I've been trying to decide on a favorite driver in F1 for a while now (to make watching the races a little bit more interesting), so I figured to ask the experts.
I'd like a second tier driver who drives well but doesn't neccessarily dominate every race. If you're familiar with NASCAR, my favorite driver is Mark Martin, so I'm looking for something along those lines.

Vote away my loyalty!

you could search around on websites, googlvideo youtube etc... and check out some highlights on various drivers. maybe check out a few drivers on wikipedia etc .
I stopped watching f1 around 2003 and i just started up watching again towards 2005... So i've missed a bit of history on a few drivers myself. Alonso's very fast but he doesnt seem to do alot outside the track to promote himself or F1. Ferrari's started to do really well ever since Imola with updates to their car.

i dont know if I have a fav driver... I like to see anyone give a Alonso a run for his money. I just like the great battles and efforts by teams i guess

ever since lfs got the BMW sauber i've been watching them more closely

Try Rosberg. I think that guy might have a future in F1.

Vain

Yes, I also think that Rosberg is a great addition to F1. He seems to learn tracks very quickly and adapts really well. I think he is very talented and already a really mature racer. Besides that he seems like a nice sympathetic guy, something I think is important if you want to root for someone.

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ever since lfs got the BMW sauber i've been watching them more closely

hehe, me too

Because Super Aguri aren't facing F1, they are racing in the Formula 1 and a half category.

Rosberg is hugely massively over-rated, the guy is a rookie and makes lots of rookie mistakes. He had a good 1st race - which he threw away with two accidents...

I want him to do well, I used to support his father, I think he might do well but i'm getting annoyed with the press touting him as an amazing driver when he's just like a 6 year old in LFS who laughs when he turns the wheel and hits a wall.

I hate to admit it, but I have a soft spot for Alonso. The guy is just brilliant. I've always been a fan of the underdogs in F1 but Fernando Alonso is such an amazing talent, I think better than Ayrton Senna was. I never got to personally witness Stirling Moss or Juan Manuel Fangio so I couldn't say if he was the best of all time, but Schumacher is not a worthy rival ... i'm not sure anyone ever will be.

Button just isn't a nice person, I hate it when the UK TV coverage heralds him as our greatest hope. He was rubbish back in the days I met him in Karting, and I think he's still rubbish now.

Mark Webber is a talent, but it seems that when the car isn't good he doesn't try.

Jacques Villeneuve has suprised me this year, the old champ I thought was just collecting pay cheques but now the Craig Pollock issue is all resolved he seems happy again, and damn that man has been sand bagging for a few years, coz he's quick all of a sudden.

Montoya is better than Raikonnen who is hugely over-rated. When Raikonnen is behind he over drives the car and bounces it around too much, that's why he has so many reliability problems. Montoya is unlikely to be champion though he has an outside shot if he gets the Renault drive next year. If the Ferrari is good next year or the McLaren this year Raikonnen will win races, but not a championship as he's just not a complete driver yet, and i'm not convinced he ever will be.

Coultard, Heidfeld - these guys are experienced enough to develop their cars and help their team improve, but regardless of how much talent they have once their team achieves success they'll be given the boot for somebody younger. Coultard certainly has always been under-rated I think, he's never been the fastest most complete driver in F1 but he's certainly deserving a place near the top.

Michael Schumacher. Makes as many mistakes as the rookies, has been known to outright cheat to win a championship. This driver does not deserve respect, at most Grand Prix he is the anti-hero and plays the part of the villain and he's never managed to understand why - which for fans makes him either laughable, or a sore point.

Ralph Schumacher drives with red vision, he in LFS terms is one of those fairly quick drivers who takes everyone out and then moans about other people for wrecking him. Ignore this driver, and look forward to a time when his contract is not renewed.

Sato, believes the wall to be part of the racing line.

Ide, achieved his highest top speed whilst being chauffered to the race track. Has the noteable record of being the first driver to achieve more accidents than laps. Now replaced by some Belgian guy nobody ever heard of.

There's a couple of guys who fund Jordan with pay to drive deals, but working for the Russian mafia is unlikely to launch their driving careers. Albers has put in the odd good performance but sometimes he asks too much of himself and is a risk taker, he's maintaining his reputation only by being out of the public eye at the back. I forget his team mate right now, but i've probably got an opinion on him too.

Who have I missed?

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Takuma Sato. He needs more supporters and when he's in a quick car he's very exciting to watch. Why isn't he in your list?!?

I just went with people who have scored points so far this year. I want at least a fairly decent driver

My money is on Rosberg...

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Montoya is better than Raikonnen who is hugely over-rated.

I just fell off my chair laughing about that statement. If JPM is better than KR then how come KR has beaten JPM 5:1 this season? How come he makes it to the top10 quali every time and JPM does not? How come he finishes races and JPM does not?

In fact, I fell off the chair a second time reading your statements on the other drivers as well.

None of the above!!! Root for Scott Speed!!!!

Quote from th84 :

None of the above!!! Root for Scott Speed!!!!

How about don't.

Just wait for Prodrive F1.

Scott Speed, he's American I'd root for Räikkönen (because he's Finnish) but in the current state of McLaren I can't be bothered..

Quote from Hoellsen :

I just fell off my chair laughing about that statement. If JPM is better than KR then how come KR has beaten JPM 5:1 this season? How come he makes it to the top10 quali every time and JPM does not? How come he finishes races and JPM does not?

In fact, I fell off the chair a second time reading your statements on the other drivers as well.

:iagree:

Quote from Becky Rose :

Mark Webber is a talent, but it seems that when the car isn't good he doesn't try.

I'm sorry but if we're talking about overrated drivers, I think Mark Webber would fit the profile. I'm not saying he is bad or anything but I just don't see much that impresses me. Sure, he pulled a stunt one time with the Minardi, but i just fail to see what would be so great about him.

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Jacques Villeneuve has suprised me this year, the old champ I thought was just collecting pay cheques but now the Craig Pollock issue is all resolved he seems happy again, and damn that man has been sand bagging for a few years, coz he's quick all of a sudden.

He's had several seasons with a quite well funded team, got paid a ridiculous amount of money for it, and failed to bring the team up the grid. The year after he left, the team moved up. He won the championship 9 years ago in the best car but failed to show much after that imo. Plus he gets a brain freeze now and then and pulls stunts only rookies do. Time to move on.

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Montoya is better than Raikonnen who is hugely over-rated. When Raikonnen is behind he over drives the car and bounces it around too much, that's why he has so many reliability problems.

While I agree about Räikkönen overdriving the car, Montoya is definitely not better than Räikkönen. A look at statistics will prove that. Montoya feels like it's not his job to develop a car. He should just be handed the perfect car suited to his driving style and he will win, so he claimed in an interview last year. That to me makes him not suited for F1.

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Ide, achieved his highest top speed whilst being chauffered to the race track. Has the noteable record of being the first driver to achieve more accidents than laps. Now replaced by some Belgian guy nobody ever heard of.

Franck Montagny is French, and I would not consider him totally unknown. He was a testdriver for Jordan and Renault for instance. He won the Nissan World series I believe.

edit: Blackout, I corrected my spelling of Räikkönen just for you because I understand it's really something to get upset about [/sarcasm]

Where's Liuzzi?! He was ex World Karing Champ beating Schumacher! IMO he's one of the best drivers on the grid.

Grrr... its spelt RÄIKKÖNEN dont you people know how to read ffs, two Ks in a row its not that har is it? And saying that he wrecked the cars last year driving too fast is a lie. Bouncing around? That might be more like a car issue not driver, you just dont wreck F1 engines driving too quickly or atleast thats what ex-F1 drivers said last year. And mr Montoya is faster and better and more uber? No way, I can remember him causing accidents with slower cars twice last year spinning in warmup this year...hmm what else, last race he was way back at the grid and yes, he spinned and blaimed the car offcourse. Räikkönen is much better if you compare what he can do with same equiptment than Montoya, but unfortunately the equitment isnt that good at the moment. So Räikkönen that is then, Alonso even he is talented couldnt drive a car which wouldnt suit his style and win.

I would pick Ide if he wasn't on "long holidays". Every race is a new surprise!!!

Now seriously... Rosberg could be a good option

Am I the only one who's confused at the idea to ask others about which is your driver?

Quote from Becky Rose :

Michael Schumacher. Makes as many mistakes as the rookies, has been known to outright cheat to win a championship. This driver does not deserve respect, ....

This and most of your other statements shows that you know as much about F1 as the man in the moon.

I'm not a Ferrari or Schumacher Fan but the driver with the most F1 Records (most Champ. - Titles, most victories per season, most championship points, most poles, most race victories, most fastest laps...) doesn't derserve respect? illepall

Quote from wE1l :

Am I the only one who's confused at the idea to ask others about which is your driver?

Watching F1 races from an American perspective presents a skew I'd like to eliminate by asking for varied European views.

I am getting the sort of feedback I was hoping for by asking the LFS community. The lack of "NASCAR r0x0rzzzzzzzz d00000d F1 suxorzzzz" posts is refreshing. Let the responses keep on rollin'.

Heidfeld. He drives the same car like we do

Quote from BBO@BSR :

This and most of your other statements shows that you know as much about F1 as the man in the moon.

I'm not a Ferrari or Schumacher Fan but the driver with the most F1 Records (most Champ. - Titles, most victories per season, most championship points, most poles, most race victories, most fastest laps...) doesn't derserve respect? illepall

I agree here too.

Quote from JaguarUSF :

Watching F1 races from an American perspective presents a skew I'd like to eliminate by asking for varied European views.

I am getting the sort of feedback I was hoping for by asking the LFS community. The lack of "NASCAR r0x0rzzzzzzzz d00000d F1 suxorzzzz" posts is refreshing. Let the responses keep on rollin'.

Well, I'd predict Kimi and Fernando Alonso will share between them at least 7 titles in the next 10 years. Do keep an eye on Rosberg and maybe Heikki Kovalainen in the future.

But at present, I will root for Schumacher, probably this will be his final season. All is said and done, he remains one of the greatest, if not the greatest.

Quote from Becky Rose :

...
Who have I missed?

What do you thing about Trulli and Fisichella? (They are not in the poll either. )

From the list I prefer Villeneuve, it is only sympathy.