2014 Russian Grand Prix Thread

[The Black Knight]

Why mention Senna? Just say 80s/90s? But anyway. There no question that previous generation of drivers (at least the recognised top guys), are superiors to the current mob.

Circuits these days a more forgiving to driver error. In fact, they're now designed to take into account modern day drivers inferior level of ability. There's was a wider variety of circuits. This leads to a greater challenge overall, over a season. Now? Almost all the circuits have the similar characteristics. A lesser season long challenge.

There's an assumed knowledge back then of how to drive on a track. Nowadays drivers are having to be told everything. I mean, the stringent safety car rules nowadays is due to the modern day drivers inferior lack of comprehension of actual discipline of driving.

Cars back before 94, were more raucous and fragile. Even in the best car, drivers had to manage them throughout the race. Nowadays, driving the cars are a more straightforward exercise. It requires less overall ability than in the past.


Again. Why single out Senna?

Fitness has nothing to do with the skill of driving.

Drivers have to be better prepared because they are inferior.

I single out Senna because most people, incorrectly in my opinion, hail him as a racing God but looking back on the races he made plenty of mistakes and I certainly don't regard him as the greatest of all time.

I disagree with your assertion that drivers nowadays are easier to driver. I would say quite the opposite. Drivers are required to multi-task constantly in todays cars. They have buttons that they use to affect balance, brake bias etc. They are far more complicated beasts than they were 20 years ago. I regard the drivers of today in much higher regard than those 20 years ago. The big difference is that drivers are much more prepared nowadays than they were back in the good old days and the standard for entering F1 is higher with F1 driver programs by the likes of RBR, McLaren and Ferrari.

Now to your comment that "Fitness has nothing to do with the skill of driving" This has to be the worst comment I've ever read on this forum. Drivers are athletes, especially nowadays since Schumacher came on board and raised the fitness level to that never seen before in F1. The fitter you are, the sharper you are. The sharper you are, the quicker your reflexes, the better you're able to focus. The benefits of being fit are massive and it translates to your skill on the race track. Being fit enables a person to harness their skill further and make the maximum from the ability they have. For a F1 fan to say being fit has nothing to do with the skill of driving really boggles my mind. If they weren't fit they wouldn't be able to drive today's cars and show their skill.

I agree with your point about the circuits being more forgiving now. I don't like this but if it is in the interests of safety then I am okay with it. This doesn't mean the drivers have less skill it just means that they can afford to make a mistake now whereas they couldn't before so now we see them making these mistakes and running wide because they know they can afford to do so while finding the limit, whereas in the past they couldn't afford those mistakes. That's nothing to do with skill, that's just a by-product of circuits being safer nowadays. It's also part of a racing drivers job, to find every advantage that they can and if they have to run wide a couple of times to do that, then so be it. It is what they are employed to do