Unpopular F1 opinions

[Salamander]

Sebastian Vettel thoroughly deserves the 2013 title.

That this is a legitimately unpopular opinion is a stain on the reputation of the sport. You can dislike Vettel, but you cannot reasonably say that he hasn't done everything he has had to do to secure the title this year. He's been more impressive than ever in 2013.

[CoopsII]

Sebastian Vettel thoroughly deserves the 2013 title.

That this is a legitimately unpopular opinion is a stain on the reputation of the sport. You can dislike Vettel, but you cannot reasonably say that he hasn't done everything he has had to do to secure the title this year. He's been more impressive than ever in 2013.

I sort of understand where people are coming from when they refer to previous seasons being, perhaps, 'undeserved', even though my opinion is that actually winning the title is the only thing that matters. Had Vettel won this years title from the extra points he 'earned' at Malaysia no doubt this would have gone against him again and you'd have to partly understand the sentiment.

[go_Rubens]

I don't give a bathplug about tyres.

I do. They somewhat spice it up, but the tyres halfway between 2012 spec Pirelli's and 2010 Bridgestones would work. Or not...

[Aerospeed]

I don't give a bathplug about tyres.

I do. They somewhat spice it up, but the tyres halfway between 2012 spec Pirelli's and 2010 Bridgestones would work. Or not...

Wasn't that the 2011 Pirelli's?

[SgtPepper]

even though my opinion is that actually winning the title is the only thing that matters.

I believe this basic presumption is why the defenders such as yourself, and the detractors such as myself, will never agree.

[Onxy Wrecked]

Sebastian Vettel thoroughly deserves the 2013 title.

That this is a legitimately unpopular opinion is a stain on the reputation of the sport. You can dislike Vettel, but you cannot reasonably say that he hasn't done everything he has had to do to secure the title this year. He's been more impressive than ever in 2013.

It would be like saying Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson should be the ones duking it out for the NASCAR championship. Vettel has the winning ability of Johnson with the consistency of Bowyer. It's remarkably impressive even though the car isn't as dominating as in years past.

[CoopsII]

even though my opinion is that actually winning the title is the only thing that matters.

I believe this basic presumption is why the defenders such as yourself, and the detractors such as myself, will never agree.

I have plenty of time for plucky losers and their value. Topically, Felipe Massa is a great example of a guy who deserved to win as much as Hamilton did. The history books will record Hamilton as the 2008 champion but I had a lump in my throat for poor Felipe that night, even though I was ecstatic Hamilton had won. That was the definition of bitter/sweet for me, Ive never felt happy and gutted at the same time. In terms of doing the job they came to do then Vettel and RBR have done it and sadly, in my opinion, there are no plucky losers this year, just losers.

[SgtPepper]

even though my opinion is that actually winning the title is the only thing that matters.

I believe this basic presumption is why the defenders such as yourself, and the detractors such as myself, will never agree.

I have plenty of time for plucky losers and their value. Topically, Felipe Massa is a great example of a guy who deserved to win as much as Hamilton did. The history books will record Hamilton as the 2008 champion but I had a lump in my throat for poor Felipe that night, even though I was ecstatic Hamilton had won. That was the definition of bitter/sweet for me, Ive never felt happy and gutted at the same time. In terms of doing the job they came to do then Vettel and RBR have done it and sadly, in my opinion, there are no plucky losers this year, just losers.

I agree completely on Massa (I still feel bad for the guy, and his treatment in Ferrari has been pretty appalling), really hope he managed to stay in F1 somehow and we see some return to form with that pressure eased.

However where you read 'plucky loser,' I read 'better driver losing out to superior machinery'. And I agree that Red Bull have simply done a better job.

[apple2009]

I believe this basic presumption is why the defenders such as yourself, and the detractors such as myself, will never agree.

I have plenty of time for plucky losers and their value. Topically, Felipe Massa is a great example of a guy who deserved to win as much as Hamilton did. The history books will record Hamilton as the 2008 champion but I had a lump in my throat for poor Felipe that night, even though I was ecstatic Hamilton had won. That was the definition of bitter/sweet for me, Ive never felt happy and gutted at the same time. In terms of doing the job they came to do then Vettel and RBR have done it and sadly, in my opinion, there are no plucky losers this year, just losers.

I agree completely on Massa (I still feel bad for the guy, and his treatment in Ferrari has been pretty appalling), really hope he managed to stay in F1 somehow and we see some return to form with that pressure eased.

However where you read 'plucky loser,' I read 'better driver losing out to superior machinery'. And I agree that Red Bull have simply done a better job.

I'm a Massa fan but no. Team orders aren't appalling.

[SgtPepper]

I agree completely on Massa (I still feel bad for the guy, and his treatment in Ferrari has been pretty appalling), really hope he managed to stay in F1 somehow and we see some return to form with that pressure eased.

However where you read 'plucky loser,' I read 'better driver losing out to superior machinery'. And I agree that Red Bull have simply done a better job.

I'm a Massa fan but no. Team orders aren't appalling.

I agree that they are necessary, but something about them has always troubled me, although precisely what I can never quite pinpoint.

[takagi_for_the_win]

Vettel has this years title sewn up. Anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

[FullMetalJack]

Vettel has this years title sewn up. Anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

Agreed. I'm not hoping for a championship battle anymore, just exciting racing, and at least one last Mark Webber victory.

[Londoner]

Vettel has this years title sewn up. Anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

Yeah, now that Max Chilton is mathematically out of contention, Vettel has his 4th title.

I'm keeping myself entertained by turning my attention onto the midfield and backmarker teams, hoping for them to do what Hulkenberg did with his Sauber at Monza last weekend...

[mario]

Vettel has this years title sewn up. Anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

Yeah, now that Max Chilton is mathematically out of contention, Vettel has his 4th title.

I'm keeping myself entertained by turning my attention onto the midfield and backmarker teams, hoping for them to do what Hulkenberg did with his Sauber at Monza last weekend...

The main interest at the front seems to be more about who will finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th given that Vettel looks to be out of reach - with the performance of the W04, F138 and E21 varying around a bit, that battle is tighter and more interesting on a track by track basis than Vettel's serene progress at the front.
There is also the fact that the battle between Ferrari and Mercedes in the WCC is quite tight too - only a few points separate the two, and I imagine that Mercedes would be keen to upstage Ferrari by beating them in the WCC if possible. Both of those outfits also seem to be winding down their operations for 2013 in favour of 2014 though - Ferrari publicly stated that they would fully shift to 2014 if Vettel was too far ahead after the Singapore GP, and it seems that Mercedes might also be shifting the bulk of their development to 2014 after that race as well.

There are more interesting battles down the grid to look at though. It has to be said that the change in tyres from Germany onwards has completely altered the battle between McLaren and Force India now - McLaren have picked up points in the past four races (two of those being double points finishes) whilst Force India have only scraped a somewhat lucky 9th place in Spa since the tyres were changed. The question is now going to be whether Force India can stave off Toro Rosso now - they've picked up points here and there, though whether they can do enough to chip away at the 30 point lead Force India has is another matter.

[Gerudo Dragon]

Vettel has this years title sewn up. Anyone who says otherwise is just kidding themselves.

Finally, someone who agrees!!!!!!!!

[James1978]

I wish Massa had won the 2008 championship, but also Hamilton had won in 2007 and Raikkonen won 2003 or 2005 so no other drivers were deprived of being champion.

And also Webber in 2010 for that matter.

[SgtPepper]

I wish Massa had won the 2008 championship, but also Hamilton had won in 2007 and Raikkonen won 2003 or 2005 so no other drivers were deprived of being champion.

And also Webber in 2010 for that matter.

Absolutely agreed, and I'd also add Alonso in 2012 as well. Plus would've loved to see Montoya with one.

[good_Ralf]

Absolutely agreed, and I'd also add Alonso in 2012 as well. Plus would've loved to see Montoya with one.

2003: Montoya
2004: M Schumacher
2005: Raikkonen
2006: Alonso
2007: Hamilton (but then his only title would be in his rookie season!)
2008: Massa
2009: Button
2010: Webber
2011: Vettel
2012: Alonso

[UncreativeUsername37]

I wish Massa had won the 2008 championship, but also Hamilton had won in 2007 and Raikkonen won 2003 or 2005 so no other drivers were deprived of being champion.

And also Webber in 2010 for that matter.

It is funny how from 2007-09, F1 seemed to be extra careful to give everyone a championship. Hamilton with the weird mistake at Shanghai, Hamilton beating Glock on the last corner, Honda/Brawn becoming good for no reason... of course, if Hamilton wins another sometime, then 2008 should've gone to Massa and my conspiracy theory will be wrong, but for now it makes absolutely perfect sense.

[Aerospeed]

I wish Massa had won the 2008 championship, but also Hamilton had won in 2007 and Raikkonen won 2003 or 2005 so no other drivers were deprived of being champion.

And also Webber in 2010 for that matter.

It is funny how from 2007-09, F1 seemed to be extra careful to give everyone a championship. Hamilton with the weird mistake at Shanghai, Hamilton beating Glock on the last corner, Honda/Brawn becoming good for no reason... of course, if Hamilton wins another sometime, then 2008 should've gone to Massa and my conspiracy theory will be wrong, but for now it makes absolutely perfect sense.

There's still a friend of mine that still claims Toyota was paid to let Hamilton pass, which is absolutely ludicrous

[takagi_for_the_win]

There's still a friend of mine that still claims Toyota was paid to let Hamilton pass, which is absolutely ludicrous

That theory is certainly ludicrous, but there is a very similar theory that is entirely un-ludicrous; a theory that I have risked life and limb to uncover.

On lap 71 of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Glock set a lap of 1 minute, 44.731 seconds. Now, if we add 2008, 1, 4, 4, 7, 3 and 1, we get 2028.

His qualifying time for the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was 1.14.230. If we add 1, 1, 4, 2, 3 and 2008, we get 2019.

2028 minus 2019 is 9. The square root of 9 is 3.

The pyramid is the symbol of the Illerminaty. A pyramid viewed straight on is a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides.

Co-incidence? I think not.

What I think happened was that the Illerminaty bet a large sum on Hamilton winning the Championship, and thus nobbled Glock so they could win their bet. Fellow conspiracy theorists, stand up....

[CoopsII]

There's still a friend of mine that still claims Toyota was paid to let Hamilton pass, which is absolutely ludicrous

That theory is certainly ludicrous, but there is a very similar theory that is entirely un-ludicrous; a theory that I have risked life and limb to uncover.

On lap 71 of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Glock set a lap of 1 minute, 44.731 seconds. Now, if we add 2008, 1, 4, 4, 7, 3 and 1, we get 2028.

His qualifying time for the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was 1.14.230. If we add 1, 1, 4, 2, 3 and 2008, we get 2019.

2028 minus 2019 is 9. The square root of 9 is 3.

The pyramid is the symbol of the Illerminaty. A pyramid viewed straight on is a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides.

Co-incidence? I think not.

What I think happened was that the Illerminaty bet a large sum on Hamilton winning the Championship, and thus nobbled Glock so they could win their bet. Fellow conspiracy theorists, stand up....

Illuminati.

[UncreativeUsername37]

The pyramid is the symbol of the Illerminaty [sic]. A pyramid viewed straight on is a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides.

But they have a square pyramid, don't they? With a square base? So sqrt(9) != 4 and your theory falls apart.

[SgtPepper]

There's still a friend of mine that still claims Toyota was paid to let Hamilton pass, which is absolutely ludicrous

That theory is certainly ludicrous, but there is a very similar theory that is entirely un-ludicrous; a theory that I have risked life and limb to uncover.

On lap 71 of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Glock set a lap of 1 minute, 44.731 seconds. Now, if we add 2008, 1, 4, 4, 7, 3 and 1, we get 2028.

His qualifying time for the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was 1.14.230. If we add 1, 1, 4, 2, 3 and 2008, we get 2019.

2028 minus 2019 is 9. The square root of 9 is 3.

The pyramid is the symbol of the Illerminaty. A pyramid viewed straight on is a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides.

Co-incidence? I think not.

What I think happened was that the Illerminaty bet a large sum on Hamilton winning the Championship, and thus nobbled Glock so they could win their bet. Fellow conspiracy theorists, stand up....

My sources inform me that Alexander Wurz happens to have an obsession with pyramids...



There are the eyes of a man who knows something...

Absolutely agreed, and I'd also add Alonso in 2012 as well. Plus would've loved to see Montoya with one.

2003: Montoya
2004: M Schumacher
2005: Raikkonen
2006: Alonso
2007: Hamilton (but then his only title would be in his rookie season!)
2008: Massa
2009: Button
2010: Webber
2011: Vettel
2012: Alonso

This is precisely what I'd been thinking as well. Such a shame that dominant cars (and sometimes just internal politics) has been such a ruination of both our viewing, and the record books.

[pi314159]

There's still a friend of mine that still claims Toyota was paid to let Hamilton pass, which is absolutely ludicrous

That theory is certainly ludicrous, but there is a very similar theory that is entirely un-ludicrous; a theory that I have risked life and limb to uncover.

On lap 71 of the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, Glock set a lap of 1 minute, 44.731 seconds. Now, if we add 2008, 1, 4, 4, 7, 3 and 1, we get 2028.

His qualifying time for the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix was 1.14.230. If we add 1, 1, 4, 2, 3 and 2008, we get 2019.

2028 minus 2019 is 9. The square root of 9 is 3.

The pyramid is the symbol of the Illerminaty. A pyramid viewed straight on is a triangle. A triangle has 3 sides.

Co-incidence? I think not.

What I think happened was that the Illerminaty bet a large sum on Hamilton winning the Championship, and thus nobbled Glock so they could win their bet. Fellow conspiracy theorists, stand up....

I am not convinced. The connection between 2028, 2019 and pyramids is very far-fetched, and there is a lack of involvement from Alexander Wurz.

[Alextrax52]

I don't like "The Chain"

[good_Ralf]

I don't like "The Chain"

I like it and it is a classic, but ITV didn't use it. T-Square's Truth is better.

[Londoner]

I don't like "The Chain"

It's Fleetwood Mac. Disliking The Chain (or anything from Rumours for that matter) should be a crime punishable with being pummeled with fruit.

[FullMetalJack]

I don't like "The Chain"

[takagi_for_the_win]

I don't like "The Chain"

Be gone, heretic.

[apple2009]

I don't like "The Chain"

Drown.

[UncreativeUsername37]

I don't like "The Chain"

Drown.

That's a bit harsh compared to getting hit with fruit and/or being kicked out of the room....

[Shadaza]

I am not a huge fan of "the chain" either.

Sure it is iconic, but it is just so meh. Deal with it, it's unpopular opinions for a reason.

[Salamander]

Coletti hasn't scored in the last 10 GP2 races and only after Monza race 1 did he lose the lead.

And that is why no-one in GP2 this year deserves an F1 seat.

Slight correction needed there - he picked up a podium in the feature race in Germany (3rd place), but it is still the only points position he has picked up in the last 10 races.

You and me both, man, you and me both. I'm even angrier about Frijns now, though, at least Wickens has something going on in DTM. Robin Frijns' career looks like it's gonna come to a dead stop, and that is criminal.

Can anybody verify who Frijns's manager is? I've seen a suggestion that Frijns's manager has been seen more often in Hulkenberg's company than Frijns's, suggesting that perhaps Frijns is not receiving the support he needs for his career.

Bit of a gravedig for this discussion, but it seems you were right about Frijns not getting enough support:he's just linked up with a marketing company to try and raise the funds he needs to get into F1. Hopefully this will go well for him.

[Dj_bereta]

Barrichello's maiden victory is the most impressive win from 00s.

[watka]

Barrichello's maiden victory is the most impressive win from 00s.

That's not unpopular at all, at the very least its in the top 3.

[go_Rubens]

Barrichello's maiden victory is the most impressive win from 00s.

That's not unpopular at all, at the very least its in the top 3.

It is top 3 on my list. Button's first win is first, though.

[James1978]

I actually think Barrichello was more impressive at the 2003 British GP. He was massively helped by the safety car at Hockenheim 2000, but he was hindered at Silverstone and still came through to win.

[good_Ralf]

What about Hamilton's 2008 Hockenheim win? Or Raikkonen at Suzuka 2005?

[dr-baker]

Rewinding the covnversation a little, The Chain is the most listened-to song on my iPod...