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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 25 2009, 10:59 PM (955 Views) | |
| RJHSaints | Dec 25 2009, 10:59 PM Post #1 |
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I've noticed that Button seems to be being placed among the favourites for the 2010 title and most pundits now seem to view him as being a top driver up there with the best in the sport - the Times and Guardian's F1 editors, for example, have each written articles stating words to this effect fairly recently. Is this a fair picture, or was his title this season more due to being in the right place at the right time, with the right team-mate (no disrespect to Rubens). |
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| Paul_Murtagh | Dec 26 2009, 08:16 AM Post #2 |
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Jenson is a good driver there is no denying that, and he fully deserved his title. He drove better than ever last year due to his more-focused approach, but I still wouldn't put him in the bracket of the best few drivers in F1 alongside Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel. However, if he was to beat Hamilton fair and square this season with the same equipment then it would make me reconsider my opinion. I think he needs a really good season to prove that his success was down to him and not just the car |
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| Steelstallions | Dec 26 2009, 10:11 AM Post #3 |
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If there was no real doubt this post would not exist. Button will improve his stock immensely if he kicks Lewis arse next season or they match each others pace with Button finishing in front of Lewis at the end of the season. I was critical of Button dumping Brawn for Mercedes, but after the initial reaction I must take my hat off to him. He wants the critics off his back, what better way than to first win the WDC and then beat the Mclaren golden boy in the same equipment. |
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| Red Andy | Dec 26 2009, 10:19 AM Post #4 |
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I don't blame Button for going to McLaren but it does appear that the situation has been very badly handled. The fact that Brawn and Fry were taken by surprise by Button's decision, to the point where an early release from his contract was refused (while Rubens has been working for Williams for some time now) speaks volumes. On the topic of the thread, I never rated Button among the top 5 or even top 10 F1 drivers at any point during his career. Now I would put him in the lower half of the top 10, but there are still many drivers who are better. We saw with his floundering in the second half of 2009 that he lacks that "killer instinct" characteristic of the great champions. I fully expect Hamilton to comfortably beat Button next season, but it'd be nice to be proven wrong - after all, Jenson is obviously a nice guy even if he has been poorly advised at several stages of his career. |
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| Brave_Lee_Flea | Dec 26 2009, 01:37 PM Post #5 |
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Totally agree with what you're saying here, though I don't think Jenson needs to beat Lewis over the season to raise his "standing" in most people's eye. I think that most people would agree that as things stand McLaren is Lewis's team and it'll take a season for Jenson to settle in to the team and they to him. So, if Jenson can be close to Lewis over course of his first season at McLaren and then maybe start to trouble Lewis in his second that would be a good achievement and would surprise many people. |
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| Brave_Lee_Flea | Dec 26 2009, 01:45 PM Post #6 |
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Surely nobody could disagree with your first point but I don't agree with your second; Jenson showed in Brazil that he *does* have that killer instinct, he put in a sterling drive in a car on which development had ceased for some time. Actually I think Jenson "managed" his season extremely well, he drove conservatively and protected his lead very well, in exactly the same way that Lewis, during his first season, didn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm not having a pop at Lewis but it shows the value of experience and maturity. No doubt in the same situation again Lewis, with few seasons of experience behind him, would waltz his way to the title. Jenson brought the car home in the points in every race except the one where he was punted off through no fault of his own. He took no risks that he didn't need to take in a car that he was struggling with and made the "killer punch" at exactly the right time. He did exactly what was required at exactly the right time. I don't know how much of that was down to Ross, who was always quite brilliant strategically, but whatever way you look at it Jenson was never really in trouble for his title and the criticism of him would have been loud had he taken unnecessary risks and thrown away his title. All that said, I too expect Lewis to beat Jenson next season but I think the true measure of Jenson's relative competitiveness should be gauged the following season after he's had time to settle into the team and their way of working. |
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| TheCompleteGuitarist | Dec 26 2009, 06:37 PM Post #7 |
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Yes this does speak volumes. The only other driver Mercedes considered other than Button was MS (quite a compliment I would have thought) and apparently negotiations over lapped as admitted by both Brawn and Schumacher. So Button did nothing malicious. It could easily be read that Brawn see Button as a threat in a Mclaren and want him to have as little prep time as possible. What other reason could there be? Whereas Rubens poses none in a Williams. If he did, you can guarantee they would not have released him early.
I rate Hamilton and Alonso as better than Button but I do believe that Button could run with them. But Vettel had (over the season) a better car than Button and though I don't doubt his talent and potential he has a lot to prove over Button yet. I also believe that most people that aren't machines but are made of flesh and emotions might have experienced the same nerves that Button did mid season. Lewis easily achieved those nerves in his first season, most notably the final race of the year. Button handled it as well as could be expected in a car that barely had the potential to fight for points let alone wins at times. |
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| TheCompleteGuitarist | Dec 26 2009, 08:17 PM Post #8 |
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Hmmm my previous message was duplicated and I couldn't delete it, so just consider this an embarassing silence . . . . . . |
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| Alien_SAP_Fiend | Dec 27 2009, 10:36 AM Post #9 |
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Tyre management will determine championships in 2010, Button has the Edge in the respect. Also, his performance in Brazil, in a car that was no longer the best in the field, proves that he has what it takes. Don't write him off too quickly, he will give Lewis a very good run for his money, especially where tyre management is concerned. |
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| Rob | Dec 27 2009, 05:01 PM Post #10 |
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Jenson is a good driver, and I'm sure a fine bloke. Most important he is a WDC, but at the start of the 2010 season there will be at least five drivers who I think would be able to take him is the same car (Lewis, Alonso, Vettel, Massa, and Shumi). |
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| Alien_SAP_Fiend | Dec 27 2009, 05:20 PM Post #11 |
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but only one of them will be driving the 'same' car. |
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| everythingoes | Dec 28 2009, 06:39 AM Post #12 |
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Yes, unless Button switches a few teams in the course of the season
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| John | Dec 28 2009, 09:06 AM Post #13 |
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What an odd question... The best GP drivers tend to achieve poles, fastest laps, GP wins and ultimately the Championship... What can I say...for example he is as good as Villeneuve and Hill (juniors), he is up there with best, maybe not in the great category but definitely amongst the best. |
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| Norbert | Dec 28 2009, 11:11 AM Post #14 |
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He's a good driver. However, he's not a great driver. I suspect that a driver such as Alonso, Senna or Schumacher would have had better results after Turkey. He certainly deserved every win, however when the car wasn't at it's best, he struggled to get results. I'm not suggesting that the other names I've named wouldn't have struggled either, but I just feel they'd have got better results. |
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| GordonB | Dec 29 2009, 09:20 AM Post #15 |
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I think that Button got excellent results after Turkey, given his starting position in each race. The thing he didn't manage was to get on top of qualifying. In each race apart from Belgium, he gained the same or more places than Barichello (passing him on more than one occasion). I think Jenson raced brilliantly during the second half of the season - he did exactly what he needed to do which was score points. The only thing that let him down was the not qualifying well while under pressure - and therefore that's the only thing that keeps him off the very top of the list of greats. But to be fair, how often has Alonso qualified amazingly well under pressure? |
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