2021 Race 6 - Baku

[Nitrodaze]

I am being more than fair about Russell. Of all the drivers you have mentioned in the previous few threads, he is the one with almost no comparisons in F1 except for a single drive in a dominant car. Yet you've stated that in equal machinery he could beat Max. Then you go on to include Gasly and Norris as up in the same league.

None of us know if that is true. We still don't know if Lewis can be Max in equal machinery. We simply know that Lewis and Max, both in superior cars, are beating the rest at the moment.

There are probably a number of drivers that would be competing in the dominant cars. The trick is figuring out who the actual strongest drivers are, since the comparison is only usually those drivers in the lesser cars. And I think all of us fully understand that nobody is promoted to a seat in a better car while those seats are still filled. Contracted under programs or not, those drivers don't get a chance until the right seat opens, and even then it can be short lived at times.

When l say you are not being fair. I am talking about appreciating the potential of a driver. Yes, there are many unknowns. If Redbull took that sort of perspective to hiring their drivers, Verstappen would still be in Torro Rosso now. Every driver presents each team bosses with a perspective of their potential, given the chance to drive their car. Perez did just that when he won the Bahrain GP and was swiftly hired by Redbull. And he has confirmed that potential by winning the Baku GP.

Note:- Perez is the first driver to win in that 2nd seat at Redbull since Ricciardo. What a relief that must have been for Horner. The curse is broken.

With very little opportunity to showcase his true potential, Russell grasped his one and only opportunity and nearly won the Bahrain GP. A race that did wonders for Perez. My point is, it is not about yardstick measures but measures of potential. And Russell has demonstrated that he has enormous potential.

On Hamilton compared to Verstappen, this scenario is the best possible way to measure the comparative strengths and weaknesses of both drivers. In the same team, Verstappen would have to cope with the in-team politics, the mind games as well as try to beat Hamilton on track. That is not a good scenario for a young challenger to take on a seven-time world champion. However, in the safety and protection of another team, he can focus on his racing and put out his best performances.

We adore Alonso because he beat Seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, twice in a Renault. Would he have done so, driving in the second seat at Ferrari? Certainly not. He would be flying too close to the sun and would have been burnt from the experience. To estimate what is possible in the future, we only have "potential" to go on. When it comes down to proving it, there is a myriad of factors that come into play to producing what would actually happen. And the outcome can be different from what we expect. Among those things is crucially luck and good timing which plays a huge role in what transpires for each driver.

Bad timing destroyed Grosjean's career. Albon is paying the price for that very same thing. Gasly was nearly destroyed by it. Thankfully he is recovering well.