Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcoose
In decades of following F1, I’ve concluded champions have Lady Luck on their side, are at the top of their driving skills, have a good car, and the car and regulations fit their driving style. I doubt Prost, Senna and Schumacher would enjoy the same success in today’s F1. We’re already seeing how Hamilton is struggling, and yet the most successful driver of all times. In Verstappen’s case, he has a car perfectly suited to his style. In other words, it’s the car.
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Yes, you certainly need a good car, but the RB is a solid all around car and the field is the closest it has EVER been in F1 history where a small mistake could mean going from P1 to P10 or worse. It's not a massively dominant car like the MB car where it was 1 second clear in quali pace and 2 seconds clear in race pace. There was literally no competition back then beyond the 2 MB cars and that was a car any average driver could win in (the drivers who were in it proved that many times over) - yet Max was able to at times be right there with a really terrible car. He is a more agile, dynamic, and adaptable driver - taking a car he isnt comfortable with and doing what no one else can. In 2022 and 2023 the first several or so races he didnt like the car yet was still winning at a rate 60% in 2023 through 5 races when he got the setup how he liked.
To me, what you can do in a bad car probably tells me more than what you can do in a good one. Max in the 5th fastest car at RB years ago was running with the best car simply because of his talent (and he wasnt mature at all so that was a major disadvantage). Now we see Ham in the second best car in the grid and he can't win nor really get close and more often than not either collides with others or makes unforced mistakes because he simply isnt good unless he's out front in a car so fast that no one can get close to it.