[Official] Driver of the race: British Grand Prix 2014

[Clive]

Bottas for me, with Button a close second

[jedrinck]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Someone who starts from pole win's by default. Someone who starts in 6th, not so much.

Someone who drives a 2014 Mercedes wins or finishes 2nd by default no matter what the grid position was. Very different from the RBR which needed to be qualified on pole to be dominant. ROS and HAM have only one real opponent, respectively. And Bottas was my dotr, who else?

[chunterer]

But the way Bottas cut through with little resistance surely illustrated that the Willy was second only to the Merc on dominant pace. Great as it was to see because he is really coming on now he can't be driver of the race in equipment that good?

It has to be Alonso who utterly outperformed his car and pulled some outstanding moves. That is incredibly difficult to do in the current era.

(I wonder if he remembered JPM doing to him what he did to Vettel around the outside of Copse?)

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by jedrinck

............. Very different from the RBR which needed to be qualified on pole to be dominant. ROS and HAM have only one real opponent, ..........

If you don't put a dominant car on the front row, you don't really deserve to win. If you do win, it's probably because of engineers and strategy calls.

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by chunterer

But the way Bottas cut through with little resistance surely illustrated that the Willy was second only to the Merc on dominant pace. Great as it was to see because he is really coming on now he can't be driver of the race in equipment that good?

It has to be Alonso who utterly outperformed his car and pulled some outstanding moves. That is incredibly difficult to do in the current era.

(I wonder if he remembered JPM doing to him what he did to Vettel around the outside of Copse?)

Agreed, was my pick too.
He's been the best driver for a number of years now, regardless of whoever it was who led the points table each year.

[jedrinck]

Originally Posted by MarkG

If you don't put a dominant car on the front row, you don't really deserve to win. If you do win, it's probably because of engineers and strategy calls.

So Hamilton didn't deserve to win? It doesn't take much of a strategy to breeze through traffic in that car. Good for them, they are the strongest team at the moment and why would using that advantage make a victory undeserved?

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by jedrinck

So Hamilton didn't deserve to win? It doesn't take much of a strategy to breeze through traffic in that car. Good for them, they are the strongest team at the moment and why would using that advantage make a victory undeserved?

Lewis and the team deserved the win, I didn't say otherwise really. Just as if Rosberg had won. My comment was related to the RBR comment. I find it difficult to be impartial and sensible when it involves RBR, particularly Vettel, I have to be honest. :-)

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by F1Pete

Okay, I voted Kimi as the (probable if he didn't crash) driver of the race. First off, he blew Alonso out of the tarmac at the start. Kimi said he was comfortable with the car and I am sure he would have blew through the rest of the field with Alonso on the chase (that would have been unsuccessful). Anyway, if it weren't for that uneven ground causing the rear to bounce in the air......Bernie should have the track landscapers fired.

I think I ought to ask one of the supermods if I can change my vote - you make such a compelling case..........

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Someone on pole doesn't win by default - Mr Das Hulk @ Interlagos 2010 was never going to win that race.

Someone who qualifies 6th can win by default if their only real opponents had difficulties - Rosberg retired, and the Williams started from too far back to be a threat, especially with the red flag benefitting certain drivers strategies (including Alonso and the RBRs)