Hello chaps, Monaco is over and the snooze fest offered up some interesting overtakes and Marussia gaining their first points which was good to see. There were a lot of breakdowns and people were surprised but due to the close racing nature of the circuit, overheating was always going to be a factor so I was not surprised to see a few engines blow up.
I like a lot of pundits was a tad bit sceptical about all the praise being awarded to Seb as a result of RBR dominance and would like to see him performing without the advantage. However we have so far only seen one performance of note in the midst of a variety of car failures. We have also seen Ricciardo consistently out qualify and outperform him too. For someone who a lot of people consider a quali specialist, one must wonder just how good Ricciardo really is to take it to Seb and beat him consistently on track, in quali and in the championship so far.
Horner has reportedly said they knew Ricciardo was good but not this good. So considering RBRs policy of a number 1 and number 2 driver, is it time they start to back the number 1 driver, Ricciardo? I know it is early in the championship but they have done this before and it looks like Daniel is the only one capable of taking it to the mercs.
I know it is crazy to count out a 4 time world champion but the diffuser is gone and so has his mojo it appears.
What do you guys think?
Team Red Bull Racing
posted on 27/5/14
I'm not sure there's been a single race where both have had trouble-free races/qualifying, so it's a bit difficult to compare the two. Too early in the season to back one driver. If Ricciardo gets a bit of Vettel's luck, then Vettel could be back on top.
I also think that with the way they're using up engines, they'll be qualifying 5 places lower for a large part of the latter end of the season, so have little chance of challenging the Mercedes.
I'm not sure how you can say Vettel's mojo has gone after the Spanish GP, and to bring up diffusers is a little disingenuous. He was still the best driver for the past 4 years, but has been hamstrung this year.
Although it is quite funny the way some people have changed their tune. Originally Red Bull signed the "rubbish" Ricciardo so that he wouldn't show up Vettel. Now that he's doing well, it also proves that Vettel isn't very good. How convenient.
People will no doubt turn on Ricciardo too if he ends up dominating the sport.
posted on 27/5/14
I just put up this to debate my good man. I do not believe Vettel is rubbish, I do believe he was and is overhyped.
So far the rookie who has had less testing time is beating him consistently, qualifying ahead of him, managing tyres better and taking the fight to the mercs.
I personally have no problems with Seb, I just do not think he is the all conquering supremo some try to make out he is. Ricciardo is the business and is a breath of fresh air and wish him well
posted on 27/5/14
Couldn't it be both? Ricciardo is also a product of the Red Bull young driver programme, same as Vettel. Vettel could be brilliant, but Ricciardo could be even more brilliant.
posted on 27/5/14
Of course it is, winning 4 straight championships is no mean feat.
However, we should see similar form even when the car is not the best.
posted on 27/5/14
Red Bull didn't really dominate as much as Mercedes are at the moment. The two Mercs are almost always nailed on 1-2 every race. Where as with the Red Bulls, ok Vettel's car was good but his advantage wasn't nearly as big as Mercedes have this year.
posted on 27/5/14
man devil
good evening manx
from what i can gather vettel developed his own unique style that nobody else had during the EBD era hence why he was so effective with the various chassis"s and the tyres
also from what i can gather he has had a slightly defective chassis for the first 4 races hence when red bull gave him his original winter testing chassis at spain that he seemingly felt at one with and hence put in arguably the drive of the season so far
think you will find vettel was down on power thruout monaco qual - we all know what happened in the race -
maybe i am wrong but i dont think anything in formula 1 is as strait forward and simple as a 4 x WDC suddenly having a talent bypass because of a rule change
posted on 27/5/14
comment by Teenage Mutant Shininja-Kagawa (U4302)
posted 3 hours, 16 minutes ago
Red Bull didn't really dominate as much as Mercedes are at the moment. The two Mercs are almost always nailed on 1-2 every race. Where as with the Red Bulls, ok Vettel's car was good but his advantage wasn't nearly as big as Mercedes have this year.
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It was because Webber was crap and Seb was not maximising the true potential of the car. When he did like at Singapore last year, he showed what the car was truly capable of
posted on 29/5/14
It's far too early to be having designated #1 and #2 drivers, particularly when it won't really matter regarding the championship. Things change around so quickly in the world of Formula 1.
I must add, I've been extremely impressed by Ricciardo. The man has got his head down and done his job superbly thus far.