F1 How Awful To See Vettel's Decline!

highlandsflyer

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To see him humiliated by Ricciardo; it really hurts.

Haven't heard Vettel's exuberant in car excitation on meeting the chequered flag for such a long time.

How I miss it.

Hamilton is showing his metal after all the winging.

Happy days!
 
Just goes to show how much difference the car makes.

Pretty much any of the drivers who are there on merit (and even some of the pay drivers) would win the title in the best car.
 
I have to agree there.

The magic some can coax out of less than perfect cars is where the real skill comes in. The truly great champions had times when they were not in the best car, but drove as though they were.

I just hate to see Vettel crying in his soup. So I do.
 
Can't say as I've ever been his biggest fan, and it's been refreshing - and I suspect good for that team, for Ricciardo to be on it.

But I can't help but think that Vettel will adapt, and eventually find his way with this year's car.

Having a team-mate that pushes him and betters him on occasion, should be a good thing - at least for us as viewers. And let's not forget, there were times (perhaps in decline since the latter part of the 2010 season, mind) where Webber showed he had a fair turn of speed when he wanted - Vettel, despite various inferences / perceptions of inter-team politics, didn't get it all his own way, that year.

I can't help but think that drivers don't do the things he has, and perform like he has, just by merely having the best car ( by that I don't just mean the WCs, I'm thinking of other times where despite having a very fast / the fastest car, he quite clearly was just peerless at time). Currently it seems like Ricciardo is very capable, and has fallen on his feet with the car and the new spec. I have to say, I've loved how he's gone about it, his attitude and demeanour - all I saw of him, regarding the various unlucky things that happened to him, and it just seemed like you couldn't keep a good man down. Vettel, on the other hand, from what's been said, has found the new car more difficult to get on terms with, whilst at the same time, a new, young, team-mate has been making lemonade.

Much as the multi-21 thing (and other examples) would make me normally want to do a monkey dance at him being shown the way by the new, young, charger, I can't help but think that a 4 x WC, and a very fast one at that, won't be on his back foot forever.

As for Hamilton, got to say I'm a bit amibvalent, still. For the wunderkind he has been touted as, you'd have to say he's underachieved in recent times. I'd like to see a true battle with Rosberg at Merc, but I can't help but think Hamilton's raw speed, and can be exceptional when all the stars align, maybe having a creeping effect.

Thing is, emotions, perceptions and statuses all seem to be very current. Zero, hero, zero again can easily happen. One or two poor / mediocre performances can have the attention and perception pulled away as if some drivers are no longer a factor.
 
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I'm not an F1 fan but I really like him.
Comes across as having a great sense of humour, unlike most others I've seen interviewed
 
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Vettel can do consistent fast laps in a fast car on a clear track, but somehow panics and makes mistakes and poor decisions in wheel-to-wheel racing. Not anywhere close to Schumi's race craft (yeah a few dumb moments but generally brilliant over a long career). Of the current crop Alonso is the most complete and Hamilton more than Vettel's equal.
 
I hope that is proved this season.

I remember the day Schumi's move to Ferrari was announced. Me and my bro were fanatics and he reckoned it was career suicide, I reckoned he would pull the team in the right direction. 'Nuff said!

Mind you, my inner voice kept on hoping for Vettel to fail.

I guess I just want my Gran Prix drivers dastardly or dashing.
 
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RadNomad":fx3ac0ss said:
Vettel can do consistent fast laps in a fast car on a clear track, but somehow panics and makes mistakes and poor decisions in wheel-to-wheel racing. Not anywhere close to Schumi's race craft (yeah a few dumb moments but generally brilliant over a long career). Of the current crop Alonso is the most complete and Hamilton more than Vettel's equal.
I think it's out-of-date rhetoric that Vettel can't race, and he can only lead from the front.

Earlier in his career, maybe it was fair observation, but in the last 2 or 3 seasons, he's not shown to be lacking in being racy. Perhaps not to quite the same degree as Schumi was, but all the same.

And I'm not saying that as a fan of him - far from it. He's just bludgeoned me with being superb, in the last couple of seasons.

I think Hamilton may live to - or perhaps may have already, elevated himself to being on terms with Vettel, but so far, he's not shown anything like the consistency that Vettel has. Sure, you could say that Vettel has had a very good / the best car for the past 4 years. But up to the time Hamilton left McLaren, they were one of the front runners.

Difference seems to be lifestyle - Vettel seems to demand his privacy, and not get too distracted by the celebrity aspect of it all - Hamilton seems to like being in the public eye - and perhaps that's been (or he's let it be) too much of a distraction too early on / at a key point in his career. Whether he could have had any more championships over his time, I'm not sure, but I think it's fair comment he's underperformed on the whole, for sizable chunks of it anyway. Flashes of brilliance, and consistency when everything has being going OK

Whilst Hamilton arrived with a bit of fanfair and commotion, all the same, both seem to have had very similar career paths, and expectations. Do I think Hamilton is capable of all that Vettel is? Pretty much, well there, or there abouts, all except consistency - which seems conditional for Hamilton. And yes, I get there's a certain poignancy in Vettel's season so far, but you'd have to say, in his performances in the last few years, on the whole, underperforming wouldn't be the normal accusation you'd level at him.

As much as it irks me to say it, Vettel certainly has something, even if there's a degree of the hubris Schumacher was inferred to display during his prime (Vettel appearing to demonstrate that team orders are for teammates to adhere to, and for people like him a challenge to be broken). That so far he's been struggling this season - well I think great drivers overcome, and I believe he will. Ricciardo being so strong is a pure delight to watch. If the boy has got consistency, then he very much appears to have the temperament.

I'm hoping Rosberg can take the fight, on equal terms, to Hamilton - 'cos so far, Team Merc seem to have been willing to let them find their own level.

Alonso, well if there's a sniff of performance out of the car, then he'll get it. Perhaps he doesn't quite show as many flashes of brilliance that people like Vettel and Hamilton can pull off - "These go to eleven", but all the same, the times he's managed to out-race other driver / car combinations, shows his class. And I'm still waving the flag for Kimi.
 
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I think he is using an older variant of the current chassis this weekend.
Sounds like clutching at straws to me.
If they were all in identical cars he would do well to get on the podium in my opinion.
 
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