Not606 driver opinion shift

[SgtBhaji]

+ Hamilton
Yep... I'm a fan, but after last season I thought he was losing it and wasn't sure he'd find his form again. It turned out that he found it and then some. Nice to see him firing on all cylinders.

+ Alonso
I really think he has driven beautifully this season. I'd say this is the best we have ever seen him. I never imagined he'd be in the title fight at the last race of the season.

+Massa
After being all but written off, it seems like we have a Massa renaissance. He might not be winning races but it seems like the fuse may have been lit again.



- Vettel
Still supreme. Fighting for his third title with the same vigor and determination as the previous 2 seasons. After his domination of 2011 it's almost impossible for him to get any better.


0 Kobayashi
What happened? He seems to be sliding in to the ether. There are races that pass now and I barely even notice him. Hopefully another year will make a difference.

0 Button
Not really hooked it up at all this year and has been mostly mediocre. Needs to step it up in 2013. Seems like the usual Button again.

Special mention: Kimi
I was really unsure about his return but boy has he proved me wrong. The lad still has it... hopefully Lotus can keep him motivated.

 

[AS1960]

+ Hulkenberg thought he was pretty average, but now i think he's pretty good (still overrated mind)
+ Schumacher Much improved pace, still it hasn't happened for him but this year its not his fault. found myself really supporting him for the first time. (bit late but still...)
+ Maldonado sure he's crashed a lot but he'smuch much quicker than i thought

- Di Resta, failed to build on momentum
- Kobayashi He's done OK but the excitement that started fading mid 2011 just isn't there anymore
- Button, Look i am a huge fan, but sadly lack tradition fanboy blindness, This has been a dreadful season and its pained me to watch it unfold. Especially with my opinion after 2011 (or up to China 2012) was that he was a serious condenter. I dont really know what to think right now
- Senna Opposite of Maldonado. I preferred him being quick and untidy in 2011 to slow but constant like this year. Like KK i no longer see the potential.

For everyone else my opinion is pretty static (we already knew Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton were great) . As you can probably guess looking at my supported drivers list i've not loved this season to the same extent as the neutrals.

Julius I disagree with you about Senna- he has shown good race pace and race craft, and although not too good at quality, that was his strength at Lotus- I would give him one more year to see if he merges the two together to emerge highly effective

 

[The Iceman]

Adding some more:

+ Hulkenberg - I thought it was hard on him when he got dropped by Williams. He looks to have proven that opinion right. He's a seriously good driver and quick. Looking forward to him at Sauber next season.

+ Maldonado - I actually took an instant liking to him last season when many people wrote him off as just another pay driver. He has really improved this season and I reckon he deserves a go in a car like the Lotus.

+ Glock - He's driven the wheels off that Marussia this season and they look set to take over Caterham as the potential breakout team.

- Grosjean - Thought he wasn't up to F1 the first time around and I still think that. He's been the most dangerous driver on the grid this season and has cost Lotus points, no doubt.

- Senna - Never thought he was any good and it's time for Bottas to take his seat.

- Kamui - Ahhh Kamui, one of my favourite drivers seems to have lost a bit of his "real racer" abilities. Hopefully if he does indeed lose his Sauber seat he can go to Caterham and do well there. Whatever happens I will always remember the Japanese GP this year with a smile on my face. Ka-mu-i!, Ka-mu-i!

- Paul Dire Esta - Stop living in the past and start working on improving yourself as a driver. Can't stand his interviews either.

0 Alonso - Annoyingly consistent even when the car isn't at it's best. He grates on me but I can't help respect him for his craft.

 

[Kyle?]

+ Pastor Maldonado. Completely upped his game this season, still some erratic and downright silly moments, but he's proved himself worthy of being in F1. If he's just a pay driver, then he's raised the bar for pay drivers significantly.

+ Romain Grosjean. The other "crash kid" with Maldo, aside from some silly moments, he too has proven himself as a good driver IMO. Had a victory snatched away from him in Europe, normally quicker than his teammate over 1 lap, the aim will be to improve race pace next season.

+ Nico Hulkenberg. Has consistently beaten "the greatest driver who ever lived" in the 2nd half of the season, once he'd got himself acquainted with the Pirelli tyres. I think he's destined for a big team. 1 year in a Sauber should polish some rough edges.

+ Sebastian Vettel. Finally proved he can race with the best of them. Great comeback drives in Belgium and Abu Dhabi, staying in the championship chase during the 1st half of the season with an average car (before Newey unlocked it's potential) and eradicating silly errors. He deserves his (possible) 3rd title.

0 Fernando Alonso. Still the best driver in F1, still the biggest hypocrite in F1. Some things don't change.

0 Lewis Hamilton. Still blindingly fast, still has moronic fans. Seems to be redeveloping some humility, doesn't seem as miserable this season as he has been for the past 2 years. Still some getting back to the 07 Lewis who I actually liked.

- Kamui Kobayashi. Well Peter Sauber, you successfully managed to turn F1's most exciting driver into the boring endurance style driver you love. And are now going to fire him for being what you wanted. Well done.

- Nico Rosberg. When you're getting consistently beaten by a 43 year old who people say is past his best, you know you've had a poor season. Take away his victory in China, and he's had a really poor showing in 2012. And things look worse for next year. If you can't beat a past his prime (but still pretty handy) Schumacher, how are you going to beat an in-form Lewis Hamilton?

- Paul "Everyone is inferior to me" Di Resta. Had his arse handed to him by Hulk, yet still thinks he's worthy of a top drive. Come back once you've achieved something (and DTM title's don't count)

 

[Delete Me]

Some good opinions on here keep them coming

 

[JonnyBaws]

Good topic Silver!

Very sheep like, my choices aren’t much different.

Top of the Pluses for me would be..

Hamilton, stopped playing bumper cars with the other drivers, pardon the pun, but he’s got to grips with the new tyres, proving he can adapt and can manage his tyres whilst still driving considerably faster than his tyre loving team-mate.
Through no fault of his own, he’s not in the championship hunt, a championship he should/could have won!
To boot, he’s given Button a bloody nose, points gap is only this close because of the car failures and pit stop botch ups!
Also agree with this comment “Also been impressed with his reactions to retiring from the lead in Singapore and Abu Dhabi remaining upbeat in the process.” He’s shown all the signs of growing up and maturing which was the next phase in his evolution of a racing driver.

Maldonado, The boy can drive and drive bloody quickly! Also impressed with his driving during the latter half of this season, has he appears to have sorted out his “Crashkid” (Copyright Silver 2012) issues!

Perez, but only up until Monza, since then he’s turned in a male appendage, caused a couple of crashes, nearly took Hamilton out at Japan while crashing out himself! He’s a diamond alright but one that needs a fair bit of polishing, I’m looking for a strong finish at Interlagos otherwise I’ll edit this post and give him a minus mark!

Does Kimi deserve a plus? If Pluses are given out based on previous years performance, then Kimi doesn’t qualify, but like the FIA do for Ferrari, I’ll bend the rules a bit, I’m a Kimi fan (who isn’t) but his comeback (thanks to a decent car) has gone great, hope Lotus can give him just as a competitive car for 2013 and we can see the Kimister on top of the podium and also hear him during the race, for me, he’s up there with Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton!

Whilst not a plus, I’ll give notable mention to Massa for his form towards the end of the year (sort a reverse of Perez), keep this form up and he’ll be at Ferrari in 2014 (unless Vettel decides to go there..)

No for the minus scores…

Again, the obvious one is Button, from 2nd to 6th in a car that was better than last years!
I’ll admit I’m not a fan of his but I don’t dislike the fella either but his constant whinging about, no grip, front tyres going off, balance not right, yada yada.. ground my gears throughout the year!
He’s a great driver when the car is great, he’s a average driver when not, unlike the top 4 that can get results out of the car that the car doesn’t have a right getting!

Nico Rosberg, did he luck into his win? It appeared that everything aligned with how the car was working, the track temp, the circuit characteristics, since China and Monaco, he’s done next to nothing, I know the car isn’t great but how can you take a race winning car and make it worse over the course of the year (Schumi as a lot to answer for here as well as his input would have been considered too), just like Mercedes giving up on 2012 it appears Nico has done so as well!

Paul Di Resta, does one need to give a reason why?

Other notable negatives.

Bruno Senna, He’s done well in the races but his quali form has been poor, he’s scored points but that Williams as been a good car for most of the year, he’s points hauls should have been heavier, he may be burdened by his name but its also helped him get a drive in F1.

A bit like Kimi, will add Grosjean to the list, I actually like the guy, he’s quick but up until Japan, he’s been a headless chicken, if he can sort out his eye sight and get through the first lap OK, he’ll do well/better in 2013.

Pains me to do so, but will also had Kamui to the list, the Sauber’s been a very good car this year and other than Japan he’s done next to nothing, most likely why we may not see him in F1 next year, will be a shame that!

The O’s

Vettel, Can’t really add anything to whats already been said, more than likely to make it 3 WDCs on the bounce, he’ll deserve this years more than 2011! Agree he needs to grow up a bit and stop whinging but apart from that little issue, can’t really fault the guy!

Fernando Alonso, bloody magician, car isn’t quite the dog some people like to portray it as but its not in the same class as the RedBull, McLaren and at time Lotus yet he’s always there!

Special mention to Hulkenberg, for putting Dire Resta in his place this year!!

 

[Julius Caesar]

Julius I disagree with you about Senna- he has shown good race pace and race craft, and although not too good at quality, that was his strength at Lotus- I would give him one more year to see if he merges the two together to emerge highly effective

I would hope so. You're right that he hasn't been totally useless, but this year looks like it was his big chance and i had high hopes. Its hard to deny he's blown it and because of that he'll looks unlikely to be given another. Its a realistic fear that this weekend will be his final race.

 

[ZER0]

+ Hamilton - like many have already stated, looked a driver who had maybe lost a bit of his touch and has sort of been down in the dumps, but has been much improved this season, with some top drives. Has also shown some humility at times when the old Hamilton would've maybe been a bit petulant, so props to him for that as well.

+ Massa - Looks to be back to his best now after a calamitous beginning half of the season. Has really driven with a lot of heart when I'm sure things were tough and it makes me really happy to see him doing so well after all this time. I only hope it continues into next season. A Massa victory next season would be something!

+ Hulkenberg - has now handily outperformed Dire Resta in the second half of the season and has increased his standing with me tremendously because of it. I used to have my doubts about him but now, given some time at Sauber, I could see him getting a top drive and actually doing quite well.

+ Maldonado - like Hulkenberg, has improved his standing with me this year with his driving. Has shown himself to be quite quick overall and if he sorts out some of his more dangerous tendencies could be quite a force on the grid.

+ Kimi - has come back into the sport when people doubted how good he would be and has done a brilliant job. Ultra-consistent and its only a matter of time before we see him winning races again more regularly

- Button - A case of what happened? Has a had a car that for most of the year should've been challenging more often than it was, and for him to constantly complain about not getting the tires working, from the guy that is supposedly the best at working the tires, was a bit of a joke. For me, he will always be a guy that is very quick when the car is working well, but when it isn't is fairly average. Will never match what most of us call the "Top 4" guys in the sport for me

- Di Resta - need I say more?

- Rosberg - has gone into anonymity in the latter stages of the season (since Monaco really). Outperformed by his 43 year old counterpart on several occasions now and will have Hamilton as a teammate next year. Like many of you have said, is this really the guy who won his first Grand Prix this year?

0 Alonso - my favorite driver, but for another season he has been consistent and has given 110% out there (as he likes to say sometimes), not always the fastest, but gets the maximum out of whatever machinery he has.

0 Vettel - like Alonso, has been extremely quick yet again, even when he didn't have the best car near the beginning. He's already proven himself (especially if he wins a 3rd WDC on the trot) and the only way he would go up for me would be if he had a car like Alonso where he isn't that slow but just isn't on the pace of the top 2 teams and still got points as consistently as Alonso has this year. Otherwise, props to Seb as he is a fantastic driver.

 

[di Fredsta!]

+
Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Massa, Vettel, Pic, Perez.

-
Senna, di Resta, Webber, Kovalainen.

 

[Delete Me]

Think I'll do mine after the drivers press conference tomorrow.

 

[SgtBhaji]

Think I'll do mine after the drivers press conference tomorrow.

You should...19 races is nothing near enough to judge their performance on. That press conference should finally show the real picture though.

 

[Smithers]

+ Lewis for all above reasons, however I still don't think he would have won the WDC - in a way all the issues have left him totally at ease, I think a WDC fight would have "potentially" brought out a different Lewis.

0 - Kimi - I always expected hm to do well but was always dubious after Schueys return. Pleasantly surprised but expected.

- Jenson - some people forget that he has also had team issues that have cost him points, but all in all he has been the victim of his own success from 2011. Deeply disappointed.

 

[El_Bando]

0 Vettel, Still a good solid strong driver but in Red bull its hard to see where he has improoved or not.

+ Webber, Improoved upon last year where he seemed of the boil but still not as good as 2010.

- Button, Same old button, sometimes he is unbeatable and sometimes he cant get in the top 10. Not the class of 2011 though with all the promise of the 1st few races this year when we thought it may be his year

0 Hamilton, some people say he has improoved this year and matured but It still sticks in my head how he was a big sour grape on the podium of the first 4 races and every time he was beaten by button his body language told all.

0 Alonso, Still pushing hard in the 3rd best car on the grid though maybe alot his success this year was down to the unpredictability of the others and some luck.

+ Massa, Started off very poor though he has resurrected and coming back to be the old massa pre 2009.

 

[El_Bando]

+ Schumacher, his swan song season is his best yet at mercedes. Sadly it goes no further but the poll and the podium was well deserved

0 Rosberg, though he got his first win sometimes he has been missing in action though im not convinced it is all him. The car is very very poor.

+ Raikkonen, has always been brilliant and to be a title challenger after 2 years away in a non title contending car shows his class. Man of the year

+ Grosjean, been a bit sketchy but this is his chance to do well in a points scoring car. big improovement from his renault debut in 2009.

0 Perez, nothing new from perez just a better car to elevate. always think of him as a one trick pony. lets see what he can do in a race winning car on a 2 stop strategy

+ Kobayashi, he has been out shined by his team mate mainly due to the strategy plan going more in the way of perez. Suzuka showed us what Koba can do. Hope he can show us again next year

 

[Delete Me]

You should...19 races is nothing near enough to judge their performance on. That press conference should finally show the real picture though.

You know me sarge, need every bit of body language in a drivers press conference to make a fair unbiased comment

 

[El_Bando]

- Di Resta, has been well and truely shown up against a decent team mate this year even though this was his 2nd year with the team.

+ Hulkenberg, I think this guy is a talent and hopefully he will rise further up the grid. It was a big shame williams replaced him in the first place.

+ Maldonado, showed some class early on though I am slightly concerned he had a huge mid season points drought. still he has improoved

+ Senna, Always in the hunt for points though as usual he has had all the bad luck and also been hard work missing out on FP1

+ Ricciardo, wondered what he could do outside of an hrt and he has delivered. Rookie of the year for me.

+ Vergne, didnt know much about him before this year but he seems a solid driver. shame about the car

 

[El_Bando]

- Kovalainen, riding in a non competitive car is finally getting to him and he is becoming too stale to be picked up by a bigger team now. Carear suicide at its best.

- Petrov, showed his true colours this year as nothing but a pay driver tagging on for the ride.

- Glock, same as kovalainen though losing his temper with a rookie teamate looks very silly.

+ Pic, has done what di grassi and custARD, didnt and thats compete with glock. I want to see this guy promote up the grid

0 De La Rosa, steady ol' horse just keeps pulling. wasnt expecting and got nothing unexpected.

- Karthekeyan, get him out of F1. he was poor at jordan and has not improoved after 2 years at HRT