F1 - 2013
- Iniciador de tópicos Omega
- Data de início
Maquelarene
Banido
Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website
Pode ser que acabe finalmente a hegemonia da Red Bull.
Opiniões
Pode ser que acabe finalmente a hegemonia da Red Bull.
Opiniões
TILT
Membro participativo
Maquelarene
Banido
Montoya a segurar a escada ao Ralf [] ta bem ta
E o Prost a segurar o aviãozinho suplente do Senna [
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After
Banido
'Ban from rookie test sucks'
"Although rival teams were quick to question the severity of the punishment handed out to Mercedes, Hamilton says the ban will have a noticeable impact on its plans.
"Although rival teams were quick to question the severity of the punishment handed out to Mercedes, Hamilton says the ban will have a noticeable impact on its plans.
"That does suck a little bit because that test is quite an important test for the year; it's the only test really,""
JFernandes
Membro participativo
vRaptor910
Membro ativo
Pois, o Mateschitz já foi tarde!!!
Pode é oferecer um contrato de patrocínio com a Porsche em Le Mans, que acho que não têm nenhum carro patrocinado em LMP1!!!
Pode é oferecer um contrato de patrocínio com a Porsche em Le Mans, que acho que não têm nenhum carro patrocinado em LMP1!!!
Siberiano
Membro participativo
JFernandes
Membro participativo
The Case for JEV? - An F1 Rejects 2013 Opinion[TABLE="width: 700"]
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[TD="bgcolor: #bfbfbf, align: left"]Even though Mark Webber says that whether or not he stays at Red Bull for 2014 is largely up to him, it would not be a surprise if he leaves the Milton Keynes squad - and possibly F1 altogether - at the end of the season. There have already been the talk of a link-up with Porsche's Le Mans effort, not to mention the Kimi Raikkonen rumours, and the ever-growing suggestions that Toro Rosso drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne are essentially engaged in a shoot-out for a promotion next year. Webber's statements in the press sound like that of a dissatisfied man. He has been as vociferous as the rest of his team about this year's Pirelli tyres and the racing they produce, but whereas the others barely hide their frustration that the tyres are thwarting Red Bull's advantage, the Australian's comments have been more nuanced, focussing on the direction the sport is taking. In that regard, they eerily mirror Casey Stoner's reasons for leaving MotoGP at the end of 2012.
And then there are the simply undeniable facts. Webber is the oldest man in the field and not getting any younger. Multi-21-gate obliterated the last vestiges of honour and integrity in his relationship with Sebastian Vettel. The German has a 7-0 qualifying advantage this year and their relative form is more like 2011 and the second half of 2012 than Mark's golden 2010. After Sepang came Webber's horror weekend in China, and messy races in Bahrain and Canada, in both of which Vettel romped to victory.
Frankly, the gap between the Red Bull drivers appears to be widening, and unless there is a significant turnaround in the next few races, one has to wonder what incentive exists for Webber to maintain the intra-team status quo next season. Especially when the dramatic regulation changes for next season mean that there is no assurance that Red Bull with the Renault engine will be towards the head of the field, and indeed Red Bull's KERS has been one of its weaknesses over the last few seasons.
If Webber leaves - or is pushed - then I find it hard to fathom why Raikkonen would be interested. The Finn's distaste for marketing is well-known; Red Bull's reason for being is as a marketing machine. Kimi's outright speed can't compete with Vettel and, unless there is some clear reason for leaving Lotus, it would seem to make little sense to move from a team where he has been the main man to one where he would very much be second-fiddle, again with no guarantee of Red Bull's competitiveness in 2014.
And so the most obvious default would be the promotion of one of the Toro Rosso drivers. The Australian press seized upon comments in early May by Dr Helmut Marko declaring that Ricciardo is "currently the better one", but that comment has to be seen in the context of his main criticism of Vergne, namely that the Frenchman was "too impetuous, asking too much of these sensitive tyres in qualifying". Taking an overall view, though, and looking at recent form, an argument mounts that JEV might be the better bet.
The story from 2012 is well-known; Ricciardo smashed Vergne in qualifying 16 to 4, but Jean-Eric outscored Daniel 16 to 10. Vergne undoubtedly had his moments of madness on Sundays, such as his dangerous swipe on Heikki Kovalainen at Valencia, but generally he was a very strong starter and a dogged racer. And it wasn't simply a matter of having room to improve from low grid positions, or opposite tyre strategies to the majority of the field, or having more fresh tyres at his disposal.
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[TD="bgcolor: #bfbfbf, align: left"]If that was all there was to it, then having climbed up the field mid-race one would have expected Vergne to slide back down in the latter stints. But the Frenchman had a knack of getting into points-scoring territory, and then staying there. His four 8th place finishes came from no higher than 15th on the grid, and he was on track for a similar finish in Singapore before being rammed by Michael Schumacher. On reflection, placing him 21st in our end-of-season rankings, compared to Ricciardo's 12th place, was a bit unfair. For if Marko's criticism is correct, that Jean-Eric's main problem has been an inability to maximise the Pirelli tyres over a single lap in qualifying, then that hasn't manifested itself in race conditions. And it would appear as though Vergne is getting his game together on Saturdays as well. Ricciardo still has the edge this season, but is only 4-3 after Canada. After his stunning back-to-back points-scoring drives at Monaco and Montreal, Vergne is again well ahead on points, 13 to 7.
It says something that Daniel took until Spain this year to equal his team-mate in terms of cumulative points over 2012-13, only for Jean-Eric to stride away again over the last two races, which must have been something of a psychological blow. Even if the Frenchman is still not as good a qualifier as the Australian, ultimately it's on Sunday when aggression and determination counts and when the points are handed out. On the evidence so far, there is a very arguable case that Vergne is the better racer.
And perhaps even more tellingly, there is an argument that Vergne is more versatile than Ricciardo. A recent piece by Jonathan Noble on Autosport.com comparing the two argued that Daniel is rather like Jenson Button, and it's a very good analogy. That is, he is supreme when the car is to his liking, and when a circuit suits his very correct technique. That was the case when he had his run of points finishes late last year, and for example in Shanghai earlier this season.
But it could be said that raw talent shines through when things aren't quite as one expects, when intuition counts and a driver has to rely on feel. It is interesting that, in numerous damp sessions this year, Vergne has caught the eye but Ricciardo has floundered. Noble also suggests that the upgrade Toro Rosso brought to Barcelona has changed the behaviour of the rear of the STR8, and it is Vergne who has been able to adapt whilst Ricciardo is taking time to do so.
Ricciardo might still be slightly more the known quantity, and possibly a touch more consistent, but given what JEV produced in Monaco and Canada he may be starting to add consistency to his repertoire. And Vergne's ability to get into the points and then stay there is reinforced and magnified every time that Ricciardo puts himself into points-scoring contention, only to fall short - which has happened enough times for one to wonder if there is something of a trend.
And given the major technical shake-up going into 2014, and the fact that no-one really knows how next year's cars will behave, would Red Bull gamble on the driver with the narrower performance window - as Ricciardo seems to be - or allow themselves greater flexibility by choosing the more adaptable and versatile driver in Vergne? Actually, I think I know what I'd do. I'd take a gamble, preference what appears to be raw talent, and give the chance to develop as Vettel's protege ... to Antonio Felix da Costa.
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