Is Jenson Button the best driver in F1?

[Pickled]

I think if if he'd been in some better cars over the years he would have had a couple more WDCs, but that could be said about a lot of drivers.

He's pretty good at this sort of thing though

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/formula-one/watch-...

[btcc123]

Leroy902 said:

I'd put him in the top 5. (in order)
Lewis
Fernando
Seb
Nico or Button in fourth/fifth. I'd be inclined to put Nico above JB, purely down to quali pace, which Nico would win quite comfortably.

Edited by Leroy902 on Monday 30th November 15:05

I think you have that about right but would put JB above Nico.

As the OP said JB has out-scored Fernando Alonso by 45%,the first time that Alonso has been beated by a team mate.Also remember at McLaren JB outscored Lewis during the three seasons they were together.

[Scuffers]

Pickled said:

I think if if he'd been in some better cars over the years he would have had a couple more WDCs, but that could be said about a lot of drivers.

He's pretty good at this sort of thing though

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/formula-one/watch-...

60Cm clearance?

Really?

6Cm, I'd be impressed, 60cm is a barn door.

just to put this in context, what do you think the gaps are like going into turn 1 at an F1 start are? and they are between moving objects....

[Vocal Minority]

But during the first corner of a race the closing speeds between the two objects are slower - they are moving at a relatively similar speed, the principal movement is lateral and mostly predictable.

It isn't a concrete block haring at you at 140 mph

Edited by Vocal Minority on Tuesday 1st December 12:29

[Pickled]

Scuffers said:

60Cm clearance?

Really?

6Cm, I'd be impressed, 60cm is a barn door.

just to put this in context, what do you think the gaps are like going into turn 1 at an F1 start are? and they are between moving objects....

Well considering they can't really see the extremities of the cars i think it pretty impressive.

[Scuffers]

Pickled said:

Well considering they can't really see the extremities of the cars i think it pretty impressive.

One of the primary attributes of open wheelers is you can see the wheels, and they are the widest part of the car.

Part of the.skill of a race driver is being able to accurately place the cars wheels on the right bit of track/kerb.

[Catatafish]

Button extended his career by about 10 years purely on the good fortune of being at brawn in 2009, so I don't think he's the best, but he was certainly lucky then which made up for the rest of his career upto that point.

He's decent, but I'm more of a "it's the car" person... not to say that the driver doesn't have any sway, they can certainly feck it up when the car is of WDC/near WDC quality, but the driver has far less impact on the outcome than the car design and setup, and probaly less impact than the random events that happen during race weekends.

[btcc123]

Scuffers said:

Pickled said:

Well considering they can't really see the extremities of the cars i think it pretty impressive.

One of the primary attributes of open wheelers is you can see the wheels, and they are the widest part of the car.

Part of the.skill of a race driver is being able to accurately place the cars wheels on the right bit of track/kerb.

Thats why Button done it with ease but could have been a different story if Maldonado had tried.

[Scuffers]

btcc123 said:

Thats why Button done it with ease but could have been a different story if Maldonado had tried.

no argument there!

[DKL]

The best, no. He always comes across as not very "racy" when necessary. You can't help feeling that in some 1 on 1 situations others (Lewis maybe) would carve through more brutally and effectively. It can be very frustrating to watch when you want him to do well and no doubt the same actually in the car! Having said that when at one with his car he is supreme and no one an beat him.

I do think that the gaps between the drivers are minimal (they are all pretty good lets face it) and that almost any/all of the grid would win in the Mercedes or the Brawn a few years back.

[redneckLT]

I think he is one of the best drivers, he was not truly beaten by any of his team mates and when he had this one and only chance to win the championship – he did it. Lewis and Alonso – the same, nobody truly beat them. You can say Button beat Alonso this year or Lewis beat Alonso 2007, too many small things that matter. But Lewis beat Nico twice, Kimi was beaten by Alonso and Vettel. Vettel is also a great driver, only one season slip against Ricciardo. I am JB fan and it is sorry to see him in poor teams, Honda in mid 2000’s and now, but his carrier was success. He lacks (a little) pure speed and aggression though.

[Otispunkmeyer]

While both have been quite dummy-spitty I think Button out shone Alonso by just getting on with it in the end. Like he knew the car was crap and that it wasn't going to change any time soon, so just do his best and try have some fun with it. Alonso never seemed to "get" that part I don't think and resigned himself to not giving a toss.

I think Button will be quietly happy he's had the measure of Alonso. Though to be fair, I do think Alonso has had more than his fair share of catastrophic car failures. It might be the same, but It seemed like Alonso drew the short straw more.

[lee_fr200]

I like JB is he the best driver

If the car is right then yes

If the car isn't then no

Once he's got the setup right you can't touch him look at spa when he led all the race look at Canada and look at his last win at Brazil 2012 he also can judge the track with regards to weather and the rain!

He's beaten Lewis alonso magnussen Perez and barricello fair and square

2016 will show what's what if the car is able to compete I reckon he will outscore alonso again


Also he's a pr's wet dream

[robinessex]

Unfortunately, you can't take a bad car, and do a lap time quicker than it ought be able to anymore. Yes, in the past that was possible, I could name a few who did it. So poor old JB, when the car is st, just has to go along for the ride.

[DanielSan]

As a complete driver I'd put the top few in this order. Yes there a lot of joint positions but imo the top half are all capable of a WDC given the right car.

Seb
Lewis/Ricciardo
JB/Fernando/Verstappen/Kvyat
Nico/Bottas
Hulkenburg/Sainz/Massa
Raikkonnen/Grosjean

The rest.

Edited by DanielSan on Tuesday 1st December 20:07

[LarryUSA]

Vocal Minority said:

It isn't a concrete block haring at you at 140 mph

It's very impressive, but I suspect those 'concrete' blocks are really polystyrene? Surely that's too much of a risk if not?

[DS240]

Catatafish said:

Button extended his career by about 10 years purely on the good fortune of being at brawn in 2009, so I don't think he's the best, but he was certainly lucky then which made up for the rest of his career upto that point.

He's decent, but I'm more of a "it's the car" person... not to say that the driver doesn't have any sway, they can certainly feck it up when the car is of WDC/near WDC quality, but the driver has far less impact on the outcome than the car design and setup, and probaly less impact than the random events that happen during race weekends.

Button is a good, solid driver. I think he's sometimes unfairly undervalued as a driver.

Yeah, 2009 was definitely right place at the right time but that's just how it goes.

He still got the job done. The car was seen as dominant but Barrichello still only placed 3rd in the title with the same tools.

[Vocal Minority]

LarryUSA said:

It's very impressive, but I suspect those 'concrete' blocks are really polystyrene? Surely that's too much of a risk if not?

That's probably true. I will modify my argument to 'a.n. Other static object'

[spats]

DS240 said:

Button is a good, solid driver. I think he's sometimes unfairly undervalued as a driver.

Yeah, 2009 was definitely right place at the right time but that's just how it goes.

He still got the job done. The car was seen as dominant but Barrichello still only placed 3rd in the title with the same tools.

Totally agree here. Yes he was in the right team at the right time, but then so many tohers have been in exactly that position. F1 champs have quite often been down to the right driver, in the right car witht he right team.

But you cant take it away from him, he did it when it was most important.

Is JB the best? Probably not. Impossible to say for sure, hes one of the best out there and has been so for a long time too. Hes also one of the best drivers for the sport as a whole.

It will be a dark day when he packs up.

[johneturbo]

btcc123 said:

I think you have that about right but would put JB above Nico.

As the OP said JB has out-scored Fernando Alonso by 45%,the first time that Alonso has been beated by a team mate.Also remember at McLaren JB outscored Lewis during the three seasons they were together.

Didn't Hamilton beat Alonso is 2007?