More Important :- Team or Driver

Mr V · 16 May 2002, 16:03 (Ref:288173)

as everyone knows, my favourite driver is Juan Pablo, but i'm also fortunate that he drives for a team that i would consider my favourite, williams! there are a few people on here whose names give away the preference (not picking on anyone here, just using as an example!) but we have SATO san, RALFS girl, BERNOLDI chic, BAR chic, FERRARI chic etc, but the we also have the likes of NEILAP, who tends to support HONDA over any particular driver (sorry neil!)

so it got me wondering, who is more important to you, a driver, or a team? for me, it's the driver, should MONTOYA go to anyother team (ferrari as an example) and racing against a driver in a williams, i'd still want montoya to win.............who would you choose?

Sato san · 16 May 2002, 16:09 (Ref:288178)

OH....A driver definatly . As for me , i will aways follow Taku no matter what team he drives for !!....mind you , im also a huge admirer of the mighty Juan Paplo as well.

EERO · 16 May 2002, 17:20 (Ref:288213)

The WDC was in existence for 8 years before the WCC.

Its all about the guys who put their lives on the line. Machines are interesting, but its people who make theater.

Speedworx · 16 May 2002, 17:32 (Ref:288220)

A team is more important. Put MS in a Minardi and he wouldn't win.

Jay · 16 May 2002, 17:52 (Ref:288228)

While the drivers are the ones the ones to get all the press, take all the credit and develop egos unlike those in any other sport (except for maybe be NBA players in the US), it is the teams that determine whether a driver will be on the podium or a backmarker.

I contend that with today's cars you could find any number of drivers in lower formulae around the world that would be capable of winning in F1 given the right car...say an F2002. The 22 that many chose to worship are just the lucky ones.

Mr V · 16 May 2002, 18:11 (Ref:288247)

Quote:

Originally posted by hakkiman
A team is more important. Put MS in a Minardi and he wouldn't win.

sorry but i think your missing my point here, maybe i should have called this topic, who do you support more. i was trying to make the point that although F1 is a team sport, if a driver leaves, do you still support that team or is the fact that the drivers gone more important to you? i.e... as a west ham supporter i will be gutted should paulo di canio or joe cole left but it wouldn't stop me supporting west ham, but motorsport to me is the one sport where to me, the driver (or should i say "player") is the more important aspect, and i was just wondering, who or what to you was more important!

Jay · 16 May 2002, 18:44 (Ref:288265)

oh...I see what you mean mr. v. For me it all depends on the driver and the team.

For example...
I don't like JPM, but I like Williams, so go Ralf!
I don't like TGF or Ferrari, but I do like Rubens...
I don't like BAR, but I do like Villeneuve(sometimes)..

I'd be a full time Williams fan if they didn't have JPM. I like Williams attitude toward racing. They try to run a lean mean operation. Their budget is actually less than BAR or Renault, yet they are probably the second best team. THey refuse to pay drivers giant salaries like some other teams, and would rather bring in young drivers into the sport. A good thing. Even if one of them was JPM...hehe

Speed · 16 May 2002, 19:49 (Ref:288286)

Quote:

Originally posted by Jay
I'd be a full time Williams fan if they didn't have JPM.

Any particular reason, Jay ?

R · 16 May 2002, 20:00 (Ref:288291)

Just shooting from the hip here, but I think Jay has met JPM. Or he knows someone who has. And JPM wasn't very friendly in that instance, from what I gather...

For me, it's the driver. I would support Jacques and JPM (hehe...) no matter who they drove for.

freud · 16 May 2002, 20:04 (Ref:288294)

I 'started' watching formula one because of a team called Ferrari.

I 'continued' because of a 'driver' named Senna.

After Senna I realized... I am 'addicted' to it! So now I just watch it for the sake of a 'brilliant manouvere', a 'special drive', a 'brilliant performance'.

Mekola · 16 May 2002, 20:08 (Ref:288299)

In 1958, Fangio said, about that the importance or car/driver, that the imporantance was 75% of the car and 25% of the driver. I think in these years the importance of car is more than in those times.

freud · 16 May 2002, 20:16 (Ref:288307)

Back to the main question... which is more important.

I would say the the 'driver' is more important than the team.... Ferrari is an exemption though

16 May 2002, 21:36 (Ref:288384)

RACING wouldn't happen without drivers. I can understand somebody supporting a driver or team of individuals, but when it comes to manufacturers, why would anyone be a fan of that ? These guys are in it for the money are they not ?Maybe if you work for them or believe the company philosophy to be of some merit you could admire them in some way, but where does the passion come from ? Ferrari have a certain quality, but as has been made abundantly clear, RACING (as we know it) is not part of that anymore when a championship is at stake. How many people just enjoy watching cars drive around without real sporting competition?

over

neilap · 16 May 2002, 22:08 (Ref:288413)

I am not a fan of any driver off the track. On the track I admire drivers with heart. However, I care mostly about the manufacturer. As for the question why would anyone. Well, why would anyone admire some rich, arrogant and usually unfriendly driver. I dont care about their lives. I love the technology of F1. I love the fact that teams/manufacturers are able to extract so much from so little. I like the teams philosophy. The drivers are only as good as the tools they are given.

Wrex · 16 May 2002, 22:12 (Ref:288417)

Quote:

Originally posted by hakkiman
A team is more important. Put MS in a Minardi and he wouldn't win.

It may be more important to the success to the car, but it may not be where your loyalties lie. As for your example, how long do you think it would sit at P21/22 for? Not long I think.

Quote:

Originally posted by EERO
Its all about the guys who put their lives on the line. Machines are interesting, but its people who make theater.

Very true EERO, and the drivers will always be the spark that keeps us coming back. It was'nt a Williams that put that move on Michael at Brazil last year, it was Monty. It was a McLaren that went around a BAR(?) to passed a Ferrari at spa, it was Mika.

That said, I support many drivers and many teams, for the same reason. Attitide.

Michael, Juan, Frank, Dennis & Ferrari all have one thing in common - a massive desire to win. Call it ambition. Stoddart is another for his determination.

It is this that attracts me to my friends, work mates, these drivers and teams, Formula One, and motorsport in general.

neilap · 16 May 2002, 22:23 (Ref:288430)

However without the manufacturers giving the drivers the tools then they would be also rans.

Lee Janotta · 16 May 2002, 23:11 (Ref:288453)

The driver is _far_ more important to the fans, except to the Italians, and sometimes to the Americans, who practice a lot of brand loyalty and don't take time to find out who the drivers really are. My countrymen typically just love the speed, the atmosphere, and sadly, the carnage.

Endurance racing, of course, is the exception. It's typically been all about the team.

enemy-ace · 17 May 2002, 00:51 (Ref:288481)

Intersting topic. For me I think it comes down to the people. As an example I have loved Jaguar since I first saw my first e-type, and that love has gone unabated even when Ford took over. I personally think they have improved the breed. So saying that when Jaguar entered Formula One I was very excited, unfortunately they have done nothing but make bad decisions IMO. Hiring Irvine was a monsterous mistake. But when they hired Rahal I saw a light

, but then there was Lauda.

Then there was Adrian Newey

, which didn't work out

and so Rahal left. The gist of all this is that it's the people of Jaguar that are killing my affection for a team I really want to love.
Love Hurts, I imagine there are a few tifosi who feel the same way about their team and the Schumacher infection.

Valve Bounce · 17 May 2002, 01:05 (Ref:288486)

Driver, absolutely. I have my favourites too.

Valve[img]http://www.**************************/smilies/bouncy.gif[/img]

Jukebox · 17 May 2002, 01:15 (Ref:288496)

Favourite current drivers - TGF without a doubt
Favourite teams - Ferrari (of course) & Sauber

f1manoz · 17 May 2002, 06:47 (Ref:288608)

I've always supported Heidfeld, but only started supporting Sauber when he joined the team. However, I've always had soft spot for the Swiss team, they are a nice, tight band of workers.

I supported Mika but never really supported McLaren.

I've always followed Minardi and was always a fan of Pierluigi Martini.

Drivers are important, but it appears the car is becoming the bigger factor. Fisi is doing nothing in the Jordan this year but if you put him in the Ferrari he'd be dominating like TGF.

calais · 17 May 2002, 10:38 (Ref:288750)

i have always supported williams, but i would rather see anyone, except ferrari, win ahead of halfie!!!
my fav at the moment is JPM, who i regard as the succesor to TFG as the dominator in F1, but with a bit more class.
mclaren is also a favourite, but i dont like the way DC has been treated the past few years

19 May 2002, 07:14 (Ref:289928)

Personally I see F1 as a team sport. The drivers are only two employees out of hundreds in a team although they are the last link in the chain (and one of the most important, obviously). I really only 'support' Mark Webber as I've been following his career for a while. I'm more into F1 as a whole.

calais · 19 May 2002, 07:30 (Ref:289937)

the teams themselves might see it as a team sport, but most of the paying public are interested in there favourite driver, apart from ferrari fans who will follow whoever drives one of those cars!!!!!!

JeremySmith · 19 May 2002, 15:21 (Ref:289989)

I look at F1 as a team sport...they all work together to achieve one goal which is to win races..I like most of the drivers,and as much as I love Ferrari, seeing Michael win most of the time this year I find a little boring. There still seems to be a lot of Ferrari and TGF haters at Ten-Tenths..I realy don't quite understand. but maybe I am just biased I suppose. Ron Dennis,Frank Williams,Flavio Briatori are as cold as ice in my view..

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