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[CookinFlat6]

Now Sergio is confirmed at Force India, I cannot help feeling Whitmarsh got outsmarted by Malya in the 2014 driver market stakes. For a team in midgrid Force India have ended up with possibly the best champion in waiting on the grid but without funds as well as a pay driver that has matured and gained experience at one of the biggest teams. McLaren have an exciting but yet to bed in champion in waiting (hopefully) with small funds and a driver who doesn't do adapting to cars outside a narrow handling window not just without funds but expensive

So if you were a team boss with a Merc engine and came 5th or 6th the year before a major upheaval, and had to pay for expensive engines and had reduced income from sponsors, who would you consider a stronger driver pairing for 2014? Or which pair would get more points considering the upheaval due in 2014? As the 2 teams share an engine its gonna be a straight fight between the drivers and to a much lesser extent to the deign teams.

[What's Burning?]

I don't know enough about Magnussen to answer.

[CookinFlat6]

Fair enough, but you can be sure Mallya was given evidence of his potential and opted to take Sergio because of the bedding in period required by every rookie since the testing ban.
Lets assume Mag is as good as Hulk and will not be as effective yet as its his first season. Which pairing would you pick?

[geetface9]

I picked perez and hulk, without a doubt in my mind

[1Lemon]

No Massa/Bottas? Alonso/Kimi?

I'm on the fence about this one as I don't really know how Kev drives?

[What's Burning?]

I want to say that the strongest pairing is now Alonso & Raikonnen.

[operaman]

I want to say that the strongest pairing is now Alonso & Raikonnen.

Initially I want to agree, but I am beginning to worry that age (Kimi and Fred) is beginning to come into play. I don't know.

[3double8]

I want to say that the strongest pairing is now Alonso & Raikonnen.

Agreed. However, I'm a tad worried about team work. I hope the team lets both drivers battle it out with no team orders.

[LewEngBridewell]

Here's an interesting question. Who will pick up the most points in each pairing? Will Button's experience still win over at McLaren, as it did last year? Or will Magnussen come in and trounce him?

I feel the Hulk is definitely the stronger driver at Force India... what does everyone else think?

[racechick]

I think that but for luck ( or call it experience) Perez was the equal of button. In the Perez/ hulk pairing I expect hulk to be the strongest.
Back to. McLaren, we have the experienced but not so fast or good at set up, Button; and the inexperienced but fast Magnesun. I fully expect button to be up to tricks to stop mag getting ahead.

So, since Perez was capable of equalling Button and hulk is better( in my eyes) I think Hulk and Perez will be the better pairing.

However, if mag is as good as is suggested and button can't tame him with tricks then McLaren may have a gem on their hands.

Another but.......for next year, drivers need to be ace at giving feedback and developing the car. button isn't good and Mag has no experience. So again, I vote. Perez and hulk as the strongest.

[What's Burning?]

It's going to boil down to the car. It's difficult to really gage Perez. I think he needed more development. There is a maturity to him that's clear give bit the way he took the high road when being sacked. The best of the four IMO is clearly the Hulk.

You can't discount Buttons familiarity with the team and his grandpa like experience, but he is clearly not a team leader. RC you mention Magnussen being a gem and I cringe at Whitmarsh's description of Perez last year as being a diamond in the rough.

[CookinFlat6]

My sentiments exactly RC. Even if Mag is Lewis good, its a big ask for him to be settling into open cockpit single seaters with the complexity of F1 and its rules AS WELL as giving development feedback on the car. He will have his hands full just settling down without mistakes.

So Perez equalled Button in the second half of the season having settled in a bit more, Hulk was voted as being much better than both Button and Perez.

So if we assume Perez and Button will bring similar points, the Mag will have to enter F1 settle in, help development and bring more points than Hulk over the season for the Mac pairing to be better.

And if the car is not perfect for Button out the box, there will be very little evolution, unless Mag can drive around problems and is the focus of the development

[zurich_allan]

I want to say that the strongest pairing is now Alonso & Raikonnen.

Initially I want to agree, but I am beginning to worry that age (Kimi and Fred) is beginning to come into play. I don't know.

This is nonsense. Alonso is currently 32, and Kimi 34.

WDC's / ages (30 or over) in past 30 years of F1:

1992 - Nigel Mansell - 39
1993 - Alain Prost - 38
1996 - Damon Hill - 36
1984 - Niki Lauda - 35
2004 - Michael Schumacher - 35
1987 - Nelson Piquet - 35
2003 - Michael Schumacher - 34
1989 - Alain Prost - 34
2002 - Michael Schumacher - 33
2001 - Michael Schumacher - 32
2000 - Michael Schumacher - 31
1999 - Mika Hakkinen - 31
1991 - Ayrton Senna - 31
1983 - Nelson Piquet - 31
1986 - Alain Prost - 31
1998 - Mika Hakkinen - 30
1990 - Ayrton Senna - 30
1985 - Alain Prost - 30

So in the past 30 years, 18 of those past 31 WDC titles have been won by drivers aged 30 or over - i.e. more than half of those won. Indeed if it weren't for Vettel / Red Bull in the past 4 years, the statistics would be even more in favour of the experienced racers.

For a racing driver in general, the strains only begin to really tell once a driver is in their 40's, and indeed for some not until their 50's. It's only post-2000 F1's unhealthy addiction to youth that slants people in favour of thinking that you're on the scrap heap as a racer once you're in your 30's. Literally no other top level racing series that I know of has this same irrelevant weird age related issue.

I applaud Ferrari for having this driver partnership, they've went substantially up in my estimation by doing this. Possibly my favourite Ferrari partnership since Berger / Alesi. If they can gel then they are unquestionably the strongest partnership on the grid.

[NHcheese]

I'm sorry? Magnussen is better tha Perez AND Hulkenberg. by FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA





R. OK that was quite a bit exagerated and not proven yet.

[racechick]

But how many in the last thirty years have been over 35yrs of age?

I think now more than ever, a drivers fitness comes into play, and it's easier to stay fitter if you're younger. That said there are plenty of very fit over 35 year old athletes, but it must be harder to maintain it, must require huge amounts of drive and commitment. And on that I'd question Raikkonen.

But I don't think age will be the deciding factor next year on how this partnership fares, I think it will be ego driven. Alonso may kick off if Kimi is faster, Kimi may give up if Alonso is faster.