Do you think BMW is just as good as or even better then Mclaren and Ferrari?

BMW have been able to keep up with both teams... sorta..

BMW have top drivers already but is it the drivers doing so well in a decent team? Or do you think its BMW a team as good/even better then Mclaren or Ferrari with decent drivers?

If the 3 teams swapped around drivers (forget the mental side, like fitting in the team etc), could bmw be better then the other teams having massa or lewis in bmw for example..?

I've always thought Sauber was a overrated team. But that's just my personal opinion. I haven't watched F1 enough to produce a viable opinion

Heidfeld has been a decent driver all season, able to challenge McLaren and Ferrari on some occasions. Kubica is extremely talented for a rookie, although overshadowed by Lewis... In all, BMW has been great this season, and the main reason for their inability to be on the podium regularly was the lack of really talented and experienced drivers like Alonso, Raikkonen and of course, Schumacher. If McLaren would be banned for the spy scandal, expect BMW to mount a serious title challenge against Ferrari next season.

It is hard to say whether or not they are. They are so many factors that go into a good race winning car and part of it is the driver. No doubt BMW sauber is the 3rd best team and I hope next season Ferrari, McLaren and BMW can all be equal which would make the season even more interesting. Maybe Kimi, Massa, Hamilton and Alonso are all better drivers but unless one of them is slow the BMW's are always behind so I would say close but not equal or better.

Quote from Alkanphel :

In all, BMW has been great this season, and the main reason for their inability to be on the podium regularly was the lack of really talented and experienced drivers like Alonso, Raikkonen and of course, Schumacher.

You say Heidfeld is not talented and experienced?

I think hes one of the 3 best drivers currently in F1.

Yeah the results stand for themselves on this. If Nick and Robert are the only thing holding the team back (to the tune of 30-60 sec a race) then they should get their asses fired. Fact is, BMW are doing really well and making good progress. They will go into next year as the 'dark horse' for the championship. To call them 'as good' or better than McLaren or Ferrari is like saying that if Spyker had the time, money, experience, talent etc they'd be just as good. The championship positions are pretty reasonable and while they do not allow an excellent driver to shine in a poor car (they tend not to flatter a poor driver in a good car) it is normally pretty good at showing the performance of a team over the year. 3rd best is where they are now, maybe next year they'll be able to challenge for top slot or at least a more consistent fight for 2nd.

Radically improved from last year, But i was expecting them to have won at least a race this season already(from early season form).

With only 2 podiums it does tell you that the top 2 teams have dominated badly this season as BMW are double the points of next placed Renualt.

Quote from zeugnimod :

You say Heidfeld is not talented and experienced?

I'm not saying that, what I meant was he's not as talented nor as experienced as other top-notched drivers. Not by a huge margin, per se, but u rarely find him challenging the Ferraris and McLarens during races. He's a little like Massa - talented, but lacks the little... something (probably finesse) that will make him as successful as Alonso, Raikkonen, Schumacher and other F1 greats.

I think they may have had more consistency if they had Alonso on board, but his head has been elsewhere this season anyway so it is probably just as well that they havn't.

Massa would not be shining right now if he didnt have access to coach Schumacher, and Raikonnen only does well when everything around him is just perfect and dandy, so he'd not do well in the BMW.

Hamilton I dont know. We've seen already that Hamilton has huge talent, but the only reason we have not seen if Kubica has as much talent is because Kubica is in the BMW. I dont know if Hamilton would have done a better job.

BMW's biggest problem has been delivering consistency over the course of the season, usually this would suggest either that the problems are driver motivation related or that the team is innefficient and disorganised. Being that the team is BMW I do find it hard to believe that organisation is an issue.

Both Kubica and Heidfeld clearly have a lot of talent, whether they've given 100% all season, I dont know.

Quote from Alkanphel :

but u rarely find him challenging the Ferraris and McLarens during races. He's a little like Massa - talented, but lacks the little... something (probably finesse) that will make him as successful as Alonso, Raikkonen, Schumacher and other F1 greats.

You rarely see him challenge Ferraris and McLarens during races because hes driving BMW and not because of his lack of something.

If he had the car to do it he would challenge them every race and be succesful.

IMO.

Heidfeld is probably the best defender out there though, he never seems to get passed by a faster car behind him unless its done by pit stops..

Quote from zeugnimod :

You rarely see him challenge Ferraris and McLarens during races because hes driving BMW and not because of his lack of something.

If he had the car to do it he would challenge them every race and be succesful.

IMO.

Hmm true. But I don't think it's a big difference
With 4 great drivers between them, Ferrari and McLaren have been dominating the podiums. That leaves BMW with only a few points, so I think that's why they are so far behind, in terms of points. Renault and Toyota are horribly inconsistent, btw.