(15-03-2021, 09:25 PM)PapaofGags Wrote: I didn't know this Anti > (Ricciardo said; Verstappen was a nerd that talked about parts he himself didn't even knew exists)
Dammit you made me doubt myself and google it. At least I found it so here is the actual quote from Ricciardo:
“Even the way when he’s in engineering briefings and talking about some details on the car, I don’t even know what they are.
He’s a bit of a racing nerd, I guess."
That I can remember silly stuff some Australian guy said years ago but forget my anniversary with my wife... Must be the alcohol taking its toll.
(15-03-2021, 08:24 PM)morini Wrote: (15-03-2021, 07:01 PM)Antilochos Wrote: You said it before but I don't know why you keep thinking that.
To be a great driver and getting those optimal results, you need to have the full package, the driver needs to understand the car and technique completely. So as for race setup, I think Verstappen has proven he is great at that.
As for car development, I think this is not much different from the set up understanding. Al his teammates and engineers say he is great at it (like Ricciardo said; Verstappen was a nerd that talked about parts he himself didn't even knew exists). And also here for the result; Red Bull is the second best car on the grid, the results of great development are there. Only the engine in power stays behind from the Mercedes and that is a department were a driver can't do nothing.
Why do I think this? Well, I think it because that is the way it looks to me and has done for a few years since Ricciardo left the team. Nothing I've seen so far tells me Max Verstappen has ever taken that car in the optimum development direction.
The Red Bull is (or has been for several years) a difficult car with unpredictable handling. Verstappen can cope with it much better than any of the drivers who have been alongside him the second seat, but that does not mean the car is as good as it could be in terms of maximising lap times. Vertappens teammates simply can't drive the car and I don't buy that Max is 1 second faster than the likes of Gasly, Kyvat or Albon. No doubt he is faster, but the margins aren't that huge, the car simply does not suit his teammates and up to now RBR have not listened to the second driver because the team is entirely focussed on Max.
I am willing to bet that if they listen to Checo Perez feedback then that car will develop in a better direction than it has over the last few years. I don't really rate Checo as a mega qualifier, but he's a damn good racer. I only hope Red Bull listen to his input.
Also, I don't buy your comments about engine power being the only reason Max's results have not been stellar either. Red Bull are supposedly the chassis kings, which means Max should be racking up regular pole positions in places like Singapore, Monaco, Budapest. He's been in F1 for 7 seasons now and he has 3 pole positions to his name. Something's not right there, the car is for sure quick enough at RBR speciality circuits.
I understand your point about the car being hard to drive, but Ricciardo had no trouble with it and even the Torpedo was doing fine. Gasly I think had a hard time with the pressure being in the top team against Verstappen and Albon the same while he also isn't that great of a driver.
Also the car is still the second best on the grid and to expect one driver to change in into the best (by beating the most dominant car and team ever!) seems a bit much.
Lets put it into another perspective; Ferrari. Everybody says Vettel is great at building up a team and car. They also had Raikonnen for years. But the car sucks balls and all their latest GP wins are thanks to cheating. Is that now Vettel his fault?
Trying to put it into percentages, I think the driver can only help improve the car for like the last 5% (which is still a lot in F1). The rest is up to all those hundreds of people who actually have a job engineering, building and setting up a car. And lets not forget make it work optimal with the engine. And then tyres.
But that is how I see it, so we might not agree on this.