Which F1 team has the best driver line up going into 2013?

[rjbetty]

Ok I don't know how to post a poll, but here goes:

Some drivers are subject to confirmation.

I don't expect HRT have a chance of making it in 2013, in any form.

I think the best driver combination could actually be Mercedes, so that's my choice.

[steveaki13]

2 votes for Mercedes.

While I am not 100% sure about Nico, with him and Lewis (one of the very best) I think they have the best line up. If all teams had an Identical car I would fancy Mercedes to do well.

Red Bull Vettel & Webber would probably be next but Mark has wayward spells most seasons.

Ferrari- Alonso is one of the best but Massa lets Ferrari down unfortunately these days.

Mclaren? Well Button is Good but not the very best and Perez is a complete unknown at the top teams level.

Lotus - Raikkonen & Grosjean could be strong on a good day but Grosjean can also look an amateur at times.

Williams - Untested Bottas and a fast but slightly wayward Maldonado.
Sauber - Nico Hulkenberg is a great driver, but Gutierrez is new.
Force INdia - If its Paul & Bruno then thats mediocre at best.
Toro Rosso - Both are promising but not ready.

Caterham - Pic done well at times last year and fancy him to be best of the new teams overall even if someone else finishes ahead on position gained. But Garde is unknown.

Marussia - Chilton & Razia ???? Who knows, but not the best on the grid. lol

[Koz]

If Massa retains the form he had during the latter half of 2012 - which I believe he will, I'd say Ferrari

2. Mercedes
3. Red Bull
4. Lotus
[Ferrari]
5. McLaren

[keysersoze]

Interesting thread. This is the first time I can remember having so many of the top teams with clear No. 1s and No. 2s, though of course several teams won't cop to it. Of the top 7-8 teams, the CVs of the teammates are dramatically different. You'd have to go all the way down to Toro Rosso to say with any certainty that teammates have achieved comparable F1 stats.

I'd have to go with Vettel-Webber, but barely. Driving talent from team-to-team seems remarkably even at the top.

[rjbetty]

Interesting thread. This is the first time I can remember having so many of the top teams with clear No. 1s and No. 2s, though of course several teams won't cop to it. Of the top 7-8 teams, the CVs of the teammates are dramatically different. You'd have to go all the way down to Toro Rosso to say with any certainty that teammates have achieved comparable F1 stats.

I'd have to go with Vettel-Webber, but barely. Driving talent from team-to-team seems remarkably even at the top.

1999 was a good one for teams having dominant drivers. I think Arrows were the only exception.

[Tazio]

I agree with Koz but Massa has to put together a consistantly good season so I'm giving the nod to:
1 Mercedes
2 Red Bull (tie)
2 Ferrari (tie)
4 Lotus
5 McLaren
6 FI
9 Williams (tie)
9 Sauber (tie)
9 Toro Rosso (tie)
These are my highly speculative choices, to me their are just too many unknowns.
I just can't wait to get this Barbeque started!

[jens]

Mercedes and Red Bull are quite close. Both have exceptional lead drivers and... well, now it depends on how good will Rosberg prove himself to be. But time is clearly on this side compared to Webber, who is already closing on retirement, so Mercedes is likely to edge ahead here.

If Massa can consistently be the kind of driver we saw in the late 2000s, then Ferrari is right up there as well. But on the whole the last three seasons haven't gone that way any more.

Can see some similarities between McLaren and Lotus. A consistent WDC team leader with an unproven and possibly inconsistent/error-prone young second driver. Only the season can show, which one proves to be better.

Others? A lot of young drivers. Overall not spectacular, but okayish line-ups.
Had Sauber retained Kobayashi, I'd say they would have a really solid line-up for a midfield team, but I fear Gutiérrez is going to get some beating.
Force India. I think it will be Bianchi instead of Senna. I think Bianchi is a pretty fast driver, but I don't think he is quite going to live up to the potential of Hülkenberg. So like Sauber, the line-up has slightly weakened.
Williams. Two (possibly) fast drivers, but Maldonado in particular is rather wild. However, unlike Sauber and FI they have everything to gain and nothing to lose in terms of driver performance, considering what a let-down 2012 was for them.
STR. Also they can only gain with some additional experience. But hard to tell, how good these drivers really are at this stage.
Caterham & Marussia. Well, what can I say. Proper backmarker line-ups. Don't really have the ability to threaten drivers in front, but aren't embarrasing or out of their depth either. Reminds me of the quartet of Karthikeyan, Monteiro, Friesacher and Albers from 2005 in the Jordans and Minardis. None of them were embarrasing, but none were going to set the world alight.

So I guess things are balanced this year. World champions in different top 5 teams. Bunch of midfielders and some promising drivers after them. And some unspectacular drivers at the back.

[steveaki13]

I want to see someone vote for Scorpion for the strongest 2013 lineup.

[tfp]

If Bunson has a stormer of a season like 2011 and checo performs as well in the mclaren as he has done (until he stopped scoring points....) then Id say mclaren.
I'm expecting more of the same from ferrari, and merc to be underdogs.

[zako85]

The answer to this question was much easier last year, since McLaren had two top flight drivers (and that didn't help them..). This year? who knows.. I am thinking probably the Mercedes duo.