Best of the rest?

[fpv_gtho]

Quite obviously, Michael Schimacher is the most talented driver in the current ranks, but who is everyone elses favourite driver?

[Coventrysucks]

I think Raikkonen proved last year and at Silverstone that he is willing to take Schumacher on.

I think it is only a matter of time before he becomes World Champion.

[fpv_gtho]

I suppose alot of how the drivers perform is down to the macinery theyre strapped to, no doubt drivers like Webber and Fisichella would be up at the pointy end if they were in a top 3 team

[motorsportnerd]

Surprisingly, I'm going to say Barrichello. Anyone who can consistently get close to Michael Schumacher in the same car while outclassing everyone else is going to be pretty good. Barrichello is the best of Schuey's team-mates - the only one to get within a whisker of Schuey's capabilities.

That said, Barrichello isn't having as good a season as he did in 2002. He will finish second in the championship, but he is having to work harder this year. The Ferrari is not the vastly superior car that it was in 2002 - the BAR and Renault are at least its equal and probably better. Schumacher is known to have to ability to drive around a car's problems (the 95 Benneton and the 96 Ferrari, both of which were pretty ordinary, spring to mind). Thus, he's still at the top. Barrichello doesn't have a car with superior performance to the BAR or Renault, thus is working harder. The fact that he is on terms with the BAR or Renault suggests to me he is doing a good job of performing well against superior machinery (or tyres as the case may be).
So, Barrichello rates 2nd for me.

However, Montoya and Webber remain my favourite drivers. We've yet to see Webber in a truly competitive car, but he does put the Jaguar further up than it should be.
Montoya is a hard charger, the best over-taker in F1 and genuinely quick. He's rattled Ralf Schumacher big time and I like his take no prisoners attitude. However, he doesn't seem very motivated when his car is not top notch.

Alonso and Raikkonen will be the class acts of the field in years to come. Both are excellent drivers considering how young they are. Both are potential World Champions.

So, for me, in talent/racing terms (and based both on this and past year's performance), the top 10 drivers currently are:

1. Michael Schumacher
2. Ruebens Barrichello
3. Fernando Alonso
4. Kimi Raikkonen
5. Juan Pablo Montoya
6. Mark Webber
7. Jenson Button
8. Jarno Trulli
9. Giancarlo Fishicella
10= Takuma Sato (for this years performance) and David Coulthard (more for his past performances)

The rest of the field (with the exception of Nick Heidfield) are grid fillers. De Matta may deserve another go. Ralf is overrated - and certainly not worth US$12 million a year (big call, I know, since he is a GP winner...but he hasn't been at his best since the Monza crash last year, is consistently outdriven and outpsyched by Montoya and one doubts whether he can get back to his best after the Indy crash).

[fpv_gtho]

Heidfeld seems to be a bi of a dark horse. The basic opinion of him most people hold seems to be hes stuck in a team with a car that doesnt show his full potential, possibly why the latest rumours have him and Webber going to Williams next year

[Homem de Gelo]

Schumacher has never been my favourite.
I voted for Raikkonen.

[Matra et Alpine]

I'm biased, I guess my one vote for the driver will remain the only one :)

[Mustang]

I voted for Kimi i think as soon as he gets used to his new car he will be very challenging

[jameswithington]

Why has Jenson Button not been included in the vote? Is it just an accidental oversight or do you really not rate him that highly? I personally don't think he's quite the best of the rest but I think he's definitely in the top five, and even Schumi himself labelled Button as the biggest upcoming threat to his crown.

To be honest for the first half of the season I was hugely disappointed with Kimi Raikkonen. I know his car was pretty hopeless but even so he was being out qualified and out performed by his team mate quite often. However, being at Silverstone at watching his performance changed my mind completely. He was not only quick in terms of lap times but showed a superb competitive edge and a lot of balls, things that seem to have been lacking in recent months. He gets my vote.

[fpv_gtho]

Button was excluded because simply, his name didnt spring to mind when i was constructing the poll, sorry. i suspect though, that those that think Button is the "best of the rest" will more than likly vote for "other" anyway. perhaps Matra wants to include Button into the poll?

[Matra et Alpine]

Button was excluded because simply, his name didnt spring to mind when i was constructing the poll, sorry. i suspect though, that those that think Button is the "best of the rest" will more than likly vote for "other" anyway. perhaps Matra wants to include Button into the poll?
Done :)

[fpv_gtho]

thanks Matra, i suspect some people may want to change their votes now unfortunately :(

[Falcon500]

I actually voted for kimi Raikonen...i think he has the potential to be a champion one day...and his poor backround he came from means he worked for hisdrive rather then haveing it bought for him.....

I think it was alsonso...or was it montoya? who done the "You broke My F*cking head!" incident and violently attacked amember of the press :D i actually found that very amusing (because i dont like either of them)

Webbers tops and ive talked to his old man....thereare some benafits to liveing in Queanbeyan....

And i found the newpaper article of both the schumachers and pannis destroying a hotel room.....I also dont like either of the schumachers

Schu Brothers' Drunken Rampage In Japan October 13 18:36
F1 champion Michael Schumacher wrecked a hospitality suite to celebrate wrapping up a sixth drivers' title in Japan on Sunday night.

Britain's The Sun newspaper reports that the German and 28-year-old brother Ralf knocked over a fridge and threw a TV set through a window in a drunken frenzy.

Michael, wearing a booze-soaked Toyota team shirt, picked up a chair after Ralf smashed a window and lobbed it out of the gaping hole.

Veteran ace Olivier Panis was also in on the action, eyewitnesses reported.

Later, drunk, Michael Schumacher 'hopped on to a forklift for a spin round the paddock,' The Sun continued to report.

[Mustang]

thanks Matra, i suspect some people may want to change their votes now unfortunately :(


id like to make a bouble vote for Kimi and Button now :)

[SlickHolden]

Mark webber is top notch, He put that crap on wheels second to shu on the grid this year, He is very consistent and he is very professional like shu is, He always places that car in the fight againts better cars which in my book shows that he is top driver in the making when he steps in the seat of a top3 car exspect big things from him cause he will from himself he will have the hunger to win he can smell it.
Take the german race today hes team mate drove a williams today and when he was with jag he was never on the same lap most of the time, today in a williams car webber finnished in front of him and the gap was under a second. So there is proof the car was 10 times better Pizzonia in williams was good in jag a crap on wheels he got the door. So webber in a williams you should see at the pointy end next year if and when he gets the job

[fpv_gtho]

webber's a good driver and all, but this year his car hasnt had the best reliability because jaguar's budget has been low and the performance from the jaguar is probably from the bottom 10, but hes the type of driver that gives the race engineers everything to work with and i can't imagine how bad the R5 would be if it was only klien and the test driver trying to sort it out.

once he's in a williams though, we'll be able to accurately say whether hes world championship wuality or not though.

[Viper007]

I voted for Button I believe that guy can drive the hell out of that car. He's excellent at keeping a fast pace and doesnt seem to fade easily. He runs hard and does a great job.

[F1_Master]

I think Coulthard, Montoya, and R. Schumacher are great. I heard Montoya is switching to McLaren.

[fpv_gtho]

montoya's switch to mclaren has been confirmed already