The Best Current Non F1 Driver
Discussion
Mike Conway. Extremely well-regarded in the WEC and was pretty handy in the USA and several European and World Series. Nice bloke too.
As for the spoken-English thing: most of these kids rise through the ranks in European series and spend most of their time being interviewed either in their native language or by an English broadcaster. Many of them have media training for just these reasons.
As for the spoken-English thing: most of these kids rise through the ranks in European series and spend most of their time being interviewed either in their native language or by an English broadcaster. Many of them have media training for just these reasons.
mat205125 said:
Put him at WTCC or WEC car against the likes of Lopez and co, and find out
I'd fancy his chances, definitely in WTCR. I've had a few quick teammates in my time, never seen someone relentlessly drag a result out of a car like he can.I know he's privately shown up a few well rated drivers in their own cars of different (top level) sports and touring car disciplines. Some drivers can jump in any type of car at any level and be a race winner out of the box, he's one of them.
Currently I'd probably say SVG; quick in every type of car he's driven; his drive in Rally NZ was impressive especially as he's had so few outings in a rallycar - and experience counts in rallying, especially with making pace-notes. Most racing drivers really struggle with that part of the discipline.
A shout out to Scott McLaughlin who is another seemingly quick in all cars.
And one can't leave out the Maestro, Loeb....or Rovanpera, youngest WRC champion.
Obviously, it's not that F1 drivers are the best, because I'm not sure they are.....it's a lazy assumption, purely because F1 is the biggest series.
A shout out to Scott McLaughlin who is another seemingly quick in all cars.
And one can't leave out the Maestro, Loeb....or Rovanpera, youngest WRC champion.
Obviously, it's not that F1 drivers are the best, because I'm not sure they are.....it's a lazy assumption, purely because F1 is the biggest series.
GravelBen said:
ZX10R NIN said:
I say this because I think Shane Van Gisbergen is a very underrated racing driver, he pretty much cleans up no matter what he drives.
He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
Actually he managed to squeeze into an F3 class car for the NZ Grand Prix last year.He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
He started from pit lane (after accidentally triggering the fire extinguisher instead of starting the car for the warm-up
) and passed the entire field to win by a couple of seconds.
I'm not surprised he tore the field up he's such a quick driver I really want to see what he'd do in a full fat WEC car.
I'd also like to see him partner with Danny Ric at the 2023 Bathurst 1000 (now they both drive for RedBull) as that would be something to see & a good yard stick as to how good SVG is.
I can think of plenty.
Elite in their sport, not recognised at all due to the media obsession with perhaps the most bring for of motorsport currently, F1.
I would rate guys like Raffiele Marciello, Kevin Estre, guys who can drag performance and passes out of cars that are amazingly closely matched.
In the US, a few of the top NASCAR guys, and Indycar guys, their ability to shone in numerous type of track is always impressive in comparison to F1 for me. I also rate McLoughlin for doing as well as he is in Indy-car after going there form Aussie V8's that is an astonishing leap, but also says very little about the level in Indy car for me sadly.
Kalle Rovanpera, utterly dominating WRC this year for a kid so young with so little experience to do this against guys who have done these events for 10, 15 years is extraordinary.
There are guys away form the headline grabbers like Christian Merli, utterly dominant in European hillclimbs and a total master in perhaps one of the most dangerous forms of Motorsport there is.
Elite in their sport, not recognised at all due to the media obsession with perhaps the most bring for of motorsport currently, F1.
I would rate guys like Raffiele Marciello, Kevin Estre, guys who can drag performance and passes out of cars that are amazingly closely matched.
In the US, a few of the top NASCAR guys, and Indycar guys, their ability to shone in numerous type of track is always impressive in comparison to F1 for me. I also rate McLoughlin for doing as well as he is in Indy-car after going there form Aussie V8's that is an astonishing leap, but also says very little about the level in Indy car for me sadly.
Kalle Rovanpera, utterly dominating WRC this year for a kid so young with so little experience to do this against guys who have done these events for 10, 15 years is extraordinary.
There are guys away form the headline grabbers like Christian Merli, utterly dominant in European hillclimbs and a total master in perhaps one of the most dangerous forms of Motorsport there is.
Hmm, tricky one. Overall probably Nick Tandy. He's won everything major in a GTE and GT3 car (apart from Bathurst, which he hasn't raced) and is hands down the best wet weather driver in global endurance racing. He also won Le Mans overall with Hulk and Bamber in '15 in the 'third' Porsche, when they made mincemeat out of the regular drivers in the other Porsches. He won Petit Le Mans overall in a GTE car - beating all the prototypes - in the pouring rain. His drives in races like the Kyalami 9 Hour in '19 and his astonishing last 3 hours to win the Spa 24 in 2020 (including the last two laps with a completely broken gearbox) are the stuff of legend. In my endurance racing world he is a superstar and a really decent bloke to boot.
Of the rest Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin are incredibly impressive. Gizzy can drive anything - Supercar, GT3, rally car, single seater, it doesn't matter. To adapt to rallying as quickly as he has is astounding. Scotty was a revelation as a 20 year old in the Volvo in Supercars - he was so exciting to watch - and has transferred into Indycars incredibly well. I mean he's gone from touring cars to ultra high speed oval racing in single seaters, for heaven's sake! And he's won races and finished fourth in the championship this year. It's insane.
Obviously rally drivers are a different breed altogether and have special skills. What young Rovenperä has achieved at 22 is amazing.
I don't watch BTCC, I have to say, though I have friends who are race engineers in it. I'm sure Ash Sutton is very good as he's a multiple champion but he'd need to come and do some big races at big tracks to demonstrate that.
Someone above mentioned that Lopez is the weak link at Toyota in WEC, which is completely correct.
Of the rest Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin are incredibly impressive. Gizzy can drive anything - Supercar, GT3, rally car, single seater, it doesn't matter. To adapt to rallying as quickly as he has is astounding. Scotty was a revelation as a 20 year old in the Volvo in Supercars - he was so exciting to watch - and has transferred into Indycars incredibly well. I mean he's gone from touring cars to ultra high speed oval racing in single seaters, for heaven's sake! And he's won races and finished fourth in the championship this year. It's insane.
Obviously rally drivers are a different breed altogether and have special skills. What young Rovenperä has achieved at 22 is amazing.
I don't watch BTCC, I have to say, though I have friends who are race engineers in it. I'm sure Ash Sutton is very good as he's a multiple champion but he'd need to come and do some big races at big tracks to demonstrate that.
Someone above mentioned that Lopez is the weak link at Toyota in WEC, which is completely correct.
Johnspex said:
Doesn't this prove the F1 stuff about 'the 22 best drivers in the world' is pure nonsense?
If they're the best, how come so many don't last more than a couple of seasons?
Partly out of hype. NASCAR TV commentators are often saying they have the world's best drivers on the grid. The reality is each category more or less have a range of quality drivers racing.If they're the best, how come so many don't last more than a couple of seasons?
In F1 the difference between good, bad, average or head and shoulders above everyone else can be magnified so being shown up in F1 doesn't necessarily make you a bad or weak driver in the racing world.
Top level international motorsport is a high level. A lot of midfielders in F1 have been successful in endurance racing as top drivers eg. Kamui Kobayashi, Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish.
generationx said:
Mike Conway. Extremely well-regarded in the WEC and was pretty handy in the USA and several European and World Series. Nice bloke too.
Raced in Indycar and won on street courses. Has said he doesn't like the ovals. On the one hand it's a brave thing to come out with but on the other it counts against him as an Indycar driver.LukeBrown66 said:
In the US, a few of the top NASCAR guys
If I had to pick one driver it would have to be Chase Elliot. Heads the new generation and has been in the Final Four at the last race in the past few years.And then there's Kimi Raikkonen. Turns up at Watkins Glen comfortably racing in the top-15, in the top 10 at one point and up against guys used to 1500kg cars on narrow tyres. Daniil Kvyat and Mike Rockenfeller were at the same race too in lesser teams.
ZX10R NIN said:
GravelBen said:
ZX10R NIN said:
I say this because I think Shane Van Gisbergen is a very underrated racing driver, he pretty much cleans up no matter what he drives.
He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
Actually he managed to squeeze into an F3 class car for the NZ Grand Prix last year.He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
He started from pit lane (after accidentally triggering the fire extinguisher instead of starting the car for the warm-up
) and passed the entire field to win by a couple of seconds.I'm not surprised he tore the field up he's such a quick driver I really want to see what he'd do in a full fat WEC car.
I'd also like to see him partner with Danny Ric at the 2023 Bathurst 1000 (now they both drive for RedBull) as that would be something to see & a good yard stick as to how good SVG is.
ZX10R NIN said:
I say this because I think Shane Van Gisbergen is a very underrated racing driver, he pretty much cleans up no matter what he drives.
He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
Well there are 24 others ahead of SVG in Race 1 at Adelaide…He'll never fit in a single seater but I expect to see him win Le Mans soon.
Anyone else have a driver they rate?
He’d better win tomorrow. If not it better be a “Holden”.
ETA: lap 19 and he is up to 6th.
Edited by Jader1973 on Saturday 3rd December 05:14
GiantCardboardPlato said:
loskie said:
I would rate a decent rally driver way ahead a F1 driver (any of them) any day. Way more skill involved.
Way different skill involved.When comparing different disciplines people forget that if it is "easy" for one, it is "easy" for everyone so it is very difficult to win, by definition.
Jader1973 said:
ZX10R NIN said:
I haven't seen the race yet but saw he only got 20th so I'm sure there's a story there, especially if he was up to 6th.
100% his fault unfortunately.As a sidebar how good a track is Adelaide, it has to be in the top 5 of street circuits.
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