2008 Champion will go to the wrong driver

[seppefan]

Seems to me that two drivers who would DESERVE to be the 09 World Champion are Alonso and Kubica. Neither Hamilton or Massa have driven a Champion season. Both have driven some fantastic races but have also screwed up while having the best cars. Alonso and Kubica drive their cars to their full potential and more and would be more worthy Champions in my humble view. .

[F1boat]

I agree, but still I'd love to see Massa crowned as champion.

[jens]

As I have written in another thread, World Championship is not ultimately about drivers, but about the whole team effort. We can argue, who are the best drivers and if the champion is among them, but it doesn't make the champion himself undeserving, because other factors have made up the deficiencies. And one can't become a champion with poor driving anyway, championship battle creates a different pressure. In the list of F1 WDC's there are no bad or average drivers even if they haven't been the most impressive performers in their winning season.

Driving-wise Alonso and Vettel may indeed be performing at the highest level, but in turn I may ask you why do you want their teams - Renault and Toro Rosso - to win the title, when they don't deserve it? :

[Tazio]

Seems to me that two drivers who would DESERVE to be the 09 World Champion are Alonso and Kubica. Neither Hamilton or Massa have driven a Champion season. Both have driven some fantastic races but have also screwed up while having the best cars. Alonso and Kubica drive their cars to their full potential and more and would be more worthy Champions in my humble view. .

As much as I agree with the "spirit" of your post,
this is F1. How many times has a pilot in an inferior car lost
while displaying superior craft to the eventual WDC?

[Rollo]

1990? The Ferrari was a fragile beast and I suspect that it was only someone of the caliber of Prost who could drive sensitively enough to hold it together over a race distance. Mansell's 8 failures and indeed Prost's own 4 show this.

In the end, superior race craft did not win the drivers title in 1990.

[christophulus]

As I have written in another thread, World Championship is not ultimately about drivers, but about the whole team effort.

Exactly, and that's what makes F1 different to the other series with the identical cars - GP2 etc, which is much more in the hands of the driver. The car plays an enormous part in who wins, both its outright speed and how well the driver can get the full potential out of it, and that's usually the product of a great team.

Schumacher's titles in 2002 and 2004 are proof of the fact that a superior car (and an accommodating team mate ) can make all the difference. I certainly won't try to pretend that anyone could have won in that car, he undoubtedly put in a great performance and I won't try to cheapen his achievements, but he wouldn't have won in the Minardi!

There are other examples - the McLarens in 1988/89 and the Williams in 1996 among several others - where the team, and therefore the car makes the difference. And for that reason, Kubica/Vettel/Alonso can't really be seen as challengers if they were only competitive for half of the season.

[ShiftingGears]

Well out of the three, I think Kubica has done the best job this season. Lewis and Felipe have both put out sensational drives, but they have been littered with erratic performances.

If Lewis keeps it up without developing as a driver, he could be the next Montoya. He has potential, but he'll only realise it if he gets his head screwed on.

[Valve Bounce]

Seems to me that two drivers who would DESERVE to be the 09 World Champion are Alonso and Kubica. Neither Hamilton or Massa have driven a Champion season. Both have driven some fantastic races but have also screwed up while having the best cars. Alonso and Kubica drive their cars to their full potential and more and would be more worthy Champions in my humble view. .

Hey!! you forgot bunsen and DC

[ArrowsFA1]

Well out of the three, I think Kubica has done the best job this season.

If he doesn't win the championship then I think he stands a very good chance of getting the #1 spot in the Autocourse driver ratings this year.

[leopard]

I agree, but still I'd love to see Massa crowned as champion.

Let's see how long your support will stand for Massa?