Drive of the Year

[jab]

Some choices for you to mull over, 1 from each race

- Trulli @ Australia - from the back of the grid to take 3rd at the finish
- Glock @ Malaysia - tyre gambles lead to a challenge for victory until red flag
- Vettel @ China - supreme wet weather performance
- Button @ Bahrain - opportunistic second lap move leads to victory
- Button @ Spain - beat Rubens in a head-to-head strategic fight
- Button @ Monaco - dominated on the streets of Monte Carlo
- Button @ Turkey - crucially held off faster, lighter Vettel for many laps
- Vettel @ Britain - crushed opposition to win comfortably
- Webber @ Germany - took first win easily despite an early drive-through
- Hamilton @ Hungary - picked off opponents and disappeared into the dust
- Barrichello @ Europe - ended long drought and proved Brawn were still in it
- Fisichella @ Belgium - took pole and finished a close 2nd in a Force India
- Barrichello @ Italy - surprise win, defeated the Brits in a straight fight
- Hamilton @ Singapore - lights-to-flag win on tough street circuit
- Vettel @ Japan - kept title fight alive with dominating performance
- Webber/Kubica/Button @ Brazil - you could make good cases for all 3
- Vettel/Kobayashi @ Abu Dhabi - again dual choice, domination or star rookie

I'd personally go for Vettel in China. Not a single mistake all afternoon in torrential conditions, and Red Bull's first win as well, despite Buemi colliding with him early on

Perhaps a mod could add a poll...

[Teretonga]

1 Webber in Germany
2 Vettel in Britain
3 Vettel in China
4 Webber in Brazil
5 Hamilton in Huungary
6 Glock in Malaysia
7 Barrichello in Italy

No I am not a Red Bull fan but their drivers did it very very well this year. When they got it right they really got it right.

[JamesRamone]

A poll would be interesting. I would go for Vettel in China. Stuff of a World Champion in the making

[Burnsie]

Bernd Mayländer in Malaysia - lapping at 20s a lap faster than the race leaders

[Ralf's Girl]

Originally Posted by jab

Perhaps a mod could add a poll...

Your wish is my command... (although I did just choose one option for each of the final two races)

Vettel in China for me - awesome drive.

[Burnsie]

It mightn't have been the "best" drive in the true sense of the word, but the drive I enjoyed watching the most was Fisichella's storming effort in the Force India at Spa. It's always refreshing to see an underdog upset the trend from time to time, I hadn't seen such a surprise since Damon Hill's drive to P2 in the Arrows at Hungary '97; so Fisichella gets my vote.

[50-SIX]

I went for Webber in Germany, with Button's Brazil drive a close a second. But winning like he did with a drive through, I can't think of anyone who has dominated like that in recent years.

[Mr V]

Seb at Silverstone, peerless all race.

[strider]

Originally Posted by 50-SIX

I went for Webber in Germany, with Button's Brazil drive a close a second. But winning like he did with a drive through, I can't think of anyone who has dominated like that in recent years.

Out of the options available, I agree.

However, I'm disappointed that everyone was so mesmerised by Fisi's drive at Spa that they forgot about the guy who actually won the race in a slower car. Their respective abilities were highlighted when, from then on, they were driving the same car.

[runshaw]

Originally Posted by Teretonga

1 Webber in Germany
2 Vettel in Britain
3 Vettel in China
4 Webber in Brazil
5 Hamilton in Huungary
6 Glock in Malaysia
7 Barrichello in Italy

No I am not a Red Bull fan but their drivers did it very very well this year. When they got it right they really got it right.

Did Brawn's drivers not get it really right this year?! I find it astonishing you have not listed one of Button's supreme drives at all...it is widely regarded in the F1 paddock that his drives at Bahrain, Barcelona and Monaco were ones to go down in history. When Jenson got it right, he really got it right, obviously. Yet you list Glock at Malaysia and don't mention Jense at all!

[Wrex]

Seb in China, blew them away

[HughGJohnson]

I can't pick one over the rest, but a few stand out to me. Vettel's dominant drive in Japan with an old engine to stay alive in the championship was impressive. Hamilton's wins in an inferior car were as well (it's too bad his breaks failed in Abu Dhabi, he may have made this thread moot). Either of Kobayashi's races deserve consideration as well. Ask Giancarlo Fisichella how hard it is to jump into a new car, he did it and more than held his own against the world champion.

[Timomies]

Originally Posted by runshaw

it is widely regarded in the F1 paddock that his drives at Bahrain, Barcelona and Monaco were ones to go down in history.

C'mon, with that car I would have drive myself to history.

Originally Posted by runshaw

Yet you list Glock at Malaysia and don't mention Jense at all!

Glock came from back faster than anyone else and would have won the race if it would have lasted couple of laps longer (would've, should've, could've )

[Burnsie]

Originally Posted by strider

...I'm disappointed that everyone was so mesmerised by Fisi's drive at Spa that they forgot about the guy who actually won the race in a slower car...

And you wouldn't be biased at all would you?

I agree with what you say though, but the reason I voted for Fisi in Belgium was because it was one of the drives which I most enjoyed watching during the season, although probably not - as I mentioned in my post - the best drive. Don't get me wrong, I was delighted to see Raikkonen on the top step of the podium (and in doing so he prevented the heartbreak of seeing the Prancing Horse go through an entire season without winning a race), and as a Ferrari fan it was fantastic to see; but I have a soft spot for the underdogs - particularly Force India as they were (as Eddie Jordan may have mentioned once or twice throughout the season) formerly the Jordan Grand Prix team.

[Bononi]

Buttoning Brazil...

[Mr V]

Originally Posted by strider

However, I'm disappointed that everyone was so mesmerised by Fisi's drive at Spa that they forgot about the guy who actually won the race in a slower car.

Kimi's car can't have been that much slower, bearing in mind that he had KERS for the one place that Fisi could overtake. And btw, Kimi's fastest lap was a tenths faster Fisi's, who you say, had the faster car

[strider]

Originally Posted by Burnsie

And you wouldn't be biased at all would you?

I agree with what you say though, but the reason I voted for Fisi in Belgium was because it was one of the drives which I most enjoyed watching during the season, although probably not - as I mentioned in my post - the best drive. Don't get me wrong, I was delighted to see Raikkonen on the top step of the podium (and in doing so he prevented the heartbreak of seeing the Prancing Horse go through an entire season without winning a race), and as a Ferrari fan it was fantastic to see; but I have a soft spot for the underdogs - particularly Force India as they were (as Eddie Jordan may have mentioned once or twice throughout the season) formerly the Jordan Grand Prix team.

Of course I am biased , but I think it was a fair comment in this case.

However, you're excused because your reason is entirely valid one.

[gregc]

Had to go for Button/Brazil - under massive pressure for the championship, had a (self inflicted) crap qualifying, then on the Sunday drove brilliantly through the field to take the title. Brilliant stuff

[F1Pete]

Kimi/Spa...so what if it is not one of the options!

[Ralf's Girl]

Looking at the poll results, something tells me that a few of our resident Aussies have popped into this thread.

[mattt]

Also Webber only has one race on there whilst others have up to 4 races which means votes for that driver are spread further

[Ralf's Girl]

Although that assumes that people are voting for the driver rather than the drive.

[Marbot]

'Webber in Oxford' would poll more votes than any other drive.

[Fox89]

Webber in Germany.

He lost part of his wing, had a drive through, and won the race by about half a minute. I think that's about as dominant a performance as is possible.

[strider]

Originally Posted by Mr V

Kimi's car can't have been that much slower, bearing in mind that he had KERS for the one place that Fisi could overtake. And btw, Kimi's fastest lap was a tenth faster Fisi's, who you say, had the faster car

Naturally, Kimi is the faster driver.

Being serious, once he had got in front, Kimi had to drive a defensive race, so Fisi was being held up a little and could have gone faster on a clear track. Yes, having KERS gave Kimi an advantage in one, maybe two, places on the track, but elsewhere Fisi had the advantage because his car handled better because it didn't have the weight of KERS to lump around. Both of them played to the different advantages of their cars, as you would expect.

Overall, there wasn't much difference in performance between them, but each car had different strengths and weaknesses as was shown again a week later when Kimi had a very similar battle with Sutil in Monza.