I think it is just sad when pirelli is getting so much bad press when the fault is not with pirelli but fia. Fia wanted pirelli to make a tire that doesn't last long. Pirelli did just that. Apparently doing that kind of tire is difficult when you can not test your tires at all. So for pirelli the only testing they get to do is when the cameras are rolling. And even if pirelli wanted to make changes to the tires fia was against it.
It even took until the end of september this year before pirelli even got a contract for 2014. The way I see it I'm kind of surprised pirelli hasn't left.
A car that allows Mark Webber to qualify THAT much ahead of Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg and the rest isn't completely 'dominant'? The RBR's strengths are its design and technology. Vettel is top class, but he isn't the main factor at play here.
Then why was it vettel who won everything and webber who won nothing in that same car? If the car was that awesome in 2012/2013 and mark couldn't do anything in it compared to vettel then mark must have been one of the worst drivers? I don't think mark was that bad. It was vettel who was that good.
Actually, it's more like Gutierrez and Sutil at Sauber and Ericsson and Van der Garde at Caterham. Sirotkin can't and most probably won't have his superlicence in time for the start of the season so you can expect him in F1 2015.
Looks like Chilton has been able to hang onto his drive at Marussia as well even though his father left Aon a month ago, so Chilton and Bianchi there. No room at the Inn for Heikki, can't say I blame the teams either. Going to Lotus turned out to be a disaster for his career and pointed out the obvious that he was always one of those 'mid field' drivers.
same could be said with Ferrari with Shumi but in 1999 when he broke his legs, suddenly the number 2 Irvine who looked like a useless second driver was suddenly championship material.
1999 is hardly comparative, Eddie looked good for most of the season, but still utterly awful at some Grand Prix. Hakkinen and McLaren almost gifted him the title by being stupid.
Firstly, thankyou for lumping me together with the mindless drones. Oh, no, hang on, they would be the ones who think that NO LAW is ever broken by anyone anywhere in the F1 world championships.
But anyway. I base my assertions on the fact I got a mate working for one of the big team who where mildly successful last year and who are based in the Golden Triangle of the Thames valley in the UK. Not only where they running a 'soft' traction control (which, like has been expanded on, most other teams where trying with the reduced cylinder use etc etc. I don't limit all my fire for RBR, but they are the worst.) but also adaptive temperature related aero, they where running illegal defusers whenever they felt they could get away with it along with some rather natty and smart, but also illegal tyre rim aero along with other temperature/brake/exhaust clever gizmo's. It's an open pitlane secret, most of which can't be proven, but doesn't stop me using them to slag the team off.
But like I said, the biggest thing that had the teams goat up was the use of the RBR technology centre whilst everyone else was having enforced breaks due to union rules. RBR isn't part of the union, the only team that isn't. The use of technology to over come rules and regs is only to be expected. All the teams do it, and some push it more than others. My mates team actually had to make that choice for this last season just gone, just to be a viable and competitive team. Before that, they played by the rules and where proud of that, but the gap has grown to big between those that don't and those that do. And to maintain large corporate sponsorship you have to run with the pack. That was an executive desicion to push certain boundary's. RBR have no such conscience. The team is based on winning at all costs.
And anyway, Webber didn't get all the trick bits Vettel did. There is a reason he doesn't race with them anymore. And there is a bigger reason why he signed a non-disclosure contract for the foreseable future, although knowing Mark, that might not count for much with him.
So, yea, you might think I'm talking out of my arse, but it's arse talk that comes from an inside perspective. A perspective that noone will ever talk about too much in the press, because they all like their jobs too much.
So slag me off if you like, don't really care. The seasons results and timing figures speak for themselves. If you consider every team is trying to be as fast they possibly can, and they are all professional manufacturers, strategists and drivers then you get an expected timing spread from the second fastest man back. Vettel and that car are outliers. And they can be discounted as such. I don't believe he's worth four world titles, and I think you could take the slowest driver on the grid and within a few races get him as fast as the lead pack in that car. Vettel might be able to get the most from it, he knowns whats in it for a start, but the car is still the fastest 'car' regardless who is behind the wheel.
Sorry. Rant over. I shall return to being a member of the mindless drone prolitariat.
I think ferrari lost the title when schumi went into to the wall... because of brake failure. Maybe rbr should have treated webber as number 1 just in case vettel's car breaks and spins into a wall and vettel break his leg?
He is merely pointing out that when the car is superior it doesn't necessarily reflect in the #2 driver's results. RBR have had a dominant car since mid-2009 irrespective of Webber's performance. The hypothesis is that if Vettel were not able to drive the car the probability is that Webber would inherit more focus from the team and consequently performance/results from the car.