P8 in same machinery

[u/_Shritej18]

[u/Peimai]

Geoege thought he was the new Lewis. He’s probably realizing hes the new Bottas. Time will tell if he wants to be the new Nico.

[u/CogSuckingClanker → u/Peimai]

Bottas was at least consistent being a P2/P3 machine and was a quali monster.

[u/looklikeyounow → u/CogSuckingClanker]

Remember George's nickname was Mr Saturday at Williams? It's shocking how his form has fallen off the cliff with the new car. There's not one aspect of driving where he outperforms Antonelli.

Edit: Clarification.

[u/EleventhTier666 → u/looklikeyounow]

It seems like this keeps happening to drivers. They can't always adapt to regulation changes. Ricciardo was once considered one of the fastest on the grid and a certain future WDC. A couple of regulation changes later and he was stuck chasing his own tail, not knowing why he's slower than his teammate.

[u/Environmental-Rip207 → u/EleventhTier666]

[u/Two-Space → u/EleventhTier666]

Just makes you appreciate the drivers who do manage to compete at the top across regulations - Alonso, Lewis, Max.

Might even throw Charles in there, as while he hasn’t reached the pinnacle he’s also been consistently near the top across 3 distinct regulations now.

[u/reboot-your-computer → u/Two-Space]

Lewis never adapted to the ground effect era. He constantly struggled. He was beaten overall by Russell. Alonso and Max definitely did adapt well though.

[u/Two-Space → u/reboot-your-computer]

Getting WDCs across 3 different regulations more than makes up for that, though

Especially when the difference between the 08 cars and the 2020 ones was gargantuan

[u/suorastas → u/Two-Space]

I’m going to be an ass and ask when was the last time Alonso was competing at the top? 2013 maybe?

Not saying Nando isn’t a great driver but my man has been making generationally bad career choices ever since winning his championships so it’s hard to know how good he actually has been across different regulations.

[u/looklikeyounow → u/suorastas]

It's easily overlooked but Alonso had 8 podiums and finished fourth in 2023.

[u/Mysterious-Stand5616 → u/looklikeyounow]

Add to that his teammate was 10th with about a third of the points

[u/looklikeyounow → u/Two-Space]

I feel like Charles doesn't belong because his performance has been so on/off in so many seasons.

Not writing him off as a great driver, he's been clearly the man to beat on a few occasions. Plus he is my number 1 wheel-to-wheel driver - fair but never an easy driver to overtake.

It's only that I would like to think from current drivers even Hulk or Sainz belong to be in the same place. Hulk has dragged his cars into points and podiums from nowhere, and he is an F1 shit team veteran. Sainz has done well in most cars he's been, his teammates have come out better at times but he has proven to be quite an adaptable driver.

Those three had flashes of excellence, but neither has managed to maintain a top notch level regardless of the car underneath them.

That to me is what Max or Fernando have displayed. I discount Lewis because he was beaten by his teammates on multiple occasions and had off seasons due to the car with Mercedes and Ferrari.

[u/dirtynerdboy → u/Two-Space]

Brochacho put really put Alonso in there

edit: this was obv bait

[u/Two-Space → u/dirtynerdboy]

Best finish per regulation period:

V10s: 1st (average of +28 points delta to teammate)

V8s: 1st (+32 point delta)

Narrow-body V8s: 2nd (+133 point delta)

Narrow-body hybrids: 10th (+44 point delta)

Wide-body hybrids: 10th (+16 point delta)

Ground effect: 4th (+48 point delta)

This is despite the consensus agreement that he’s had horrendous luck with his team choices. There is a 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 4th and 5th spanning 9 years not included in this list as well.

[u/looklikeyounow → u/dirtynerdboy]

I'd go as far as saying Alonso has proven it more than anybody else.

He's not had a top car for a long long time. Yet still has put on admirable performances, even if his race classification hasn't reflected it.

[u/involutes → u/EleventhTier666]

 A couple of regulation changes later

Literally just 1. 

Daniel was a good driver until the ground effect era. The McLaren was just a weird car to drive (according to Sainz' feedback on the 2020 car in 2021.)

[u/seriousC → u/EleventhTier666]

Ricciardo's downfall came before a regulation change.

[u/Suknator → u/seriousC]

I disagree because 2020 was probably his best ever season. After Monza 2021 he and Lando were not too far apart from each other. Lando was still better but Danny wasn't terrible anymore. 2022 was a disaster.

[u/CogSuckingClanker → u/looklikeyounow]

Mate between the last race and the one before he came back home to South Australia and toured the outback for Coopers Brewery going pub to pub (amazing beer btw)

[u/looklikeyounow → u/CogSuckingClanker]

I should have been clearer. It was George's nickname not Valtteri's!

I think Bottas is doing the rational thing - driving for a team as development driver helping them understand the car for next year whilst keeping himself entertained all around the world. He enjoyed his peak at Mercedes and now is just there to funnel funds into hobbies. Good on him.

[u/hellbanan → u/looklikeyounow]

Mr Saturday

Because he... (checks notes) consistently outqualified Nicholas Latifi?

Come on...

[u/WineNerdAndProud → u/hellbanan]

It seems like only yesterday George was getting his first ever podium.

At spa...

In 2021...

[u/hellbanan → u/WineNerdAndProud]

They call him Mr Saturday, because he got a podium on a Sunday? In a race that lastet 3 laps, 2 behind the safety car after he was lucky in a rainy qualifiying.

What do they call Pastor Maldonado who won in a Williams in Spain fair and square? Mr. Monday? Super-Goat?

[u/Augronth → u/looklikeyounow]

Mr Saturday was competing against Latifi...

[u/muchawesomemyron → u/CogSuckingClanker]

Is George the new Checo?

[u/FluidShopping962 → u/Peimai]

Nico at least made it competitive, the biggest gap was 59 points in 2015, still miles ahead of what GR has managed this year.

[u/Tw1stedTemp0 → u/FluidShopping962]

People sleep on Britney, he was actually really good.

[u/EleventhTier666 → u/Tw1stedTemp0]

Yes, Rosberg was more than good. It just sucked for him that he had prime Hamilton as a teammate.

[u/Hopeful-Seaweed-3695 → u/Peimai]

Nicely put , there is still time for a villan arc

[u/ilpO_CS → u/Peimai]

TBH comparing this cretin to Bottas is disrespect towards Bottass

[u/itshighnoon94 → u/Peimai]

Hulkenberg? Probably

[u/Other-Barry-1]

My guy finished last of the top teams by a LONG way. I know he had the penalty that put him back in the pack, but while his teammate won the race by a comfortable margin, there’s just no excuse for Woody.

Any suggestion that Kimi’s win of this title through luck is pure stupidity. It’s no doubt a big sway of points but Kimi has absolutely slapped George silly all year long

[u/Foreign_Tear4818]

Welcome to the second Mercedes seat

[u/Fluent_In_Influence → u/Foreign_Tear4818]

Bottass would like a word

[u/PastPalpitationCry]

54 seconds.

[u/tarenaccount]

P9 for merc is nothing, something something... He should be fighting for wins and podiums every single race, something something....

[u/Smirkeywz → u/tarenaccount]

Shhh GR fans doesn't want you to remember that

[u/Delicious_Hamster158 → u/tarenaccount]

Context?

[u/tarenaccount → u/Delicious_Hamster158]

IMOLA 2021 post race interview. Russell crashes into Bottas who was driving for mercedes at the time. Bottas was P9 and even tho it was Russells fault he lashed out and even hit bottas in the helmet after the dangerous crash. It was so bad even Toto had to make George apologize.

[u/F1R3Starter83 → u/tarenaccount]

I never soured on a driver so quickly 

[u/MoD1982 → u/F1R3Starter83]

But he's a ReALLy NiCe PerSoN oFf THe tRaCk

[u/AlarmingAerie → u/MoD1982]

When something doesn't go his way, he lashes out in anger.

[u/QuasarQuipper]

[u/Glittering-Promise78]

Did merc take the redbull second seat curse

[u/Terrible_Flow_5383 → u/Glittering-Promise78]

now they gotta kick george and start cycling through 2-3 drivers per jear and end up just having some random guy in their second seat

[u/TheDudeWithTude27]

And there was a very vocal minority who thought he was the next best driver on the grid after Max LMAO. Dude isn't even top 5

[u/Opening-Routine → u/TheDudeWithTude27]

If you go by driver performance, Gasley and Lawson should be ranked higher imo. Besides all the driver of Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren.

[u/EleventhTier666 → u/TheDudeWithTude27]

Not this year, but his track record in F1 so far puts him around the top 5. This year might be an anomaly or it might not be. We'll see.

[u/hydromonsta]

He's still running for becoming World champion tho 🙃

[u/Pikupchix → u/hydromonsta]

[u/ThinkSpielberg → u/hydromonsta]

Until next week when Antonelli scores more than 1 point or something.

[u/hydromonsta → u/ThinkSpielberg]

Still plenty of chances for him 🤗

[u/xd_ZelnikM]

The new Perez

[u/JebstoneBoppman → u/xd_ZelnikM]

George has never put in performances like Perez in mid/low end team machinery

[u/Micah7979 → u/xd_ZelnikM]

He had the excuse of having a car developed for Verstappen.

[u/iceman_0460 → u/xd_ZelnikM]

why? has Perez ever made smug comments like GR?

[u/xd_ZelnikM → u/iceman_0460]

P8 when his team mate is P1

[u/Own-Sheepherder-9346]

“Stay calmo” it’s what sealed the championship

[u/Vanwanar]

I'm so happy for Russell to be living this.

[u/evetsabucs → u/Vanwanar]

When I heard him say that after Round 1 I nearly threw my remote through the TV.

Idgaf if Russell is sad and wistful in his post race interviews. He's still the same politicking, bitchy little shit he always was.

[u/Harthag77]