[Driver] The GOAT - Round One - Hakkinen vs de Angelis

[crmalcolm]

The twentieth match-up in Round One sees Hakkinen vs de Angelis.

So who do you vote for as the greater driver?

Mika Häkkinen
Although he was Schumacher’s chief rival in the late 1990s, many conclude that this fight was mostly sustained by Häkkinen’s superior, Newey-designed equipment, much as Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve were sustained by their dominant cars at Williams.

Häkkinen’s record against David Coulthard (35-26 in counting races, 68-31 in qualifying) was much less one-sided than Schumacher’s records against Eddie Irvine (38-7 in counting races, 55-4 in qualifying), Rubens Barrichello (62-16 in counting races, 79-25 in qualifying), and Felipe Massa (12-3 in counting races, 14-4 in qualifying).

Schumacher and Häkkinen shared two common teammates during their F1 careers: Martin Brundle and Johnny Herbert. The results of these comparisons weigh more in Schumacher’s favor. Brundle faced Häkkinen in Häkkinen’s third full season, whereas he faced Schumacher in Schumacher’s first full season. Häkkinen beat Brundle 5-1 in counting races and 15-0 in qualifying, with an average time difference of 0.85%. Schumacher beat Brundle 6-4 in counting races and 16-0 in qualifying, with an average time difference of 1.30%. Herbert faced Häkkinen in Häkkinen’s first two seasons, whereas he faced Schumacher in Schumacher’s third and fourth full seasons. Häkkinen beat Herbert 7-2 in counting races, but was behind 10-14 in qualifying. Schumacher beat Herbert 12-3 in counting races and 18-1 in qualifying.

Elio de Angelis
Elio de Angelis is a largely forgotten star of the 1980s, with only two race wins to his credit. At his peak, he was one of the best drivers on the planet.

During his career, de Angelis faced three titans of the era: Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, and Ayrton Senna. He clearly beat Mansell in equal equipment, was closely matched with Andretti, and gave Senna a strong challenge. Against Andretti, de Angelis scored 2-3 in counting races, 8-6 in qualifying, and 13-1 in points. Against Mansell, de Angelis scored 12-6 in counting races, 46-15 in qualifying, and 76-38 in points. Against Senna, de Angelis scored 3-5 in counting races, 3-13 in qualifying, and 33-38 in points.

[FIRE]

Häkkinen