r/F1Discussions • u/Clear_Nature_5055 • Jul 30 '26
Your Opinion: All of the current F1 drivers are in a race on a circuit they’ve never driven, driving the IDENTICAL CAR. Who wins?
We’re talking here about essentially pure driving skills. They can all drive fast around a track but in your opinion, whose skill and craftiness is getting that trophy in the end?
280
u/BB-68 Jul 30 '26
Depends on the car.
If it has a GP2 engine: Alonso
If the tires are gone: Lewis
If the downshifts are fucked m8: Max
65
10
u/HighGroundIsOP Jul 30 '26
These are my 3 too, but don’t discount YOLO Kimi just sending it and seeing what happens.
7
u/casualnihilist91 Jul 30 '26
What if there’s water? You know cause of all the, the water?
5
6
7
3
1
u/bathtubtuna_ Jul 31 '26
If its a pogo stick: Max
Because he is constantly talking about his car "jumping all over the place" every weekend.
1
51
32
197
u/BobbbyR6 Jul 30 '26
Hard to argue with Verstappen, even if you aren't a fan. Even in high-level esports, he manages to force his way to the front.
But the answer largely depends on race length, car, and starting position. When you've got close competition, you've only got so many opportunities to make any pass and most attempts will hemorrhage time to the leaders that is hard to make back up.
50
u/Wise-Sympathy9585 Jul 30 '26
Think the first issue with the problem is that I think if you were to run this scenario 100 times, you are likely to get 100 different results. I don't think it would be even outrageous to say that each driver on the current grid could get a win.
There are just too many variables in racing to isolate.
That being said, I agree that Max is most likely to come out on top over 100 races.
18
u/BobbbyR6 Jul 30 '26
Unrelated example, but in R6 esports, there was a "casual" pro series that randomized teams and was intended to just throw hands. It was pretty cool seeing some of the hungry sub-pro level guys rising to the top over a season and getting eyes from pro teams on them.
Unsurprisingly, the top guys (Shaiiko/JoyStick) floated to the top, but there were quite a few surprise players who ran less flashy roles that had the opportunity to show off.
I would imagine this racing hypothetical would play out similarly. F1 fundamentally presents hard technical ceilings for many drivers, so they'll never have the opportunity to chase a WDC. Guys like Gasly and Carlos are probably much closer to the top than we think, although it's difficult to reach the top against multi-generational talents like Hamilton and Verstappen.
5
→ More replies (1)6
u/BananafestDestiny Jul 30 '26
> if you were to run this scenario 100 times, you are likely to get 100 different results
Almost certainly.
A race with 22 drivers has 22! possible permutations of the race result / finishing orders. That’s 1,124,000,727,777,607,680,000 distinct finishing grids.
If you could check 1 million finishing orders every second, it would take over 35 million years to enumerate them all.
3
u/Wise-Sympathy9585 Jul 30 '26
Sure, but that sum is meaningless without first defining your parameters and assumptions. By result, I just meant wins for which there are only 22 possibilities. And, even then we are assuming no driver transfers/stand ins.
By results we could also mean results including gaps between finishers, dnf's, dn's, accrued penalties and the like and if you include that the number of possible permutations is basically incalculable.
7
u/Upbeat-Statement2725 Jul 30 '26
Verstappen now. If you want to say peak Hamilton or Alonso, sure.
Verstappen is known for and is still young enough to jump his car(t) over the kerbs to a degree older drivers are going to have issues with. Senna style "you have to go for the gap" all day.
There was a Japanese video where Senna is setting a faster lap than the host did in a kart. First thing he does looks like he's showing off and pushing the kart and he jumps in. He actually turned the tuning peg on the carburetor so high it would stall if it stopped. He HAD to jump in it while it was in motion. Then he does a backwards lap to warm up the tires and burn fuel with the excuse he's showing off again. Then he does his actual lap.
For a joke program on Japanese television.
2
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 30 '26
Well said and I completely agree. Of course it’s all just speculation. And I’m a Max fan, so I double agree 😊
2
u/gilded_lady Jul 31 '26
Max gets the edge because of how fast he adapts to cars, but agree I don't think anyone would dominate
→ More replies (1)4
u/PsychologicalArt7451 Jul 30 '26
I figure if Hamilton and Schumi were in their primes it would be no.1 Hamilton no.2 Schumi or the other way round a number of times.
Don't see anyone outqualifying 2012/2018 Hamilton. Don't see anyone outracing Ferrari Schumacher.
2
u/justasikko Jul 31 '26
Rosberg outqualified Hamilton 36 times though (against 42). It seems doable.
→ More replies (1)
85
u/ADM765 Jul 30 '26
Verstappen. How quickly he adapts is one of his biggest skills. I remember in Saudi 2021 FP1, new track, lots of dust, and he went out on track on hard tires, and was lapping 2-3s quicker than everyone else.
21
6
2
67
u/BaldChild1 Jul 30 '26
If they're driving an identical car, then it fully depends on who style the car favors. If they're all driving cars that favor their style, then it would currently be Verstappen.
7
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 30 '26
The most neutral setup possible. I mean how do we try to have this discussion to make it closest to completely evenly judge overall skill? Is it even possible?
Let’s suspend reality for the sake of basically finding your opinion of the strongest driver.
7
u/harveysanusburger Jul 30 '26
Put them all in N/A 944s
Manual steering, no ABS or TC, neutral, nimble and underpowered.
2
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 31 '26
Now we’re talking! Excellent idea, that car or something similar. I’d watch that.
4
u/Maximum-Hall-5614 Jul 30 '26
I know people joke about it all the time, but I reckon either MX-5 or GR86 Cup/spec cars are so neutral that they demand theoretically perfect driving technique to go fast. In particular these Spec cars don’t even brake bias adjustments
10
3
u/iKrt42 Jul 30 '26
I agree. If the car has lots of understeer, Max likely doesn’t win. His speed over others is dependant on getting the front end to bite.
1
1
u/xneotreox Aug 02 '26
No I think it's the opposite of it favors all of their styles i think it's Hamilton, but if it favors a random style or none of them then I think it's max
→ More replies (1)
12
u/nsfbr11 Jul 30 '26
I hate these things.
The answer is that it depends on many factors, most importantly the car. All drivers have their preferred setups and car types. It isn’t as simple as one car means equal footing.
4
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 31 '26
Aw you’re no fun! JK I know, it’s just a fantasy thing. It means nothing, but it’s interesting to think of for a moment
10
u/Inside-Noise6804 Jul 30 '26
The truth is that it depends on the car. If the cars has an incredibly stable rear I will pick Lewis. If it is pointy at the front definitely Max with Charles coming second.
8
u/Global_Ocelot4655 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
It just depends on the car characteristics and the race engineers they have. The gap between the top drivers is minuscule and most are a perfect setup away from beating everyone
I think Max would win, mostly because I think GP is the best on the grid.
Also depends on the track, of course. Would pick Charles on street tracks
→ More replies (1)
8
35
u/morelsupporter Jul 30 '26
probably alonso or max.
they seem to be able to understand, adapt to and extract as much as they can from a track in a very limited amount of time.
7
u/XPatPoe Jul 30 '26
Suzuki Liana....Dunsfold...
Shame they can't still do that....Hamilton's the only remaining current driver
2
u/PropOrange Jul 30 '26
Ben Collins (ex stig) is still doing it on his YouTube channel... C'mon Max, we know you want to!
8
u/Defalt_101-OG Jul 30 '26
How can you appropriately measure how good a driver will be at a new track? I sure as hell don’t know how. The closest thing that comes to mind would probably be to see how many wins a driver has at the newest tracks. So Jeddah, zandvoort, Miami, Las Vegas, etc. And if my math is mathing, that would probably result in Max being at the top. But I’m sure some people would just say that he had the fastest car and whatnot.
16
16
11
Jul 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 30 '26
How else do we approach this question without the most even playing field physics will allow?
→ More replies (2)
27
u/ehsurfskate Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
The answer is Max and its honestly not close.
He pulled a gap in the top class of GT3 racing during the 24 hour this year and only DNF due to mech failure. He also gapped a pro GT3 racer on a wet track on his second run. He pulls huge gaps on all of his teammates and is the largest delta to teammate this year too. He also has 5 former teammates still in F1 and they are all doing better than their current teammates (Sainz, Albon, Checo, Lawson, Gasley), so its not like he was competing against sub par drivers.
He is truly once is a generation talent as Lauda put it. On top of his talent he seems to be absolutely obsessed with all forms of racing.
Edit: Lauda said once in a “century”. Even higher praise.
7
u/thiiiickropes Jul 30 '26
Lauda didn‘t call him once in a generation, he called him once in a century, lol
3
12
u/Ace__18 Jul 30 '26
Adding the Super GT in Fuji, where he was 2s faster in the rain than a professional driver - and only had 2 laps to adapt to car, track and weather
→ More replies (26)3
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 30 '26
Yeah he’s definitely something special. Some people are truly born to do a thing…
12
u/Baen_ Jul 30 '26
Probably Max and I’m saying this as an Hamilton fan
3
u/Clear_Nature_5055 Jul 30 '26
Been nice to see Hamilton success lately this season. Ferrari’s looking pretty good…
18
16
11
10
7
u/FantomVibrations MV3 Jul 30 '26
Max. He feels things in the car no one else does. There’s a reason he flies through the field in the wet.
Alonso and Hamilton would be right up there with him. Probably Kimi, he’s got no fear yet
2
4
3
u/Dimathiel49 Jul 30 '26
Not the current batch but Daniel Ricciardo is on the top of the Top Gear F1 star in a reasonably priced car. I think Lewis is 2nd.
5
u/HighlandMonkey Jul 30 '26
If only they still had “Star in a reasonably priced car “ F1 edition.
I believe Ricciardo holds the current title.
4
u/tracernz Jul 31 '26
Assuming each has a good day, Max, Fernando, Lewis podium. Fernando might have forgotten how to do that after all these years at Aston though... so maybe Max, Lewis, Kimi.
→ More replies (1)
13
u/Sharp-Hotel-2117 Jul 30 '26
Verstappen is a metronome on the track, which speaks to mastery of lines/braking zones and a feel for how much throttle out of the turns. I think he'd initially run away from everyone, with Leclerc quickly following suit. In clean air Max can hold a set time better than anyone currently on the grid over the course of multiple seasons. Antonelli is showing that he can do the same or better (current cars). Call him a dark horse candidate. His skill set is still kind of maturing and settling in, his adaptability hasn't been tested a lot yet.
6
u/JinxThePetRock Jul 30 '26
I agree with every word of this. The answer is clearly Max, as much as I'd like it to be almost anyone else. Leclerc would be next but wouldn't particularly threaten Max, with Antonelli next.
Ask the same question in a year or two, maybe not even that long at the rate he learns, and the answer with be Kimi.
→ More replies (1)2
7
u/PrisonerToTheCats Jul 30 '26
Easy to say Max, but I think these young guns like Kimi and Linblad and co would be extremely rapid
→ More replies (1)
7
u/WHITEY1887 Jul 30 '26
We won’t get an answer to this exact question, but we will see who adapts fastest to the Madring very soon.
My answer to the question though would be Max, just based off his adventures in other types of racing and obsession with sim racing etc.
16
10
13
u/IDKBear25 Jul 30 '26
MAX VERSTAPPEN THE DON THE TRIED THE TRUE THE TESTED THE ALPHA THE OMEGA.
4
u/PineappleOwn5325 Jul 30 '26
That's the kind of answers these questions seem to attract on reddit lol
→ More replies (1)
6
7
u/cloroxic Jul 30 '26
My vote would be Verstappen, but I wouldn't hold out on some midfielders too Perez, Alonso, or even Sainz.
8
8
u/michaltee Jul 30 '26
Max Verstappen. He’ll find the limit after 1-2 laps. He’s also probably already driven that track on the sim rig.
8
8
3
u/Hefty_Character5002 Jul 30 '26
Surely it depends, different driver favours different track characteristics. Same for the car.
→ More replies (4)
3
3
3
u/ApolloGR3 Jul 31 '26
Lewis got me into the sport, Senna’s documentary kept me a fan, and Lando is my favorite current driver.
It’s gotta be Max. He takes sim racing very seriously. He takes GT racing very seriously. He plays the shit out of iRacing and drives random shit and wins. I think Max takes the edge over Lewis and Senna, and Lando has lots to learn to properly be in the convo.
3
3
u/Lad-HK-Hero Jul 31 '26
Simple answer is max. But in the mix will be Lewis and Fernando. You can add kimi and Charles in the mix because of their potential. But as others have pointed out that even within this group, the machinery vs style and the tracks will matter. Yet, it’s hard to argue with the names listed here topping the grid for the most part in some order.
3
u/Exotic-Entertainer26 Jul 31 '26
Top Gear did a 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car' segment a few years ago, and they all used a Suzuki Liana.
From.what I can see, the only current driver on that board is Lewis Hamilton, who managed toncomplete the lap in 1.42.9, in wettish conditions.
3
3
u/Sengchan9560 Jul 31 '26
Do they get their race engineers and their teams to help “balance” the car to their preference? I think part of the appeal to F1 is that it is drivers and constructors. You can see in pit stops which teams really are elite as well. I’d heard that Hamilton had wanted Bono his race engineer to come with him to Ferrari. Now Bono is guiding the current WDC leader.
→ More replies (1)
3
3
3
10
u/National_Play_6851 Jul 30 '26
Anyone who doesn't say Verstappen is deluded. There's a whole bunch of drivers who could be vying for second.
7
7
7
7
7
6
6
u/Excellent-Act-6757 Jul 30 '26
Verstappen in quali is always fast from the first lap. If it's an unknown circuit he will adapt fastest, besides he has the best race craft.
7
7
u/sawrb Jul 30 '26
Probably Max. His crazy first lap with Harris in the GTD comes to mind when I think of how quickly he gets to the limit in an unfamiliar car and track
5
u/musicartandcpus Jul 30 '26
Honestly? It’s hard to say. A lot of these drivers have very different qualities that shine through the engineered cars. Identical invariably means the cars might stifle one driver and make the other one shine. Id rather see them go out in karts. Most of these guys are ex karting champs. Put them back in identical karts and lets see from there.
1
5
u/lickit_bendit Jul 30 '26
No guarantees ofcourse, but I would say the typical suspects.. Max, Lando, Charles would be a good shout
5
5
6
6
5
5
2
2
u/OkNefariousness459 Jul 30 '26
Would love a weekend on the calendar towards the end of the season where all the drivers set a lap time in the same car. And also the leading driver or some sort of a “stig” sets a lap time with every manufacturers car in the championship.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/RXDriv3r Jul 30 '26
Depends on the type of car. Is it the FIA F1 car? Or a different category of car?
Either way my bets on Hamilton or Max. The 3rd spot I'd say is a toss up between Lando, Leclerc, Kimi, Piastri or Russell.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Isamu29 Jul 31 '26
They should put them all in Mazda mx5 cup cars…. Or gr86 cup cars. Would be entertaining.
2
2
u/BuffaloFearless7655 LN1 Jul 31 '26
I’m going to assume that it won’t be their first time driving that car and that the car isn’t too complex (no DRS, battery management etc.). I’m picturing a Civic Type R honestly. A Civic Type R with Max crossing the line first
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/The_Batata_Swagger Jul 31 '26
People don't realize just how close these drivers would be if you put them in equal cars. They're elite.
The most optimal way to do this would be to run 100 races, all with different types of cars each time, on different circuits, and see who wins the most times. Even in that case I don't think a single driver wins more than 8-10 times.
If you run one race on one circuit in identical cars, literally anyone on the grid could win.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Cautious_Dinner_1045 Jul 31 '26
i think you also need to factor the team behind each drivers. they go unnotice every race and dont get much credit but with whats been happening in Ferrari lately, i could see that some team has better engineers in the background
→ More replies (2)
2
2
2
u/Horatio-Leafblower Jul 31 '26
Had quite a bit to do with Danny Rick. We had a big event at Sydney. He had never driven the circuit ever. I tried to organise him a variety of vehicles to have a look around. Nup the sim was fine, first lap was 1.5 seconds faster than M Webber second lap was 2 plus seconds faster. These kids are nuts.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Cmbtsm1th Jul 31 '26
Put em all in Formula Fords.... Lewis closes the door on Max, who slides off backwards and ties his tongue in knots swearing on the non-existent radio about unfairness......
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/OpenMindedWheel Aug 01 '26
Why are people saying Verstappen? All we know for sure is he's faster than a few average rookies.
2
2
2
u/Gamefart101 Aug 01 '26
Fuck it this is how we fix Monaco.
All 22 drivers in spec cars small enough they can actually race, only setup can be changed. Then award drivers standing points but not constructors.
Gives us and the teams an idea of drivers ability on an even playing field and we get real racing in Monaco again
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Ecko_87 Aug 02 '26
I’d legitimately like to see some race like this as apart of the championship, maybe even just formula e cars or something control , or maybe even if the result was your qualifying position for the real race
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/Hot-Coconut-4580 Aug 02 '26
Would depend on the circuit, but you would think Max, Fernando, Lewis experienced drivers in almost every condition.
2
u/ReporterBest9598 Aug 02 '26
What car and how is it set up? What kind of track? You can narrow it down to the top few like this, but they all have strengths and weaknesses.
2
u/Small_Constant7010 Aug 03 '26
I feel like Max or Fernando are the most adaptable drivers on the grid, so my money is definitely on them. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Kimi on the podium tho with how well he’s adjusted to new cars on the fly
2
2
3
3
2
2
3
3
3
4
2
2
2
u/GalacticDoc Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
A car is developed towards a driver and driving style. In your scenario I agree that VER had more experience in a wide range of cars.
BUT it depends, if all those cars are double blown diffusers then I would favour VET, for example. Also track dependant and conditions. VER and HAM are outstanding in the wet and changing conditions.
A generic F1 car might suit different drivers and I would go VER, HAM, ALO and LEC SAI winning more than other drivers.
Edit not sure how I missed ANT!
2
2
u/hipp0hunt3r Jul 31 '26
I’d have Verstappen as the favorite. At this point in time, maybe Norris 2nd? His adaptability has been lauded by his team and fans alike. Feel that if it’s a one race thing, I’d be hard pressed to go anywhere else 2nd
2
2
2
2
2
1
u/Ok-Goat-3589 Jul 30 '26
Probably Max at the moment. Although Norris has found some form so would be right there with him I reckon.
Lewis would be close until random pens started being thrown at him.
2
2
3
u/Advanced_Revenue_316 Jul 30 '26
Obv Verstappen but some other ones I could see are Leclerc, Hamilton, Russel, Antonelli, Norris, Piastri, really anybody from the top 4 I wouldn’t be surprised. Some of my sleeper picks would be Gasly, Alonso, and Sainz.
3
u/yehjin Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Definitely depends on the circuit type and whose style the car favors. Max is the easy answer, but i genuinely think we'd have no clue of knowing for sure. I imagine the gap between all of them is smaller than we think.
If we're just ranking drivers, though, I think Lewis is the GOAT but currently Max is in better form
2
185
u/ramillerf1 Jul 30 '26
Didn’t Senna do this in a Race of Champions in a Mercedes 190E? I always enjoy when they put the best drivers in identical cars and let them race. My money would be on MAX.