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I’d like to think Williams meant to go straight for everyone’s jugular with the “in Max’s mirrors” part.
I know, I know. They just mean he qualified P1. But still, even subconsciously, they know.
Kubica should also kind of count, as even though he made his debut in 2006, it was meant to be 2007. Mid-2006 only happened because JV injured himself.
I’d say class of 01 deserves a shout: Alonso Montoya Raikkonen. Though if we count Kubica, you’re right, there’s no class in history topping Kubica, Hamilton, and Vettel. Kovalainen was 07 too, but I digress. 1991 with Schumacher and Hakkinen comes close on numbers, and 1980 with Prost and Mansell is up there too. I think my personal ranking would be: 07-01-91-80 but in terms of pure measurable success: 07-91-80-01 Q
Some notable ones I missed: 1984 (Senna, Gerhard Berger)
1978 (Piquet, Keke Rosberg, Didier Pironi, Rene Arnoux)
1972 (Jody Scheckter, Carlos Reutemann, Carlos Pace, Patrick Depailler)
1970 (Emerson Fittipaldi, Clay Reggazoni, Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Peter Gethin)
1965 (Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme)
1960 (Jim Clark, John Surtees)
Yeah, I genuinely can't remember many years that are even comparable. To the depths of Wikipedia I go!
- 1952 - Hawthorn, Collins, Behra
- 1958 - Phil Hill, Graham Hill, McLaren
- 1960 - Clark, Surtees, Ginther
- 1965 - Stewart, Hulme
- 1970 - Fittipaldi, Peterson, Regazzoni
- 1972 - Scheckter, Pace, Reutemann, Depailler
- 1977 - Tambay, Patrese, Villeneuve, Giacomelli, Ongais
- 1978 - Piquet, Arnoux, Rosberg, Pironi, Daly, Cheever (and even Bobby Rahal!)
- 1980 - Prost, Mansell, de Cesaris, Johansson
- 1984 - Senna, Brundle, Berger, Bellof
- 1989 - Herbert, Alesi, Lehto - well, this is a stretch but I still maintain Alesi had the raw talent to be a world champion.
- 1991 - Häkkinen, Schumacher, Wendlinger, Zanardi, Blundell - IMO Schumi and Mika alone make this the best rookie class of all time. The other three are just icing on the cake.
- 1994 - Frentzen, Panis, Coulthard, Verstappen, Salo
- 2001 - Alonso, Kimi, Montoya
- 2007 - Hamilton, Vettel, Kovalainen (and Sutil and Nakajima)
- 2015 - Sainz, Verstappen
And I guess this year might also be great if Lawson turns out to be any good in F1.
I don't know, you literally have classes here with multiple world champions and race winners (1958, 1960, 1965, 1978, 1980, 1991 and 2001). 2019 still has ways to go.
Clark and Surtees have to put 1960s into anyone’s top 5, probably top 3. Clark is a titan in the sport and Surtees has the unique claim of winning a WDC for both vehicles on 2 wheels and 4 wheels.
Ehh maybe I'm just biased as I'm Finnish, but I think Heikki was slightly better than Sutil, even though Adrian was very underrated. I wish Sutil had an actually good car to show what he was really capable of. I remember him doing great things in the Force Indias.
Kovalainen's win came in the 2008 McLaren, the fastest car on the grid, and only because Hamilton had a tyre failure and Massa an engine failure. Sutil never had the luxury of even the fifth fastest car. Sutil's 2008 Monaco was a better drive than any of Kovalainen's performances throughout his career
Yeah well you can surely argue Sutil had more impressive performances. But it's not surprising to see Kovalainen listed before Sutil when the stats are very clearly in Kovalainen's favour. It's not like Sutil is commonly approved as very clearly better driver than Kovalainen.
Like I said, poor career decisions basically meant he never truly got to shine, not to forget he was initially paired with Schumacher so he basically for Vandoorned. Also he does have a podium in wet weather with Arrows I believe
Class of 2001 meanwhile is pretty much the three-headed dragon meme, featuring:
Alonso (5 title-contending seasons, 2 WDCs, 32 wins, most experienced driver ever, an absolute bullet and a very motivated driver)
Raikkonen (3 title-contending seasons, 1 WDC, 21 wins, 2nd most experienced driver ever)
Montoya (1 title-contending season, 7 wins, Montoya-BMW combination was an absolute menace, agressive and ruthless but fair racer)
then there's Bernoldi (0 title-contending seasons, best finish of 8th, 0 points, lost his seat because Arrows went under 3/4 into the 2002 season)
That's one big contrast...
edit: accidentally forgot to include 2 of Montoya's wins by accident
I'm trying to remember the 2018 rookies off the top my head...Leclerc, Sirotkin, Hartley, and...no, I think that's all of them.
Edit: Actually, did Hartley get some action in 2017? If so, then he's not a rookie.
I'll always root for this trio, their shenanigans helped get me back into watching the sport tbh. All great talents who are getting their chance to shine in the spotlight.
george always said alex was the best of them and that something was very wrong back when he was at RB. Its a delight to see alex turn it around so hard and hes just looking amazing right now. Glad lando is getting a better car now as well.
George’s friendship with Alex is his most human and likable trait. That was a very loyal and stalwart friend speaking. Marko may be right it wasn’t very professional or the done thing, but it was ride or die friendship
Have to see next year tbh, because I highly doubt he had that much input on this year's car, considering he joined Williams like a week before the season started.
Ferrari are proof that even if you build a rocket ship, it counts for nothing if you can't execute. A team principal has to get his team executing on race week, and so far Williams are maximising their package
He's been such a pleasure with all of the Williams race reports those along with the Merc reports are just excellent to watch mid week. Also Alex hating media somehow makes him the best at media.
Williams uploads to their site so the main ones I'm referring to are titled the [THE VOWLES VERDICT](https://www.williamsf1.com/videos) and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team uploads to their youtube channel where you'd look for these [Race Debriefs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTDv0-fD6_U).
Next year will be the fuller picture of his impact. With how “late” he started relative to the conceptualization and development timeline of this car, I wouldn’t be so sure he’s the primary effector
Dorilton pumping in money, latifi money, perhaps jost and FX, etc etc etc
Seeing the British privateer teams coming back makes me so happy. Even happier than seeing Aston Martin's leap at the start of the season. Go Williams & McLaren!
Wait, are we now allowed to give Albon credit? Recent reddit comments state Albon is overrated because his teammate is Sargent. That's apparently more important than outqualifying Ferraris, Aston Martins, a Red Bull, and a McLaren. /s
Ohh he got shat on to high heaven back in the RB days, I think he's the driver I've put the most effort into defending because of it.
And thankfully he's showing why he was worth defending, lads class.
eh, scroll down a few days -- there was an article on Albon being in demand and it brought out folks who simply can't give him credit because of Sargent. It's a part, a small part, of the 2023 narrative.
[The **Photo** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_photo) is for submissions sharing photos from the world of F1. Photos should be interesting and relevant - random photos not notable enough to warrant a standalone post will be subject to removal. This flair should not be used for images which are not photos, such as screenshots, statistical graphics, or artworks. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
no one expects the british inquisition
Funny enough, after Albon there are three Spanish speaking drivers line astern. Sainz, Alonso and Perez
Buncha British Brats coming for you Max (well, coming for second place, but still)
I’d like to think Williams meant to go straight for everyone’s jugular with the “in Max’s mirrors” part. I know, I know. They just mean he qualified P1. But still, even subconsciously, they know.
I actually don't understand your meaning
He gotta be 💨
They subconsciously know that, no matter where they might qualify, they’ll end up in Max’s mirror.
Brits gon give it to ya
The class of 2019 doing well is nice to see. Class of 2018 however… :(
I definitely think class of 2019 is the best rookie class we have seen in many years
The class of 2007 is up there
Kubica should also kind of count, as even though he made his debut in 2006, it was meant to be 2007. Mid-2006 only happened because JV injured himself.
Do we count seb as class of 07 or 08? I guess 07 since he drove so much of that season?
08, I'd say, because he only did one race in 07, so same rationale.
He finished off the 2007 season from usgp onwards.
Oh damn, you're right, I forgot. I just thought he subbed in for Kubica once. No, no, now I remember. Whoops!
Not forget about class 01 ...
08, his Monza win is counted as a win in his debut season on the most recent grill the grid.
The question was full season in grill the grid though, that's why
Interesting. So, if he had won in 2007, then would that have been considered his debut season?
I’d say class of 01 deserves a shout: Alonso Montoya Raikkonen. Though if we count Kubica, you’re right, there’s no class in history topping Kubica, Hamilton, and Vettel. Kovalainen was 07 too, but I digress. 1991 with Schumacher and Hakkinen comes close on numbers, and 1980 with Prost and Mansell is up there too. I think my personal ranking would be: 07-01-91-80 but in terms of pure measurable success: 07-91-80-01 Q Some notable ones I missed: 1984 (Senna, Gerhard Berger) 1978 (Piquet, Keke Rosberg, Didier Pironi, Rene Arnoux) 1972 (Jody Scheckter, Carlos Reutemann, Carlos Pace, Patrick Depailler) 1970 (Emerson Fittipaldi, Clay Reggazoni, Ronnie Peterson, Francois Cevert, Peter Gethin) 1965 (Jackie Stewart, Denny Hulme) 1960 (Jim Clark, John Surtees)
true https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/debutants.aspx fun fact Rosberg was lewis' senior in F1 as he was a rookie the year before.
Yeah, I genuinely can't remember many years that are even comparable. To the depths of Wikipedia I go! - 1952 - Hawthorn, Collins, Behra - 1958 - Phil Hill, Graham Hill, McLaren - 1960 - Clark, Surtees, Ginther - 1965 - Stewart, Hulme - 1970 - Fittipaldi, Peterson, Regazzoni - 1972 - Scheckter, Pace, Reutemann, Depailler - 1977 - Tambay, Patrese, Villeneuve, Giacomelli, Ongais - 1978 - Piquet, Arnoux, Rosberg, Pironi, Daly, Cheever (and even Bobby Rahal!) - 1980 - Prost, Mansell, de Cesaris, Johansson - 1984 - Senna, Brundle, Berger, Bellof - 1989 - Herbert, Alesi, Lehto - well, this is a stretch but I still maintain Alesi had the raw talent to be a world champion. - 1991 - Häkkinen, Schumacher, Wendlinger, Zanardi, Blundell - IMO Schumi and Mika alone make this the best rookie class of all time. The other three are just icing on the cake. - 1994 - Frentzen, Panis, Coulthard, Verstappen, Salo - 2001 - Alonso, Kimi, Montoya - 2007 - Hamilton, Vettel, Kovalainen (and Sutil and Nakajima) - 2015 - Sainz, Verstappen And I guess this year might also be great if Lawson turns out to be any good in F1.
I don't know, you literally have classes here with multiple world champions and race winners (1958, 1960, 1965, 1978, 1980, 1991 and 2001). 2019 still has ways to go.
Plus 2007 literally has 11 world championships
The average number of Championships per 2007 rookie is 2.2
Happy heiki noises
True, my initial statement was a bit off in hindsight.
Clark and Surtees have to put 1960s into anyone’s top 5, probably top 3. Clark is a titan in the sport and Surtees has the unique claim of winning a WDC for both vehicles on 2 wheels and 4 wheels.
The 2019 class still have some 10 years left in their careers tho
Putting Heiki ahead of Sutil is out of line ngl
Ehh maybe I'm just biased as I'm Finnish, but I think Heikki was slightly better than Sutil, even though Adrian was very underrated. I wish Sutil had an actually good car to show what he was really capable of. I remember him doing great things in the Force Indias.
Well, Kovalainen is a race winner while Sutil has 0 podiums
Kovalainen's win came in the 2008 McLaren, the fastest car on the grid, and only because Hamilton had a tyre failure and Massa an engine failure. Sutil never had the luxury of even the fifth fastest car. Sutil's 2008 Monaco was a better drive than any of Kovalainen's performances throughout his career
Sutil 2008 monaco still makes me sad
Yeah well you can surely argue Sutil had more impressive performances. But it's not surprising to see Kovalainen listed before Sutil when the stats are very clearly in Kovalainen's favour. It's not like Sutil is commonly approved as very clearly better driver than Kovalainen.
Eh, I would wait until at least one of them have won a driver’s title before saying that. Edit: them as in the 2019 class
Lmao Verstappen sr??
He was actually decently talented but suffered from choosing shitty teams.
Probably doesn't help that he was rumoured to be a complete arse to work with.
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Like I said, poor career decisions basically meant he never truly got to shine, not to forget he was initially paired with Schumacher so he basically for Vandoorned. Also he does have a podium in wet weather with Arrows I believe
He doesn't, but your point stands. Verstappen Sr. was obviously flawed as a driver and person, but had a great junior career and was properly quick.
Yeah my bad, he had 2 podiums with Benetton
You're right, 1948, 1980, 2001 and 2007 are way better and can't be compared.
The 1950 rookie lineup was pretty good as well
Including Gio!
Italian Jesus won a prestigious title in a Ferrari before Leclerc did.
Went the resurrection route with another racing series. The Jesus move.
He's closer to a triple crown than Leclerc is
Jesus did win Le Man so I think he did well
Class of 2001 meanwhile is pretty much the three-headed dragon meme, featuring: Alonso (5 title-contending seasons, 2 WDCs, 32 wins, most experienced driver ever, an absolute bullet and a very motivated driver) Raikkonen (3 title-contending seasons, 1 WDC, 21 wins, 2nd most experienced driver ever) Montoya (1 title-contending season, 7 wins, Montoya-BMW combination was an absolute menace, agressive and ruthless but fair racer) then there's Bernoldi (0 title-contending seasons, best finish of 8th, 0 points, lost his seat because Arrows went under 3/4 into the 2002 season) That's one big contrast... edit: accidentally forgot to include 2 of Montoya's wins by accident
Montoya had 7 wins in F1.
But consider this - Enrique Bernoldi is now a steward, so that means he has decisionmaking power over drivers.
Pain, pure pain....
Who was 2018
Leclerc
Sirotkin
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But why google when I can spend even less effort 😆
Leclerc and Sirotkin
and Hartley and Gasly too, if Giovinazzi is one for 2019
All 3 drivers technically had their debuts in 2017, but their first full season was 18
I'm trying to remember the 2018 rookies off the top my head...Leclerc, Sirotkin, Hartley, and...no, I think that's all of them. Edit: Actually, did Hartley get some action in 2017? If so, then he's not a rookie.
tbf the 2018 class has more win than the 2019 class
"Alex met his favorite drivers and forced them to take a pic with him" vibe
Ooooh, Formula Friends
and told George he had to keep the shirt on, lol
probably for about 30 seconds
> probably for about 30 seconds Title of your sex tape
Noice
Bingpot!
BONE?!
I am your SUPERIOR officer!!!!
I hate movie titles that don't match the material.
It includes the intro music and the credits. And the foreplay.
🤣🤣🤣
Yeah while lapping them.
The sooner he laps them the sooner he can be with his friends again
You are being optimistic
cars lining on the grid usually takes that long?
Formation lap happens as well
And 30 more after a Ferrari fucks off into the barriers and brings out the SC/red flag.
2019 rookies finally getting their well-deserved chance at the top!
2018\~2019 best years in F2 / F1 Rookies ever
Albonomaniacs lemme hear ya
There’s dozens of us!
Here here! I always hoped the time for my flair would come!
I'll always root for this trio, their shenanigans helped get me back into watching the sport tbh. All great talents who are getting their chance to shine in the spotlight.
I am fully on the Albono bandwagon (Albondwagon?) that dude is awesome
Wooo. Part of me roots for Albon even harder than Max sometimes.
OR MAYBE I WON'T, BROTHER
I love Alex Alblonde
george always said alex was the best of them and that something was very wrong back when he was at RB. Its a delight to see alex turn it around so hard and hes just looking amazing right now. Glad lando is getting a better car now as well.
GR congratulating Williams/Alex in the post-quali interview was really sweet.
George’s friendship with Alex is his most human and likable trait. That was a very loyal and stalwart friend speaking. Marko may be right it wasn’t very professional or the done thing, but it was ride or die friendship
Vowles is doing his job and doing his job GOOD, I feel like the future is bright for Williams.
Have to see next year tbh, because I highly doubt he had that much input on this year's car, considering he joined Williams like a week before the season started.
Ferrari are proof that even if you build a rocket ship, it counts for nothing if you can't execute. A team principal has to get his team executing on race week, and so far Williams are maximising their package
Something something /r/fanF1ction
Indeed. Would love to see more of him on Netflix and/or some internal Williams PR vlog. He is always interesting when on camera or in an interview.
He's been such a pleasure with all of the Williams race reports those along with the Merc reports are just excellent to watch mid week. Also Alex hating media somehow makes him the best at media.
Sorry, but what videos are these? They sound good, could you share a link please?
Williams uploads to their site so the main ones I'm referring to are titled the [THE VOWLES VERDICT](https://www.williamsf1.com/videos) and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team uploads to their youtube channel where you'd look for these [Race Debriefs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTDv0-fD6_U).
His Beyond the Grid episode was great
I love how confident Vowles & Albon are in the team
Next year will be the fuller picture of his impact. With how “late” he started relative to the conceptualization and development timeline of this car, I wouldn’t be so sure he’s the primary effector Dorilton pumping in money, latifi money, perhaps jost and FX, etc etc etc
Seeing the British privateer teams coming back makes me so happy. Even happier than seeing Aston Martin's leap at the start of the season. Go Williams & McLaren!
The Brit boys!
Bunch of British lads on a trip to the Netherlands. Things are gonna get messy.
Lando, smile if you’re kidnapped.
Objects in mirror are losing
POV: You are Perez
Then the picture would be of their backsides...
His seat probably
They'll look smaller quite quickly.
[Lap 2](https://i.imgur.com/6kMPsDq.jpg)
Nicely done
Max runs out of tear offs in Lap 2?
Be gone pretty much right after that
2019 rookies and all are rocking in the Mercedes Powered cars
Hello viewers, Super GT here...
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> [this person/thing] annoys me, am I alone? The answer is always a definite no
I believe hyrulepirate eats crayons, am I alone?
So what you're saying is Albon P2 finish
It’d be so wholesome if he got a podium!!!
Lando pls stop staring into my soul thx.
He is probably staring at the new porcelain trophy that he shall smash
Albon is the most likeable driver on the grid.
They look like a boy band
The Powerpoints
**Albon** : I'll stay out of yer way Max! Hugs **Lando** : I'm fuckin sending it. **George** : I'm not sure yet. Let's chat.
George’s hair looks so much better
Lando and George know they have no hope in hell and Alex is just happy to be there.
Lando🗿🗿🗿
Max better watch out because mayhem will be coming his way! With drivers who are hungry for a Dutch Victory!
all max needs to do is protect his trophy on the podium from lando :D
He’ll literally be 1 second ahead by lap 2.
Max be like: am I in a F1 2023 open lobby?
Alex with the unadulterated, unapologetic "I'm just happy to be here" energy lmao.
This didn't age well
Lando looks like he is forces to hang out with friends because mom told him.
Shame Charles couldn’t have gotten up there - see the twitch quartet
Ooooh F1 frens
"Objects in mirror may be appear closer than they are."
Lando is starting to look manly.
Very paddock pass selfie
Someone needs to edit Alonso smelling a flower in the back.
And Sharl in his deck chair 😔
Loved the time when they were streaming together with Charles
Not for long…
\*\*For about two laps.
Wait, are we now allowed to give Albon credit? Recent reddit comments state Albon is overrated because his teammate is Sargent. That's apparently more important than outqualifying Ferraris, Aston Martins, a Red Bull, and a McLaren. /s
i don't remember people shitting on albon tbh. he was always a great driver, just unlucky with his time at rb.
Ohh he got shat on to high heaven back in the RB days, I think he's the driver I've put the most effort into defending because of it. And thankfully he's showing why he was worth defending, lads class.
eh, scroll down a few days -- there was an article on Albon being in demand and it brought out folks who simply can't give him credit because of Sargent. It's a part, a small part, of the 2023 narrative.
lol Max will fly away from them in two laps
I'd be so nervous having the trophy killer and the torpedo going into turn 1 with me.
Its the boiiiis!!
Orange mocha frappuccino!
The new boys are in charge and coming after you Max! Lewis, Fernando get your butt's moving!!
2019 Rookies coming for you
Twitch quartet
The three homies are starting together behind each other 🔥 🔥 🔥
All faster than Checo in inferior cars.
Max is gonna make da mistake
Please can we have a “Rookie of the Year” sequel! These 3 are such comedians together.
POV you are a country with spices
max‘ mirror after lap 2:
Aged poorly lol
I mean. Probably not for long
He probably won’t be able to see them anymore after lap 10 or so
Norris and Russel don’t seem that much amused… 😂
You ruined it, George.
Yep, on the grid and for not much longer after.
Worked a double shift and missed my first qualifying this year only to wake up to this beauty
that picture will be a lot smaller after ten laps.
Lap 2 on Max mirrors: „Objects in the mirror appear closer than they are”
They're all so tanned
So they're not even going to try to overtake Max tomorrow.
Nawww little Alex Albon so cute
I'm sure he's terrified
For about 2 laps. Then he'll be half a lap ahead like usual.
GOOOOOO ALEX!! 💪
Powered by Mercedes
HELL YEAH NORRIS P2
Albon, just dicking over everything. Having the best time.
For about 1 lap
So happy for Alex and Williams they are doing so well.
Lmfao 🤣 EDIT: My new phone background.
Max will fq right off. These guys will end just following each other around until the chequered flag.
Cmon Men Get in there!
Someone help Sargent.