The Official 2013 F1 Thread. Spoilers possible!

I don't understand why most don't think Vettel is that good.
Newey designed Webbers car as well. Alonso, Hamiltion and Vettel are all clear leaders and do out perform their teammates regularly and seem to get the most out of the car.

This line in the post at the top of the page...

...might help to explain. It's been fairly well understood over the years that driving techniques vary and that sometimes, in the same team, with identical cars, two drivers will have widely varying success.

Webber's style depends on mechanical grip. He's harder on a car that relies on aero grip and it partly explains why he seems to make more mistakes and suffers more failures.

That's what's so pointless about the speculation around how well Vettel would do if suddenly teamed with Alonso or Hamilton if either were dropped into Webber's seat. What would be interesting is to see how things would work out if Button was in the other Red Bull - he and Vettel are probably the closest in style. Alonso, Hamilton, Raikonnen and (to a degree but not nearly as good) Webber, are all ragged-edge drivers.

I don't understand that assessment. Most people would say he's an exceptional driver for any era.

He just happens to come across as a douchebag, and people generally dont like douchebags. He's the Stoner of F1.

Please explain to me what makes him a douchebag or coming across as one, do you know him? I assume your a Stoner hater as well, does that carry across the board to anyone's success.
And what does driving style have to do with anything, he who scores the most points wins , period

Thanks for that. You didn't give the source. Appears it was SomersF1.

Does the football analogy make sense? If "your" team is defeated, do you show your displeasure with your players by cheering them and booing the victors?

Perhaps I'm behind the times. But even the blogger refers to people booing "your own" team when they underperform.

Were the boos in Singapore really for Alonso and Raikonnen, and not for Vettel after all? How could we (and Horner, Brundle, Lauda, Coulthard and a bunch of reporters) have so missed the point?

I wasn't there, and didn't see the podium coverage on TV, so can't gauge the potential there for misunderstanding.

Were similarly mistaken inferences drawn over the cheering of Vettel's retirement at Silverstone? Andrew Frankel at Motorsport magazine seemed in no doubt that the target was Vettel:

More here ...

Frankel sources the vitriol to the "Multi-21, Seb" incident in Malaysia, or rather to its aftermath, observing:

What Frankel leaves out is just what was the "thing" Vettel said he'd repeat.

We can't know precisely, because we can't go back in time as flies to perch on the wall at the pre-race team meeting (or wherever the alleged multi-21 deal was made).

But from the outside it is hard to avoid the perception that:

1. Vettel agreed to a deal that would preserve the finishing order after the final pit-stop.

2. Vettel reneged on the deal when it turned out that the outcome would advantage not him but his team-mate.

And in the aftermath,

3. Vettel asserted that he would always renege on a deal with a team-mate if it turned out the deal advantaged the team-mate.



(Pic linked through from the Motorsport magazine online article.)

Sadly, Vettel does not seem to understand the significance of that assertion, whether it was intended or merely perceived. Essentially, he was saying very publicly that he was the sort of person who would blithely make deals that he had no intention of sticking to.

In earthier language: that he was a liar and a fraud and did not care who knew it.

Now, since that's an absurd statement to make - it doesn't pay frauds to advertise - we can guess that Vettel does show more character privately.

Problem is, he has done nothing since to correct that very public assertion; indeed, in statements he has made since, he has seemed to affirm it.

And not everybody is comfortable seeing an avowed fraud consistently at the top in F1.

IMO, that is at the root of the booing, and Vettel could end the derision in an instant if he could show that he got it.

But then, I'm one of those not so comfortable. I don't think it's a good look for F1.

So I'm glad someone's booing at trackside: in the circumstances, that is a good look for fans of F1.

yup sorry, SomersF1
I think he missed the mark on that piece....
His "Kimi to Ferrari" was not bad though:

For those with an xbox 360, you can get a nice free Lotus F1 theme for your xbox home background.

Go browse the themes (under games, extras) sort by title, and look for the "Degree Mens Lotus F1 Team Theme". Then you can apply it by going to social, highlight your avatar, hit the A button, then choose change themes and pick the new theme.

quite a good read from F1 plus

When is booing justified?

For me, it's not about personality or winning or losing, it's about sportsmanlike conduct.
I disdained Schumacher for cheating, parking his car on the race line during qualifying and other behaviors for which he was officially penalized.
The same for Stoner and Simoncelli. Both had repeated behavior problems that endangered others and required official intervention.

Vettel, not so much. Vettel plays fairly. In his case, I think race fans are the ones being unsportsmanlike.
When Vettel appeared on David Letterman awhile back, Letterman was the douche. Vettel handled it quite well.

Booing at sports events is fine by anybody, at any time, at anyone. It's sports, for goodness sake. We're supposed to cheer and boo. Brits seem constipated when it comes to booing. They need a cleansing visit to Philadelphia.

Or NJ
http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/1...-feature-on-updated-2014-provisional-calendar

Vettel plays fairly?
What Vettel did you watch that fucked Mark Webber and ignored a deal he made?

I'm sure you're a Didier Peroni fan too.

Failing to abide by Multi21 was not a violation of F1 rules.
It was an internal matter.
I would argue Multi21 is unsporting.
Webber only got fucked by his own inferiority.
As a rule, Webber is a douche to his fans. I'd be more inclined to boo him.

Philly picks the wrong guy to boo, this guy has brass ones the size of an f1 driver!:

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rNnkDjMVJqE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You're going to answer a different question then I see.

Violating F1 rules? Who gives a shit about that? ( poor deflection)

What about Brazil 2012? talk about a fucking, or trying to at least..

So it turns out that Lotus' ballyhooed deal with new sponsors still hasn't been signed, which explains Kimi's late paychecks.

The point is that most people DO think he's "that good". Don't confuse people's assement of his driving prowess with their assessment of his public persona.

One of the race stewards catching a ride.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AussieGrit/status/382402846555009024/photo/1