- 20 Aug 14, 22:35#413384
The Webber position is a tricky one. His talent was like a moving target at RB. We like to think of him as an above average journeyman, it helps in pulling Vettel down, but he put in some excellent drives early on. As the car got away from him towards Vettel he clearly suffered. By the end both he and the team just seemed to be fulfilling a contractual obligation, and it was a bumpy ride to that point. His age and motivation and size got the better of him, I think, and if he'd stayed on would not be doing anything like Ricciardo is. It would have been more like the to and fro of '10.
Ricciardo has a lot of nouse which separates him more than skill. These regs might just suit him better than the previous ones where he was solid rather than spectacular. I'd hate for him to be built up like Vettel, have the regs change, and it all come crashing down. That nouse and racecraft though is like Alonso, it stays with him, something which Vettel lacks enough for it to be a defining trait. So you'd have to say he's the real deal, of all the pretenders like Mag or Bottas.
It would be interesting if Vettel left at the end of next year and they promoted Kvyat, rather than bringing in a big name. Both seeing Vettel leaving home and replace him a similar cog. Vettel's stock is in his own hands now, not Newey's.
Back to Vettel. I think his performances this year beg that we reasses Webber and certainly Ricciardo, in the latters case I believe we already have.
The Webber position is a tricky one. His talent was like a moving target at RB. We like to think of him as an above average journeyman, it helps in pulling Vettel down, but he put in some excellent drives early on. As the car got away from him towards Vettel he clearly suffered. By the end both he and the team just seemed to be fulfilling a contractual obligation, and it was a bumpy ride to that point. His age and motivation and size got the better of him, I think, and if he'd stayed on would not be doing anything like Ricciardo is. It would have been more like the to and fro of '10.
Ricciardo has a lot of nouse which separates him more than skill. These regs might just suit him better than the previous ones where he was solid rather than spectacular. I'd hate for him to be built up like Vettel, have the regs change, and it all come crashing down. That nouse and racecraft though is like Alonso, it stays with him, something which Vettel lacks enough for it to be a defining trait. So you'd have to say he's the real deal, of all the pretenders like Mag or Bottas.
It would be interesting if Vettel left at the end of next year and they promoted Kvyat, rather than bringing in a big name. Both seeing Vettel leaving home and replace him a similar cog. Vettel's stock is in his own hands now, not Newey's.