Who will Win Autosport Driver Of The Year 2012??

[beelsebob]

When I read about all the praise Alonso gets, I just wonder - how much is down to to media influence - jumping on the popular vote? Naming Alonso driver of the race/season/year whatever - is always the popular vote it seems.

I'm not sure I agree. If it were down to media influence, I think we'd all be extolling that Vettel is the great grand master and the natural successor to Schumacher.

[JimClarkFan]

When I read about all the praise Alonso gets, I just wonder - how much is down to to media influence - jumping on the popular vote? Naming Alonso driver of the race/season/year whatever - is always the popular vote it seems.

I'm not sure I agree. If it were down to media influence, I think we'd all be extolling that Vettel is the great grand master and the natural successor to Schumacher.

+1

I have been a little bit baffled by some of the praise laid at Vettels door this year. At the start of the season I was very impressed with Vettel always being there at the end of the race.

However at the end of the season he had a fair few incidents which have put other drivers out of the race for much less. The stand out moment was when he got awarded the drive of the season in Abu Dhabi by the BBC...really? I just don't get it.

I'm not levelling this criticism at Vettels door, for he is a world class driver, despite his errors... but the so called pundits seem to be unable to analyse a race. Just my opinion though, apparently it is out of flavour these days.

[Nando]

Agree with the above, I chuckle a little when people compare him to Fangio and all i see in my head is him hitting DRS-signs because he´s not focusing on the road ahead of him.

Or when he shows tremendous problems by doing a relatively easy task in passing a HRT.

[JimClarkFan]

^Pretty much... he's good alright, and stats would suggest one of the best of all time. But I can't accept that.

Alonso has produced magic this year. Car haven´t been good in qualifying trim but quick in the race.

However, it´s what he does on lap one that has been absolutely insane.
His starts for the last 2 years have been completely unreal.

I think he´s WELL deserved of being called the best driver this year.

Will history remember that though, I think this is the most frustrating thing of all for me... I agree with you by the way. I just feel sad because I think that history won't recognise his achievements this year .

Well true fans of the sport remember what Schumacher did in 97 or what Senna did in 93 so i think the hardcore fans will remember, though the casual fans won't.

I hope they will, because I have never seen a drive like that over the course of a season. The very fact that you mention Senna and Schumacher in the same breath affirms all I already believe Alonso to be - and this comes from a former Alonso hater.

Still sad though lol

[FoxHound]

but surely the idea that Massa has somewhat played 'slave' in order to help his championship hopes puts a dent to his image in my view. Vettel didn't have that luxory

Webber will and has been guinea pig for Vettel aplenty. Maybe not so obvious, but there are various ways of being rear gunner.

[Nando]

Both Massa and Webber have simply under-performed.

Massa was dead but came alive, Webber was alive but died.
Both are being used by the team but only because they allowed it to happen.

If Massa comes out next year with guns blazing and starts beating Alonso fair and square you´ll soon start to see the team prioritize Massa simply because he´s the quicker guy.

Frankly the only team i´ve seen that doesn´t give a damn about it but just say "have at it boys" is Mclaren.
And we have seen the backside of doing just that. Good for honor and balance in a team but not optimal for championships.

[mnmracer]

Wow, the amount of close-mindedness going around here is astonishing.
Unwilling to accept any recognition for Vettel, and then going as far as to alike Alonso to Senna 93 and Schumi 97.

Neither Senna nor Schumi had a far superior reliability to the Williams'.
either Senna nor Schumi had a car with much better race pace than the Williams'.
Neither Senna nor Schumi had their team mate outperform them when it was crunch time.
And Senna and Schumi were facing competition that was always much faster; they were not facing a team that was the best 5 times out of 20 races, with another team bettering them in most other races.

At the end of the year, people were asking about neither Irvine nor Häkkinen/Hill if they would go on to give Schumi or Senna a run for their money next year.

Also, it is relatively easy to substantiate where Schumi and Senna would have done better than the Williams drivers in those years.
Aside from all the "Alonso would have been champion in Valencia in the Red Bull" hype, I have yet to see someone substantiate where Vettel lost all those points that Alonso would have gotten.

[mnmracer]

Alonso has produced magic this year. Car haven´t been good in qualifying trim but quick in the race.

However, it´s what he does on lap one that has been absolutely insane.
His starts for the last 2 years have been completely unreal.

I think he´s WELL deserved of being called the best driver this year.

Will history remember that though, I think this is the most frustrating thing of all for me... I agree with you by the way. I just feel sad because I think that history won't recognise his achievements this year .

Well true fans of the sport remember what Schumacher did in 97 or what Senna did in 93 so i think the hardcore fans will remember, though the casual fans won't.

True fans will remember this year as an epic showdown between two of the best drivers of this era, one in a generally faster but unreliable car, the other in a competitive and bulletproof car. And they will remember the third driver of that era to have fought valiantly despite the most unreliable car of them all.

What history you decide to make up, is one for the fairy tale books.

[FoxHound]

Massa made the car seem terrible for a long time this year.

For those who state that Vettel's titles are results of Newey machinery and not driver skills, I would like to point out that Mark Webber finished 6th in this year's championship with the same Newey machinery (and no Ferrari-like team orders)

A bit of a cock-eyed argument if you don't mind me saying. Belittling one driver(Massa), and then building the other(Webber) as some sort of lone ranger?

The issues I have with this is pretty clear, In 2010 and 2011 there was clear number 1 status to Vettel in the Red Bull team.
There are many instances one can reference to show this, even quotes from Webber himself...."Not bad for a number 2 driver"....

In 2012, Red Bull where hamstrung by the EBD ban and Vettel found himself floundering with Webber managing to extract more from a non dominant car. It was only past the half way season, and once the Red Bull became clearly the car to have that Vettel managed to reel Webber back in.
Remember it was only after Belgium that Vettel was in fact Red Bull's leading driver.
You will point this as evidence to suggest that Red Bull allow racing. The reality is, the car came good at the right time, and Red Bull where only ever going to back Vettel if he was within a few GP win distance of Webbo.
The reasons it came back to Vettel is of course to do with Red Bull clawing back rear DF.

You know, we can argue till the cows come home. But the Bottom line as for this year is very very simple.

The difference between Vettel and Alonso was 3 points. The difference between the RB8 and the the F2012 was 60 points.
The difference in Victories was 7 Wins to Red Bull and 3 to Ferrari.

Vettel was not the difference here. His car was clearly a cut above that Alonso has had at his disposal.
And this is why rightly, Alonso has led the plaudits in terms of achievements.

[FoxHound]

I have yet to see someone substantiate where Vettel lost all those points that Alonso would have gotten.

Well that's very simple....where his team mate beat him or out-qualified him. Seemed to happen on the regular the first half of the season.

Wow, the amount of close-mindedness going around here is astonishing.

You are a Vettel fan, we get it. It's not close-mindedness when you base opinions on facts.

What people are saying is that Vettel drove a superior car to Alonso. This is a fact.
What is astonishing is some people denying this, and making out as though Vettel manhandled his car to the title.

[LionKing]

In 2012, Red Bull where hamstrung by the EBD ban and Vettel found himself floundering with Webber managing to extract more from a non dominant car. It was only past the half way season, and once the Red Bull became clearly the car to have that Vettel managed to reel Webber back in.
Remember it was only after Belgium that Vettel was in fact Red Bull's leading driver.
You will point this as evidence to suggest that Red Bull allow racing. The reality is, the car came good at the right time, and Red Bull where only ever going to back Vettel if he was within a few GP win distance of Webbo.
The reasons it came back to Vettel is of course to do with Red Bull clawing back rear DF.

Sorry to say it what your wrote is nonsense:

Vettel was already extracting more from Webber in the races from the get go:
Australia: Vettel 2nd ( First podium of RBR ), Webber 4th
Malaysia: Vettel was in front till cucumber deflated Vettel's tire.
China: Webber 4th, Vettel 5th.
Bahrain: Vettel 1st ( 1st win of RBR) Webber 4th.
Spain: Vettel 6st, Webber 11th.
Monaco: Webber 1st, Vettel 4th.
Canada: Vettel 4th, Webber 7th.
Valencia: Vettel opens up 20 second lead before SC, retires with alternator failure. Webber finished 4th after Vettel, Grosjean, Lewis and Maldonado retires.

In what parallel universe, Webber was managing to extract more from a non dominant car?

[Nando]

And somehow by round 11 Webber was sitting on more points then Vettel.
About that time Webber died and Vettel came alive.

[Nando]

Thanks to F1Fanatic for providing the stats,

[LionKing]

And somehow by round 11 Webber was sitting on more points then Vettel.
About that time Webber died and Vettel came alive.

That somehow is easy to understand. The two times Webber went in front of Vettel in WDC standings:

After Malaysia (Kartkiyean incident). Vettel got back back in front 2 races later (4th race ) with his win.
After Valencia (8th race). Vettel DNFed with alternator; this single race was alone a 30 point swing. 4 races later Vettel was back in front. At the end he was 102 points ahead...

[Nando]

Narain incident he brought on to himself. Alternator i can buy.