Hamilton or Rosberg?

Zcott

There are a couple of threads going on about how Lewis and Nico have conducted themselves this year and very little about how they've actually driven. So, here's a poll. Who do you think is the better driver? Not who do you think will win or who do you prefer. Deep down, who do you honestly believe is the better driver?

Edit: keeping the poll private for a week so you're not swayed, boardsies.

RayM

Hamilton is a faster driver. Rosberg is a lot more intelligent though. If Hamilton had Rosberg's intelligence and professional mindset, he'd be by far the best driver in F1. Together, they're a great partnership. I think Rosberg's level-headedness will prevent things from boiling over this season.

Arthur Beesley

Rosberg. Hamilton is emotionally weak and unpredictable (in a bad way).

SuperTortoise

Hamilton is the faster of the two.

In fact, if all current F1 drivers were put into identical cars for a few laps i'd bet Hamilton would come out on top.

bodhi085

I would say Hamilton normally but with that blooming girlfriend of his always finishing with him then getting back together which distracts him,I'm gonna say rosberg. He is more level headed and tactical.

ZETOR_IS_BETTER

I would go with Hamilton. He just always finds that extra pace when needed.

wobbles

Hamilton is the faster driver, but is metally weaker. Any little thing can get to him and distract him from his goal, and take lots of support/counciling to get him back into the right mindset. Seems easily distracted by things outside F1 and his on-again off-again relationship is not doing him any favours either. Seemed to be in the right mindset this year, but as soon as things dont go his way, all his toys are out of the pram and the whole world is against him

Rosberg on the other hand is a very quick driver, mentally strong, seems able to put things behind him and move on while learning from it. Typically German, keeps his private life to himself and is focused on the task at hand. Rarely puts a foot wrong on the track or in interviews. A dream driver for any team manager where issues can be addressed behind closed doors.

On there day, Hamilton is better driver but Rosberg will have more better days than Hamilton

Oblomov

Mercedes are a German company, Toto Wolf is German and Nico Rosberg is German.. Hamilton is a Brit...

Marketing wise, Hamilton has blotted his copy book.

Rosberg emerged from the farrago as the good guy

Hamilton is too eager to give away something quotable every time he opens his mouth.

As far as speed goes, Hamilton is amongst the fastest without a doubt but speed isn't everything. Even at that, Hamilton's one-lap speed is overstated IMO.

bodhi085

Which driver of the two would you think might grace the showbiz/entertainment headline.

Max_Charger

Oblomov wrote: »

Mercedes are a German company, Toto Wolf is German and Nico Rosberg is German.. Hamilton is a Brit...

Marketing wise, Hamilton has blotted his copy book.

Rosberg emerged from the farrago as the good guy

Be honest, you didn't even read the op did you?

Hamilton is faster.

HigginsJ

Hamilton has the edge on pace but think Rosberg is more likely to consistently deliver his best performances. It is a touch of the Hare & the Tortoise, my vote will go to Rosberg

MayoSalmon

Hamilton is by far the best driver on the grid, Alonso a close second.

Rosberg reminds me of Vettel.

ZiabR

I think Hamilton is a faster driver but Rosberg is a better driver. Rosberg is more intelligent. He has a good balance between speed and intelligence.

Funny how we all seem to be thinking the same thing.

Frankie Lee

Hamilton is the definitely the better driver of the two but Rosberg is very solid. I don't buy the Hamilton lacks intelligence angle but he is undoubtedly annoying.
If I was to bet who would be the best driver on the grid in identical cars I'd still say it is Hulkenberg.

Oblomov

Risberg is the better driver, not the fastest but the ability as he openly admitted. the change of driving tactics and controls, even to driving in higher gears than norm.

Fastest is not necessarily best.

Is that better, max battery Charger.

Gillespy

Hello Bahrain. Safety car in and ten laps left, Nico on options, Lewis on primes, who wins? Remember his move earlier in that race to lead into the pitstops?

Tangible stuff. Not conjecture about their intelligence. Lewis doesn't speak several languages, but he is dominating Nico whilst using less fuel and being good on his tyres. That's where it counts.

Forget stuff said on the radio or immediately post race, we know by now he is liable to put his foot in his mouth. Although what has he said that's so outrageous or wrong.

Mike Litoris

Hamilton.

Grim.

atari jaguar

Max_Charger

Oblomov wrote: »

Is that better, max battery Charger.

Gold star next to your name on my growing list.

beanie10

Rosberg mainly because I find Hamilton annoying.
Trying to get back following F1 after 10 years and I noticed something (which may be common knowledge), Hamilton is a whinge bag. In Spain, I think, where Rosberg was catching Hamilton towards the end of the race Hamilton comes on the radio and announces he has no power.
He was bet in Monaco ans he announces he is blind in his left eye.
As I am only getting back into it this season its the first thing I noticed.

Ghost Train

Hamilton's sort of proven himself in the past, came close to winning the championship his first year up against Alonso & Kimi, won it the year after.
I think the four races in row showed he had something extra on Rosberg even though it's been Robergs team

Could still go Rosbergs way, wouldn't take much, took a while for Hamilton to get back on terms after his DNF in Australia

Slutmonkey57b

Hamilton is the better driver, but Rosberg is a better man.

Zcott

Sitec wrote: »

Make the poll public!

Soon :-)

Jimoslimos

Hamilton. Put the two on the same race strategy and Lewis wins 9/10.

People are quick to forget Rosberg's sulking the previous 4 races, how he "hated" coming second to Lewis, or whining over the radio in Bahrain when aggrieved by Hamilton's defensive moves. If Hamilton wins the next few races expect Nico to get a little tetchy as well.

Zaph

Hamilton is the better driver, but I prefer Rosberg. Hamilton's personality has improved a lot over the last year or two, but his sulky child antics over the weekend undid a lot of that good. Plus I always liked Rosberg senior when he was driving.

Frank Bullitt

As a whole package, I give the edge to Rosberg a little. You can see when things begin to go a bit wayward for Hamilton, he begins to complain very publicly on the radio with the team and essentially does his dirty washing in public.

Rosberg is a very fast driver, but Hamilton over one lap beats him, but Hamilton seems to only eclipse him on the Sunday when the stars are aligned for him, once a little bit of the puzzle goes wrong for Hamilton, he begins to lose it a lot more than Rosberg seems to.

Still early in the season, but the longevity of this battle will be great to watch. Rosberg needs to improve his overall speed, Hamilton needs to improve his calm.

The fact they're in the same team means that qualifying pace shows up as a massive edge for whoever is quickest. While Hamilton complained about strategy if Rosberg had been allowed try something different in the 4 races Hamilton won then he wouldn't have had things so comfortable.

breenooo1986

Hamilton for me.. he's just faster

v3ttel

For someone who is widely renowned as one of the better drivers on the grid, take a look at the World Driver Championship results since he won his first title:

2013 - 4th
2012 - 4th
2011 - 5th
2010 - 4th
2009 - 5th

Hamilton is incredibly fast over 1 lap, but IMHO, without a totally and utterly dominant car, he does not have the robotic consistency that is needed to win another Championship, as shown by previous standings.

In previous seasons, we have seen drivers being more consistent. Consistency wins champions, not solely raw talent. If the Merc wasn't as totally dominant as it currently is, I would back at least one of Alonso, Kimi, Vettel, Riccardo,to win out over the course of a full season, and be a more consistent points scorer than Lewis.

I'd like to see Nico win, and prefer his smooth driving style and personality. Lewis really pissed me off over the weekend, and has totally undone some of the work he was doing to repair his image.

ZiabR

v3ttel wrote: »

Hamilton is incredibly fast over 1 lap, but IMHO, without a totally and utterly dominant car, he does not have the robotic consistency that is needed to win another Championship, as shown by previous standings.

I agree here, there is only one driver on the grid that can drag points out of a car that would be better used as a boat and he currently drives for an Italian team (but for how much longer).

Jordan 199

Zaph wrote: »

Hamilton is the better driver, but I prefer Rosberg. Hamilton's personality has improved a lot over the last year or two, but his sulky child antics over the weekend undid a lot of that good. Plus I always liked Rosberg senior when he was driving.

I think Hamiltons stock did drop with the way he acted at Monaco, but not by a huge amount.

Max_Charger

v3ttel wrote: »

For someone who is widely renowned as one of the better drivers on the grid, take a look at the World Driver Championship results since he won his first title:

2013 - 4th
2012 - 4th
2011 - 5th
2010 - 4th
2009 - 5th

Hamilton is incredibly fast over 1 lap, but IMHO, without a totally and utterly dominant car, he does not have the robotic consistency that is needed to win another Championship, as shown by previous standings.

Complete rubbish. There are too many other variables at play to determine a drivers consistency looking at championship standings. Have you forgotten already how utterly unreliable his McLaren was in 2012?

I know this could be seen as bias (:pac: ) but Hamilton's first season saw a few factors work out perfectly for him between being the team's golden boy and landing into F1 at a time that the regs and cars suited him absolutely perfectly. Had he landed in 2009 would he have been as impressive?

Max_Charger

Max_Charger wrote: »

Complete rubbish. There are too many other variables at play to determine a drivers consistency looking at championship standings. Have you forgotten already how utterly unreliable his McLaren was in 2012?

Europe - Collision
Germany - Puncture (unlucky)
Belgium - Collision
Singapore - Gearbox
Abu Dhabi - Fuel
Brzail - Collision

So 3 DNFs that weren't collisions. In that season Vettel had 3 as well. While the Belgium collision wasn't his fault (can't remember the other 2 off the top of my head) it doesn't account for the points difference.

Jordan 199

Max_Charger wrote: »

Complete rubbish. There are too many other variables at play to determine a drivers consistency looking at championship standings. Have you forgotten already how utterly unreliable his McLaren was in 2012?

Indeed. It wasn't just down to reliability, it was also down to McLaren screwing up pitstops and remember the Spanish GP where he had to start at the back of the grid because they didn't put enough juice in the tank for qualifying.

Lewis drove superbly in 2012.

Max_Charger

Deleted User wrote: »

Europe - Collision
Germany - Puncture (unlucky)
Belgium - Collision
Singapore - Gearbox
Abu Dhabi - Fuel
Brzail - Collision

So 3 DNFs that weren't collisions. In that season Vettel had 3 as well. While the Belgium collision wasn't his fault (can't remember the other 2 off the top of my head) it doesn't account for the points difference.

Does'nt tell the whole story either:
Gearbox change in China
They didn't put enough Fuel in the car in Spain
A Kamakasi Columbian in Valencia
A Kamakasi French man in Belgium
Anti-Roll bar failed in Korea
Another mechanical in Abu Dhabi
"The Hulk smash!" in Brazil, also not his fault

Zcott

Hm, seems I can't edit the poll to make it public.

The results weren't exactly surprising and I think deep down everyone knows which way this title will go. 49 of you voted Lewis, and 25 voted Nico.

Personally, I voted for Lewis although I've become a bit of a Rosberg fan this year and I'd love to see him win it.

Myrddin

v3ttel wrote: »

For someone who is widely renowned as one of the better drivers on the grid, take a look at the World Driver Championship results since he won his first title:

2013 - 4th - team mate 6th
2012 - 4th - team mate 5th
2011 - 5th - team mate 2nd (first & only time he has been beaten)
2010 - 4th - team mate 5th
2009 - 5th - team mate 12th
2008 - 1st - team mate 7th
2007 - 2nd - team mate 3rd

So with the exception of 2011, he's beaten his team mates every single season, that's Kovalainen (ok he was hardly a challenge), Alonso, Button, & Rosberg. It's impossible to rate drivers across different seasons in different cars...should we apply that logic to Vettel, & that there should be a question mark over his head given he's not winning now & doesn't have the best car?

Not defending Hamilton here, how can you like, he acted like a spoiled child in Monaco (again Monaco)...& even I as a fan of his, am growing tired of it all. I'm looking to drivers like Ricciardo now. But to say Hamilton is questionable over his results is a bit silly, his results speak for themselves if you ask me.

djimi

Hamilton is the quicker of the two, and considering they are basically in a two horse race at the moment in which Hamilton has 4 wins and 4 poles to Rosbergs 2 wins/2 poles, Im not really sure how the conclusion could be drawn that Rosberg is the better driver?

And I say this as someone who really isnt a fan of Lewis Hamilton and his petulant childish nonsense!

the culture of deference

Hamilton for me.
Mclaren cost him in 07 (lucky kimi), I still do not understand why.

If the race had no telemetry, re fueling was allowed and you were g'teed 100% reliability then lewis is up there with Senna and Schu, and maybe kimi.

These guys have the best natural ability

allybhoy

Hamilton is quicker, if he keeps his head down and doesnt throw his toys out of the pram then he will win the championship with a few races to spare, but, if he continues in the same vain as Monaco then I can see him loosing the mind games and also support within his team. Rosberg has been there for nearly 5 years and is well established and liked in the garage, the last thing he needs to do is to divide the team into two camps. He just needs to concentrate on his own racing with the mindset that over the course of a season with equal cars he will beat his teammate.

Ed Winchester

the culture of deference wrote: »

Hamilton for me.
Mclaren cost him in 07 (lucky kimi), I still do not understand why.

If the race had no telemetry, re fueling was allowed and you were g'teed 100% reliability then lewis is up there with Senna and Schu, and maybe kimi.

These guys have the best natural ability

Are you suggesting Kimi has more natural talent than Senna?

TheDoctor

Hamilton is definitely the quicker driver

Zcott

Now 56-28 in favour of Lewis.

Zaph

Poll edited so it should be visible to all now.

andyman

v3ttel wrote: »

For someone who is widely renowned as one of the better drivers on the grid, take a look at the World Driver Championship results since he won his first title:

2013 - 4th
2012 - 4th
2011 - 5th
2010 - 4th
2009 - 5th

Hamilton is incredibly fast over 1 lap, but IMHO, without a totally and utterly dominant car, he does not have the robotic consistency that is needed to win another Championship, as shown by previous standings.

Nico Hulkenberg must be utterly ****e then if you want to use previous standings.

Cookie_Monster

I'll freely admit I don't like Hamilton due in the main to his poor overall attitude but he's definitely a better driver than Rosberg overall, probably better than everyone else out there apart from Alonso IMO

the culture of deference

Ed Winchester wrote: »

Are you suggesting Kimi has more natural talent than Senna?

No. Senna had. MS came close.

But as raw racers Lewis and Kimi should have both had 2 or 3 championships each now. They along with Alonso (should have been in 2012, maybe 2007), should have been triple world champions which is a sign of greatness.

Myrddin

In the past I'd have said Hamilton without a doubt. But now, I'm not so sure. Two of Hamiltons four wins, were ones he held onto literally by the skin of his teeth, another three or four laps in those races & Nico would have got him I think. I think their styles are pretty different, but all things being equal, they're fairly well matched!

Gillespy

Another three or four laps and they'd both be at the side of the road out of petrol:p. Another 20 laps in Bahrain wouldn't have made a difference and Barcalona is easier to defend than there.

Had Lewis finished Melbourne or gotten to do his qualifying lap in Monaco it could be 6-0. That's easier to believe I think looking at both drivers.