The "difference" between a great and good driver...

[AdvocatusD]

I came across this article by Benson. It strikes me as slightly fawning over Hamilton and unkind to Rosberg.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/36409542

I'm not sure that what we saw yesterday was Hamilton destroying Rosberg at all. If Monaco is the test of a real driver's mettle the surely (in less measure) those who finished 2-6 are leagues above Rosberg as well? Seemed to me that Rosberg was (a) either having a bad day, or (b) had issues with his car or its setup.

Hamilton may not be my cup of tea, but he is a superb driver. Rosberg is not quite at his level, but good enough to beat him on level pegging on a good day.

Anyone else think ths article was a little ahead of itself?

[AdvocatusD]

Leithen said:

The problem is that one race where there was a big disparity in performance doesn't make Hamilton great or Rosberg average. Who knows whether the cars were identical in setup - it's highly unlikely. It's a very common occurrence for one driver to gain more confidence on a race day, and has worked both ways over the past few years, wet and dry.

In my view, you've hit the nail on the head here.

I think the reason I was struck by the article was that it seemed to ignore lots of other races where Rosberg has performed much better, even winning. I'm not saying Rosberg is better than Hamilton, he isn't. I do think however, the difference in ability is calculable in very small measures.

[AdvocatusD]

London424 said:

swisstoni said:

London424 said:

Rocking up to a brand new track and being fast is a pretty good indicator.

This weekend should be interesting then.

That's why I said it...looking at the times from when they first started lapping this morning to what they are doing now.

I also think it removes some of the machinery component too.

It's drivers getting to grips with things.

Next year at the track I'm guessing things will become much more normalised.

Lewis not looking good at all today. Lots of running past braking points, etc. Rosberg is on pole.

I'm not suggesting that this means Rosberg is "better". But I do think the gap between him and Rosberg is really not as vast as the original article made out... Hamilton is slightly better and over the course of a career, that will result in a wider gap in terms of victories and success. Per race, per corner, not much in it!