How do you rate Irvine

[BootsOntheSide]

Continuing the mini-series of threads for rating particualr drivers, I wondered how people saw Irvine's career, 18 months after his final race. Did his driving match his unquestionable outspokenness and subtle humour? Did he deserve more even treatment at Ferrari? Would a better driver have won the 1999 title, or did he do well to get so close?

[DriverT]

I didn't use to rate him at all. I don't think he lived up to his outspoken comments, as he wasn't very good. True, it was a good performance to just miss the 1999 title, but I do think a better driver would have won it.

[graves]

One of my favourite drivers. I know there are always If's and but's, but hadn't the Ferrari mechanics "lost" a wheel at the Nurburgring, he would have been World Champion.

[ralf fan]

Eddie Irvine wil probably be remembered for his talking rather than driving... a driver who was quick on his day but should have kept his mouth shut and let the driving do the talking... interesting character because of his comments.

[Knowlesy]

I always rated Irvine highly as a driver....perhaps too highly for some peoples liking. I always wonder what might have been in 1999 had his engine not blown at Imola, had he not overshot his pitbox at Silverstone, had he not had an unlucky Nurburgring, had he not been turned round by DC at Montreal, had he not slid off at Hungary.........I'm depressing myself now.

Highly talented driver, very under-rated. I put him higher than Rubinho, whom I also quite like.

[ralf fan]

your making me feel like crying knowlesy...
poor Irvine!...

[Mr V]

I was an Eddie fan, and i too put him above Rubens. Just wish that he had the use of the same Ferrari's that Rubens has had since 2000, we would have seen him do more imo.

Eddie seems to be disliked (reading posts about him over the last 2 years on this site) but any driver that can score 14 points finishes out of 16 can't be that bad and i honestly believe that had he not had to play #2 to Michael for the first half of '99 (i.e having to sit behind Michaels ailing car at France when he would easily finished 4th in front of Rafe and Michael) he would have been WDC in '99.

As others have mentioned, he was also very outspoken, thats what everyone seems to crave in F1, yet he was often harshly critisized for it (yet when Villeneuve did the same, he was seen as a hero? )

[Aysedasi]

Substantially overrated, IMO. Barrichello was/is considerably better - again, IMO.

[santori]

Very good. Not quite at the top but close.
I didn't always find his statements as amusing as some did - they were too often just bolshiness or cliches (and still are). Which is a pity because when he isn't playing up to his persona he seems a thoughtful, intelligent sort.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by Mr V
As others have mentioned, he was also very outspoken, thats what everyone seems to crave in F1, yet he was often harshly critisized for it (yet when Villeneuve did the same, he was seen as a hero? )

Maybe by a few posters on this board but as a whole Villeneuve was routinely chastised and I would say that applies throughout the internet F1 community. Methinks somebody might be looking through Irvine tinted glasses.

As for Irvine, although I quite liked him as a personality I don't rate him as any kind of exceptional talent. Quality driver? Yes! WDC quality? NO!
I still believe the only reason Irvine was able to get close to Mika in '99 was because of Mika and the Mclaren teams letting down their guard after Schumacher's accident.
They made a greater attempt at losing the championship than Irvine made at trying to win it.

[darcym]

Irvine....simpley the second best driver in F1.

He was a first rate driver from the lower forumla to F1 a great charecter and a superb overall driver package.

Not really fare to say "look X has won more races now" as the teams and kit they use has changed over the years but I genuinly think he was the second best driver in F1.

[Don K]

Good enough to come close to winning the WDC in a Ferrari.

Faster than Mika Salo when Salo had no experience in the Ferrari.
And slower than Mika Salo after Salo had had a few races.

So it looks to me as if that Ferrari was the fastest car in 1999, and Irvine was the third best Ferrari driver that season ...

[Mattracer]

A walking headline, quintessential "playboy in a red Ferrari", starred in many races for lots of wrong reasons including eating a Senna knuckle sandwich an other gaffes.

[Raven]

I don't rate him terribly high. Fair enough, it wasn't until 1999 that he signed a contract that gave him more "presence" in the Ferrari team. As a complete driver I'd rate no higher than the likes of Panis or Salo. He didn't really win any of his 4 GPs outright. Austria was probably his best, and he wouldn't have won that if DC hadn't knocked MH off at the 2nd corner.

[Jordi]

Good enough for winning races but not a great. Still, what made him stand out was his personality. Like it or not, F1 needs personalities and not clones.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by darcym
Irvine....simpley the second best driver in F1.

He was a first rate driver from the lower forumla to F1 a great charecter and a superb overall driver package.

Not really fare to say "look X has won more races now" as the teams and kit they use has changed over the years but I genuinly think he was the second best driver in F1.

I guess we're all entitled to our opinions, that's the beauty of this forum. Some we share, others we accept, and still others we stare at in disbelief - guess which one I'm doing now.......?

[deeks6]

Any teammate of Schuey's tends to get hurt in the ratings but, under any scrutiny or comparison, Eddie must be regarded as a very good driver.
Look at it this way, he fared as well as Rubens and far better than Johnny Herbert as teammate to MS, and Johnny was, for the most part, very competitive with Hakkinen when they were in the same team. Most people would rate Hakkinen better but it's hard to make that stand up - and there's no way known the Ferrari in 99 was better.
Verdict: No MS/AP/AS but most definately an A grader.

[Snrub]

I think that a lot of people rate him lower because of his outspokeness. A lot of people hate JV for the same reason. If JV hadn't been beaten by Button people wouldn't get to use it as justification to say that his career was a sham. The same thing happened to Irvine. Yes MS is better, but I think Irvine is a bit better than RB.

I think most would say that the '99 Ferrari was slower than the McLaren, yet most give high regard to Mika and little to Irvine. At Jaguar Irvine pulled the car further up the rankings, but no one thought anything of that.

To be perfectly honest I found it a bit strange that Irvine gave up driving completely. I think he simply didn't like the extra stuff that what went with being a F1 driver. Maybe it's an ego thing, I don't know.

[Skam85]

I would have liked to see him at Jag alongside Webber last year. They would've definitely got 5th in the Constructor's Championship IMO and it would have been good to see how Webber shaped up against an experienced teammate. I liked Irvine when he was at Ferrari, but at Jag he turned into a bit of a whinger. Which was a shame because he did have some talent which he showed in a dog of a car when he was at Jag in 01 and 02 with those 3 podiums.

[Skam85]

Sorry, I meant with those 2 podiums!!!

[ljakse]

Originally posted by deeks6

Look at it this way, he fared as well as Rubens and far better than Johnny Herbert as teammate to MS...

It's very hard to rate Herbert when comparing his drives alongside Schumacher because of contrauctal differences - at that time, Schumacher had in his contract that all the development that team gets/makes has to be on his disposal, while Herbert's contract didn't have that covered. Benneton wasn't very rich team, and their contract with 'Mild Seven' was performance-related, so whole team's achievements were concentrated on Schumacher.

On the other hand, that was very good scholl for all the other drivers' agents so Eddie had it covered in his contract.
And finally, to cut the : I can't rate high any driver that extends his contract that dissallows him to fight his teammate. And Eddie is one of them.

[MRJUCY]

I think he had talent but was more interested in being a playboy then a race car driver held him back from reaching his full potential.
Can't blame him tho if I was in his position I probably would have spent my time on yachts with bikini clad woman rather then concentrating on my fitness & testing too.

[Aysedasi]

A grader? Yes, just about. But I think there were a lot of other drivers about at around the same time who would have done as well in the Ferrari as Irvine. I firmly believe he largely flattered to deceive.... (and I certainly don't rate him anywhere near as highly as Herbert.... )

[RWC]

I rate him slightly BEHIND rubhins,mostly because the only time that irvine beat him as a team mate was at a time when RB was under unbelievable pressure just after senna's death.other than that RB slightly beat him.
Or one could say that irvine was a touch slower but was far tougher psycologically.

All in all i liked him as a driver EXCEPT for the stupid comments towards the end of his career(the stupid comments at the start of his career were great!lol)

And the 99 championship lost?
He didn't desrve to win it being as slow as he was (especially at suzuka!!) He would have made an interesting champ (or would it have made him unsufferably bigheaded in later life?)

[Gt_R]

Irvine really picked up alot since joining F1. He doesn't look/act serious, but i could really see him getting better towards the end of his stint at Ferrari.

He said he learned alot from Michael, and honestly, he applied what he learned. When he realised that the championship was within grasp, he turned serious and tried to up his game...however sadly, in Suzuka he seem to just want to "depend" on Michael beating Mika.

He's a fast driver, a loud mouth and a interesting character. I'd put him in Ralf's class and ahead of DC. Almost the equal of RB.