home, he still wanted fast lap, that to me is great), he seems to have a good sense of humour.
IF he can pull it off, then he will follow in Schumacher's footsteps.
Don't get me wrong, I always prefer a Brit to win WDC, but still.
McClure said:
Vetted excelled when he had the (Newey designed) blown diffuser. When the diffuser wasn't so powerful he and Webber were very closely matched. Unless the blown diffuser is re-introduced, then I don't think he'll have an advantage over any Ferrari team-mate, even if Ferrari produce the best car. So I've voted no.
This.When the car suits him (and in 2010-2013 it really suited him) he is very good.
When it doesn't suit him, he struggles.
This is no different to the majority of the grid.
Is Vettel better than Webber? On results you could say yes, but you could also argue that the design of the car and, as such, the way to drive it to get the best performance suited Vettel more than Webber.
Same goes for Vettel vs Ricciardo in 2014. Vettel didn't forget how to drive an F1 car fast; the car just didn't suit him as much as the previous one.
I'm not sure about his Ferrari career - it does depend so much on the car.
I can't see him having that combination of car design and driving style which will allow him to dominate again but if Ferrari produce a good enough car that's faster than the others, he has the ability to win with it.
Muzzer79 said:
Is Vettel better than Webber? On results you could say yes, but you could also argue that the design of the car and, as such, the way to drive it to get the best performance suited Vettel more than Webber.
You could try to make the argument, but Vettel trounced Webber in the same car, and did so for season after season. Maybe Webber was at the end of his career and Vettel was in his prime, but during their time as team mates Vettel was significantly faster. 
He wont, simply because mercedes is too far ahead within the current regulations, for this to change a major regulation change is needed.
Then its the lottery of who does the bets job of meeting the regs...in the 2 major changes there have been recently Brawn(Honda) did the best job followed by Red Bull who quickly surpassed them with development and with the second change Mercedes (Brawn) took the initiative back.
Dont see Ferrari making that step
Then its the lottery of who does the bets job of meeting the regs...in the 2 major changes there have been recently Brawn(Honda) did the best job followed by Red Bull who quickly surpassed them with development and with the second change Mercedes (Brawn) took the initiative back.
Dont see Ferrari making that step
RYH64E said:
Muzzer79 said:
Is Vettel better than Webber? On results you could say yes, but you could also argue that the design of the car and, as such, the way to drive it to get the best performance suited Vettel more than Webber.
You could try to make the argument, but Vettel trounced Webber in the same car, and did so for season after season. Maybe Webber was at the end of his career and Vettel was in his prime, but during their time as team mates Vettel was significantly faster. If you put Vettel and Webber in the '14 Red Bull, would Vettel outshine him as he did in '13 and '12?
It's a shame we'll never know as I think Webber would have done what Ricciardo did in 2014, simply due to the blown diffuser suiting Vettel's style so comprehensively.
The truly fast drivers - Alonso and Hamilton are the only two I can think of on the present grid - are fast in pretty much anything. Only another season or two will give us an indication if Vettel is in that category.
2014 did not help his cause in this regard - can you imagine Alonso being outclassed by Ricciardo like Vettel was??
Muzzer79 said:
But does being faster in a certain design of car make you better?
If you put Vettel and Webber in the '14 Red Bull, would Vettel outshine him as he did in '13 and '12?
It's a shame we'll never know as I think Webber would have done what Ricciardo did in 2014, simply due to the blown diffuser suiting Vettel's style so comprehensively.
The truly fast drivers - Alonso and Hamilton are the only two I can think of on the present grid - are fast in pretty much anything. Only another season or two will give us an indication if Vettel is in that category.
2014 did not help his cause in this regard - can you imagine Alonso being outclassed by Ricciardo like Vettel was??
4 WDCs in the same car as your team mate is a damning statistic.If you put Vettel and Webber in the '14 Red Bull, would Vettel outshine him as he did in '13 and '12?
It's a shame we'll never know as I think Webber would have done what Ricciardo did in 2014, simply due to the blown diffuser suiting Vettel's style so comprehensively.
The truly fast drivers - Alonso and Hamilton are the only two I can think of on the present grid - are fast in pretty much anything. Only another season or two will give us an indication if Vettel is in that category.
2014 did not help his cause in this regard - can you imagine Alonso being outclassed by Ricciardo like Vettel was??
Even if you go back to 2008 Vettel beat Webber, that's when Vettel was in the Torro Rosso and Webber had the Red Bull (they both beat Coulthard though).
I have voted no, for 3 reasons :
1, The driver
Vettel based his driving style around blown diffusers, When they were taken away, he had to adapt more than other drivers, he struggled to do this, his confidence dropped and he was hammered by his team-mate. Will he be able to change his technique and adapt? After last season, the jury is out.
2, The team.
I have followed F1 since the early 80s. For most of that time Ferrari were under-achieving also-rans at best. The exception, of course, was the Todt / Byrne / Brawn / Schumacher 'Dream Team' era. Since that era ended, Ferrari have gone back to normal , ie also-rans. Not even Alonso could turn them into champions, so what chance does Vettel have?
3, Mercedes
F1 history shows that teams have eras of dominance. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & RBR all dominated F1 for long periods. This is Mercedes' era, and history suggests it is set to continue for several more seasons.
1, The driver
Vettel based his driving style around blown diffusers, When they were taken away, he had to adapt more than other drivers, he struggled to do this, his confidence dropped and he was hammered by his team-mate. Will he be able to change his technique and adapt? After last season, the jury is out.
2, The team.
I have followed F1 since the early 80s. For most of that time Ferrari were under-achieving also-rans at best. The exception, of course, was the Todt / Byrne / Brawn / Schumacher 'Dream Team' era. Since that era ended, Ferrari have gone back to normal , ie also-rans. Not even Alonso could turn them into champions, so what chance does Vettel have?
3, Mercedes
F1 history shows that teams have eras of dominance. McLaren, Williams, Ferrari & RBR all dominated F1 for long periods. This is Mercedes' era, and history suggests it is set to continue for several more seasons.
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