Quote:
Originally Posted by MontyB1
As above from all need a good car and in F1 you still need a good driver.
But if it’s a Mercedes and your Lewis Hamilton it’s all the car.
If it’s a Red Bull it’s not the car and it’s all Max Verstappen.
The above it’s absolutely stupid I hasten to add the best drivers can and do get more out of a car than their team mate. Senna, Schumacher, Hamilton, Verstappen all fall in that bucket.
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Totally agree and find it interesting that it was the more partisan contributors who tried to trash certain drivers reputations by placing total credit on the car and then eulogise another driver and downplay the car who drove some knowledgable enthusiasts away from this forum.
Throughout F1 history it is clear that innovation and engineering excellence made certain cars dominant (for limited time), now imo politics and specification changes are also dominant factors. Despite the car we see certain drivers consistently outperform their team mates and have a significant impact on the team performance. Driver input can be critical to car development and effective car set-up, they can also play a significant role in team morale and motivation. Max was dominant last season and Checo in the same car scored approx half the points. The Mercedes W14 of 2023 was regarded as a joke or embarrassment for the team yet Lewis was still 3rd in the standings ( significantly closer to Checo points wise than many realise).
Looking at this season so far, I am pondering how much Red Bull dominance in 2023 was purely down to Max (in a car that was designed very much for him) and whether this led the team into a dark place by being overly complacent. Remove Max from the 2024 standings and Red Bull are the 4th team and even with Max the team look vulnerable to losing the constructors title. Sidelining and then losing Newey might now seem reckless and Max clearly appears increasingly frustrated. I believe one of the key factors in Lewis moving was due to being ignored on design input (and car remaining uncompetitive) and similarity I suspect that unless the car improves competitively over the next 4-5 races Max will move team, what do others think?