Rate the new generation

[jens]

So as Hamilton has won races and is challenging for the title, then let's put him aside him in that poll or discussion, as you like. He has more or less proved himself already with results.
But let's talk about other newcomers (2006-2007), who have so far achieved just one podium altogether and let's compare them and their potential.

Kubica, who has shown to be a strong rival to Heidfeld.
Kovalainen, who has recently had the upper hand over Fisi.
Rosberg, who has firmly beaten Wurz.
Sutil, who has looked very fast in the slowest car.
Davidson, who recently has put in several good performances too.
Liuzzi and Vettel - first of them beating the highly rated German, but the latter is still trying to adapt to F1.

All of them look good drivers if not amazing talents. What do you think, which one of them has most potential in future terms? Who has impressed you most? How good anyone of them exactly is?

[BriannaBee]

Rosberg has done really well this season and deserves a better seat.
Heikki has really come on well in the more recent races and Renault definitely should keep him.
Kubica has been a bit disappointing but definitely deserves his seat for at least another season.
Davidson, Sutil and especially Vettel - too early to tell how they'll end up.
Liuzzi should either be a test driver or go off to the IRL or something - he really hasn't improved much at all in nearly 2 full seasons in F1 (including the 4-5 races he had with RBR in 2005).

[Hazell B]

I'd agree with the above, but Kubica has done as well as could be expected as far as I can see, considering the rest of the field.

Much as I will Davidson on, he's not going to be a world beater any time soon, sadly. Don't know what I'd do with him if I were his boss. He seems such a nice guy yet not quite a champion in the making. Shame :(

[Garry Walker]

Kubica has not progressed as he should have from last season.
Hamilton is very impressive, but how much of it is the car?
Rosberg - Good, but I have some doubts about him. Wurz is making him look good.
Kovalainen - Good, but not world class. Midfield driver.
Sutil - Yamamoto with barley any mileage at all is already close to his pace, conclusion - Albers made him look good. Not even a midfield driver level.
Vettel - Too early to say, but not looking that good.
Liuzzi - bye, F1 does not need you.
Davidson - midfield driver level, but not as good as Kovalainen.

[LeonBrooke]

I think Rosberg has really come on very well. Last year, after Bahrain, I was unimpressed by him but this year he's shown that it doesn't really matter - you can't judge a driver until they've had a year or two's experience. That's why I'm withholding judgement on Kovalainen and Sutil.

Vettel was very impressive on his debut but we'll have to wait to see how he does at STR. Kubica has been very impressive as well - Had he been driving for McLaren and Hamilton for BMW, I think they'd also be experiencing each other's results.

As for Liuzzi, I'm suprised Red Bull haven't dumped him. Not that he's necessarily a bad driver, but they seem so fickle with their affections.


Hmm, Davidson. He's hardly a rookie or a beginner, and for someone who was so quick in practice and testing he's hardly been an inspiration in the races. But again, we should let him find his feet - perhaps he'll be a Fernando Alonso - working his way towards the front over the course of a couple of seasons.

I really think we shouldn't be dismissing anyone yet - you don't have to be lightning-quick from the outset to be a good driver or a world champion.

[Gibbsy]

Rosberg only looking good because he doesn't have Webber in the same team to kick his arse anymore.

Kubica hasnt been as impressive as Heidfeld.

Too early to tell on Vettel. If he has a lot of potential he shouldnt take too long to get in front of liuzzi.

Kovalainen looking solid, but i just dont think he has the blistering speed of five or six other drivers in F1. Also not as young as most of the other young guys.

Sutil: Well who the hell knows what he is capable of in that ****box of a car in the team that cahnges its ownership on a weekly basis. Reserve judgement on that one.

[wmcot]

Liuzzi should either be a test driver or go off to the IRL or something - he really hasn't improved much at all in nearly 2 full seasons in F1 (including the 4-5 races he had with RBR in 2005).

Unfortunately, neither has the STR!

[wmcot]

Kubica has not progressed as he should have from last season.
Hamilton is very impressive, but how much of it is the car?
Rosberg - Good, but I have some doubts about him. Wurz is making him look good.
Kovalainen - Good, but not world class. Midfield driver.
Sutil - Yamamoto with barley any mileage at all is already close to his pace, conclusion - Albers made him look good. Not even a midfield driver level.
Vettel - Too early to say, but not looking that good.
Liuzzi - bye, F1 does not need you.
Davidson - midfield driver level, but not as good as Kovalainen.

Kubica - agree, he's moving along slowly.
Hamilton - it's not all the car. He's very race smart for a rookie.
Rosberg - progressing well, he'd look even better if his car stays in one piece
Kovalainen - seems to be progressing more rapidly than most.
Sutil - Yamamoto qualified almost 2 seconds slower - that's not exactly on the same pace. Hard to tell about Sutil while he's in the Spyker. See how he does in a McLaren.
Vettel - Napolean Dynamite with Nomex. Very young, he has time to mature as a racer - if he can.
Liuzzi - Never looks like he takes F1 that seriously to me. More into piercings than podiums.
Davidson - One hell of a test driver! Should copy Luca Badoer and do what he does best - test (and maybe develop a decent Honda!)

[Roamy]

Any of the new kids beating their teammate should be watched closely. Hamilton was fortunate to enter with McLaren. But others are impressive as well.

[Ranger]

Kubica I'm slightly disappointed about. But he has the best helmet on the grid IMO. :D

Kovalainen is finding his feet. I think he has pretty much closed the door on Fisi's career after recent performances.

Vettel - everyone was praising him (except his team boss) after Indy in the points. Now in the STR car he is slower than Liuzzi, who was slower than Scott Speed, who won't be in F1 next year. That is slightly worrying, because you should be showing speed as soon as you are in F1, otherwise you are not ready.

Liuzzi - A few too many years without progression. Sorry.

Rosberg - Beaten by Webber last year, and is now beating Wurz. As a result, he is now being praised again in levels not seen since his debut last year. He's no slouch, but Wurz (who was smashed by Fisi) is certainly making him look good.

Sutil - Should be given a test drive for next year in a better team, if only to see how he is. You can't tell **** when someone drives for Spyker, but he has beaten his team-mates pretty decisively.

Davidson - After a poor start to the season, he is looking pretty good now. Sato and Davidson should be retained for next year IMO.

[ArrowsFA1]

Hamilton is very impressive, but how much of it is the car?
fousto has answered that one.

Any of the new kids beating their teammate should be watched closely.

Hamilton is outstanding. Yes, he has a good car and has had excellent preparation, but he has done more with it than a 2xWDC, and he has managed every other aspect of F1 remarkably well.

Of the others Kubica is not quite able to match Heidfeld's performances yet. He needs to.

Kovalainen has impressed me. After a poor start, and criticism from Briatore, he's recovered strongly in what is a difficult year for Renault.

Rosberg has a big future. Not only is he excellent technically, but he's developing into a fine Grand Prix driver. Would be a very good fit at McLaren should Alonso walk away.

Sutil is far better than the Spyker allows him to show, but he's keeping his head down and learning. He deserves to step up the grid in 2008 and the likes of Toyota would do well to look at him.

Davidson is showing well against Sato, and at a time when Sato is being well thought of that's no bad thing. Unfortunately racing with Aguri again, or testing for Honda again, may be Ant's only options next year. I hope not because, like Sutil, he deserves the opportunity to race with a more competitive team.

Not sure about Liuzzi. He impressed on his way up to F1 but either the Red Bull image has damaged his reputation unfairly, or he's not committed enough.

Vettel - too soon to tell. He should be wary of what Red Bull can do to young drivers!

[jens]

Well. I personally tend to put Kubica, Kovalainen and Rosberg all quite on the same level.
Kubica has been a bit inconsistent (no surprise for a rookie!), but he has shown that he can be as quick as Nick and he has progressed from the end of last year by not making any more driver errors!
Kovalainen has been IMO really impressive recently and could have a bright future too. No other rookie team-mate has beaten Fisi so far (Massa, Sato Button, Wurz, Ralf), but HK is doing it. Should say a lot!
Rosberg might have looked the most impressive one among those three, but I agree with those, who say that Wurz has also played part in that. I think that the vast majority of the grid could give Nico harder competition that Wurz. Therefore I'd like to see Nico to be partnered by a new driver next year.

I'd like to put Sutil in the same group as the drivers above, but I'm not totally sure either. It's hard to judge driver, when he's driving for Spyker. For example last year I was very impressed with Albers's drives in MF1, but probably I overrated him back then. Also I think Davidson is Heikki-like driver as he has needed more time to settle in F1 as a driver. I probably underrated him a bit before the season, although I still don't quite compare him with the three firstly mentioned drivers. Also the question remains that how good benchmark is Sato - how much does matching or even beating him say?

I still think Liuzzi is not that average as many of you think. I think he hasn't quite got a proper chance. Actually I like the idea to see him driving for Williams next year alongside Rosberg - then he can really show, what he is capable of. Vettel is currently having his first (!) test days with Toro Rosso, so I think his first real showing must come at Monza, when he is a bit more comfortable with the car.

[Roamy]

I want to see rosberg against a worth teammate

[aryan]

Where's all this Rosberg beating Wurz coming from? Last time I checked, qualifying, testing and fastest laps still didn't count in F1, points did. And for the record:

- Alexander Wurz: 13 Points
- Nico Rosberg: 9 Points

And wurz, while no WDC material, has certainly the capacity to beat Rosberg by the end of the season. Considering that Rosberg was also beaten by Webber, I don't put him in a that high a class.

Liuzzi: Stick a fork in him please...

Vettel: Give him some time to adjust.

Sutil: Flashes of brilliance, very inconsisten. Would like to see him in F1 next year.

HK: Beating Fisico alright, but I think Fisi is disheartened and unmotivated knowing that this is his last season in F1.

Kubica: I rate quick Nick quite highly, and he has more or less matched Nick. I think Kubica has potential.

Davidson: Mildly disappointed by him this season; I expected falshworks. Still, I'd give him at least one more year to prove himself.

[Trqster]

Hamilton is the only rookie being judged against a a proven 2x WDC coming out on top and having to cope with the pressure of racing on a championish leading team without almost any mistakes maken. IMO we're talking Senna/Schummi league material here...

From the rest of the best, Rosberg is developing into quite a competitive racer, but the truth is that Wurz is hardly putting any pressure on him, like Webber did before.
Kubica was extremely promising but has disapointed this year and shown that he can barely keep up with Heidlfeld sometimes.

Kovalainen is a Rosberg kind of rookie, good enough but hardly brilliant.
Sutil is looking good but makes so many mistakes... Remember Tiago Monteiro? He wasn't a brilliantly talented driver by any means, but always drove the car to the finish line at least.

To me, a real special driver only appears every other decade in formula one....first we had Senna, then Schummi, and now it seems Hamilton.