How have the Drivers/Teams met your expectations this year?

[BootsOntheSide]

How do you think the drivers and teams ahve met your expectations so far this season? I'll use a scale that was used last season in nother thread, going form +3 to -3. +3 means greatly exceeding expectations, -3 is completely failing against them, 0 is matching them:

Ferrari +2
Michael +2
Rubens 0

Williams -2
Montoya +1
Ralf -1
Gené -2

McLaren -2
Kimi 0
David +1

Renault +2
Trulli +2
Alonso -1

BAR +3
Button +2
Sato +2
Davidson +2

Sauber +1
Fisichella +3
Massa 0

Toyota -1
Panis 0
da Matta 0
Zonta +1

Jordan +1
Heidfeld +2
Pantano 0
Glock +1

Jaguar -2
Webber -1
Klien 0
Wirdheim 0

Minardi +1
Bruni -2
Baumgartner +1
Leinders 0

[Dani Filth]

Ferrari +2.99
Michael +2.90
Rubens 0

Williams -1
Montoya 0
Ralf 0
Gené -2

McLaren -2
Kimi 0
David 0

Renault +2
Trulli +2
Alonso -1

BAR +3
Button +2
Sato +1
Davidson +1

Sauber +1
Fisichella +1
Massa -1

Toyota -1
Panis 0
da Matta 0
Zonta 0

Jordan 0
Heidfeld +1
Pantano 0
Glock 0

Jaguar -2
Webber -1
Klien 0
Wirdheim 0

Minardi +1
Bruni -1
Baumgartner 0
Leinders 0

[Bleu]

Ferrari +2
M Schumacher +2
Rubens 0

Williams -1
Montoya 0
Ralf -1
Gene -2

McLaren -2
Kimi 0
DC 0

Renault +1
Trulli +2
Alonso -1

BAR +2
Button +2
Sato +2

Sauber +1
Fisichella +1
Massa 0

Jaguar -1
Webber -1
Klien -1

Toyota -1
da Matta -2
Panis 0

Jordan 0
Heidfeld +1
Pantano 0
Glock +1

Minardi -1
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +1

I didn't rank 3rd drivers.

[Raven]

I don't think many people were expecting the season we are watching.

All in all from a neutral standpoint, the season as a whole is a massive disappointment. I'd give it a -4 from your scale, Boots.

I was expecting McLaren and Williams along with Michelin to generally have the upper-hand and win most of the races. but for Michael and Ferrari to stay in the hunt by virtue of the opposition taking points away from each other, while on a Bridgestone/Ferrari day, he could clean up.

Ferrari +3
The big over-achievers. It's getting near white flag time, IMO. No one else looks able to compete.

M Schumacher +1
Given the car advantage it shouldn't come as a major surprise after 2002.

R Barrichello -1
After 03, I expected him to give MS a stronger challenge. This time last year he had a stretch of 3-4 races where he genuinely had more pace.

Williams -3
Their pre-season target was to win both championships. Nothing short of a miserable failure.

JP Montoya 0
Difficult circumstances with a car unable to challenge and a new chapter in his career waiting to be opened. Hasn't shown anything I didn't think he had, but hasn't dropped the ball completely either.

R Schumacher 0
Expected him to generally be outpaced by JPM with a couple of shining moments here & there (Monaco qual, Canada).

McLaren -3
Disastrous start to the year. No excuse why Jordan and Minardi should find more speed over the winter in comparison to their 03 cars.

K Raikkonen 0
Has driven well. No signs he is any slower or error prone in comparison to last year. Just poor machinery holding him back.

D Coulthard -1
Expected him to be slightly closer to Kimi. Teams don't appear to be beating down the door for his services next year.

Renault +2
Expected them to be close with BAR and trouble the front-runners now & again, which is pretty much what they've done. They've exceeded my expectation to be lying 2nd in the WCC though.

J Trulli +2
F Alonso -2
When it comes to pure personal expectation, I expected Alonso to eclipse Trulli.

BAR +2
J Button +2
T Sato +1
I only expected 3-4 podiums tops. Never expected them to blow McLaren and Williams into the weeds. To be fighting for 2nd in the WCC was above my expectation.

Jaguar -1
M Webber 0
C Klien -1
Expected a little more from the car, but never bought into the Webber hype, he is only doing as good a job as the equipment allows. Klien has been a disappointment after the promise of his first test runs.

Sauber +1
G Fisichella +1
F Massa -1
Bridgestone's advantage has played into Sauber's hands, being able to regularly mix in for some points. Save the first couple of races, pace-wise, Fisi has pretty much eclipsed Massa.

Jordan +1
Car is pretty much where I expected, but they've scraped a few more points than I guessed they would.

N Heidfeld +1
G Pantano -2
Expected a lot more from Pantano in comparison to NH after his front-running F3000 career.

Toyota -1
They look weaker than they did this time last year. Haven't met their pre-season target which was to regularly score points.

Panis 0
da Matta -1
Expected CdM to press home an advantage over OP, which hasn't really happened.

Minardi 0
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +1
Thought Bruni would've made more of an impression, while Baumgartner hasn't embarrassed himself by any means.

[x_dt]

Ferrari +2
MS +2.5
Barrichello 0

Williams -1
Ralf -2
Montoya -1
Gene -1

McLaren -2 (taking the whole season into account)
Kimi -1
DC -1

Renault +1
Trulli +2.5
Alonso 0

BAR +3
Button +2
Sato +2

Sauber +1
Fisichella +1.5
Massa +0.5

Jaguar -1
Webber +0.5
Klien 0

Toyota -1
Panis -1
CDM -1

Jordan 0
Heidfeld +0.5
Pantano -1

Minardi 0
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +0.5

[Knowlesy]

Ferrari: +3 I expected them to win some races and challenge for the title. Not to make the championship a red parade!

M Schumacher: +2 See above

Rubens: -2 Quite dissapointing although has improved.

Williams BMW: -3 Oh dear.

Montoya: -1 Mostly down to his equipment. He started off brilliantly I thought, but has slipped a little of late.

R Schumacher: -3 As expected! Only even worse!

McLaren: -2 Oh dear again. But looking up for the rest of the year!

Raikkonen: -1 Again, down to equipment more than anything.

Coulthard: 0 I think he's done alright!

Renault: 0 As expected. Maybe a little better....

Alonso: -2 Quite a dissapointment for the most part.

Trulli: +3 One of the stars of the year!

BAR: +1 I expected the pace they have. It has been magnified a little by others' problems perhaps.

Button: 0 Always rated him.

Sato: 0 Ditto.

Sauber: 0 They're usual quiet selves.

Fisichella: +3 After a slow start, has looked quite superb.

Massa: 0 OK.

Jaguar: -2 A big dissapointment. But what more do we expect?

Webber: 0 We know what he's capble of.

Klien: -1 A slight let down.

Toyota: -2 Abysmal but getting better slowly.

Panis: 0 As solid as ever.

Da Matta: -2 Expected to build on 2003

Jordan: 0 What more can they do?

Heidfeld: +3 Another 2004 revelation!

Pantano: -2 ****.

Minardi: -1 Even worse than I expected.

Bruni: -2 Uncommitted.

Baumgartner: +1 Not a great season, but I expected him to be a lot worse!

[Kicking-back]

I'm not going to rate the teams or drivers, I just thank them all for doing what they do.

[MichaelH]

good thread.

Ferrari +1
Schumacher +2
Barrichello -1

Williams -1
Montoya -1
Schumi Lite -1
Gene -2

McLaren -2
Raikkonen 0
Coulthard 0

Renault 0
Trulli +3
Alonso -1

BAR +2
Button +1
Sato +2
Davidson +1

Jaguar -1
Webber -1
Kiein 0
Wirdheim -3

Sauber 0
Fisichella +1
Massa -2

Jordan -2
Heidfeld 0
Pantano -1
Glock +1

Toyota -1
Dam Matta 0
Panis 0

Minardi 0
Bruni -2
Baumgartner +0.05

[Armco Bender]

M Schumacher +3

All the rest 1 for trying and good attendance.

MS is too fast and cunning for the current pretenders.

[ralf fan]

Ferrari +3 (didnt expect this after last season)
Michael +3
Rubens +1 (i thought he would be further away than he is ... consistance)

Williams -2
Montoya +1 (nice podiums when the car was bad)
Ralf -2
Gené -3

McLaren -2
Kimi 0 (did what was expected of him and tha is go fast)
David 0

Renault +2
Trulli +3 (didnt expect him to be the only non-Schu winner after Rnd 11)
Alonso -1

BAR +3
Button +3
Sato 0
Davidson +2

Sauber +1
Fisichella +3
Massa 0

Toyota -1
Panis 0
da Matta 0
Zonta +1

Jordan +1
Heidfeld +2
Pantano 0
Glock +1

Jaguar -2
Webber -2 (more was expected)
Klien 0
Wirdheim 0

Minardi +1
Bruni 0
Baumgartner +1 (expected him to be miles behind Bruni)
Leinders 0

[Wrex]

Ferrari
Ferrari + 2
Michael + 3
Rubins - 1

Ferrari have not only maintained their top form (I ask again for the 3rd year, how long can this last?) but stepped it up. This is a team that refuses to rest. Michael, what can say, I did'nt want him to continue this season because I want him to leave on top, but wow it seems this guys gets faster the more relaxed he is. We are witnessing a legend. RB, every year he misses another chance to show us how good he is, and 2004 is another.

Williams
Williams - 1
Montoya - 2
Ralf - 1

Poor Frank, this season was a disaster before it started. Juan on the wayout, and a public spat with his remaining driver. To top it off, a car they just dont understand. Juan has been terrible this season, and thats not because I rate Ralf better, but because I think Juan is a much better driver than we have seen so far. Ralf is a better driver than most give credit, but he needs to be able to turn it on every fortnight rather than when the planets are in alignment.

McLaren
McLaren - 3
Kimi - 1
David + 1

What a disgrace. For a team this good, a 3rd dud in a row should'nt be possible. While Kimi is on the improve, I have'nt forgotten his little tantrums at the start. Poor luck for sure, but does anyone really believe Michael would be in his position in that car? DC, doing all he can to try and stay in the game.

Renault
Renault + 1
Trulli + 1
Alonso - 1

I continue to be impressed by the only non-Ferrari race winning car. While BAR are getting the credit, this is the only team to seriously challenge Michael so far. Trulli is a reformed man, but it would seem one mistake (huge as it was) wipes out 10 races of good work. Alonso continues ti leave me unimpressed but with mixed feelings. He is clearly one of the most gifted drivers in F1 today, but his attitude, one handed driving and many mistakes make me think he still has a great deal to learn. Like Montoya, he needs to watch Michael to see how championships are won, not races.

BAR
BAR + 3
Button + 2
Sato + 1

Who could have seen this one coming? We laughed off their pre-season test times but it seems we got it wrong. I cant say how pleased I am that a new team is challenging for wins. Jenson (another I had in the wastebasket) has been sensational, and is finally showing what Frank saw in him all those seasons ago. Sato, brilliant to watch, blindingly fast, but needs to bring his brain to the track more often. Wont win championships but will main feature on any highight videos. Hope he stays around.

Sauber
Sauber 0
Fisichella + 0
Massa + 1

Sauber are blah, as usual. Some good performances mixed with some bad ones. Seems they are only around when the tyres are good, and seem to be finishing the 'important' races. Fisi has been the same, some very average races with some great ones. When he works out the championship has more than 4 races lookout. Massa got a + 1 because of my low expectation, not because he has impressed me.

Toyota
Toyota 0
Panis 0
da Matta 0

Doing exactly what I thought, not much. Time to put Panis out to pasture (the nice guy that he is), and send daMatta back to CART. Dorry bud, but Montoya you are not.

Jordan
Jordan 0
Heidfeld + 2
Pantano 0

Get in there Nick, you are all thats keeping Eddie afloat

Jaguar
Jaguar -2
Webber 0
Klien +1

Jag have been a digrace this season. ALmost everytime they have had a car capable of points they car has stopped, and only seems to finish when its off the pace. No wonder Mark is ready to move on. Mark has done much better than some give credit for, and has got every result on merit and car permitting, would be up higher than many others. Klien has impressed, alhtough many errors, I loved those moves he put on the iceman.

Minardi

Are they still racing?

[Mekola]

Ferrari +2
Michael 0 (he did as expected.)
Rubens +1

Williams -3
Montoya +1
Ralf -2
Gené -1

McLaren -3
Kimi -1
David 0

Renault +2
Trulli +2
Alonso -1

BAR +3
Button +2
Sato +2
Davidson +3

Sauber +1
Fisichella +3
Massa 0

Toyota 0
Panis 0
da Matta 0
Zonta +1.5

Jordan +1
Heidfeld +2
Pantano 0
Glock +1

Jaguar -2
Webber -1
Klien 0
Wirdheim 0

Minardi +1
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +1
Leinders 0

[mac]

I know he hasn't scored many points, but I'd like to know what MORE Mark Webber could have done this season, given the time bomb that he usually finds himself circulating in.

[Adam43]

Originally posted by mac
I know he hasn't scored many points, but I'd like to know what MORE Mark Webber could have done this season, given the time bomb that he usually finds himself circulating in.

Think of the question. Perhaps you think Mark Webber has done impossible things with the Jag and you expected that - in which case Mark scores a zero.

For me with Mark, I expected him to do alright, despite driving for Jaguar Racing. He has done, with the odd point and early season qualifying. I will score him zero. I also expected Jaguar to produce a terrible car and go through its season being a shame of an F1 team. So they also will score a zero.

[deeks6]

I can see where you are coming from Adam, but can't agree and I think the facts back me up.

The Jaguar has improved enormously from last year (as far as outright speed goes) - around 4% on average from last year. The problem is that everyone else has improved also. For e.g. Ferrari has improved on average about 3.5%, so Jaguar has made up 0.5% from 2003 - an incredible effort with about 1/2 the budget (or less). But they started about 2.5% behind, so it counts for little...and their reliability has suffered as a result (probably directly related to the budget).

What makes Jag look even worse than they are is the fact that other cars have improved even further, notably BAR (big $, Honda HP) and Sauber (well, it IS last years Ferrari, is'nt it?).

[903cc]

Ferrari +3
Michael +3
Rubens +1

Williams -2
Montoya -1
Ralf -1
Gené 0

McLaren -2
Kimi -3
David +1

Renault +2
Trulli +2
Alonso -1

BAR +3
Button +3
Sato +2
Davidson +2

Sauber +3
Fisichella +3
Massa -2

Toyota 0 --- boring just like the Toyota i can buy
Panis 0
da Matta 0
Zonta 0

Jordan +2
Heidfeld +2
Pantano -1
Glock +1

Jaguar -3
Webber 1
Klien 0
Wirdheim 1

Minardi 0
Bruni -3
Baumgartner +3
Leinders 0

[Snrub]

Ferrari +2
Michael -2
Rubens -1
Ferrari have destroyed all. I didn't expect them to completely dominate. For some reason people can't see that MS goes so far as to take chances with his relaxed driving. Yes he puts in 5 smoking laps/GP, but given his car why are people so impressed? He drives at 85% for the rest of the GP! Saving the car is smart, but he takes it to an extreme. If his car and team weren't so good he couldn't just complete laps.

Williams -2
Montoya -1
Ralf 0
Gené -2
Williams really dropped off. I really think JPM is better than most of his F1 performances have shown. Gene's performances were surprising after what he did in 2003.

McLaren 0/+3
Kimi 0
David 0
I expected McLaren to drop off because that's been their trend since Mika's WDCs. Their recent pace blew me away hence the second number.

Renault -1
Trulli +2
Alonso -2
Thought Renault would be a bit better. Alonso has been mostly poor, Trulli mostly good.

BAR +3
Button +1
Sato +2
BAR shocked me. Button performing nicely, Sato showing definately promise that I wasn't sure he had.

Sauber 0
Fisichella 0
Massa +1
About where I thougth they'd be. Massa better than I expected.

Toyota -2
Panis 0
da Matta -2
I thought Toyota would make the jump BAR did. CDM is better than he's showing.

Jordan 0
Heidfeld 0
Pantano -1

Jaguar 0
Webber 0
Klien +2
Klien breaking the 2nd driver jinx, Jaguar mediocre as always.

Minardi -2
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +1
They're REALLY far behind this year!

[Tamás]

Ferrari +2
Michael +3
Rubens 0
At the beginning of the season I thought there would be a big competition that year. But it's only disillusioning. So they are much better now than I thought it a few months ago.

Williams -2
Montoya 0
Ralf 0
Gené -2
At the last 3 races the team wasn't able to show progress.

McLaren -1
Kimi 0
David -1
new McLaren seems to be enough fast to win a race with it, but the A version of the car was quite weak. DC is getting worse and worse in my opinion.

Renault +1
Trulli +2
Alonso 0

BAR +4
Button +2
Sato +3
Davidson +2
I couldn't believe that Sato can so good as well. In 2002 he wasn't able to do his best I think.

Sauber +1
Fisichella +3
Massa 0

Toyota ???
Panis 0
da Matta -
No spectacular results, but i am waiting for the new car.

Jordan -1
Heidfeld +1

Jaguar +2
Webber 0
Klien -2

Minardi 0
Bruni -1
Baumgartner +2

[Hazard]

As threadstarter Boots, you've got to count these up when they're done!

Ferrari +1
Michael +3
Rubens -1
Was expecting Ferrari to be strong, but not Michael so fast. Although Rubens is doing well championship wise, my -1 is more that I expected him to be nearer Michael.

Williams -2
Montoya -1
Ralf +1
Gené -3
After Gené's testing times, I expected him to do better. Ralf was doing better than I expected (Monaco qually), but Montoya's doing less. However, I still rate Montoya much higher.

McLaren -2
Kimi -2
David 0
McLaren only escape the -3 because of the pole at Silverstone.

Renault +2
Trulli +3
Alonso -1
Trulli's doing very well in my opinion...would have thought the snappy young Alonso would have broken him, seems like it's the other way.

BAR +3
Button +1
Sato +1
More the machine than the drivers me thinks.

Sauber -1
Fisichella +2
Massa +1
Devoted Sauber fan I am, I had visions of the blue Ferrari making 3-4's on the grid. Glad they're on the up though, and they're pulling good strategies for good results.

Toyota -2
Panis -2
da Matta -2
Alround naff

Jordan 0
Heidfeld +1
Glock +2
Pantano -1
They were always going to be near the back this season. Points and a finish in his first race was great for Timo.

Jaguar -1
Webber -1
Klien -2
Thought Webber was going to no better on average, but the Jaguar's probably pulling him down.

Minardi +1
Bruni -1
Baumgartner 0
Bruni only -1, as I didn't expect Baumgartner to ever out qualify him. Minardi get the +1 just for the points finish.