Raikkonen vs Alonso - Who's Best?
Discussion
flemke said:
As in every other walk of life, when you are at the sharp end of F1, it is very sharp indeed.
At that level, just to be an also-ran requires a degree of talent and skill that we interested punters can scarcely conceive, much less emulate.
Martin Brundle was a match for Senna in lesser formulae, and had mind-boggling car-control skills and racecraft, yet whilst Senna was thrice World Champion, during a parallel F1 career Brundle won nary a race.
Chris Amon, Jean Alesi (with the lone exception), etc.
Michael Andretti made a fool of himself in F1 - do you think he can't drive a race car?
How about Alex Zanardi - world-class, but not good enough.
You can be a fantastically-good racing driver and yet get absolutely nowhere in F1.
At that level, just to be an also-ran requires a degree of talent and skill that we interested punters can scarcely conceive, much less emulate.
Martin Brundle was a match for Senna in lesser formulae, and had mind-boggling car-control skills and racecraft, yet whilst Senna was thrice World Champion, during a parallel F1 career Brundle won nary a race.
Chris Amon, Jean Alesi (with the lone exception), etc.
Michael Andretti made a fool of himself in F1 - do you think he can't drive a race car?
How about Alex Zanardi - world-class, but not good enough.
You can be a fantastically-good racing driver and yet get absolutely nowhere in F1.
Good point. Not long ago some herbert over on Ten-Tenths put a thread up, thanking whatsisname Ide for showing us what it is like when an ordinary man in the street gets behind the wheel of an F1 car. In a reply, someone posted Ide's CV, which includes a plethora of championships, multi karting, single seater inc F3 champs. Now I didn't bother to reply, but should have posted that the ordinary man in the street hasn't got a hope in hell of remotely coming anywhere near to winning a competitive karting championship, never mind single seaters. Yet look how Ide did in F1.
I remember denis Jenkinson once wrote about a journalist who turned up late for qualifying and asked, "well, who's quick?" To which DSJ replied "they're all quick, even the ones at the back are quick".
Kimi has the edge on raw speed i think, but Alonso is by far the more intelligent racer. He makes fewer mistakes, can manage a race perfectly and can make the most of an opportunity without coming unstuck. His start at the US GP for example, he was 4th going into turn one, but just dove around the outside of Fisi and almost got Schu as well. Did pretty much the same in Malaysia at the start also.
Its a fascinating contrast of characters - proper chalk and cheese. I hope Kimi either stays at McLaren or goes to Ferrari, then we can find out how he compares to the other two.
Its a fascinating contrast of characters - proper chalk and cheese. I hope Kimi either stays at McLaren or goes to Ferrari, then we can find out how he compares to the other two.
magic torch said:
flemke said:
You can be a fantastically-good racing driver and yet get absolutely nowhere in F1.
Pace in lower formula doesn't always continue in F1. Jan Magnussen.
Aaah, Jan Magnussen. I remember when I was working for a race team doing TVR Tuscan's, we were at the bar on a Saturday night before the race. At the time the Tuscan's were on the support card for Britsih F3. JM was absolutely scuttered drunk, endulging in the kind of monkey business that would make James Hunt proud. He won both races the next day...
I digress. Magnussen never got enough testing in the Stewart, and royally pissed Jackie Stewart off when he said he wasn't going to stop smoking. He made such an arse it though - the whole F1-driver thing. He *should* have been so much better - that's the annoying bit.
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