1/2 yearly report card

[Mark Webber]

well we have done everything else but a full 1/2 yearly report card

NOW BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE


Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (Ferrari-Bridgestone) # B+
By there standardes this is not good but a very slow start never the less

1. Michael Schumacher - # A showed even to lowest points cream rises to the top
2. Rubens Barrichello- # C- very poor when you look at what he has to work with

BMW Williams (BMW-Michelin) # C only 3 thing have saved this mark Ralf ,jpm & BMW
3. Juan Pablo Montoya- # C
silly mistakes have hurt more than 1 win can fix at this stage
4. Ralf Schumacher - # C+
consistant is what Ralf has shown but silly mistakes have costed

West McLaren Mercedes (Mercedes-Michelin) # A
for a old version only good thing have been shown in general

5. David Coulthard - # F
very poor for someone who can do alot better
6. Kimi Raikkonen- # B+
Maidin win ,consistant, lead the title chase but silly mistakes can be costly ,should have been a "A+",Big things will happen here

Mild Seven Renault (Renault-Michelin) # A
less HP, well drilled team, fantastic chassis, but requires 2 driver not just one
7. Jarno Trulli - # F
should focus on the future as I expect other's are
8. Fernando Alonso - # A
top marks but some have been lossed due to a yellow flag incident,should have been a "A+", Big things will happen here

Sauber Petronas (Ferrari-Bridgestone) # D
what happen here ? maybe time to find a car maker
9. Nick Heidfeld - # F
should focus on the future as I expect other's are
10. Heinz-Harald Frentzen - # F
should focus on the future as I expect other's are

Jordan Ford (Cosworth-Bridgestone) # C - 1 win has been recorded other than that not much to see here
11. Giancarlo Fisichella - # C
1 win doesn't last for ever
12. Ralph Firman - # C+
shake start but has out shined his (highly rated)teammate at times

Jaguar Racing (Cosworth-Michelin) # B+
only due to uncompleted homework this should have been an "A"
14. Mark Webber - # A
top marks except for a white line incident otherwise perrrrrfect should have been a "A+",Big things will happen here
15. Antonio Pizzonia - # D-
things started bad and have really not improved

Lucky Strike BAR Honda (Honda-Bridgestone) # D-
well you would think it should work but it doesn't , some speed evident
16. Jacques Villeneuve - # C
has shown what he is able to do then the car works
17. Jenson Button- # C+
has shown what he is able to do then the car works but to better effect

Minardi (Cosworth-Bridgestone) # B
works well with what they have
18. Justin Wilson - # B+
Rookie of the year
19. Jos Verstappen - # C
take longer to readjust than though

Panasonic Toyota Racing (Toyota-Michelin) # D
only due to 2nd year in but otherwise less than good
20. Olivier Panis - # D
not enough work handed in
21. Cristiano da Matta - # D+
not enough work handed in but has shown good speed for first year

I think I've been hard but fair

[BootsOntheSide]

What were you expecting Da Matta to achieve that he hasn't done? He picked up good points in Spain, deserved one in Canada, qualified well in Malaysia but lost that through no fault of his own, and has learnt the tracks well despite not having the Friday mornign testing to learn them. I think he's not been far off Wilson's excellence.

Everyone remember's Montoya's "silly mistake" to finsih second in Australia, how convenient that you all forget Ralf's two silly mistakes to finish 8th? Puts a different perspective on it, no?

Why have the Suaber drivers got F's? Just because the car isn't good? Strange logic you have Down Under.

[Mr V]

Just out of interest, how can you mark Jacques and Jos the same as a guy who has won a race, got 2 second places and was leading a race when his engine blew up?

How has Ralph scored better? he's done ok, but at times looked out of his depth.

And your marking of Webber, who admittidly has had a good season is pure and utter bias

[neilap]

BMW Williams (BMW-Michelin) # C only 3 thing have saved this mark Ralf ,jpm & BMW
3. Juan Pablo Montoya- # C
silly mistakes have hurt more than 1 win can fix at this stage
4. Ralf Schumacher - # C+
consistant is what Ralf has shown but silly mistakes have costed

LOL LOL hah hah

This is a joke right!! RS, come on! Need I mention what happened to him in Spain and Monte Carlo. In Spain was he just an obstacle, well until he ran off the track. Did I mention he was lapped there? In Canada he was content to just follow big brother. Even his team was disappointed. Give it a rest man. RS is really out of his league in F1. He can set fast laps. He is quick when there is no pressure. However when there are other people on track he CHOKES.

I would rate JV higher than Button too. However I think the deam does deserve a D- not because the car is not good but since its not finishing races its all for nothing.

Why is Jag rated so high. Is it because they claimed that the car would be slow at the start of the season. They should be quicker than they are now. I guess it has something to do with Webber.

[Omega99]

You came down pretty hard on Trulli, who's been pretty consitent, but I agree, he has shown pretty poorly in some races, especially in Montreal. I'd give him a D+, or a C-. He can do better, but isn't.

[Mark Webber]

instead of *****ing post your card . Oh and try to be truthful !

[Lee Janotta]

Ferrari: A- *They're hard-pressed to beat a year-old car!
Michael Schumacher: B+ *He peaked last year. Strong form as always, but he's hard-pressed to beat a Junior in a year-old car!
Rubens Barrichelo: D *He's severly off Schumacher's pace, while he ran close to him last year. As always, though, bad luck haunts him... He should have had a win in Brazil.

McLaren: A- *Doing amazing things with a year-old car. But they need to do more to beat Ferrari. They need the new car, and they need it to be fast and reliable.
Kimi Raikkonen: A *He's looking astoundingly composed for his age, without losing the insane natural pace he arrived with. If not this year, then next year he'll be a champion.
David Coultard: D- *He's showing even less fire than usual! Inhereted one win in Australia when misfortune/mistakes beset Kimi, JPM and TGF. Otherwise he's been absolutely invisible.

Williams: B+ *Much better car this year... But instead of no front grip, they now don't have any rear grip, and as such are only a threat on stop-and-go circuits, with no long, medium-speed corners. They'll get eaten alive at Magny-Cours and Suzuka, for instance.
Juan Pablo Montoya: B *Absolutely brilliant on significant occaisons, and still has amazing raw speed. But the price of pushing the car so hard is that he sometimes pushes too hard and spins.
Ralf Schumacher: C- *Fast enough, but absolutely and completely gutless! There is _no_ excuse for his lack of aggression at Montreal.

Renault: B+ *I don't like Flavio, or the way he does business or approaches racing... But the man gets results, plain and simple. The chassis and aero package are absolutely first-rate, with only the McLaren ranking superior in handling.
Fernando Alonso: A *Aside from the bonehead crash at Brazil, he's been nothing short of stunning!
Jarno Trulli: F *Sorry, he just doesn't deserve to be in F1.

Sauber: D- *What the f***?
Heinz-Herald Frenzten: C *This time last year, I would have rated him an A. I thought the old Heinz-Herald was back. I'm not giving him an F _only_ because this car is reputed to be the worst piece of garbage Sauber's ever built.
Nick Heidfeld: C- *Nick's never impressed me... He's consistent, but there's no spark, neither on track or off it. He blends into the crowd. As for the objective ratings, same as Frentzen. Miserable performance, but I'll give him what benefit of the doubt I can.

BAR: C *Flashes of brilliant pace have been diluted by abismal reliability and an embarrasing internal soap opera.
Jacques Villeneuve: D- *He's got his head wedged deep up his... Well, you know. And doing pitifully on track. It's debatable whether his '96-'97 form can ever return.
Jensen Button: D+ *Whiner, but he's been fast on rare occaisons.

Jaguar: B *Much improved from last year. The car's a competent design, and the Cossie's a very good engine.
Mark Webber: A *Nothing I can fault him for, aside from crash at Brazil. But hell, even when he crashes, it looks good!
Antonio Pizzonia: F *Nope, not F1 material.

Jordan: D *Barely a step up from Minardi. For shame. Fire the design team ASAP, get Rinland before Minardi or Toyota hire him!
Giancarlo Fisichella: B- *Inherited a win in Brazil, but did amazing things with this POS car just to be in that position.
Ralph Firman: F *Not F1 material.

Toyota: D+ *A shameful lack of performance.
Oliver Panis: C- *Woefully unimpressive.
Christiano DaMatta: B- *Has shown potential on a few occaisons, but the bar for rookies is high this year.

Minardi: D *Perhaps actually better than Jordan this year? If they run the A23s, they may find themselves in the top half of the constructor's standings by the end of the year!
Jos Verstappen: C *He's been suprisingly on-pace with the rest of the midfield.
Justin Wilson: B+ *Rookie of the year! Poor reliability has sidlined him several times when he was in the points. Amazing starts show that he's a first-rate overtaker!

[DNQ]

Ferrari A- (Still top of the game)
M Schumacher B+ (But then, how can you match 2002 style form)
R Barrichello C (Now that Ferrari isn't dominant, he's nowhere)

Williams B- (Improving, but still a long way to go)
R Schumacher B- (Reasonable, but he needs alot more aggression)
J Montoya B+ (A few errors here and there, but fast overall)

McLaren B+ (Doing the best you'd expect from a year old car)
K Raikkonen A- (Two qualifying blues aside, he's perfect)
D Coulthard C+ (Poor DC can do alot better than this)

Renault B (Embarrassing backflip over V-angles is disappointing)
F Alonso A (Pretty much faultless; Barcelona was drive of the year)
J Trulli B (Fairly consistent, Fairly fast, but in the end just 'fair')

Sauber C- (Opposition is alot stronger, but Sauber is not...disappointing)
H Frentzen C (Rookie error at Monaco shows his heart isnt in it)
N Heidfeld C- (I know he is fast, but he's lost hope in a terrible chassis)

Jordan C- (Not bad on a shoe string budget, but too many mistakes)
G Fisichella C+ (Brazil win aside, Fisi hasn't fired. Must be disheartening driving for Jordan when you belong in a Ferrari)
R Firman D- (Continuously looking ragged, in-consistent, and often slower than the Minardi's)

BAR C+ (When they get it together they're quick, but mostly they're not)
J Villeneuve D (Is this the 1997 World Champion? No. Try Harder)
J Button C- (Over rated IMO, but doing better than Jacques)

Jaguar B+ (Massive improvement; doing well for a small team)
M Webber A (Unlucky not to have more points, rookie of the year)
A Pizzonia D (Very very disappointing, get Wurz in the car)

Toyota E (Sorry folks, a F2002 clone won't work. Build your own car)
O Panis C (Hard to judge someone driving in such a 'boring' team)
C da Matta B (Hard to impress in the Toyota, but he is F1 material)

Minardi C- (Tiny budget, and they're still giving Jordan a run for their money. Get those A23's running and they'll fly!)
J Verstappen B- (11th in Friday qualifying, Canada )
J Wilson A- (Aggressive, ballsy driver, get him in a Williams!)

[DNQ]

Originally posted by Mark Webber
Jordan Ford (Cosworth-Bridgestone) # C - 1 win has been recorded other than that not much to see here
11. Giancarlo Fisichella - # C
1 win doesn't last for ever
12. Ralph Firman - # C+
shake start but has out shined his (highly rated)teammate at times

Ralph C+
Giancarlo C

Yeah, that's right, a race winner who's shown brilliance for half a decade is inferior to a driver who constantly looks out of control, hardly ever holds his one lap shootout together and often starts with the Minardis. Frankly, Barcelona aside, Fisi is better.

[Mark Webber]

Ralph as also but some decent time in like lead to Canada all I'am saying is he has given SOME good show's and more often is closer to Fissi than some though but i'am not saying he is Better than Fissi so pls don't get me wrong
PS
Webber is in his 2nd year and can not win Rookie of the year twice
Rookie of the year will go to Wilson IMHO

[DNQ]

Have you watched Ralph on a qualifying lap though? Half the time he looks out of control, and he usually winds up behind a Minardi. That said, the gap is, as you say, less than most suspect, but it's not close enough that you can say Ralph is better....

[Mark Webber]

agreed. but remember very much a rookie and a very late addition at that so in my books a little extra marks required but saying that end of year report will tell all

BTW did you realise Mark is not a Rookie?

[DNQ]

I see my mistake, thanks for pointing that out. I meant to say 'Surprise of the Year' or 'Most Improved' - he was fantastic last year in the Minardi, but with a dodgy team mate it was hard to tell. This year he has simply been earth-shattering, and eclipsed all my expectations. He is unclucky, as I said, not to have ten or more points...

[Mark Webber]

agreed again

[Tom Fuller]

Ferrari B+ (Not as much the "kings" as normal)
M Schumacher B- (Not a match to his previous years, with already retirements and non-podiums)
R Barrichello C+ (Not really done that bad, nearly as good as Michael but less points)

Williams B (Started off ok, had a few "off" races, but now back and should try and dominate mid-season)
R Schumacher B+ (Same as Williams really)
J Montoya B+ (Also, same as Williams comment)

McLaren A- (Doing well actually, although they've gone a bit off recently)
K Raikkonen A (Almost perfect start to the season, but has started slowing slightly)
D Coulthard D (He's not exactly performing to standard. Hardly any points by his standards, and only 1 credible performance)

Renault A (Amazing effort and speed unexpected, could have won a couple of times)
F Alonso A* (Probably the best driver of the season so far, always puts in his best performances and drives the car to its limit)
J Trulli A- (Not bad, not great, still alright)

Sauber C (Was expecting a bit more from them really)
H Frentzen B- (he did better for Arrows last season)
N Heidfeld B- (Under par performances)

Jordan B (Not that great, other than that Brazil victory - which they must have put a lot of effort into)
G Fisichella B (Brilliant win at Brazil, but bumpy rest of season)
R Firman F (Consistently poor, lucky to have the points he has, usually towards the back of the grid and a liability to Jordan)

BAR B (I don't think they've done taht bad, did better at the start of the season)
J Villeneuve C (Not great, could have done better)
J Button B- (Not done bad, not great, but has bettered a world champion)

Jaguar A- (great car and effort, just bad luck sometimes)
M Webber A (Should have managed lots more points if it wasn't for accidents and stuff. Phenominal in qualifying, really repeating his great performance for Minardi last year)
A Pizzonia D- (Poor generally, but he's got a lot of pressure on him)

Toyota C (Wouldn't say its done that bad nor brilliant - just average)
O Panis B (Some good qualifying performances, but car failures all of the time)
C da Matta B (Has done well to get Toyota Some points)

Minardi C- (expected them to do better actually, but not bad. Seem to always have at least one car on the back of the grid though)
J Verstappen C+ (Did well at Canada, but expected more from him)
J Wilson B (not a bad performance, proving himself in a way)

[DNQ]

Poor old DC has received these marks:

D
C+
D-
F

[Tom Fuller]

and he's deserved them

[MichaelH]

Ferrari B+ (Fast as ever, but new car isn't quite the work of genius the last one was)
M Schumacher A (as good as ever)
R Barrichello C (unlucky, but off the pace on too many occasions. I expected more)

McLaren B+ (Good start has tailed off recently)
K Raikkonen B+ (perfect in the races, a little disappointing in qualifying)
D Coulthard D (even his win wasn't the result of a great drive. Anonymous at best)

Williams B (poor start, has come good. One hell of a quick car)
R Schumacher C (consistantly mildly disappointing, but much improved in qualifying)
J Montoya B+ (quietly one of the drivers of the year so far)

Renault A- (fantastic performance, just disappointing in Monaco where I thought they'd win)
F Alonso A* (perfection)
J Trulli C+ (better than some would suggest, up against it matching up to Alonso.)

Sauber D+ (again, not that bad. But not that good either)
H Frentzen C- (early on, excellent. Recently, poor)
N Heidfeld D+ (eh? who's he?)

Jaguar C+ (fast, but reliability has been apalling)
M Webber B (quick and impressive, but can't be graded higher until some results appear)
A Pizzonia D- (pretty poor in pace and racecraft)

Jordan D (win aside, painfully slow)
G Fisichella C (win aside, a bit underwhelming)
R Firman F (right up there with Rosset and Nakano)

Toyota C- (flashes of pace in the midst of mediocrity)
C Da Matta C (inconsistant but quick at times)
O Panis C (seriously fast, seriously unlucky)

BAR B- (the pace is there)
J Villeneuve C (quite good at times, but lacks luck and it's getting him down)
J Button B- (actually, he's been pretty impressive)

Minardi E (expected them to be on the pace, they're way off)
J Verstappen C+ (like it or not, he's outpaced Justin)
J Wilson C (brilliant racer, but not as impressive as some would suggest)

All in my opinion only....

[maxell]

Hello all, I just found this forum and I would like to mention a few things after reading some of your posts.

First off, Ralf has outqualified Montoya 5-3 this year and been consistent and made if not fewer mistakes than Montoya in races. So I would give them both the same mark.

Also, Raikkonen has done well, but one has to remember that in 8 qualifying this year, he has blown 3 of them by making big mistakes. In Austria, Spain and Canada he lost the car of the circuit on his qualifying run. Not a pretty sight.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by maxell


First off, Ralf has outqualified Montoya 5-3 this year

Welcome to the forum Maxell if you stick around long enough you'll realise that i'm one of JPM's biggest fans on the site and i'd like to point out that qualifying means nothing this year

Yes, Rafe "BEAT" JPM in Canada, but when he "out-qualified" him in Monaco, JPM had an extra 2 laps worth of fuel then went on to win the race

[Adam43]

2003 Formula One: C-

1986 being the only year that has achieved a A*.

Not so much a critisism, more a reminder that the standards are (And should be) high.

[maxell]

Originally posted by mr v
i'd like to point out that qualifying means nothing this year

It does of course mean something when you compare drivers in the same team with just about the same strategy!

[DNQ]

Originally posted by AdamAshmore
2003 Formula One: C-

1986 being the only year that has achieved a A*.

Not so much a critisism, more a reminder that the standards are (And should be) high.

Great idea for a new thread

[mac]

FERRARI - A
Expected them to be more dominant, but they're still the class.
M.SCHUMACHER - A
As good as ever. Fast and flawless, while those around him have made plenty of mistakes.
R.BARRICHELLO - C
Has had some ordinary luck in races this year. Still quick. Seems to be struggling to get the F2003 setup as well as the F2002.

McLAREN - A
Very impressed by the speed they've got out of last year's car. Disappointed that they've taken so long to get the new car out.
D.COULTHARD - B-
Still has the pace. Still not WDC material.
K.RAIKKONEN - A
Very good. Amazing speed - possibly the most enjoyable driver to watch. Mistakes have cost him though.

BMW-WILLIAMS - A
Same old story. Good car, ordinary strategy at times. They've bounced back well from last year's disappointment. Both Willy and Mac have been helped by Michelin greatly at times this year.
J.P.MONTOYA - B+
Quick and aggressive. Quiet early, impressive recently. Still too many mistakes. M.Schu doesn't make them.
R.SCHUMACHER - B
Some great qualifying performances recently. Has had plenty of things go wrong for him in races - many not his fault. Has the speed, and I think he and JPM are working better together.

RENAULT - A
I would imagine this is the nicest car to drive in the field. Very tidy package. A few more hp and they'd be winning races.
J.TRULLI - B+
Despite what you read in the mainly British press, Jarno has been right on Alonso's pace this year. As ever, he has had some incredible and unlucky things go against him.
F.ALONSO - A
Brilliant. Awesome drive in Spain. Should have been excluded in Brazil, after some very poor driving. It defies logic that Webber lost his points, but Alonso kept his, despite driving like a moron.

JAGUAR - B
Unexpected improvement. Spending money in the right places now.
M.WEBBER - A
Almost flawless. Fast in qualifying, fast in races. Minimal errors. Suffered from some bad reliability.
A.PIZZONIA - C-
Struggling. It's completely baffling that Williams rated him so highly, and he has struggled at Jag.

BAR - B-
Occasional glimpses of strong speed. Terrible reliability on JV's car.
J.BUTTON - B
Driving well. Very steady season.
J.VILLENEUVE - B-
Difficult to judge, as he has barely done any race laps thanks to some shocking reliability. Always runs different strategy to JB, making it difficult to judge, but appears to be doing a pretty good job.

TOYOTA - B-
Similar to BAR. At some tracks, they have the car working well. At others, they seem completely lost.
C.DA MATTA - B-
Has been quite impressive for mine, and is getting better. More reliability would help. Definitely not out of his depth.
O.PANIS - C+
Steady. No really great performances. Da Matta is closing the gap.

SAUBER - C
They've gone backwards. Both drivers are struggling with the car, and the cockpit just doesn't look like a happy place to be.
N.HEIDFELD - B-
Still fast. Needs a younger faster teammate pushing him. Probably been at Sauber a little too long.
H-H.FRENTZEN - C
Similar to Panis. Expected more from him. Appears to only pull out the special stuff when his job is on the line. Maybe Sauber should threaten the axe.

JORDAN - C+
Who would have thought they'd win a race. As always, a tidy little package, on a smallish budget.
G.FISICHELLA - A-
His win in Brazil was not as much of a fluke as some would make out. Always fighting really hard.
R.FIRMAN - C+
Impressed by his speed at some tracks. Unimpressed with his speed at most. Not doing too bad a job against an awesome teammate. Certainly the most distinctive driving style in the field.

MINARDI - D
Really expected a little more with two good drivers, Cosworth engine and more extended points. Massive fund shortage doesn't help. At least they appear to have a launch control system that works this year. And does it work!
J.VERSTAPPEN - C+
Not too bad. Pretty quick, but suffering big reliability problems.
J.WILSON - C+
Ditto.

[f1manoz]

FERRARI - A - Still top of the game. The new car is still fast and the team are still no. 1.
M. SCHUMACHER - A - Still the guy to beat and has come on after a slow-ish start
R. BARRICHELLO - B- - Anonymous all season, particularly after Brazil. New car doesn't seem to suit him as well.

McLAREN - B - Where's the new car guys? But the old car is still quicker than most others.
K. RAIKKONEN - A - Blindingly quick but a couple of errors have cost him championship lead. But he's still top McLaren driver.
D. COULTHARD - C+ - Where are you DC? After early win, he's just been bottom of the eight most races.

WILLIAMS - B+ - New car appeared weak but after last couple of performances something is now going right is Grove.
J.P. MONTOYA - B+ - Finally a win and if not for a couple of silly errors, he'd have more. But he's still top dog at Williams.
R. SCHUMACHER - C - Boring but consistent. But two poles in the past two races have proven his speed and capability.

RENAULT - B - Car is probably best aerodynamically out there but certainly struggle with speed. New engine next year could hamper them.
F. ALONSO - A+ - Driver of the year so far. Absolutely brilliant. Making Trulli surplus to Renault requirements.
J. TRULLI - B - He's trying hard all year but still that bad luck and Alonso is really just blowing him out of the water.

JAGUAR - C - Car is certainly improved but it's still far too unreliable. But in the right hands has proven very quick.
M. WEBBER - B+ - Astonishing pace all year. Upset many fancied rivals. Jaguar picked the right man for the job.
A. PIZZONIA - D - Came to Jaguar with high praise but has yet to live up to it.

BAR - C - Car is obviously very quick and efficient but what on earth are they doing to JV's car??? Team appear to be making the right steps.
J. BUTTON - B - Has been on the pace all year but has suffered from his own fair share of bad luck
J. VILLENEUVE - C - Despite all the bad luck, JV just hasn't been 'on it' this year.

SAUBER - C - Really starting to struggle. The car is a mess and the results just are not coming.
N. HEIDFELD - B- - Racing his heart out for little reward. His career may start to suffer because of it.
H.H. FRENTZEN - C - Came to Sauber looking to end on a high. May end on a whimper if things continue as they are.

JORDAN - C - Suffered all sorts of problems in the past 18 months. Car is certainly not a gem, but it's good enough.
G. FISICHELLA - A - A for effort. Win in Brazil was the most deserved in the history of F1!
R. FIRMAN - D - A couple of good performances here and there but mostly just not good enough.

TOYOTA - C - Appear to be stagnating and struggling with reliability.
C. da MATTA - C - Improving with every race and learning more as each race goes by. Toyota would be foolish to let him go.
O. PANIS - C - Results are not showing how hard he's trying. Desperately unlucky.

MINARDI - D - Would have thought they'd have a point or two by now but off-track shenanigans have dominated headlines of late.
J. WILSON - B - Very quick and a brilliant starter. Trying his best.
J. VERSTAPPEN - C - Better than I thought. Like Wilson, trying his best.