Who was the most impressive driver throughout the Belgian Grand Prix weekend?
See below for my pick of the best drivers in the Belgian Grand Prix.
Review each driver’s race weekend in detail below and vote for who you thought was the most impressive driver.
For your consideration
Here are some of the drivers who impressed me during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend:
Sebastian Vettel – Typically dominant, unfazed by concerns over tyre wear, and made some excellent passes.
Mark Webber – Made the pass of the year so far on Fernando Alonso at Eau Rouge.
Jenson Button – A superb recovery after a tactical error in qualifying and picking up damage on the first lap.
Michael Schumacher – Another driver who made a strong recovery, rising from last on the grid to fifth place.
Adrian Sutil – Aside from a costly mistake in qualifying, this was another impressive performance from Sutil who’s upped his game of late.
Compare all the drivers
Review what happened to each driver over the race weekend and compare their performances with their team mates using the links below:
Red Bull: Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber
McLaren: Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari: Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa
Mercedes: Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher
Renault: Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov
Williams: Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado
Force India: Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta
Sauber: Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez
Toro Rosso: Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari
Lotus: Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen
HRT: Daniel Ricciardo and Vitantonio Liuzzi
Virgin: Timo Glock and Jerome d’Ambrosio
Vote for your driver of the weekend
Which driver impressed you the most throughout the Grand Prix weekend? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.
Who was the best driver of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend?
- Jerome d'Ambrosio (0%)
- Timo Glock (0%)
- Vitantonio Liuzzi (0%)
- Daniel Ricciardo (0%)
- Jarno Trulli (0%)
- Heikki Kovalainen (0%)
- Jaime Alguersuari (1%)
- Sebastien Buemi (0%)
- Sergio Perez (0%)
- Kamui Kobayashi (0%)
- Paul di Resta (0%)
- Adrian Sutil (1%)
- Pastor Maldonado (0%)
- Rubens Barrichello (0%)
- Vitaly Petrov (0%)
- Bruno Senna (0%)
- Nico Rosberg (1%)
- Michael Schumacher (45%)
- Felipe Massa (1%)
- Fernando Alonso (2%)
- Jenson Button (28%)
- Lewis Hamilton (1%)
- Mark Webber (4%)
- Sebastian Vettel (15%)
Total Voters: 585
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Rate the Race: Belgian Grand Prix
Don’t forget to cast your vote in the ‘rate the race’ poll as well:
Image ?é?® Red Bull/Getty images
PJ
29th August 2011, 17:03
Button had a solid drive but for me it had to be Schumacher. 20 years of experience can be witnessed on his opening lap (YouTube the onboard) where he overtook almost half the field.
snowman
29th August 2011, 17:20
Agree, hard to do much better than start 24th and last and end up 5th and ahead of your team mate who started 5th.
Carl Craven
29th August 2011, 17:40
By the same token, in Germany a few years ago, Button started last and by the end of lap one was P3.
The start is always a lottery, Schumacher drove a great race for sure, but Button also had to come back from P19 without the fortune of a standing start to aid him AND overtake Schumacher in the process.
Both deserve it.
Damon (@damon)
29th August 2011, 18:13
But you forgot to add that the McLaren is the way faster car.
Schumacher > Button in this race
Carl Craven
29th August 2011, 18:18
True, very true, but you still have to pass the big boys. Rosberg’s car was fastest enough at the start of the race.
I am not discrediting Schumachers race by any means, but you have to consider, the nearer the front the harder the gain. Overtaking P24 to P14 is not so tough. Overtaking Alonso and even Schumacher himself, not so easy at the best of times.
Personally it’s split between Schumacher and Button. Don’t know how anyone can consider Vettel, it was just business as usual for him.
If anything, people are so prone to hating Button these days I go overboard in his defence.
Duke (@duke)
29th August 2011, 20:35
Schumi didn’t have the luxury of a Mclaren under him,Button did well but not as good as the Maestro.
I can foresee great things coming for Merc GP,Schumi is the most dedicated driver,and will stick to his guns come h*ll or high water.Once the car improves the 2 drivers will be on the top step for sure.
David-A (@david-a)
29th August 2011, 20:56
Maybe because “business as usual” for Vettel means winning the race convincingly? For me, it’s between Schumacher and Vettel.
Adriasil
30th August 2011, 1:16
@Carl Rosberg’s car was the fastest at the start of the race due to the poor starts from the Red Bulls and the tyre blistering that they had.
DVC
30th August 2011, 3:26
When you consider Rosberg had no problems at all, and was leading the race on merit early, and has the same car as Schumacher, it has to be Schumacher for being able to catch and overtake him!
tete
29th August 2011, 20:07
and you forgot that because of the sc,he recover all the distance the other drivers had on him. So he didn’t do nothing spectacular. schumacher and alonso were the drivers of the race. Alonso was the driver of the race until the ferrari and the sc screwed him.
Kimster
29th August 2011, 22:06
Yes, 3 more laps and he could’ve been 4th
All he needs now is that 1 victory
F1fan55
30th August 2011, 0:24
Schumacher’s fake then pass on both Virgins is pretty epic, he’s a worthy driver of the day!
Don
30th August 2011, 8:30
Yeah, I posted that one straight to facebook. I’ve never done that well in a console game off the start. Does Michael have it and does he want to win again? … for sure.
NFS
30th August 2011, 13:09
Agree, drivers have to put high concentration on tackling the Eau Rouge in high precision not to mention the blind side up to the hill. Absolutely that’s an epic overtaking how Schumi able to perfectly judged the situation and passed both virgins at the same time.
TommyC
30th August 2011, 3:46
yep, would love to see that. First thing when i get home! I think i’ll probably go with michael as well. Stunning drive really.
Robbie
30th August 2011, 12:48
So you would all recommend then that MS start from last from now on? Or do you admit there were some extenuating circumstances that helped him? There is no skill in having the seas part in front of you such that passing them requires no skill whatsoever. Nor in having a safety car bunch everyone up. Never mind that he overcooked it (yet again) passing PdR and was lucky that cutting the corner afterwards didn’t see him spin or damage his car or hit PdR.
NR should not be penalized in terms of accolades for starting 5th and immediately shooting to the lead even for just a few laps. In terms of ‘putting Mercedes on the map’ NR’s drive was no less impressive for maintaining the placing he did amongst the best cars on the grid. He has consistantly been best of the rest, including MS.
So to me it is a shame NR only got 7 votes.
Q85
30th August 2011, 13:20
Bit harsh on michael, if it were that easy we would all be at it!
but yes nico deserves credit too for his great 1st half of the race.
Coefficient
31st August 2011, 12:32
I must have missed Pedro de la Rosa, I have no recollection of him in this weekends race at all.
Icthyes (@icthyes)
29th August 2011, 17:03
Vettel. Pole on Saturday, win unexpectedly on Sunday.
Fixy (@)
29th August 2011, 17:20
Vettel.
Button’s race was good but qualifying was poor – not the same for Schumacher, who started last but not by his own fault, and had a great race.
But Vettel once again beat everyone on Saturday and did the same on Sunday.
Frans (@frans)
29th August 2011, 17:40
Button’s poor qualifying, at least at spa, wasn’t his fault either.
After changing his FW (because of the 1st corner mayhem), he came out behind Schumacher.
1 of the 3
29th August 2011, 19:17
no one has yet to describe well why Button is somehow better than Vettel over the entire weekend. I can understand better why people are voting for Schumacher because the Mercedes is behind the top 3 teams. But Button should be finishing in the top 3 to 5 in every race period. That he makes it difficult for himself is hardly impressive from my vantage point. But am glad to see Schumacher at least ahead for the time being. Button deserved the last driver of the weekend but no way does he deserve it this time.
Carl Craven
29th August 2011, 19:29
While it’s true Button had a dismal qualifying session it’s unfair to suggest it was really his fault. At the time he was CALLED TO PIT by the team, he was P2 and ahead of his team mate. He was very unlucky that the track changed significantly in 2 MINUTES to the effect that even Bruno Senna beat him.
If you go back to Q1 Button was P1, ONE SECOND, yes that is right ONE SECOND faster than the next. And while it was only relevent to Q1 it does suggest that Button was driving exceedlingly well. Reel back to the practice sessions and he was ahead of his team mate also for the majority of the weekend. Added to that his great RECOVERY drive on sunday I would say that justifies his worth over the entire weekend.
We all know that the RBR is a qualifying special, and that at the time of the race when Lewis lost it Vettel would have ended up BEHIND Lewis.
While Vettel well deserves his win, since he actually won the race, his whole weekend was no better than Button’s. And there is nothing to suggest that Button would not have been challenging for pole.
The truth of the matter is that if it had not been for several retirements and screw ups (during the season) that had absolutely NOTHING to do with Button, he would be Vettel’s closest challenger and probably still in with a good chance of fighting for the title.
David-A (@david-a)
29th August 2011, 21:05
Lewis inherited the lead from Vettel only when Seb pitted. Hamilton was not going to win anything. Only Alonso looked close at one point, but the Ferrari’s tyres went.
David-A (@david-a)
29th August 2011, 21:11
Plus, when Hamilton listens to the team, he gets criticised for not thinking for himself. Button didn’t do that in conditions he usually excels.
Carl Craven
29th August 2011, 21:20
@David A
I am wrong about Lewis and his track position in the race. I have no problem admitting that.
Put in perspective, Lewis is an amazing driver, but just as Vettel won on sunday, you’d have to ask yourself, why Lewis yet again failed to finish.
As for Button you’d have to ask yourself yet again why he drove such a great race when so many people on this site think so little of him. Just trying to redress the balance.
I already gave my version of the Button Q3 situation. You can’t call it a bad call on his part, he can’t always ignore his team. He cannot always see how within less than one minute track conditions might change so dramatically.
As for Vettel and his business as usual, for sure he is a very good racing driver. He has almost two titles that you will not be able to take away from him. But you cannot deny that for the third season running he’s driving the best car on the grid. Few have such fortune in one season in their entire career let alone 3.
David A
29th August 2011, 22:56
I can see where you’re coming from with regards to Button and Vettel, but having fortune with his car doesn’t mean that Seb can’t be the best driver out there, and is indeed a good pick for DOTW this time.
Fixy (@)
31st August 2011, 17:59
If Button was really so good he’d have qualified for Q3. He couldn’t.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
29th August 2011, 18:46
I’m also going to be unpopular and say Vettel. He deserves a DotW but unfortunately a drive through the field is seen as a much better drive than winning from pole.
Still, he didn’t have it easy. He ended up making 3 passes for the lead, one of which wasn’t DRS on Alonso who had better straight line speed.
His move on Rosberg was also brilliant.
Would still be happy to see Schumacher win it though. He started last but it was no fault of his own so you’d say he did a great job that weekend.
ajokay (@)
29th August 2011, 18:53
I’m saying Vettel too. Everyone else had something go wrong at some point, whether it was their fault or someone else’s. Vettel didn’t, and managed this odd blistering situation fairly well, winning having scored pole. Plus he did some overtaking.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th August 2011, 19:00
In the end, it’s supposed to be who you thought was the driver of the weekend. On top of that, there’s no right or wrong opinion. Vettel was easily the best over the weekend and therefore he deserves the coveted *ahem* driver of the weekend award. Schumacher may well have gone on to score pole in qualifying, but we’re only speculating and that shouldn’t overshadow what actually happened.
Ben C-M
30th August 2011, 0:14
By this definition though, the driver of the weekend is always the person who won the race. It’s driver of the weekend, which should consider that some drivers are in faster cars than others. Schumacher took his midfield car from last to 5th, Button took his very fast car from 13th to 3rd (albeit with quite a few bumps in the road on the way) and Vettel qualified pole and won the race. Both Schumacher and Button has issues in qualifying, which were not of their own doing, and so shouldn’t detract from their standings in the driver of the weekend award. But like you say, there’s no right or wrong answer and each one of these guys put up a good fight.
DVC
30th August 2011, 3:35
It’s driver of the weekend though right. We can only judge Schumacher on his driving, not a mechanic error. He was fastest in first practice on Friday you will recall.
Steph (@)
29th August 2011, 19:17
Vettel for every reason Ajokay said.
Mike (@mike)
30th August 2011, 1:53
Voted for Schumacher, I think to beat Rosberg starting from last… I would have thought it impossible before the race.
However, I think Vettel also did brilliantly. He didn’t put a foot wrong, and was always the man to beat.
Hairs (@hairs)
29th August 2011, 22:30
Vettel gets it for doing some overtaking, and being cool calm and collected all weekend.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
29th August 2011, 18:56
I think both Red Bull drivers had a great race. A Red Bull 1-2 normally means a bit of a procession at the front but both drivers really had to work for it.
After their first stops they were down in around 11th and 16th and made quiet a lot of passes throughout the race, fighting their way back up to 1st and 2nd.
Q85
29th August 2011, 19:22
Id probably go for seb too. His life made was made easy after the SC due to some shocking strategy by ferrari that would make formula ford teams cringe. But seb got the job done after early scares with tyres and made a few great moves along the way too.
Next up is michael. was fast all weekend. and his bad qualifying had no reflection on himself. he was helpless to avoid an accident. During the race he picked off drivers like vintage michael used to, including his team mate.
then button, who had a great race BUT played apart in his qualifying woes.
and fernando deserves a mention, more for his race than qualy. Made no errors, was very fast, and played apart in some great moves on others and on himself. Shame his team let him down. But despite it, again he refuses to blame them. He protects them brilliantly no wonder they love him at ferrari.
tete
29th August 2011, 20:12
agree,Alonso passed rosberg,massa and hamilton under the same race condition,tires and when the drs wasn’t enable yet.
Then he passed sutil,webber once he came out of the pit stops.
He was fighting for the win right until the Ferrari team screwed him (once again ) on the strategy.
Button was helped by the sc,I still don’t know why there was a sc,there was not need for it.
Q85
30th August 2011, 0:29
actually ive changed my mind, Give it to buemi for going flat out through eau rouge with a collapsed rear wing! had did he manage that!!!! and then nearly past who ever was infront of him.
boundary layer (@boundary-layer)
30th August 2011, 13:05
Can’t agree more on the bit about Alonso. His move on Massa was suicidal, more of a Hamilton manoeuvre. Didn’t look like team orders there…
caci99 (@)
29th August 2011, 19:30
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
30th August 2011, 17:53
if Alonso had a better straight line speed so how can Vettel overtakes alonso so easily (he passed him before the breaking point) please be realistic !!!!!!!!!!!!
Trenthamfolk (@)
29th August 2011, 17:03
Was torn between Jenson & Schumi, But Jenson had it for me this weekend… I thought it was a great race with some brilliant performances from loads of drivers. Viva F1!
CanSpice (@)
29th August 2011, 17:09
I was torn between Jenson and Schumacher too, but I voted for Schumi. I guess we both half-voted for both drivers then. :)
TommyB (@tommyb89)
29th August 2011, 19:00
Button did a good race for sure but I think Schumacher edges it between those two.
He was in an inferior car to the McLaren and made up more places.
Also driver of the weekend has to include Qualifying and Schumacher started last by no fault of his own. Whilst Button was unlucky it was a bad decision to not be on the track during the end of the session when it was getting faster and faster.
HappyFeet (@)
30th August 2011, 0:16
Schumi for sure. He is still the best despite turtle car. :)
socalf1fan (@socalf1fan)
29th August 2011, 21:28
I too was torn between Jenson & Schumi, so I voted for…. Vettel. This didn’t seem like a race that was handed to him by any means, he had to defend a bit, he had to pass (more than he usually does) and even though he wasn’t under any pressure at the end… well he did exactly what he had to do both days.
* full disclosure: button fan, almost voted for him just for that reason
Magnificent Geoffrey (@magnificent-geoffrey)
29th August 2011, 17:04
Sebastian Vettel. Once again.
Special mentions for Mark Webber, Jenson Button and (urrrrrgh, I hate saying this) Michael Schumacher also. But, ultimately, who was it who took Pole Position and won the race? The soon-to-be 2 time World Champion did. You can’t really ask for more than that from a driver.
Steph (@)
29th August 2011, 19:20
Agree esp with the tyre worries before the race.
literalf1 (@literalf1)
29th August 2011, 17:08
Schumacher. 24th to what is realistically, his maximum the car will allow (highest after the top 3 teams)
Slr (@slr)
29th August 2011, 17:10
Vettel, hard to read into practice, but he kept it all together in quali and the race.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th August 2011, 17:14
Its just so tough again to vote on this. We had Senna and Alguersuari doing a superb job in qualifying, but Senna had his (forgivable, but still) mistake at the start and just a solid drive to bring it home after that. And ALG never got a chance even at that much.
Mark Webber made a sure candidate for the pass of the year, but he just cannot seem to get the Red Bull off the line. Hamilton started off well, with some nice moves and keeping out of trouble, only for it to end in a collision that needn’t have happened.
Schumacher was really great, lets hope we see him and Mercedes like this more often now (didn’t we say that earlier in his second career as well?). Surely a serious contender for driver of the weekend.
Rosberg made a great start, but got cought by the horribly chosen DRS zone placement. He did his best, but not superb.
Button has a stellar drive, comparable with Canada but this time in the wet and not making a single mistake on his part. And some of his passes were really excellent and gutsy. This is the Button we want to see each weekend. Even the qualifying thing was not really his mistake, so he is a serious contender.
Vettel did a qualifying stunt once again, he was not perfect off the line, but he did get Rosberg with fine employment of DRS as soon as it was there. He had the SC exactly come to him and solve his pitstop dilemma for him, and then he made an excellent pass on Alonso before DRS got enabled again (passing Webber on the go somewhere). And he did pass Rosberg again after his first pitstop.
Thanks Katy for pointing these passes out for me, as I had forgotten about them in the overload of DRS ones.
I am not yet decided, and possibly TommyB89 will have to wonder what Vettel has to do to get it again, but who knows, it might really be him today.
@HoHum (@hohum)
29th August 2011, 18:41
As you say, too many choices, we need to be able to vote “undecided”.
TommyB (@tommyb89)
29th August 2011, 19:05
Nice post BasCB, Unfortunately some races we have a lot of contenders for driver of the weekend, much like Spain.
Both these races have probably been Vettel’s best of the season but like Andrew Tanner said in COTD last time out, the fairytale drive through the field normally gets the votes over winning from pole, even if Vettel did have to work hard for it and made a few passes.
BasCB (@bascb)
30th August 2011, 16:02
In the end, I voted for Vettel.
Sure, Schumacher did an amazing race, but when I think it over its not something we hadn’t seen before, be it only Canada came close in his recent career.
Button might have won it if they had not made the mistake in Q2. We will never know. As with Schu it was an amazing drive, remiscent of Canada, but in the dry and very much with the same determination seen in Brazil 2009.
But it was the first time in a while where Vettel really had the opportunity to show not just an incredible pole pulled out of the hat in Q3, but also keeping his cool on the tyres and some very impressive overtaking skill to win it. Yes, this is really what we are talking about Seb!
BasCB (@bascb)
30th August 2011, 16:03
Forgot to add to that, it was a good confidence boost for the team, after several races where they missed it by a small margin.
bosyber (@bosyber)
31st August 2011, 9:54
I think we are probably rather fortunate to have so many candidates for driver of the weekend!
Well said Bas, a lot of options.
I do slightly disagree on Rosberg, he was impressive, but lost out to Schumacher in the end; not sure that was entirely fair to him, but it tends to go that way, with him getting points in, but MSC being noticed (in both good and bad ways).
I think I’ll do as you Bas and vote for Vettel, he made sure to be where he needed to be on track both on Saturday and on Sunday, perfectly showing why he is going to get his 2nd WDC this year.
Troy Alexander (@troy-alexander)
29th August 2011, 17:15
A split decision between Button and Schumacher after coming up the field but I will give it to Michael. Best race from him this season so far.
dennis (@dennis)
29th August 2011, 17:15
While Schumacher’s drive was magnificent, similar to Webber’s drive in China, it simply has to be Vettel this time. Losing the lead against Rosberg, he quickly recovered, overtook him without DRS, had a brilliant pace despite all the tyre concerns, made more brilliant passes (Blanchimont… Holy!) and totally deserved the victory.
Possibly his best race, yet.
Pawel Wroniecki (@pawelf1)
30th August 2011, 10:54
he only lost the lead beacuse he was concerned about the tires.
Doance (@doance)
29th August 2011, 17:16
Webber was awesome as usual. But so were Schumi and Button. But I voted for Webber because I know he’ll get less votes than the others anyway.
krtekf1 (@krtekf1)
29th August 2011, 17:16
Schumacher. A superb drive from last to 5th position – the max. he could get in this poor Mercedes.
HounslowBusGarage
29th August 2011, 17:47
“poor Mercedes”? The other bloke in a Mercedes overtook Vettel for the lead. Not that poor, surely.
NFS
29th August 2011, 18:27
But quickly been taken down by faster cars after a couple of laps, it’s quiet a poor car.
cduk_mugello (@cduk_mugello)
29th August 2011, 19:59
Yeah he took the lead… and was promptly overtaken, eventually dropping to 6th.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th August 2011, 17:17
This is another tough one, but for a different reason to the usual “so many drivers were good over the weekend”, because no-one really had a perfect weekend (except maybe Sebastian Vettel). So my vote goes to Sebastian, as he was the only one that didn’t make a mistake over the weekend, stuck his Red Bull on pole at what most people thought would be their second weakest track behind only Monza, and then powered to victory whilst pulling off some impressive passes.
As for the others, well, Webber made another one of his terrible starts and did well to climb back to 2nd, but you can’t look past the winner of the Grand Prix. Webber did a good job, but the fact he made the mistake in the first place shows that Seb did better on the whole, and I think he was only cruising at the end and could have pulled away from Mark if it became necessary.
Jenson Button drove another one of his brilliant races after yet another poor showing in qualifying (although this time it wasn’t his fault, apparently). I’m getting sick of this “smooth driving style” comment that everyone seems to be making, and I think that it’s actually Jenson having a superior feel for worn tyres, or for a track with reduced grip. He wears his tyres out probably just as much as anyone else, but he manages to maintain a reasonable pace on them once they’re past their prime. His race was brilliant, but I can’t put him above Sebastian Vettel.
Schumacher is hard to judge on this occasion thanks to his car failing in qualifying. His drive through the field was incredible and the fact he finished above his team-mate who at one stage led the race is astonishing. I’d probably have him as the second best driver of the weekend, but the best in the race (although he did have more tyres than anyone else). Unfortunately we didn’t get to see what he was made of in qualifying.
I’d like to give an honourable mention to Fernando Alonso, who after a difficult start managed to work his way past his team-mate and at an early stage looked good for the win (with Red Bull’s tyre uncertainty). I dare say he’d have finished much higher up if it weren’t for his poor strategy and the Ferrari’s lack of pace on the harder compound.
TFLB
29th August 2011, 17:25
Schumacher’s tyre advantage wasn’t actually that great because only the drivers in Q3 used slicks and even then only used one set (I think). Therefore everyone had more than enough for the race.
Lord Ha Ha
30th August 2011, 6:41
Who said he made a mistake?
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th August 2011, 17:19
Vettel, definetly. Mark, Schumi, Alonso and Jenson did very well too, but it just has to be Vettel.
He was supreme yesterday. And unlike the others, he didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th August 2011, 19:03
Yep. You’ve pretty much summed it up perfectly. Although Schumacher didn’t make a mistake in qualifying, you can’t look past Vettel, which is unfortunate for Michael as we’ll never know how he would have gone. Schumacher was the driver of the race, but this poll is about the weekend, which includes Saturday and to an extent, Friday.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
29th August 2011, 20:00
well, yeah, Michael’s problem wasn’t his own mistake, but it was still a mistake by his team. You could say the same about Jenson missing Q3, hardly down to him.
TFLB
29th August 2011, 17:20
I think it’s not right to vote for webber just for one pass because he still ended up being comfortably beaten by his teammate. I wouldn’t vote for Vettel either because he was lucky with the safety car. Button might have won if he hadn’t messed up qualifying. Therefore I think the award has to go to either Schumacher or Sutil, who both got the most out of their cars.I’d give it to Schumacher over Sutil on the basis that Schumi’s crash in qualifying wasn’t his fault.
dennis (@dennis)
29th August 2011, 17:25
Button was lucky with the safety car in Montreal as well, I don’t think that’s a reason to vote him down.
TFLB
29th August 2011, 17:27
Well, I didn’t rate Button’s race in Montreal particularly highly because of that.
Carl Craven
29th August 2011, 17:50
You just cannot please some people. Button won an awesome race overtaking about 19 cars in Canada, an excellent gutsy stylish win against odds in Hungary and brilliant performance pushing right to the last taking Alonso with 4 laps to go to get on the podium in Spa, once again making up not 10 but 16 places as by lap 5 he’d fallen back to p19 due to being hit at the start and hit by debris during the opening lap.
I could equally say I don’t rate any of Vettel’s wins as he’s had the fastest car on the grid for the last 3 years.
TFLB
29th August 2011, 18:20
It’s narrow-minded just to look at the drivers in the front-running teams for the best performances. Many of the best performances happen in the midfield.
tete
29th August 2011, 20:16
you are clearly biased. button was helped the most by the safety car. he wouldn’t have finished in the point if it wasn’t because of it.
Carl Craven
30th August 2011, 11:43
@tete, of course I am biased, it’s my opinion.
James Allen on the subject
http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2011/08/dealing-with-a-threat-a-deep-dive-into-race-strategies-from-the-belgian-grand-prix/
Both benefitted by the safety car, and I am not alone in thinking Button’s drive was impressive.
safeeuropeanhome (@debaser91)
29th August 2011, 17:21
For the first time this year I will vote for Vettel. Really impressive weekend from him. Think Schumacher will probably win the poll but Seb was the best driver over the weekend.
Todfod (@todfod)
29th August 2011, 20:16
Its a toss up. Both Schumacher and Vettel were equally impressive this weekend.
I think Vettel silenced a lot of critics who mocked his racecraft. And for the first time since his comeback, Schumacher thoroughly outclassed his teammate.
Dan_the_McLaren_fan (@dan_the_mclaren_fan)
29th August 2011, 17:33
Close call between Webber and Button, who both could have won the race if the former would have had a good start, and the latter would have qualified better. But, myvote goestoWebber because of his incredible pass.
Klaas
29th August 2011, 17:56
Webber’s pass on Alonso was really breath-taking. Mark however was lucky it was Alonso in front, had it been Hamilton neither would have made it up the hill :)
bananarama
29th August 2011, 18:41
Alonso was being very sensible at Spa all race long. He had plenty of chances to take out himself and the other guy while getting passed but he didn’t. Thats very mature but I wonder if drivers might try to exploit that in the future.
tete
29th August 2011, 20:22
Alonso knew that his car wasn’t as fast as the others because of the tires. he always think about points when the car is not good enough than crashing by blocking other cars. alonso fight for the win right until the sc was deployed, then the ferrari crew once again screwed the strategy. Last but not least alonso passed hamilton ,rosberg and massa at the beginning of the race ,giving the other cars room and under the same tires, with not drs enabled. he was the driver of the race right until that point.
soulmonkey
29th August 2011, 19:38
I have to differ. In this instance, if it was Kobayashi instead of Alonso, it would have been a different story. After all, why should he have given way? He is entitled to stay in his position, isn’t he?
Arhn (@arhn)
30th August 2011, 9:08
Well, I might be wrong but I think that Alonso had to lift the throttle anyway. Being in the middle of the track meant that he couldn’t go through Eau Rouge full throttle without taking the risk to push Webber out of the track (and take the risk of a penalty for that) or to totally miss the turn.
But again, I might be wrong.
Coefficient
31st August 2011, 12:37
Correct! To take Eau Rouge flat you have to be on the kerb prior to the compression point at the foot of the hill. Any further to the right and the Angle is too acute to make it over to the right for the exit at Raidillon.
SupaSix-1
29th August 2011, 17:44
NO question about it and no doubt Schumacher was the driver of the weekend.
sharmin. (@spartle)
29th August 2011, 18:28
I’m not surprised that Vettel has the least votes between the 3 main contenders but I’d definitely say he was the driver of the weekend. Sweet overtakes, especially the pass on Alonso, and flawless drive. One of his more impressive drives and he outclassed the rest of the field.
Schumi was brilliant though.
@HoHum (@hohum)
29th August 2011, 18:49
That’s the problem right, Vettel finally shows us a race where he is not leading all the way but so many other great drives to consider.
W-K (@w-k)
29th August 2011, 18:31
Horror of horrors, on the numbers I almost voted for Schumacher, but then I thought about it a little.
OK he started at the back, but overtaking the three newish teams shouldn’t be a problem. And he got past Filipe because of a puncture, and his team mate was told to drive economically because of fuel worries. So in reality he only made up about 11 places, and why didn’t Nico get the same pit treatment.
So I voted for Jensen, who if it hadn’t been for damage caused by others would probably have kept his place in front of Schumacher and been in front of Webber, after his early pit stop. Which probably means he should have been at least 2nd without the bad luck.
NFS
29th August 2011, 19:13
Michael drove a brilliant race the overtaking on both virgins at the same time running through Eau Rouge was stunning, arguably it could be said why Michael didn’t get the same pit treatment in his past races where it adverse him and his wheel problem in quali, i think it just down to bad luck etc. But it’s your call to vote which driver :)
Coefficient
31st August 2011, 12:40
Rosberg couldn’t have the same “pit treatment” as Schumacher because he qualified thus using up tyres. Schumacher had 3 brand new sets of softs to use in the race because he didn’t get a lap in during qualifying.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
29th August 2011, 18:32
Easily Schumacher. Did not put a foot wrong all weekend, whereas Vettel has struggled unitl Q2 as he admitted, and Button managed not to see the green lights in a critical moment which could well cost him a victory.
Otherwise I don’t think Webber’s move was the best of the year – Fernando was out of the pit, was not able to defend properly. It was a perticularly well executed and brave move though, just not the best of the year.
Speaking of Alonso, his decisions and driving was also spot on it was just down to some poor characteristic of the F10 and some stragetic calls which kept him from finishing on podium, so I would definitely consider him as well.
But all in all, it was Schumacher who ran the show on Sunday, I think. Impeccable drive.
Commendatore
30th August 2011, 0:46
(+1) Spot on! :)
sato113 (@sato113)
29th August 2011, 18:54
‘Mark Webber – Made the pass of the year so far on Fernando Alonso at Eau Rouge.’
i disagree. Although it was a ballsy move to trust Alonso so much and keep his foot on the gas, it wasn’t a technically brilliant overtake.
tete
29th August 2011, 20:36
agreed. what about the overtaking moves alonso made on rosberg, hamilton and massa ,with the same tires,race conditions, and when the DRS wasn’t enable it.
Kelly
30th August 2011, 5:41
No doubt with a name like sato113 you would have preferred for them both to be taken out?
WerdnaZent (@werdnazent)
29th August 2011, 18:55
Vettel deserves my vote. Flawless drive, pulled off amazing passes(Passed Rosberg on the outside of Blanchimont, attacking Alonso on Kemmel Straight without DRS). Managed to maintain gap even with his faulty dashboard.
Impressive drive by Schumacher, would have been great if he was on podium.
Button made use of the safety car period for a pit stop and so did Vettel.
Alfie
29th August 2011, 18:56
Jaime Alguersuari – been driving quick all weekend, already a place at La Source before being taken out.
Steph (@)
29th August 2011, 19:02
I voted for Vettel but I really didn’t want to. I love Vettel but I hated voting for him this weekend. I really wanted to vote for Michael particularly as his wheel falling off wasn’t his fault and the fact that he started last and finished ahead of his team mate but this is a ‘Driver of the Weekend’ poll and even though it was through no fault of his own at the end of the day he didn’t do anything in qualifying.
Vettel nailed pole on a weekend that wasn’t meant to suit Red Bull, pulled off some passes and kept his cool despite the tyre fears. He did everything he needed to and managed to add this classic to his CV. Webber was spectacular with his overtake and his race was good(it’s probably been his best weekend this year) but he had yet another rubbish start and Seb out qualified him. Button and Fernando both had great races but were very poor in qualifying and the only other choices for me were Jaime and Bruno who were the exact opposites of Button and Alonso by being wonderful on the Saturday but had a miserable time on Sunday so I can’t vote for them.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley)
29th August 2011, 19:19
Agreed 100% about Vettel.
It’s interesting how similar Mark Webber’s race was to last year, really. He made a terrible start and then benefited from the misfortune of others, but he also made a few passes. It may sound silly, but I thought that pass on Fernando was an unnecessary risk. Fernando had cold tyres and Webber had the momentum and the DRS, so he should have just waited until after Eau Rouge instead of trying the craziest move of the season like he did!
Q85
30th August 2011, 14:59
would love to of seen the move from fernando camera!
Palle (@palle)
30th August 2011, 15:32
“I thought that pass on Fernando was an unnecessary risk.” Totally agree, it was a stunning moment though.
Keith Collantine