So, who, in your opinion, is currently the best driver in F1 and why?

I'll give you my top 4...

1) Fernando Alonso
Alonso has been a consistently good driver in F1. He made his frist impressions back in 2001 with Minardi, and has continued to build on his strengths, firstly, proving himself at Renault, and now continuing to do so with McLaren.
He's driving is superb, he hardly makes any mistakes, he doesn't crack under pressure, he's shown this on many occasions. He took on Schumacher and proved he could beat him, not once, but twice. That really suggests that Alonso is one of the best drivers in the sport. He knows what he's doing, he has gained the experience, and now, he has made the good decision to move to McLaren and continue winning races there.

2) Jensen Button
Okay, well, admittedly, he's not having the season he hoped for, but the thing about Button is, he never gives up. He always brings the car home smoothly whenever he can. He is consistent in his driving style, and this has been shown throughout his career.
His time will come, he's a good driver, and we haven't seen the last of him yet. He just needs the Honda team to get it together, McLaren have proved it is possible to do so, therefore I see no reason why Honda can't.

3) Robert Kubica
So far, Kubica's driving has looked increasingly promising. He's always up in the top 10, his over-taking skills have been proved and we all know that he is well on the way to doing pretty well. I think he is a good driver because he always seems to literally fly through the field.
If it wasn't for the reliability issues, then Kubica could have done very well in the Malaysian GP. Ever since his 3rd place in his second race, he's always been up there and doing well. He's proved that he is consistent, and I wish him luck in the future.

4) Nick Heidfeld
I've always liked this guys driving. He is very smooth, and he never seems to give up. The BMW's are working very well right now, and he has the chance to capitalise on the car and do really well this season. I'd like to see a podium, I mean, he's had two consistent fourths so far, so I see it in the very near future.
After having a series of disappointing seasons, he finally has the chance to show what he can do. I think it's great that we can finally see some more drivers shining through.

You're probably wondering why Hamilton hasn't been mentioned. It's not because I think he's a bad driver, far from it. I'd rather wait for this season to be over, it's unfair to judge him on his first two races. He's shown us he can drive the McLaren home, and that he has a very promising future, but I'd hate to judge him too early.

As for the other drivers, in no way do I think they are bad! It just means I haven't picked up on their very good points. All of the drivers have them, otherwise they just wouldn't be in those cars.

The only driver I wonder about is Ralf. Would he really be an F1 driver if his brother wasn't Michael?

I do not really agree with you on the whole jenson button thing, I understand that he is British and all but the guy sucks, and its not only the car, its that he just does not have the skill to be fight the elite of the F1....

but whatever:

for me the list goes like this:
Kimi
Kubica
Alonso
Hamilton (yes even if its only two races he proved he has balls to defend, and will not back down... no rookie mistakes like Massa)
SATO<---- the day he wins I will throw a party.

You definitely can't say you've seen Jensen make that many mistakes. {except, possibly, going to/staying at Honda} He is definitely a smooth driver, he's got charisma, he can admit when he's done badly. I think he's pretty fresh by F1's standards, he drives well. You can understand why he is so demoralised, given the situation, but he still goes out there and races like anything.

As for Kimi, his driving is good, he pushes very hard throughout his races, {bar Aussie when he nearly fell asleep} however, in no way can he fill Schumi's shoes at Ferrari. He has no charisma, in the British broadcast they even cut out his bit of the press conference. I understand it's hard to communicate in a foreign language, especially Finnish to English, but he could open his mouth more when he speaks so we can understand what he's saying.

I never said he makes mistakes, I think he is a very smooth driver, and I understand it must be frustrating as hell to have a whole nation asking and asking why he does not win... I just feel he does not have the 6th sense to fight the top drivers... Its like talking about Giles Villenueve.. he was an excellent driver, probably had some of the most skill and guts out of anyone in history and yet never managed to win a championship or for that matter that many races.

He is still considered one of the best... and in that category you find Jenson Button... he will be remembered but not for winning a championship.

^^ Hmmm, maybe, but we will see, of course. I just reckon he has a side that we haven't seen yet. For instance, stick him in a McLaren, and a victory could be on the cards. That's what bugs me, he needs a good car if he is going to have the chance of even another podium, and right now, it just isn't going to happen.

Yeah i agree and that really sucks, the dark side of F1, either you have a good car or you just do not exist. Maybe he will drive for renualt next year, when renault realizes that Fisichella does not know what a car is and should be banned from the sport

^^
In no way do I think Fisi is a bad driver, 6th wasn't bad at all. He's what Heikki needs, someone who create a target for him. I feel sorry for him in a way, Fisi's been rather overshadowed by Alonso.

Hmm.. best Current F1 driver.

1. Alonso
2. Massa
3. Hamilton (although he hasn't raced much but getting podiums for both races he won is pretty much equals, he is a talented driver)

I like alonso the best, mainly because he is winning the most for the M.M. team, lol

its hard to tell this season there have only been two races, however today both the Mclaren drivers came in at the top, so i'm happy.

Well if it the best then its obvious, Alonso. But if it was my favorite, then it would be a totally different story.:D

1. Fernando Alonso, he's just a great driver, you rarely see him make mistakes and he can withstand huge amounts of pressure. I believe he is going to be the new Michael Schumacher, well after all he did break M. Schumacher's world championship winning streak in 2005.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, he also is a excellent driver, he would have already won at least 1 world championship if it wasn't for McLaren giving him a rather unreliable car, like in 2005 when it was the battle for the drivers championship but what let him down was the cars reliability. But now hes in Ferrari so now he can exploit his full potential.

3. Felipe Massa, If it wasn't for Michael teaching him all these new driving techniques and being a good role model. And Ferrari giving him an opportunity to drive for them, then he wouldn't be in this situation right now, he might still be in (BMW) Sauber like in 2005. But it's the opposite, he's in a great team with a great car so he is able to show his full driving skills, which shows for winning his first race in Turkey and his home race in Brazil. Also getting his first pole position last year.

1. Raikkonen: Perfect lines, perfect driving. Now he has a reliable car. My pick for this year's championship.

2. Hamilton: He has raced only twice in F1 and has managed to show us that he has talent. And balls.

3. Alonso: He had a very good car (Renault era), which combined with his driving skills resulted in 2 championships. Although I think Kimi is better.

4. Heidfeld: Not at the same class with the other 3 drivers (for now) I think he has potential.

Alonso: Was the youngest F1 World Champion ever, I think that says it all.

Kubica: I've been very impressed with his last performances (including at the end of 2006). I think he has a lot of potential, and it won't be long till we see him on the podium, or maybe, with a bit more luck, winning races.

Button: Everything has pretty much been said about him; great driver, very smooth and neat (could perform great in the wet). Can't wait till he gets what he deserves (a bunch of victories). He lives here (drives an Infiniti FX45, well that's probably only one of his cars) and is said to be a very nice guy (I've got a cap signed by him saying "To Marco" :))

I didn't put Raikonen up there because I think he drives far too "hard" and is often very harsh on the car (hence the fact that last years he abandonned many times).

I didn't put Raikonen up there because I think he drives far too "hard" and is often very harsh on the car (hence the fact that last years he abandonned many times).

I think that Kimi is good, but as you say he continually pushes the car to it's limits, which you just cannot do for a whole race, especially right now, when you can only have one engine for 2 races.

2. Hamilton: He has raced only twice in F1 and has managed to show us that he has talent. And balls.Could you send me a picture of that? Please!?


Eh, I'm probably gonna say Alonso. Kimi is probably just as good as Alonso, but he hasn't had the chance to show it because he's been driving a bad car. #3 will have to be Hamilton. Two races and two podium finishes, and a serious ownage of Ferrari yesterday.

1-Alonso
2-Kimi
3-button
4-Hamilton
5-fisichela

all button ever does is moan

1. Kimi- Last place to first place in suzuka....enough said.
2. Massa- Hard to pick up where schumi left off, and has alot of weight on his shoulders. Hoping to see him become the next aryton senna.

As you can tell I'm a Ferrari Fan....I have no other favorites because I hope they all lose.

the best driver at the minute for me is massa, just look at the lap times for both tracks so far, he got top place in both. If he hadn't messed up overtaking lewis, then he could've easily challenged alonso for the win.

Following him is probaly heiflield, the BMW racer is probaly slower than both mclaren and ferrari, but he manages to keep up. Go him.

Then alonso, not my favourite driver, but he did beat schumacher last year, and is winning this year. Renault are rubbish this year without him. Shows how good he was

Lewis Hamilton. Why?! First rookie in 43 years to clinch a podium position. Out of the 2 races he ever did, he got podium positions. And he's a rookie! That's talent.

Can I just say, your all banging on about Button being a 'smooth' driver, he hasn't got any other choice. His car is not fast enough to do anything silly. He was 3 seconds off the pace yesterday. 3 !!! Not good, he better swap next season, then he can show his potential. I reckon he'd be a bit more interesting if he started winning, because if ya ask me he's really boring. He always looks like he doesn't wana do interviews.

However, the best is Alonso, hand's down. You saw yesterday, the end of the race, 21 seconds in front of everyone, he was still pulling laps a second quicker. That show's balls. Also he's firery, which all good drivers should be. You get the two kinds of drivers, firery, and methodical.

Next up, Kimi. Super Methodical driver. The man is a super star, but he's so cool headed it's unbelievable. He got beat by the rookie boy yesterday, but give it another 3 laps and it wouldn't have been the case. He pulled the gap from 10 seconds to 1 in around as many laps. That's championship winning pace. Shame he can't really show it yet though.

Third, (so close to being second) Lewis Hamilton. Yes, he's a rookie, but God knows he's one hell of a rookie. Look at the first two corners of his first two races. He showed maturity and intelligence. In the last laps of the race yesterday, Kimi caught him, deffinitely, but it could of been the case that Hamilton had slowed down, because he knew Kimi wouldn't get past. Probably not the case, but if you saw all three drivers when they got out of the car's, he looked like he'd been having a nap. He looked that relaxed.

Fourth and finally, I'd say Fisichella. He is still a damn fast driver, he just hasn't had the chance to show it yet. The Renault's don't seem to be running at full potential yet. But they'll be there soon. And I reckon we should watch out for fisi, because he was fast last season, so watch out for him this year to I say.

all button ever does is moan

And put in his situation, you wouldn't?

I do not really agree with you on the whole jenson button thing, I understand that he is British and all but the guy sucks, and its not only the car, its that he just does not have the skill to be fight the elite of the F1....


??? The guy doesn't suck for your information. YouTube ''Hungary F1 2006'' and find out. Then you'll see why he is one of the world's best F1 drivers. It's his car, it's just not fast enough, but one day Honda will get it right, trust me.

Yeah i agree and that really sucks, the dark side of F1, either you have a good car or you just do not exist. Maybe he will drive for renualt next year, when renault realizes that Fisichella does not know what a car is and should be banned from the sport

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Fisichella was replaced by Nelson Piquet Jr in 2008. But hell, I'd miss Fisi. I wouldn't want him to go.


Button: Everything has pretty much been said about him; great driver, very smooth and neat (could perform great in the wet). Can't wait till he gets what he deserves (a bunch of victories). He lives here (drives an Infiniti FX45, well that's probably only one of his cars) and is said to be a very nice guy (I've got a cap signed by him saying "To Marco" :))

:eek:

:eek:

You're so lucky! :p

all button ever does is moan

I'm not going to give an explanation to that because that just shows ignorance out of this world......

Lewis Hamilton. Why?! First rookie in 43 years to clinch a podium position. Out of the 2 races he ever did, he got podium positions. And he's a rookie! That's talent.

Precisely.....

And put in his situation, you wouldn't?

I know!


Anyway, my top four:


Hamilton. I'm really surprised why he isn't on the top of everyone's list right now. As Vanquish S said, two races, two podiums, first season ever in F1, and in the thick of the World Championship battle? He's absolutely brilliant. He's one of the fittest guys in F1, both physically and mentally, he's got the balls to go around the outside of a Ferrari in Malaysia, and make it stick. He's just so calm, cool and collected. As his dad said, ''he doesn't get nervous!'', and I believe that's pretty much true because he has shown in those two races that bugger all can phase him or make him slow down. When Massa/Raikkonen was on his tail in Malaysia, many a driver would have fluffed it into the gravel and gone off moaning. But Lewis stuck at it, kept going, and fended them off. He's got such an old head on young soliders. It's been said many times before that he drives like an absolute veteran, which is true. He might be the next Schumacher, because the way things are going he's definitely on target for a win this season. Hell, he even told Ron Dennis over the pit radio in Malaysia that he wants a win. It also makes me feel proud aswell, watching a young British guy doing so well in a sport that he loves, and making himself succeed. He's got so much pressure on him, pressure in the likes of being the first black F1 driver ever. This will open doors for more black people to come bursting into the sport. He's pretty much a role model for all aspiring F1 drivers. Definitely the form man at the moment. Without a doubt.

Alonso. Malaysia pretty much summed him up. Taking the Ferraris, and just leading the race. With Alonso, it's all about dominance. In the first half of 2006, it was Alonso Alonso Alonso. Nobody, and I mean nobody could touch him in the first half, but then Schumacher wondred what the f*ck was going on and got his arse into gear, lol. Alonso also has an old head on young shoulders, getting more experienced, but so devistatingly quick aswell, definitely one of the form men in these two first races.

Raikkonen. He kinda reminds me of the Stig. Pretty anonymous, but oh so bloody quick. Showed in his dominance in Australia. I fancy him for a win in Bahrain actually. Probably the favourite for the World Title. But then again Alonso is up there. But as I said, he's very very quick, helped by the Ferrari, very very talented.

Bearing in mind this is the Best Current F1 Drivers. If it was my favourite F1 drivers, it would go like:

1. Button
2. Button
3. Button
4. Button.

:)

I have to say if you put heifield into a ferrari, he would probaly win. That guys got serious talent, the only reason he hasn't got a podium is probaly because the BMW isn't as fast, i say renault shoul fire Fisichella and get him. Afterall renault were suposed to have the fastest F1 car last year, i see no reason why it wouldn't be able to beat ferrari with the right driver.

HEIDFELD.He is very smooth and he never gives up the race.I like this driver for his lines on the corners and how he is driving on the track..Whatever i think Heidfeld and Hamilton are the more efficient and profit drivers in formula now..!

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Fisichella was replaced by Nelson Piquet Jr in 2008. But hell, I'd miss Fisi. I wouldn't want him to go.


:)

Seriously ? Is he still racing F3 ? Last time I watched him I was shocked. Everyone was banging on bout how good he was five years ago. I've watched him a few times since then, and god hes complacent. He qualified in pole, quite a bit faster than anyone else, got to about the 5th lap, and threw his car off the track. It was a massively amateur mistake.

If he get's into F1 he'll be like Sato when he first joined. Actually, I thought Sato was one of the best drivers to watch when he was at Jordan, he was mental. Anybody remember the crash at Monaco ? He cut in front of someone at like 160mph, coming out of the tunnel, absolutely mental.

Seriously ? Is he still racing F3 ? Last time I watched him I was shocked. Everyone was banging on bout how good he was five years ago. I've watched him a few times since then, and god hes complacent. He qualified in pole, quite a bit faster than anyone else, got to about the 5th lap, and threw his car off the track. It was a massively amateur mistake.

If he get's into F1 he'll be like Sato when he first joined. Actually, I thought Sato was one of the best drivers to watch when he was at Jordan, he was mental. Anybody remember the crash at Monaco ? He cut in front of someone at like 160mph, coming out of the tunnel, absolutely mental.

Piquet Jr is Renault's test driver. He came into the squad this year. He came runner up in the GP2 series last year behind Lewis Hamilton himself. Renault thought they were onto a winner so they hired him up quickfast.

He might be like Kovaleinen, you never know. He will have at least a year of testing under his belt when he goes into F1 anyway.

And about Sato: I don't think Sato was ever at Jordan. He was at BAR Honda and now he's at Super Aguri. You might be thinking of Naraiyn (spl? Karthikayan, an Indian driver who raced for Jordan in 2005. He is now Williams' test driver.

^^ Ohh, yes he did :)
On the announcement in October 2001 of his signing to Jordan, Sato commented, "I am very excited about joining Jordan and am very much looking forward to starting my F1 racing career.

http://www.takumasato.org/profilessatostory.asp

Hamilton. I'm really surprised why he isn't on the top of everyone's list right now. :)

I agree he has AMAZING talent, the guy is an absolute driving ace. But the reason he is not in my top few is that I still have a tiny feeling he might turn out to be great in the beginning, getting all the attention and all, but soon his touch wears off... I mean a little like Micheal Owen and Walcott (the whole of England got really excited about them and now I hardly even know where they play...).
However this Hamilton does seriously seem to be in control... I'm speecheless even thinking about him. Everything he did in that race. I would like to add that not only did he race for himself, but for his team: he kept a "slowish" pace in the beginning to allow his team-mate, Alonso, run away from the chasing Ferraris... As soon as that was done, he took care of his OWN race... Blo*dy fantastic.

Holy crap prawned to death twice in two days!

Sorry mate, my bad Sparky! =;

lol, no problem, but here is a vid of sato and a selection of his crashes. This is why I liked him. Part ballsy, part stupid.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mN9aTyhbJ-A

The monaco tunnel crash comes at about 1 min in.

Any Piquet Jr., I'm pleased for. He's probably progressed a lot since I last saw him, but I'll always remember his face, they grabbed this shot of him looking really disappointed, and all they said was, "Will this Boy live up to the legend of his father ?" Thought that was harsh me like. But, I suppose that's always gona be the case. Well, if he's the test driver, I'm probably gona be wrong. Do you think he'll be in for renualt or somewhere else ?

wow, those crashes are nasty, atleast they are to me, i am no F1 big fan, dont flame me, or else ill die infront of you, and gosh, that Monaco Tunnel crash, gosh....and the most amazing one was that smoking one, the rear has smoke pouring out and it goes on the grass and burst into flames...wow :eek:

So the best driver in F1 is Takuma Sato. [a bit of sarcasm...just a bit]

Seriously, though, the guy is driving a car that is literally one whole year behind everyone else, is running with a team with more or less no budget, and is still placing in the upper half despite the odds. He's also only about three feet tall (not that that has anything to do with anything). The guy is amazing if you really think about it. The others have got great cars to fall back on regardless of how good they drive...this guy is really just running on talent, which he's obviously got lots of. Think about it like this. Put the Finn or the young guy or any of the other hotshots in the series in the Aguri car, or the old Mercedes car. They'd more likely than not suck out loud to a larger extent, right? Well, Sato ain't doing half bad for what he's got to work with, and I'm saying that makes him a helluva driver.

Beginning of season, I was all about some JB, but Super Aguri was my team at heart, and now I've got a reason to root 'em on with Sato doing so well (considering).